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Birmingham City could be charged with breaching Football League rules for receiving funding from prospective buyer Paul Richardson without securing approval from the EFL. Sportsmail has learned that Richardson and his business partner Maxi Lopez have been helping Birmingham with their running costs for some time, leading the EFL to investigate whether they are acting as directors of the club, which would constitute a breach of their rulebook and lead to disciplinary charges. Richardson confirmed to Sportsmail last night that he is providing Birmingham with funding as part of his agreement to buy the club, but it is unclear whether or not he has received approval from the EFL to do so. The local businessman has been in talks with Birmingham's owners since last summer as part of a consortium also featuring former Barcelona striker Lopez since last summer, and claimed in July that a takeover was three weeks ago. 'We have an agreement to buy the club and this [funding] is part of t...

All you need to know about how to watch the Champions League game between Viktoria Plzen vs Barcelona on Tuesday, 1 November 2022 at the Doosan Arena. Barcelona travel to the Czech Republic for their final Champions League game of the 2022-23 campaign on Tuesday. The Catalan club have been knocked out of the competition and will play in the Europa League for the second consecutive season. In a group with Bayern Munich and Inter, Barça were unable to progress to the last 16, collecting only four points from five games, and Xavi is expected to give some of his key players a rest against Viktoria Plzen. The following channels and online streaming services will be showing Viktoria Plzen vs Barcelona: You will be able to follow all the action from Viktoria Plzen vs Barcelona here on AS USA, where we’ll have minute-by-minute coverage. We’ll be building up to the game from an hour before kick-off, with team news and analysis. Viktoria come into this one unbeaten domestically, having collected...

Manchester City maintained their impressive start to the season with an important victory over Leicester City on Saturday afternoon, with Kevin De Bruyne scoring the winning goal for Pep Guardiola's side. The Blues, who were without Erling Haaland at the weekend, briefly moved to the top of the Premier League table, but were leapfrogged by Arsenal following their emphatic win over Nottingham Forest. Guardiola's side will have to deal with a busy schedule before the season pauses for the World Cup in Qatar, which continues on Tuesday night when they host Sevilla in the Champions League. City have already qualified for the knockout stages in Europe, but will be keen to finish on a high. City will compete in three different competitions before the break in the season, with Guardiola's men in Premier League, Champions League and EFL Cup action. Putting the two cup competitions to one side - MEN Sport has taken a close look at the Blues' next six league fixtures, two of whic...

Sergio Aguero is a bona fide legend for Manchester City, proudly sitting atop of the club's list of all-time top scorers – and also bagging the most iconic goal the club has ever seen during his time there as well. But that didn't stop Pep Guardiola once dropping him for being "too fat". The Argentine was at the Etihad for a decade and won a boatload of trophies on his way to notching 260 goals. But he has now told the story of the time when Guardiola stood him down after his weight went above the accepted threshold of the Spaniard's exhaustive body stats. Picking up the story, Aguero told El Chiringuito : "If your ideal weight is 79 to 80 kilograms, and you were 80.1 kilograms, you would be fined, and you don’t play. "But it can happen. You come across a little bit of chicken for example, then you are going to be 50 grams over. In the first season (after Guardiola arrived) we were between fourth and third and he said; 'I left you out because you tur...

Manchester United have confirmed that striker Anthony Martial returned to first-team training at the club's Carrington training complex on Monday. The Frenchman, who has scored three goals this season, has missed United's last six matches with a back injury. After earning his first start of the season, he was forced off less than half an hour into the Reds' 2-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park earlier this month. That setback marked a third injury of the season already for Martial, following hamstring and Achilles injuries earlier this term. He has played just four times in all competitions this season. But despite his lack of availability, he has been excellent when fit, scoring three goals and recording two assists. His injury luck has haunted him and starved United of a player who has looked revitalised under Erik ten Hag's management. Ahead of Thursday's crunch Europa League clash with Real Sociedad in Spain, Martial has started to train with the team again, of...

