Mexico vs Panama July 24, 2013

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Mexico and their fans will expect an El Tri win on Wednesday, simply because of their talent and their history in Gold Cup, but there isn't much evidence to suggest that Mexico are significantly better than they were when they lost their first game of the tournament. Panama was the better side in that game and will like their chances to pull another upset and advance to the final.

Mexico were poor throughout their quarterfinal match against Trinidad and Tobago, but the Soca Warriors didn't have the quality to put El Tri under serious threat. In the 84th minute, budding star forward Raul Jimenez turned in a free kick to send his side through and set up a rematch with Panama.

Gabriel Torres, who has been one of the best players in this tournament and Panama's most consistent attacking threat, scored both of the Canaleros' goals in their 2-1 win over Mexico back on July 7. They were less than impressive in their other two group stage matches, but they may have been holding something back with progression to the knockout stage virtually guaranteed after that win. They turned things up a bit in their quarterfinal, beating Cuba 6-1.

'Chepo' Jose Manuel de la Torre probably thought that he had his lineup for this tournament set, but will almost certainly be tempted to make some changes after his team's lackluster performance against T&T. Marco Fabian, Raul Jimenez and the Mexico defense have performed well, but Chepo has to figure out how to get more out of his midfield. Carlos Peña and Luis Montes, who were both subbed against T&T, have struggled in Gold Cup.

Venue: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Match date/time: Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET

São Paulo x Internacional 24-07-2013

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O técnico Paulo Autuori relacionou 21 atletas para a partida contra o Internacional, na noite desta quarta-feira (24), no Morumbi, às 21h, válida pela 12ª rodada (antecipada) do Campeonato Brasileiro 2013.

O volante Wellinton, que cumpriu suspensão automática no confronto contra o Cruzeiro, no último compromisso da equipe, foi convocado e está à disposição do treinador para o confronto contra os gaúchos. Além do meio-campista, o comandante também relacionou o zagueiro Paulo Miranda. Durante a intertemporada do São Paulo, no Centro de Formação de Atletas Laudo Natel, em Cotia, o defensor fraturou a mão após choque acidental com Denilson. De lá para cá, o camisa 13 seguia apenas se recuperando e treinando no CT da Barra Funda.

O lateral-esquerdo Clemente Rodríguez, que sentiu dores no músculo anterior da coxa esquerda durante as atividades desta terça-feira (23), no Centro de Treinamento da Barra Funda, está relacionado e fará tratamento intensivo no REFFIS até momentos antes do jogo.

Já o atacante Negueba (aprimora a forma física) e o lateral-esquerdo Carleto (lesão no ligamento do joelho) ainda não têm condições de jogo e não entrarão em campo nesta quarta-feira. Confira abaixo a lista com os 21 jogadores convocados para o confronto diante do Inter.

Atlético-PR x Paysandu 24-07-2013

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O frio que nesta quarta-feira chegou a provocar geada em Curitiba será mantido e deve incomodar os jogadores de Atlético-PR  e Paysandu, que se enfrentam às 19h30 (de Brasília), pela Copa do Brasil. A temperatura não deve passar dos 3 °C.

As informações climáticas foram divulgadas pelo Instituto Tecnológico Simepar, que prevê variação entre 2 °C e 3° C na capital paranaense. A partida será realizada no Estádio Durival de Brito.

Atlético-PR e Paysandu decidem nesta quarta-feira quem avança às oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil. Na partida de ida, no Mangueirão, os times apenas empataram por 0 a 0. Assim, o Paysando se classifica com vitória simples ou empate com gols - gol fora de casa é critério de desempate. Já o Atlético-PR precisa vencer. Novo 0 a 0 leva a decisão para os pênaltis.

USA vs Honduras July 24, 2013

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The United States will be big favorites in their Gold Cup semifinal against Honduras on Wednesday, but Los Catrachos are likely the stiffest test that Jurgen Klinsmann's team has faced thus far in the tournament. They won their group comfortably, locking it up before their final match. They then defeated Costa Rica, a team that fell to the U.S. in the group stage, in the quarterfinals.

Honduras were made to fight in that match and only managed one goal, with youngster Andy Najar, once eligible to represent the United States, firing through to the semifinals. They barely hung on in stoppage time against Costa Rica, but got through thanks to some good goalkeeping and good fortune.

