Man Utd Draw Fenerbahce, Southampton Face Inter - Europa League Draw In Full

Man Utd Draw Fenerbahce, Southampton Face Inter - Europa League Draw In Full

Adeboye   18:28:00   No comments:

Manchester United will face former striker Robin van Persie after being paired with Fenerbahce in the Europa League group stage.

The Red Devils will also face Feyenoord and Ukrainian outfit Zorya Luhansk in Group A.

United sold Van Persie to Turkish side Fenerbahce, who finished second in the Super Lig last season, in July 2015 after three years at Old Trafford.

Southampton, participating in the Europa League for the first time in their history, will take on Serie A giants Inter in Group K.

Claude Puel's charges have also been drawn against Sparta Prague and Hapoel Be'er Sheva, who were beaten by Celtic in the Champions League playoff round.

Irish outfit Dundalk have been handed a difficult group against Zenit, AZ Alkmaar and Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Group D.

Matchday one is on September 15 with the final games in the groups staged on December 8.

The full Europa League draw as follows:

Group A: Manchester United, Fenerbahce, Feyenoord, Zorya

Group B: Olympiacos, APOEL, Young Boys, Astana

Group C: Anderlecht, Saint-Etienne, Mainz, Qabala

Group D: Zenit, AZ Alkmaar, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Dundalk

Group E: Viktoria Plzen, Roma, Austria Vienna, Astra

Group F: Athletic Bilbao, Genk, Rapid Vienna, Sassuolo

Group G: Ajax, Standard Liege, Celta Vigo, Panathinaikos

Group H: Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga, Gent, Konyaspor

Group I: Schalke, RB Salzburg, Kuban Krasnodar, Nice

Group J: Fiorentina, PAOK, Slovan Liberec, Qarabag

Group K: Inter, Sparta Prague, Southampton, Hapoel Be'er Sheva

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Inter Agree Deal For Sevilla’s Banega

Inter Agree Deal For Sevilla’s Banega

Adeboye   19:39:00   No comments:

Inter Milan have agreed a deal to sign Sevilla’s Argentina midfielder Ever Banega.

The Serie A club have been linked with Yaya Toure this week but are said not to be interested in the Manchester City man.

Instead they will announce the arrival of Banega in the next couple of weeks.

The 27-year-old joined Sevilla in 2014 and was part of the side that beat Liverpool 3-1 in the Europa League final in Basel last night, reports the BBC.

Meanwhile, Banega says: “I’m very grateful to Sevilla” but refused to discuss an imminent Inter move: “I only want to talk about my current team.’

The Argentina international starred in the Spanish club’s 3-1 Europa League victory over Liverpool on Wednesday, their third consecutive win of the tournament.

Banega is out of contract in the summer and is believed to have agreed a deal to join Inter in the summer once his deal expires.

However, he was reluctant to discuss his future after last night’s European victory.

“I’m happy for the fans, we’re delighted about this victory, the third in a row for us,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

“The first half wasn’t simple at all, but then we improved. Unai Emery didn’t need to motivate us, we knew we could win.

“I’m very grateful to Sevilla because they helped me at a particularly difficult moment in my career.

“They gave me a lot of faith and I wanted to return it. Now I’m only thinking about this club, I have a lot of respect for them.

“Inter? I repeat, I only want to talk about Sevilla because of the respect I have for this club.”

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Moratti: ‘Benitez A Mistake For Inter’

Moratti: ‘Benitez A Mistake For Inter’

Adeboye   13:44:00   No comments:

Former Inter President Massimo Moratti admits hiring Rafa Benitez “was a mistake. We lived in a climate of terror.”

Benitez was brought in after Jose Mourinho won the treble in 2010 and lasted only six months, even though he won the Italian Super Cup and Club World Cup.

“In my view, hiring Benitez was a mistake,” Moratti told reporters at the presentation of Ivan Cordoba’s book.

“He is a great professional, but there is also a huge difference in terms of communication, character and rapport.

“I did nothing to bother him, but at a certain point I really wanted to, because he made us feel as if we couldn’t celebrate anything.

“We lived in a climate of terror and had to be wary so we wouldn’t offend anyone. There was no enthusiasm in this situation and in the end enthusiasm propels you to victory.

“I always tell the players to enjoy their football. This was lacking with Benitez, so we started going after Leonardo, who I think was one of the best coaches I ever had. He’s an intelligent man, a great director and coach.”

Moratti may well have been referring to the story told by Marco Materazzi – and denied by Benitez – that on his first day Rafa ordered all images of Mourinho and their Champions League triumph removed from the locker room.

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