Hope Powell has stepped down from her role as Brighton manager following an 8-0 thrashing by Tottenham on Sunday. The former England manager, who joined the Seagulls in 2017, admitted the defeat against Spurs was ‘embarrassing’ in her post-match interview. In a statement, Powell sighted squad changes as one of the reasons for a ‘challenging’ start to the season and said she believes it is the right time for a new coach to take the team forward. ‘We’ve had a very challenging start to the new season with many changes to our squad and results not going as we had all hoped,’ Powell said. ‘Sunday’s heavy loss at home to Tottenham was particularly disappointing. ‘As a club, we’ve made a lot of progress in the past five years, but I feel now is the right time to step aside and allow a new coach to take the team forward with plenty of Super League football still to play this season.’ Michelle Walder, chair of Brighton’s women’s and girls’ football club board thanked Powell for her contribution...

England international Reece James has been sent to Dubai in a bid to keep his World Cup dreams alive as he recovers from injury. The Chelsea defender suffered knee ligament damage in their 2-0 Champions League victory over AC Milan on October 11, with Gareth Southgate sweating over whether the 22-year-old will be fit in time to make the plane to Qatar. Chelsea have confirmed in a statement that James, along with French centre-back Wesley Fofana who is also hoping to recover in time for the World Cup, have been sent to Dubai to continue their rehabilitation. A Chelsea statement said: 'Reece James and Wesley Fofana will continue their rehabilitation programmes this week in Dubai. A member of the Chelsea medical department will accompany them.' At the time of the injury, Chelsea said that James was expected to be out for eight weeks which would rule him out until the start of December. James though refused to give up on his World Cup dreams as he tweeted: 'The race against tim...

Manchester United have announced plans to play a friendly against LaLiga side Cadiz as part of a week-long training camp during the World Cup. A United side featuring players not involved in the tournament will take on the Spanish outfit on December 7. United said the game would be the first of two friendly matches held while the winter World Cup is taking place in Qatar. While many of United's first-team squad will be at the World Cup, the match will give Ten Hag the chance to give his players a runout ahead of the resumption of the Premier League season on Boxing Day. United's final game prior to the six-week shutdown is away to Fulham on November 13, before they get back underway against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on December 27. Erik ten Hag's men could have a Carabao Cup game in the week before Christmas should they beat Aston Villa in the third round on November 10. David de Gea, Victor Lindelof and Scott McTominay are among the players who could feature in the...

Pogba has injured his thigh & will miss out for the next 15 days Paul Pogba has injured his thigh in training this morning.  This new injury should keep him out for the next 15 days. His chances of participating in the World Cup are almost nil…

Croatia announce the preliminary sqaud for the 2022 World Cup: Kovacic, Modric in Here is Croatia preliminary squad for the upcoming FIFAWorldCup in Qatar - it includes 34 names. Final squad to be presented on 9 November.

Bruno Fernandes won't be available for selection when Manchester United travel to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday. The Portuguese has been automatically suspended for one top-flight game after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against West Ham. The 28-year-old is still eligible to play against Real Sociedad in the final Europa League group stage clash on Thursday as the suspension only affects domestic competitions. Bruno remains a key player for the Red Devils this season under Erik ten Hag. The midfielder has featured in 17 games across all competitions, scoring two goals and providing two assists.

The 14-time Champions League champions Real Madrid have found out their first FIFA Club World Cup opponent . Clinching the third Copa Libertadores title in their history, Brazilian side Flamengo have qualified for the CWC semifinal stage and will challenge our crown. Vinicius Junior knows them pretty well, as his professional career started there. It will be Vini's first boyhood club reunion since he left for Europe to chase his ambitions. The venue and dates of the tournament remain unclear though. The shifted World Cup in Qatar has cluttered players' schedules to the point where the Club World Cup simply has nowhere to fit in. Source: Diario AS

