Gundogan refuse to renew his contract with Borussia Dortmund, Hugo Lloris first pick for David de Gea replacement in Manchester United

Soccer News:

Rumors about Ilkay Gundogan as new Manchester United midfielder boss might be true. German club announce today that Ilkay Gundogan will not renew his contract with them. Current contract for Gundogan expire in next summer and with his rejection of new contract speculation about his agreement with Manchester United comes in first place. According to source Gundogan had meeting with Manchester United officials and they made agreement that Gundogan will join United at the end of the season. In David Moyes era Manchester United already tried to sign Gundogan, but then player and club refuse Manchester United offer. According to same sources United will offer around 30 million euros for Gundogan services to Borussia Dortmund, club will probably agree on that price since if they don’t then they face possibility that Gundogan leave the club as free player in next year. Similar thing happened with Robert Lewandowski who moved to Bayern Munich on free transfer.

Hugo Lloris to replace David de Gea in Manchester United

Rumors are also saying that Real Madrid will be buying David de Gea as Iker Casillas replacement. De Gea is in fantastic form this season in Manchester United and it will not be first time that Real Madrid tries to buy De Gea. If this rumor happened then Louis van Gaal will probably take a look at Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Lloris is excellent goalkeeper and there is no secret that he wants to play in Champions League, since Tottenham cannot deliver that to him he might leave and join some club that can fulfill his wish. The only problem in this whole story is Tottenham officials; they are known not to sell players to their opponents. Couple of years back when Luka Modric was playing for Tottenham, Chelsea offer much more money than Real Madrid but at the end Modric ends in Madrid and not in London. Main reason was clear they refuse to sell their best player to one of the competitors in Premiership. Same thing might happen with Hugo Lloris who also have offer from Paris Saint-Germain.

by ScoresPro.com

Gundogan refuse to renew his contract with Borussia Dortmund, Hugo Lloris first pick for David de Gea replacement in Manchester United

Nishikori soon to be number one

Tennis Updates:

According to his former mentor, Japan’s Kei Nishikori has the ability to reach the summit of men’s tennis and is technically already better than world number one – Novak Djokovic. Shuzo Matsuoka told reports a couple of days ago that it was “only a matter of time” before Nishikori, who broke into the top 5 last season, captured his first Grand Slam title.

“Kei is hitting the ball harder and controlling opponents more than last year,” Matsuoka said in an interview.

“He has a decent chance of winning the French Open. He’s knocking on the door, for certain. I’m not being biased but he plays better tennis than Djokovic or (Rafa) Nadal.”

Matsuoka, who has watched Nishikori develop since first encountering him as a shy 11-year-old, added: “That said, he knows there are still questions over his mental strength and that tennis is about more than just pure talent.

“Seeing Kei dominating on clay puts him right behind Djokovic in terms of who you would fancy to win right now. I don’t think anyone would write off his chances at the French Open. He has a good shot.”

Nishikori, 25, who retained his Barcelona title at the weekend to capture a ninth career tournament, learnt a harsh lesson after being floored by Croatian Marin Cilic in last year’s US Open final, insisted Matsuoka.

“He had never reached a Grand Slam final before and he felt the pressure for sure,” said Matsuoka, who in 1992 became the first Japanese player to win an ATP title. “But it’s only a matter of time before Kei wins a Grand Slam.

If he wins one, he could go on to win a bunch.”

Matsuoka believes that Nishikori has nothing to fear from the so-called big four of men’s tennis — Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

“Murray had it incredibly tough,” said Matsuoka, referring to the Scot’s agonizing wait for a first major title. “He was coming up against the other three at their absolute peak. But their powers are fading a little now, without a doubt, and a new generation of players is on the rise.

“Clearly, Kei can beat those players and this year he has a bigger chance of winning a slam than last. In the next two or three years, as long as he stays fit, he will break through.”

Nishikori burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old by winning in Delray Beach as a 244th-ranked qualifier in 2008. He has become a huge celebrity in Japan, with millions waking up early to watch his matches on television during his run to the US Open final.

Despite his recent success, Nishikori’s career has been plagued by injuries, most notably in 2009 when he needed elbow surgery and feared he might not play again.

“He’s tougher now,” said Matsuoka. “And he can also play mind games if he has too. He is very adept at reading his opponents and out-psyching them. He can lull you into thinking he’s down and out — and then hit back and knock you out in the fifth set.

“For me there are two true geniuses in the game — Federer and Kei,” added Matsuoka. “Their touch, their creativity. Kei still has to win a Grand Slam but he is playing super tennis and can smash that wall down.”

by ScoresPro.com

Nishikori soon to be number one

5 reasons why Liverpool should sack Brendan Rodgers in the summer

Liverpool News

Un-astonishingly, Liverpool, for the 5th time in this century have failed to live up to the expectations of their fans. While they were a team to beat last season – the same condition which they found themselves in at-least 1 year of Rafael Benetiz and Gerard Houlier, the Reds are quickly turning themselves into a laughing stock once again.

Defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup Semi-final can be comprehended, a schooling of defense by Tony Pulis followed by a crushing defeat by Hull City has taken the misery of Liverpool fans to another level.

So, the question that is quickly becoming an argument is that, Should Liverpool sack Brendan Rodgers. Well, in my opinion, yes is the answer and here are 5 reasons to back that: –

Lack of planning

How do you replace Luis Suarez? Frankly speaking, here is the answer, you did not. So for that reason, it isn’t suitable to shift the blame to a single person when a man leaving is of the stature of Luis Suarez. However, apart from that, Rodgers should share the blame.

However, From that defeat against Aston Villa at Anfield in September, to the recent defeat at the hand of Hull City which has left the Reds in cold, there is no person to blame other than Brendan Rodgers.

Liverpool were always going to struggle this season, but, should this struggle have shook them to the core. The answer, is No, and Brendan Rodgers did nothing to avoid that. Let’s take an empirical look over their recent defeat at Hull, while that defeat had many match winners, yet there was an equal dose of match-loser in that.

Mario Balotelli would be the 1st person to leave Liverpool when the season ends, so is Glen Johnson, however, Liverpool manager seemed content to give game-time to the players to do what? To save their Liverpool future maybe, when ironically, there are questions over his own Liverpool future as well. Allowing Gerrard to “rest” at home when his Liverpool career is only weeks long? Is this how you treat a man who has deflated interest from the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid so that he will never play AGAINST Liverpool.

Member of transfer committee

Unlike former Liverpool managers who had to lift the blame solely, Brendan Rodgers has the luxury to shift the blame elsewhere, or more specifically speaking, to the transfer committee as well as the model which arrived at Liverpool along with Fenway Sports Group. While that model seems as synonymous to Liverpool fans as a Barclays Premier League trophy, the curtain that has been hiding the weaknesses of Brendan Rodgers should be lifted

Along with the Managing Director of the team, Liverpool manager usually sits in a committee which gives the green or red light to players that have been scouted by the club. While the transfer committee bar Brendan Rodgers should share the blame for its howlers, shouldn’t Brendan Rodgers be blamed for his lack of identification of the critical places in his starting 11.

Before the start of this season, there were two places on which Liverpool were lacking, a goal-keeper as well as a defensive midfield position. While Simon Mignolet has done very well to save his Liverpool career, question is has he done enough to do the same with Liverpool season? The answer is no and Brendan Rodgers is to blame.

When Simon Mignolet conceded a half-century of goals last season, any Jose Mourinho or Sir Alex or even Arsene Wenger, would have gone to the transfer market and bought a new goal-keeper. Instead, buying the logic which only him can understand, Brendan Rodgers decided to give confidence to his goal-keeper.

While the confidence was given to Mignolet eventually, at the end of December, the Liverpool season was in tatters before that time.

Thus, by turning other into a scape-goat and allowing himself go free, Brendan Rodgers shouldn’t be allowed to go empty handed as he should share the burden of his transfers.

3 years – 212million pounds – No TROPHY

In the start of the 21st Century, Liverpool were called as the Cultural Hub of Europe, that title with all other things, also came due to the success of its football club, the Liverpool football club. However, 3 years into his tenure, Brendan Rodgers has done enough to get Liverpool out of that queue.

Even though Liverpool aren’t in the same big league of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United in terms of transfers, it will be astonishing to know that the Reds have spent only 5million pounds less than Manchester City since the arrival of Brendan Rodgers. While Manchester City got players like Jesus Navas and Fernandinho during that time, Liverpool looked content to be with the likes of Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana.

So apart from the distinction of being the first Liverpool manager in 50-years that do not have a trophy in his first 3 years, Brendan Rodgers has enough material on his balance-sheet to be shown the door in the summer of 2015.

Liverpool need a new direction – Brendan Rodgers cannot provide it

While every Liverpool manager in the past 20-years had a luxury of calling onto Steven Gerrard whenever he came to manager Liverpool, the situation is about to change from next season. The pall-bearer, the leader and the Legend is about to retire, and the board-room dynamics are about to change.

Thus, while Liverpool will need a leader on the pitch, they will also need a motivator in the dressing room, and with all due respect to Brendan Rodgers, he cannot be the one.

