Lionel Messi believes Barcelona s main rivals for the Champions League are Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City not Real Madrid.
Madrid face PSG in a blockbuster last-16 tie, with Zinedine Zidane s men seeking to lift the famous trophy for the third year in a row.
But Messi does not think Madrid lagging 16 points behind Barca in LaLiga will challenge due to their surprisingly poor form this season.
Manchester City are one of the strongest teams around, as well as Paris Saint-Germain, four-time winner Messi told the Mirror.
I also do not exclude Real Madrid in terms of quality and experience, even though they have not yet achieved the expected results.
Then there is Bayern Munich, another great team who will play until the end.
Toda…
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte hailed Paul Pogba as a top player and revealed a desire to avoid his former player at Old Trafford on Sunday.
France midfielder Pogba flourished under Conte during their time together at Juventus, winning Serie A in both seasons.
But the 24-year-old has been less productive since rejoining the Red Devils for a then-world record £89million in 2016.
He was benched for the second time in three matches in United s midweek draw at Sevilla and Conte hopes he will remain sidelined for this weekend s crunch clash.
My expectation is to see him on the pitch. If he stays out it would be better, Conte told reporters on Friday.
Every coach has to find the right way to manage him.
I think Pogba is showing at United as w…
Montpellier HSC left-back Henri Bedimo will decide his future at the end of the season amid reported interest from English Premier League duo Newcastle United and West Ham, .
French Ligue 1 giants Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain are also reportedly keeping tabs on the Cameroon international.
Bedimo, 28, would like to play UEFA Champions League football next season, having started five of La Paillade s six European encounters this term.
The 28-year-old left-back is believed to be valued at around £5 million by Montpellier.
I have heard of the interest of clubs in the Premier League, but when you hear there is interest from a Champions League club in France then you have to think about it, said Bedimo.<…
Valencia keen on David Ospina
French daily newspaper that Valencia are seriously considering a move for Nice goalkeeper David Ospina.
Los Che plan to cash in on Vicente Guaita and want the Colombian to challenge Diego Alves for a starting berth.
Valencia officials were impressed with the player s displays at the 2014 World Cup and they are eager to lure him to Mestalla at the earliest opportunity.
The problems is that there are three more sides keen on Ospina, including Premier League giants Arsenal, but los Che are confident of winning the race for his signature.
David Ospina, 25, has spent last six years at Nice having joined from Atletico Nacional, featuring in 189 league matches for les Aiglons.
The Colombia international is now look…
If you’re a sports punter, you’re probably well aware of Betfair’s world-leading betting exchange. However, the Betfair online casino is a regular part of their offer, and they are currently offering a chance to take part in slot tournaments!
A sort of competition between players is one of the hallmarks of Betfair, so it makes a lot of sense to host tournaments. Any customer, new or existing, can take part for a chance to win freebies. The rewards system is based on a leaderboard system, with prizes ranging from free spins and goodies to cold, hard cash.
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Various tournaments are scheduled throughout the week, day or night. You can find more information, along with a detailed schedule.
Essentially, you just enter the tournament and s…
Raheem Sterling revealed Manchester City had a word among themselves before getting back to winning ways at Southampton.
The England forward got the only goal at St Mary s as City s 1-0 win over the early-season high-flyers gave Pep Guardiola s team a foothold in the title race.
On a day when Liverpool scored seven at Crystal Palace, the narrow win for City was encouraging for the visitors after back-to-back draws against Manchester United and West Brom.
And for Sterling, who admitted his own form has dipped beneath the levels he would expect, it was particularly satisfying.
He told Amazon Prime Sport: To win games and score goals has been really, really difficult for us, but we knew how important today was and we re just happy to get the three points.
As the chants of Will Grigg s on fire tore across the Parc des Princes ahead of kick-off in Northern Ireland s Euro 2016 match against Germany, a different cult-hero striker was celebrated at the other end of the ground.
The largest cheer as the Germany team boomed over the tannoy system came as Mario Gomez rounded out the XI.
During the three years and nine months between his 25th and 26th goals for Die Mannschaft, Gomez felt like a man out of time in this generation of beautiful German footballers the artisan unable to keep pace with the artists.
Somewhat symbolically, he moved on at the start of Pep Guardiola s Bayern Munich tenure a period that would change the tune of his country s football and persuade national team boss Joachim Low to dance to its beat, al…
Anghel Iordanescu is to leave his role as head coach of Romania, who expect to appoint his replacement before Euro 2016 is over.
Romania endured a disappointing European Championship, earning just one point from their three matches against France, Switzerland and Albania to finish bottom of Group A.
Monday s announcement brings an end to Iordanescu s third spell in charge of the national team, having taken over from Victor Piturca in October 2014.
Razvan Burleanu, president of the Romanian Football Federation, apologised to the country s fans and hoped the new coach would lead the team to its first World Cup since 1998 – when Iordanescu was at the helm.
I m very sorry for all national team fans, who hoped for a better or more spectacular journey of…
Fenerbahce face a second ban from European football after UEFA hit them and five officials with match-fixing charges.
The club were banned from the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League after their president, Aziz Yildirim, was found guilty of match fixing and jailed for six years.
Fenerbahce finished second in the Super Lig behind Galatasaray last season, a position that would ordinarily see them enter Europe s top competition. However, if they are again found guilty, their participation could be removed and handed to another club.
But that may not be the Super Lig s third-placed side Besiktas, as they too have been hit with a UEFA charge, with a statement from the governing body explaining the reasons behind these sanctions.
It read: Following the investigation into alleged match-f…
Chelsea F.C. No. 10 Juan Mata has rubbished reports linking him with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, .
For the second season running, Mata was voted Chelsea Player of the Year after leading the club to a third-place finish in the English Premier League and the UEFA Europa League title.
Recent reports have suggested newly appointed manager Jose Mourinho may be willing to part ways with the Spain international as well as David Luiz and Fernando Torres in order to raise capital to strengthen the Blues squad in other areas.
However, Mata and Torres have moved to distance themselves with summer exits from Stamford Bridge, with the former reportedly attracting interest from Real Madrid and the latter from Barcelona.
I want to stay, …