Tag: Italy

Azpilicueta to Barcelona closer than ever as Catalans emerge clear favourites for defender’s signature

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta is ready to call time on his 10-year Stamford Bridge career and move back home to Spain to play for Barcelona, according to latest reports.

The rumours have been making the rounds for most of the season but the latest iteration of events now explicitly claim that Barcelona will most likely sign the 32-year-old defender on a free transfer next summer.

Azpilicueta arrived in England in 2012 for just £6.5 million as a right-back but found and cemented his place in the Chelsea squad as a left-back.

He has been a key part of the Blues’ squad since then, playing a total of 448 games across all competitions for the Blues, and being only the fourth Chelsea player to hit 300 Premier League appearances.

He has won two Premier League titles, two Europa League titles, three FA Cup titles, the EFL Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA Super Cup in his time at the Bridge, and all that looks to be over now.

ESPN now reports that Barcelona are leading the race for his signature as the defender looks at a return back to his homeland to wind down the remaining years of his career. Atlético de Madrid are also understood to be interested.

Talks between player and club a key reason for current situation

Chelsea have had it bad with contract talks this season as their four main defensive options all have expiring contracts in the summer. Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen all have contracts expiring in June.

There is still time for the club to sort out these contracts but as is the case with all the others, talks between Azpilicueta and Chelsea remain “active” but no progress seems to be made.

The reported reason for the lack of progress between Azpilicueta’s entourage and Chelsea in their contract talks is the defender’s preferred contract extension length alongside a guarantee for more game time with the Blues.

The defender remains a key part of Chelsea’s set up, is loved by manager Thomas Tuchel, the dressing room and the fans, but has seen his spot in the starting line-up usurped by Reece James.

He has also lost his place in Tuchel’s preferred back-three formation to Andreas Christensen, and the lack of game time is giving the defender cause for worry as he prepares to represent Spain at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Although preferring to stay at the club, the 32-year-old is still believed to be keen on taking on a fresh challenge at this stage of his career and his entourage is currently exploring offers which he will be free to scrutinise in the January transfer window

The defender will cost Barcelona a lot less than their preferred first choice left-back, Valencia captain Jose Luis Gaya. His experience in European competitions will also come in handy as the Catalans seek to return to being European royalty in the coming seasons.

New transfer target emerges for Chelsea

Elsewhere, AC Milan’s Franck Kessie has emerged as a new transfer target for Chelsea.

The Serie A club recently threw their hat in the ring for Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen who could be leaving Chelsea this summer as they seek to reinforce their shaky defence following the long-term injury to key centreback, Simon Kjaer.

AC Milan have already taken Fikayo Tomori off Chelsea’s hands and both clubs have a cordial relationship. Chelsea now look to be targeting wantaway midfielder Kessie to shore up their midfield.

Chelsea want to use the relationship with AC Milan as well as their interest in Rudiger and Christensen to pull off the deal.

Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira finds a home in Italy; clubs come to understanding on midfielder’s future

Arsenal’s forgotten man, Lucas Torreira, is now an important part of Fiorentina and reports now suggest that both clubs will be meeting in the coming weeks to make the Uruguayan’s loan move permanent.

Fiorentina snapped up Lucas Torreira on loan from Arsenal in the summer after the diminutive midfielder spent last season on loan at Atlético de Madrid where he won the LaLiga title.

The 25-year-old has only missed four of 17 Serie A games for La Viola this season due to technical decisions but has been immense for the Serie A club in the 13 games he has played so far.

According to Il Corriere Fiorentino, Fiorentina have now decided to make the loan move for the former Sampdoria midfielder – which was agreed with an option to buy clause inserted – a permanent one.

The deal will cost La Viola €15 million to execute, with the club’s hierarchy moving to begin talks immediately thanks to a push from manager Vincenzo Italiano.

Made for the Serie A

Arsenal signed the diminutive midfielder from Sampdoria in July 2018 for an undisclosed fee after the midfielder impressed with Sampdoria.

Unai Emery, Arsenal’s manager at the time, fielded the 25-year-old quite often and he impressed the Premier League, even drawing comparisons with N’Golo Kante.

He looked destined for big things but Mikel Arteta’s appointment following Emery’s sack saw his stock drop considerably until he became surplus to requirements at Arsenal.