Question is, how can you say that Brendan Rodgers cannot isn’t the one that could do that? The answer, like all of his other problems, lies in this season. In all matches this season, Liverpool have failed to win a game in which they gone a goal-down at half time.

Unlike Rafael Benetiz whose half-time team talks were enough to drawn AC Milan, Brendan Rodgers’ half time team-talk cannot beat Hull City.

Jurgen Klopp is available and he WILL join Liverpool!

With both Manchester United and Arsenal seemingly content with their managers, and Manchester City looking more for a manager that could prepare the hot-seat for Pep Guardiola for the 2016-17 season, there is only 1 team in England that could lure Klopp, and it is Liverpool.

In addition to his name that sounds redundant to the KOP, Jurgen Klopp has a resume that would fit nicely to the history of Liverpool. With 2 Bundesliga titles under his belt, Klopp can turn Liverpool into title contenders once again.

And unlike the style of play adopted by Brendan Rodgers that has been so easily cracked by the opposition this season, Klopp offers a more direct style of play which has not been countered, and Borussia Dortmund’s recent win over Bayern Munich is a proof of that.

Thus, changing a manager who hasn’t won over Tony Pulis away from home during his time being with a one who has turned his team from mid-table side to a Championship winning side, Liverpool board-room should not twitch a muscle and call the German at the helm.

By ScoresPro.com

5 reasons why Liverpool should sack Brendan Rodgers in the summer

NBA News: Kevin Love is out for the rest of the playoffs. Are the Cavaliers a championship contender without him?

Basketball, NBA News:

We talked about this topic once on ScoresPro.com, but it was when nothing was certain about the injury Kevin Love sustained when the Cavaliers played the Boston Celtics. However, the latest reports are that the big man won’t be able to return to court at least for the next six to eight weeks. The initial diagnose was that Love will watching from the sidelines for a period of two to three weeks, but it seems that these statements were made a bit prematurely.

The official statement that Love will be out until the end of the playoffs was made by the Cavs general manager – David Griffin. In an interview, in which Love’s condition was discussed, Griffin said that it’s “highly unlikely” that will be able to see Kevin playing in the next rounds of the postseason. The fact that Cleveland’s big man is out for the rest of playoffs is definitely a big it for the team and their title hopes.

The Cavaliers find themselves in a lot of troubles, as Love was one of the most important players for the success of the team. Even though he didn’t contribute a lot statistically, his presence on the floor was crucial for the team. Love was playing the role of a stretch four for the Cavs, and he spaced the floor magnificently for them. It’s not like it is absolutely impossible for Cleveland to get over this loss, but it will more than different to reach the Finals, let alone win them, without Love on the court.

However, let’s not forget where Cleveland is playing. Reaching the Finals is a lot easier in the East, than in the West, but there are still some obstacles along the way. The first one is called the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose and company haven’t yet advanced past the Milwaukee Bucks, if we assume they do, the pose a very big threat to Cleveland’s title dreams. The Bulls have a lot of solid big men, which are definitely happy that they won’t have to guard Love. It will be a great series and with a little bit of luck, the Cavs could get out of it as winners. However, even if James carries his team to the Finals, it’s hard to believe that they will be able to defeat the Western Conference champions without Love on the floor.

By ScoresPro.com

NBA News: Kevin Love is out for the rest of the playoffs. Are the Cavaliers a championship contender without him?

Soccer Rumors: Madrid teams to face transfer ban?

Soccer News and Rumors:

There are reports that FIFA is seriously thinking about imposing a transfer ban on both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid for the next year and a half. The reasons behind this are the signings of underage players. The ban would mean that the two Madrid clubs won’t be able to sign new players for the upcoming summer transfer window and the 2016 January market. If the ban is really put into action by FIFA, it could prove to be devastating for the teams, as they have some pretty big moves planned after the end of the current season.

The latest reports are that Real Madrid has made an official statement in which the club absolutely denies that it has done anything to break the transfer rules. The full statement was provided by the Whites:

“In view of last night’s reports, alluding to supposed legal sources, about a future sanction against Real Madrid for possible infractions in the signing of foreign minors, the club would like to state the following:

1. That said information is completely false, as demonstrated by the fact that the Spanish Football Federation has spoken to different media outlets to refute the claims that Real Madrid is implicated in any kind of irregular activity when it comes to signing minors.

2.- Real Madrid reiterates that the club has always scrupulously adhered to the FIFA regulations, as was explained in detail in the official announcement dated 26 January 2015.

3.-Real Madrid is once again saddened by these reports, some of which are intended to cause harm, the only aim of which are to implicate the club in supposed infractions that have not been committed.

4.- At the same time, it is surprising that certain media outlets insist on connecting the latest signings with a hypothetical sanction, as there is no relationship between the signing of players and their subsequent inscription, which is what FIFA prohibits.

5.- Real Madrid reiterates once again its absolute committment to the defence, protection and the correct and healthy development of minors, which take precedence over sporting interests and, as a consquence, confirms its total support of these FIFA regulations and the club’s adherence to them.”

Furthermore, Atletico Madrid has also stated that they are “confident of having acted properly” in all deals in which they have signed young players. If FIFA doesn’t approve Real Madrid’s and Atletico Madrid’s statements, they would surely face the ban. However, if both teams disagree with the decision made by FIFA, they could take the matter into court. That would at least delay the ban until the end of the summer transfer window, and the clubs would be able to execute crucial transfers.

Barcelona is currently under such a transfer ban, and it will be lifted after the end of the upcoming summer. If another ban is imposed on the Madrid teams, we could be witnesses of a transfer window, in which Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona won’t have the opportunities to improve their lineups.

By ScoresPro.com

Soccer Rumors: Madrid teams to face transfer ban?

Handball News: Veselin Vujovic and Dragan Markovic extend their contracts with PPD Zagreb and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Handball News:

Croatian powerhouse PPD Zagreb announces that they extend coöperation with their current coach Veselin Vujovic.  Zagreb is long time Croatian handball championship but they are struggling in the European competition. Last year they sign Veselin Vujovic as their new coach and now they are extending that coöperation. Zagreb manager Bozidar Jovic said that if the club wants to get back in the European top then they need a long-term project and Vujovic is excellent coach for that. First season with Vujovic on the bench Zagreb has made the best results in European competition since 2011. They reach quarter-finals of Velux EHF Champions League where they get kicked out by Barcelona and for young Zagreb team that is not a bad accomplishment.

Markovic extend with Bosnia and Herzegovina 

Bosnia and Herzegovina handball federation announce that they will extend contract with their current national head-coach Dragan Markovic. Markovic who is Bosnia and Herzegovina head coach since 2011 suppose to stay on Bosnia and Herzegovina bench until 2019.  Markovic made the biggest success in Bosnia and Herzegovina handball history qualifying for their first ever major handball event World Handball Champions in Qatar earlier this year. They were in group B with Croatia, Macedonia, Austria, Tunisia and Iran.  After 5 rounds they manage to get only one win against Iran and four losses. In the battle for 17^th – 20^th place they first lost against Belarus and then for 19^th place against Russia, at the end they finish their first World Handball Championship on 20^th place with 1 win and 6 losses. Markovic and his team are now facing new challenge and that is EHF European Championships in Poland 2016. They are in Group 2 with Denmark, Belarus and Lithuania and holding 3^rd place after 2 rounds.

by ScoresPro.com

Handball News: Veselin Vujovic and Dragan Markovic extend their contracts with PPD Zagreb and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Jose Mourinho: Arsenal need 4 SIGNINGS to be Invincibles once again

Chelsea News

After rubbing salts in the wounds of the Arsenal faithful by playing out a 0-0 draw at the Emirates last weekend, Jose Mourinho has come out in full force against the Gunners. While they referred to his team as boring before the match at the Emirates, Jose Mourinho believes Arsenal can become INVINCIBLES once again. However, in order to emulate their early 2000’s tag, Jose Mourinho suggests Arsenal need 4 World-class signings.

Responding to a question regarding the dominance of Chelsea in the Premier League, Mourinho was quick to offer his opinion on his newly acquired rivals Arsenal. While the question was limited in scope towards Chelsea, Mourinho nicely deflected it towards the North London rivals Arsenal. And just like his style of football which isn’t adorned by the Gunners, his answer to this question might not suit well with them.

“It’s even more difficult to dominate than before,” he said. “How can you speak about domination when everyone knows what will happen next summer?

“Give to Arsenal four top-class players and I think they will again be the Invincibles.

“Man United have a phenomenal squad. They will invest hugely again in the summer.

“City have done phenomenally, winning two titles in three years, and people say they will invest hugely.

Asked about how where he sees the dominance of his team in the next few years, Mourinho was quick to write off that his team could emulate the same dominance that Bayern has enjoyed over the Bundesliga over the last 5-years.

“At this moment, it’s very difficult in the Premier League for a team to be dominant.

“This is not Germany with Bayern Munich. This is not Switzerland with Basel. This is not Scotland with Celtic.”

