Good News For Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois will be back in the Chelsea squad for Saturday's game against Bournemouth, Jose Mourinho has revealed.

 

First choice goalkeeper has trained fully this week and will be double-checked on Friday ahead of his planned return against Bournemouth.

Mourinho has been without his first-choice goalkeeper since Courtois suffered a knee injury playing for Belgium at the start of September.

But the 23-year-old is ready to return to a Chelsea squad again missing the injured Ramires, Radamel Falcao and captain John Terry.

"Courtois is selected," Mourinho said at his pre-match press conference. "Thibaut was our keeper all last season and you know how fundamental he was. It's important to have him back."

Diego Costa will also be part of the matchday squad for the Saturday Night Football game at Stamford Bridge, although Mourinho would not disclose whether he plans to recall the striker to his starting line-up.

Costa was left on the bench for last weekend's goalless draw at Tottenham and threw his warm-up bib in the direction of his manager towards the end of the game.

Mourinho played down the incident at the time and said on Friday: "He has been very good, normally he trains very well and it has been a good week for him. He has trained well and that is the only thing that matters for me. 

Jose Mourinho says he has no problem with Chelsea striker Diego Costa

"There are no question marks from me. He always plays, but he was on the bench for one match which is natural. No problem. No problem at all. 

"He is the kind of player that always tries. I need him to be what he is and always try hard."

Mourinho said Bournemouth "deserve respect" going into the Stamford Bridge meeting, but with Chelsea on a three-match unbeaten run their manager believes December represents an opportunity to make up ground in the Premier League.

Manchester United News conference

LVG ON ROONEY

Here’s some more from Louis van Gaal on the ankle injury which has ruled Wayne Rooney out of Manchester United’s clash with West Ham on Saturday. 

He said: "Wayne’s is a nasty injury. When we go on it’s been getting worse. We have to let him train to make the ankle stronger, that’s very important. 

“I cannot say [how long he'll be out] because the doctor shall decide that with Wayne of course. He is training well in the rehabilitation."

 

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney is also doubt for Tuesday's crunch Champions League game at Wolfsburg because of an ankle injury. 

Manager Louis van Gaal said: "He shall not play his 500th (Man Utd) game because he is more injured than I thought; we have to wait for that game. 

"The problem is when you see our injuries they are always contact injuries and you cannot afford that, Shaw, Rojo – Wayne – we have a lot of contact injuries and also long lasting injuring so that is our problem, we are looking but it is not that easy to buy players and in January it is more difficult."

ROJO OUT 

Marcos Rojo has joined the growing injury list at Old Trafford. 

Here’s LVG’s assessment of Manchester United’s latest casualty. 

“Rojo has been injured. It’s his shoulder, the same as last year, in a training session. It’s very unfortunate, also in the position of Luke Shaw so I have a great problem,” he said. 

“Lingard is coming back which is good news. Jones is still injured so we have six injuries."

LVG ON TITLE CHARGE

With Manchester United just a point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, manager Louis van Gaal has been speaking about the importance of his side maintaining their momentum through the winter months. 

"It is very important to continue in the top six," Van Gaal said. 

"I don’t think this moment shall decide who are the champions. December and January are very important but you have to be in the month of May at the top and not now.

"I know the coach (Slaven Bilic) a little bit. I have seen how he works with his teams. He always has them well organized and he plays always more or less from out of the defensive organization.

“So they will be difficult to beat and they have proved that already because they have won more games away than at home and also against top teams so it shall be very difficult again."

Arsene Wenger's News Conference

Arsene Wenger has confirmed Theo Walcott and Laurent Koscielny could make their Arsenal returns against Sunderland. 

Walcott has been absent with a calf injury picked up in the 3-0 Capital One Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, while Koscienly has been out with a thigh problem. 

When asked about the extent of Alexis Sanchez’s hamstring injury, Wenger said: “I'm not expert enough to know."

 

CAZORLA BLOW

Arsene Wenger says it is “possible” Santi Cazorla could be out until March with a knee injury. 

The midfielder suffered the injury during the 1-1 draw with Norwich City last Sunday. 

He completed the full 90 minutes despite hurting his knee in a collision with Gary O'Neil early in the second half.

JANUARY SPENDING?

 Arsene Wenger has refused to discuss potential transfer dealings and says he is only focussed on the upcoming fixtures. 

"We are in December and we are focused on tomorrow's game,” he said. 

"Our most important game is tomorrow, then we will see how to prepare for Olympiacos.

"We are focused on responding tomorrow. We need to show how strong we are."

'SANCHEZ WAS FIT'

Arsene Wenger insists Alexis Sanchez was happy to play against Norwich last Sunday. 

The forward sustained a hamstring injury during the second-half of the 1-1 draw at Carrow Road. 

It is not yet known how long the Chile international will be on the sidelines for. 

Wenger said: "I had a chat after with Alexis Sanchez and he was adamant he was fit to play."

WENGER ON TITLE RACE

Ahead of Saturday’s clash with Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium, Arsene Wenger says up to six teams can win this season’s Premier League title. 

Manchester City currently lead the way on 29 points, just six points in front of Liverpool in sixth. 

He said: "Mathematically lots of teams can win it, realistically five or six.

"We will expect a tough game. Sunderland are organised defensively."

'NO STONES INTEREST'

Arsene Wenger has denied he is lining up a bid for Everton and England defender John Stones.

Premier League champions Chelsea had three bids for Stones turned down in the summer and Wenger insists Arsenal are not pursuing the 21-year-old. 

