FT : Arsenal vs Juventus : 0-1 (Emirates Cup)

Friendly: Trez shoots down Gunners
Saturday 2 August, 2008

Juventus have beaten hosts Arsenal in the Emirates Cup thanks to a controversial David Trezeguet strike.

The Frenchman hit the back of the net twice, both times offside, but the second was allowed to stand.

Claudio Ranieri fielded the unusual front pairing of Vincenzo Iaquinta and Trezeguet against the hosts in the Emirates Cup this afternoon. He split the squad into two, so the others will feature against Hamburg on Sunday.

Aaron Ramsey tested Gigi Buffon with a shimmying run and low shot on 28 minutes and the Bianconeri struggled to create chances. They hit the back of the net on 35 minutes with a Trezeguet glancing header, though he was flagged offside on Pavel Nedved's cross-shot.

It was only a warning, as moments later Trezeguet got his goal in not entirely dissimilar circumstances. The Frenchman was again offside as he stretched to prod Iaquinta's free kick into the far corner, but this time the goal was allowed to stand.

Philippe Senderos needed a well-timed tackle to stop Marco Marchionni's counter in the box, as the goal seemed to shake Juve out of their lethargy.

The Gunners threw on former Milan transfer target Emmanuel Adebayor along with Abou Diaby and William Gallas. Arsenal improved and Hoyte's cross was inches past the head of Emmanuel Eboue.

Juventus made their first change on the hour mark with Hasan Salihamidzic replacing Nedved. Buffon comfortably plucked an Adebayor header out of the air.

Amauri and Mauro Camoranesi stepped on to change the front two, while Christian Poulsen and talented young Swede Ekdal transformed the midfield.

Salihamidzic's sudden snapshot brought a save out of Fabianski and Camoranesi's lob landed on the roof of the net, but Adebayor fired over from Bendtner's assist.

The 17-year-old midfielder Fausto Rossi has been appearing regularly in pre-season friendlies and replaced Sissoko late on. Salihamidzic should've done better when he got his head to a Camoranesi free kick, but Juventus still emerged with the 1-0 victory.

Real Madrid beat Hamburg 2-1 in the other match thanks to Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Parrejo replying to Zidan. Due to the way the tournament is structured, Real have five points - three for the win and one for each goal scored.

Juventus are back on the field at 13.30 on Sunday to take on Hamburg. Ranieri's men currently have four points.

Arsenal 0-1 Juventus
Scorers: Trezeguet 37 (J)

Arsenal: Fabianski; Senderos (Gallas 46), Hoyte (Sagna 59), Djorou, Eboue (Walcott 59), Denilson, Gibbs, Ramsey (Diaby 46), Wilshere (Nasri 59), Vela (Adebayor 46), Bendtner

Juventus: Buffon; Grygera, Mellberg, Chiellini, Molinaro; Marchionni (Ekdal 78), Sissoko (Rossi 82), Tiago (Poulsen 78), Nedved (Salihamidzic 61); Iaquinta (Camoranesi 69), Trezeguet (Amauri 69)

Ref: Walton

Del Piero Wary Of Champions League Opposition

Del Piero Wary Of Champions League Opposition

Juventus captain, Alessandro Del Piero, believes that his side cannot relax when they play in the Champions League preliminaries, even though they face easy opposition.

The Bianconeri were paired with either Tampere or Artmedia for the next round of Europe's elite club competition.

On paper it seems as if the Old Lady will stroll to victory, but Del Piero is not so sure.

“A sigh of relief as a result of the draw? No, we will only breate a sigh of relief when we get through to the next round,” said Del Piero.

“We have an ample squad and it will be the pitch that will tell us if we are the better team.”

Juve take on Arsenal this weekend in the Emirates Cup and they are likely to use the tournament as practice for their Champions League adventures.

Del Piero finished as Serie A’s top scorer last term and he is hoping to fire his side to glory.

The Bianconeri have been in impressive form during pre-season and they are keen to silence their critics with victory in London.

Salvatore Landolina

Ranieri satisfied with draw

Ranieri satisfied with draw
Friday 1 August, 2008

Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri is pleased with the Old Lady’s Champions League draw, while Cesare Prandelli and Edy Reja are more cautious.

The Old Lady have returned to the biggest stage and must beat either Finnish side Tampere United or Slovaks Artmedia Bratislava to reach the Group stage.

“Our opponents will probably be Artmedia,” Ranieri asserted. “It certainly isn’t a bad draw when you look at a couple of the other ties.

“The main worry is that the opposition will be more advanced in their physical preparations, but we are Juve and we want to go through.”

Prandelli’s Fiorentina will meet Czech outfit Slavia Prague and the Viola tactician is expecting a stern test.

“It is a tough draw against a recognised side,” he told Violachannel.tv.

“Everyone knows the level of football in the Czech Republic and we will have to fight to the end.”

Napoli reached the UEFA Cup by beating Greeks Panionios in the Intertoto Cup and seem to have struck gold by landing Albanian minnows Vllaznia Shkoder.