By ScoresPro.com

Jose Mourinho: Arsenal need 4 SIGNINGS to be Invincibles once again

Soccer Rumors: Speculations about a Hazard-Bale swap emerge

Soccer News and Rumors:

Eden Hazard has been chosen as the 2015 PFA Player of the Year, and Chelsea fans have been more than happy from this event. However, the fact that the previous two winners of this award – Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale – have left their Premier League clubs makes us think whether the same will happen with the Belgium international. According to a couple of sources, Real Madrid is ready to give whatever it takes to land Hazard in the summer transfer window, and that includes giving up Gareth Bale.

It’s a bit strange to see how Real Madrid is ready to give up a player for which they paid a colossal amount of money. Furthermore, Bale has been terrific last season, scoring goals in both finals in which the Whites played – the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League finals. It is true that the former Tottenham Hotspur player hasn’t been in top form this season, but he should be given a chance.

It’s tough to disagree that Chelsea would be happy to have Bale in their lineup, but the question is – are they ready to give up Hazard? The question is – probably not. Chelsea and their manager, Jose Mourinho, have stated a couple of times that the Belgium international isn’t going anywhere. Furthermore, Hazard himself has stated that he has no intentions of leaving London – “No, I’m staying.”

As a conclusion, it can be said that this swap probably won’t happen – Hazard doesn’t want to leave his current club, and even Gareth Bale isn’t tempting enough for the Blues. Chelsea is one of those clubs that has enough finances to resist Real Madrid. However, even if he doesn’t get transferred to Chelsea, it won’t be surprising if we see Bale playing in the Premier League next season.

By ScoresPro.com

Soccer Rumors: Speculations about a Hazard-Bale swap emerge

NBA News: The Brooklyn Nets have what it takes to upset the Atlanta Hawks

Basketball, NBA News:

It’s almost impossible for an NBA season to end without some serious surprises in the playoffs. Usually, the storyline goes like this – a team with a small budget finds a way to upset one of the luxury-tax paying franchises. However, this year, the scenario is a little bit different. The team that has the chances to create an upset is one of the biggest tax-payer in the entire league. Yes, we are talking about the Brooklyn Nets.

Even though, the series between the Nets and the Hawks is tied at 2-2 and Atlanta has the home-court advantage, it can’t be denied that Brooklyn has looked very good throughout the first four games. The Nets barely reached the number eight seed in the Eastern Conference and it’s hard to believe that have been able to win two games against a 60-win, title-chasing team. Nevertheless, the Atlanta Hawks have not performed well in the playoffs, even though they were one of the best squads during the regular season.

The regular season series between the two teams ended in favor of the Hawks, as they won all four games by an average difference of 17.3 points. However, in the playoffs, the Nets have given Atlanta all sorts of problems, and the squad led by Mike Budenholzer has looked out of sync. The Hawks look nothing like the team that played in the regular season, failing to score when they have and giving up easy points on defense.

The main problem in my opinion is the fact that Atlanta is a jump-shooting team. A big part of their points come from jumpers, which is good, but only when the shots go in. The overall shot percentage of the Hawks is 41.5%, which is the worst mark among all playoff squads. Furthermore, the Brooklyn Nets have defended their perimeter pretty well and haven’t given the Hawks sharpshooters a lot of easy shots.

“You don’t see the 3-point line taken away from the Hawks like this often. The perfect example of how well the Nets defended in this game is finding the possessions in which the Hawks killed ticks on the clock trying to find an open Kyle Korver. It just wasn’t allowed and so when Korver did catch the ball without much space, he’d either have to pass off without much threat of creating anything or he’d rush a jumper off-balance, which you almost never see.”

The series isn’t over yet, and the Hawks have all the chances to win and advance to the next phase. However, this makes us think whether Atlanta has what it takes to reach the NBA Finals and win them? Very soon, we will find out.

By ScoresPro.com

NBA News: The Brooklyn Nets have what it takes to upset the Atlanta Hawks

Wimbledon prize money going up

Tennis Updates:

Interestingly, the prize money keeps going upwards at Wimbledon, with 1st-round defeated as well as champions cashing in on record rewards. The All England Club announced on the 27th of April that reward money for this year’s grass-court Grand Slam will increase by 7 % to reach a total of $40.60 million – 26.75 million pounds.

The men’s and women’s singles champions will each receive $2.85 million – 1.88 million pounds.

Organizers said the prize fund will be ”the highest ever in professional tennis,” surpassing last year’s U.S. Open purse of $38.25 million.

Since 2011, Wimbledon’s purse has almost doubled in size from the $22.4 million (14.6 million pounds) on offer 4 years ago. What is more, the increase affects the early stages of the tournament, too.

A 1st-round loser in 2015 will receive 29,000 pounds ($44,500), a 7 % increase from the 27,000 pounds that were handed last year.

Philip Brook – the tournament chairman said that the prize money helps preserve Wimbledon’s premier status and rejected suggestions that the winners are overpaid.

”I think without the world’s best tennis players, we wouldn’t have the world’s best tennis tournament,” Brook said. ”We recognize the players are an essential ingredient of our championships and this level of prize money is affordable for these championships and therefore we feel it is important that we should reflect that in what we pay the players.”

The prize money for the singles winners will rise 7 % from the 1.76 million pounds won by last year’s champions Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova. Men’s and women’s doubles winners will earn 340,000 pounds ($520,000), an increase of 15,000 pounds, while mixed doubles winners will receive a rise of 4 percent to 100,000 pounds ($153,000).

The break between the French Open and Wimbledon, normally 2 weeks, has been extended to 3 weeks for the first time this year. Wimbledon is scheduled to run from June 29 to July 12.

The All England Club also said Hawk-Eye technology will be used on Courts 12 and 18, making it 6 courts in total equipped with the line-calling system.

Overall capacity has increased more than 7 times because Courts 14 and 15 will be available again after being re-laid during last year’s event. Fortunately, a total of 19 courts will be in play for the championships.

Officials said progress is running on schedule for a roof to be built on Court 1, which should be ready for the 2019 competition.

All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis dismissed speculation that Wimbledon could sell British television rights to subscription channel Sky and break its long-term association with the BBC.

”There’s absolutely no intention to go down that route whatsoever,” Lewis said. ”We have a very, very strong relationship with the BBC and we feel it works very well. And we see absolutely no reason to change that.

”Never say never, but not in the foreseeable future.”

by ScoresPro.com

Wimbledon prize money going up

Manchester United to face Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain on Pre-Season tour

Manchester United News

After agreeing to the demands of their boss Louis Van Gaal to travel to America rather than Asia in the pre-season tour, the official Manchester United website has confirmed the pre-season plans for the summer of 2015.

And with their return to the Champions League football in hindsight, the Manchester United board have organized fixtures against heavy-weights of Europe in their trip to the US.

While Louis Van Gaal was animated last year with the amount of distance his Manchester United team had to cover to take part in subsequent fixtures, this time the fixtures are more carefully planned.

While they will take part in International Champions Cup once again – a tournament which they won last summer, they will play 4 matches in space of just 12 days to be back home in time for the start of Barclays Premier League.

Last time Manchester United flied over the Atlantic, there was a huge rush of people to see them everywhere they went. When they played Real Madrid at Michigan last summer, there was a record attendance of 109,318 people in the Michigan ground to see the two giants of European football collide.

Thus, while it was Real Madrid last season, Barcelona will lock their horns with the Red devils this summer. However, like last summer when Liverpool was also there, Paris Saint Germain have substituted the Reds in this summer’s competition. San Jose Earthquakes and Club America Seattle are the other 2 sides to feature in their pre-season tour.

Manchester United will kick-start their pre-season tour with a match against Club-America on July the 17th. After this, they will travel to San Jose Earthquakes on July the 21st.

After locking horns with two teams of the American soil, Manchester United will then go head to head with FC Barcelona on July the 25th after which they will travel to Chicago Soldier’s field to play against French giants Paris Saint Germain on 29th July.

By ScoresPro.com

Manchester United to face Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain on Pre-Season tour

LA Liga: How will Real Madrid lineup against Almeria

LA Liga Match Preview

Having handed a scare to them by Celta Vigo in a match that exceeded expectations in terms of goals being scored, Real Madrid would be hoping to keep it simpler at home turf against the strugglers Almeria.

While a win for Real Madrid will keep their title-push intact, a defeat for Almeria might push them into the relegation zone if results from other corners of LA Liga go against the visiting side. And looking at the recent form of the away side, the best they can hope for at the Bernabeu is a small defeat.

In their last 9 games in LA Liga, Almeria have failed to keep a clean-sheet conceding 20 goals in the process.

While at one hand the LOS BLANCOS would be looking to take advantage of the misery of their guests, they will have to cope once again with the absence of two of their main players. With both Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema ruled out from this fixture as well, little changes are expected of the squad that played at the weekend.

After scoring just 3 goals in his first 21 appearances for Real Madrid, Javier Hernandez has now scored 4 in his last 4 games for Real Madrid in all competitions

One of the main headlines for this fixture is the naming of the Norwegian Wonderkid Martin Odegaard in the team that will play Almeria on Wednesday. This announcement has come at a time when the news regarding his form for Real Madrid Castilla are hot.

In the last 7 goals that Real Madrid have managed, Cristiano Ronaldo has participated in 5, scoring 3 and assisting 2 in the process.

