Costa Is Back...Chelsea Beware!

La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid will be able to welcome back top scorer Diego Costa from a hamstring injury when they travel to Getafe on Sunday. The Spanish international has missed Atletico's last two games, including their 1-0 win over Barcelona on Wednesday that saw them progress to the Champions League semi-finals. Los Rojiblancos are just six league games away from their first league title since the 1995/1996 season, but coach Diego Simeone has insisted they can't afford to start believing in the hype surrounding their incredible season after dumping Barca out of Europe. "The league is very advanced and we are in a very nice position, but to have the same options as today we have to play very well tomorrow," he said on Saturday. "After every game there is less to go and we know what we are playing for, but that depends on how we respond as a team. We had four days to recover and tomorrow we will see if we rotate or not. "More than ever we have to live game by game. It is important to isolate everything from outwith the club and to feel and experience everything what is going on. "There are four Spanish teams in European semi-finals and we are first in that league. That makes us proud but also motivates and strengthens us. Tomorrow we will have to roll up our sleeves and run once more." Turkish midfielder Arda Turan is the only major absentee from Simeone's squad due to injury, but the Argentine is expected to make a few changes to the side that started in midweek with Toby Alderweireld and Mario Suarez likely to join Costa back in the starting line-up.

Mourinho Wants Cure For Chelsea Away 'Sickness'.

LONDON, April 12, 2014 (AFP) - Jose Mourinho has told Chelsea to be on their guard as they bid to end a three-match losing streak away from Stamford Bridge when they travel to Swansea on Sunday. Mourinho's men head to south Wales having lost on the road at Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks. Chelsea headed into this weekend in second place in the Premier League table and buoyed by their 2-0 midweek win at home to Paris Saint-Germain that saw them into a Champions League semi-final with Atletico Madrid. But Mourinho said Chelsea could take nothing for granted against a Swansea side just six points above the relegation zone. "They are a good team, they play good football," Mourinho said. "Especially at Swansea it is never easy and Chelsea knows that better than other teams. "They still need the three points, they are not in big danger like other teams but they still need a couple of points to stay in the Premier League and of course they will try to get points out of this game." Eden Hazard is out with a calf injury, but Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah are available after being ineligible in Europe and Ramires is back from a three-match ban. Chelsea striker Demba Ba could be given a first Premier League start since October at Norwich after starring in midweek against PSG. "People are working well and hard," Portuguese manager Mourinho added. "The ones that are not playing so regular, all of them are being good professionals to try to be ready. "You could see Demba as an example as a player who doesn't play a lot and was ready to try to respond. "All of them, they were ready. They are a good group, they are good friends, they have a good relationship. "I think when one of them goes onto the pitch he goes to help the other players." Chelsea are currently second in the table, two points behind leaders Liverpool and two in front of third-placed Manchester City, who meet in Sunday's early kick-off match at Anfield. City have two games in hand on both the Merseysiders and Chelsea but Mourinho said he had no plans to watch the clash between Chelsea's title rivals ahead of his own side's match at the Liberty Stadium. "Maybe it is a historical day for football and they both win," he joked. ‎

Cristiano Might Miss King's Cup Final.

Spanish club, Real Madrid have announced that Cristiano Ronaldo has sustained a muscle injury in his left thigh, making him a huge doubt for nextweek's King's Cup final against Barcelona. "Tests which Cristiano Ronaldo underwent have shown up a muscular injury to his left biceps femoris," Real said. He could be out for two weeks which would mean missing the King's Cup final and the Champions League semi-final first leg. However, Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti has been handed a boost following Marcello's return from injury after a 10-day lay off due to an hamstring injury.

Mourinho Gets Fined.

Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho has been fined £8000 by the English FA and has been warned about his future conduct after he was dismissed against Aston Villa. A statement on the FA website said: "Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been fined £8,000 and warned as to his future conduct following an independent regulatory commission hearing." "Mourinho denied a breach of FA rule E3 in that his behaviour in re-entering the field of play and approaching the match referee in an attempt to speak to him ... amounted to improper conduct," the FA said. "However, the charge was found proven at a personal hearing on Wednesday, April 9." Chelsea are currently two points behind leaders Liverpool in the league table and on Tuesday secured a place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-0 win at home to Paris Saint-Germain.

