26 Established 1961 Sports Wednesday, May 29, 2019 Klopp says Liverpool is best team he has taken to a final Liverpool preparing for their second successive Champions League final

LIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp says his current career, the manager, whose side finished a single point Liverpool team are the strongest side he has taken to a behind champions Manchester City in the Premier final as he plots Champions League glory against League, said: “If I win it, yes. It would be different to rivals Tottenham on Saturday. the last finals. Liverpool are preparing for their second successive “Is bringing the team to the Champions League final Champions League final after a run that included an (in itself) the biggest moment in my career? No, that incredible comeback to overturn a three-goal first-leg was 2004, getting promoted with Mainz. If you had deficit against Barcelona in the semi-final by winning 4- known the money we had, the circumstances we had... 0 at . and the fact was that nobody needed us in the first It will be Klopp’s fourth European final as a manag- league. “If I win the Champions League, though, I will er, having been a Champions League runner-up with have to think about this question again.” Klopp is Borussia Dortmund in 2013, before losing the Europa hopeful that forward Roberto Firmino will be fit to play League final with Liverpool in 2016. a part in Saturday’s final, having missed the final three Their run to Madrid this year has been marked by a matches of the season with a muscle issue. never-say-die spirit, with Klopp suggesting that his Naby Keita, however, will not recover team of 2019 is better than those that have lost his from his adductor injury in time to face Tottenham. “No three previous European finals. chance for Naby,” Klopp said. “Naby is really pro- “I don’t like to blame my other teams (for the gressing well. We will see how it will work out for him European final defeats),” said Klopp, whose side lost for the Africa Cup of Nations. out to Real Madrid in the final last year. “I love them all. “Bobby was part of training last week, really good, They all gave everything but I have never been part of everything looked fine. He will be fine, I am pretty a final with a better team than this. sure.” Klopp expects a close contest against a “I am not so surprised by this because our boys mix Tottenham side that Liverpool beat home and away in our potential with attitude in the best way I have wit- the Premier League during the season, winning 2-1 on nessed. That is brilliant.” However Klopp, speaking at both occasions. LIVERPOOL: Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp takes part in a training session at the Melwood Training Liverpool’s training ground Tuesday, made clear that he He said: “It will be very tight. The quality of ground in Liverpool, northwest England yesterday. — AFP has yet to surpass his first major achievement as a man- Tottenham and us is pretty similar. The distance ager, leading minnows Mainz into the Bundesliga for between us is consistency. “Emotions will be complete- the first time in their history 15 years ago, on a minimal ly different. You have to use the emotions but in the “We know about Tottenham a lot but after three they had been the opponent. “We know it is difficult, budget. right circumstances. Bringing ourselves in the right weeks (without a game to prepare), I would have Tottenham know it is difficult, so let’s play a difficult Asked if Saturday’s final marked the pinnacle of his mood is the job we have to do. known the name of the groundsman of Barcelona if game and let’s win it.” — AFP Kane in England squad for Nations Players detained League finals in Spanish football

LONDON: was included in England’s 23- match-fixing swoop man squad for next month’s Nations League finals on Monday but Tottenham Hotspur team-mates Harry Winks and Kieran Trippier were both left out. MADRID: An operation against several foot- Gareth Southgate, the England manager, has ballers, ex-players including former Spain inter- reduced his group from the list of 27 he named earlier national Raul Bravo and club executives accused this month, with Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse of fixing matches in the first and second divisions and Nathan Redmond also sidelined. England captain was underway in Spain yesterday, police and Kane, who has not played since suffering ankle liga- sources said. ment damage in April, was retained by the Southgate In a statement, police said they were in the on the day he insisted he was “ready” for Spurs’ clash process of conducting raids in several, unnamed with Liverpool in Saturday’s Champions League final. areas and planned to detain 11 people-”retired Kane has not played since suffering the injury in the and active footballers in the first division, active players in the second division and executives of first leg of Tottenham’s quarter-final against LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur’s English striker Harry Kane (L) and Tottenham Hotspur’s English midfielder Dele a club.” Manchester City on April 9, which was also when Alli (2nd R) take part in a team training session at Tottenham Hotspur’s Enfield Training Centre, north London, A source close to the probe, who refused to be Winks made his last appearance. Spurs subsequently yesterday ahead of their UEFA Champions League Final football match. — AFP announced Winks had undergone groin surgery, named, said that matches were allegedly fixed although the midfielder said he hoped it was not the during this season and the 2017-2018 campaign. end of his season. that are around it,” said Southgate in a statement real competition for places.” Portugal face Switzerland Among them were several games played by Real Trippier, a full-back, was a member of the England issued by the Football Association. in the other semi-final the day before England’s game, Valladolid, a club majority-owned by former squad that made it to the semi-finals of last year’s “Some players who have had really good finishes to with both the final and third-place playoff taking place Brazil striker Ronaldo since September. World Cup and was an unused substitute in the Euro the season like James Ward-Prowse and Nathan on Sunday, June 9. The source named several players involved to 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Redmond are staying with us for this period to train AFP. They include Bravo, a 38-year-old former Montenegro in March. because although we have cut the squad to 23, we have ENGLAND SQUAD Real Madrid player who once played for Spain, Redmond was a surprise inclusion in Southgate’s still got two weeks to get through and two really big Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke), Tom Heaton Borja Fernandez who played for first division Real 27-man squad, having been overlooked since winning finals ahead. (Burnley), Jordan Pickford (Everton). Valladolid, and Carlos Aranda, a retired