Barcelona boss Xavi said his players will not be distracted by the upcoming El Clasico against Real Madrid when they face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The meeting with the Ukrainian champions at the Nou Camp will be Barca’s last match before hosting LaLiga leaders Real on Saturday, where victory against their great rivals will see them leapfrog Carlo Ancelotti’s side in the table.

The manager will be without the suspended Gavi against Shakhtar after he was red carded in added time at the end of the 1-0 win against Porto before the international break, while midfielder Pedri is almost certain to be out after he missed training on Monday.

We need the fans, we play for them. If we win, it is thanks to the culers. It is important for th…

It s matchday 31. The run-in requires points, and lots of them.

Of course, picking the players who earn surprise points is a big part of fantasy football, but at this point of the season, do you really want to be taking risks?

With that in mind, let Stats Perform lead you by the hand with Opta data as we pick four players who might just give you those precious extra points in the latest Premier League gameweek.

EDOUARD MENDY (Chelsea v Brentford)

Edouard Mendy provides value, given Chelsea have won their previous five matches and will be facing a Brentford severely down on form, having won only two in 11 (against Norwich City and Burnley).

Despite the turbulent circumstances the Blues have faced of late, they powered into this past internatio…

Inter announced the exit of another key figure behind their Scudetto success as influential technical chief Gabriele Oriali was relieved of his duties .

Oriali, who has been working in the same role with Euro 2020 champions Italy, departs Inter three months after head coach Antonio Conte walked away from the Serie A winners.

Former Italy midfielder Oriali, 68, who was a World Cup winner in 1982, returned for a second spell on the Inter backroom staff when Conte was appointed two years ago.

At the time, Inter said Oriali was back where he belongs , yet the two parties will now go their separate ways.

There have been reports in Italy that Oriali may follow Conte to his next job and serve again on his staff.

Conte was linked with Tottenham soon af…

Phil Jones has revealed how injury hell left him feeling the lowest I ve ever been and that his career was finished as the Manchester United defender at last closes on a first-team return.

The 29-year-old has not played for the Red Devils since January 2020 due to a debilitating knee problem that has dogged him throughout his career.

First identified during his academy years at Blackburn Rovers, Jones had an operation after Euro 2012 to remove the meniscus in his right knee. He was forced to manage the problem for years, playing at 60 per cent because he would do anything for United , even though, by 2016, any resistance against the knee was just agony .

Jones then recovered fitness during the coronavirus-enforced shutdown last year but, when he had to stop runni…

We re getting closer and closer to next year s FIFA World Cup and because of that, more and more nations are qualifying by the minute. Over the weekend, we saw another big development as Spain managed to beat Sweden 1-0 and book their place in Qatar.

It was a difficult win but ultimately, Alvaro Morata s late goal was enough to give the 2010 winners a 12th consecutive qualification for the big show.

In terms of the overall story of the game, though, there was a whole lot to unpack about what we saw.

Morata remains ice cool

The game was on a knife-edge and if Spain weren t careful, there was a chance they could fall into the same trap as rivals Portugal did against Serbia. Alas, when Dani Olmo s shot was tipped onto the crossbar, Alvaro Morata was in the right p…

Austria deservedly defeated Ukraine 1-0 in Bucharest to finish second in Group C and set up a last-16 meeting with Italy as their beaten opponents wait to learn their fate.

Only goals scored separated the sides heading into Monday s matchday three clash, but Austria had to win to leapfrog Ukraine and secure a top-two place along with the Netherlands.

Christoph Baumgartner s first-half goal ensured they progressed from the group stage of a European Championship for the first time and their prize is a trip to Wembley to face the in-form Azzurri on Saturday.

Although Ukraine could yet join them in the knockout stage, Andriy Shevchenko s men underwhelmed and might do well to advance as one of the four best third-placed teams with only three points and a negative g…

Julio Tavares first-half goal proved enough for Cape Verde to get their Africa Cup of Nations campaign off to a winning start against 10-man Ethiopia.

Ethiopia s appearance in this year s finals marks only their second in the last 20 editions of the tournament and for them the Group A encounter began in inauspicious fashion.

They saw centre-back Yared Baye sent off after a review from the VAR in the 12th minute.

Baye hacked down Tavares on the edge of the box after losing possession inside his own half.

Cape Verde finally capitalised on their extra man in first-half stoppage time, Garry Rodrigues volleying Jamiro Monteiro s deep cross to the far post back across goal for Tavares to nod in.

Despite dominating possession and chances, Cape Verde …

Best Odds: 4/6

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Getting their Championship adventure underway on Sunday lunchtime, Leicester will welcome Coventry to the King Power Stadium.

Leicester

Starting with the hosts, enduring a public Premier League nightmare last season and losing their top-flight status on the final weekend, many are wondering if Leicester will show any signs of a hangover on their Championship return. However, getting a new era underway at the King Power after they appointed new boss Enzo Maresca over the summer, it is no secret that the Foxes are tipped as a leading contender to book an immediate Premier League return this time around. Looking to lay down an early marker on Sunday lunchtime, Leicester will know the importance of finding some much-needed stability on hom…

Saudi Arabia produced one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history as they came from behind to beat Argentina 2-1 in their Group C opener on Tuesday.

La Albiceleste, who are one of the favourites to triumph at Qatar 2022, started well at Lusail Stadium and went ahead after 10 minutes courtesy of Lionel Messi s penalty.

Lionel Scaloni s men saw three efforts ruled out for offside before half-time – a reprieve that Saudi Arabia took full advantage of in the space of five minutes early in the second half.

Saleh Al Shehri pulled Herve Renard s side level, before Salem Al Dawsari sealed a famous win soon after with a sumptuous strike from the edge of the penalty area.

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Mohammed Al Owais denied Messi i…

Cardiff claimed a third successive Championship win by beating Huddersfield 1-0 at home.

Famara Diedhiou’s first goal in English football since a brace for Bristol City at Middlesbrough in February 2021 moved Cardiff to within seven points of the play-off places.

The on-loan Senegal striker converted Josh Bowler’s cross on the half-hour mark to put his name on a Championship scoresheet again after spells in Turkey and Spain.

Huddersfield were left to bemoan a second-half decision by referee Matthew Donohue.

Perry Ng appeared to kick out at Michal Helik in the area at a corner and was booked by Donohue, who was looking at the incident, but the official chose to take no further punishment as the ball was out of play with a corner waiting to be taken.