Thus, while his form for Zinedine Zidane’s managed Castilla isn’t above par, it will be interesting to see that can Odegaard avail this opportunity with open arms. However, his role will be more of a cameo and he will have to do something outrageous if he wants to keep earning calls from Carlo Ancelotti for long.

Here is how Real Madrid are expected to lineup against Almeria on Wednesday: –

Real Madrid probable lineup:

Casillas – Arbeloa – Pepe – Varane – Marcelo – Silva – Kroos – Isco – James – Hernandez – Ronaldo.

Real Madrid Vs Almeria will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday, 29th April.

Match Center

LA Liga: How will Real Madrid lineup against Almeria

Barclays Premier League: How will Chelsea lineup to face Leicester City

Barclays Premier League Match Preview

Amid claims that his side is boring to watch for the neutral, Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea will travel to King Power Stadium knowing the fact that they are only 2 wins away from landing the Premier League title. Thus, while some people didn’t like the style of play that is imposed at Chelsea by Mourinho, it certainly has been effective if you look at the number of trophies he has managed in his two tenures at the helm.

While Chelsea would be gunning to add to their trophy cabinet as soon as possible, the blues should be aware of the form that their hosts Leicester are in at the moment. With 4 wins in last 4 that has drawn them out of the relegation battle, Leicester are a side that nobody wants to face at this time of the season.

Coming into this match, Jamie Vardy has scored 3 and assisted 2 goals in his last 5 Premier League appearances.

While their tame 0-0 draw at Arsenal seemed a far-cry from their goal-scoring reputation, Chelsea are currently on a 13 game un-beaten streak in the Premier League. With their last defeat dating way back to the New Year’s Day, the blues will be going into this match as the favorites.

Looking at the team news for Chelsea and the blue folklore will be relieved to hear that the Brazilian Oscar has been declared fit to feature in this match. While he was initially regarded as a doubt to feature twice in a matter of 4 days after his comical collision with David Ospina, the Brazilian can be a part of the Chelsea starting 11.

Apart from Oscar, there is no good news for the Chelsea faithful as both Diego Costa and Loic Remy have been declared un-fit for this match. So, while Didier Drogba started the match against Arsenal from the bench, the Ivorian can make it to the starting 11 on Wednesday.

Here is how Chelsea are expected to lineup against Leicester City on Wednesday: –

Probable Chelsea lineup:

Courtois – Ivanovic – Terry – Cahill – Azpilicueta – Matic – Fabregas – Cuadrado – Willian – Hazard – Drogba

Leicester City Vs Chelsea will take place at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday 29th April.

Match Center

Barclays Premier League: How will Chelsea lineup to face Leicester City

Soccer Rumors: Chelsea is ready to make a £22 million bid for Pedro

Soccer News and Rumors:

The transfer rumors about Pedro keep coming. The forgotten star from Barcelona hasn’t seen a lot of playing time this season and it won’t be a surprise if he chooses to leave his current club. He is still relatively young and has the qualities to be a starter in almost every European team. However, the attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez has been more than dominating in Barcelona and because of that he has spent most of the season on the bench.

The latest rumors are that Chelsea is ready to pay £22 million in order to sign him. Pedro would be a great addition for the Blues, as he combines speed and technique, which make him a very elite player. Furthermore, he has won everything in both club and international level. However, even though he has the skills and the experience, it’s still questionable how much playing time he will receive even if he chooses to play for Chelsea next season. The Blues own some pretty good wings, in the face of Eden Hazard, Willian and Juan Cuadrado, and it’s hard to predict how often Pedro will find himself on the pitch.

Jose Mourinho would definitely be very happy to have a player of his caliber on his team. It should be noted that even though Pedro hasn’t been used a lot by Barca throughout this season, he has still found a way to remain effective and productive. He has five goals and five assist in the 1291 minutes he has played in La Liga. That means that every 129 minutes he has created a goal.

In my opinion, a lot of clubs will try to lure Pedro, so it’s hard to predict where exactly he will choose to play. In my opinion, the player will sign with the team that promises him a lot of playing time and has the best surrounding cast.

By ScoresPro.com

Soccer Rumors: Chelsea is ready to make a £22 million bid for Pedro

NBA News: Anthony Davis to receive a max deal from the New Orleans Pelicans

Basketball, NBA News:

What a season it was for the New Orleans Pelicans young star, Anthony Davis. Davis has emerged one of the best players in the NBA after just three seasons under his belt, and he’s even got a lot more potential to improve. Because of his MVP-type campaign and his young age, the New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly ready to invest a lot in him.

According to numerous sources, the Pelicans will offer Davis a five-year contract extension that is worth about $140 million. The only question is whether the player will choose to sign a deal this summer or the next one, because after a year the salary cap is expected to rise drastically. In an interview regarding the topic, Davis commented:

“It’s a business, so whether this July or next July or the July’s down the road, it’s going to come up,” he said. “When that time comes, you are going have to deal with it and make tough decisions.”

During the current campaign, Davis averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game while also posting a 30.81 player efficiency rating, which is the eleventh highest number in the entire NBA history. Because of these stats and the fact that Davis is expected to improve in the following seasons, it’s no wonder that the New Orleans Pelicans are ready to do whatever it takes to keep him. However, the final decision will be still made by Davis, and he may choose to either demand a shorter contract or to become a free-agent. In my opinion, the young star will wait for the next summer to come and the salary cap to rise, in order to receive more money. Whatever he decides, the Pelicans would most likely give him what he wants.

By ScoresPro.com

NBA News: Anthony Davis to receive a max deal from the New Orleans Pelicans

Coupe De France: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Nantes 32 - 26, PSG win 2nd Cup title in a row

Coupe De France:

With today victory over HBC Nantes 32-26 Paris Saint-Germain is new (old) winner of “Coupe de France”. This is Paris Saint-Germain first trophy of the season and it might be their last one, since they get kicked out of EHF Velux Champions League and in France LNH Division they are currently 2^nd with 3 points behind Montpellier.

Nantes comes in the finals beating current LHN leader Montpellier 34-30 while Paris Saint-Germain was better than Chambery Savoie 25-20. Final game started with crazy tempo, both sides were keeping the fast pace. First real advantage was for the title holder Paris Saint-Germain; in 6’ they manage to get two goals lead (6-4). Nantes quickly manages to come back and in 13’ they have three goals lead, it was 9-6 for them. Paris Saint-Germain or maybe it’s better to say Mikkel Hansen quickly acts and they left Nantes without the goal for the next eight minutes while scoring six for Paris Saint-Germain. Nantes tries to get back into the game but they didn’t have the strength and final score of the first half was 14-12 for Paris Saint-Germain.

In 2^nd half Nantes decide to equal the score. Paris Saint-Germain had some other plans and in 36’ it was already 4 goals advantage for PSG. At that point nobody expect that Nantes could get back into the game, but they did. In 44’ Nantes finally equal the score 21-21 and only four minutes later they took the lead 23-22. But PSG left winger Jeffrey M’Tima was determine to win the trophy with Paris Saint-Germain and PSG start to make another goal advantage. In 53’ they had three goals lead (27-24) and in 56’ they had four goals lead (29-25). Until the end Nantes tried to come back but experienced PSG team didn’t allow one more comeback from opponents.

M’Tima was best scorer for PSG with 11/13 goals, Hansen scored 8/8 whole Kopljar scored 4/5.For Nantes Anic (7/8) and Claire (7/10) were best scorers.

by ScoresPro.com

Coupe De France: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Nantes 32 - 26, PSG win 2nd Cup title in a row

Barclays Premier League: How will Liverpool lineup against Hull City

Premier League Match Preview

If that stalemate against West Brom wasn’t enough to make things frustrated for Liverpool fans, the result at Goodison Park on Sunday night was enough to add salt on their already scathing wounds. While they have been below par for the most of this season, the Reds, courtesy of their latest stalemate, have squandered a real chance of coming back in the race for the top 4. However, as they say it isn’t over till it’s over, the Reds will travel to Hull City on Tuesday to make that final push for a berth in the top 4.

Looking at the position of their hosts in the Premier League table, the Reds are going into this fixture as the favorites. Against a team that has nearly conceded a half-century of goals in 33 matches, the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling will definitely look to exploit the weaknesses of Hull City.

Steven Gerrard has scored 4 goals in 6 Premier League appearances against Hull City.

Looking at the home form of Hull City in the Premier League, the tigers have won just 16 points from available 45 at home this season. Thus, when it comes to home form, Steve Bruce’s men are ranked 2nd worst in the League. And with Liverpool enjoying 5 clean-sheets in their last 6 matches at away turf, the odds are definitely favoring the men in red to clinch all 3-points.

Coming into this match, Simon Mignolet is the leading clean-sheet holder in the Premier League with 13-shutouts to his name.

Taking a look at the team of Liverpool and there is little good news for the Reds. With Daniel Sturridge ruled out for the season as confirmed by Brendan Rodgers, the Reds might start this fixture with Raheem Sterling up-front. Both Jose Enrique and Jon Flanagan are still out which means there could only be 1 or 2 changes from the squad that drew against West Brom at the weekend.

