He is regarded as one of the world s most talented playmakers.

Yet unfortunately for Cesc Fabregas his country Spain have an abundance of them and he must therefore await his chance from the bench as the Furia Roja look to beat Russia on Thursday to reach the final of Euro 2008.

Cesc says that s fine by him as long as he preferably gets at least a taste of the action.

If I have to help the team in the last half-hour as has happened until now, or even five minutes, or even not at all, that s okay by me. I am not seeking to cover myself in glory but I want it for the team, for Spain, said Arsenal s Catalan gunner.

I am available for the coach for the first minute, the 60th, the 90th, extra-time or penalties, he insisted.

Just 21, Fabregas has …

Philadelphia Union used an action-packed first half to see off Portland Timbers 3-0 as Seattle Sounders had to settle for a goalless draw with Austin in MLS.

Goals from Kacper Przybylko and Sergio Santos in the opening 45 minutes helped the Union ease past the Timbers on Sunday.

Przybylko headed home the opener in the 26th minute and Santos doubled the lead five minutes later at Subaru Park, where he redirected his team-mate s shot.

VAR and a handball denied the Union a third goal, but Philadelphia made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute when Jack Elliott poked home to heap further misery on Portland.

Miss the match?

Spoiler alert: It was a good one.

— PhilaUnion (@PhilaUnion)

The result snapped the Union s run of five consecutive …

Marek Hamsik celebrated his new status as Napoli s all-time record goalscorer by netting decisively in the Serie A leaders 1-0 win at Crotone.

Napoli wore shirts adorned with commemorative patches to honour Hamsik scoring his 116th goal for the club against Sampdoria last weekend – surpassing Diego Maradona s long-standing record.

The Slovakia midfielder continued a current purple patch to score his third in as many matches with an assured finish after 17 minutes, extending the advantage over Juventus for Maurizio Sarri s men at the summit to four points ahead of the weekend action.

Hamsik had number 117 in his sights after 10 minutes when he exchanged passes with Lorenzo Insigne but saw his effort deflected behind by Stefan Simic.

It arrived soon eno…

Jonas Gutierrez is set to return to training with Newcastle United next month following treatment for testicular cancer.

Alan Pardew has revealed that the popular Argentinian midfielder could make a sensational return to the club after winning his year-long battle with cancer.

Gutierrez, 31, has been back in training with his first team, Argentinian side Velez Sarsfield, in anticipation of a return to Tyneside.

We had a response from his surgeon to say that in about a month s time he can cope with professional training, Pardew said.

So we are not rushing him in any shape or form, just letting Jonas have some time because it s such an illness that you do need a lot of recovery time for that.

But he s in great shape. Colo (Fabricio Coloccini) tel…

Roberto Martinez is enthused by Everton s ever-improving defence as they travel to a Sunderland side hoping to consolidate their own upturn.

The Mersyside club have taken seven points from the last nine available to them in the Premier League, conceding just one goal in the process.

That comes in stark contrast to Everton shipping 10 goals in their first three games of the season including six at home to Chelsea before being overturned 3-2 at Goodison Park by Crystal Palace.

And with a trip to the Stadium of Light to come on Sunday, Martinez believes his side are starting to click once again as they sit just two points adrift of the top six in ninth, while only three sides have scored more than their 19 goals.

He said: In the table you are where you deser…

French striker Olivier Giroud wants to stay at Arsenal amid reports he may be sold at the end of the season.

Giroud has endured a turbulent season at the Emirates after revelations he had slept with a model the night before the club s home fixture against Crystal Palace on February.

The married Frenchman was subsequently dropped by manager Arsene Wenger, although he has started Arsenal s past two matches.

That has not stopped speculation regarding his future in London, with reports linking him with a move away following his off-field indiscretions.

However, the 27-year-old has quashed talks of a possible departure, stressing he has no intention of leaving the Premier League side.

You shouldn t listen to that, he said. A lot of things were said.

I m s…

The value of for fans of the game cannot be overstated. This is especially true for punters – statistics and deep knowledge of the teams are crucial if you want to find success. However, beginners are often stumped by all the numbers, abbreviations, and strange terms. After all, most soccer statistics are not quite general knowledge.

Stats aggregators and football league tables often feature three common football terms – GF (Goals For), GA (Goals Agains) and GD (Goal Difference.) You may be able to guess what they mean, but a true is not about guessing. It’s about knowing.

No worries, though – it’s nothing complicated, and we can explain GA for beginners.

This simple soccer betting guide will explain GA, GF, and GD in soccer. We’ll completely cover…

Toby Alderwiereld is keen to secure a permanent move to Southampton once his loan deal has come to an end, .

The Belgium international swapped Atletico Madrid for the Premier League high flyers on a temporary basis in the summer, and has been a key member of a defence that have shipped a division-best just five goals so far this season.

The 25 year old only moved to Atleti from Ajax in the summer of 2013, and he made the last of twenty-two appearances in all competitions as a substitute in the Champions League defeat to city rivals Real in Lisbon back in May.

Southampton currently sit second in the Premier League after taking twenty-five points from their opening eleven games, and are just four behind leaders and title favourites Chelsea.

They are se…

Scotland and Republic of Ireland were pretty unlucky to be placed in the same Euro 2016 qualifying group, especially with Germany and Poland also in the mix, given that both sides have shown a great deal of improvement of late and are hoping to make it to the tournament finals. This basically means that stakes will be extremely high when they square off at Parkhead on Friday.

Scotland had struggled to live up to the billing for quite a while when Gordon Strachan took over the reigns from Craig Levein in January 2013 and the former Celtic manager has quickly managed to get the national team back in track. The Scots showed a lot of promise in the second part of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, with double win over very good Croatia side proving they have what it takes to mix it up …

Origi wants early Liverpool return

Liverpool striker Divock Origi admits that he would prefer to join his new club in January rather than in the summer.

The Reds purchased the highly rated forward from Lille in the summer transfer window, but then loaned him back to Grand Stade Lille Metropole.

And while Origi was not supposed to return to Anfield before next summer, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers wants the Belgian to arrive in January in an attempt to solve the attacking crisis.

The player himself is eagerly anticipating the move to England and admits he would rather move in January, provided the two clubs can reach an agreement.

Maybe January, who knows? Origi . It s not me who makes the decisions, but if the club choose to let me go in Januar…