A crucial decision is pending over Lionel Messi regarding his club future as the 35-year-old's contract at the Parc des Princes expires next summer. PSG are reportedly pushing for an extension to his contract. He has also been heavily linked with a return to Barcelona. However, another club have entered the race for the Argentine star. According to highly credible David Ornstein, Inter Miami are 'increasingly confident' they will complete the deal to bring Leo to MLS in the coming months. Inter co-owners along with David Beckham are leading the negotiations and have held numerous meetings with Leo's father, Jorge. The talks have been put on hold as the World Cup in Qatar approaching, but after that the preliminary agreement could be reached. Source: David Ornstein

The relationship between Manchester United fans and Harry Maguire appears to be improving as the season goes on. According to the Telegraph, the skipper was 'warmly applauded' by the home supporters after the 1–0 win against West Ham on Sunday. The 29-year-old centre-back was included in the starting XI at Old Trafford by Erik ten Hag, helping the Red Devils to secure a win and keep a clean sheet. Maguire will be part of England's 26-man squad for the Qatar World Cup and head coach Gareth Southgate will be happy to see the defender get more minutes at Man United.

Here's the 21-man squad selected by Xavi for the Champions League group stage final round against Viktoria Plzen. Goalkeepers: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Inaki Pena, Arnau Tenas Defenders: Gerard Pique, Marcos Alonso, Jordi Alba, Alejandro Balde, Hector Bellerin, Alex Valle Midfielders: Pedri, Gavi, Pablo Torre, Frenkie de Jong, Kessie, Alvaro Sanz, Marc Casado Forwards: Ilias Akhomach, Ousmane Dembele, Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, Raphinha. As expected, Robert Lewandowski is given some rest while Andreas Christensen, Memphis Depay, Sergi Roberto, Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia miss out due to injury. Sergio Busquets will not travel to the Czech Republic as he accumulated 3 yellow cards and got a one-game suspension. Source: FC Barcelona

Arsenal returned to winning ways with a 5–0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest on Sunday after the midweek defeat in the Europa League. Ben White reclaimed his spot at right-back, making a vital block with the score at 1–0 to give the Gunners a platform to win the game later on. And the fans believe that the centre-back, whose performances tend to fly under the radar, must be part of the England squad in Qatar next month. Echo361: "If this dude is not on the plane the England manager is an idiot." orphan_of_Ludwig: "He is the smartest defender in the squad. Heэs the player you want young kids coming to watch, he reads the game brilliantly, is exceptional on the ball, knows when to get physical, and has that little bit of trickery in his game to commit the dark arts when necessary." Henry-chance-GOAL: "I just love his no-nonsense, unfazed, character. RB, CB, wherever, whenever, he gets the job done." Arsenalas128: "His performance always goes under the rad...

According to Relevo, Robert Lewandowski won't travel with the squad for the match against Viktoria Plzen this Tuesday. Xavi has decided to rest the veteran striker. This season so far, the 34-year-old has played 90% (1,389) of the possible minutes for Barcelona. He featured in all 17 games, starting in 16 of them, and contributed with 13 goals and 4 assists. Besides Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia are also expected to miss the game. The two centre-backs were subbed off with injuries in the last match. The game against Viktoria has no practical meaning as Barca are already confirmed to finish in the third spot. Source: Relevo

The Premier League matchday 14 is over. On Saturday, Liverpool were beaten by Leeds 2-1, Chelsea lost to Brighton 4-1, Man City won at Leicester 1-0, Tottenham recorded a 3-2 comeback win against Bournemouth and Newcastle defeated Villa 4-0. On Sunday, Arsenal demolished Nottingham Forest 5-0 and United beat West Ham 1-0. The results see Liverpool drop to ninth place, with Fulham and Brighton overtaking them. Meanwhile, the gap to the first-place Arsenal side has grown to 15 points. Here's what the Premier League top 10 looks like:

Singling out praise for Harry Maguire after Man United’s 1-0 win over West Ham United, Erik ten Hag told BBC: “I am really happy for the team of course but also Harry Maguire as he came off the pitch with a clean sheet. “He was magnificent in protecting the box. He is a great player and a really good defender and we have seen how important he is for the squad.” Maguire looked really solid against West Ham’s aerial threat and made a number of key challenges to avert disaster. He paired up well with the brilliant Lisandro Martinez to frustrate the visitors. The United captain could get to start more games before the World Cup break due to Raphael Varane’s injury and Victor Lindelof’s unavailability. Source: BBC