Here is how Liverpool are expected to lineup against Hull City: –

Liverpool Lineup:

Mignolet – Johnson – Skrtel – Lovren – Gerrard – Henderson – Ibe – Can – Sterling – Coutinho – Balotelli

Match Center

Barclays Premier League: How will Liverpool lineup against Hull City

Key Nishikori triumphs with second Barcelona Open title

Tennis Updates:

Defending champion Kei Nishikori beat Spain’s Pablo Andujar to retain the Barcelona Open title on Sunday. Andujar had upset Rafael Nadal’s conqueror Fabio Fognini and David Ferrer on his route to the final and managed the perfect start by breaking the world number five’s serve in the first game.

Japan’s Nishikori, 25, won 6-4 6-4 to claim his ninth ATP World Tour title.

“I’m very happy,” he said. “It was one of the best tournaments so far this year. I always love playing here.”

Earlier Britain’s Jamie Murray and Australian partner John Peers lost 3-6 7-6 (6) 9-11 to Croatia’s Marin Draganja and Henri Kontinen of Finland in the men’s doubles final.

Andujar defeated Fabio Fognini and David Ferrer on his way to the final and immediately broke Nishikori’s serve in Sunday’s match. However, Nishikori, ranked 5th in the world, broke straight back and eventually ground out a hard-fought victory.

“I hope I can come back next year,” added Nishikori.

“Finally yes, I am the champion, but in the beginning (of the week), I was just playing one match at time with so many tough players and all the Spanish players playing here,” said Nishikori.

“I tried to do my best and I am very happy.

“The second set was very hard and to be honest I don’t know how I was able to win it.”

”I didn’t look to defend my title, just to play my best,” Nishikori said. ”I knew that this was a tough tournament with all the Spanish players. I just tried to play my best and now I am really happy.”

”I knew that he had a great backhand down the line too, so I had to move the ball around, and in the last two games I played really well,” Nishikori said. ”On match point I just closed my eyes and hit it.”

The US Open finalist should be a far bigger threat in Paris this year and Andujar recognized that he had been made to pay for not taking his chance to force the match into a deciding set.

“I think Nishikori deserved to win the first set, but not the second,” he said.

“But when you play against players of this caliber, that are capable of getting into a great rhythm, if you don’t take your chances you end up losing.”

Kei Nishikori vs Pablo Andujar, 26/04/2015, 15:45 GMT, Match Center

Key Nishikori triumphs with second Barcelona Open title

John Terry takes a dig at Arsenal: ‘’Tippy-tappy” football is pointless without titles

Chelsea News

In the aftermath of yesterday’s 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium after which the Chelsea Captain was seen as celebrating, John Terry has gone one step further in inflicting misery over the Arsenal faithful. While Chelsea were labelled as boring by Arsene Wenger in the buildup of this match, first Jose Mourinho and now John Terry has come in full force and has taken a swipe of their North London rivals.

While the match was 0-0 throughout, Arsenal fans chanted “Boring, Boring Chelsea” at the end to take a dig at Jose Mourinho and his strategy of grinding games out. While the tactics of Mourinho might seem boring to many, the fact that his Chelsea team might lift the Premier League title as early as next weekend is a thing that deserves huge applause.

In response to the questions made by the Journalists regarding the chants of Arsenal fans, Mourinho was furious and he responded in exact Mourinho fashion by taking a swipe at Arsenal’s Premier League drought in the last decade.

Following the footsteps of his managers, however in a less glamorous way, John Terry has questioned the logic of the pass and possession style of football with which Arsenal is normally associated these days. While he honored this style of the game, he question its importance without titles.

Possession is great. We could see that from the Manchester United game last week. Possession and tippy-tappy football’s great, but if you are not winning games you’re not going to win the league.”

Answering questions regarding the ‘’Boring-Chelsea” chants:

“We are definitely not boring and if we do go on to win it, nobody’s going to remember the performances when perhaps it’s not been that exciting,” said Terry. “We’ve dug deep and other teams haven’t, and that is why they are so far behind us.

While many can still argue regarding the style of play that Mourinho preaches, there is a little doubt that it has worked for him in over 4 countries during his career.

By ScoresPro.com

John Terry takes a dig at Arsenal: ‘’Tippy-tappy” football is pointless without titles

Soccer Rumors: Liverpool making serious efforts to land Memphis Depay this summer

Soccer News and Rumors:

Manchester United have reportedly shown a lot of interest towards PSV Eindhoven’s forward, Memphis Depay, but Liverpool has started its own campaign towards recruiting the young talent. There are rumors that Liverpool representatives have met with the Dutch team’s management to discuss a possible deal in the summer transfer window. However, the Reds will have to offer some pretty good conditions, in order to impress Depay more than Manchester United.

The latest reports are that the Red Devils will also try actively to sign Gareth Bale this summer, which means that they may choose not to pursue Depay. If the rumors are true, Liverpool will be the front-runner to land Depay. However, the fact that Louis Van Gaal is the coach of Manchester United will definitely give be an advantage for the team, even if they don’t put a lot of effort in the contract talks. An ex-Netherlands coach, Ronald De Boer recently made the following statement in regards to the young talent and the speculations surrounding him:

“He has skill compared to a young Cristiano Ronaldo. He Is very lively, technically unbelievable, very skillful, very fast, he has a great goalscoring record, he can shoot from every distance – he has everything. For me, he is without doubt one of the best talents we have. I don’t want to say which club is more suitable for him, but if he goes to United he knows there is a Dutch coach there who knows him from the World Cup. That is an advantage.”

Furthermore, the fact that Liverpool will most likely miss out on qualifying for the UEFA Champions League definitely isn’t a positive. However, if Depay chooses to sign with the Reds, he will provide them with a big offensive boost that could help them achieve better results in next season’s Premier League.

By ScoresPro.com

Soccer Rumors: Liverpool making serious efforts to land Memphis Depay this summer

NBA News: Can the Cleveland Cavaliers advance without Kevin Love on the floor?

Basketball, NBA News:

The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to sweep easily the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, but at a pretty high cost. In Game 4 of the series between the two teams, Kevin Love dislocated his shoulder in the first quarter and didn’t return. This is pretty bad news for the Cavs, as Love is one of the most important players in their roster. There isn’t a timetable for his return, but the way he ran towards the locker room after he had suffered the injury looked pretty scary. The question now is – can the Cavaliers survive without Love?

Kevin Love hasn’t performed as it was expected all season long, but he is still one of the best players David Blatt has. The Chicago Bulls will be advancing to the next round pretty soon, and the Cavaliers will have a very hard task competing against them even if Love is on the floor. His teammate, LeBron James praised the big man after Game 3, saying that he is vital to their success in the playoffs.

“He’s played an unbelievable series. He missed some shots in Game 1, but his impact on the floor, to make shots, and rebound. He’s been highly criticized, and I know why. I think when you have your own team and then you come together with a Big Three, they have to find someone. Chris Bosh was that guy at some point in Miami. Kev was the guy they tried to find and tear down. I don’t get too involved in what everybody says. I think he’s relished the chance to be part of this franchise. He’s definitely used that as motivation, I believe. He’s a very cerebral basketball player. For us to be the team we want long-term, we need Kevin to be Kevin.”

In my opinion, it will be impossible for Cleveland to replace Love, as he provides the team with great three-point shooting and the ability to space the floor. The former Minnesota player isn’t enjoying his best statistical year, but nonetheless, whenever he has been off the floor during the regular season, the entire team has struggled. He draws the opponent’s big men near the three-point line, and that creates space for Irving and James to penetrate.

If Love has to miss time due to the shoulder injury that doesn’t exactly mean that the Cavaliers can’t advance in the playoffs. If LeBron James takes his place at the 4 spot, Cleveland will use a smaller lineup, but they will still be able to play their usual style. However, if the Cavs want to reach the Finals and win them, they will definitely need Love to be on the floor.

By ScoresPro.com

NBA News: Can the Cleveland Cavaliers advance without Kevin Love on the floor?

Bundesliga: Kruse late goal for Monchengladbach against Wolfsburg gives Bayern Munich new Bundesliga title

Soccer News:

After today’s defeat of Wolfsburg from Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayern Munich mathematically wins the third Bundesliga title in row. Bayern was dominating in Bundesliga true entire season and there wasn’t any chance that someone might dangerous their title. Wolfsburg was playing decently during the season, holding the 2^nd spot but they didn’t danger Bayern title ambitions. In the derby game against Monchengladbach late goal by Max Kruse in 90’ made Bayern Munich a new (old) Bundesliga champions.

Second Bundesliga title for Pep Guardiola

This is Bayern 25 Bundesliga title and for tier coach Pep Guardiola it’s second on Bayern bench, Guardiola is hoping to replay “treble” from season 2012/2013 when Bayern won Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and UEFA Champions League. Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said that they make something magnificent with defending their title. Rummenigge thinks that this was probably the hardest season for Bayern Munich, since most of their players played key roles in FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Bayern Munich president and one of best football players in the history Franz “Der Kaiser” Beckenbauer said that this was extremely hard season for them, since they lost some of key players due to injuries on the World Cup. We already said that Bayern was dominating in Bundesliga but also in UEFA Champions League, but they got a lot of problems this season with injuries. At one point Pep Guardiola need to use some youth players just to fill the substitute bench.

