Barcelona will look to repeat the performance they delivered in the Clasico as they host Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Luis Enrique s side dispatched Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in a ruthless display which has seen them pull six points clear of their fierce rivals in the Liga table.

Barca, with 10 points from the first four games, can clinch a spot in the last 16 for the 12th season running if they earn just a point against Rudi Garcia s Roma, or if Bayer Leverkusen fail to beat BATE in Group E s other encounter.

The European champions are now eight games without a defeat and have kept a clean sheet in each of their last five, and Ivan Rakitic who returned to the team against Madrid following a calf injury wants to sustain that form for a…

Sebastian Rudy will spend the 2019-20 season on loan at Hoffenheim, who have re-signed him from Schalke.

Rudy enjoyed seven seasons with Hoffenheim before joining Bayern Munich in 2017.

He is heading back to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena after the season-long loan deal was announced on Wednesday.

Last season did not go optimally for me, which makes me all the more motivated to return to my former strength here at my former club, Rudy told Hoffenheim s official website.

To that end, the conditions here at Hoffenheim are almost perfect – I know the people and conditions at the club, and I know that me and my way of playing football are valued here.

I m looking forward to working together with Alfred [Schreuder] and his coaching staff, and so far I ve …

Jorginho s agent Joao Santos revealed Premier League trio Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have enquired about the Napoli star.

Premier League champions Manchester City are keen on Jorginho – who has two years remaining on his contract – and Santos claimed the Italy international midfielder will join Pep Guardiola s side if Napoli accept an offer.

However, City appear to have competition from their English rivals, according to the 26-year-old s representative.

It depends on Napoli and their sporting director [Cristiano] Giuntoli, Santos said on Radio CRC.

I m in Brazil, no-one s called me from Napoli. I ve been called by Manchester City, and Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea too.

It s not hard to find agreements with teams like those.

W…

Milan boss Stefano Pioli acknowledged  nothing worked  as his side slumped to their first Serie A away defeat since December 2019 against Spezia on Saturday.

The Rossoneri were dismal at Stadio Alberto Picco and failed to register a single attempt on target in a league game for the first time since August 2019 as goals from Giulio Maggiore and Simone Bastoni sealed a famous 2-0 triumph for the hosts. 

It marked the first time Milan had lost a top-flight game to a newly-promoted side since they were defeated by Benevento in April 2018. 

The result means Inter – who Milan face next weekend – can leapfrog their rivals at the league summit if they overcome Lazio on Sunday.

Milan have now lost three times in the league this season and Pioli said this w…

Manchester United were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at Wolves after Paul Pogba had a second-half penalty saved by Rui Patricio at Molineux.

Ruben Neves sublime 55th-minute strike cancelled out Anthony Martial s opener but Pogba had a golden chance to take the points when he was brought down by Conor Coady.

At that point, confusion reigned. Marcus Rashford, who rifled in from the spot during last weekend s 4-0 win over Chelsea, willingly gave up the ball to Pogba after a short conversation.

This is a Manchester United penalty, not a tombola! club great Gary Neville shrieked while reviewing the incident on Sky Sports. Something s not right!

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer explained afterwards that both Rashford and Pogba were designated takers but, as the numbe…

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are arguably the two best footballers of all time, but there is a very good chance that Paris Saint-Germain and France international forward Kylian Mbappe could surpass both of them, at least at international level.

Messi has never won the World Cup, and neither has Ronaldo, but Mbappe has already won it once and could do it again this year.

And in 2026 and 2030.

At least theoretically.

France have reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup and could successfully defend the title they won in Russia four years ago.

Didier Deschamps side can be backed at 4/1 on  to go all  way in Qatar.

While Ronaldo is 37, Messi is 35.

This is going to be the duo’s final World Cup.

Mbappe a…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 8/11 @

Two Scottish giants who should find the mood in their camp at a real high, Celtic will make the trip to Tynecastle Park when they meet Hearts on Wednesday night.

Starting with the hosts, picking up some perfect momentum over the weekend as they cruised their way to a 5-0 romp against lower-league Auchinleck Talbot in the Scottish Cup, Hearts have continued to impress since making their Premiership return. Opening up the 2021/22 campaign with a stunning 2-1 win at home against Celtic, the Jambos are currently leading the chase to book a shock European finish. Last seen on top-flight duties picking up a deserved 2-1 win against St. Johnstone on January 18th, Robbie Neilson s men have won each of their last four matchups acr…

European champions Bayern Munich and left-back David Alaba have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension at the Allianz Arena, according to the club s official website, .

The deal will keep Alaba, who joined Bayern from Austrian giants FK Austria Wien in 2008, at the club until 30 June 2018.

The Austria international, 21, has established himself as one of the premier young players in Europe over the past two-plus seasons.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as well as the club s executive board director Jan-Christian Dreesen and perhaps most importantly Alaba himself are absolutely delighted a deal has been signed.

David has developed magnificently as a player since he came to FC Bayern as a 16-year-old.

Nowadays he ra…

Lionel Scaloni dismissed the assertion his Argentina team were rightly criticised for their antics against the Netherlands.

Argentina face Croatia in the first World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, after overcoming the Netherlands on penalties.

The Copa America champions led 2-0 at Lusail Stadium yet were pegged back to a 2-2 draw by Wout Weghorst s double.

But Emiliano Martinez s saves paved the way for Lautaro Martinez to score the winning penalty in the shoot-out and send Argentina through to the last four.

The match was not without its controversy. Some of Argentina s players celebrated wildly in front of the Netherlands squad, while there were tussles on the touchline and Lionel Messi seemed to confront Oranje coach Louis van Gaal.

Scaloni, howeve…

FIFA president Sepp Blatter insists that there is nothing he can do to stop soaring transfer fees.

His comments come in the wake of Gareth Bale s move to Real Madrid for a reported world record fee in the region of £85million.

The previous record was the £80m Real spent on Cristiano Ronaldo to lure him from Manchester United in 2009.

Speaking about Bale s big-money move, and others like it, Blatter said: If a player is the value of that, I doubt it, but I cannot stop it.

If the price of a player is high or not high, I think it s the market that decides and we cannot intervene in the market.

Even when you say a country is poor or in debt, you always find money in football.

Blatter went on to recall the Brazilian Ronaldo s move from Inter Milan to Re…