The club used him as a bargaining chip to bring Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey from Atlético de Madrid to the Emirates last season, but the Uruguayan only played a handful of games at the Wanda Metropolitano.

He left the Spanish club a league champion but was still considered surplus to requirements at Arsenal, until Fiorentina offered him the option to recalibrate his career.

Torreira, who has spent the most part of his career in Italy since leaving Uruguay at 16 years old, is back to his best and the Gunners are happy to cash in on the player.

The €15 million deal will be a loss for the Gunners who were rumoured to have spent in excess of €30 million to snap up the midfielder from Sampdoria, however.

Relationship between Fiorentina and Lucas excellent, says Torreira’s father

Riccardo Torreira, Lucas Torreira’s father, has dropped the biggest hint on the midfielder’s move back to Serie A with Fiorentina.

Riccardo spoke on the matter in an interview with Radio Bruno where he stated that the relationship between the midfielder and the Serie A side is “excellent”.

“We are not surprised by his form at Fiorentina because he is a boy who likes to play,” Riccardo told Radio Bruno.

“Although in some clubs he did not have minutes, this depends on the manager. Not all managers are the same. 

“In the past, others have given him the opportunity to prove that he is an excellent player. That’s why he plays in Italy right now.  

“He is very happy. He lives in a beautiful house, lives in the city.  

“I want him to be happy in everything he does. If Fiorentina wants to buy him, it will be up to Lucas to decide.

“We support him in every decision he makes. It will always depend on the affection of the people, on his performances, on the opportunities that will be granted to him. 

“I repeat: it depends on the relationship between Fiorentina and Lucas, which at the moment is excellent.” 

Welsh international reaches agreement to leave Juventus in January

Aaron Ramsey and Juventus have reached an agreement for the 30-year-old to seek a new club in January without terminating his contract according to reports.

Ramsey has found life tough in Turin due to injuries and adaptation problems since joining on a free transfer from Arsenal for a reported £400,000-a-week contract.

The Wales midfielder has only started 25 league games of the 49 appearances he has amassed for Juventus in his two years at the club and has played a total of 70 games, scoring only six goals for the Bianconeri.

There were rumours In the media about Juventus planning to terminate the 30-year-old’s contract but a meeting between Ramsey’s agent and the club’s management have proved them to be false, according to Italian journalist Giovanni Albanese.

Numerous clubs are reportedly interested in Ramsey, including Everton and Newcastle United from the Premier League where Ramsey would prefer a return to.

Juventus is keen to offload the former Gunners man for the right price or on loan provided the loaning club can cover his salary demands.

Juventus unlucky with Ramsey, says Nedved

Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved has admitted that the club and Ramsey are a bad fit for each other in an honest assessment of the midfielder’s situation to Italian media outlet Infinity+.

Ramsey has not lost his touch however, as he continues to deliver for the Welsh national team whenever he’s called up. He remains a key member of Ryan Giggs’ squad and one of the first names on the Welsh team sheet.

In October, the 30-year-old hinted at this fact. In an interview with local media during an international break, Ramsey claimed that Juventus don’t know how to use him.

He said: “The training philosophy and methods are different in my club from here [Wales].

“There are a lot of people here who have a number of years of managing me. So they know how to get the best out of me and allow me to play a lot of games in a row, like I showed in the Euros.

“I’m capable of doing that and producing good performances. I’m feeling good, ready to go.”

Nedved admitted that this is the case following the latest meeting which decided Ramsey’s fate with Juventus.

“‘Ramsey is an unlucky lad,” Nedved said. “In the national team he scores goals and puts up good performances, but he fails to do so with us.

“He is unlucky with us, we are unlucky with him, because we are unable to make him play.”

Everton in pole position to sign Ramsey in January

Reports claim that both Newcastle United and Everton are front runners for Aaron Ramsey, but that Everton already have a seat at the midfielder’s negotiation table.

Calciomercato reports that the Toffees hijacked the seat from the Magpies who were leading the race for Ramsey’s signature, and have begun talks with the 30-year-old’s agent ahead of a January move.

And Daily Star reports that Everton boss, Rafa Benitez, whose job is on the line following a slow start to the season, is the one pushing for the deal to happen.

The Welshman is currently out due to another injury. However, it makes no difference as he’s at the bottom of the pecking order in Juventus – which is not a great look for the midfielder considering the poor showings of Juventus’ other midfielders this season.

