Messi mired in worst Barca drought since 2010

With the Premier League title chase really starting to heat up, England’s elite offer us another stacked Saturday schedule from across the country.

As Manchester City look to climb back to the top of the Premier League table, there are also some real relegation six-pointers at the other end.

With seven top-flight battles throughout Saturday’s heavyweight fixture list, we have taken an in-depth look at some of the best betting markets that are available.

Saturday, February 10th

12:30 Manchester City vs Everton 

While Manchester City might still face a real battle in their bid to make more Premier League history this season, Pep Guardiola’s superstar squad are riding an extended wave of momentum. Mounting a stellar comeback away at Brentford earlie…

Sergi Roberto accepts Barcelona have a problem in midfield ahead of their return leg at Manchester United due to Pedri and Gavi being ruled out.

The sides played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at Camp Nou on Thursday to leave their Europa League play-off tie in the balance heading into next week s second leg.

Barca rallied from behind, having earlier let slip a lead of their own, but it came at a cost as Pedri limped off with a hamstring injury that is expected to rule him out for a month.

Meanwhile, fellow central midfielder Gavi received a yellow card, with that his third in Europe this season, resulting in an automatic suspension for the game at Old Trafford.

Xavi s options are further limited as Sergio Busquets is also nursing an injury, but versatile defen…

Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund feels there is plenty more to come from the young forward.

“The way he already plays at this level at the age of 18 is something special,” Freund said.

“We want the right mix in our squad, and Mathys plays an important role here.

“He knows what makes Bayern tick, feels comfortable and at home here. Now we are taking the next steps together and are looking forward to the coming years with him.”

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Mikel Arteta has been named the Premier League manager of the month for the fourth time this season after an unbeaten March.

The Arsenal boss collects the award as the Premier League leaders celebrated a perfect month that saw them extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points over Manchester City, while Bukayo Saka s involvement in that run has seen him win the player of the month trophy.

The Gunners scored 14 goals and conceded just three in their four league games in March, with victories over Everton, Bournemouth, Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Having won 4-0 against Everton, Arsenal then salvaged a dramatic 3-2 victory against relegation-threatened Bournemouth courtesy of Reiss Nelson s injury-time winner.

A rampant first-half display saw th…

Sparta Prague enjoyed a fine return to the Champions League on Wednesday, recording a 3-0 win over Salzburg in their first game in Europe s top club competition in 19 years.

Sparta grabbed an early lead that set the tone for the league-phase opener at the Epet Arena as home fans celebrated their team s first win in the tournament since 2003.

The hosts opened the scoring just two minutes in when Kaan Kairinen pounced on a loose ball after a great save by Salzburg goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, effortlessly slotting home the rebound.

Victor Olantuji then doubled their lead in the 42nd minute, firing in from a tight angle after taking in a long ball over the top from captain Filip Panak.

Olantuji then turned provider as the hosts killed the game off just before …

Juventus are interested in signing Lewis Ferguson from Bologna in the summer transfer window, according to . The Scotland international attacking midfielder has established himself as one of the best players in his position in Serie A and has attracted the interest of Italian giants Juventus.

Ferguson has been on the books of Bologna since 2022 when he joined from Aberdeen. The attacking midfielder has been a huge success in Italy and is only 24 now. He can only improve in the coming years. Ferguson has scored six goals and provided three assists in 30 Serie A matches so far this season. The Scotland international scored seven goals in 27 starts and five substitute appearances in Serie A for Bologna last season.

Napoli are seventh in the Serie A table at the moment with…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he is not thinking one second over a potential contract extension as his team prepare to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

Having joined City in 2016 and led them to four of the last five Premier League titles, Guardiola s side once again look favourites to win the league.

They are the only remaining unbeaten team in the Premier League this season and are kept off the top spot by just Arsenal.

But with Guardiola s current set to expire at the end of the 2022-23 season, there are fears he may depart in similar fashion to the sabbatical period he took when leaving Barcelona in 2012 if a new agreement is not made.

However, Guardiola says he is not even considering his contract situation yet.

You know I …

According to , Napoli have no intention of parting ways with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia this summer, despite the reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain in the Georgian winger. They re set to appoint Antonio Conte as their new head coach, and they re keen to have Kvaratskhelia play a major role in their new project under the former Juventus, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur boss.

The 23-year-old has already made a huge impact at Napoli as his 12 goals and 13 assists helped the team win the Serie A title in 2022/23 under Luciano Spalletti. His performances weren t quite as good the following season, and the same can be said for a number of his teammates as the Partenopei finished the recent campaign in 10th place.

With three years left on his contract at the Stad…

Manchester United have decided to keep Erik ten Hag as their head coach for next season, according to . The report has claimed that after conducting a performance review of the past campaign, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club’s minority shareholder, has decided to persevere with Ten Hag.

The report has noted that United have started negotiations to extend Ten Hag’s contract, having concluded that the former Ajax manager deserves a chance to show he can work within the club’s new footballing structure. The Dutchman has been in charge of United since 2022 and won the FA Cup and the EFL Cup once each.

United finished in the top four of the Premier League table in 2022-23, but the Red Devils could not end up in the UEFA Champions League places in the past season. United fin…

Manchester City are interested in signing Rafael Leao from AC Milan in the summer of 2024, according to . The report has claimed that Leao has a release clause of €150 million in his contract at Milan. City, who won the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup last season, plan to get a deal done for Leao in January that will see him move to the Etihad Stadium next summer.

Leao is one of the best wingers in the world and has been superb for Milan over the years. The 24-year-old Portugal international has been on the books of the Rossoneri since 2019 when he moved from Lille. Leao has scored one goal and given one assist in three Serie A matches for Milan so far this season.

City are at the top of the Premier League table at the moment with 12 points fr…