Xavi believes it will be a catastrophe if Barcelona do not beat Girona on Saturday as they look to keep up their LaLiga title charge.
A run of seven wins in eight league matches has put Xavi s men top of the table, holding a three-point lead over rivals Real Madrid in second.
They continue their bid to win their first LaLiga title since the 2018-19 season on Saturday at home to Girona, who sit 11th and just four points above the relegation zone.
Xavi hopes his team can pick up another three points amid the pressure of a title race, telling reporters: You have to beat Girona. This is Barca.
This is the Barca environment, I know it very well. If we don t win tomorrow, it will be a catastrophe.
Try to win it because it will be a difficult match. Mi…
Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has explained that the club cannot afford to keep Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich at any cost .
Goretzka has just 11 months left on his contract with the Bundesliga champions, while Kimmich has two years left on his deal at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern are intent on renewing the duo s contracts with long-term offers, but Hainer was adamant his club will not succumb to excessive wage demands as they attempt to maintain financial stability post-COVID-19 pandemic.
They will certainly not be kept at any cost, Hainer told Kicker. The players know what they have at Bayern, they are paid very well here too, everyone gets their salary.
And they can win titles with us now, and also in the future.
Kimmich joined Bay…
Sunday was a glorious day for Borussia Dortmund as they smashed Borussia Monchengladbach to pieces at the Signal Iduna Park in the 23rd round of the Bundesliga campaign. The scoreboard read 6-0 at the end, with Marco Reus (twice), Donyell Malen, Marius Wolf, Youssoufa Moukoko and Emre Can (penalty) all on target.
Marco Reus
Any conversation about this match simply cannot start with any subject other than Marco Reus. The Dortmund captain not only scored twice, but he also assisted all of the remaining three open-play goals for his team.
In the 26th minute, he was the quickest to react to Gladbach goalkeeper Yan Sommer saving Malen s effort by calmly slotting into the back of the net to open the scoring. Six minutes later, his brilliant vision and a fantastically chipped…
Didier Deschamps backed Kylian Mbappe to bring a unifying influence to his new role as captain of France.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward was the outstanding candidate to replace Hugo Lloris, who retired from international duty after the World Cup.
Mbappe was reportedly told of his appointment by coach Deschamps after a dinner on Monday, and Antoine Griezmann has been confirmed as vice-captain.
Reports said Griezmann, who turned 32 on Tuesday, was disappointed not to be handed the captaincy, having been a mainstay of the team for many years.
However, Mbappe is himself richly experienced on the international stage after making his debut as an 18-year-old some six years ago. He has gone on to score 36 goals in 66 appearances.
Twelve of those goals h…
Chelsea are considering the possibility of bringing Nathan Ake back to their ranks from Manchester City as they seek replacements for departed central defenders, according to .
Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, both significant players for Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel until now, have left as free agents and are set to become fierce El Clasico rivals, with Rudiger confirmed as a new Real Madrid player and Christensen on the verge of joining Barcelona. Both players have left Stamford Bridge as free agents following the expiration of their respective contracts.
Ake joined Chelsea from Feyenoord at the Under-18 level. Never a regular member of the team, he spent his time on loans with Reading, Watford and Bournemouth, before the Cherries signed him permanently 2017. T…
Erik ten Hag has said Manchester United signing a proven goalscorer this summer “would help” – while stressing the striking options with which they entered the current season “should have been enough”.
Having last term finished third in the Premier League and won the Carabao Cup in their first campaign under Ten Hag’s management, United have subsequently underwhelmed.
With seven games to go in the league, they lie sixth, 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, as well as fifth-placed Aston Villa, and have the lowest goals-for tally in the top 10 with 45.
Twenty-one-year-old striker Rasmus Hojlund has netted 13 times in all competitions since being signed last summer to join an attack also featuring Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
Rashfo…
Best odds: 171/100
Bookmaker:
In a highly anticipated rematch of last year s memorable Champions League semifinal, Real Madrid and Manchester City, the latter being the current holders of the trophy, meet once again. The clash takes place in Tuesday s quarterfinal first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Nearly a year ago, Pep Guardiola s side dominated the 14-time winners, securing a 5-1 aggregate victory over two legs to advance to the final. The encounter in the Spanish capital ended in a deadlock before City s emphatic triumph at the Etihad Stadium.
Real Madrid
By now accustomed to intense knockout encounters with their opponents from Manchester, Real Madrid are eager to rectify last year s embarrassing defeat at the Etihad. The impressive form of Carlo …
Real Betis are interested in signing Kyogo Furuhashi from Celtic, according to . The report has claimed that La Liga club Betis are among the clubs who are interested in securing the services of Celtic and Japan international forward Kyogo from defending Scottish Premiership champions Celtic in the January transfer window.
Kyogo Furuhashi has been on the books of Celtic since 2021 and has been superb for the Hoops. The 28-year-old Japan international forward has scored four goals and given two assists in six Scottish Premiership matches so far this season. Last season, Kyogo has scored 27 goals and given two assists in 31 Scottish Premiership starts for the Hoops.
Betis are 11th in the La Liga table at the moment with eight points from six matches, six points behind fou…
Harry Kane is ready to go into battle against Jude Bellingham for a spot in the Champions League final before the pair aim to lead England to Euro 2024 glory.
England captain Kane moved to Bayern Munich from Tottenham last year while Bellingham left Borussia Dortmund to join Real Madrid.
Both helped their respective clubs to Champions League quarter-final wins over Premier League sides on Wednesday night as Bayern beat Arsenal and Real saw off Manchester City on penalties. Bellingham scored in that shoot-out while Kane netted a first-leg spot-kick at the Emirates Stadium.
Those wins tee up a mouth-watering semi-final clash between two clubs who have won 20 European Cups between them.
Despite Arsenal and City being eliminated, meaning the first semi-final …
Bruno Fernandes will take greater satisfaction from lifting trophies with Manchester United than winning individual accolades.
The Portugal international has been in fine form since joining United from Sporting CP for £47million (€55m) in January, scoring 26 times and setting up 16 more in 45 outings.
That includes 10 goals and seven assists in the English top flight this term, making him the first Portuguese player to reach double figures for goals in the competition since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008-09.
Fernandes total of 32 goal involvements since his debut on February 1 is more than any other player in the Premier League, with Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah (27) and Tottenham striker Harry Kane (26) next on the list.
That form has seen the attacking…