England: White snub explained as Carsley responds to ‘press report’ on Arsenal star’s potential return

Poland midfielder Adam Matuszczyk has empathised with Franciszek Smuda as his coach ponders whether to recall Wojciech Szczesny.

Przemyslaw Tyton became an instant hero when he came off the bench and saved the penalty that had been conceded by Szczesny in their opening Euro 2012 clash against Greece, which finished 1-1.

But the Arsenal goalkeeper, who started the tournament as first choice, is back from his ban for the game against Michal Bilek s Czech Republic, leaving Smuda with a difficult decision to make.

We have two very good goalkeepers, Wojciech and Przemyslaw, Matuszczyk told reporters.

I am happy that I do not have to make the decision (about) who must be the number one.

Midfielder Rafal Murawski echoed his countryman s sentiments.<…

Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has withdrawn from the England squad to face Italy on Wednesday due to a thigh injury.

The 23-year-old has returned to his club and it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for their opening English Premier League fixture against Sunderland at the weekend.

England coach Roy Hodgson has decided against calling up a replacement for former Southampton man Walcott, as he looks to assess his options before England begin their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.

Walcott has scored four goals in 28 appearances for his country, with three of those coming in one match against Croatia in 2008.

He established scored eight times and provided 11 assists in 35 league appearances for Arsenal last season.

…

Athletic Bilbao have secured the futures of defender Xabier Etxeita and goalkeeper Iago Herrerin, after the pair penned new deals with the Liga club.

Etxeita left Bilbao for Elche in July 2010, but returned to San Mames ahead of the 2013-14 campaign.

The 27-year-old has now agreed a new contract with the Copa del Rey finalists that runs until June 2018.

Similarly, Herrerin rejoined Bilbao in 2012 after a two-year stay with Atletico Madrid, where he failed to break into the first team.

He has largely played second fiddle to number one Gorka Iraizoz, but has done enough to earn a deal until June 2017.

Etxeita has a buyout clause of €40million, while Herrerin s is €35m.

…

Barcelona claimed a scarcely believable Champions League victory against Paris Saint-Germain that will go down in history as one of the all-time great comebacks, Sergi Roberto netting in the fifth minute of stoppage time to seal a sensational 6-5 aggregate triumph after they had trailed 4-0.

It had looked as though Edinson Cavani s away goal would prove pivotal after Barca had raced into a three-goal lead, but the hosts scored three times from the 88th minute onwards at Camp Nou to complete the biggest turnaround ever seen in the competition.

After being thrashed in the first leg of the last-16 tie, Barca appeared set to fall agonisingly short of a famous recovery in what transpired to be a classic encounter.

Luis Enrique s side were three goals up within 50 m…

Arsene Wenger claims Luis Suarez agreed to join Arsenal from Liverpool in 2013.

The Arsenal manager explained why his side made a bizarre bid of £40,000,001 for the forward, the Gunners having been wrongly advised over a clause in his Anfield contract.

Suarez eventually joined Barcelona one year later for £65million, but Wenger insists a deal was effectively done and challenged any doubters to ask the Uruguay international personally.

He was very close [to signing], Wenger said to beIN Sports.

We had an agreement with the player. We had been wrongly advised that he had a clause, with a minimal clause, but we had an agreement with the player. You can ask him.

I m convinced he wanted to join us and then they sold him. They kept him one more yea…

Marco Reus is adamant he will not miss out on a second successive World Cup as he aims to secure a place in Germany s squad for Russia.

The Borussia Dortmund forward did not feature in the 2014 edition due to an ankle problem, forcing him to watch on from afar as his compatriots lifted the trophy in Brazil.

Having also missed out on Euro 2016, Reus is determined to make sure he is available to play in this year s event provided he is recalled by national coach Joachim Low.

The 28-year-old only recently returned from a serious knee injury suffered last May, but has scored three goals in as many league games for Dortmund.

I ll look forward to it [the World Cup] when we get there, Reus said in an interview with the Bundesliga s official website.

My…

Brazil legend Ronaldo revealed his famous 2002 World Cup haircut was a deliberate distraction to shift attention away from a leg injury before the country s fifth title.

Ronaldo dazzled in South Korea and Japan 16 years ago, scoring twice as Brazil defeated Germany 2-0 to be crowned world champions.

The 2002 showpiece, though, is best known for Ronaldo s unique hairstyle and the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year provided an insight into his decision to shave his head.

I had an injury in my leg and everybody was talking about that, Ronaldo said in Melbourne, where he headlined the announcement of Real Madrid s World of Football Experience – an exhibition set to open in June before continuing to tour the world for another five years across 14 cities.

…

Prediction: Arsenal to win 1-0

Best Odds: 

Bookmaker: 

Arsenal and Burnley will face each other in the Premier League this coming weekend. The match at the Emirates Stadium in North London is slated to kick off at 7:15pm UK time on Sunday.

Arsenal

Arsenal are in dire form at the moment and are falling behind in the race for the Champions League places in the Premier League table. A season that started with so much promise and raised such high expectations among fans is in danger of falling apart even as early as December.

Mikel Arteta’s side are struggling for creativity and are not scoring goals. This past week, Arsenal lost the North London derby 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Despite putting in as many as 44 crosses at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…

Real Sociedad have given Imanol Alguacil a contract extension to 2023 after a successful start to the season, despite his side having lost their past three LaLiga matches.

Alguacil has taken the club back into European competition during his two-year spell in charge and the board have demonstrated their faith in him with a new contract.

The club has also extended the contract of director of football Roberto Olabe to 2024.

The announcements come amid a downturn in form from a Sociedad team that went unbeaten across 10 matches in all competitions between November 1 and December 13.

 COMUNICADO OFICIAL | Jokin Aperribay anuncia que Imanol será el técnico txuri urdin hasta 2023

— Real Sociedad Fútbol (@RealSociedad)

Since then, Algua…

SC Heerenveen manager Marco van Basten has put Iceland international striker Alfred Finnbogason in the same category of strikers as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Jon Dahl Tomasson, .

Finnbogason, 24, is reportedly attracting interest from a number of clubs in the English Premier League, including the likes of Aston Villa, Everton, Sunderland and West Ham United.

Furthermore, reports in Italy have suggested that Marco van Basten has alerted Serie A giants AC Milan about Finnbogason.

The agent of Finnbogason has recently confirmed English interest in his client, while insisting Heerenveen have not held talks with any other clubs regarding the future of the Iceland international.

The 24-year-old, who is currently valued at arou…