Maradona Derby; Napoli Against Barcelona
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سه شنبه Twenty-four 6 اسفند 1398 24 شماره 6429 روزنامه ورزشی صبح ایران صاحب امتیاز: خبرگزاری جمهوری اسالمی مدیرمسئول: علی عالی تلفن: 14 ــ 88504113 نمابر: 84711173 سازمان آگهیها: 1877ــ 88501300 ــ88746583 انتشارات: 5 و 88548892 امور مشترکین: 88748800 ــ 88521954 نشانی: تهران، خیابان خرمشهر، شماره 208 / صندوق پستی 5388-15875 چاپ: ایرانیان [email protected] Maradona Derby; Napoli against Barcelona Barcelona make the trip to Italy to face Napoli in the courtesy of fighting back from early deficits at the Be- first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie having nito Villamarin Stadium. put together a three-match winning streak in La Liga. Gennaro Gattuso initially found things difficult when The home side have also enjoyed a strong recent run, being named as the successor to Carlo Ancelotti, los- registering three victories in all competitions to boost ing four of his first six games in charge in all compe- their chances in Serie A and the Coppa Italia. titions. After a number of less-than-convincing performances The negative results led to Napoli dropping down into during his opening weeks as Barcelona boss, Quique mid-table, a position once deemed unthinkable given Setien would have naturally had concerns that his the club›s place towards the top of the table in recent stint at Camp Nou could become short-lived. years However, having recorded seven wins from nine However, the former AC Milan chief has turned things games, the former Real Betis man has now settled around, guiding Napoli to six wins from seven match- into life at the Catalan giants and will be confident of es, subsequently helping the club›s cause in both do- eventually edging out Real Madrid for the La Liga title. mestic competitions. Having come through hard-fought contests with his Although Coppa Italia triumphs over Lazio and Juven- ex-club and Getafe, Saturday›s 5-0 demolition of Eibar tus made the headlines, their work in Serie A has tak- came at the right time ahead of what should be a test- en Gli Azzurri back into contention for next season›s ing encounter in Naples. European places. Lionel Messi had gone four games without finding Several of their key men have chipped in with goals the back of the net before that contest, subsequently in recent matches, although three matches have ending that drought with the latest four-goal haul of passed since Napoli found the back of the net in the his historic career. first half. The Argentine will now want to take that form into Nevertheless, Gattuso will not mind providing that Tuesday›s meeting with Napoli after only scoring twice his players continue their strong finishes to match- from five outings during the group stages. es, something which may be required to keep Barce- The biggest concern for Setien ahead of this game lona›s away goals down to a minimum. will be Barcelona›s away form, with defeats having While there has been a change in the dugout since been suffered at Valencia and Athletic Bilbao in re- those fixtures were played, Gattuso will want to see cent weeks. more of the same from his players, a resoluteness While they got back to winning ways on the road which will most likely be required against a team of against Betis on February 9, the success only came Barcelona›s quality. Can Lampard repeat Chelsea›s Munich Messi & Ronaldo could join Beckham in miracle? Miam Frank Lampard›s story will be forever intertwined of the game, he also converted the winning spot- Goal - A new franchise in Florida is considered make that dream a reality then it has to be Da- with that of Chelsea as it was he who lifted the kick in the penalty shootout. to be an appealing prospect to any player, with vid Beckham,” Heath, who would be a direct Champions League trophy after the most impor- The Ivorian still can›t quite believe what happened Minnesota United’s coach talking up their pull- rival of the star-studded side, told The Mirror. tant triumph in the club›s long and illustrious his- that night in Munich. ing power “It may not happen just yet, but I can see Ron- tory. «Did you know I was going to do that in 2012? I Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could both aldo following in the footsteps of Zlatan Ibra- As the former midfielder regularly says himself, didn’t. Even me, I didn’t know,» Drogba said in an end up joining David Beckham at new MLS himovic, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and the 2012 Champions League final win over Bay- interview with Goal last season. franchise Inter Miami, claims Minnesota Unit- Frank Lampard playing in the MLS. ern Munich represents his finest hour as a player; Drogba may have dominated the headlines but ed manager Adrian Heath. “For Ronaldo and Messi, the two obvious desti- a victory that Blues fans will talk and sing about Lampard also played a pivotal role. Various big names are said to figure promi- nations if they came to the MLS would be Los forever. When he eventually emerged from a joyous Chel- nently on the recruitment radar of those in Angeles and Miami. Indeed, they revel in telling their Arsenal, Totten- sea dressing room to meet the media at two in Florida. “And, with his links to both players and the ham and Manchester City counterparts: «Champi- the morning, Lampard had a beer in hand. And a No marquee signing has been tied up as yet, plan Beckham and his backers have in place, I ons of Europe; you will never sing that!» well-deserved one at that. but several leading lights currently gracing a can really only see them going to Miami.” This week, though, Chelsea will face Bayern Mu- A natural No.8, the England international was em- European stage are drawing admiring glances Heath believes other proven performers, in- nich again, only this time with Lampard as their ployed as a holding midfielder alongside John Obi from America. cluding many in the Premier League, will also manager. It will be the most significant test of his Mikel due to the absences of Raul Meireles and Manchester United and Real Madrid legend be keeping a close eye on events in Miami and coaching career to date. Going into the last-16 Ramires and helped the Chelsea defence repel Beckham is eager to raise the profile of his US the project being pieced together by Beckham. tie, the Blues are arguably even bigger underdogs wave after wave of Bayern attacks. venture by bringing in a superstar performer. He added: “I believe the MLS has the potential than they were eight years ago. Chelsea were down to 10 men following John Ter- Messi and Ronaldo have been linked with to become one of the top leagues in the world. The Chelsea of today is a very different side to the ry›s dismissal, and trailing 2-0 on the night, and moves to see out their respective playing ca- “In the past it’s been a place for top stars to Chelsea of 2012. Roberto Di Matteo›s team was 2-1 on aggregate, as half-time approached in their reers in the States. wind down their careers, but I think that will packed with club legends, but they were approach- second-leg clash with the Blaugrana at Camp Nou. Heath can see the appeal of moving to Miami change. ing the end of their careers. The current Chelsea squad contains several play- and concedes that two men who have spent “The arrival of Beckham and Miami will help Lampard himself was 33, Ashley Cole 31, and Di- ers who were only just taking their first steps to- more than a decade competing with one an- accelerate that switch in mentality.” dier Drogba 34. The latter, of course, decided the wards the first team at Cobham Training Centre other could one day line up in the same side. Inter Miami are set to open their debut MLS game in Chelsea›s favour. Drogba not only netted a when the club finally lifted the trophy that Roman “That would be incredible for football in the campaign on March 1 when they take in a dramatic late equaliser from the Blues› first corner Abramovich had been craving for so long. USA and if anyone has the global profile to meeting with LAFC..