Best attack and best defense in Bundesliga

In 30 Bundesliga matches Bayern Munich only conceded 13 goals while scoring 77, just for info Borussia Monchengladbach got the 2^nd best defense in Bundesliga with 22 goals receive and Wolfsburg got the 2^nd attack with 63 goals scored. But most fans will say that season for Bayern just started, they will face Borussia Dortmund in semi-finals of DFB Pokal and in UEFA Champions League semi-finals they will go against Pep Guardiola old club Barcelona. If they want to replay season 2012/2013 success they have a tough job in front of them.

by ScoresPro.com

Bundesliga: Kruse late goal for Monchengladbach against Wolfsburg gives Bayern Munich new Bundesliga title

Simona Halep wins in Stuttgart after death threads

Tennis Updates:

Simona Halep from Romania managed to shrug off death threats, coming from a stalker, to take her place in the semi-finals at the WTA tournament in Stuttgart by beating Italy’s Sara Errani on Friday. The 23-year-old Halep, ranked 3 in the world, had received a quite shkoing death threat via Twitter on Thursday from a Danish fan.

Actions have been taken to secure the pleasant memory of the Stuttgart tournament – the organizers confirmed they have stepped up security around her.

“I can’t comment on it. I am here to play tennis. Other people will take care of it,” said Halep after her 6-4, 6-4 win over Errani in a tight quarter-final on the indoor clay court.

It is widely believe that the obsessed fan have bombarded Halep with a series of messages via social media.

The Romanian showed no signs of the off-court distraction to secure a victory which is set to see her take Maria Sharapova’s place as 2nd in the world rankings on Monday.

She finally converted her 4th match point against Errani in a match which featured 16 breaks in the 20 games.

“It was a tough game, she defended very well and it was hard to finish points off against her,” said Halep.

“I’m looking forward to the semi-finals now.”

The 2014 French Open finalist, Halep, now meets former world number 1 and boxing fan Wozniacki after the Dane floored Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-3 in just over an hour.

“I surprised myself by having fun out there today, I don’t normally like clay, but it was nice to slide and run,” said fourth-seed Wozniacki, who says she sometimes spars in training.

“I like to box from time to time, it’s a great cardio work-out,” added the 24-year-old.

Halep is the highest seeded player still in Stuttgart after reigning champion Sharapova, who had won all of her 3 previous tournament appearances in Stuttgart, suffered a defeat from Germany’s Angelique Kerber on Thursday during the 2nd round. What is more, Kerber reached the semi-finals with a straight sets win over 6th-seed Ekaterina Makarova from Russia.

The 27-year-old needed just an hour for a 6-3, 6-2 win to celebrate her 9th win in succession after winning the Charleston tournament a fortnight ago.

“I’m speechless over how amazing the atmosphere is here on the centre court,” beamed Kerber.

“I have rediscovered my joy and passion for tennis and I am enjoying every minute on court,” she said, having broken a poor run of results with her win in South Carolina.

In the semi-finals, the in-form German will play the American Madison Brengle, who recovered from losing the first set to beat Caroline Garcia of France 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Sara Errani vs Simona Halep, 24/04/2015, 12:10 GMT, Match Center

Simona Halep wins in Stuttgart after death threads

Stuttgart final: Kerber takes down Wozniacki

Tennis Updates:

Angelique Kerber made the impossible and fought back from a set down to beat Caroline Wozniacki and triumph with the title of the Stuttgart Grand Prix on Sunday – 26 / 04 / 2015. Kerber, ranked 14th in the world, completed a memorable week where she managed to beat top seed Maria Sharapova and 6th seed Ekaterina Makarova in previous rounds.

The German, 27, went through hell but recovered to beat world number 5 Wozniacki, 24, 3-6 6-1 7-5.

It is a 2nd straight title, and the 5th of her career, for Kerber, after she won in Charleston a couple of weeks ago.

“I am completely done here, empty. I gave everything I had and the crowd just carried me,” she said. “I had to fight until the very end and I could not have done it without this crowd.”

Dane Wozniacki, a former world number one, eased past the German in the first set before her game unravelled in the second.She failed to close the match out having broken serve in the final set, allowing Kerber to take the title on home soil in just over 2 hours.

Kerber had reached the final with a 6-3 6-1 semi-final win over American Madison Brengle, while former world number one Wozniacki beat Simona Halep. Halep, who has won three titles this year, levelled but quickly fell two breaks behind again in the third as Wozniacki went 5-1 up. She saved 3 match points but could do nothing in the next game as Wozniacki clinched victory after two hours and 58 minutes.

World number 14 Kerber had already overcome top seed Maria Sharapova and sixth seed Ekaterina Makarova in previous rounds.

Kerber’s final success makes her the 3rd German winner of the competition.

“I felt good right through until the end,” said Denmark’s Wozniacki. “I love these long matches and if I can run a marathon, then I can play in great games like that.

“We needed nearly three hours and that would be a pretty good marathon time.”

by ScoresPro.com

Stuttgart final: Kerber takes down Wozniacki

Everton 3-0 Manchester United: 5 things we learned

English Premier League Match Review

Well, who saw this coming? Looking at the recent history of this fixture, a mere defeat might have been predicted against Manchester United but a 3-0 thrashing is far from what any sane person would have comprehended before the match. While it is a headline earning victory for Everton who had so little to enjoy this season, this is a harsh reminder to the Red devils that despite all the rave reviews that they have earned in recent weeks, they are far from a finished article.

Here are the 5 things we learned from the demolition of Manchester United at the Goodison Park: –

Michael Carrick was a huge miss today

If you look at the Manchester United team that beaten Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City on a trot and compare it with today’s, Michael Carrick stands out as a figure missing for the Red devils. Last week even though Manchester United lost in his absence, there were little finger-pointing at their shortcomings because their opponents were Chelsea. However, losing against a team that had a poor season throughout, fingers would be pointed on the deficiencies in this squad.

Everton are back from dead

1 and a half month from now when Everton saw a 2-0 defeat at Stoke City that left them 14th in the table just 6 points of the relegation, there were news of the relegation battle being ensued around Goodison Park. However, since the morale derailing defeat at the Britannia Stadium, the blues have 5 out of the next 6 and are now itching for a finish in the top-half of the League. Thus, credit should be given to their Spaniard manager who has turned their season around.

Chris Smalling was good – – – his partners were Invisible

Taking a look at the scoreline and for anyone who hasn’t seen the match, the defense would be called into question automatically. However, looking at the game for the whole 90 minutes, Chris Smalling was left cold time and again by his defending partner Mcnair. While the first goal was a result of some horrible bad-luck for Manchester United, Antonio Valencia was the culprit for the 2nd one. With his inability to mark John Stones, Everton, despite all the pressure that Manchester United was pounding on them, got a life-line. So, while Carrick was a big miss, the defense of Manchester United should also be called into question.

Everton came with a plan – and it worked!

Seeing the buildup of this match for Manchester United and looking at their season defining wins over Liverpool and Manchester City, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to comprehend about the pivotal figures for Manchester United. While Juan Mata earned brilliant reviews from his critics, Marouanne Fellaini was his partner in crime for the better part.

Thus, with their targets checked and marked, Everton came with a plan: make the ground as little as possible for the duo. Although Everton got their 3rd goal in the 74th minute, any pundit of the game would have predicted the win for Everton as soon as Mata was subbed off in 63rd minute. So while Louis Van Gaal has been praised off late for his tactical master-classes, the Spaniard in Robert Martinez developed a brilliant antithesis for his counter-part’s work.

Barring a CATASTROPHE, top 4 is still guaranteed for Manchester United

Although they have earned no points in the last 2 weeks, top 4 still looks a dream well-accomplished for the Red devils. With Liverpool losing points and both Tottenham as well as Southampton doing the same, the pocket of the Red devils cannot be picked this season, to say the least. And looking at the fixture list of all the 4 contenders for the last remaining spot in top 4, Manchester United are still the favorites to land the 4th spot.

Full time: Everton 3-0 Manchester United

Everton 3-0 Manchester United: 5 things we learned

England PFA Announce Best XI in Premiership with six players from Chelsea and one from Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool

Soccer News:

PFA or Professional Footballers Associations announce who is the best XI in England Premiership. This announces is just a pre-show before the major announced “Player of the Year” that will be awarding on Sunday night and where Chelsea Eden Hazard is favorable to win and Tottenham Harry Kane to win the Young Player of the Year award.

Chelsea defense

This season Chelsea is dominating in Premiership and they are also dominating in PFA player choice. More than 50% of the players that PFA chose are playing at Chelsea. The rest of team is coming from Arsenal, Liverpool, Southampton and Manchester United. Best goalkeeper according to PFA is Manchester United David De Gea it will be interesting to see can Manchester United keep his world-class goalie in the club after this season. Defense line is coming mostly from Chelsea team the only “intruder” is Ryan Bertrand who is playing for Southampton. Interesting thing is that Bertrand was Chelsea player until February this year when Southampton bought his contract after good loan season. The rest of defense line is coming from Chelsea Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill and John Terry.