Reflecting on his heroics in Man United’s 1-0 win over West Ham United, David de Gea told Sky Sports: “It's a great win for us. If we want to achieve and be in the top places we have to win games like this today. “Of the two saves, probably the header from Zouma was the best because it was almost certainly going in but I am happy for all of them. Happy to make the saves and it's a massive win. “We are pressing well and recovering the ball well high up the pitch. We conceded some chances at the end but West Ham are a great team. I'm really happy to be honest. “We had a difficult start to the season, Man United is a massive club and we are getting better. We can keep more clean sheets, play well and keep going until the end. “I don't like to think too far into the future, we will just take it day by day. Big game on Thursday and we want to finish top of the group. We will go for another game, more energy and keep going again.” De Gea bailed out United after a poor second-...

"We are going through a difficult period as a result of playing so many games. We are somewhat tired, yes. But we continue as the leaders [in La Liga], and the objective is to remain in first place until the break," Carlo Ancelotti said after the draw with Girona. (h/t Diario AS) "The games are complicated and it's only normal that we face some difficulties. As I've said, we are not showing an excellent level, but there are a lot of games, too many. We don't have enough time to fully recover, physically and mentally. "All I'm saying is that I don't see any team playing spectacular football at this point of the season." Real Madrid, like many other top clubs, have been playing twice a week since the start of September. Ancelotti has tried rotating his squad but he clearly needs to do it more often. There are two league games left before the season breaks. The 2022 World Cup is scheduled to start on November 20. Source: Diario AS

"I'd say we all believe in ourselves, we believe in the way we play, we believe in the squad and what we can achieve," Trent Alexander-Arnold said after the defeat to Leeds, as quoted by Liverpool's official website. "But I think when you do get setbacks, it can potentially make you second-guess yourself and question things. "Clearly as a team something's not going right, it's not going as well as we want it to go. That's something for everyone to think about, that's something for everyone to address and make sure we put it right, especially next week against Spurs, top-four rivals. "We kind of need to go there and get some points if we've got any chance of reaching our aims and aspirations for the season." Liverpool have four wins, four draws and four defeats in 12 Premier League games so far this season. The Reds find themselves in the ninth spot in the table. Something is clearly going wrong but it's unclear how the team ...

Marcus Rashford admits he wasn't in the right headspace last season after his match-winning display for Manchester United against West Ham. The 24-year-old netted his seventh goal of the season, his 100th for the club, when he headed in emphatically from Christian Eriksen's cross into the box. It marked another fine display from Rashford, who has already scored two more goals than he managed throughout the entirety of the last campaign. Rashford's performances have revitalised hopes of going to the World Cup with England next month and after his latest impressive display he was asked what has changed for him this season. "It's a completely different energy around the club and the training ground," he told Sky Sports. "That puts me in a better headspace and I just feel really motivated now. That's the area I was struggling in. "I was struggling at times with more mental things. It wasn't really my own performance but other things off the pitch...

Marcus Rashford says he is looking to score even more headed goals after he netted the winner for Manchester United against West Ham in the Premier League. The England international scored the only goal of the match with an emphatic header following a sensational cross into the box from Christian Eriksen. It was a milestone moment for Rashford as he netted his 100th goal for the club, made even more special by the fact the match marked 85 years in succession that United have named an academy graduate in a first-team squad. Speaking after the win, Rashford spoke of his delight and set himself the target of adding even more headed goals to his game, with only seven of his century coming that way. "It's probably been on my mind for the past couple of games but we've been winning games so I've been happy and just been waiting for it to come. Thankfully today it came," he told Sky Sports. "I need to be scoring a few more headers! Yeah definitely, I feel I have got...

