Juventus stalwart Gianluigi Buffon has backed Bayern Munich s Manuel Neuer to become a goalkeeping great as the clubs prepare to meet in the Champions League.
Last season s beaten finalists and the German heavyweights, Serie A and Bundesliga title-holders respectively, clash in the round-of-16 first leg in Turin on Tuesday.
While Buffon, 38, is regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers of his generation, Neuer s comfort in possession has seen him come close to reinventing the position as an advanced sweeper-keeper .
I ve seen a lot of goalkeepers over this long career and I ve been fortunate enough to admire some very solid goalkeepers with great reliability and quality, Buffon told reporters.
Manuel Neuer is among them and he s a goalkeeper who plays i…
Jurgen Klopp does not believe Manchester City are cracking under the pressure of Liverpool s ferocious pace at the top of the Premier League.
The Reds will celebrate Christmas with a four-point lead over the reigning champions following recent defeats for Pep Guardiola s side against Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
Both of those reverses came when Liverpool had played earlier that weekend and won against Bournemouth and Wolves respectively.
But Klopp baulked at the idea that City are struggling to respond to his still unbeaten side – pointing to the overall quality of their performances in what he felt were ill-deserved results.
You saw the two games they played? It didn t look like they felt a lot of pressure. They were outstanding in these games, he tol…
Former Bayern Munich midfielder Mehmet Scholl has branded the club s dealings with Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski as strange
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The ex-Borussia Dortmund pair have both been linked with moves away from the Allianz Arena but, while Gotze a reported target for Liverpool is said to have been urged to leave by club officials, Bayern appear determined to keep Lewandowski.
This stance contrasts that of the players, with Gotze apparently eager to remain with the Bundesliga champions and Lewandowski seemingly keen to leave, with his agent recently confirming transfer talks with Real Madrid.
And Scholl, who was a coach at Bayern until 2013, told ARD: Something strange is happening.
A player [Gotze], whose contract runs for one [more] year, w…