Save for a rough stretch where Rodolfo Zelaya was turning them inside-out, the United States were in control for most of their match against El Salvador and dominated the final half hour in their 5-1 victory. Landon Donovan had the best game that he's had for club or country since returning from the soccer sabbatical that he took from early December until the end of March, while Eddie Johnson scored the clinching third goal mere seconds after coming on as a substitute.

Match date/time: Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET

Venue: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Lyon vs Real Madrid July 24, 2013

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Pocos esperaban un resultado que no fuera el 0-6 que cosechó el Real Madrid en Bournemouth este pasado domingo, en el que fue su debut en la actual pretemporada. Era un rival recién ascendido a la segunda división inglesa, ideal para empezar a coger automatismos en un partido sin demasiada exigencia de por medio. Sin embargo, la pretemporada blanca toma enseguida velocidad con el encuentro que le espera este miércoles a los hombres de Carlo Ancelotti: ante el Olympique de Lyon en Gerland, otrora escenario maldito donde los hubiera.

The Real Madrid vs Lyon friendly will be this Wednesday, July 24, 2013 (12:00 PM Pacific) at the Stade de Gerland.  Real Madrid will face their first ‘top caliber’ rival of the preseason when they travel to Lyon.  In their last game, Carlo Ancelotti’s team defeated Bournemouth 6-0.  A top team like Lyon means the scoreline will not be anywhere near those six goals, therefore Wednesday’s match will be a tough friendly for both squads.

Real Madrid’s first preseason match against Bournemouth was expected to be an easy game for the Spanish club.  On Wednesday they will confront a huge change as they face a much difficult rival as Lyon.  The Merengues are still in their initial stages of the preseason, where they are still looking for incoming transfers, as well as what lineup and formation they will use under new coach, Ancelotti.  This is a team that wants to improve on their performance from last season, where the team deteriorated in the season’s final stages after a broken locker room caused by ex-coach Jose Mourinho.

Lyon will be a difficult opponent not only because they are a top Ligue 1 team, but because they have already played in three preseason matches as opposed to Real Madrid’s one.  The team coached by Remy Gardes has a very difficult season in front, where they will compete in the Champions League, and where they will attempt to surpass French giants PSG and Monaco.

Real Madrid vs Lyon Prediction
The Real Madrid vs Lyon match will be a great game between two top teams that need to improve in their upcoming season.  Considering the talent in both teams, expect the coaches to use starting lineups at the Gerland stadium.  The game will not be in its best quality as both squads are still in search for their best lineup and form, therefore it will be a low scoring game.  The Real Madrid vs Lyon match will end in a 2-1 win for the Merengues.

Sin haber marcado un gol, sin haber conocido otro resultado que no fuera la derrota, y habiendo caído eliminado los últimos años sin remedio, el Olympique de Lyon ha sido una de las bestias negras del Real Madrid en Europa desde que la televisión emite en color. Al menos hasta que hace tres temporadas lograra eliminarlo en los octavos de final de la Champions League, en la temporada de debut de José Mourinho. Poco tiene que ver aquel enfrentamiento a vida o muerte con el de preparación que espera este miércoles, pero ello no resta tampoco ni un ápice de color al que será uno de los amistosos más suculentos de los que tiene el equipo blanco este verano.

En especial para un Karim Benzema que regresa a su tierra natal cuatro años después de hacer las maletas rumbo a la capital española. Todavía muchos esperan que confirme en el Santiago Bernabéu todas las maneras que apuntaba entonces, llegando a incluir una cláusula en su contrato pensando que podría ser Balón de Oro y todo. Todavía muchos sospechan que esta temporada tampoco rendirá al nivel de hace dos, viendo estos primeros entrenamientos.

El delantero francés apunta de nuevo a la titularidad en un partido para el que Carlo Ancelotti apenas ha tenido un día de entrenamientos tras la goleada en Bournemouth. Sesión en la que pudieron participar todos sus efectivos a excepción únicamente de Coentrao, eso sí. Con lo que se espera que, a pesar de la entidad del rival, el técnico italiano vuelva a hacer probaturas, dando minutos a todos los jugadores  citados, incluidos los chicos del Castilla.

