Lahm: Ribery out to exorcise Champions League demons
Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm has warned Chelsea that Franck Ribery is out to prove himself in the Champions League final after missing the showpiece event two years ago.
The French winger was suspended in 2010 after he received a straight red card for a foul on Lyon star Lisandro in the first leg of their semi-final.
The Bavarian outfit beat their French opponents 4-0 on aggregate but were then halted by Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in the final, who ran out 2-0 winners at the Bernabeu thanks to two strikes from Diego Milito.
Gunners weigh up move for Barca defender
Arsenal are reportedly considering a move for Barcelona’s veteran French defender Eric Abidal. Abidal, a member of the French team that lost to Italy at the 2006 World Cup final, is out of contract at the Nou Camp in the summer and is yet to pen a new deal. Primarily a left back, the 32 year old can also play as a central defender if required, and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger thinks he could give some much needed cover at the back at the Emirates.
According to media reports, Liverpool and Manchester City are also weighing up a swoop for the former Monaco, Lille and Lyon defender, who has been with Barca for the last five years.
A free transfer looks most likely, but Wenger may also try a cut price move in January instead of waiting for the summer.
Football Transfer Betting: Will Darren Bent leave Aston Villa this month?
Sunderland make Piquionne inquiry
Steve Bruce is actively scouting the market for a striker who will be Darren Bent’s replacement at the Stadium of Light. His search has taken him to West Ham where he is expected to make a £3.5 million bid for Hammers’ top scorer Frederic Piquionne. The former Monaco and Lyon striker would jump at the opportunity to move to Wearside instead of being involved in a relegation battle. Piquionne’s move to Sunderland could also depend on West Ham’s ability to sign either Demba Ba or Robbie Keane.
Sunderland were also exploring the possibility to sign Ricardo Fuller from Stoke. But with Tony Pulis refusing to budge on his valuation of the Jamaican striker, Steve Bruce turned his attention towards Piquionne.
Sunderland may also complete the loan signing of Sulley Muntari from Inter Milan. He could well be the third Ghana player at the club after Gyan Asamoah and John Mensah. “If everything is sorted out with Sunderland he will be going there. The other Ghana players at Sunderland – Asamoah Gyan and John Mensah – have told him about the club which has obviously played a part, ” Muntari’s agent said.
Football Transfer Betting -
French Ligue 1 Results- February 21
Here are the results from the games played in the French Ligue 1 on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
Bordeaux, Marseille and AS Monaco play tomorrow- Sunday, February 22, 2009.
Grenoble 0-0 PSG
PSG failed to keep pace with leaders Lyon as they dropped points at Grenoble.
Toulouse 0-0 Valenciennes
Like PSG, Toulouse also slipped up in their pursuit of Lyon. Alain Casanova’s men could only draw 0-0 at Parc Municipal des Sports as they lost an opportunity to go second in the table.
Le Havre Athletic Club 1-2 AJ Auxerre ( Jean-Michel Lesage 37′/ Thomas Kahlenberg 1′, Valter Birsa 79′)
Auxerre moved above Grenoble in the league table as goals from Thomas Kahlenberg and Valter Birsa gave them a 2-1 win over bottom of the table Le Havre.
Nice 0-1 Rennes (Olivier Thomert 67′)
In a battle between two teams aiming to qualify for Europe, Stade Rennais beat Nice 1-0 thanks to a second half goal from Olivier Thomert.
Nantes 1-1 Caen ( Christian Bekamenga 44′/ Anthony Deroin 3′)
Nantes dominated their home game against Caen at La Beaujoire-Louis-Fonteneau but were unable to take three full points. Both the goals came in the first half.
Lorient 1-2 Sochaux ( Kevin Gameiro 23′/ Vaclav Sverkos 66′, Mevlut Erding 90′)
Turkish star Mevlut Erdinc’s eight goal of the season helped Sochaux complete an amazing turnaround against Lorient at Stade du Moustoir. However Sochaux still remain in the relegation zone, four points behind 18th place St.Etienne.
Lyon 2-0 Nancy ( Cris 18′, Karim Benzema 90′)
A makeshift Lyon side beat Nancy 2-0 at Stade Gerland. With coach Claude Puel having one eye on the upcoming CL game against Barcelona, Lyon chose to field a side that did not have Junino, Benzema, Ederson and co. Brazilian defender Cris gave the lead after heading home from a corner in the 18th minute. Youssef Hadji failed to convert his spot kick for Nancy in the 50th minute, and substitute Benzema confirmed three points for Lyon late in the game with his 12th league goal of the season.