SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2016 SPORTS Goalkeeper Donnarumma among uncapped Italy call-ups MILAN: AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi game in the southern town of Bari on Thursday upcoming World Cup 2018 qualifiers. Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini Donnarumma and Torino forward Andrea Belotti hoping the Azzurri can take up where they left off With Gianluigi Buffon, 38, having had a sterling (Juventus), Mattia De Sciglio (AC Milan), Angelo were handed maiden call-ups for Italy, after being following a hugely promising European Euros campaign, it is uncertain if the 17-year-old Ogbonna (West Ham United/ENG), Alessio named in Giampiero Ventura’s 26-man squad for Championship in France. Donnarumma, or his fellow squad debutants, will be Romagnoli (AC Milan), Daniele Rugani (Juventus) next week’s friendly with France. Italy upset pre-tournament predictions to send given a run out. Midfielders: Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), Ventura, who succeeded new Chelsea coach holders Spain crashing out in the last 16, only to fall Italy’s opening qualifier is away to Israel on Giacomo Bonaventura (AC Milan), Antonio Antonio Conte following the Azzurri’s quarter-final to Germany in the quarter-finals after a dramatic September 5, while France are away to Belarus a day Candreva (Inter Milan), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), exit from Euro 2016, also notably called up Paris penalty shoot-out. later. Italy squad for France friendly and World Cup Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Riccardo Montolivo (AC Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti following France will also be looking for a positive out- 2018 qualifier v Israel: Milan), Marco Parolo (Lazio), Marco Verratti (Paris his recovery from a hernia operation. come in what will be their first international outing Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Saint-Germain/FRA) The former Torino coach also handed first call- since their shock Euro 2016 final defeat to Portugal. Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan), Federico Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Eder Citadin ups to AC Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli as well However Ventura and France counterpart Didier Marchetti (Lazio) Martins (Inter Milan), Manolo Gabbiadini (Napoli), as Genoa striker Luca Pavoletti. Deschamps are both expected to use the outing to Defenders: Luca Antonelli (AC Milan), Davide Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Leonardo Pavoletti (Genoa), Ventura, 68, will take charge of his first Italy gauge fitness and form ahead of next month’s Astori (Fiorentina), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Graziano Pelle (Shandong Luneng/CHN). — AFP Bravo must await debut as City host Hammers MANCHESTER: Claudio Bravo must wait to SHIRT-PULLING WARNING make his Manchester City debut as he pre- Guardiola has almost a fully-fit squad pares to watch his new club’s home from which to choose, with 30 players hav- Premier League game with West Ham ing taken part in training on Friday. United today from the stands at the Etihad His only absentee is teenage striker Stadium. Kelechi Iheanacho, who suffered a minor The Chilean goalkeeper has completed hamstring problem in the midweek win the formalities over his reported £17 mil- over Steaua Bucharest that will sideline him lion ($22 million, 19 million euros) move to for two weeks. One area where Guardiola the Premier League, but his lack of training wants his players to pay more attention to with his new team means manager Pep is in being mindful of the new rules over Guardiola has not considered him for a shirt-pulling in the penalty area. “The refer- starting place. ees came here and spoke to the players That will almost certainly mean more about the new rules so they know that,” frustration for unwanted England keeper said Guardiola. Joe Hart, who has been told he can leave “But we are going to speak to the play- the club, with Willy Caballero poised to ers again, I don’t know what is going on, if keep his starting place, as he has done in it is happening more often, more times the opening two league games under than it did.” Slaven Bilic’s West Ham will Guardiola. head north still smarting from their prema- “He’s fit but he’s not going to play this ture exit from the Europa League at the weekend,” said Guardiola of Bravo. hands of Astra Giurgiu. A repeat of last sea- Guardiola, who will be seeking to make it son’s victory at the Etihad Stadium will pro- five wins from five competitive games with vide a timely lift, as will the imminent City, said Bravo fitted the bill for him as a arrival of Juventus striker Simon