Inter Milan confident of landing 25-year-old goalkeeper amidst Barcelona interest

Inter Milan are confident of bringing in-demand goalkeeper, André Onana, from Ajax Amsterdam to San Siro next season despite major interest from Barcelona, according to the latest reports.

André Onana’s contract at Ajax expires in June 2022 and both parties have not come to any conclusions on a contract extension, even though Ajax wants to keep the Cameroonian at the club beyond the summer of 2022.

Onana was the subject of several transfer speculations over the summer including clubs in the Premier League, Serie A and Barcelona, but now looks to be heading to Inter Milan when his time at Ajax is done.

Onana had previously hinted at an exit from the Eredivisie giants last month. Speaking after his return to competitive football with Ajax in their UEFA Champions League match against Besiktas following a doping ban, Onana mentioned that he’s the only one left from the Ajax side who impressed the world four seasons ago.

“When you open a door, at some point you have to close it,” the 25-year-old goalkeeper began. Maybe it is time for me to go. I have done my best for this club and accomplished everything I could. We have won a lot together. When I see the pictures of the Europa League final in 2017, I think I am the last one still here. That was a really great season.”

Inter and Barcelona have remained the most interested in Onana’s services, but the Nerazzurri are now reportedly in pole position to sign Onana on a free next season.

Fabrizio Romano, per Calciomercato, claims that Internazionale have a verbal agreement with the goalkeeper to replace their 37-year-old club captain Samir Handanovich in goal for the next four years. Catalan outlet El Nacional also confirms that Barcelona is facing an uphill task to get their former academy ace back to Camp Nou as Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s replacement.

El Nacional reports that Ter Stegen is being considered for transfer due to the club’s financial situation, and Onana has been earmarked as a potential replacement for the German who is courting interest for the like of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United.

The Catalan outlet also claims that Barcelona is looking to use the funds they get from Ter Stegen to fund a transfer for Erling Haaland.

And La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Onana will earn €3 million per year at Inter, although it is not sure if he will immediately take over as the first choice goalkeeper from Samir Handanovic, whose contract at Inter is also in its final stages.

Ajax open to releasing Onana despite hopes of keeping him

Ajax are still hoping they can work out a contract between the club and the Cameroonian international who will be leaving the club for the African Cup of Nations tournament in January, hosted by his home country.

However, the club has stated in the past that they cannot force the goalkeeper to a new contract and will let him leave for free when his current contract expires in June 2022 if he doesn’t sign by then.

“We’ve been very clear. We have been trying to extend his contract for some time. That has not worked out then you allow for him to make a transfer in this past window, that also didn’t work out,” Ajax director of football, Marc Overmars told the club’s media in September.

He added: “You never know in football. But I have to say that, at the moment, I don’t see that [Onana’s contract extension] happening.

“It’s possible but at a certain point it still has to be for a decent sum of money. Otherwise, as I said, we have to go our separate ways. If the offer is not enough, then he’ll leave in July for free.”

Juventus’ turn to PSG and Manchester United for solutions to attacking problems

Juventus’ have struggled in front of goal this season and have now identified two outcasts at Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United to solve their problem.

They won their last game convincingly but their attacking performances in the course of the season have left much to be considered and desired.

Manager Massimiliano Allegri has had to deal with plenty of issues in the side, including defensive problems, and has struggled to find a solution to any of them as Juventus keep suffering in the league.

They let Cristiano Ronaldo move to Manchester United in the summer, giving up 30 goals a season. Despite having Alvaro Morata, Paulo Dybala and Moise Kean in their squad, however, Juventus only have 20 league goals this season.

This lack of attacking output has kept the Bianconeri out of the top four, and the club’s management, according to reports, are now looking to bring reinforcements in the winter transfer window.

Serie A top scorer, Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic, who has scored more goals individually than all of Juve’s attackers combined, remains their primary target. The Serbian is currently out of their reach financially, however, making the Bianconeri look elsewhere.

Barcelona target Edinson Cavani and Mauro Icardi are the reported attacking reinforcements, according to Tuttosport.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Juventus to Manchester United has sent Cavani down the pecking order at Old Trafford while Icardi has not replicated his impressive Inter Milan form since joining PSG in 2019.

The Bianconeri hope to secure a loan for one or both strikers in the winter transfer window, as they look to sharpen their fangs up front and begin taking teams out in their usual fashion.