El Olympique de Lyon mientras tanto llega con bastantes más días de pretemporada en sus piernas, habiendo jugado ya tres partidos amistosos incluso. El equipo que dirige Remi Garde ya no es el gigante que acechaba el Viejo Continente hace algunos años atrás, eclipsado incluso en su propia Francia por el poderío de PSG y Mónaco, pero sigue manteniendo nombres en su plantilla más que reseñables como Yoann Gourcuff, Clément Grenier, Lisandro López, Bafétimbi Gomis, Jimmy Briand o Alexandre Lacazette. Jugadores que conoce muy bien Carlo Ancelotti de estos dos años en la Ligue 1. Pinta a amistoso, pero de los grandes.

Bayern Munich vs Barcelona July 24, 2013

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FC Barcelona kick-start their pre-season campaign tomorrow, as they prepare to travel to Germany to face Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in the 2013 Uli Hoeness Cup. Despite appointing Gerardo Martino as their new coach this morning, Barcelona travel to the Allianz Arena without a permanent coach, and will therefore be led by Jordi Roura and Rubi – in what may be their last match with the club.

After the unfortunate resignation of head coach Tito Vilanova, the players were in no fit state to travel to Poland on Saturday, where they would have otherwise started their pre-season against Lechia Gdansk (who last night kicked off their season with a 2-2 draw at home to Podbeskidzie). And as that match will now be played in a week’s time on the 30th, Barça now face the unenviable task of squaring off against the reigning European Champions in their first friendly match of 2013/14.

First-half

Barcelona (4-3-3): Pinto; Montoya, Bartra, Mascherano, Adriano; Song, JDS, Roberto; Alexis, Messi, Tello

Second-half

Barcelona (4-3-3): Oier; Patric, Sergi Gomez, Mascherano, Planas; Samper, Ilie, Espinosa; Nieto, Dongou, Roman

Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Lahm, Van Buyten, Dante, Alaba; Thiago, Kroos; Robben, Müller, Ribery; Mandzukic

South China vs Manchester City July 24, 2013

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Manchester City's clash against South China in the Barclays Asia Trophy has been delayed by 10 minutes because of heavy rain in Hong Kong.

The game will now be 40 minutes per half, with Blues fans hoping to gain a first glimpse of new signings Alvaro Negredo, Stevan Jovetic and Jesus Navas.

The Asia Trophy returns to Hong Kong after a gap of two years but in the absence of defending Champions Chelsea, the honour falls to Manchester City, Sunderland and Spurs to battle it out against home side South China. City have enjoyed some mixed results in pre-season so far but despite conceding home advantage, Manuel Pellegrini's side are red hot favourites to take the win and progress straight through to Saturday's final.

Now you will see this game informations here.

And team news and all match team line ups:

he 2013 Premier League Asia Trophy will take place on 24 July and 27 July 2013, featuring Sunderland, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Hong Kong club South China.

The Asia Trophy is a friendly four-team pre-season tournament held in Asia every two years, and is contested by three Premier League football clubs and the home team.

Chelsea are the current holders after beating Aston Villa 2-0 in the 2011 final.

Manchester City v South China is the second semi-final of this year’s staging of the tournament.

While Manuel Pellegrini’s men should have too much quality for their opponents in this encounter, the locals will be more accustomed to the sweltering conditions, which could prove a factor given City are still undergoing their pre-season preparations.

Match coverage begins at 1pm on Sky Sports 1 this afternoon, kick-off 1.30pm.

Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland is on Sky Sports 1 from 10.30am this morning.

South Korea vs China July 24, 2013

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THe EAFF East Asian cup continues , four team will play in the final round of the tournament on a league basis. South Korea will face China in third match of the group. All four teams possess one points each after both games resulted into draw.

South Korea ended up playing goal less draw against Ausralia while China played 3-3 draw win Japan in their first matches. The match will be played in Hwaseong Stadium, Hwaseong as home fans expect to crowd the stadium

Melbourne Victory vs Liverpool July 24, 2013

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Tens of thousands of soccer fans are making their way to the MCG ahead of tonight's soccer match between English Premier League giants Liverpool and local A-League side Melbourne Victory.

A sea of Liverpool supporters took over Federation Square earlier in the day decked out in red and chanting club songs.

It is the first time Liverpool has toured Australia and a sell out crowd of around 95,000 will fill the MCG to watch the historic match.

