Month: May 2019

If you’re planning on heading to Madrid but are without a UCL final ticket, here are the best watering holes in the city where you can watch the match

Didn’t manage to get tickets to the Champions League final in Madrid, but wanted to go to the city anyway to support Tottenham or Liverpool?

Not to worry, as Goal has rounded up the best spots in the Spanish capital for you to watch all the UCL final glory with fellow fans. If you’re looking to celebrate the occasion with fellow English-speaking supporters with English commentary, here are the places in Madrid you should spend your evening of Saturday, June 1 in.

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Which bars in Madrid will show the Champions League final?

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Fan zone areas will be set up in Madrid city centre for each team. They are located not too far away from the Wanda Metropolitano but are separated from each other by 1.5 km and easily accessible by public transport. There will be no live screening of the match at each respective fan zone, though supporters without a match ticket can celebrate (or commiserate) with one another in the fan zone after the conclusion of the final.

Tottenham’s fan zones will be situated in Plaza Colon, the same area where the Spain national team celebrated their European and World championships. This is easily accessed by Line 5 of the Metro, at ‘Canillejas’ station.

Liverpool’s fan zones will be at the Avenue Felipe II area of the city, which fans can get to on Line 2 on the Metro, disembarking at ‘Las Rosas’.

If you don’t have a ticket to the final, the best place to watch it is in your local barrio (neighbourhood) bar, of which Madrid has plenty of. They are filled with locals, and they are sure to have the final on, though will likely have Spanish commentary.

More upscale wine bars are usually TV-free establishments, but with Madrid having more bars per capita than any other place on earth, you will have plenty of choice for your favoured watering hole. 

If you are looking to watch the game with English commentary, however, your best bet is to watch it at an Irish bar which will definitely be showing the match. Luckily, there are several scattered around Madrid city centre, with nearly all of them closing well after midnight. 

You might need to arrive early if you’re looking to score a good seat, however, as spaces will fill up fast.

James Joyce Irish Pub Madrid

Calle de Alcala, 59, 28014 Madrid, Spain

Named after the famed Irish poet and once of the most well-known Irish pubs in Madrid, James Joyce located a stone’s throw away from Plaza de las Cibeles. They serve food all day, show live sports – including the Champions League – rugby, European football, tennis and golf, and put on live music. They also have an outdoor terrace throughout the year.

O’Brian

Calle del Príncipe, 12, 28012 Madrid, Spain

Located in central Madrid by Plaza de Canalejas, O’Brian is another Irish pub that boasts 18 television screens and two television projects, showing everything from La Liga football, Champions League and Europa action, Premier League games as well as non-football events such as tennis, MotoGP, Formula 1 and American football.

The pub also serves authentic homemade Irish cuisine, British fish and chips, various appetizers in chili con carne, nachos, homemade burgers and of course, the perfect pint of Guinness.

Irish Rover

Av. de Brasil, 7, 28020 Madrid, Spain

The Irish Rover, located near to the Santiago Bernabeu, offers Irish-inspired cuisine as well as a wide range of beers and cocktails, a huge beer garden and football broadcasts in English.

The Cavern Irish Pub

Calle de Santiago, 1, 28013 Madrid, Spain

Not to be confused with the Beatles’ home of the Cavern Club in Liverpool, the Cavern Irish Pub in the Plaza Mayor of Madrid is another option that shows a wide range of football as well as a vast selection of every ale and beer to your liking.

O’Connell

Calle de Espoz y Mina, 7, 28012 Madrid, Spain

O’Connell is one of the Irish pubs that stays open the latest, closing at 3am on most days. If you’re looking for an especially late-night establishment, go to O’Connell’s, situated in the busy hub of Plaza Mayor and celebrate until the wee hours of the morning.

The Towers Irish Pub

Paseo de los Olmos, 28, 28005 Madrid, Spain

Located by Piramedes station, the Towers Irish Pub has plenty of outdoor seating and broadcasts an array of sporting events.

Newbridge Irish Pub

Calle de Bailen, 33, 28005 Madrid, Spain

Newbridge Irish Pub located close to the Royal Palace, the bar shows plenty of UK-based sports and is another late-night option, closing its doors at 2:30am. If you’re looking for a selection of Irish draught beers, however, you’re out of luck – as the only brew they have is Guinness.

Finnegans

Plaza de las Salesas, 9, 28004 Madrid, Spain

Just 0.3 miles away from Cibeles in central Madrid, Finnegans is a bar and gastropub offering a good chunk of British sports on their televisions.

