Lionel Messi is on the bench for Barcelona s LaLiga game away to Deportivo Alaves on Tuesday.
Barcelona will be crowned champions this week if they beat Alaves and nearest LaLiga rivals Atletico Madrid lose at home to Valencia on Wednesday.
But they will have to face Alaves without their captain as Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho have been selected as support for striker Luis Suarez in Messi s absence.
Carles Alena is also in the Barcelona side, making his fifth LaLiga start of the season, with Arturo Vidal in midfield and Arthur alongside Messi and Jordi Alba on the bench.
Samuel Umtiti starts alongside Gerard Pique at the back, with Ivan Rakitic the main absentee for Barca. Sergi Roberto is expected to fill in at left-back.
Barça XI
Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic has hailed the otherworldly talents of Luka Modric and Andres Iniesta.
Barcelona s Rakitic and Real Madrid s Modric have resumed their esteemed midfield alliance for Croatia at the 2018 World Cup to superb effect, with Zlatko Dalic s side one of only three to progress through the group stages in Russia with a 100 per cent record.
Iniesta has signed off on his decorated Barca career but remains a key part of Spain s bid for glory before he begins a news chapter in Japan with Vissel Kobe.
Should they come through respective last-16 matches against Denmark and Russia, Croatia and Spain will meet in the quarter-finals and Rakitic has no doubt it would be a meeting of the very best.
It s very difficult to compare them. It seems…
As reported by AS, veteran Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema and manager Zinedine Zidane have both agreed that the striker should extend his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu. Benzema has been with the club for over a decade now, and the expectation was that he may look elsewhere in search of a new challenge as his career continues to wind down. Alas, it no longer seems like that’s going to happen – and instead, he’s going to carry on his great run of form as of late by committing to stay at Real, potentially for the remainder of his career.
He’s always been something of a polarising figure for one reason or another, but his goalscoring consistency is one thing that seemingly can’t be called into question.
The Frenchman’s run as one of world football’s g…
Netherlands beat Italy 2-1 to qualify for their first Women s World Cup semi-final, where they will face Sweden after their impressive 2-1 win over Germany.
Progress to the competition s last four also means qualification for the Olympic Games for the first time for Netherlands, whose coach Sarina Wiegman has now won more games during her time in charge than any of her predecessors.
It took the Oranje over an hour to break the deadlock amid soaring temperatures in Valenciennes, Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema timing her run carefully to meet Sherida Spitse s cross and glance a header beyond Laura Giuliani.
Before Italy could mount a response, defender Stefanie van der Gragt rose to meet Spitse s corner with a towering header that flashed by Guiliani and left the…
Joachim Low is still the right man to lead Germany, according to Kai Havertz.
The 2014 World Cup-winning coach s tenure has come under fresh scrutiny following last month s 6-0 Nations League thrashing at the hands of Spain.
That setback came as the latest blow to Low s authority after a humbling group-stage exit when they defended their world title at Russia 2018.
The 60-year-old took charge after the 2006 World Cup, meaning it would be more than understandable for him to be running on empty, although Chelsea star Havertz who missed the previous international break after contracting coronavirus believes Low has plenty left to offer.
For me personally, definitely, he told Sky Deutschland when asked about Low s suitability for his role.
It feels …
According to a recent report from Bild, Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club as a direct result of losing his guaranteed place in their starting XI. It seemed a few months ago like the two parties had turned a bit of a corner, but now, they’re right back to where they first stared.
Muller, who has always been viewed as one of Bayern’s star players, seems to have lost a bit of his spark in comparison to when he was at the peak of his powers.
One team that could be interested in making a move are Manchester United who have been targetting him for a while now. However, given that there’s so little time remaining in January, it feels like the best possible move for United would be to wait it out until the summer …
Jordan Henderson is convinced England s experience of coming within touching distance of glory can make them better equipped to go the extra mile – because it is a process he knows all about from playing for Liverpool.
Defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley was a crushing blow to England, who felt they were on the brink of a first major title in over 50 years.
Gareth Southgate s team also went mightily close to reaching the 2018 World Cup final, missing out after losing to Croatia in the semi-finals.
They are getting close repeatedly, and this is relatable for Henderson given his 11-year Liverpool career has seen its ups, downs and close calls.
The Reds finished as runners-up in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League during Henderson…
Alexandre Lacazette urged Arsenal to save their season by winning the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday.
Arsenal have endured a difficult campaign, including finishing eighth in the Premier League and bowing out in the last 32 of the Europa League.
But Lacazette believes they can rescue their season at Wembley, where Arsenal are bidding to extend their record to 14 FA Cup titles.
We know in the league we finished in a bad position, we lost against Olympiacos early in the Europa League, so we missed a few of our targets, the forward said.
That s why I say it would save our season.
Final session
— Arsenal (@Arsenal)
Lacazette is one of several Arsenal players linked with a move away, with captain Pierre-Emer…
Mohamed Salah will stay at Liverpool as Manchester City are the only club in world football who can compete with their title rivals, Michael Owen believes.
Salah s reported £200,000-per-week contract expires in 2023, and Liverpool have so far failed to agree new terms with their superstar winger.
No player can match Salah s Premier League goals (115) or goal involvements (158) since he signed on at Anfield in 2017, during which time the Egypt international has also played his part in Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup and EFL Cup triumphs.
There is therefore understandable concern among Liverpool supporters as they wait for updates on the 29-year-old s future.
However, Owen – who scored 118 of his 150 Premier League goals in Liverpool colours …
Theo Hernandez declared Milan are focused on going one better than last year as they bid to become Serie A champions for the first time in 11 years.
French left-back Hernandez was a driving force behind Milan s latest win, coming off the bench to set up Brahim Diaz s opener against Venezia before scoring the second himself in a 2-0 victory.
Milan were not at their best on Wednesday evening, but coach Stefano Pioli s team have four wins and a draw from their opening five Serie A games, and such form is a temptation to start looking further down the line.
Hernandez, who was afforded a break from the starting XI after a hectic start to his campaign, became the first Milan player to score and assist as a substitute in Serie A since Maxi Lopez pulled off the feat ag…