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Schalke defender Christoph Metzelder did not hide his disappointment at Raul s decision to leave the club at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old striker announced on Thursday that he will continue his career outside of Europe after rejecting Schalke s offer to extend his contract.

Metzelder said he believes that the Spaniard s departure is a heavy blow for the club, but insisted that it will open the door for new players to prove their worth.

From day one, others have looked at him with great respect in the dressing room, he told reporters.

Raul will certainly be part of the club s history. He will certainly be missed, not only because of his quality, but also his reputation.

But he will now offer the chance to other players to fill this ga…

Shanghai Shenhua striker Nicolas Anelka said he was frozen out of training with the senior squad at Chelsea, after refusing to sign a new contract.

The Frenchman was forced to train with the youth squad and kept away from the rest of the first-team before eventually moving to the Chinese Super League outfit in January.

The 32-year-old Anelka who moved to Stamford Bridge from Bolton for 15 million pounds in January 2008 had been a key man for the Blues having finished as the Premier League top scorer with 19 goals under Carlo Ancelotti in the 2008-09 campaign.

Anelka had been linked with a move to Ancelotti s Paris Saint-Germain a move he denies was a possibility but the striker said he had a torrid end to his stint in London.

Ever since I was punished t…

Barcelona could hand deadline day signings Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo their debuts against Osasuna on Sunday in a match coach Xavi is expecting to be a tough test for the reigning champions.

Portugal duo Felix and Cancelo were brought in on season-long loan deals on Friday from Atletico Madrid and Manchester City respectively and have been immediately named in a 22-man squad for the trip to Pamplona.

Inigo Martinez, a summer signing from Athletic Bilbao, is also in the squad for the first time after recovering from injury while Barca welcome back forward Raphinha from suspension after his opening-weekend dismissal at Getafe.

João and João

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)

Xavi said: “The two newcomers (Felix and Cancelo) have trained with us …

Preston North End have signed veteran striker Kevin Davies on a two-year deal, .

The 36 year old, who was released by Bolton Wanderers after ten years at the club, has been handed the number 9 shirt ahead of the new League One season, as Preston look to secure a return to the Championship after being relegated in 2011.

In 2010, Davies became England’s oldest debutant in over sixty years after winning his one and only cap against Montenegro.

During his decade with the Trotters, he made over 350 appearances, scoring 84 times, and was named captain in January 2009. He is set to be handed a testimonial next summer.

He began his career with Chesterfield, before securing a move to Southampton in 1998.

A big money transfer to Blackburn Rovers fo…

Leonardo Bonucci s reckless first-half sending off forced AC Milan to battle for a 0-0 draw at home to struggling Genoa on Sunday.

The Rossoneri were left with 10 men for over an hour following Bonucci s elbow on Aleandro Rosi and the disadvantage proved too great an obstacle in their bid for a first Serie A victory in four matches.

Instead, under-fire manager Vincenzo Montella will come under greater pressure for failing to guide his side past a team that has now won only one of nine in the league.

Milan had carried the weight of three successive domestic defeats into the contest and their task was only made more difficult by Bonucci s moment of madness, with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) involved in dismissing the captain.

And an air of frustr…

Prediction: Italy win

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The domestic season may be over but the summer has only just begun. Between the Summer Olympics and the Euros we ve got a whole lot to look forward to and as the countdown to kick-off for the latter continues, we thought we d take a look at a friendly game between two of the teams set to take part. Italy and Czech Republic will both participate in this year s rescheduled European Championship and while they may be dark horses, underestimating them would be a huge mistake.

Italy

Victory is the name of the game for Italy right now as they continue to try and forget about the embarrassment they suffered in not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. Roberto Mancini has made it his mission to turn this team around…

Wayne Rooney has backed Harry Kane to end his World Cup goalscoring drought and come alive in England s last-16 clash with Senegal.

Captain Kane has yet to find the net at the finals, though he has provided three assists for Gareth Southgate s side.

Kane won the golden boot at the 2018 World Cup with six goals and Rooney expects the pressure of the knockout stages to inspire a return to that kind of form.

Harry Kane is made for these games, England s record goalscorer wrote in his column in The Times.

The games that are tighter, where the pressure is higher, where the football has to be more calculated – they are where Harry steps up.

He hasn t scored in the tournament yet but I think there will be a shift in his mindset. He ll think, right,…

The race for the Premier League title seems to get more tense by the week, and Liverpool have the chance to go top – albeit briefly – with a win against Watford in the early kick-off on Saturday.

In their final league game before hosting Jurgen Klopp s men in a crunch encounter, Manchester City will be looking to bounce back from their draw at Crystal Palace against a Burnley side they have an outstanding record against.

The hunt for Champions League spots is just as hot at the moment, with Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham in action, while those hoping to avoid relegation have another chance to get much-needed points on the board.

With that, we move onto this week s Opta-powered quiz. Answers at the bottom of the page… No peeking now!