La Fontana de Oro

Calle de la Victoria, 1, 28012 Madrid, Spain

La Fontana de Oro is the prime bar if you’re really looking to watch and celebrate the football for literally the entire night, only closing its doors at 5:30am. 

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The Belgian star is a dynamic presence on the pitch during games, but the Chelsea boss confessed things aren’t easy for him away from matches

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has admitted that Eden Hazard is so good that he can become bored by training sessions. 

Hazard is set to complete another stellar campaign on Wednesday, with Chelsea facing off against Arsenal in the Europa League final in Baku.

The Belgian has scored 19 goals in all competitions, further underlining his status as his club’s star performer. 

Wednesday’s game could be Hazard’s last with the Blues, as he has continually been linked with a summer move to Real Madrid. 

Sarri, who is hoping Hazard will stay but has said he will respect whatever decision he makes, has again hailed the 28-year-old as one of the world’s best.

“He’s one of the most important players in Europe, in the world, at the moment,” Sarri said at a news conference on Tuesday. 

“I think he can improve. He has to try to become the best in Europe because, for characteristics, he can become the best player in Europe, in the world, I think.”

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The Italian has also confessed that due to his incredible ability, the routine of daily training can become boring for a player like Hazard.

“It’s a pleasure during the match. Sometimes during the week it’s a problem,” he said.

“It’s a problem during the week because he’s a talent and, during training, sometimes he’s bored because, for him, everything is really very easy.”

Due to the final’s location in Azerbaijan, which is 2,500 miles from London, many supporters for Chelsea and Arsenal are set to stay home for the match.

UEFA has been heavily criticised for their decision to stage the match in Baku, and Sarri has admitted he is dismayed that so many of his side’s fans won’t be able to attend the game.

“I don’t know what to say about the problems. You’ll have to ask UEFA, to the clubs,” Sarri said. 

‘”I am really very disappointed because we do this job for this kind of match, and so we hope to see our fans here.

“I don’t know what to say. I can say only that we will try to win. We will try to win for us and also for them.”

The Blues boss appeared angry at something during his side’s final run-out ahead of their big match with Arsenal on Wednesday

Maurizio Sarri stormed out of a rare full open training Chelsea session in front of the world’s media ahead of the Europa League final.

The Blues’ preparation to face Arsenal in Baku has been far from ideal as Sarri watched a training match towards the end of his public run-out at the Baku Olympic Stadium.

Gonzalo Higuain and David Luiz were seen minorly clashing at the end of a training match during the session.

However, it appeared to be a minor incident to spark such a volatile reaction from the 60-year-old coach, who proceeded to throw down his baseball cap, pick it up and then throw it down again before storming out of the stadium and not coming back to witness the end of his players run-out on Wednesday night.

According to a Chelsea spokesman, Sarri’s frustration was not related to the clash between Higuain and Luiz and was instead because his side were unable to practice set-pieces with the media watching.

“Maurizio’s frustration displayed at the end of training was not related to any of his players, but was due to not being able to practise set-plays in the final 15 minutes of the hour-long training session as it remained open to media,” the spokeman said.

Sarri’s frustrations may have been exacerbated by key midfielder N’Golo Kante looking set to miss out on the big match after struggling through the final full training session ahead of kick off.

He trained alone with a fitness coach and then with his team-mates but he didn’t get involved in the training match and didn’t kick a ball once during the last warm-up.

The France international is expected to join Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Antonio Rudiger on the sidelines, even though Sarri had described him as “50-50” to make it in the pre-match press conference.

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Sarri had said earlier that he loved his players, which makes him think about staying amid interest from Juventus, who are looking to replace outgoing manager Massimiliano Allegri.

Goal understands that Chelsea won’t stand in Sarri’s way if he wants to join Juventus but they will ask for £5 million to buy out his contract, as talks over his future will begin after the Europa League final.

Chelsea topped Eintracht Frankfurt to book their place in the Europa League finale as Sarri looks to seal his first piece of major silverware.

The Blues finished third in the Premier League, behind only Manchester City and Liverpool, while also falling to City in the finale of the Carabao Cup.

The England and West Ham midfielder has had a dream breakthrough campaign that he hopes will end with national team success

Declan Rice urged his team-mates not to pass up the opportunity of winning a first piece of international silverware for England since 1966 when they head to Portugal for the inaugural Nations League Finals.

England topped a group containing Spain and Croatia to advance through to the final four, with the Netherlands awaiting in the semi-finals on June 6.

The Three Lions finished fourth at last year’s World Cup and Rice, who only switched allegiance from the Republic of Ireland in March, says there is a big chance to build on that success by overcoming the Dutch and then one of Portugal or Switzerland.

