In a frank and personal interview with Die Welt, Löw was asked how he felt about Oliver Bierhoff’s statement that “half the national team is supposedly gay, including the training staff.”

“I’ve heard that before,” said Löw, “What can I say about it? It’s like with the toupee – that’s also untrue. Feel free to ask my wife.

Löw’s hair has been another subject of interest in Germany, with many believing the coach’s impressive head of hair was actually a toupe.

“I’ve heard that before too. Rubbish. You’re welcome to tug on it. There is so much mischief made. I suppose it’s part of my job.”

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Schuster’s comments come just ahead of the La Liga meeting between the Spanish giants. The match could be the first of four meetings in the space of 18 days, as an expected Champions League semi-final and Copa del Rey final loom on the horizon.

Schuster told Marca: “Both teams are pretty equal at the back and up front. However, Barcelona are superior in midfield with the creativity of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets. That makes them the better team at the moment.”

He added: “Everyone knows that the season will be decided in the upcoming two weeks.

“This Saturday’s match will be more important for Real Madrid than for Barcelona. If Barca lose, there won’t be too much of a problem as they’re still five points clear.

“I believe that Madrid have what it takes to beat Barcelona over one match, but I can’t see them doing it over two games. Real are Barcelona’s biggest rival both in Spain and in Europe.”

Barcelona are top of La Liga with 84 points from 31 games, while Real Madrid are eight points behind.

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“I am delighted that we were able to agree early on continuing our work until the 2014World Cup,” Loew said.

“Together with German Football Federation (DFB) chief Theo Zwanziger and general secretary Wolfgang Niersbach we believe that it makes sense to continue our successful path with the team in the same style.”

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Arsene Wenger stated last week that injuries to Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone would force him to seek a goalkeeper on emergency loan, as Manuel Almunia is the only senior goalkeeper at the club who is fit.

Lehman spent five years with Arsenal, making over 200 appearances.

Lehmann, who is now 41, was quoted by Germany’s Bild as saying: “I am in London and so far have heard nothing of such plans, but you never know.”

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England’s position as runner up in the Group means that they will not play in their anticipated second round clash on Saturday 26th June between Group C winners and Group D runners up. Instead they will play Group D winners Germany on Sunday 27th June at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, which will be a tantalising clash between two rivals.

Interestingly though, ticket vendors also thought that England would be the winners of Group C, and so Saturday’s Second Round match between the USA and Ghana is now substantially more expensive than the price of England v Germany tickets. While tickets for USA v Ghana are upwards of £209, to see the Three Lions take on the Germans begins at a far more affordable £164 from Seatwave.

In addition, World Cup tickets to all the remaining games of the tournament are on sale, including what looks likely to be a Brazil v Holland fixture at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on July 2nd 2010 for £65 from Viagogo.

Remember, ticket listings have been indexed from websites from around the world for informational purposes. Please check local laws regarding the re-sale of World Cup tickets before transacting.

UEFA Champions League winner Cambiasso wasn’t even selected by coach Diego Maradona for this year’s tournament in South Africa, along with Inter Milan teammate Javier Zanetti, but even though Argentina haven’t progressed beyond the quarter finals of the tournament since 1990, they have a real chance of winning the 2010 World Cup.

A forward line of Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Milito, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Martin Palermo will inspire fear in every team in the tournament, while surprisingly Maradona has adopted a greater emphasis on defence than in his earlier matches.

The tournament may be under a week away, but World Cup tickets are still on sale for all matches of the tournament, beginning at £37, while World Cup final tickets can be found for £16494!

Argentina are in Group B of the 2010 World Cup, where they will face Nigeria, South Korea and Greece. Argentina tickets are available from £56, and a guide to each of their group stage matches is below.

Argentina v Nigeria tickets at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg are on sale from £123 through Manchester United and Chelsea’s official partner Viagogo, and rise to £1121.

Argentina v South Korea tickets at Soccer City in Johannesburg start at prices of £56 from Viagogo, with the most expensive currently retailing at £449.

Greece v Argentina tickets at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane range from £97 via Ticket Network to £2336 from Viagogo.

Ticket listings for the world cup have been indexed from websites from around the world. Please check local laws on the re-sale of World Cup tickets before purchasing tickets.

Tonight the national team will board an aeroplane at Heathrow to OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, and then business will truly begin.

With ten days until England’s opening match against the United States, there is still time to join them in South Africa – and thousands of World Cup tickets are still on sale from just £81.