Zaza. “It is goalkeeper and added Chilean players a boost,” Bilic said of Zaza. “It was our plan have as a rule flourished under his guid- for a long time now to get a top-quality ance. “He has experience, anticipates situa- striker and there were a few of them on our tions not in the box, in front of the box, list, and Zaza was always mentioned there.” good in the build-up plays, quick under the Bilic also expects Dimitri Payet and Manuel posts, he is a good player for us,” said Lanzini to be close to full fitness but will LONDON: Liverpool’s Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet (down) blocks Tottenham Hotspur’s English midfielder Joshua Onomah during the Guardiola. not risk both playmakers. English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at White Hart Lane in London, yesterday. — AFP “I was lucky to have under my com- “Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini, we’re mand Chilean players like Alexis Sanchez going to know more on Saturday,” said Bilic. and Arturo Vidal before and now Claudio “Maybe one of them will be in the squad Liverpool pricked by Rose Bravo. I spoke to Claudio and he’s going to for Sunday’s game. “We still have one train- be a good player for us. ing session, but the situation is that after “I had a good experience with my previ- this game we have a couple of weeks and ous Chilean players and I expect to have it the temptation is not to play them because thorn in Tottenham draw with Claudio as well. is it worth the risk? “And with the goalkeeper with more “Of course if there is no risk we would than 100 caps for the national team and a pick them, but there is a big question mark. which ended in a 0-0 draw. could have won a penalty after being blocked by team that can compete with Argentina or Only if there is no risk are we going to use His side showed a much sharper cutting edge Joel Matip. Brazil he’s a really good asset for us.” them, and then only one of them.” — AFP Tottenham 1 than in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Burnley, but Mane, meanwhile, was fortunate to avoid a red their inability to close the game out enabled Spurs card after clattering Rose two minutes after being to rescue a point. booked for a late one on Dele Alli. “When you take a point at Tottenham, for 99 Janssen had replaced Kyle Walker after the percent of teams it would be a good thing,” Klopp Spurs full-back succumbed to illness, prompting a Liverpool 1 told the BBC. “We played a very good away game reshuffle that saw Eric Dier move to right-back and against a very strong side. It was our first real mis- Alli drop into central midfield. take and it was a goal, so that is not really fair. It left the hosts with an unfamiliar configuration LONDON: Left-back Danny Rose’s 72nd-minute “We showed we can be good. We played foot- on the right flank and Liverpool exploited their equaliser earned Tottenham Hotspur a 1-1 draw ball and defended really good. It doesn’t feel too uncertainty when Firmino was clipped by Erik with Liverpool in a hard-fought Premier League brilliant at the moment.” Lamela after darting in behind him. encounter at White Hart Lane yesterday. It was a contest between two teams who like to Milner, Liverpool’s left-back again, confidently James Milner gave Liverpool a deserved lead press high up the pitch and in the first half it was steered the penalty into the bottom-left corner. with a penalty shortly before half-time, but Spurs Tottenham who had the greatest difficulty playing The team in red continued to enjoy the upper got their reward for a spell of sustained second-half the ball out from the back. hand in the second half, with Matip heading over, pressure when Rose drilled home the equaliser. Deputising in goal for Spurs again in place of Nathaniel Clyne working Vorm and Mane seeing a The England full-back’s strike means he has the injured Hugo Lloris, Michel Vorm was frequent- volley chalked off for offside against Adam Lallana. already matched his tally from last season and it ly called into action. But as the intensity of the visitors’ pressing preserved Spurs’ unbeaten record following their began to fade, so Spurs started to assert them- draw at Everton and victory over Crystal Palace. SPURS RESHUFFLE selves. “I’m very pleased,” said Spurs manager Mauricio The Dutchman produced a stunning fourth- Eriksen side-footed over from Dier’s cut-back Pochettino. “It was a very competitive game. Both minute stop to thwart Philippe Coutinho from and Mignolet produced smart saves to thwart teams played with passion, which is very impor- Roberto Firmino’s square pass and twice raced Lamela and Toby Alderweireld before Spurs drew tant. It was a fantastic game for the neutral. from his line to expertly tackle Sadio Mane.