Wanda Nara drops hint of possible Icardi-Juve link up

Mauro Icardi’s wife and manager, Wanda Nara, may have hinted a possible move for the PSG striker back to Italy with Juventus.

In her latest social media post, shared a photo of her wearing a zebra-striped top, with the caption: “I toast for me, for what is coming this year and for you.”

Icardi, 28, joined PSG from Inter in 2019 after initially being linked with Juventus. There is a reported clause in his PSG contract which requires the Parisien club to pay Inter Milan the sum of £12 million if their former captain is moved on from Paris to another Serie A club.

The clause was allegedly installed in the forward’s PSG transfer contract following string interest from the Turin powerhouse club. Yet, Juventus continue to be linked with Icardi and are now rumoured to be discussing with his camp ahead of a winter loan move.

Footmercato in Italy claims that Allegri has already spoken to Icardi’s entourage in recent days and told them he ‘would love to have’ the striker with him in Turin.

Judging by Wanda Nara’s latest post, there might be something concrete on the horizon regarding these rumours. It could yet be another ploy by Icardi’s wife to stir controversy and rumours, as she is known for such antics in the football space.

Juventus rejected Cavani in the summer; now desperate for his signature

Juventus have long admired the Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani since his record-breaking Napoli days. He was the subject of several transfer rumours with Juventus at the centre during his time there and even during his time at PSG after leaving Napoli.

Cavani had rejected the Turin club in the past due to his loyalty to Napoli, choosing to go to Manchester United imafyer his latest rejection of the club.

Following the signing of Ronaldo by Manchester United and the reduction of Cavani’s role in the squad, Manchester United offered Cavani as a replacement for Ronaldo. Juventus declined the offer.

Calciomercato reported that Cavani’s wages at United we’re a lot for Juventus to match, which was the reason for their refusal to sign the one striker they’ve wanted the most in the past decade.

The club had to let Ronaldo go due to his huge financial demands, and bringing Cavani who demanded just as high – £250,000 per week – was going to cripple them further.

This fact, coupled with the new transfer policy within Juventus to sign only youngsters with an average age of 23 years old kept Cavani from moving to Juventus in the summer

Cavani has played just over 200 minutes only for Manchester United in the Premier League this season, which have come across five appearances. The arrival of interim manager Ralf Rangnick doesn’t look to change the situation, and the striker wants out.

Juventus will have to battle with Barcelona for his signature in the winter, just like they did over Matthias De Ligt and Frenkie De Jong three years ago.

Antonio Conte to go all in for Juventus’ Swedish prodigy

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has thrown his hat in the ring for Juventus’ out of favour Swedish talent, Dejan Kulusevski, reports have now confirmed.

Dejan Kulusevski is one of Mikel Arteta’s targets to help Arsenal’s attack get back into shape and it is understood that the Swede is leaning towards a move to the red half of North London.

But with the latest confirmed reports, Arsenal will have to pull a rabbit out of a hat to be able to prevent Kulusevski from wearing the white if their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, in the coming winter or summer transfer window.

Dejan Kulusevski signed for Juventus from Atalanta in the winter of the 2019/20 Serie A season on a four-and-a-half year deal, for a fee in the region of €44 million which includes variables. He was on loan at Parma at the time and was sent back to the club to see out the loan deal.

At Parma, he became the youngest player in the top five European leagues to score at least seven goals and make at least five assists. He won the Serie A Best Young Player for the season, and fully joined his new club, Juventus’, the season after.

Following the sacking of Andrea Pirlo, Kulusevski has now been reduced to a bit-part player, starting only four of his 14 games in the Serie A so far this season. The winger is looking for more playing time, and Antonio Conte is willing to give it to him.

Antonio Conte has stabilised the Spurs ship left in a bit of disarray by sacked coach Nuno Espirito Santo but has made it very clear that he wants new players and wants to ship out a few of his current ones.

And with a reasonable transfer chest available to him in the winter window, Kulusevski’s camp has now begun to consider Tottenham Hotspur as a possible destination for their player.

No permanent transfer offer for the Swede on the books yet

The report by Sportmediaset claims that Kulusevski’s agent Alessandro Lucci is looking at both the Arsenal and Tottenham bids for Kulusevski.

At the moment, however, only loan bids for the £31 million-valued former Serie A young player of the year with an option to buy have reached both agent and club.