England v USA tickets at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg are available from £153
England v Algeria tickets at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town are available from £103
England v Slovenia tickets at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth are available from £81

Although Capello’s final squad has attracted plenty of questions, there still remains a very real undercurrent of hope in England that this could be the most successful tournament since the  run to the semi-finals in 1990. A look at their projected path to the final – should they progress that far – shows that the knockout stage features some dangerous teams, but ones that can be beaten.

Having won their most recent two international friendly matches against Mexico and Japan, England are the favourites to top Group C, and in that scenario would play the second placed team in Group D: Germany, Serbia, Ghana, or Australia.

Group C winners v Group D runner-up tickets at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg are available from £123

Should they emerge from the second round victorious, they would be expected to play France in the quarter finals.

World Cup Quarter Final tickets are available from £164

While French coach Raymond Domenech has attracted widespread criticism for his bizarre management style – which reportedly includes selection based on astrology signs – his team still has a number of talented players in their ranks. France have also participated in two of the last three World Cup Finals, in 1998 and 2006.

If England were to triumph over the French, their semi-final would be at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town – against the best national side in football history: Brazil.

World Cup Semi Final tickets are available from £355

Stars of Brazil sides over the years have included Pele, Zico, Romario, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, and this year’s tournament offers Kaká the chance to shine behind Luis Fabiano up front. With a world class keeper in Julio César, and solid defence thanks to the likes of Lucio, this will be a tremendously difficult task for England to overcome.

There would be no shame in going out at the semi final stage, and a bronze medal might be some consolation.

World Cup Third Place Playoff tickets are available from £131

Still, should they put in an incredible performance and beat Brazil for the first time since March 1990, they would then perhaps face either Spain or Argentina in the World Cup Final.

World Cup Final tickets are available from £560

Capello has publicly stated that he is aiming no lower than the final, but England haven’t beaten Spain since 2001 in Sven-Göran Eriksson’s first match in charge. They have since lost the last three encounters.

The record against Argentina is a sight better, and England v Argentina matches certainly have a history of drama. A wonder goal from the eighteen year old Michael Owen could not prevent England being eliminated on penalties in the 1998 World Cup second round – with David Beckham being sent off for a kick on Diego Simeone. Still, Beckham was redeemed four years later in South Korea, when he scored the winning penalty in the 2002 Group Stage match.

Although he is contracted to Los Angeles Galaxy, there will be no Hollywood climax to Beckham’s career with a World Cup win; an injury to his Achilles tendon has ruled him out of the tournament.  Nevertheless, Beckham is set to play a role in England’s effort to claim the FIFA World Cup trophy – he will travel with the squad as moral support.

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After a disappointing start to the season, Bayern Munchen have recaptured their cutting edge, and between 29th November 2009 and 13th February 2010 they won nine straight matches – scoring an average of over three goals a game. They first gained the top spot in the Bundesliga after 18 matches had been played, and since then have only relinquished it for two weeks before regaining the lead.

The challengers to Bayern’s throne are numerous, for the title race in Germany is more open than most European leagues. Over the last ten years, Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen, VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg have been worthy champions. This season, the nearest contenders are Schalke 04 and Bayer Leverkusen, who are 2 and 3 points adrift respectively. With games against both to come as the Bundesliga reaches its climax, the big matches look set to decide the recipient of the title.

Meanwhile, Wolfsburg are looking to improve their disappointing league campaign with a recovery from mid-table. The Lower Saxony club won the Bundesliga title in the 2008-2009 with the help of their brilliant strikeforce of Grafite and the much sought-after Bosnian, Edin Dzeko. If Wolfsburg’s season is underwhelming Hertha Berlin’s is quite disastrous. After finishing a very credible fourth in last season, they currently rest at the foot of the table with just 15 points from 25 games – a points-to-games ratio that is worse than Premier League strugglers Portsmouth.

It is quite clear then that there are a number of important games coming up this March in the Bundesliga, and Tixdaq.com has tickets to all the following games and more:

March 13th 2010 – Schalke 04 vs. VfB Stuttgart
March 20th 2010 – Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen
March 20th 2010 – VfL Wolfsburg vs. Hertha Berlin
March 27th 2010 – Bayern Munchen vs. VfB Stuttgart
March 27th 2010 – Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Hamburger SV

Of course, you can always browse the full list of fixtures available too:

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With this kind of financial dominance over its domestic rivals and similar status to Europe’s leading clubs, one would assume that Bayern Munich would be challenging for every trophy they contend. However, in the years following the 2001 Champions League triumph, the club have not progressed further than the quarter finals of the competition. In the same ten years in the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen, VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg have interrupted Bayern’s reign at the top of the table, while Bayer Leverkusen doing particularly well this year.