“It’s massive, not only for me but for the whole squad and the nation,” he said at Tuesday’s news conference. “It’s a chance to win the first Nations League and an opportunity to win a trophy for England for the first time since 1966. 

“It’s massive for us as a nation and the players are aware of that – it’s up to us to do the business.

“Netherlands are a really exciting team. Everyone saw that in the Champions League with [Matthijs] de Ligt, [Frenkie] de Jong and [Donny] van de Beek for Ajax. But in our squad as well we’ve got fantastic young players who have performed at such a high standard this season.

“We know the game is going to be tough but it is one that we are confident ahead of. We beat Croatia and Spain to get here and put in good performances – we will do that again against the Netherlands.”

Rice was handed his international debut by Gareth Southgate against the Czech Republic at Wembley two months ago and made his first start a few days later in the 5-1 win over Montenegro.

And the West Ham midfielder, named as part of Southgate’s final 23-man group for the tournament, already feels like a valued member of the squad.

“I felt comfortable here since the moment I walked through the door for my first camp back in March,” he said.

“All the lads, most of whom I know from playing against them, made me feel welcome. One thing I can say is that Gareth has really got this squad together.”

Representing England at the Nations League Finals will cap what has been an impressive breakthrough campaign for Rice, who became a regular for West Ham after holding down a place in Manuel Pellegrini’s starting line-up from September onwards.

“If you look back to the start of the season at Liverpool, I was dragged off at half-time and then missed a few games before returning against Everton,” he said.

“It’s been a whirlwind season for me and one that I have dreamed of; one I never thought would happen. I’ve just got to take it all in my stride.

“Consistency is key. I’ve kept myself in good shape to play in pretty much every game this season and I have a manager who has put trust in me. 

“I’m the youngest player in the squad but my team-mates have given me the confidence to go out and perform at the level I’ve been performing at.”

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The Gunners are playing in their first final in Europe’s secondary competition since losing to Galatasaray in 2000

Unai Emery says he wants to “hold on to and improve” the Arsenal culture left behind by his predecessor Arsene Wenger as he prepares his team to face Chelsea in the Europa League final.

The Gunners will play their London rivals in the Azerbaijani capital Baku on Wednesday in what will be their first European final in 13 years.

Victory against the Blues would provide a satisfying end to the Spaniard’s first season in charge at the Emirates, and crucially haul them into next season’s Champions League after the team finished a disappointing fifth in the Premier League.

And Emery is eager to build on the materials that were left by Wenger after he stepped down last summer after 22 years in the job.

“All [Wenger] did was amazing,” said Emery. “My respect is more than the top. After he gave this team and club a lot of important things, a new culture.

“I want to hold that and improve things. We spoke when I arrived here to give Arsenal some things: to be competitive in all situations. I learned a lot from Arsene Wenger as a coach and I respect him a lot.

“I want to help Arsenal, to help this team, to achieve all the possibilities in our way. One is this European title, also continuing improving in our way to achieve the best position in the football world for Arsenal.

“Arsenal in the past, present and future will be in the 10 best teams in the world. Our objective is to achieve that.”

Arsenal haven’t made it to the last two of a European competition since they faced Barcelona in the Champions League final in 2006, losing 2-1 despite having led for much of the game.

They last played in the final of Europe’s secondary tournament in 2000, when they were beaten on penalties by Turkish side Galatasaray following a goalless draw.

“I am not thinking only for me,” said Emery. “I want to do something important here, for example to play this title [the Europa League]. We deserved to play and did a good way in this competition.

“After our target started with two ways, one is in the Europa League and the second in the Premier League, to go to the Champions League. That’s our first objective and then to play for the titles.

“We are going to do two objectives tomorrow, to win a title and go to the Champions League. Above all it is about enjoying and play with all our good spirits. This competition is improving a lot, big teams are playing.”

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The French star is dealing with a knee injury and Wednesday’s game in Baku could come too soon for him to take part

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has said that midfielder ​N’Golo Kante is only ’50-50′ to play in Wednesday’s Europa League final against Arsenal due to a knee injury. 

The French star will be given every chance to prove his fitness, but the game in Baku may come too soon as the Blues deal with several injuries in midfield. 

In training on Tuesday, Kante spent nearly the entire open session training alone with a fitness coach and then went down the tunnel before the rest of his team-mates.

Sarri has said that the injury, which was suffered in training on Saturday, is not serious, but the 28-year-old still may be forced out of the match at the Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan’s capital.