Antonio Conte likes the 21-year-old’s tall frame and versatility, as Kulusevski is capable of being deployed in several midfield roles as well as attacking roles. Fast, physically strong, and technically gifted, Kulusevski could come in and comfortably give Giovanni Lo Celso, Dele Alli and a few others a run for their money in the Spurs’ squad.

Antonio Conte’s staff assure Harry Kane of full support

Elsewhere, Antonio Conte and his staff are doing all they can to keep their misfiring striker, Harry Kane, who still remains the centre of transfer speculation, happy at the club.

The Italian’s staff at Tottenham have reportedly been working hard to change the mentality of Harry Kane to ensure he’s ready to stay with the club beyond the January transfer window.

Conte is an expert at transforming players, with Victor Moses and Romelu Lukaku being his biggest examples. Spurs fans still have to worry about Manchester City returning with another tempting bid for the England captain, but can count on Conte to do all he can to bring back the old Harry Kane.

Jose Mourinho in monologue rant over state of AS Roma squad after loss to Inter Milan

Jose Mourinho slipped back into old habits with a monologue rant at his post-match press conference following AS Roma’s loss to Internazionale on matchday 16 of the 2021/22 Serie A season.

Inter travelled to Rome and demolished Mourinho’s side in the first half, whose squad went into the game with a lot key of absences due to injuries, suspension and Coronavirus.

Inter completed their rout of Roma in the first 39 minutes of the game, with goals from Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Edin Džeko who was making his return to Roma after his move to Inter in the summer, and Denzel Dumfries.

Mourinho, who led Inter to a treble in 2010, had never lost a home game in Serie until this season; his second stint in the league. Now, he has lost twice, with this 3-0 hammering from his former club being his second defeat at the Stadio Olimpico for the Giallorossi.

The Special One has not had it easy since assuming the role of AS Roma head coach in the summer following his sacking as Tottenham Hotspur manager the season before.

Mourinho has a reputation for being a bad loser and he slipped back into old habits at the press conference following the game. The 58-year-old Portuguese manager refused to take questions from the DAZN studio or pundits but gave a monologue to the camera.

Inter are stronger than Roma, Mourinho rants

Jose Mourinho told journalists plainly that Inter ‘are stronger than Roma in normal conditions, while also stating that ‘in non-normal conditions, they [Inter] are much stronger.’

This was Mourinho’s first meeting with his former club since winning the treble in 2010 and he did it without Tammy Abraham and Rick Karsdorp who were suspended; Stephan El Shaarawy, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Leonardo Spinazzola who were injured, and Ghanaian youngster Felix Afena-Gyan who was out with COVID-19.

It was also his seventh loss of the season following losses to Hellas Verona, Lazio, Juventus, AC Milan, Venezia and Bologna.

A journalist began by asking Mourinho a question to which former Chelsea manager replied: “Your job is a lot easier than ours which is why we earn a lot more than you.” Mourinho then went on to shut down every question with his monologue rant.

“I apologise to the studio, to the people at home who might be interested in their questions,” the Roma boss manager began.

“Inter are stronger than us in normal conditions. In non-normal conditions, they are much stronger than us. Last season, they were 29 points ahead of Roma. Today, with injuries and suspended players, it was very, very difficult.

“Our attacking potential was practically nil. It was very important to score a goal because we would only have two or three chances. We had three and didn’t score.

“When you play with a defence that has Ibanez and various others in positions that are not their usual ones, you still cannot concede the first and third goals. You just can’t.

“The referee did well, he didn’t influence the result at all, he just should’ve booked Cristante too. We are the most undisciplined side in Serie A, we’ve got more cards than anyone.”

This is not the first time Mourinho has thrown a team he manages under the boss, but the first time he’s done it at Roma who now have a clue how irate their boss can be when things don’t go his way. He went on to congratulate Inter for the win and wish them well for their Champions League game during the week.

“Congratulations to Inter, obviously I wish them good luck for Tuesday,” Mourinho added.

Inter will go head-to-head with Real Madrid for the top Champions League spot in their group on Tuesday.

Simon Kjaer ruled out for rest of season after ACL surgery

AC Milan defender and Denmark national team captain will miss the rest of the 2021/22 season after undergoing surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament.

The 32-year-old Dane, who finished 18th in the recent Ballon d’Or rankings, was injured after four minutes in AC Milan’s Serie A game against Genoa and had to go under the knife in order to make a full recovery.

