Van Persie bullish about United title tilt

The Dutchman, who scored both goals in Sunday's Community Shield victory, disregards odds naming the reigning Premier League champions as less likely to retain their crown

Robin van Persie feels that Manchester United must be considered favourites for the Premier League title this season.

The 30-year-old netted both goals as the reigning champions overcame Wigan at Wembley on Sunday to lift the Community Shield in David Moyes's first official game in charge.

However, United have had mixed results during their pre-season programme and are yet to make an impact in the summer transfer window, with bookmakers naming them third favourites for the title behind neighbours Manchester City and Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. 

Van Persie does not want to acknowledge those odds, though, as he is confident that the current team can repeat last season's runaway success to retain their Premier League crown.

"It's always nice to score and especially at Wembley. It's a great day for the fans for us and for the manager as well," he told ITV after Sunday's victory.

"We've got [Wilfried] Zaha who has done really well and, as I said earlier, I believe in this team.

"I don't want to be funny but we are the champions. So third favourites? Can you explain that? I don't really care. I believe in this team and I believe that we will compete until the end again."

Ryan Giggs was impressed with Van Persie's performance against the FA Cup winners and hopes the striker can reproduce his 26 goals to fire United to the title again.

"The first goal was a brilliant goal and the timing was brilliant," the veteran added. "It was a great start for us, we hope Robin can reproduce the form he showed for us last year.

"We just know we've got good players in the team. It's always hard when you’re champions, you've got to reproduce the form you showed last year and I hope we do that."

United kick off the defence of their title against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium next weekend.

Milan will be ready for PSV, says Boateng

The 26-year-old has rubbished theories that the club's indifferent pre-season form could have negative implications on their aspirations to qualify for Europe's elite tournament

AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng insists the club will be ready for their vital Champions League play-off against PSV.

The Rossoneri were last week paired with the Dutch outfit in final qualifying stage before the group stages of Europe's elite competition and the Ghana international has moved to allay fears the Italians' pre-season form - which included a 5-3 defeat to Manchester City - could spill over into their competitive clashes.

“There are still almost two weeks before we have to take it seriously, so we are perfectly within the planned schedule," Boateng told Topmercato.com

"Our results in pre-season weren't exceptional, but I think the side did pretty well. We only had problems with Manchester City when we conceded five goals in the opening half-hour.

"But I can assure you we will be ready for the Champions League play-off."

The 26-year-old went on to highlight the talents of team-mates Mario Balotelli, Stephan El Shaarawy and Riccardo Montolivo, and believes the trio will aid the club's push for another top-three finish this season.

"Milan will fight for the top spots this term. Our team is solid and I am convinced we’ll at least finish on the podium," he stated.

"Many people think we are not as competitive as in the past, but they are wrong.

"There are fewer marquee names, but still players of great talent like Stephan El Shaarawy, Mario Balotelli and Riccardo Montolivo, for example.

"You can be sure, Milan will be up there."

The Rossoneri travel to Netherlands on August 20 for the first leg, before welcoming their Dutch counterparts to San Siro eight days later.

Wenger admits Arsenal's Suarez move is 'on standby'

The Gunners boss admits he has no idea what Liverpool will do regarding the Uruguayan striker following reports the forward is considering taking legal action to force a move

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted the club's pursuit of Luis Suarez is "on standby" following reports the Liverpool striker is considering taking legal action to force a move.

The Gunners have already seen two bids for the Uruguayan rejected, the more recent being upwards of £40 million to trigger a supposed release clause, while Suarez is adamant the club said he could leave if the Anfield outfit failed to qualify for the Champions League last season.

"At the moment the situation is on standby," Wenger toldAl Jazeera Sport. "I heard that [Suarez is considering legal action to force a move] but this is sometimes linked with things that you don't know as a potential buyer.

"That is the story between Suarez and Liverpool and I don't know what has been said, what has been promised and what has been written and that is only Suarez and Liverpool that can decide that.

"It's nothing to do with us. We have been told that the player wants to leave Liverpool and that's why we've acted."

Asked on the latest regarding Suarez after the striker pulled out of Liverpool's travelling squad for a friendly in Norway, Wenger admitted: "I really don't know, that's for sure, I really don't know what will be decided by Liverpool."

The Frenchman is now playing the waiting game, and has admitted to frustration with the augmented transfer market following big-money moves by Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco, for Edinson Cavani and Radamel Falcao respectively, but promised fans the club are pursuing a marquee signing.

"It's going slowly," he continued. "Slower than expected [because clubs have] more money than talent and the clubs with talented players don't want to lose them.

"Some clubs acted very early so the choices were reduced, plus there is more competition coming from France. PSG buy big players for huge amounts of money so it's tough and difficult and slow."

Allegri: Juventus & Conte should lighten up

The AC Milan coach has downplayed his 'feud' with the Bianconeri trainer and believes Mario Balotelli has what it takes to become one of the team's leaders

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri has told his Juventus colleague Antonio Conte to lighten up after the duo had a series of altercations in the media last season.

However, the Rossoneri coach is serious about Juve's Scudetto hopes, believing them to be the favourites with the signings of Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente and Angelo Ogbonna.

Conte and Allegri were engaged in a war of words more than once last term, but the Milan trainer has stressed that his comments should often be taken with a pinch of salt.