player his only England cap in March 2017, with Ward- “Harry Winks is a player we really like and that’s a Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben who appeared for a string of Spanish clubs. Prowse making just his second appearance against tough one because he has not played for a couple of Chilwell (Leicester City), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Samuel Saiz, a Leeds player loaned to Getafe Montenegro. months and we don’t get to see him in training,” added Michael Keane (Everton), Harry Maguire (Leicester), this season, is also allegedly involved as is Inigo England face the Netherlands in their Nations Southgate. Meanwhile the former England international Danny Rose (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester Lopez Montana, who played for Extremadura League semi-final in Guimaraes, northern Portugal, a said right-back was “as hard a decision as we have had City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City). and Deportivo La Coruna in the second division week tomorrow. Seven players in Southgate’s 23 could to make”. : (Tottenham), Ross Barkley this season. potentially be involved in both the Champions League “Of course, Kieran Trippier has had such a big (Chelsea), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), The president of SD Huesca, another football final in Madrid five days earlier and the Netherlands impact, he had such a brilliant World Cup. He has been (Tottenham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse club that climbed into first division this season match. a really valuable member of our squad and has a great Lingard (Manchester United), Declan Rice (West Ham). before being relegated again, was also targeted. It “There have been some difficult decisions to make attitude with us, real passion in playing for England but Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus was as yet unclear whether they had all been and we are obviously a little bit complicated with so Trent (Alexander-Arnold) and Kyle (Walker) have fin- Rashford (Manchester United), Jadon Sancho (Borussia detained. Those at Huesca “are suspected of hav- many players involved in the Champions League as well ished the season so strongly. Dortmund/GER), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), ing taken part in match-fixing when they were in but we are really excited by the squad and the players “So it (right-back) is a position where we have got Callum Wilson (Bournemouth). — AFP the second division,” the source said. The suspects are accused of match-fixing, belonging to a criminal gang and money launder- ing, police said. They added their months-long investigation had “confirmed that the suspects Neymar loses reached agreements with various players to ‘fix’ Ramos asked to at least three matches in the first, second and Brazil third division.” “The match-fixing related to the third division leave Madrid for was unsuccessful, forcing the players involved to captaincy compensate the loss by doing another in the free to go to future,” they added. to Alves Police said that during one of the suspect matches in second division, “betting houses regis- China: Perez PARIS: Neymar has been replaced tered a cash volume that was up to 14 times high- as captain of the Brazil national er than normal for this division.” A statement from MADRID: Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos team for next month’s Copa asked to leave to join a team in China on a free trans- La Liga, meanwhile, said it had made an initial America by Paris St Germain team fer, club president Florentino Perez has said, adding complaint in May 2018 after a match between mate Dani Alves, the country’s foot- that he turned down the defender’s request. Huesca and Gimnastic de Tarragona (0-1). ball federation (CBF) has said. “They (Ramos and his agent) came to see me in It was unclear whether they were talking about The Copa America will be my office and told me they had a very good offer the same match. Javier Tebas, La Liga’s president, played from June 14 to July 7, with from China but the league rules over there wouldn’t told sports daily Marca that La Liga had been hosts Brazil, who have not won the permit them to pay the transfer fee,” Perez told radio investigating this for over a year. title since 2007, taking on Bolivia in station Onda Cero on Monday. “It really hurts, because it affects a club I love, the opening match in Sao Paulo “What was I going to tell him? We said this but the most important thing is to end corruption before facing Venezuela and Peru. couldn’t happen but we’d speak to the club to satisfy in football,” Tebas, who was president of Huesca “Daniel Alves will be captain of Neymar him but that Real Madrid could not afford to let its in the 1990s, said. In a statement, Valladolid said it the Brazilian national team in the captain leave for free as that would set a terrible maintained “its commitment and fight against cor- friendly matches against Qatar and old has captained his country on his disciplinary issues. precedent for other players.” The Spain defender, 33, ruption or any type of illegal act that diminishes Honduras and in Copa America four previous occasions, the last of Neymar was banned for three is Madrid’s longest serving player and one of club’s the integrity of sporting competitions.” Brazil 2019,” the CBF said in a state- which was a 1-0 friendly victory matches by the French football most beloved players for his role in winning four Match-fixing has been a constant issue in ment https://www.cbf.com.br/sele- over Germany in 2018. authorities earlier this month for hit- Champions League titles, but he shouldered a lot of Spanish football. In February 2018, at least 24 cao-brasileira/noticias/selecao- Brazil coach Tite had named ting a fan after PSG’s French Cup criticism for the team’s harrowing last campaign. people were arrested nationwide in an operation masculina/dani-alves-sera-o-capi- Neymar permanent captain a final loss to Stade Rennes, and was Ramos was found by UEFA to have intentionally into alleged match-fixing in Spain’s lower leagues. tao-da-selecao-nos-amistosos-e- few months after Brazil’s World also reportedly involved in a dressing got suspended for the second leg of Madrid’s The ring was accused of using players to force copa-america. Cup quarter-final exit at the fracas with his PSG team mates. Tite Champions League last-16 tie with Ajax Amsterdam, situations such as corners or penalties in games in Right back Alves, who has 138 hands of Belgium last year, but informed him on Saturday that he which they lost 4-1 to exit the competition at the the third and fourth tiers of Spanish football. They caps for Brazil, was informed of his has been under pressure to would not captain Brazil at the Copa earliest stage since 2010. —Reuters would then make bets on these situations. — AFP new role on Sunday. The 36-year- replace the 27-year-old due to America, the CBF said. — Reuters