Real Madrid v Celta Vigo Betting: Capable underdogs can contribute to a high-scoring game

Our tipster believes the visitors should be able to get on the scoresheet in what promises to be an entertaining end-to-end affair at the Bernabeu Real Madrid’s record-breaking 40-match unbeaten run came to an end in dramatic fashion on Sunday evening, with Zinedine Zidane’s men conceding twice in the last five minutes to lose 2-1 at Sevilla. The disappointment was palpable for Los Blancos’ players, although the good news for them is that they have a chance to bounce back on Wednesday night in the Copa Del Rey when Celta Vigo visit the Bernabeu in the first leg of their quarter final.

Buttner: I’m no Man Utd failure – I did what Steven Gerrard couldn’t

The left-back made 28 appearances for the English club over two years, but insists he did not fail there and is a better player for the experience Alexander Buttner has denied the idea that he failed at Manchester United and has vowed to show his strength upon his return to Vitesse. The left-back signed for the Arnhem club this week, signing a contract that keeps him in the Eredivisie until 2019.

Man Utd trigger Valencia contract extension clause

The Ecuador international full-back has followed the lead of Marouane Fellaini by committing his future to the Red Devils until the summer of 2018 Manchester United have triggered the one-year extension clause in Antonio Valencia’s contract, which will tie him to the club until June 2018. Last week, the club announced that Marouane Fellaini had extended his stay at Old Trafford by a further 12 months, and on Tuesday Valencia followed suit.

Ronaldo returns to Real Madrid’s Copa squad

Zinedine Zidane allowed the Portugal international to rest in the last round of the Copa del Rey, but a scare versus Sevilla has prompted his recall Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey squad as the La Liga leaders prepare to face Celta Vigo in the quarter-finals. Ronaldo was absent from both legs in the previous round against Sevilla, as a 3-0 win and thrilling, last-gasp 3-3 draw took Zinedine Zidane’s side through.

Zidane backs Navas and defends Benzema as Madrid aim to bounce back

The pair were criticised for their performances at the weekend, but the Frenchman has said that it is impossible to be perfect for 90 minutes Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane dismissed speculation over Keylor Navas’ future as “rumours” after the goalkeeper’s performance in Sunday’s 2-1 La Liga defeat to Sevilla came under scrutiny. Costa Rica international Navas was criticised for failing to keep out Stevan Jovetic’s dramatic winner, as Sevilla came from behind to end Madrid’s Spanish record unbeaten run in stoppage time.

Manchester United’s Paul Pogba is booked for diving by referee Jon Moss

The Football Association has confirmed it is talking to the Scottish Football Association about the pros and cons of taking retrospective action against players who dive. Introduced in 2011, the SFA’s rule 201 gives a disciplinary panel the power to impose two-game bans for acts of simulation missed by the match officials or rescind yellow cards for players who were incorrectly adjudged to have dived.

LVG’s Man Utd highlights

The former United manager appears to have called time on his coaching career , saying he is unlikely to take another job for family reasons. He has been out of work since leaving United last May, with his two-year spell ending with victory in the FA Cup final over Crystal Palace .

Founder of Goals five-a-side football centres gets boot

The best bank accounts to move to this New Year: We reveal the top perks on offer, from interest to A 200 in free cash Kate’s coat helps Hobbs sales soar: Fashion brands favoured by Duchess of Cambridge and her sister Pippa are Christmas hits Why don’t YOU take a pay cut? The FTSE bosses earning A 145m are flying into Davos… to tackle poverty Our extension is half-finished and the builder is asking for another A 40k to cover increased costs before finishing – can he do this? MARKET REPORT: RBS leads fall of banks after Goldman Sachs cuts its rating as FTSE record run finally comes to an end ALEX BRUMMER: A dark day for Rolls-Royce as it stumps up A 671m to settle bribery and corruption charges ‘The days of someone handing over A 250k are long gone’: How do you afford a Lamborghini? We meet the salesman to find out… and take one for a test drive New Year home sellers add A 1,000 to … (more)

‘Jeff Hendrick wanted to take it’ – Burnley’s Joey Barton on his match-winning free-kick

JOEY Barton fancied taking the free-kick that led to Burnley’s winner against Southampton due to the position it was in rather than any sense of destiny. The 34-year-old, making his second Turf Moor ‘debut’ after returning to the club following an ill-fated spell in Scotland with Rangers, found the back of the net with the 25-yard free-kick, via a slight deflection.

Justin Bieber reaffirms love for Arsenal FC by rocking a red and…

Justin Bieber reaffirms love for Arsenal FC by rocking a red and blue team jacket at low-key dinner in LA ahead of upcoming Purpose tour dates He famously enjoyed a tour of the team’s training ground with top players Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back in October. And Justin Bieber proved his support of Arsenal FC has not faltered upon return to the States, as he stepped out in team merchandise on Sunday.

Fiorentina offer tantalising glimpse of true potential

Federico Chiesa of Acf Fiorentina celebrates the victory of a match at the end of the Serie A soccer match between ACF Fiorentina and Juventus at Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence, Italy on January 15,2017 MILAN: Fiorentina’s performance in the 2-1 win over Serie A leaders Juventus on Sunday offered their fans a tantalising glimpse of what they are capable of when they put their minds to it. The Violets outplayed their opponents, exposing weaknesses in Juve’s much-vaunted “BBC” defence of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, with a display worthy of title contenders rather than a team stuck in eighth place.

