Champions League: Dortmund will miss Mario Gotze, says Ballack

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL

    Venue: Wembley

    Date: Saturday 25 May

    Kick-off: 19:45 BST

Coverage: Commentary on BBC Radio 5 live; live text commentary on BBC Sport website, mobiles & app

Mario Gotze will be "a big loss" for Borussia Dortmund but they can still win the Champions League, predicts former Germany captain Michael Ballack.

Playmaker Gotze, 20, has been ruled out of Saturday's final at Wembley against Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich because of a hamstring injury.

He will join Bayern in the summer for £31.5m after agreeing a deal in April.

Ballack told the BBC World Service: "It's not just about Gotze. Dortmund are dangerous for Bayern Munich."

Gotze will become the most expensive German player of all time when his transfer goes through on 1 July.

Ballack, who played for the Bavarian side between 2002 and 2006, believes he is the best young player in the Bundesliga.

"The fact that Bayern signed him for so much money shows that he is maybe the greatest talent we have at the moment," he said.

"He is a big loss for Dortmund. Also, for the guy to reach his first final against his new club and then miss out, it's a shame."

Ballack said it would be a mistake for Bayern to write off Dortmund, who beat his former side 5-2 in the German Cup final last season without Gotze.

"Dortmund had a few fantastic games without him against Bayern in the last few years.

"They play as a team and will be strong."

BBC World Service has all the build up and full match commentary of the Champions League Final from 1500 BST on Saturday,

...culled from BBC Sports...

Manchester United: Rio Ferdinand signs new deal at Old Trafford

Veteran defender Rio Ferdinand has signed a one-year extension to his contract at Manchester United.

The deal - approved by incoming manager David Moyes - ends any doubts over the 34-year-old's future at the club.

He announced his retirement from international football last week, a move which he hopes will allow him to prolong his career at Old Trafford.

Ferdinand said: "I am delighted. It has been an incredible journey and I am glad it will continue."

Earlier this month, retiring Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said Ferdinand had enjoyed his best season for the club and would be offered a new deal.

The defender made 34 appearances for United in 2012-13, including 28 in the Premier League, more than any of the club's other central defenders.

Ferdinand said: "Who wouldn't want to play in this fantastic team in front of 76,000 fans each week?

"I can now fully concentrate on my club career, which has worked well for me over the past few years.

"This is a great team to be part of and we are now moving into a new era with the club which is very exciting.

"I have met with David (Moyes). I am really looking forward to working with him and winning many more trophies with this great club."

Ferdinand's contribution to United's Premier League title success saw him voted into the Professional Footballers' Association's team of the year by his peers.

The former West Ham United and Leeds United defender, who was capped 81 times by England, joined United in July 2002 for nearly £30m, making him the world's most expensive defender.

He has made 432 appearances for United, with a Champions League triumph and two League Cup wins to add to his six Premier League titles.

New United manager Moyes said: "It is clear for everyone to see that Rio has had one of his best seasons with the club.

"I think even from the outside you can see what a big character Rio is around the dressing room so I am delighted he has signed a new contract and I am looking forward to working with him."

Neymar “Would Be a Wonderful Addition” To Barcelona- Lionel Messi.

Reigning World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi believes Neymar would make a “wonderful addition” to the Barcelona squad should he choose to move to Nou camp.

The Argentine also thinks Pep Guardiola would make a big hit with Bayern Munich when he takes over at the Allianz Arena next season.

Speculations has been intensified in recent weeks over the future of the Santos star who, despite his insistence to remain in Brazil until after the World Cup, Barcelona are currently interested in penning down a deal with the starlet.

Should such deal materialise, the Argentina international thinks the young Brazilian would add a different dimension to Barca’s attacking threat.

“I do not know if he will end up at the club or not, Messi told Qatar Alkass. “However, it is true that he is a player who would bring a very different dimension to the team. Of course he would be a wonderful addition.”

Messi, however, is quite optimistic about 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he insists he wants to taste glory at the tournament irrespective of what it could mean to his reputation in the history of the game.

“All I care about is winning the World Cup. I won’t be thinking about whether it will mean I am the best player ever or not.”

The 25- year- old also praised former coach Frank Rijkaard and Bayern Munich- bound Pep Guardiola, a man who the four- time World Footballer of the Year believes would be a big hit at Bayern and wherever he chooses to go in the future.