“Kante had a little problem on Saturday, a very little problem within his knee,” Sarri told a news conference on Tuesday.

“The problem is the timing because we had only four days. We are trying. It’s not really a very serious injury. We have the problem of the three or four days to try and recover him.

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“At the moment we don’t know. We will try. We will try to the last moment, so we will try tomorrow. But we don’t know at the moment.”

When asked to asses Kante’s chances of playing, Sarri said: “I think it’s 50-50 at the moment. Yesterday, 60-40 for ‘no’. Today 50-50. He was a little bit better this morning. But 50-50.”

Should Kante miss out his absence would add to a growing injury crisis in midfield, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi both missing with long-term injuries.

“We are in trouble with the midfielders,” Sarri admitted. “At the moment we have only three midfielders for three positions, so we are in trouble.

“For us, N’Golo is really very important. He is the only defensive midfielder that we have, so for us he is really very important.

“We are trying to recover him. We will try tomorrow morning. I hope to recover him because I know very well that, without N’Golo, for us it’s a problem.”

Sarri’s future at Chelsea is in doubt after just one season, but the Italian defended his record in a campaign that saw his side finish third in the Premier League and reach the Europa League final as well as the Carabao Cup final.

“We did a wonderful season because, in the last season, Chelsea weren’t in the Champions League,” Sarri said. “Now we are in the Champions League.

“We played a final in a competition in which we played against Liverpool and against Tottenham, and qualified. Against the two finalists in the Champions League. Then we lost the final on penalties to Manchester City, the best team in Europe at the moment.

“And now we play the final in the Europa League. We played a very good season. Of course, if now we can win the final, the season will become wonderful.”

The Blues boss has been tipped to return to Italy but he says he would love to remain in England

Maurizio Sarri has indicated he wants to stay in the Premier League as Chelsea’s head coach, despite strong speculation linking him with the vacant Juventus job.

Juve are on the lookout for a new boss following the departure of Massimiliano Allegri, who announced his decision to step down earlier this month on the back of winning five successive league titles.

Sarri, who finished as a runner-up in Serie A with Napoli in the 2017-18 campaign, is rumoured to be high on the champions’ list of targets to succeed Allegri.

But the 60-year-old is a big fan of English football and is unsure whether he wants to move on after just a single season in the Premier League.

“For me, at the beginning, it was really difficult to understand my players and their mentality. But after a difficult January, in February they started to change, I think, or probably I changed – I don’t know,” he said at Tuesday’s news conference ahead of the Europa League final against Arsenal.

“At this moment I love them. I have 22 wonderful men, wonderful players, so I’m really very happy with them. Of course, I have to consider the future. I have to consider that I love English football, I love the Premier League.

“I want to think only about the final. I have a contract with Chelsea for two years and so first of all I will speak with Chelsea, but this is not the moment. 

“Now we have to think about the final because you know very well our feeling is that we deserve to win – we want to win.

“Today I need only to speak about the final and my players need only for me to speak about the final.”

Sarri finished third in his first season with Chelsea and guided his side to the EFL Cup final, where they were beaten on penalties by Manchester City.

The club could be faced with a difficult summer, though, as leading goalscorer Eden Hazard looks likely to leave the club following the Europa League finale against Arsenal.

Real Madrid boss Florentino Perez admitted that Hazard was a target, adding that he’s been trying to bring the Belgian to the club for years .

The manager says his team’s blend of “potential and attitude” puts them in the perfect position to win the Champions League

Jurgen Klopp has described his Liverpool side as the best he has ever taken into a final ahead of Saturday’s Champions League showdown against Tottenham.

Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund were defeated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in 2013, while he was on the losing side again last year as Real Madrid prevailed in Kiev.

The Reds have enjoyed a superb campaign, finishing second in the Premier League with a whopping 97 points, and produced a remarkable second-leg comeback against Barcelona to set up the mouth-watering clash with Spurs at the Wanda Metropolitano at the weekend.

Klopp is in awe of his side’s achievements this season and believes they are perfectly positioned to win a first Champions League since 2005.

“I love them all, they have all given everything,” he told a media conference. “I’ve never been part of a final with a better team, that’s true.

“I’m not so surprised because the boys have a mix of potential and attitude in the best way I have ever witnessed. That’s just brilliant, exceptional, and that brought us where we are.

“It’s a sensational situation, being here again is great. We wanted it, really desperately, but it looked like it would slip through our fingers in the group stage. I’m really happy that we can do it again.”

Klopp reserved special praise for James Milner and Jordan Henderson, who he believes epitomise the hunger to improve that is so prevalent throughout his squad.