Former Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala claims Pep Guardiola is the reason why he would consider management once his playing days are over. Despite only making nine Premier League appearances under the Spaniard, Mangala - who joined City in 2014 - holds him in high regard. The 31-year-old was signed by Manuel Pellegrini for £42million but a string of poor performances saw him fall down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium. Once Guardiola arrived, he was loaned out to Valencia and was only used sparingly upon his return. A second loan stint at Everton ended in disaster after just two games as a knee injury ruled Mangala out for the remainder of the season. Another year on the sidelines at City would see the Frenchman released from his contract in 2019. Although Mangala never realised his potential at the club, he still values Guardiola’s qualities as a manager and regards him as an inspiration for his own managerial aspirations. “After playing under him (Pep), I had more des...

Game is over and the final score is Real Madrid 1-1 Girona. Here is the match report. Match Report Real Madrid will retain their place at the top of the table this weekend, but Barcelona the first half started as an open affair, with Girona looking to play out from Real Madrid’s pressure in the opening stages. What usually suits Real Madrid’s attacking flair made them uncomfortable though. Increasingly as the first half went on, Girona got out of their press. Rodrygo Goes came close with a curling effort and Fede Valverde struck the post in the opening half hour. The visiting side had responded with a close effort from Valery and in the closing stages of the half, Yangel Herrera thundered the best chance of the half off the underside of the bar. Real Madrid upped the ante in the second half and began to apply more pressure as Girona’s energy reserves waned. Naturally it was Valverde who came out the winner of a challenge in the box, playing the ball across the six-yard box for Vinicius...

Marcus Rashford hit a century of goals as Manchester United clung on for a hard-fought 1-0 victory over West Ham at Old Trafford on Sunday. Match Report On the day Manchester United's record of featuring a homegrown player in every matchday squad extended to 85 years, academy product Rashford rose above the West Ham defence to dispatch a towering 38th-minute header as he became the 22nd player to reach 100 goals for the club. West Ham were a threat throughout but crucially lacked that killer final pass or finish, with inspired back-post defending from Diogo Dalot, wonderful saves from David de Gea to deny Kurt Zouma and Declan Rice, and a last-gasp miss from Jarrod Bowen ensuring the Hammers' late rally ended fruitless. It was another Old Trafford defeat for West Ham boss David Moyes, who remains winless from 16 visits as a Premier League manager, as the Hammers missed the chance to move above Liverpool into the top half of the table. For Manchester United, this gritty victory ...

After the draw against Girona, Carlo Ancelotti commented on the controversial calls the referee made during the game - the penalty after a handball on Marco Asensio and Rodrygo's disallowed goal. "I don't like speaking about it too much. Regarding the handball on Asensio, it is clear: the ball didn't hit his arm, it hit his chest," the Real Madrid coach said, as quoted by Diario AS. "It is true that he had the arm a bit up, and if the ball had hit him there, you could've had doubts. But it wasn't the case, they made it up. What can you do? I can't say anything else. "As for Rodrygo, it is up for debate. The problem is that both these episodes happened at a key moment in the game. We hadn't played spectacular football, but before the penalty on Asensio, the game was under control." Here is the supposed handball on Asensio. The referee saw nothing wrong initially. He awarded Girona the penalty only after VAR intervened. As for Rodrygo...

Erik ten Hag has seemingly sent a transfer plea to the Glazers after seeing Man United grind out a 1-0 win over West Ham United. He said: “Man United need two good full-backs [on the left and right], because we have a lot of games to come.” This isn’t at all a dig at Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw – who were both brilliant in the win over the Hammers. He praised Diogo, saying: “I'm really happy with the development of Diogo. I think his defensive positions are growing from game-to-game.” Instead, it seems like he’s putting pressure on the Glazers to improve his squad in the January transfer window. The Red Devils desperately need a new right-back to compete with Dalot and it remains to be seen if they’ll make a move for anyone in the winter window. Source: Sky Sports

Real Madrid have again dropped points at home after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Girona in a match ridden with controversial officiating. The Merengues remain in first place but are just one point ahead of Barcelona. Here is what the current league standings (top 6) look like. 1. Real Madrid - 32 pts 2. Barcelona - 31 pts 3. Atletico Madrid - 23 pts 4. Real Sociedad - 22 pts (game in hand) 5. Real Betis - 20 pts (game in hand) 6. Osasuna - 20 pts There are two more league games left before the World Cup break.