Kjaer’s surgery happened on Wednesday, after which Milan reported the disappointing news of the centre-back’s season coming to a premature end on their official club website.

The statement on the AC Milan club website reads: “AC Milan announces that today Simon Kjaer underwent arthroscopy of the left knee for the reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament and the re-insertion of the medial collateral ligament.”

“The operation, carried out at the La Madonnina Clinic, was perfectly successful and was performed by Dr. Roberto Pozzoni, with the contribution of the Galeazzi CTS (Sports Traumatology Centre) team in the presence of the club’s health manager, Stefano Mazzoni.

“Kjaer is well and is motivated to start the rehabilitation process immediately. Recovery time is estimated at six months.”

Kjaer’s absence for the rest of the season comes as a big blow to Milan who stand a chance of reclaiming the Scudetto after a decade this season.

The Rossoneri are just one point in second place behind Napoli at the top of the Serie A table, and Kjaer has been a key reason for their current form.

AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli admits to the squad being dismayed at the news of Kjaer’s season being over. Speaking at the press conference ahead of the Salernitana game, Pioli: “We experienced it with great dismay, we know the qualities of the player and the depth of the person.

“His presence in the team is very important for his charisma, personality and knowing how to say things at the right time. We are right behind Simon, worried for his situation but aware and sure that everyone will be fine and he’ll overcome these difficulties because he’s a very strong player and man.”

AC Milan already looking at a replacement for Kjaer

Youngster Matteo Gabbia is the only other centre-back in the squad outside Fikayo Tomori and club captain Alessandro Romagnoli, meaning Milan may have to find short-term reinforcements in January.

The Rossoneri have identified AS Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile as this replacement. The club’s management is already on the move working to bring in Badiashile from Monaco, according to reports.

The 20-year-old French centre back is more experienced than his age suggests, with over 100 official games for Monaco with performances that have attracted the attention of many clubs.

However, Monaco are not willing to part ways with their gem in January unless an offer of 30 million euros arrives.

European World Cup 2022 playoff draws: Portugal hopes of qualifying slimmer in ‘path of death’

Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal will face an uphill battle in their playoffs for a spot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as they have been drawn in the same path as the Euro 2020 tournament champions, Italy.

Both teams will not be playing each other from the start, however. Italy will be facing North Macedonia, while Portugal will have to scale through the hurdle of Turkey. The winners of both matches will face each other for the sole qualifying spot in their path.

Portugal had a relatively good qualifying campaign until a late capitulation against Serbia in Lisbon sent them into second place for the playoffs. Italy, on the other hand, had an average campaign but managed to end up in second place for another chance to qualify in the playoffs.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be looking to make his fifth World Cup appearance and as such will be taking his captain duties very seriously as ‘Os Navegadores’ prepare to crush the obstacles in their path.

Portugal’s potential qualification, however, will see the World Cup happen without the current Euro title holders.

Italy would have rather avoided Portugal, Mancini says

“It’s a very difficult draw for us,” Italy boss Roberto Mancini said immediately after the draw. “North Macedonia is a good team and, if we win, we have to play away to Turkey or Portugal in the final. It’s very strong.

“These are one-off games and there are always adversities. Just as we would have liked to have avoided Portugal, I think [Portugal] would have gladly avoided Italy.

“Will we get to the World Cup? We are always confident and positive; the most important thing will be to have all the players available.”

Portugal boss, Fernando Santos, however, is very confident about his team’s chances of making it to the World Cup. Speaking after the draw, the Portugal boss said: “I have complete confidence that we will be at the World Cup in Qatar.

“It’s not worth talking about Italy. We have to focus, first of all, on beating Turkey. This is the most important game for us in order to be in the [playoff] final and win that, which is our main objective. Regarding the draw, it is what it is, there’s no point in discussing it further.

“There were positive things, we will be playing at home and will have the opportunity to play in front of our fans if we reach the final.”

Full European World Cup qualifier paths

Portugal, Turkey, Italy and North Macedonia are in path C of the playoffs. The final of this path will be played at the home of either Portugal or Turkey.

Path A will see Scotland, Ukraine, Wales and Austria do battle. Scotland and Ukraine will take on each other, while Wales and Austria will battle it out for a way out of the path and into the World Cup finals in Qatar.

Russi will take on Poland, while Sweden will face Czech Republic in path B.