Ramos sees reverse in fortunes as Real’s record run ends

Sergio Ramos has so often been Real Madrid’s man of the moment but the captain saw the tables turn as his own goal helped his former club Sevilla to a 2-1 win over the La Liga leaders on Sunday, ending a record-breaking 40-game unbeaten run. The Real defender’s reputation for rescuing his team in their hour of need took a twist when he headed Pablo Sarabia’s floated free-kick past his own goalkeeper Keylor Navas in the 85th minute to cancel out Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty.

Chelsea proved they can win without Diego Costa, says Courtois

The Blues goalkeeper thinks that his side’s striker is important, but that if he is missing for a game then his side will cope as they did on Saturday Thibaut Courtois was impressed with how Chelsea handled the absence of Diego Costa as they claimed three more points away to Leicester City to add to their Premier League title challenge. Costa was ruled out of his side’s 3-0 win with a back injury – but Goal understands that the 28-year-old had a falling out with manager Antonio Conte over contract negotiations – after the Blues striker was offered a 30 million-per-year deal from a Chinese football club.

Valencia tops Espanyol to end winless run in Spanish league

Valencia has finally won again in the Spanish league, beating Espanyol 2-1 to end a three-month drought and move further from the relegation zone. Martin Montoya scored from close range in the 17th minute and Santi Mina sealed the victory in the 73rd at Mestalla Stadium as Valencia snapped its eight-game winless streak to open a four-point gap to the relegation teams and has a game in hand.

Winning without Costa is significant for Chelsea – Conte

The Blues extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points with a comfortable 3-0 victory against Leicester on Saturday, courtesy of two goals from Marcos Alonso and another from Pedro. Following reports this week that Costa had a disagreement with the Chelsea boss and his coaching staff amid rumours of a big-money offer from a Chinese Super League club, the 28-year-old was left out of the squad at the King Power Stadium.

Guardiola virtually concedes title after heavy loss for City

The English Premier League season is barely passed the halfway point and already Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has virtually given up on winning the title Guardiola virtually concedes title after heavy loss for City The English Premier League season is barely passed the halfway point and already Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has virtually given up on winning the title Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2iAkdwT Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, centre, celebrates scoring his side’s first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017.

Former Baylor guard Jackson rejoins Mavs on 10-day contract

Former Baylor guard Pierre Jackson is returning for a second stint in Dallas after signing a 10-day contract with the Mavericks. Jackson was originally signed from the team’s NBA Development League team on Dec. 27. He was waived less than two weeks later after appearing in four games, averaging 3.0 points in 7.1 minutes.

United v Liverpool – Team-Sheets

Manchester United entertain Liverpool this afternoon in a game that both teams need to win. Liverpool need the points to close the gap on the Premier League leaders Chelsea whilst Manchester United need the three points to keep in touch with the top-four.

Olsson Having Swansea Medical

Martin Olsson is on the verge of completing his 4.5m move to Swansea City according to Sky Sports via the EDP Sky report that both Olsson and Spurs midfielder, Tom Carroll are undergoing medicals this weekend with a double announcement expected tomorrow The pair of prospective new Swans signing were both in Wales over the weekend and Olsson was omitted from Alex Neil`s squad as a result. Steven Whittaker took his place in the Norwich side and was at arguably at fault for both of the goals that Norwich conceded at Rotherham on Saturday.

Hammers v Palace – Managerial Views

The Hammers got back to winning ways in impressive fashion at the London Stadium, beating Crystal Palace 3-0. The win will come as a welcome relief to Hammers supporters who had learned during the week that Dimitri Payet wants to leave.

Leicester City 0-3 Chelsea: Alonso scores twice as Costa-less Blues go seven clear

Antonio Conte’s men did not let the absence of their star striker affect them as they eased to three points at the King Power Stadium on Saturday Diego Costa’s absence had little impact on Chelsea’s title tilt as Marcos Alonso’s double saw them restore their seven-point advantage at the Premier League summit with a 3-0 win over Leicester City. The Spain striker, rumoured to be the target of a big-money bid from Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin Quanjian, was dropped after a reported bust-up with manager Antonio Conte and fitness coach Julio Tous in training this week.

Conte vs Costa: Chelsea’s boss wins battle on and off the pitch

The Blues striker was left out of his side’s win in Leicester City but his manager’s decision was vindicated at the King Power Stadium Antonio Conte avoided a heap of pressure after Chelsea managed to win away to Leicester City without his talismanic striker, Diego Costa, after the pair fell out over a big-money offer from China. Marcos Alonso stepped up to provide the two killer blows against the Foxes, opening the scoring after Eden Hazard found him with a clever pass in the sixth minute and he soon doubled the lead with a shot from the edge of the box which deflected off Wes Morgan and squirmed past Kasper Schmeichel.

‘I don’t know how serious it is’ – Wenger confirms ankle injury for Giroud

The Arsenal boss has revealed that his France international striker was forced off against Swansea City after picking up a knock Arsene Wenger says Olivier Giroud suffered an ankle injury in Arsenal’s 4-0 victory away to Swansea City on Saturday. The France international scored his fourth goal in as many Premier League games to break the deadlock in the first half but immediately signalled to the bench that he was in some discomfort.