Franck Kessie was one of Barcelona's first signing past summer. Yet in his 4 months in the club, he failed to gain the spot in the starting XI. More than that, he is only fifth in Xavi's pecking order in midfield, behind Gavi, Sergio Busquets, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong. So far, the Ivorian has only had 418 minutes of playing time across all competitions, which means he averages just 34 minutes per game. This, according to Calcio Mercato, resulted in the midfielder considering options to leave the club in January. The source claims Kessie offered himself to several Serie A sides, including his former club AC Milan. Source: Calcio Mercato

Graham Potter was asked in his press conference after the Brighton humiliation, whether his side struggles against teams that play at a high tempo, to which he responded: "No, but it's the Premier League and everywhere is difficult. Brighton are a good side, I know that. And with the crowd and atmosphere they created, they put us under pressure. We made a couple of unforced errors to start everything off a little bit, but that can happen. "Like I said, I'm not going to throw the players under the bus at all because they've been brilliant for us and given everything for me. "So I have to take responsibility and try to find a way for us to do better. We've had an incredible schedule, this was our ninth game and sixth away match. "We've had three wins in the Champions League to qualify, tough matches away at Brentford and Aston Villa, so this isn't to complain, but it's what we're up against. We met a really good opponent today, and they...

“It’s great to be back,” said Harry Maguire while speaking to club media. “Being injured is always a tough part of being a footballer, but I’ve been kicking every ball on the sidelines, cheering every goal that’s gone in and supporting the lads. “We’ve picked up some good results and we’re pushing [to] where we want to be in the Premier League as well. “We’ve got important games coming up and that’s what it's all about.” The Manchester United captain, who got injured in September on international duty, continued: “It’s tough [being injured]. I support the lads whether I’m playing, whether I’m watching at home or whether I’m in the stands. I kick every ball and I cheer every goal. “As a footballer you want to play games and you want to be available to help the team, so it’s nice to be back on the training pitch, it’s nice to get some minutes tonight and that’s what it’s all about. It’s about helping the team move forward.” When asked about the warm welcome he received from fans duri...

"We played against Nottingham Forest last season, so we know to expect a really big test today," explained Martin Odegaard while speaking to club media. "I didn’t manage to watch their game against Liverpool last weekend, we were training at that time, but of course, it’s a great result for them, and tells us what we have to be ready for today. "We know they have a lot of quality players. They have changed a lot since we played that game in the FA Cup, bringing in a lot of signings, so I expect it to be a very different team to the one we faced in January." The Arsenal captain continued: "It looks like they have added a lot of individual quality to what they already had, and like every team in the Premier League, they have shown they can beat anybody. "I played the whole of that FA Cup game last season away at Forest, and I was very impressed with them that day, so if they have improved even more since then, then for sure they will be a difficult test...

According to the Spanish outlet ABC, Real Madrid star striker Karim Benzema and his partner Jordan Ozuna are expecting their first child together. As you may remember, Karim attended the Ballon d'Or ceremony in her company. The girl is breathtakingly beautiful, there's no denying. Here's how the fans reacted to the news: RockyG: "Makes sense now he's always injured" Jac: "Karim winning on and of the pitch". HenessyFarda: "Ballon d'Or night must have been fun" Fannsan: "He's winning at life". Ahmed: "Bro celebrating Ballon d'Or the right way". Despite the off-the-field great news, the Frenchman has been blighted with nagging injuries, forcing him to miss most of Madrid's recent fixtures. Well, it may indeed have something to do with Jordan's pregnancy. Anyway, our best wishes go to both of them. Congratulations! Source: Diario ABC

Graham Potter was asked why he used Raheem Sterling and Christen Pulisic as wingbacks against Brighton in the 4-1 defeat. "The responsibility for those two wasn't to defend against their wing-backs, but I understand that whenever you do something, and it doesn't work, you look a bit of a fool," Potter said in his post-match briefing. "That is how it is," Potter continued. "I have to accept that, deal with that, do better, and I'll learn. That's the process." Potter repeated the same formation that imploded against Manchester United. The same thing happened against Brighton as the Blues conceded three times in the first half. Source: Football London

