´Amazing´ Sarri deserves success, says David Luiz

When you play in a team alongside Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, it is easy to be overshadowed but Xavi cannot understand why Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets has not been considered for the Ballon d Or.

Barcelona star Messi has dominated the prestigious award, winning it five times after claiming the 2015 honour ahead of Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo and team-mate Neymar.

Quartet Suarez, Andres Iniesta, Javier Mascherano and Ivan Rakitic were also on the shortlist for last year s Ballon d Or, with midfield general and Spain international Busquets absent, much to the dismay of former Barca star Xavi.

Barcelona are at another level, Xavi now plying his trade for Qatari side Al Sadd told Four Four Two. They don t let the opposition breathe. And th…

Inexperienced defender Serdar Tasci has been preferred to 2002 World Cup and Euro 2008 finalist Christoph Metzelder for Germany s opening 2010 World Cup qualifier, assistant coach Hans-Dieter Flick announced on Friday.

The Germans semi-finalists in the 2006 World Cup take on minnows Liechtenstein on Saturday in Vaduz and Flick said that 21-year-old Tasci, who has one cap, had earned his place on merit.

He (Tasci) was really good against Belgium (a 2-0 friendly win in August), and showed he was ready to step up to the senior team, said Flick of the son of immigrant Turks who plays for VfB Stuttgart.

Whilst Flick refused to suggest that 47-timers capped Metzelder s time as automatic first choice had come to an end, his demotion comes after a series of under-par…

Romania s road to the World Cup in 2010 seems to be longer and bumpier than ever after a very hard fought and unimpressive win at the Faroe Islands.

After the 3-0 trashing by Lithuania last week, Romania hoped to show a more convincing performance in Torshavn on Wednesday.

But the side that only just missed out on the quarter finals at Euro 2008 failed to score a single goal in the first half, and lost Ghionea as result of a red card four minutes after the break.

Romania would take the points thanks to a single goal from Cocis in the 59th minute, but pressure will mount on the team to do better versus France next month.

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Lionel Messi will sign another Barcelona contract to ensure he stays at the club for the rest of his career, believes president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

After a long delay and with his deal running down, Messi finally agreed terms on a fresh four-year contract in November, taking him to the end of the 2020-21 season.

Messi will be 34 at the end of that contract, but Bartomeu expects the Argentina star to sign another Barcelona deal before he retires.

We are a club that bets on good football, Bartomeu told Bloomberg. We have a unique style of play and Messi is the best player in the world, our key player.

Andres Iniesta is an example. We want him here not as a player, but as a legend in the future.

And with Messi I hope it s the same. Now he s …

Scottish champions Celtic visit Iceland s KR on Tuesday as qualifying for the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League gathers pace.

The 1967 European Cup winners made it to the group stages after thumping Cliftonville 5-0 over two legs in the second qualifying round last year, but begin the new campaign with a different coach at the helm.

Ronny Deila is the man charged with filling the boots of former Celtic Park boss Neil Lennon, who won five Scottish titles as a player before guiding the club to three consecutive crowns in the past three seasons.

And Deila will be keen to make a winning start in Iceland this week, with the second leg set to take place at Murrayfield as Celtic s Glasgow home plays host to the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

Deila s former clu…

Former Everton defender Shkodran Mustafi has hinted that he could move to German Bundesliga this summer.

The 22-year-old surprisingly made Germany s World Cup squad after impressing for Sampdoria last season, and he went on to make three appearances on the road to the trophy before suffering a torn muscle in the Last 16 stage clash against Algeria.

And with the player proving his worth at the biggest stage of them all, Europe s top clubs have started to take notice.

Mustafi admits that he could join a top European side this summer, while hinting at a move to German Bundesliga.

“The next decision is important. A big club would be the next step,” Mustafi .

“As a German national team player it would be nice to play in the Bundesliga. And there…

Market: Under 3.5 goals

Odds: 4/7 @

Two sides who are seeking some stability in the early hours of Thursday morning, LA Galaxy will welcome FC Dallas to Dignity Health Sports Park in midweek.

Starting with the hosts, while LA Galaxy might have thought they had managed to turn a real corner when ending June thanks to those back-to-back victories against San Jose and Vancouver, they came crashing back down to earth earlier in the week. Still ruing a string of missed chances and failing to find a much-needed clinical edge in the final third, The Whites were hit with a 2-0 defeat against Sporting KC on home soil. Losing ground in the Western Conference title chase, Head Coach Greg Vanney will have a recent headache over his side s problems at Dignity Health Sports P…

Gianluca Scamacca scored his first West Ham goal as the Hammers established a commanding 3-1 lead over Viborg in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off clash.

Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio were also on target for the hosts at the London Stadium, with Jakob Bonde s header providing a consolation for the visitors ahead of next week s return leg in Denmark.

The Hammers fortunes were overseen by first-team coach Billy McKinlay, with manager David Moyes serving a touchline ban following his red card in last season s Europa League semi-final defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt.

Vladimir Coufal wore the captain s armband in the absence of Declan Rice and Aaron Cresswell – both also serving continental suspensions – but the hosts took the lead in t…

Sunderland boss David Moyes says centre-back Lamine Kone doesn t want a new contract, prompting fresh speculation that he will leave the club in this transfer window.

Everton have a bid on the table for the 27-year-old although Sunderland have expressed their determination to keep him on Wearside by offering him a new deal worth a reported £50,000 a week.

Kone, who played in the season-opening 2-1 defeat at Manchester City last weekend, has refused to consider the offer, however, and has also ruled himself out of Sunday s Wear-Tees clash with Middlesbrough due to a back problem.

We want to keep him. We made him an offer of a new contract which as of this moment in time he has refused. He came in this morning with a bad back so he won t be available for the Mi…

Verdict: Bayern Munich

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In-form Bayern Munich continue their Champions League title push in Spain where they will face European specialists Sevilla in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie.

Sevilla

Los Rojiblancos have been experiencing all sorts of problems this season, but their erratic run of form should not fool anyone into thinking that Vincenzo Montella’s side will be a small fish to fry in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Sevilla boast an impressive European record in their most recent history, having won the Europa League titles for three successive seasons up until 2016. The La Liga side might be sitting in sixth place domestically but their champions pedigree will make them a respectab…