"To be honest it's a great club, a massive club and it doesn't surprise me to see so many people here," one Liverpool fan said.

"To see them on the other side of the world in front of a massive crowd is just amazing."

Even those in the Victory camp are excited to see the reds in Australia.

None more so than lifelong Liverpool supporter, Melbourne coach Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou will put a line through one major event on his bucket list later today as his side plays host to the Merseyside club.

Coaching against the English Premier League giants caps off a remarkable few days, after steering the A-League All-Stars against Manchester United.

The sellout clash at the MCG is clearly a labour of love for Postecoglou.

He fell under the spell of Liverpool's 1970s and 1980s teams, boasting the likes of Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, then Ian Rush and Australian Craig Johnston

Postecoglou met Johnston on Tuesday - one of Australia's finest football exports speaking to Victory players about what they might expect.

It was also a massive moment for Postecoglou, knowing how far he and Australian football have come.

"But the English first division seemed a million miles away and for a young Aussie boy, you just didn't envisage how you could bring that world closer.

"When Craig went to Liverpool, it just got the hairs on the back of the neck rising and realising that dream could come true.

"We've got some players who are going to play the game of their life.

"We're involved in a game that's truly global. This game throws up unbelievable situations, and it has for me in the last seven days.

"I really enjoyed Saturday night. Obviously we got beaten by a world-class opponent, but I really enjoy the fact we know what world-class football looks like, and the Australian public got to see what world-class football looks like."

Tottenham vs Sunderland July 24, 2013

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Tottenham Hotspur have played two preseason games already this summer, but their preparation for the new season really gets underway in earnest on Wednesday. Spurs play the first of two Barclays Asia Trophy games against Sunderland, then will play in either the final or third place game depending on the result.

All of the players who were given the first week of training off because of international commitments are back in the team, while Sandro and Younes Kaboul have recovered from their injuries to the point where they're back in full training. While they may not get to play on Wednesday, they're in the squad and very well could suit up.

Sunderland has had a busy transfer window and Roker Report's been all over it. If you have any passing interest in Sunderland, check them out. They don't have a post up on the game as of my posting, but it's worth noting that most of Sunderland's new signings are in their squad: Modibo Diakite, Valentin Roberge, El-Hadji Ba, David Moberg Karlsson, Cabral and Jozy Altidore. Emanuele Giaccherini wasn't in their initial squad, but he's training with them in Hong Kong, so he might play.

Squad

Goalkeepers
Hugo Lloris, Brad Friedel, Heurelho Gomes

Defenders
Kyle Walker, Kyle Naughton, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Jan Vertonghen, Michael Dawson, Steven Caulker, Younes Kaboul, Danny Rose

Midfielders
Aaron Lennon, Andros Townsend, Gareth Bale, Tom Huddlestone, Mousa Dembele, Sandro, Scott Parker, Jake Livermore, Tom Carroll, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Lewis Holtby, Clint Dempsey

Forwards
Jermain Defoe, Emmanuel Adebayor

You may notice that Paulinho and Nacer Chadli aren't in this squad. I assume their debuts will come during the Espanyol friendly after the team returns from Asia in August. Then again, they might just end up suiting up if they're fit and Andre Villas-Boas feels like letting them play. I can't imagine this preseason tournament has strict squad rules. That's not exactly clear. They're with the team, but they weren't in the "announced squad". If Giaccherini is playing, why can't they?

Projected Tottenham Hotspur lineup (4-3-3): Hugo Lloris; Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Jan Vertonghen, Michael Dawson, Kyle Walker; Scott Parker, Mousa Dembele, Lewis Holtby; Clint Dempsey, Emmanuel Adebayor, Andros Townsend

Gareth Bale has already been confirmed as out for this game with an unspecified knock. Aaron Lennon sat out the Colchester game for the same reason, so I'm not picking him in the starting XI. I hope that Younes Kaboul and Sandro get short run-outs, but they're probably not fit to start, though that's pure speculation on my part. This represents what I guess the starting XI would be if there was a competitive match tomorrow. Given that this is preseason, all bets are off and there's a very good chance we could see younger players.

Match date/time: Wednesday, 11 a.m. UK, 6 a.m. ET

Venue: Hong Kong Stadium, So Kon Po, Hong Kong