Before tonight's classic match in the Spanish League Real Madrid had every reason to be optimistic; they were leading the Spanish league, had won their last 15 matches (a record only achieved by Real Madrids' legendary side from the 1960s), and were pumping in goals. They were obviously full of confidence to take a greater lead ahead of their archrivals at home in Madrid.

Gara senza storia al Camp Nou nell'anticipo della 17/a giornata di Liga, tra Barcellona e Rayo Vallecano. L'undici di Guardiola, impegnato (dall'8 al 18 dicembre) nel Mondiale per Club in Giappone, ha avuto la meglio per 4-0 sulla compagine madrilena. Grande protagonista l'ex Udinese, il cileno Alexis Sanchez, finalmente decisivo dopo alcune difficolt a causaContinua a leggere .

MIRA ESO! Everyone in that photo above has a different facial expression and a different story to tell, from Dani Alves who is about to break into a funk carioca, David Villa who is keeping his hands politely to himself to Mascherano who seems annoyed with the crowd (probably not, it's the default look of the Tevez clan.

The Italian Serie A since yesterday has an unexpected leader: Udinese Calcio. After the amazing 4th place of the last year Francesco Guidolin's team is now at the top of the league despite the selling of many foundamental players during the last summer market.

Players like Gokhan Inler, Alexis Sanchez and Cristian Zapata have been sold for more than £ 60 millions and replaced with less expensive players such as Gabriel Torje ( £ 5 millions from Dinamo Bucaresti) and Danilo Larangeira (form Palmeiras).

It's Monday... which means it's time for La Liga Lunes! The sad news, of course, comes from the Barca camp where they have announced their new Chilean signing, Alexis Sanchez, will be sidelined for two months. He suffered a torn hamstring in his right leg which is the most common injury among runners.

We reach the end of the road in our Serie A club previews for 2011-2012 with Udinese Calcio. Not as flash as big brother Juventus, our northerners from the Friuli–Venezia Giulia region do have an eye for young talent. But as Serie A Weekly writer Lorenzo Vicini points out, shame they couldn't keep at least one of their major transfers out this summer for Champions League competition,.

Stesso allenatore, stesso risultato, Pep Guardiola è il legame vincente della squadra più forte del pianeta calcio. L'altra sera al Camp Nou il Barcellona ha dominato, stravolto, stregato, impietrito gli avversari del Villarreal, praticamente inesistenti, mai con un possesso palla che andasse oltre i tre, quattro passaggi.

Stesso allenatore, stesso risultato, Pep Guardiola è il legame vincente della squadra più forte del pianeta calcio. L'altra sera al Camp Nou il Barcellona ha dominato, stravolto, stregato, impietrito gli avversari del Villarreal, praticamente inesistenti, mai con un possesso palla che andasse oltre i tre, quattro passaggi.

Udinese star Alexis Sanchez has completed a move to Barcelona having turned down the offers of Chelsea and Manchester City for the Catalan club. The future of Sanchez, who has been far from successful in selling Chile Copa America Shirts after his side crashed out at the Quarter Final stage with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of underdogs Venezuela, has been the subject of much speculation after an excellent season with the Udinese, with some of the biggest names in European football entering the race for his signature.

Being away for two weeks during some work for our new portal, Futbolita.TV does not mean that we won't be here for you during preseason. We're back and we can't wait to kick this season off!

Hot off the Spanish press (from the newspaper with reporters who are willing to hold your arms as you are walking on unstable grass conditions: El Mundo Deportivo) is the news that Kun Aguero's transfer to Man City will be finalized by Wednesday!

Many would say Barcelona could not get any stronger following the way they despatched of Manchester United in the 2010/11 Champions League final at Wembley. Perhaps they just have with the acquisition of Serie A's best player, Alexis Sanchez of Udinese.

Parting with £23million for the Chilean's services, the Catalan giants could end up paying a further £10million in add-ons.

Barcelona have completed the signing of Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez from Udinese for £33 million. Udinese and Barcelona managed to come to an agreement with personal terms between Sanchez and his new club being swiftly agreed upon shortly afterwards. The Chilean becomes Pep Guardiola's first major signing this summer as Barca's young coach seeks to [.

