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The Croatia international was said to be on the verge of joining Pep Guardiola at City in a report published by Jutarnji List in his home country on Sunday. Messi comes to rescue for Barcelona Further fuel was then added to the fire when Rakitic was left out of Luis Enrique’s squad for Barcelona’s first league game of 2017 against Villarreal. The report claimed Rakitic is keen to work under former Barca boss Guardiola but his current coach dismissed the rumours as baseless....

The Catalans’ unbeaten run in LaLiga this season looked to be coming to an end at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan until Luis Suarez and Messi scored in the 88th and 89th minutes to salvage a 2-2 draw. Messi had only come off the bench in the 58th minute, having missed both of Argentina’s friendly matches during the international break with a muscle problem. Valverde says he always intended to get the 30-year-old involved against Sevilla but admits his match-saving cameo came despite him not being fully recovered....

A lot has been said about Pique’s life on and off the pitch in recent months. His personal life is in turmoil, with the player currently in the process of finalizing his separation from Shakira. The defender’s professional career is also undergoing turbulence as he struggles for playing time at Barcelona. He has made just two appearances for the Catalans this term, clocking 135 minutes. Pique finds himself behind Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo in the pecking order....

Song has never been a priority for coach Luis Enrique, and thus, he played on loan to English club West Ham United throughout the last two seasons, reports Efe. Song featured in the Barcelona jersey in 65 games in 2012-13 and 2013-14, 34 of which were played under command of former coach Tito Vilanova, while he played the remaining 31 under Gerardo Martino. –IANS sam/vt 0 votes

The first leg will be on Wednesday in Barcelona, with the return match in Madrid on Feb. 27, just before their Spanish league game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on March 3. The matchup between the rivals means both sides will face several tough games in a short span. Three days after the first leg at Camp Nou, Madrid plays at Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league. Four days after that, Madrid travels to the Netherlands to face Ajax in the last 16 of the Champions League....

Catalunya Radio report that Barca were keen to get rid of a provision related to the player’s buyout clause, which reduced the buyout fee depending on how many times the player appeared for the club in a season. The club seems to still be smarting from the departure of young starlet Thiago Alcantara, who was bought by Bayern Munich for about €25m as a result of a similar clause in his contract....

In case you didn’t know… Antoine Griezmann actually rejected an offer from Barcelona last summer, instead deciding to stay with Atletico Madrid. He featured his final decision in a mini-documentary known as La Decisión (The Decision). Many people viewed this as egotistical and excessive, whereas some thought it was an interesting showcase of player power in the modern age, with one individual managing to keep two major clubs on edge as they waited anxiously for his final word....

Previously It is no secret that Neymar is a huge admirer of Coutinho, although this is the first time he has been so vocal about his desire to play with his Selecao teammate at Barcelona. The duo tore apart Argentina in a FIFA World Cup qualifier last year as Brazil ran out 3-0 winners. Coutinho has been instrumental for Liverpool recently, which has seen him pick up Brazilian Player of the Year award (Europe) ahead of Neymar....

Indeed, it was only after the Euro 2016 when he relieved himself from international duties for Croatia, after representing them for over a decade. Also read: La Liga 2016/17: Xavi indirectly suggests that Coutinho has Barca DNA And, according to TV3, Barca intend to acquire his services so that he can spend the final chapter of his career at the Camp Nou. The Catalan outfit will be looking to sign him in the upcoming winter transfer window....

Barcelona had to come from behind to equalise, but they managed to avoid defeat in the quarterfinal first leg, and their unbeaten run in all competitions has now reached 15 games. They have had a strong defensive record at home and, although they may be missing key personnel for this one, Xavi’s side appears to be going from strength to strength. Given Barca’s recent run of form, Glasner’s side will be happy to still be in with a chance to advance to the semis....

Ernesto Valverde, whose side have won seven straight matches to kick off their LaLiga campaign in style, insists there is no immediate need to rest the man he believes is the world’s best player. Messi scored a magnificent hat-trick for Argentina against Ecuador on Tuesday to lead his side to next year’s World Cup in Russia after they initially fell behind in the decisive qualifier before claiming a 3-1 victory....

