Champions League

CHELSEA’S Champions League hopes have received a massive boost after key-men N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy returned to duty today.The Blues pair both took part in training on day one of the build-up to Saturday’s clash with Manchester City.
Edouard Mendy was back in training todayCredit: Getty
N’Golo Kante was back in the swing of things at CobhamCredit: Getty
Inspirational midfielder Kante has been struggling with a hamstring problem to the extent he missed Sunday’s Premier League finale at Aston Villa.
In the same game keeper Mendy was forced off at half-time after crashing into the goalpost making a save and injuring his ribs.
The stopper had to undergo scans in the wake of the incident and for a time boss Thomas Tuchel was sweating on his No1’s fitness.
But news that both have been passed fit for training at least is a massive plus for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
SunSports understands they took part in full training with the rest of the group and then did a session on their own.
Chelsea fly to Portugal tomorrow ahead of this weekend’s final and Tuchel may now have a full squad to choose from.
Without Kante on Sunday, the Blues slumped to a poor performance and 2-1 defeat against Villa in the West Midlands.
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic, himself just back from injury, struggled to replace Kante at the heart of midfield.
Mendy went off injured on SundayCredit: PA
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While partner Jorginho also had a dreadful game.
Mendy, meanwhile, has had a transformational effect between the sticks since joining from Rennes last season.
The Senegalese stopper has kept 24 clean sheets in 43 appearances for the Blues this season, including 13 under Tuchel.
Thomas Tuchel has reason for optimismCredit: Getty
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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel focused on Champions League final despite ‘huge mix of feelings’ at end of Premier League season More

UEFA have confirmed 16,500 fans will be allowed in to Saturday’s Champions League final with Manchester City and Chelsea being allocated 6,000 each.But scalpers are offering seats at the Battle of Britain final for a whopping £8,138.
The Estadio do Dragao will host Saturday’s Champions League final and 16,500 fans will be allowed inCredit: Reuters
The European showdown was moved from Istanbul to FC Porto’s Estádio do Dragão as a result of Turkey’s Covid-19 numbers.
And after a series of meetings with local authorities, Portuguese officials confirmed the stadium will be filled to 33 per cent of capacity.
Both Premier League clubs will handle the sales directly with a further 1,700 tickets – that sold out in mere minutes on Tuesday afternoon – having been sold to the general public by Uefa.
The official price categories see tickets available for: Category four – £61, Cat three – £156, Cat two – £390, Cat one – £520.
But greedy opportunists are looking to clean up on the gold dust tickets.
One seller on Twitter was flogging a single seat for Saturday’s shoot-out in Lisbon between Manchester City and Chelsea with bids beginning at £8,000.
And on secondary selling site Seatsnet spots were being flogged for up to £6,254 a pop including VIP access to bars and lounges.
But with handling fees, the final price came to £8,138.

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Category one tickets in the Manchester City end – were being offered for £4,300. The final checkout price was a staggering £5,600.
Category two seats were on sale by the Swiss-based firm for up to £3,666. But the final price was more than £4,700.
And organisers Uefa have warned fans face being not allowed into the stadium unless the tickets were purchased via their website or from the finalists.
The body revealed: “Third-party ticketing websites and secondary ticketing platforms are not authorised to sell tickets for Uefa Champions League Final 2021.
“Tickets that are purchased from such sites are invalid under 2021 Uefa Champions League final ticketing terms and conditions and will not grant entry to the stadium.
“Consequently, Uefa strongly discourages fans from buying tickets from such websites.”
Fans with tickets will have to provide proof of vaccine or a negative Covid-19 PCR test dating 26, 27, 28 or 29 May in order to gain access to the stadium.
Rapid antigen tests from 28 or 29 May will also be accepted.
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ONE way or another, Phil Foden will come of age this weekend.The Manchester City star turns 21 on Friday — and a day later he will aim to become a European champion with his boyhood club.
Phil Foden wants to crown his 21st birthday with Champions League gloryCredit: Getty
Foden has been a key player for City this termCredit: Getty
The Champions League final, which he has loved watching since he was a boy, often fell on Foden’s birthday as he was growing up.
It has not quite happened this year but what a double celebration it would be if the midfielder lifts the biggest prize in club football on Saturday night.
He hopes his family will be in Porto’s Dragao Stadium to see him go up against Chelsea and knows they will be pinching themselves.
The England ace said: “They just keep telling me that they can’t believe I’m going to play in the Champions League final.
“We watched it when I was younger. It used to be on my birthday, by the way, but it’s changed now.
“So, yeah, they just can’t believe it. Hopefully they can make it to the game and watch. That would be a special moment for me.”
Several of the big Champions League nights he enjoyed as a boy involved the Barcelona team managed by a certain Pep Guardiola.
His favourite players were the midfield maestros Xavi and Andres Iniesta and he studied their matches long and hard.
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Foden — nicknamed the Stockport Iniesta — added: “I just remember growing up and they dominated football for years, winning everything.
“I’d watch it with my dad and think ‘Wow! What a team this is and what a coach they have!’ So, he has tried to bring that kind of football here and it seems to be working.
“Definitely, they played a big part in my career, watching them when I was younger, and it helps as well, now that the manager’s here.
“I understand how he plays and how he wants to play. It helps a lot.
“It was unbelievable; the way he set them up and how they played one-touch and two-touch football.
“I never would have thought that he would be my coach someday. I feel very lucky to have him and like I said, I enjoy it every day, working with him.
“There are a lot of  very technical  players, like David Silva, Iniesta, Xavi. So, I looked up to all those kinds of players the most.
“I’m trying to, not copy them, but learn bits of their game and just take it into mine.”