Sanchez al Barcellona, Bojan alla Roma. Il triangolo di calciomercato si è chiuso definitivamente, con l'arrivo in Catalogna del Nino Maravilla cileno, acquistato dai blaugrana per la cifra di 26 milioni (+11 circa di bonus). L'operazione, conclusa nella serata di ieri, ha dato il via libera alla partenza del giovane e talentuoso Bojan Krkic che, [.

Finally, its over. FC BARCELONA has announced officially ( via Twitter ) the signing of Chilean International & UDINESE forward, the 22 year old ALEXIS SANCHEZ. FC Barcelona Directives & player representative passed all this morning-afternoon in a Barcelona Hotel shutting all the details. Alexis Sanchez (photoshop by Sport.

FC Barcelona The news hit hard last night & is doing the rounds across the Spanish Sports newspapers this morning. The signing by FC BARCELONA of Chilean 23 year old International & UDINESE player ALEXIS SANCHEZ is imminent with a full announcement in hours. Alexis Sanchez The final transfer number dances from source to source but the most talked about figure is around 43M€ with Italian Club

FC Barcelona The news hit hard last night & is doing the rounds across the Spanish Sports newspapers this morning. The signing by FC BARCELONA of Chilean 23 year old International & UDINESE player ALEXIS SANCHEZ is imminent with a full announcement in hours. Alexis Sanchez The final transfer number dances from source to source but the most talked about figure is around 43M€ with Italian Club

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After a brilliant season last year, Francesco Guidolin steered Udinese to 4th place and a place in the Champions league qualifying stage, with this a lot is expected in the coming term. With all the success, vultures have swarmed Udine and are looking at their best players. The very talented forward Alexis Sanchez is turning heads with both Manchester United and Manchester City interested, along.

Please don't go This advert for Chilean beer company Cristal has cunningly/unintentionally pre-empted the Alexis Sanchez transfer saga. The premise of the advert is that Chile's top stars are saying goodbye to Europe to head back to South America for the Copa America. The European's are distraught to see their stars, including Sanchez, Sevilla's Gary [.

Barcelona are believed to have agreed a £33m deal for Udinese whizz-kid Alexis Sanchez. The expected four year deal will net the Chilean £2.7m.
View Barcelona Jerseys here!

Barcelona are ready to finalize the signing of Udinese winger Alexis Sanchez after the Chilean was allowed to leave his training camp in South America to finalize the deal.

Chilean coach Claudio Borghi gave Sanchez permission to leave the Chilean training camp ahead of the upcoming Copa America tournament to fly to Spain and finalize a £33million move to the European champions.

The comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo are vast: the obscene skills, the personality, the abs, the diving it's all there if in slightly watered down form for Alexis Sanchez.

Alexis also retains the possibility of this summer's most expensive signing not quite CR territory, however as he's heavily rumored to be off to Barcelona for many many wheelbarrows of euros.

Alexis Sanchez has somehow become one of the hottest names in the transfer market this summer, with perhaps no club linked as strongly to the Udinese frontman than Barcelona. However, Sanchez's transfer would be, at best, premature and at worse, a total disaster. Taking into account the player's lack of Champions' League experience, enormous price-tag unbefitting of a player who has done.

The Mirror is reporting that Manchester United are ready to seal a £27million deal for the Udinese's Chilean star from under the noses of Manchester City and Barcelona.
Continue to the full story

Around here, we take the tabloids with a grain of salt. You know this. But sometimes, sometimes a story is so ridiculous that you just have run with it.

We did it when the Guardian linked us with an £80 million move for Kaka in July 2008. We did it again when that wretched lot decided to really shake Middle-earth and shove a pair of Liverpool men down our collective throats.

Manchester City moved closer to securing the signature of highly-rated Udinese-winger Alexis Sanchez for £30million after City officials were in Italy last night seeking to thrash out a deal.

Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini has pinpointed the flying winger-come-forward as his number one transfer target this summer with the Citizens ready to compete on three fronts next term.

This is a good one. Spanish Barcelona based Sports paper "Mundo Deportivo" publish that Belgium & LILLE player EDEN HAZARD is the "Plan B", if the signing of Alexis Sanchez or Villareal player Rossi fail to come to good port for FC BARCELONA. The initial reaction is to think that this is just another "paper selling" gig & flying Football rumour.