“We can’t lower our guard,” Reja insisted. “Our small advantage will be playing the second leg at home but we must stay concentrated because Albanian sides are tough opponents.”

*chn4

Juventus meet Tampere United or Artmedia Bratislava

CL: Relief for Italian duo
Friday 1 August, 2008

Juventus meet Tampere United or Artmedia Bratislava and Fiorentina get Slavia Prague in a favourable Champions League third preliminary draw.

Italy’s third and fourth-placed representatives were seeded, but there were still some daunting sides in the other half of the draw.

Spanish titans Atletico Madrid and Turkish superpower Galatasaray were the teams to avoid and it was mission accomplished for the Italians.

The Juventus camp breathed a sigh of relief as the Bianconeri were paired with Finnish side Tampere United or Slovaks Artmedia Petrzalka.

Fiorentina will also be satisfied with their draw as they play Czech outfit Slavia Prague.

There were gasps as Atletico were paired with German side Schalke in the biggest game of the round and Galatasaray clash with Romanians Steaua Bucharest in an Eastern battle.

Barcelona meet Israeli side Beitar Jerusalem or Polish outfit Wisla Krakow, while Liverpool face Belgians Standard Liege.

Former England boss Steve McClaren will take on some familiar faces as his new side Twente drew Arsenal.

The first legs will be played on August 12 and 13 and the return matches will be on August 26 and 27.

The draw in full:
Anorthosis Famagusta / Rapid Vienna v Olympiacos
Vitoria v Goteborg / Basel
Shakhtar Donetsk v Domzale / Dinamo Zagreb
Schalke v Atletico Madrid
Aalborg / Modrica v Rangers / Kaunas
Barcelona v Beitar Jerusalem / Wisla Krakow
Levski Sofia v Anderlecht / BATE Borisov
Standard Liege v Liverpool
Inter Baku / Partizan v Fenerbahce / MTK Budapest
Twente v Arsenal
Spartak Moscow v Drogheda United / Dynamo Kiev
Brann / Ventspils v Marseille
Fiorentina v Slavia Prague

Ranieri: Scudetto And European Push On

Ranieri: Scudetto And European Push On

Coach Claudio Ranieri believes Juventus will challenge on both fronts.

In an interview today, Claudio Ranieri compared himself with former great Juve coaches Giovanni Trappatoni and Marcello Lippi when asked whether he would prefer to win the Scudetto or Europe.

"You don't choose, we fight to win everything. Like both Lippi and Trap did," he said.

"Certainly this is my goal, to become like them (Lippi and Trappatoni)...Or else I would not have accepted the Juventus job."

Ranieri also commented on the difficulty of the two competitions, and how that has changed.

"They are two different competitions, but less different than before. Once it was said that in Serie A you can correct one or two errors, while in Champions League this isn't possible. But now, I'm convinced one mistake in either competition could be fatal," he explained.

Juventus would enter the history books in dramatic fashion if they won either competition, winning so quickly after promotion from Serie B.

Adam Scime

Iaquinta Upbeat Ahead Of The Emirates Cup

31/07/2008 23:56

Iaquinta Upbeat Ahead Of The Emirates Cup

Juventus striker, Vincenzo Iaquinta, is relishing the chance to get back to his best and he is looking forward to the Bianconeri’s Emirates Cup adventure.

The team arrived in London on Thursday afternoon and they began preparing for this weekend’s games.

Iaquinta has been in stunning form so far during the pre-season campaign and he cannot wait to get back onto the pitch.

“Last year was an unfortunate one. I suffered a few injuries and in the end it stopped me from going to the Euro’s,” Iaquinta told the club’s official website.

“However, now I have started off well. I am fine physically and mentally. We have some great games awaiting us against prestigious teams.

“Playing these teams in a Juve shirt makes me feel important, strong and more secure. We hope to do well.”

The Bianconeri will play both Arsenal and Hamburg during the tournament which also sees Real Madrid take part.

Inter were originally scheduled to play in the Emirates Cup but the club pulled out and Juve took their place.

Salvatore Landolina

Ranieri: Tiago Is A Flop

Ranieri: Tiago Is A Flop

After a year of doubts, Claudio Ranieri, has finally given his honest opinion of Tiago, saying the midfielder is a flop.

The Old Lady signed the Portuguese player from Lyon last season but, as soon as he arrived, he just went downhill.

He never managed to convince Ranieri or the club on the pitch. Time and again he was woeful.

The ‘Tinkerman’ has finally realised that Tiago needs to be sent on a one way ticket out of Turin and he has described the midfielder as a flop.

“The whole of Europe believes he is a great player but to me it’s all a mystery,” Ranieri told Il Corriere Dello Sport.

“There are flops in football and sometimes you cannot always give reason.

“A lot of fans and players have also given me their views on Tiago.”

Sportmediaset claims that the player has already left the team at their training camp and he is on his way back to Portugal.

Tiago did show great potential but he was never able to get it together in Serie A.

Salvatore Landolina,goal.com