PFA forget about Fabregas?

In midfield and attack situation is slightly better in terms for the rest of the league, midfield and attack is 50%-50% between Chelsea and Premiership. From Chelsea we got Nemanja Matic and Eden Hazard who will probably the title for best player of the year. The two other places are occupying by Liverpool Philippe Coutinho and Arsenal Alexis Sanchez. It’s strange to see that Coutinho take a place in front of another Chelsea player Cesc Fabregas who is one of key players and assistant for Premiership leader this season. In attack we got Tottenham, and probably best young players of the year, Harry Kane and another Chelsea player Diego Costa.

by ScoresPro.com

England PFA Announce Best XI in Premiership with six players from Chelsea and one from Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool

Jose Mourinho: Eden Hazard is worth £200million

Chelsea Transfer News

Amid reports that Real Madrid are considering a summer swoop for the Belgian playmaker of Chelsea, Jose Mourinho has come out in grand fashion to have his say. While he is not a type of person who holds anything barred, his latest claim regarding the worth of 24 year old should have left a large grin on the faces of the Chelsea folklore.

Looking at Real Madrid and their ability to lure the best of England to Santiago Bernabeu, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, and Gareth Bale falls in the list of players that were acquired by Real Madrid from the Premier League. Thus, while the arrival of these players made LA Liga more competitive and pleasing to the eye, it also left a huge vacuum in the Premier League.

However, with a rare breed as he is, Jose Mourinho has told his former employers in clear terms about the un-availability of Eden Hazard. Having scored 18 goals this season in all competitions, Hazard has been an influential figure of the Campaign that will see Chelsea crowned as Champions next month.

When asked about the availability of Hazard and whether 100million would be enough for Chelsea to part their ways from the Belgian Mourinho answered: “Plus one of their three best players. £100m each leg, because he’s very young.”

These comments have come forth after the praising of Eden Hazard by Zinedine Zidane. However, for Mourinho who spent a eventful spell at Real Madrid before eventually joining Chelsea for his 2nd tenure, the Portuguese believes that the rumors lack anything materialistic.

“I don’t believe (it) because they didn’t tell me,” he said.

“If they want him, I think I would be the first one to know, because my relationship with the president (Florentino Perez) and with the CEO (Jose Angel Sanchez) doesn’t give space for something to happen behind me.

“I trust them completely. If they want him they get on the telephone and they call me to tell me they want him.”

Chelsea will take on Arsenal today in a fixture in which Mourinho hasn’t lost in the last 12 attempts.

By ScoresPro.com

Jose Mourinho: Eden Hazard is worth £200million

NBA News: Kawhi Leonard to receive a max-deal from the San Antonio Spurs

Basketball, NBA News:

There have been some speculations whether the San Antonio Spurs will offer Kawhi Leonard a max deal this summer, but recently it has been reported that the franchise is ready to give the player what he expects. It seems that Leonard is pretty happy in a Spur uniform, and even though he is going to become a free-agent after the end of the current campaign, I don’t think he will leave his current team. There have been a number of reports recently, and all of them state that the player will remain where he is.

“For now, there’s no scenario where Leonard plans to pursue offer sheets on the market, league sources tell Yahoo Sports. Leonard wants to be a Spur, and the Spurs are expected to come calling on July 1 with the max offer that they resisted delivering Leonard in the preseason, a move born out of preserving cap space to bring on a star free agent this summer.”

If the Spurs get Leonard to sign on 1st July, it will be a great success for them, as Kawhi has definitely improved this season, and he is without a doubt an elite star. Furthermore, if everything goes well during the contract talks, expect San Antonio to go after LaMarcus Aldridge during the summer. Aldridge has mentioned a couple of times that he wants to stay with the Portland Trail Blazers, but the fact that they will most likely exit the playoffs in the first round may change his mind.

The update from the San Antonio Spurs about the offer for Leonard came just a day after he scored a career-best 32 points and won the Defensive Player of the Year Award. He is definitely the biggest asset that the franchise currently has.

By ScoresPro.com

NBA News: Kawhi Leonard to receive a max-deal from the San Antonio Spurs

Soccer Rumors: Real Madrid seriously considering on going after Chelsea's Eden Hazard

Soccer News and Rumors:

The season is slowly, but surely coming to its end and the transfer rumors are gathering speed. The latest speculations in the world of football are once again concentrated around Real Madrid. There have been several reports that the Whites are monitoring Chelsea’s star, Eden Hazard, and the latest interview that Zinedine Zidane gave strength to the rumors. When the former French international and Real Madrid midfielder was asked whether there are any current players that made him dream, he answered the following:

“No. That’s not the right word. There are players I keep an eye on and who I like a lot, like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, of course. They’re fantastic players, but I like Eden Hazard a lot too. I enjoy everything he does on the pitch. I like the way he carries himself, that decisive streak in him and the fact that he’s improving every year. He can still get better too, and I think he’s a big reason why Chelsea are on top of the table.”

It’s not very surprising that Real Madrid is keeping an eye on Hazard. The current Chelsea midfielder is one of the best players in the world right now, and he is a big reason why the Blues are sitting in first place in the Premier League.

Furthermore, Hazard would be a great fit in Madrid, because of his incredible level of technique and skills. In the last couple of years, the Belgium international hasn’t stopped improving, and if he joins the Whites he will fit in the system pretty easily. Not only that, but if Gareth Bale really leaves Real Madrid after the end of this campaign, the Whites are going to need a world class player to replace him. Eden Hazard could be that player – he has what it takes to do it. Nevertheless, signing Hazard won’t be such an easy task. He just got a new contract from Chelsea and Real Madrid will have to pay a huge amount of money if they want him in their lineup.

By ScoresPro.com

Soccer Rumors: Real Madrid seriously considering on going after Chelsea's Eden Hazard

LA Liga: How will Real Madrid lineup against Celta Vigo

LA Liga Match Preview

With Barcelona winning away from home at Espanyol, Real Madrid have no choice but to defeat the mid-table side if they want to keep their push for LA Liga title intact. Even though they are lagging Barcelona with 5 points with a game in hand, it will be fixtures like these that would decide their fate in LA Liga this season. Thus, while they are the reigning European Champions and are again back in the Semi-finals of Champions League, it would be 3 years this May since the last time Real Madrid lifted a LA Liga title.

Real Madrid have lost 4 of their last 8 away games in LA Liga this season.

Coming from that fitness-testing win against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Real Madrid have no time to rest. And with No Gareth Bale or Luka Modric for this fixture either, it is expected that it would be the 2nd tier Real Madrid side that would lock horns with Celta Vigo this week however, looking at the form of Real Madrid without Gareth Bale this season, the LOS BLANCOS would have odds on their side coming into this fixture.

Real Madrid have won all 8 games in which Gareth Bale has not featured this season

Despite double injury blows to Ancelloti’s men, the return of the Brazilian Marcelo would be an auspicious occasion for Real Madrid. After missing the mid-week game against Atletico Madrid in which Fabio Coentrao took his place, Marcelo is fully fit and should regain his position in the left flank. Apart from Marcelo, Karim Benzema is another doubt and with his history earning goal against Atleti still fresh, Hernandez might get another chance to impress the Real Madrid folklore this weekend.

Here is how Real Madrid are expected to lineup against Celta Vigo: –

Real Madrid lineup:

Casillas – Carjaval – Pepe – Ramos – Marcelo – Kroos – Isco – Ronaldo – Hernandez – Isco – Khedira

Celta Vigo Vs Real Madrid will take place at the Balaídos Stadium on Sunday, 26th April.

Match Center

LA Liga: How will Real Madrid lineup against Celta Vigo

Barclays Premier League: How will Manchester United lineup against Everton

Barclays Premier League Match Preview

Against a team that hasn’t allowed the Red devils to take all 3-points at its home turf for the last 2 seasons, this fixture couldn’t have come at a better time for Manchester United. Although trips to Merseyside are always a heart-and-mouth stuff for Manchester United, their recent form takes them as favorites to this particular fixture. And with Liverpool dropping points once again away to Tony Pulis’s West Brom, a win for Manchester United at the Goodison Park would all but guarantee their place in the top 4.

Manchester United have won just 3 of their last 9 away games in the Premier League

While that trip to Chelsea brought back painful memories of how much Manchester United still lack to beat the best, they performed much better than expected against the Champions-to-be. Thus, if they could bring the same belief and momentum in this match with which they entered Stamford Bridge last week, Manchester United should have no worries whatsoever to clinch all 3-points against a struggling Everton side.

Everton have lost more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League this season.

Looking at the injury list of Manchester United and the situation looks gloomy for the Red devils. Being the 2nd joint most scathed team in the League in terms of players out injured, Everton can make life difficult for Manchester United on Sunday. With Michael Carrick, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo still sidelined, Manchester United are set to miss the trinity of players that played a major part in their upheaval this year.

However, with Daley Blind coming back from his injury, Luke Shaw might again be relegated to the bench. And with both Robin Van Persie and Radamel Falcao fit, Wayne Rooney might have to play the same role in United midfield which he performed against Chelsea the other week.

