Germany captain Michael Ballack says his side must use the confidence from their 3-2 quarter-final win over Portugal to knock out comeback kings Turkey on Wednesday in order to reach the Euro 2008 final.
Germany play Turkey in Basel s semi-final at the St Jakob-Park Stadium where Chelsea midfielder Ballack scored the crucial third goal last Thursday which knocked Luiz Felipe Scolari s Portugal out of the tournament.
Ballack says the win gave his side a huge shot of confidence, especially after the shock 2-1 group stage defeat by Croatia, and Germany must take advantage of the injury-hit Turks on Wednesday.
You always grow into the opponent and the task, said Ballack.
Portugal had been acting like the top favourites.
So if you can throw a tea…
It may be called rather fetchingly the Old Lady but the stadium for Sunday s Euro 2008 final between Germany and Spain has a dark past it was formerly a site for Nazi propaganda and racial experiments.
The Ernst Happel stadium, originally named Prater stadium after the area of Vienna in which it is located, opened in 1931 for the second Workers Olympiad after 23 months of construction.
A utopia made of steel, glass and concrete, the sleek structure by German architect Otto Ernst Schweizer was then considered the most modern stadium in Europe.
The venue, which was home to the celebrated Austrian Wunderteam of the 1930s, originally held 60,000.
It was later increased to 90,000 in the 1950s, before standing places were abolished.
Renovated in 1…
Arsenal and Tottenham are reportedly lining up moves for Salzburg star Dominik Szoboszlai, while three Premier League giants are monitoring Ben White.
Szoboszlai, 20, has been linked with a move from Salzburg after starring for the Austrian club.
And several European heavyweights are eyeing the Hungary international.
TOP STORY – ARSENAL, TOTTENHAM PUSH FOR SZOBOSZLAI
Arsenal and Tottenham are ready to push to sign Salzburg star Szoboszlai, according to Eurosport.
But the report says RB Leipzig look likely to win the battle to sign the star, despite interest also coming from Milan and Atletico Madrid.
Contracted until 2022, an offer of around €20million will reportedly be enough.
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Mancheste…
Man Utd ´an absolute disgrace´ and Bruno Fernandes ´embarrassing´ says Neville as Keane suggests sta
Gary Neville labelled Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes embarrassing and Roy Keane said Erik ten Hag s players should go into hiding after a 7-0 humbling by Liverpool.
Liverpool s three starting forwards – Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez – each scored twice, with substitute Roberto Firmino coming off the bench to add to the humiliation.
It was Liverpool s heaviest-ever win over United, their great rivals, and came just a week after the visitors to Anfield won the EFL Cup.
If United s Wembley win pointed to a bright future, this Sunday shoeing on Merseyside was a wake-up call.
United legends Neville and Keane offered no sympathy.
A stunned Neville said after the game: They ve not understood, I don t think, the dangers of this…
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of five key players rested by Real Madrid for the Copa del Rey tie against Numancia, while Karim Benzema is sidelined by injury.
Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Marcelo and Sergio Ramos were excluded from the squad to face the second-tier team in the first leg of the round of 16 at Nuevo Estadio Los Pajaritos on Thursday.
Benzema, who has struggled badly for form this season, suffered a hamstring strain in the 3-0 Clasico defeat at home to Barcelona in December and will not be involved.
Gareth Bale has been picked though, as the Wales international seeks to regain full fitness after battling calf and hamstring issues in an interrupted first half of the 2017-18 campaign.
Here s our 19-man squad for our trip to Soria to face ! …