Foden wrote his own little bit of  European history when he starred in both legs against Borussia Dortmund in the last eight.
It was significant to everyone at the Etihad because it meant they had finally got past the quarter-final hoodoo which had haunted Guardiola throughout his tenure in Manchester.
He said: “It was such a big occasion and, in the past, we’ve struggled to get past those stages before.
“So, to score two important goals for the team, I know how much it means for us and for the team going forward.
“I’d definitely have to say they were my most important goals. I just want to keep going and hopefully I can take it into the final.”
Foden has 16 goals to his name this campaign, now he is looking forward to the biggest game in European football.
But he plans not to think too much about the size of the occasion and just go out and enjoy his football — just like he used to do on the streets of Stockport when he was a lad.
He said: “I try not to put too much pressure on myself. I’m just going to go into the final the same way as any other game — just smiling and saying let’s see how it goes.

“So, nothing’s going to change how I prepare. Everything’s just going to be the same.
“My earliest football memories are when I was around five or six, just  playing out with my friends on the streets, and having little matches and enjoying myself.
“We have a little park where there’s two goals, and it’s a concrete cage. We used to go in there and play most days and every day, all day long.
“That is where I learned to play football. Having the ball at my feet is one of the best feelings.”
Foden has matured since then and now he hopes to put the seal on what has already been a memorable season for the club.
The Premier League and Carabao Cup are already in the bag — now he looks to add a European flavour to his growing collection.
He said: “It’s a shame to not have the crowd that we normally have, but the games that we’ve played we have been fantastic this year as a team, and I’ve just enjoyed it a lot.
“Hopefully we can go that one more step in the final.”
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SIR ALEX FERGUSON thinks he made a mistake trying to deal with Lionel Messi that cost Manchester United the 2011 Champions League final.The legendary Scot wishes he’d put United favourite Park Ji-sung on the Argentine superstar at Wembley and reckons his side would have won if he had.
Sir Alex Ferguson says he made a mistake in the 2011 Champions League final that cost his sideCredit: Sport Bible
The Scot wishes he’d put Park Ji-sung on Lionel MessiCredit: Getty
The Red Devils were beaten 3-1 on the night with Messi playing a massive part for the Catalan giants.
Wayne Rooney cancelled out Pedro’s strike to see the teams go in level at the break.
But six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi was scintillating in the second-half and was instrumental in putting the tie beyond Fergie’s side.
And speaking during a SportBible Q&A with Gary Neville, Ferguson, 79, admitted he regrets his half-time hesitation.
He said: “That’s where I lost the final against Barcelona at Wembley.
“I should have changed at half-time and put Park Ji-sung on Messi.
“That was a mistake… I was going to do it at half-time, then I said: ‘Well, we just equalised before half-time, they may see the game differently, we may grow into the game better.’
“We were actually quite good in the last 10 minutes of that half. We came into it and we could have been in front. But if I’d played Park against Messi, I think we’d have beat them. I really do.”
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Messi scored a world class long range effort to make it 2-1 before a trademark mazy run in the build up to David Villa’s final nail in the coffin.
Much-loved Park was generally under-rated during his time at Old Trafford but many of his former team-mates credit him with being the engine of the side.
The popular South Korean won four Premier League titles, one Champions League and four League Cups during his time in Manchester.
During the same interview, Ferguson revealed he thought Dele Alli was going to be a ‘top player’ and has been wondering what has happened to the Tottenham man.
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GARETH BALE has defended Eden Hazard for laughing after Real Madrid’s recent Champions League exit at the hands of Chelsea.The Belgian was labelled a ‘disgrace’ by fans of the Spanish club, while El Chiringuito pundits blasted that he should be sold.
Hazard had a laugh with his old Chelsea palsCredit: BT Sport
Bale, 31, knows what it’s like to be an outcast at Real MadridCredit: AP
But Bale, who himself has been a pantomime villain in Madrid, has come to the defence of Hazard, insisting that it’s ‘just a game of football’.
Referencing the now-infamous El Chiringuito clips, Bale, 31, told The Times Magazine: “I’ve seen it.
“It was literally as if he’d just murdered everybody. It’s a game of football at the end of the day.”
After being seen in fits of laughter with old mate Kurt Zouma in the immediate aftermath of Madrid’s Champions League exit, Hazard was called ‘another Bale’ – after the Welshman’s attitude was criticised last season.
One pundit even said: “There are some players who come to Real Madrid, but Real Madrid does not go into them. He can’t stay a minute more at Real Madrid.”
Some fans blasted Hazard for being a ‘disgrace’ and ‘lacking professionalism’ with some even demanding he is ‘sold immediately’.
And Spanish newspapers AS and Marca both gave him a zero in their player ratings.
Hazard, 30, has managed 43 appearances since sealing his dream move to the Spanish capital from Chelsea in 2019 – scoring only five times.
Hazard had a front row seat as Bale was reduced to a clownish figure last termCredit: EPA
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And in a recent conversation with former club Lille’s website, he admitted to going missing in certain big games.
He said: “At Lille, Chelsea, with the national team and now at Real Madrid, there have been great games in which I didn’t respond, I can’t hide it.”
Hazard could be re-joined on the Real Madrid naughty step by Bale in the coming months, with the winger set to return from his mixed loan spell at Spurs.
Bale, whose £600,000-a-week contract still has another year to run, could then RETIRE aged just 32 – with AS saying his career is winding down.
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