While almost every other top division in Europe seems to be dominated by a two or three teams, the Bundesliga has the unusual feature that any team can win any match, and ultimately, the league. Bayern Munich may be the top earners and at the table’s summit, but the other sides in the division are constantly snapping at their heels, and this year looks to be more captivating than ever before as we enter the season’s climax.

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The Bundesliga returns from its winter break on January 15th with Bayern Munich hosting the league’s first match of 2010 against Hoffenheim.

The Bavarian giants had an erratic first half of the season with the team initially sliding down the table putting new coach Louis Van Gaal under considerable pressure. A falling out with striker Luca Toni as well as persistent injuries to wing wizards Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery were systematic of Bayern’s malaise but an excellent December has revived fresh hope amongst the followers of Germany’s biggest football club.

Bayern won their last four league matches of 2009 but the coup de grace was their astonishing qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Needing to win in Turin against Juventus, the visitors fell behind to an early David Trezeguet goal only to regroup and smash in four goals in reply.

With their star players returning to fitness and the team in third place in the league – just two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen – the New Year could well be a successful one for Bayern Munich.

Tickets for Bayern Munich v Hoffenheim are still available to compare and buy at tixdaq.com.

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Manchester United face Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday evening with one aim in mind – three points.

A win for the Red Devils is essential to keep up the pressure on Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea going into the hectic Christmas schedule and if the Blues slip up at home to Everton earlier in the day then the champions could even snatch top spot.

One sticking point is the injury crisis that has beset their back five with no less than eight defensive players in the Manchester United squad either ruled out or labelled as doubtful for the clash.

On the plus side is the fact that they swept past West Ham 4-0 at Upton Park last weekend with a makeshirt back four and then secured an excellent 3-1 win away at Wolfsburg in the Champions League with a similarly fragile-looking line-up.

United will also welcome back Nemanja Vidic, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov to the matchday squad though Michael Owen will be keen to retain his place after his goal-poaching hat-trick in Germany.

To say Manchester United are Aston Villa’s bogey side might be a bit selective as Sir Alex Ferguson has a pretty good record against every Premier League side but with no wins in their last 27 league meetings, recent history is not on the visitor’s side.

However, with United’s injury list reading like a telephone directory O’Neill might just fancy his team’s chances.

Villa are the third highest scorers in the league – behind only Chelsea and Arsenal – and they know a win could propel them up to third place in the table.

That might be wishful thinking but the form of James Milner has been electric and Stewart Downing seems to be finding his feet quickly after a long injury lay-off. The key to a positive result for the midlanders will be to use the ball wisely and economically and to have be disciplined and organised when they cede possession.

With United’s never say die attitude a home win might seem the likeliest result but a share of the points woulkd be no surprise.

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After the conclusion of Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League the group stage has finally come to an end giving us the names of all the 16 teams that will fight it out in the knockout section of the competition.

No nation is currently dominating the competition though England’s Barclays Premier League and Spain’s La Liga both had three group winners – those teams constituted their total amount of representatives after Liverpool and Atletico Madrid fell at the first hurdle. There are also three teams from Italy’s Serie A left in the competition while France’s Ligue 1 and Germany’s Bundesliga each have two teams  left in the tournament. The final three spots are made up of one team each from Portugal, Russia and Greece.

The list of qualifers for the second round in full:

Bordeaux (FRA)

Manchester United (ENG)

Real Madrid (ESP)

Chelsea (ENG)

Fiorentina (ITA)

Barcelona (ESP)

Sevilla (ESP)

Arsenal (ENG)

Bayern Munich (GER)

CSKA Moscow (RUS)

AC Milan (ITA)

FC Porto (POR)

Lyon (FRA)

Inter Milan (ITA)

Stuttgart (GER)

Olympiacos (GRE)

The draw for the second round will take place on December 18.

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While seeded teams such as Brazil and Germany have been placed in taxing groups for the FIFA World Cup, the same cannot be said about Italy.