"I think that in the 11 months I have been here, the team has improved a lot," Xavi said after the win against Valencia. "We played with a bit of anxiety today. I think we were affected by Wednesday. "We were better than Valencia and we deserved that winner. It was not an excellent match by any means. "Let's forget the result and focus on what we did well and what we did wrong. The team deserved it. It gives us confidence and morale." After the match against Valencia, Barcelona sit in first place with 31 points. However, Real Madrid are also on 31 points but with one game in hand. La Liga is said to have become Barca's main target for the season after the Champions League elimination. Source: FC Barcelona

"A team performance is always made up of individual performances. One leads to the other," Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports when asked to analyse what went wrong in the 2-1 defeat to Leeds. "You can watch this game completely, you cannot defend like we did for the second goal but we did, that's why we lost. Otherwise, it would have been a point and we go from there. Now we have nothing and it feels completely different. "We have to bring our quality on to the pitch and we fight against it. We had problems from the first day, injury-wise. Players have had to play from the first day. It's our situation and it means we have to help ourselves, and that is what we will do." The second goal came in the 90th minute, with Crysencio Summerville succeeding in finding the target even though there were three Liverpool defenders around him. The first goal was a result of an even more blatant error when Joe Gomez misplaced his pass back to Alisson so badly that Rodrigo o...

Xavi had an immediate meeting with Joan Laporta and other Barcelona officials at the Mestalla following the win against Valencia. Xavi revealed the message transmitted to him by the officials. "Joan Laporta told me that these three points are very important and that goals in the last minutes are crucial," the coach said. "The president is very happy with the result, we needed to win." After the Valencia win, Barcelona sit first in the league. However, Real Madrid sin on the same points but have one game in hand.

"I'm impressed with the way Xavi understands football," Valencia's coach Gennaro Gattuso said after the game. The Italian coach was also accused by Xavi that his team employed a more defensive approach for the game against Barcelona. However, Gattuso did not agree. "I must have watched another match. I respect Xavi a lot, but I don't agree with what he said. Barca was better, I accept it, but I can't agree with anything else." After the win against Los Che, Barca climbed to the first spot in La Liga, overtaking Real Madrid. However, Madrid have one gain in hand.

According to Relevo, Karim Benzema has undergone all the required tests and they confirmed 'no injury'. However, the Frenchman feels some discomfort and that's why he wasn't called up for the game against Girona. Benzema doesn't want to risk a relapse ahead of the 2022 World Cup. The striker could also miss the upcoming match against Celtic. Real Madrid have also confirmed their place in the play-offs and don't consider it necessary to force Karim back. This term so far, the 34-year-old has played 11 games for Madrid, scoring six goals and providing an assist. Source: Relevo

The Brazil midfielder has undergone surgery and won't be seen until the New Year. As such, there's been speculation that Liverpool could send the player back to Juventus in January. But this has now been denied by Klopp - who stated on Friday: "A serious injury. He is here. "It's a long-term injury and when he's back we'll think about it again. But at the moment it is too far away. No (we will not end his loan in January)."

Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi was delighted after their 3-0 defeat of Sampdoria. Stefan de Vrij, Nicolò Barella and Joaquin Correa struck for the Nerazzurri. Inzaghi said: “The team is in good shape, feels confident, is putting together convincing victories, but we must continue. We saw nobody is slowing down in Serie A, but our October was almost perfect. “I really enjoy watching this team play. We have the right shape, we know what we want to do, I'm bringing back players who had been injured, we're still missing Brozovic. When a coach has options to choose from, that is always good." He added: “Correa knows I have a lot of faith in him, I know him very well and I think last season he did well when in good shape. He had another injury problem, it's tough to play at San Siro, but he's an Argentina international, has won a great deal in his career and works every day knowing there is a lot of competition here."