“He (Rijkaard) was the one who believed in me when I was 17,” Messi added. “It was one of the most important times of my life working under him, and Pep told me I was the best player he has ever coached.

“He will succeed at Bayern. He will succeed anywhere he goes because his understanding and reading of the game is like nobody else’s.”

Oracles Across German Zoos Predict ‘Walterloo’ For Bayern At Wembley.

Bayern Munich are in for another disappointment in the Champions League final on Saturday, according to oracles across a number of zoos in Germany.

The great Paul the octopus, famous for his predictions at the 2010 World Cup and based at the Oberhausen Sea Life Center, died in 2010 after the soccer tournament. Nonetheless, there have been numerous successors in Germany, and all predictions point to an upset at Wembley.

There is Walter the Orangutan, based in Dortmund’s zoo, which has backed his hometown club to claim a second European crown after local paper Ruhr Nachrichten had asked the zookeeper Eddie Laudert to place two hessian sacks containing the two sides’ jersey on Walter’s high seat.

Initially Walter’s moved towards the Bayern shirt, but later favoured the Dortmund jersey, although his attempts to slip it on were unsuccessful.

While Walter may be considered biased, oracles in zoos in Leipzig and Aue also selected Dortmund.

Saxony in Leipzig, an Asian tapir named Baru chose a black- and- yellow kohlrabi over a red- and- white alternative. The news of the tapir’s support will come as no surprise to BVB midfielder Kevin Grosskreutz, who looks after one of the animals at the Dortmund zoo.

A neutral divination conducted at Aue, Saxony, saw two oriental small- clawed otters, named Ferret and Mormel; opt for snacks placed in the Dortmund corner of their compound over snacks in the Munich corner.

Meanwhile, attacking midfielder Mario Goetze has been ruled out of the Champions League final due to a hamstring injury. The 20- year- old suffered a hamstring injury in the semi- final second- leg clash with Real Madrid and suffered a setback in his recovery when he had to cut short his first training session on his return, back with the team yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon.

Goetze said in a statement on Dortmund’s official website: “the final was my big goal and in the past weeks I have battled hard for it.

“I am unbelievably sorry that I will not be able to help the team in this important match,” the Germany international added.

“I have huge believe in our team and will naturally travel with them to London to endeavour to support the lads off the pitch.”

Bayern Munich finalised Goetze’s deal in April, after agreeing to fulfill the payment of €37 million release clause pre- registered in the midfielders’ contract.

Goetze debuted for Dortmund at the age of just 17 years in 2009 and, after making five league appearances during his first season, helped the club secure the Bundesliga title in 2011 after scoring six goals in thirty- three games.

Supersand Eagles Skipper Olawale Plays down Any Sign of Unpreparedness Ahead of Libya Match

Nigeria has been pooled in Group B alongside Cote D’Ivoire, Egypt and Libya for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013 Africa qualifiers taking place in Morocco.

The Beach Soccer national team’s skipper Isiaka Olawale has assured Nigerians that the Supersand Eagles will do the nation proud by taking every game seriously as they battle for a ticket to the World Cup.

Olawale believes Nigeria stands a good chance to do well at the championship and that all the teams in the tournament are potential threats to Nigeria’s ambition of winning the title and as such will not be handled lightly.

“All the teams are very good, so we will not underrate anyone. Ours is to make sure we qualify from the group by winning all the matches and then book a ticket for the World Cup before thinking of how to win the trophy,” the veteran of many FIFA Beach World Cups said on Goal.com.

Reacting to claims that the team was scared of matching up with the title holders, Senegal in the group stage shortly before the draw, Olawale shrugged off the speculation; claiming it was just a mare fallacy.

“There was nothing of such, besides if you want to be the best then you must face the best. Nothing to worry about them, if we face them in the semis or in the final, we are up to the task,” Olawale said.

“We are always ready to make the country proud. Even when we are not getting the much needed motivation, we still encourage ourselves to put smiles on the faces of soccer loving Nigerians,” the skipper said in response to the readiness of his teammates for the task ahead.

Nigeria will face Libya in her opening game on Wednesday evening at the Mazagan Beach situated in El Jadida, Morocco.