The reigning world champions and their manager Marcello Lippi must have punched the air once the draw for Group F was concluded with their passage to the knockout stages  – force majeur notwithstanding – all but guaranteed. Having gone unbeaten throughout their qualifying campaign despite being pushed all the way by Ireland, they will have to navigate past Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia to book their place in the second round and it would take a brave man to bet against that happening.

Slovakia though will be no pushovers. On the road to South Africa they topped their group ahead of fellow World Cup qualifiers Slovenia, forcing the Czech Republic to watch the tournament from the sofa. They will field Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel in central defence while Napoli’s Marek Hamsik will be putting himself in the shop window with a number of high profile European clubs having already registered an interest in acquiring his services.

Paraguay qualified in impressive style by collecting a record haul of points from their 18 matches. They still only finished third in the oversized CONMEBOL group but they did clinch their place in South Africa by beating Diego Maradona’s Argentina. They found themselves in England’s group in Germany 2006 and failed to make it to the second round. If Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz can get some playing time under his belt before the World Cup they might feel that they have a good chance of improving on that.

New Zealand have made it to their first World Cup finals since 1982 and that itself is a reason for celebration. The All Whites took advantage of Australia’s decision to defect to the Asia qualifying zone and booked their passage with a nervy 1-0 aggregate victory over Bahrain in a trans-federation playoff for the final place in South Africa. Nothing is expected of them except to show commitment in each of their games and they will rely on Blackburn’s Ryan Nelsen to provide the experience that they will need to compete. It’s certainly one of football’s more romantic stories but don’t expect the dream to continue into the second round.

Prediction: Italy to stroll through with Paraguay edging into second place.

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Much has been made about Group G – the so-called ‘Group of Death’ – that has pitted Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast against each other but Group D should not be underestimated for its difficulty.

Germany are the standout team and would certainly be expected to progress into the knockout stages. Their record in the FIFA World Cup is exceptional having made seven appearances in the final, lifting the trophy on three occasions.  Players such as Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose bring extensive tournament experience to the squad but young stars Mesut Ozil and Aaron Hunt will also figure in a more dynamic side than that of the traditional German stereotype.

But it is the the other three sides in the group that will be fighting for the second qualification spot.

Australia’s switch to the Asia zone has paid dividends already as they made a smooth journey to South Africa without the need for a playoff. A rugged side, they might just lack a cutting edge and Everton’s Tim Cahill will be vital to any Australian success.

Ghana are another muscular side who will couple skill and physicality to bustle their way through the competition. Chelsea’s Michael Essien is their marquee player and he will lead the team from midfield with his all-action style. Stephen Appiah will also add know-how to the Black Stars as they bid to make the second round and beyond.

Serbia round off Group D and they are a side that cannot be underestimated. They east European nation qualified ahead of France and have a stern looking defence marshalled by Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic and Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. Another physically powerful team, they will be no pushovers.

Prediction: Germany top, Serbia to sneak second place – and lots of yellow cards!

England will arrive in South Africa for the FIFA World Cup next summer with the expectation of a nation on their shoulders.

Hopes are always ludicrously high whenever England go to a major tournament but with a born winner like Fabio Capello at the helm and a near flawless record in qualifying, the clamour for ultimate glory will reach fever pitch.

A draw that has to be seen as favourable if not exactly straightforward – contrary to what the tabloids would have you believe – sees England play the USA in Rustenburg on June 12th in what looks to be the heavyweight clash in Group C. That match should determine who tops the group but Capello’s men should remember the anti-climax that was Germany 2006 and the unmitigated disaster that was their absence from Euro 2008 before assuming their place in the second round is guaranteed, let alone the final.

England are the clear favourites to lead the way but don’t forget that the USA actually went further than them in 2002 when they reached the last four. They did however end up bottom of a tough group in 2006, something they will not want to repeat.

Algeria will be more difficult than many observers give them credit for. Having successfully negotiated a playoff against arch-rivals Egypt to get to South Africa they will be desperate to give a good account of themselves when they make their first appearance in the World Cup since 1986. They will not lack for raw talent though it could be their discipline and organisation that lets them down.

Slovenia are the real dark horses in this group. For all the talk of England and USA, it must be noted that it was the tiny former Yugoslav republic that disposed of a Russia team managed by the imperious Guus Hiddink in a two-legged playoff. They will be taking part in their second World Cup and they will be aiming to improve  markedly on their performance in 2002 when they failed to gain a single point.

Prediction: England to qualify with maximum points and the USA to pip Slovenia to second place.

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