SPANISH SPORTS paper "AS" seem firm with their news piece today; that UDINESE 22 year old Chilean International forward ALEXIS SANCHEZ is very close to signing with FC BARCELONA. The paper even puts a money figure to give some weight to their "scoop", a shivering 27M€ ( their figure ) plus the inclusion of either young Barça player Jeffren or Thiago in the operation with opcion of getting the

SPANISH SPORTS paper "AS" seem firm with their news piece today; that UDINESE 22 year old Chilean International forward ALEXIS SANCHEZ is very close to signing with FC BARCELONA. The paper even puts a money figure to give some weight to their "scoop", a shivering 27M€ ( their figure ) plus the inclusion of either young Barça player Jeffren or Thiago in the operation with opcion of getting the

While the Serie A has lost its next season fourth Champions League spot to the German Bundesliga, next season will be the last one in which we'll have the chance to see four Italian teams in Europe's top competition. Udinese have made it to the Serie A's fourth Champions League spot, just edging ahead of Lazio thanks to a superior goal difference.

"Internazionale took the field this weekend fielding a familiar 4-2-3-1 formation. Giampaolo Pazzini was chosen to lead the line, with Samuel Eto'o and Philipe Coutinho forced out into the wider positions. Despite winning the game 3-1, Inter showed they still have flaws in their side. Top of the list, a distinct lack of width; this will be apparent to any fan of the team who has watched.

Three Goalscorers Though perhaps technically cheating since the first three are all goalscorers associated with the number twelve, this point (these points?) still stand. Giampaolo Pazzini, affectionately known as "Il Pazzo" due to a combination of his last name plus his often crazy antics, looks to feature for Inter this weekend in a massive clash.

Gazzetta dello Sport Milan, Inter. The effects of the Champions League Eto'o: "Play like we did at Munich and we'll win everything" Balotelli madness: Red. Mancini's City are out Behind the renewals of Buffon and Del Piero Pirlo, Moratti also thinks about it An Under in Serie B. The idea takes shape Tuttosport Juve, you need one of these four Sanchez, Aguero,.

While Serie A fans have been aware of the talents of Udinese's Alexis Sanchez for some time now, it can't be long before he becomes a household name a la Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Another mesmeric strike from the Chilean at the weekend and two assists for striker partner Antonio Di Natale make his performance in the 4-0 drubbing of Cagliari just the latest in a string of outstanding performances for the Bianconeri, who are sitting in fourth place and have a good chance to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in six seasons.

guest writer Liam Apicella After this latest defeat at the hands of Udinese, Cesena's status as a Serie A club is beginning look more and more precarious. Massimo Ficcadenti's strugglers were without a win in seven matches going into this encounter, while after a slow start to the campaign, the visitors from Udine now harbour ambitions of claiming a Champions League berth.

Gazzetta dello Sport Hamsik scream, we're also in it Sneijder: "Remember, Inter have the Scudetto" Van Bommel: "Milan not nervous, but we can play better" Ventura-Bari: Divorce. Mutti in his place Kubica: "I'll be back better than ever" Tuttosport Matri says "Juve, leave it to me!" , and "I drink camomile to not awake from this dream" Milan: Cassano takes over for Pato.

Scot Munroe presents Team of the Week for match-day 21. Formation 3-4-3 Goalkeeper Michele Arcari (Brescia) Denied Palermo on more than one occasion and did well to keep the score down. Both Pastore and Miccoli were denied by the keeper on numerous times. Sadly was beaten by a brilliant strike by Cesare Bovo Centre back Philippe Mexes (Roma) Replaced Nicolas Burdisso in the Xi and was Man of the.

Episode 2 of the New Year bring more surprises as the boys are joined by Matthew Barker a freelance writer who has been published in the pages of FourFourTwo, When Saturday Comes, Esquire, GQ, ITV and Skysports. Topics include the Macheda loan-transfer, Roma and Mexes, Juventus' crashing fall and Udinese's romp in the San Siro.

It had been a long time that the Serie A wasn't as interesting as it is now. The vacuum left by Inter's downfall was filled with a tempestuous AC Milan which is now beginning to slow down. Along with AC Milan, Juventus have also begun to lose their knack of outscoring their opponents, especially noticeable in their 3-0 loss to Napoli.