He said: "We are not after John Stones. We are in December and focus on tomorrow's game."

ARSENAL INJURY LATEST

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says they will decide on Saturday whether Laurent Koscielny and Theo Walcott are fit enough to face Sunderland that afternoon, 

Striker Walcott has been out since before the international break with a muscular injury. Olivier Giroud has filled in during the Englishman’s absence, but Walcott could return to the starting line-up when the Gunners take on the Black Cats at the Emirates Stadium. he also added that Kieran Gibbs will be available again.

However, Wenger says he does not know how long Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta will be on the sidelines for.

Why December is a key month for United

Although Christmas is traditionally a time for giving, minds at Manchester United remain focused on selfish matters as Louis van Gaal’s men prepare for six fixtures that could potentially decide whether this will be a season to be jolly.

Yes, this December, the Reds plan to take, take, take and the wish list is quite simple: maintain the challenge for the Barclays Premier League title and remain in the UEFA Champions League. But will both have been achieved by the turn of 2016? That remains to be seen, but what you can guarantee is high drama and a period when decisive momentum can be built or dismantled in just a matter of days.

Here is ManUtd.com’s handy guide to December, focusing on the different challenges posed by the six matches ahead and the two intriguing cup draws in which United will feature…

5 DEC: WEST HAM (H), 15:00 GMT
This is a big one, right? After drawing with PSV Eindhoven and Leicester City, United must return to winning ways against a Hammers side that is also without a win in four. Slaven Bilic’s men are excellent travellers though and have beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City on the road this season.
Any sub-plots? Wayne Rooney could become the 10th player to make 500 United appearances.

7 DEC: FA CUP DRAW
Save the date: The third-round draw will be held on Monday night at the Wales Sports Awards in Cardiff and United will be among the 64 teams in the pot. Fixtures will be played on 9 or 10 January.

8 DEC: WOLFSBURG (A), 19:45 GMT
Is it sink or swim? That’s correct… van Gaal’s men need a win in Germany to guarantee safe passage from Group B, although a draw will be enough if PSV draw at home against CSKA Moscow.
Any sub-plots? The Reds will go into the Europa League if qualification for the Champions League's last 16 can't be achieved. The match will also be Bastian Schweinsteiger's first club game in his homeland since joining United from Bayern Munich.

12 DEC: BOURNEMOUTH (A), 17:30 GMT
More travel? Yep! After Wolfsburg, United travel south to face Eddie Howe’s attack-minded optimists in the late kick-off. That may not be an ideal time for travelling fans, but a weekend by the seaside might tempt some to stay over and hopefully celebrate three invaluable points on the coast.
Tell your mates: United have faced Bournemouth on eight occasions – but never in league competition.


14 DEC: EUROPEAN DRAWS
Which competition? UEFA will hold the draws for the Champions League's last 16 and the Europa League's last 32 in Nyon, Switzerland, but United’s involvement will be determined by the result in Wolfsburg.

19 DEC: NORWICH CITY (H), 15:00 GMT
An early Christmas present? Van Gaal’s men will be heavy favourites in the second of two consecutive matches against newly-promoted teams, but the Canaries are plucky opponents who won’t go down easily. Victory for United could be of added importance with Arsenal set to host Manchester City two days later.

26 DEC: STOKE CITY (A), 12:45 GMT
The fabled test: Can you do it on a cold, wet and windy day in Stoke? That’s the mythical test of quality in the Barclays Premier League and it’s never easy, as van Gaal learned last season when his men drew 1-1 at the Britannia Stadium on New Year's Day. Can the Reds go one better this time around?

28 DEC: CHELSEA (H), 17:30 GMT
Is this the big one? Although the champions are languishing in the bottom half of the table, beating them remains a huge positive and victory from our final game of 2015 would provide a spectacular boost. Tired legs could play a factor, though, just two days after the Boxing Day trip to Staffordshire.
Any sub-plots? Radamel Falcao could return to Old Trafford following his season-long loan in 2014/15 and Pedro, who was linked heavily with United in the summer, may also feature.

Source: Manchester United website.

Heyneke Meyer: South Africa coach stands down

Heyneke Meyer took charge of Leicester Tigers in 2008

Heyneke Meyer has resigned as the head coach of South Africa.

The 48-year-old's contract was due to expire at the end of the month but he has decided to stand down immediately.


Meyer oversaw the Springboks' shock World Cup group-stage defeat by Japan, before they recovered to reach the semi-finals, where they were beaten by eventual winners New Zealand.
"I have realised that, as much as I still have a lot to offer, the time has come for change," said Meyer.
"My integrity has always been very important and I feel I can leave with my head held high."
The former Leicester Tigers coach apologised to the South African nation after the 34-32 reverse at the hands of Japan in Brighton in October.

Meyer had named the most experienced Springbok Test side ever, with 851 caps in the starting XV, but they still suffered one the biggest upsets in rugby union history.

After that opening defeat, they recorded group-stage victories over Samoa, Scotland and the United States before beating Wales 23-19 in the quarter-finals.
They ended the World Cup in third place after overcoming Argentina 24-13 in the third-place play-off.

ALLEGRI RULES OUT UNITED SWITCH

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has dismissed stories linking him with a move to Manchester United.

"I'm focused on objectives, which is more important than rumours," he said. 

"I have a contract here until 2017 and I am very happy to coach Juventus. 

"I remain fully focused on achieving the very important targets that we have here."

Bad News for United.