Milito: Inter striker Diego Milito could make a return from injury in a Serie A match against Juventus next month. The Argentine has been out of the game since February when he snapped knee ligaments during an Europa League match. “My dream was to be there for the start of the season, but in mid-September there’s a certain game at San Siro... I prefer not to kid myself, but maybe I could do it.” Inter play Juventus on the weekend of Sept. 14-15.
Cardiff: Kim Bo-kyung scored the only goal of the game as Cardiff continued their preparations ahead of their first Premier League season with a win at home to Chievo. Malky Mackay named a strong side for the visit of the Serie A outfit to the Cardiff City Stadium, with new club-record signing Steven Caulker making his first appearance for the club as a second-half substitute. The Bluebirds will face Athletic Bilbao next weekend in their final pre-season clash.
Saints lose: Southampton lost on penalties to Celta Vigo in the Trofeo Memorial Quinocho following a 0-0 draw. Big-money summer signings Dejan Lovren and Victor Wanyama both started for Mauricio Pochettino’s side at Balaidos but the Saints could not find a way through. Young midfielder James Ward-Prowse saw his penalty saved with only Steven Davis managing to score from the spot as Celta secured a 4-1 shoot-out win.
Fabregas: Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta yes-terday said Manchester United had accepted defeat in their bid to sign Cesc Fabregas. “Manchester United are interested in the player, but it’s also true that they under-stand our position of not wanting to sell. They have renounced his signing,” Zubizarreta said. “We aren’t going to sell him. He has a contract with us.”
Bari: The new season in Italy is still a couple of weeks away but there’s already the first coaching casualty as Serie B club Bari parted ways with Carmine Gautieri during the weekend. Reports said Gautieri left his post by mutual consent only 20 days after being appointed to replace Vincenzo Torrente as he was unable to handle the pressure of intense pre-season protests from the fans.