Here’s how Manchester United are expected to lineup against Everton: –

Manchester United lineup:

De Gea – Shaw – Smalling – Jones – Valencia – Herrera – Rooney – Fellaini – Young – Mata – Van Persie

Everton Vs Manchester United will take place at the Goodison Park, on Saturday, 26th April.

Match Center

Barclays Premier League: How will Manchester United lineup against Everton

Arsenal Vs Chelsea: Probable lineups, Stats and Team News

Premier League Match Preview

The oppressed Vs the man who oppresses, the specialist in failure Vs the man who has excelled in 4 different countries, more specifically speaking, this fixture has turned out to be a battle of Arsene Wenger Vs Jose Mourinho. While Arsenal and Chelsea will go head to head on Sunday, the focus will be shifted from the ground to the dug-out, from the goals to the statements and more importantly from the players to their managers. Thus, when Arsenal and Chelsea will go head to head on Sunday, football might change its scheme from being 11v11 to 12v12.

Looking at the rivalry between Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, this fixture has every ingredient to turn a normal 11v11 football match into a 12 vs 12 encounter

A win would be important for both teams but, it would be a celebrated occasion more at the Emirates than it would be at Stamford Bridge. While a win for Chelsea would all but guarantee them lifting title before the end of this season, a win for Arsenal, at best, can delay the celebration plans of the blues.

Thus, while a win would be palatable for Chelsea, another rubbing of salts on the wounds of Mr. Wenger, a win in this fixture for Arsene Wenger would be celebrated in equivalence to the plans of title winning ceremony of Chelsea.

With all due respect to the Wenger Vs Mourinho rivalry, question arises what makes it so special after-all. Yes, it has been a rivalry of two top clubs and their managers, yes both of these clubs remain in the same city and have a house-dividing audience among them, but we as football fans have been used to seeing these kind of rivalries before. Remember Rafael Benetiz Vs Sir Alex? So what makes it so special?

The answer lies in that argument which erupted between Mourinho and Wenger on the sideline on October the 5th last year. While those sort of arguments are a part of modern rivalries, the physical thing that followed suit in that case was something new to the English fan. While Mourinho would have said something to take a dig at the Frenchman, the tie-grabbing which was followed by the shoving of Jose Mourinho from Mr. Wenger epitomized the concept of this rivalry.

Here are the team news of both sides: –

Chelsea

As indicated by Jose Mourinho in his pre-match conference, the Portuguese has a fully fit squad to choose from, with the exception of Loic Remy and Diego Costa. While both of them have been ruled out of this fixture, Didier Drogba might get another chance to inflict misery at the Arsenal faithful on Sunday.

Arsenal:

With Jack Wilshere back from his injury along with Gabriel Paulista, Arsene Wenger would have a reasonably fit squad to choose from. However, with Per Mertesacker doubtful and Alex Chamberlain sidelined, the Gunners boss will have to make a few altercations in choosing his best 11 to face City. In the absence of the German World Champion, Paulista is expected to start alongside the Frenchman Laurent Koscielny.

Stats:

•

Chelsea have lost just 1 match in the Barclays Premier League in 2015. The defeat came way back at the start of New Year at White Hart Lane.

• Didier Drogba has scored 8 goals in 11 Premier League appearances Vs Arsenal. Against no team has he managed more.

• In his 12 matches against Arsene Wenger in all competitions, Jose Mourinho hasn’t lost a single match – winning 7 in the process.

• When these two teams last met in the Premier League back in October, Arsenal failed to manage a single shot on target.

Probable lineups:
Arsenal:

Ospina – Paulista – Koscielny – Bellerin – Monreal – Coquelin – Cazorla – Sanchez – Ozil – Ramsey – Giroud

Chelsea:

Courtois – Terry – Ivanovic – Cahill – Azpilicueta – Fabregas – Matic – Zouma – Hazard – Oscar – Drogba

Match Center

Arsenal Vs Chelsea: Probable lineups, Stats and Team News

Transfer News: Manchester United close on signing Guendogan from Borussia Dortmund

Soccer News:

Manchester United might be close on signing their first player in summer transfer window, according to some sources Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Guendogan agree terms with Manchester United. Guendogan has been heavily linked with the Premiership especial with the Arsenal and second Manchester club City. But according to German sources player wish is to play on Old Trafford for Manchester United.

Guendogan and Hummels to Manchester United

24 years old midfielder has contract with Borussia Dortmund until the next year, but it’s clearer now that after Jürgen Klopp resign from coach place that Borussia will lose some key players.  Manchester United will pay around 30 million euros for Guendogan services in the upcoming season. Guendogan could be joining another Borussia Dortmund players that might join Dortmund to United. It’s not a secret that Louis van Gaal needs a new central defenders and that Borussia Mats Hummels is on the tops of the list. Hummels already suggest that he will be leaving Borussia on the summer and give a hint that Manchester United might be his new destination. Guendogan who arrived in Borussia Dortmund from Nuremberg in season 2011/2012 played 111 games for Dortmund team and scored 12 goals with 13 assists. Guendogan would fit perfect for the veteran role of Michael Carrick, we see several times this season how Carrick is important player for United. While he was on injury list van Gaal tried Blind on his place even at one time Rooney played but that didn’t solve the problem.

LVG: “I cannot buy all the players that I coached!”

Manchester United is trying to sign one more player before the official transfer window even begins. PSV winger Memphis Depay is also on United wish list, but van Gaal said on the conference before the Sunday game against Everton that he got a lot of relationship with player and that he can’t buy all the players that he coached.

by ScoresPro.com

Transfer News: Manchester United close on signing Guendogan from Borussia Dortmund

NBA News: Kevin Durant not too happy from Scott Brooks' firing

Basketball, NBA News:

The firing of Scott Brooks by the Oklahoma City Thunder was announced on Wednesday, and it was a decision that shocked a lot of people following the NBA. Brooks spent seven years coaching the Thunder, leading the team to the playoffs five times. There were a lot of questions whether he was the right man for the job in the previous years, and it seems that finally we will receive the answer to that.

Furthermore, as a lot of people were surprised, a lot other were pretty disappointed in the OKC management. One of those persons that were disappointed was Kevin Durant.

“Today was tough for me. While I support our team’s decision 100 percent and look forward to the upcoming season and the future in OKC, Scotty was my coach and a friend for the past 7 seasons. We accomplished a lot together, and those times will never be taken away from us. I grew as both a man and a ball player under his guidance and for that I will forever be grateful. I wish nothing but the best for him and his family who have also been such a big part of this city and organization. I know he will be very successful in wherever his next steps in life are.”

It will be very interesting to see whether Brooks’ firing will affect Kevin Durant’s or Russell Westbrook’s decision when they become free-agents. Furthermore, it had been reported that the Thunder management hadn’t consulted their players before they had made their decision about Brooks.

A lot can be said whether Scott Brooks was actually the right man for the job. On one hand, we can say that he impressively handed Durant and Westbrook and made them the players they are today. On the other hand, even with such players on his roster, the Thunder made just one trip to the Finals in 2012, losing to the Heat.

The firing of Brooks was definitely just one of the series of moves that the Thunder will make during the upcoming free-agency. Nevertheless, it’s not quite clear whether the dismissal of the coach was a positive thing regarding the re-signing of Durant. Only time will tell if it has been a good thing or not.

By ScoresPro.com

NBA News: Kevin Durant not too happy from Scott Brooks' firing

Soccer Rumors: Liverpool to go after Mario Mandzukic in the summer transfer window

Soccer News and Rumors:

One thing is sure for the upcoming summer transfer window – a lot of teams will try to make big transfers. Liverpool is one of those clubs, as they have an aspiration to perform a lot better than they have this season. In order to achieve that, they will have to sign a lot of big names. One of their targets is the Atletico Madrid striker, Mario Mandzukic. The rumors of this deal are quite fresh and because of that it is really hard to tell whether they are realistic or not.

The recent reports that have come from Atletico Madrid state that the Croatian striker “has apparently fallen out with boss Diego Simeone in recent weeks, and a transfer away is now on the cards, with Liverpool keen,”

However, it’s a bit hard to believe these speculations. Mandzukic has been very important for Atletico Madrid all season long, and I don’t think that Diego Simeone will let him leave easily. The Croatian has scored twelve goals and dished out five assists in 24 La Liga appearances, which is pretty impressive. Furthermore, he is a player that isn’t afraid to do whatever it takes for his team to win, which is a quality that Diego Simeone definitely loves.

Liverpool is in great need of a quality striker, as it has lacked the finishing touch all season long. Mario Balotelli and Ricky Lambert have been terrible during this campaign, even though they have received a lot of chances.

Nevertheless, even if the Reds are ready to pay a big amount of money to sign Mandzukic, I don’t think that Atletico will let him go. It was hard enough for them to find a replacement for Diego Costa, and I doubt that they want to search for a new striker once again. Sorry Liverpool fans, but the chances of Mario Mandzukic playing at Anfield are pretty slim.

By ScoresPro.com

Soccer Rumors: Liverpool to go after Mario Mandzukic in the summer transfer window