Demba Ba's Love For PSG.

After coming off the bench for Frank Lampard to sink PSG, Senegalese international, Demba Ba has admitted having mixed feelings. The striker struck the ball into the net three minutes from time sending Chelsea fans into a fit of excitement and wild jubilation knowing fully well that a 2-0 win was all that was necessary for a semi-final ticket. However, Ba was born in the surburbs of Paris. Serves, to be precise and he has been a PSG fan all his life. "I am very happy for me, the club and my family too. I don't know if the goal has any special significance, other than the fact that we are in the semi-finals," he told French television. "It was a bit tough seeing Paris with their heads down at the end. Since I've supported them, there have only been two times that I've wanted PSG to lose - last week and today," he added.

It's Ribery's Birthday!!

On 7 April 1983, three-time French Player of the Year Franck Ribéry was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer. A winger who prefers to play on the left, he is considered by many to be one of the leading French players of his generation, with former French superstar Zinedine Zidane calling him "the jewel of French football." Ribéry began his professional career in 2000 with his hometown team, Boulogne, then in the fourth division. After only two seasons, which saw Boulogne promoted only to be relegated again, he moved to couple of lower-division teams (Olympique Alès, 2002-03, and Stade Brestois, 2003-04) before landing in Ligue 1 with Metz in 2004. His initial stay in the French top flight was brief, as he left after only six months due to a contract dispute, ending up at Istanbul's Galatasaray in January 2005. His stay in Turkey was equally brief, as after winning the 2005 Turkish Cup, he returned to Ligue 1 to play for Marseille. Although he had three years left on his contract with Galatasaray, he petitioned FIFA to void it, claiming that he had not been paid and that a Galatasaray director had threatened him with a baseball bat. The Turkish club denied the charges, but FIFA decided the matter in Ribéry's favor. In two seasons at Marseille, he established himself as one of France's most dynamic and creative players, helping the club to capture the 2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup, then reach the back-to-back Coupe de France finals in 2006 and 2007, leading to his first French Player of the Year Award. His success in Marseille sparked a bidding war among several European clubs, including Arsenal and Real Madrid, but Germany's Bayern Munich eventually signed him in 2007 for €25 million. At Bayern, Ribéry was instrumental in helping restore the club to its former glory, securing a double in 2007-08 by winning the German Cup and the league. For his role, Ribéry was named both the 2008 French Player of the Year and the 2008 German Footballer of the Year. He is currently still playing for Bayern, having won another three league titles (2010, 2013, 2014) and the Champions League (2013). Happy Birthday in French...Anyone??

Wenger Ready For War With Martinez.

Arsene Wenger has admitted that the race for Champions League qualification has been blown wide open following his side's 3-0 loss to Everton at the Goodison Park on Sunday. Just a point now separates both teams as Arsenal still maintain 4th position, however, the Toffees have a game in hand. Arsenal have managed to qualify for the Champions League consecutively for the past 16 seasons but Everton are in a good position to break that streak. "The fight is very open and is depending not only on us," Wenger said. "Everton are in a strong position but we have been confronted with that before and it is how we respond. "I am absolutely 100 percent determined to fight for the top four, it will be difficult," the Frenchman, the longest-serving manager now in the Premier League, added. "We have a programme of fixtures that is feasible, but we must focus on the quality of performances before we talk about that," added Wenger, who will expect a much improved effort from Arsenal in their FA Cup semi-final with holders Wigan at Wembley on Saturday. "Our performance here was not convincing or defensively or offensively. It's disappointing a result and performance. The two go together and now we have to regroup and go back to basics," said the Gunners manager. With 6 games left to play, Everton manager Roberto Martinez has however refused to get carried away by his side's top four prospects. "It's not going to be straightforward to qualify for the Champions League but the mentality of the group is that we believe in ourselves and can do it."