The Premier League club said Barkley - who also did not travel to Tanzania to play Kenyan side Gor Mahia - has stayed behind to continue his recovery from a groin injury, but transfer speculation involving the player is likely to intensify as a result. Barkley has a year remaining on his Everton contract and Koeman has regularly said the midfielder will be sold unless he is willing to commit to an extended deal....

The 19-year-old broke into the Frankfurt team last season, playing 18 times in the Bundesliga. He scored twice from midfield and was called into the Germany Under-19 squad for the 2017 European U-19 Championship. Arsenal to win any major trophy in 17/18 season - 15/8 He scored in Germany’s opening game against Netherlands and played all three group games before being knocked out by eventual champions England. Barkok’s performances for club and country have seen him linked with a move to a bigger club, with Arsenal rumoured to be interested....

On the Bodog site, for example, you can bet the series (June 22 to 24 in San Francisco is the 7-2 favorite), the inning (the first inning is favored at 3-1) and the count (one ball and one strike is top choice at 3-1) when Bond’s 756th home run will occur. Chief oddsmaker Richard Gardner says “proposition bets” (wagers on questions other than game outcome) are fun for his crew....

World champion Barshim succeeds retired Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt. He claimed the title from a shortlist comprising Britain’s long distance star Mo Farah and South Africa’s 400m champion Wayde Van Niekerk. Thiam, who won hepatathlon gold at the Olympics and worlds in London, beat off competition from Ethiopia’s 10,000m Olympic champion Almaz Ayana and Greek polevault star Ekaterini Stefanidi. The men’s and women’s finalists were whittled down from an original list of 10 by a vote of IAAF council members, fans and fellow athletes....

PSG crashed out of the Champions League in the last 16 following a stunning 3-1 second-leg defeat to United in Paris. Marcus Rashford converted a 94th-minute penalty as United overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit to progress on away goals. Also See : Durand Cup, Durand Cup Schedule, Calcutta Football League Former United goalkeeper Barthez, who won two Premier League titles with the club in 2001 and 2003, criticised PSG afterwards....

California: Fans bring picnic blankets for open seating on Home Run Hill ($1 tickets on Sundays!) and watch as players try to smack long balls into the water, à la San Francisco’s AT&T Park ( stocktonports.com ). Indiana: Opened in 1915, Bosse Field hosted Geena Davis, Madonna and the rest of the Rockford Peaches during the filming of “A League of Their Own” ( evansvilleotters.com ). New Mexico: After Homer saved his beloved Isotopes from leaving Springfield for Albuquerque in “The Simpsons,” Albuquerque residents overwhelmingly voted to name its team the ‘Topes....

But baseball is also riddled with nuances, both on and off the field. MORE: MLB Jersey Confidence Index | Baseball movie power rankings On Thursday night in Florida, two youngsters got a first-hand lesson in how to enjoy America’s pastime. First, a boy in Miami had the honor of welcoming Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon onto the diamond. Gordon presented the youngster with a baseball and asked for a low five in return....

No longer is everyone’s favorite basketball impersonator simply mimicking hoops heroes in his driveway. Now, the social media icon (@BdotAdot5) has made his famous videos full-on multimedia experiences. His latest offering might be his best. He spliced together some of his Michael Jordan’s finest moments, including his crossover and jumper in the Finals against Utah and his hanging shot in the lane over Craig Ehlo to eliminate the Cavaliers from the playoffs back in the day, along with his own rendition of His Airness, and the result is masterful....

Additionally, if Batman: Arkham Knight gamers have already finished each of the main quests and nabbed all of the Riddler’s Trophies as the Caped Crusader, there’s always the option for them to play the fun, albeit short, Harley Quinn add-on. And should there be players who have hit 100% on all that the game has to offer, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is set to give fans even more content by officially announcing the release of new DLC featuring Batgirl....