Former Toronto FC midfielder Maurice Edu will likely be in the squad for Rangers on Sunday when the club faces rival Celtic in Glasgow. If Edu arrives in the city on time, manager Walter Smith sees no reason why the US international would not factor into the Old Firm match. Rangers spent £2.6m on Edu who agreed to a five-year deal. He recently competed for the United States in a World Cup qualifier against Guatemala. The 22-year-old also competed in the Olympic tournament in China.
In UEFA Champions League news:
Juventus, Barcelona, and Greek-power Panathinaikos all qualified for the group stage of the tournament.
Juventus returns to the group stage after the club’s much publicized match-fixing scandal which cost the outfit a year in Serie A. Now back in Europe, Juventus should make a serious run at the trophy behind the likes of Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon.
Barcelona sports a very different roster and staff from that of last season. At the end of June 2008, Frank Rijkaard was replaced by Josep Guardiola who was coaching Barcelona B (now Barcelona Atlètic). Several players including Thuram, Zambrotta, Deco, Giovani dos Santos and Ronaldinho are all gone. Forward Samuel Eto’o could be heading out the door too.
The group stage could be the perfect arena for Panathinaikos defensive midfielder Simão Junior’s coming-out party. The 20-year-old Mozambique player has garnered strong reviews when he has seen the pitch. Simão should factor into several group matches and is known for his tenaciousness.
