'Barcelona and Neymar need one another

Former Brazil midfielder Juninho has urged Barcelona to step up their efforts to sign Neymar after suggesting that the club and the player "need each other".
The Santos forward has continually been linked with the Catalan giants, and their failure to sufficiently challenge for the Champions League has fueled another wave of speculation ahead of the transfer window.
And the one-time Atletico Madrid ace expects the Blaugrana to win the race to land the attacker this summer, believing that both parties would benefit greatly from any potential move.

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Europa League Team of the Season: Torres & Cardozo star in prolific attack

Chelsea's dramatic victory over Benfica on Wednesday night rounded off another long season of Europa League football which first started way back in August.

With a play-off round, group stages and a final 32 rounded down to our eventual winners after a gruelling knock-out phase, it has certainly been another eventful ride that has given us plenty of top players to choose from in going for our Team of the Season.

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Manny Pacquiao rises for toughest fight

  Manny Pacquiao is known the world over for his boxing abilities, but in the Philippines he's also a national hero beyond the ring.

-- Manny Pacquiao is not a god, but that doesn't stop millions of Filipinos worshipping him.

Since his first professional fight at 16, Pacquiao has amassed a formidable professional record of 54-5-2.

He is arguably the most famous person in the country's history, a world title holder 10 times over and the first person to earn belts in eight separate weight divisions, and in 2012 was one of the highest paid athletes on earth, earning upwards of $62 million, more than Tiger Woods, Lebron James, Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Barcelona Confirm Messi Did Not Aggravate Injury Against PSG

Barcelona have said that Lionel Messi did not aggravate his thigh injury during the 33 minutes in which he helped drag them through to the Champions League semi-finals at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Messi came on as a substitute against Paris Saint-Germain with Barca trailing 1-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.
Although he was hampered by the injury, his presence appeared to calm his team-mates and unnerve PSG, and he quickly helped create the goal, scored by Pedro Rodriguez, which saw Barca through with a 1-1 draw.
Messi was back at the Camp Nou for more tests on Thursday, with the club later releasing a statement confirming that he was not yet 100% fit but that no further damage had been done against the Ligue 1 team.
“Leo Messi has undergone various medical tests this morning to determine if he had aggravated the injury in his right thigh,” it said.

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Ashley Young Facing Two Weeks Out

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed winger Ashley Young is likely to be out of action for a fortnight with an ankle injury.

Young suffered the problem during the closing stages of Monday's 2-1 derby defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford and is set to miss the Premier League games against Stoke, West Ham and Aston Villa.

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Rodgers Wary of Reading Threat

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is expecting a tough battle when he takes his team to his former club Reading on Saturday.

The Royals are eight points adrift of safety in the Premier League although Rodgers does not believe relegation is a foregone conclusion under new boss Nigel Adkins.
Adkins has presided over two defeats since taking over from Brian McDermott but Rodgers reckons he is the right man for the job.

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Martinez Refusing To Look Back

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez insists Saturday's Wembley appearance is only another stepping stone on the club's journey to the upper echelons of English football.

Martinez first joined Wigan as a player in 1995 when they were in the fourth tier of English football and they will continue their rise through the ranks with their first FA Cup semi-final appearance against Millwall.
However, the Spaniard believes there is a danger in looking back.

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Corinthians Deny Tevez Talk

Corinthians have played down reports that they are looking to sign Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez in the summer.

The Argentina international is under contract with the Premier League champions until the summer of 2014 but has been regularly linked with a return to South America.

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