“The best piece of character of this team is the constant readiness for development,” he explained.

“Take James Milner. He is 33 now, but he’s still developing. He’s taking really big steps, calming down here and using his unbelievable skills in better moments.

“He’s an example, like Henderson. They always want to make the next step; it’s just in them, and it helps a lot.”

Liverpool beat Tottenham in both their Premier League meetings this season, most recently at Anfield in March, but Klopp does not think that will give his side the edge on Saturday.

“It will be very tight, no doubt,” he said. “The quality of Tottenham and us is pretty similar. The difference between us in the league is consistency. We won both games, but both 2-1.

“The home game was a tight game with a lucky goal from us in the last minute. [Mauricio] Pochettino is right; emotions will be completely different. You have to use the emotions but in the right circumstances. It’s a special game, but we have to bring ourselves in the right mood.”

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The German club sold midfielder in 2014 shortly after he helped Germany to win the World Cup in Brazil

Bayern Munich chief Uli Hoeness has admitted that the 2014 sale of Toni Kroos to Real Madrid may have been a mistake.

The Germany international was sold to the Bernabeu for €25m shortly after helping the national side to life the World Cup in Brazil, after talks to extend his contract at the Bundesliga giants broke down.

He has won a host of major trophies since joining Real, including three consecutive Champions League titles between 2016-18 and the 2017 La Liga crown.

He signed an extended contract with Real until 2023 earlier in May, having cemented his place as one of boss Zinedine Zidane’s most trusted lieutenants.

But in a new film by German director Manfred Oldenburg that charts Kroos’s life from his childhood in the town of Greifswald, Bayern president Hoeness expresses regret that his man was allowed to leave so easily.

“An association sometimes has to make hard decisions,” said Hoeness. “And that was a tough one, maybe the wrong one.”

In the film, which draws on contributions from people close to the player as well as from Kroos himself, the 29-year-old gives his own feelings on why he felt his interests were best served by leaving Bayern at the height of his powers.

“I was often told how great I am and how right I am doing everything, but I did not play,” said Kroos.

The film, simply titled Kroos and set to premiere on 30 June, also features former Germany internationals and established names from the domestic game.

Ex-midfielder Matthias Sammer, who made 74 international appearances between 1986-97 including 21 for the former East Germany, called Kroos “one of the greatest conductors German football ever had”.

Kroos was voted German footballer of the year by a panel of journalists in 2018, despite having been part of the team that failed spectacularly in defense of their title at the World Cup in Russia.

The Real man featured in all three of Germany’s games as they finished bottom of their group to be eliminated at the first hurdle, though he did provide the team’s only highlight of the tournament, scoring with a stoppage-time free-kick against Sweden to earn a 2-1 win.

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The Arsenal boss has not yet decided whether the former Chelsea goalkeeper will play in the Europa League final against his former club

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has lauded the retiring Petr Cech, although he refused to confirm whether the veteran goalkeeper will start Wednesday’s Europa League final against Chelsea.

Cech will call time on his playing career following the midweek showpiece against his former club with reports suggesting he will then move back to Stamford Bridge to become the Blues’ sporting director.

The Czech has played in each of Arsenal’s knockout games since the turn of the year but Emery must decide if he will stick with that policy or start with regular number one Bernd Leno in Baku.

“The most important thing for us is to win the title,” Emery told a news conference.

“Each title is important for Arsenal, and for Chelsea, both in England and in Europe. We want to enjoy this moment.

“The first XI, I will say it to the players first. I can speak about Cech a lot, but above all he is a good man, a good professional, his career has been amazing, both elsewhere and with us.

“It’s going to be his last match because he decided to finish his career. I want to do something important with him in his last moments in his career, whether he is playing or not playing. 

“I respect him a lot. He is amazing, first as a person and a professional goalkeeper. He deserves trust in him, his career says to us he is a gentleman. He can start or cannot start, I am going to decide. How can we not believe in him?”

One player not available to Emery is Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has not travelled with the Arsenal squad due to fears over his safety amid ongoing political tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

UEFA’s decision to host the final in Baku has come in for criticism, and Mkhitaryan’s team-mate Granit Xhaka conceded that Arsenal’s squad have been left frustrated by the situation.

“Of course, we are disappointed he’s not here,” Xhaka said.

“We spoke a lot about Mkhi and politics, it’s time to speak about football. He’s very important on and off the pitch and we want to give him the trophy.

“A club like Arsenal has to be in the Champions League. We want to give the fans the Champions League back. It’s a big game, a final. We can take a trophy and go back to the Champions League.”

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