"The people at Juventus have taken some of my jokes much too seriously. There should be room for a bit of humour in the game. I think Conte has done an extraordinary job," Allegri told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"For me, Juventus are the favourites to win the Serie A title again. Compared to last season, we have the advantage that the team has been together for a full year. The league will be more balanced this term. Juventus have won two consecutive titles, though, and have signed some great players."

Allegri also had his say on Mario Balotelli and stressed that he sees the controversial striker as one of the team's leaders.

"Balotelli is getting along fine with the young players and doing a good job. In the end he's still a big kid himself. He should be treated like a 23-year-old who still needs to improve in certain areas," he continued.

"I talked to him for a long time and he knows that he is our most important player. He should now take his responsibility and become our leader on the pitch. He has incredible potential and still has plenty of room for improvement."

Fenerbahce announce €13m Emenike signing

The prolific attacker will sign a long-term deal with the Istanbul giants upon completion of his medical on Thursday to seal his return to Turkey

Fenerbahce have announced on their official website that they have reached an agreement with Spartak Moscow over the transfer of Nigeria striker Emmanuel Emenike for €13 million.

The prolific attacker will undergo a medical with the Istanbul giants on Thursday and sign a long-term deal upon completion.

Emenike, 26, left Fenerbahce for Spartak in the summer of 2011 in the wake of a match-fixing scandal without ever playing a single game for the Champions League hopefuls.

He had since developed into a key figure at Spartak, but was keen to return to Turkey after Fenerbahce expressed an interest in re-signing him.

The attacker started his career at Delta Force and also wore the jerseys of Black Aces, Cape Town and Karabukspor before first joining Fener two years ago.

Emenike's arrival means Fenerbahce will have to part company with one of the foreign players in their squad as they have exceeded their quota of foreigners.

Turkish clubs are not allowed more than 10 foreign players every season, but Fenerbahce have 11 foreigners under contract with the forward joining the club.

Rodgers: Liverpool will make signings regardless of Suarez's future

The Reds boss says he is keen to improve his options up front before the end of the transfer window, and the uncertainty surrounding the Uruguayan has no bearing no business

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is targeting attacking reinforcements before the transfer window closes, asLuis Suarez insists he is determined to quit the club.

The Reds have turned down two offers from Arsenal for the Uruguay international, who is adamant the club said he could leave if they failed to qualify for the Champions League last season.

And Rodgers says he will bolster his options up front regardless of the uncertainty surrounding Suarez, and is eyeing more strength in depth to challenge for the top four."We're always looking to evolve the squad, to improve the group," he told reporters in Norway. "We still have some business to do to bring in a few more players. By the end of August I hope that we will have a squad that will be ready to compete and challenge for the top four.

"We need one or two players to cover positions where we're a little bit short, and also probably looking to bring in maybe one or two in the attacking areas. We'll see how that goes.

"We did very well in the early part of the window, when we got four players in - which I'm extremely happy about. If we can add a few more that would be really good for us."

The Gunners recently made a £40 million offer for Suarez plus an additional £1 in order to trigger an apparent release clause, but Rodgers maintains the club will not sell the striker despite Arsenal’s best efforts.

"I'll tell you what I've been saying all summer and what I said most of last season," the 40-year-old continued. "He's an incredible player, Luis Suarez. On the field he is a fighter, he wants to win and he showed that last season.

"We have no intention of selling one of the top players in the world to one of our rivals. The message is very clear: Luis Suarez is very much a Liverpool player.

"There's not even really a discussion point, unless someone comes within anywhere near the valuation of Luis. At this present time, that's not the case."

The Reds finished seventh last season and failed to qualify for Europe altogether, but Rodgers is confident that his side can mount a serious challenge for the top four this term.

"Our main target is to progress from where we were last season," Rodgers added.

"The measure will always be Champions League for Liverpool, there's no disguising that. That will always be the case and I believe we have a really good chance of doing that."

Real Madrid-Chelsea Betting Preview: Why a high scoring first half looks likely

Our Spanish expert Phil Kitromilides believes the price of 13/10 on over 1.5 goals in the first half offers punters value given the two sides' current scoring form

An intriguing final to the International Champions Cup awaits, as Jose Mourinho's Chelsea take on the coach's former employers Real Madrid. 

Though his departure may have been tinged with regret at what might have been, Mourinho still managed to achieve a relative amount of success with Madrid and will know the current squad almost as well as their new boss Carlo Ancelotti. A spate of summer signings in the midfield however means Mourinho will be unable to predict Los Blancos´ exact line up and that strength in depth is perhaps a contributory factor in Bet365 pricing the Spanish giants as the favorites at evens (2.00).

Chelsea for their part are offered at 9/4 (3.25) which is a price that will tempt investment from some punters while the draw is offered at 5/2 (3.50).

Naturally with two such talented teams, the bookies believe that goals will be on the cards, and while it is hard to ignore the both teams to score market, the price of 1/2 (1.50) means only the most hardened of punters will be backing what appears to be an extremely likely outcome. 

Instead it might be wiser to make a smaller investment in over 1.5 goals in the first half which is available at the highly attractive price of 13/10 (2.30). 

This bet paid out in Chelsea´s 2-0 win over Inter and came very close to doing so in their victory over Milan. 

It has also provided us with two winners on Real Madrid´s preseason tour (three if you count their somewhat incongruous friendly against AFC Bournemouth last month) and at the odds quoted it allows us to make a smaller investment for greater returns.