By DAN KARELL
A whole host of key players for big clubs in Europe will be out for mid-week matches.
Juventus forward Carlos Tevez, FC Bayern midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, and both Paris Saint-Germain starters Thiago Motta and David Luiz were all ruled out for mid-week games or longer.
Tevez is suffering from a right thigh injury and is being kept out of Juventus’ Coppa Italia tie against Fiorentina, Schweinsteiger will miss Bayern’s DFB Pokal match against Bayer Leverkusen with an ankle problem, and both Motta and Luiz will miss PSG’s Coupe de France match against Saint-Etienne with thigh injuries. Motta should only miss ten days but Luiz is expected to miss four weeks of action.
Meanwhile, Gareth Bale picked up an undisclosed knock against Granada and could miss Real Madrid’s match against Rayo Vallecano.
Here are some more stories to catch you up around the world:
BRAZILIAN STARLET COULD BE ON HIS WAY TO CHELSEA
A likely future member of the Brazilian National Team could be heading over to England this summer.
According to a report in Brazilian publication O Globo, Fluminense forward Kenedy is thought to be headed for Chelsea this summer, after 45 percent of his economic rights were sold by Fluminense to an investment fund. The 19-year-old would move to Chelsea for only €8 million, according to the report, though that would be a sizeable sum of money for both the investment group and Fluminense.
Kenedy has scored three goals in his last five games for the Fluminense first team after breaking through this spring during the Carioca State Championship. He’s also started and starred for both the Brazilian U-17s and U-20s.
ARANGO BANNED FOR BITE
Club Tijuana now have something in common with FC Barcelona, though it’s not just the temperate climate that both cities enjoy.
The Mexican Football Federation handed down a two-match ban to Tijuana midfielder Juan Arango for biting Mexican National Team player Jesus Zavala of Monterrey on the shoulder in the final seconds of Monterrey’s 4-3 victory. Video cameras caught the act but the referee missed the incident at the time.
The two-match ban is much shorter than the four-month ban from all soccer activities and nine-match international ban that Barcelona forward Luis Suarez had to sit through last summer after biting Giorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup.
QUICK KICKS
FC Schalke midfielder Julian Draxler has returned to full training and is closer to making his return to the field since last October. (REPORT)
Former Italian National Team defender Gianluca Zambrotta has been fired by Swiss Second Division side FC Chiasso. (REPORT)
Sao Paulo FC are looking at replacing manager Muricy Ramalho, who left the job for health reasons, with former Argentine National Team boss Alejandro Sabella. (REPORT)
Swansea City’s Kyle Naughton will miss the final month and a half of the season due to an ankle injury suffered this past weekend. (REPORT)
Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot says that the Netherlands National Team are too reliant on Arjen Robben. (REPORT)
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What do you think of these reports? How do you see Juventus, Bayern, and PSG faring without their stars? Do you see Bale being rested? Interested in seeing Kenedy play for Chelsea?
Share your thoughts below.
I looked up the definition of “starlet” and it is still defined as a “young woman actor. A young woman actor seen as a possible major movie star of the future”.
I find the use of this word peculiar (I know, I know we need abolish all forms of gender identification). Is Kenedy somehow associated with the LGBT community and prefers this identification? I am so confused.
look it up in a british dictionary. it’s also used as a term for promising athletes.
and since you brought it up: “we need abolish all forms of gender identification.” no. no, we really don’t.
Reading some of these guys is like speaking to someone who has a bad accent, you aren’t going to understand them sometimes.
You definitely wish they spoke a local language the same as the recievers, but you roll with it.
Yeah, this threw me off a little too. Unless he’s somehow comparing him to a small sized compact car: http://www.toyoland.com/cars/starlet.html
Comparing Arango’s bite to Suarez’s bite last summer is poor. That was the third time Suarez had bit someone during a game, how about comparing it to the first time he did it back at Ajax instead? That would make a lot more sense.
Is that the same Kenedy that the CAP HIM NOW contingent of Twitter insists has US roots?
Yes, indeed it is.
Rumor is that that Robert Kenedy was born in Miami
en.wikipedia states footballer Robert Kenedy was born in Santa Rita, Brazil… a long shot he would want to play for USMNT… more news is needed.