Messi cleared to face Bayern

Barcelona have announced that the Argentina captain Moncler Femme Veste outlet has overcome his hamstring injury and will be available to Tito Vilanova for the crunch European tie at Camp Nou Barcelona have confirmed that Lionel Messi is fit to face Bayern Munich in their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.The Ballon d'Or holder should take his place in Tito Vilanova's starting XI after recovering from a hamstring injury picked up against Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-final first leg.He did make an appearance from the substitute bench against Moncler Doudoune Enfants outlet les Parisiens in the second leg at Camp Nou but has missed three Liga matches with the aim to be fit for the last-four encounter.The club announced the news on its Moncler Doudoune Femme outlet Twitter account ahead of kick-off on Tuesday evening."Messi receives the discharge. The player has overcome his injury and is fit to play against Bayern," it read.The club had not wanted to give anything away in the lead up to the match, but it will now be a huge shock for the Argentina captain not to be named in team to face the Bavarians at the Allianz Arena at 20:45CET.

Messi can lead Barcelona to a famous comeback against Bayern, says Steve Archibald

The former Scotland striker, who was signed by the Catalan club to replace Diego Maradona in the 1980s, believes Leo can inspire a turnaround on Wednesday EXCLUSIVEBy Pilar Suarez | Barcelona CorrespondentFormer Barcelona striker Steve Archibald says Lionel Messi's lack of fitness meant the Blaugrana played with 10 men during the 4-0 defeat to Bayern Munich last week but is confident the Argentine can inspire his side to a comeback in the Camp Nou return.The 25-year-old started in Munich but was a shadow of his usual self as he and his team-mates toiled at the Allianz Arena and eventually lost 4-0 to Jupp Heynckes' side."It was surprising but it is easy to see what happened to Barca," the Scot exclusively told Goal.com Moncler Doudoune Enfants outlet. "Messi wasn't on form. To play against Bayern, in Germany, you need a whole team and all of them on form and strong - it's difficult. But you can't go there and play with 10 men - and that's what Barcelona did."They took a risk with Messi and it didn't work. It affected the other players and it ended up affecting the result as well."Nevertheless, the former Tottenham forward does not believe Barca rely too heavily on the Argentine."Everybody says that Barcelona don't have a Plan B, but up until now they haven't needed one," he explained. "It's like any big club - the biggest clubs depend on one, two or three players. "Madrid are the same with [Cristiano] Ronaldo, but Barcelona play a different way to all the others and they truly need Messi to be functioning so the system can work correctly at that level." Great Scot | Archibald in action for Barcelona against Juventus And Archibald, who played for Barcelona between 1984 and 1988 and won La Liga in his first season, says Messi can lead the Catalans to a memorable comeback on Wednesday."It's reasonable to think they can [come back]," he continued. "Messi has scored lots of goals. He has scored three or four in many games on his own, so it's not unreasonable to think that if Messi is on form, Barcelona can go through."The former striker, who also had a spell at Espanyol, also claims a fit Messi could have influenced the result in Germany last week."Bayern pressed high up the pitch and that was very risky. If Messi had been on form and strong, he would have driven them crazy, but they pressed to test him and Barcelona, and they saw he wasn't on form. There's no going back now."Nevertheless, Archibald would like to see Barcelona sign a traditional centre-forward like Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski, a player he previously recommended to many clubs."I have said it for a long time: Barcelona would benefit from having Moncler Manteau Femme outlet a typical No.9. But you can't criticise them because they have been the most successful team on the planet and scored lots of goals."The time will come when they will change system and play with a classic No.9. They could use Lewandowski, for example: a No.9 with good movement, who is strong, scores goals and is good in the air Moncler Femme Veste outlet."

Manchester City assistant manager Platt We aim to finish in style

With his side 14 points Moncler Femme Veste outlet behind runaway leaders and rivals Manchester United, the club's assistant has reassured fans that the club will not ease up as the season draws to a close Manchester City assistant manager David Platt has insisted that, although his side can no longer win the Premier League, they will not ease up.Last year's champions could guarantee themselves second place in their next two games, but Platt insists that will not be the end of City’s league campaign. MANCHESTER CITY LATEST1/4Manchester City are 1/4 with Coral to win Moncler 2013 outlet the FA Cup"If we can secure second place in our next two or three games that won’t put any kind of on our last two games, at Reading and at home against Norwich," he told reporters."We want to win football matches, that is what the players want to do."They don't like getting beaten, which they did at Moncler Doudoune Enfants outlet Tottenham last week, even though we controlled the game for large periods."Have no doubts, we don't need the stimulus and motivation of going for trophies to go out there and perform."With Manchester United winning the league by such a margin this season, Platt is well aware a lot of work needs to be done if they are to catch their city rivals."Maybe once we have made sure nobody can come past us we can look at some kind of strategy for next season," continued Platt."Football is no different to horse racing, you want to show them a racecourse because you can stand in good stead for the following year."At this moment in time our focus and intensity is to make sure we amass full points, secure second position and win an FA Cup final."When that is done we will look at other things."  

Manchester City agree deal for 'next Ibrahimovic' Zacharias Faour

The Premier League runners-up have identified a six-strong transfer hitlist this summer but have also moved to strengthen their youth ranks with the capture of the 15-year-old By Paul ClennamManchester City have wasted no time in the transfer market this summer with the €40 million signing of Fernandinho and they have struck again by landing teenagerZacharias Faour, dubbed the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic.The 15-year-old Moncler 2013 outlet Swedish striker has been lighting up Malmo's youth team and was also tracked by Chelsea, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Juventus.But City have moved quickly by agreeing to a development fee of just under €500,000, though sources indicate that a series of add-ons could take the deal well past €1m should he make the grade at the Etihad Stadium. "City rank him as one Moncler outlet of the best in the world at his age level," Hasan Cetinkaya, the player's agent, toldSportbladet. "He is the kind of player that all of the big teams are after. "City take very few [young players] on, but they bring in the best players from Europe and South America. They don't take on Moncler Manteau Homme outlet as many players as Chelsea. They take the best players and the club will pay plenty to get them."The Premier League runners-up continue to work on their €117m Etihad Campus training complex, which has been designed to attract and develop the best young talent on the planet."City have followed him for years and he has now visited the club, checked out Manchester as a city and met with staff," Cetinkaya continued. "They are building a huge facility and want to include him in it."Faour is large, technically gifted, good at receiving the ball and is a true goalscorer."The teenager will arrive in Manchester in January when he turns 16 and is already considered good enough to go straight into City's Elite Development squad, which has recently been taken over by Patrick Vieira.