TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Mancini will pick strongest available FA Cup team • Manchester City manager restricts focus to Middlesbrough• He is not 'thinking' of Carling Cup tie against UnitedRoberto Mancini has promised not to field a deliberately weakened side in Manchester City's FA Cup third round tie at Middlesbrough on Saturday as he looks ahead to next weeks League Cup semi-final against Manchester United, but his plans have been disrupted by the possible absence of up to £100m worth of players from the club's expensively assembled squad.Stephen Ireland damaged his hamstring in the 3-0 defeat of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday to join Roque Santa Cruz, Joleon Lescott, Wayne Bridge, Nedum Onuoha and Benjani Mwaruwari on the injury list. Shaun Wright-Phillips requires a fitness test on his ankle injury to ascertain whether he is available for his first game of the Mancini era while Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Adebayor are at the African Cup of Nations."I will play the strongest team that I can but we have a lot of injuries," Mancini said. "I will not be thinking about the match against United next week, just what is best for the team and the players. There can be no risks taken with anyone who is not fully fit. We do not have a very big squad but we do have some young players who have been training with the first team and one or two might have to play."I know Middlesbrough will be a tough side to play on their own pitch and will see the tie as one where they can relax and try to take the scalp of a Premier League team. We don't want that to happen, We want to make progress because we know that by the time of the fourth round we will have many people back from injury."City play United at home in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final next Wednesday, the first time Mancini's new employers have reached the last four of any competition since reaching the FA Cup final in 1981."I have told the players that they should not be thinking about the semi-final," Mancini said. "We must have full attention on the FA Cup and then prepare for the next game as soon as the final whistle goes."Mancini has a distinguished record in the Coppa Italia, winning the competition as manager of Fiorentina and Lazio and twice with Internazionale. He was the winning manager for three successive seasons from 2004 to 2006."We are excited by the FA Cup. I know that in England it is a very important competition," he said. "In Italy the cup is perhaps not taken so seriously until teams reach the semi final stages but here it is different."I won the Coppa Italia six times as a player and four times as a manager with three different clubs and it would be great to think I could do that at City too. To have a chance to achieve that we have to win at Middlesbrough."Roberto ManciniManchester CityFA CupMiddlesbroughguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
This season could be my last, says Butt • Former England midfielder out of contract in summer• Butt: 'I know I haven't got much longer left'Nicky Butt has admitted this season could be his last as a player. The 34-year-old, who is out of contract at Newcastle at the end of the campaign, has been a key figure in the club's resurgence following relegation.However, he has found his chances on the pitch limited in recent weeks and as his body starts to feel the effects of a long career which has brought him six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a Champions League winners' medal, he is considering his future.The former Manchester United and England midfielder says he is determined to wring every last minute out of what remains of his time as a player."I know I haven't got much longer left, so I just want to enjoy playing the game while I can before worrying about what to do once I have stopped," he said. "I haven't made any decisions about my future yet. I'm just going to take it as it comes. I'm signed until the summer and I will see how I feel then. If I'm offered another deal here, I will certainly think about it, but it will depend how I feel. If I feel great, I will carry on; if I don't, that will be that."I don't know if the legs have got another season in them yet, but I'm feeling okay at the moment. I did start my coaching badges a couple of years ago, but it's been put on hold for now," he added in the Journal.Newcastle UnitedPremier Leagueguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Portsmouth's match against Birmingham City called off due to waterlogged pitch Weather continues to disrupt fixture list as watterlogged Fratton Park pitch sees Birmingham City's trip to Portsmouth postponed. telegraph.co.uk |
Dempsey's World Cup dream alive American striker Clint Dempsey's chances of playing at the World Cup received a boost Tuesday when it was revealed he likely won't need surgery on his injured knee. cbc.ca |
Alan Hansen: Fabio Capello must fear Wayne Rooney's World Cup burnout for England Wayne Rooney's form is great news for Manchester United but it increases the danger he will go to World Cup at risk of burnout. telegraph.co.uk |