By no means was it a comfortable victory, and Villarreal would’ve made them pay had they been able to create more clear-cut chances. But, Barcelona dominated the game in parts today. They showed control that they lacked in their previous games, and that’s a step forward for Ernesto Valverde and his team. Barcelona started the game well. They kept most of Villarreal’s threat at bay and made plenty of inroads going forward....
Neymar, Coutinho & Mbappe all to leave - 7/4 The club released an official statement on Thursday that read: “On Thursday afternoon Neymar Jr’s legal representatives visited in person the club’s offices and made the payment of €222m in the player’s name with regards to the unilateral termination of the contract that united both parties. “As such, the club will pass on to UEFA the details of the above operation so that they can determine the disciplinary responsibilities that may arise from this case....
For Barcelona, it is a return to the scene of the crime and nobody at the club has forgotten that they were beaten 2-3 by the French side in the group stage of the competition, reports Xinhua. However, this time Barcelona will be pleased that the volatile PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovich is unable to play against his former club due to suspension. Barcelona have problems of their own to sort out, not least the apparently poor relationship between coach Luis Enrique and Neymar....
Reputed Spanish journalist Eduardo Inda believes that there is a genuine possibility that Barcelona chief Josep Maria Bartomeu makes this decision. There is growing unrest in the Barcelona camp after dropping four crucial points since the restart of the league season. Speaking to El Chiringuito, Inda explained that the Barcelona dressing room are beginning to lose faith in Setien’s methods. He believes that although Setien hadn’t gone as far as Rafa Benitez did when he told Cristiano Ronaldo how to shoot at Real Madrid, he isn’t too far off....
Messi’s future is up for debate, as he is in the final months of his contract and has not yet committed to fresh terms. He tasted defeat in the Clasico on Saturday, and the Argentina international’s future was a topic for debate in the postgame analysis. What has been said? Barcelona director Guillermo Amor was asked about Messi’s future on the back of the 2-1 loss to Real Madrid....
When asked how close he was to joining Chelsea, Alves held his thumb and index finger as close as possible without touching each other and said, “I was this close.” “I didn’t go to Chelsea because of the club, not because of me. I thought it was done, that I was going there to work with him. I don’t know if he got different information, that I didn’t want to go or whatever, because since then our relationship hasn’t been so good, but it wasn’t my fault....
Barcelona will look to end their four-match winless streak when they travel to Deportivo’s den, the Estadio Riazor stadium on Wednesday. Turan will reportedly be examined on the morning of the match-day to see if he is fit enough to feature in the game. Barcelona tweeted: “Arda Turan to be held out of training today with gastritis. His recovery time will determine his availability for tomorrow’s game.” Barcelona are aiming to turn things around in the La Liga, having lost three successive games to squander a nine-point lead....
Band Hero Song List for Console Versions The music in Band Hero includes more mainstream pop and rock than you’ll find in the Guitar Hero games: 3 Doors Down - “When I’m Gone”The Airborne Toxic Event - “Gasoline”The All-American Rejects - “Dirty Little Secret”Alphabeat - “Fascination”Aly and AJ - “Like Whoa”Angels & Airwaves - “The Adventure”Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals - “Steal My Kisses “Big Country - “In a Big Country”The Bravery - “Believe”Carl Douglas - “Kung Fu Fighting”Cheap Trick - “I Want You To Want Me (live)”Cold War Kids - “Hang Me Up To Dry”Corinne Bailey Rae - “Put Your Records On”Counting Crows - “Angels of the Silences”Culture Club - “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me”Dashboard Confessional - “Hands Down”David Bowie - “Let’s Dance”Devo - “Whip It”Don McLean - “American Pie”Duffy - “Warwick Avenue”Duran Duran - “Rio”Evanescence - “Bring Me To Life”Everclear - “Santa Monica (Watch The World Die)”Fall Out Boy - “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down”Filter - “Take A Picture”Finger Eleven - “Paralyzer”The Go-Go’s - “Our Lips Are Sealed”Hilary Duff - “So Yesterday”Hinder - “Lips Of An Angel”Jackson 5 - “ABC”Janet Jackson - “Black Cat”Jesse McCartney - “Beautiful Soul”Joan Jett - “Bad Reputation”Joss Stone - “You Had Me”Katrina and The Waves - “Walking On Sunshine”The Kooks - “Naïve”KT Tunstall - “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree”The Last Goodnight - “Pictures Of You”Lily Allen - “Take What You Take”Maroon 5 - “She Will Be Loved”Marvin Gaye - “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”Mighty Mighty Bosstones - “The Impression That I Get”Nelly Furtado - “Turn Off The Light”N....
Thus it is not a surprise that badminton is currently the most followed Olympic sport in India. For the past decade and a half, there has been a steady increase in the number of youngsters wanting to follow in the footsteps of the two golden girls, Saina and Sindhu. More academies have sprung up, more talents are being churned out day by day with the hope of making the country a powerhouse in badminton....
United thumped West Ham 4-0 at Old Trafford to open the new Premier League campaign and travel to Swansea City on Saturday looking to maintain that early-season momentum. Bailly, 23, is entering his second year with a club he feels have always remained at the top level, despite not winning the top-flight title since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. “The team has always been at a world class level, they have just had some bad moments,” Ivory Coast international Bailly, who joined in a £30 million move from Villarreal, told reporters....
Antonio signs new West Ham deal The Ivorian defender was dismissed after putting a hand to John Guidetti’s face, with Facundo Roncaglia then also seeing red for retaliating in the aftermath. United were not punished, however, with Guidetti missing a late chance to send Celta into the final at the home side’s expense and United triumphing 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho’s men will face Ajax in the final after the Dutch side held off a comeback from Lyon to progress in the night’s other last-four tie....
Chelsea shelled out a reported £40million to bring Bakayoko in from Ligue 1 champions Monaco, but knee surgery at the end of last season has delayed his integration into the first-team set-up. With Cesc Fabregas suspended for Chelsea’s trip to Wembley to face Tottenham on Sunday after a red card against Burnley in a surprise 3-2 Premier League defeat last weekend, Conte confirmed he may be forced to call on the France international earlier than he would like....
Speculation continues to suggest that the Italian’s days at Stamford Bridge are numbered, with his side having staged a forgettable defence of the Premier League title secured in his debut campaign. A top-four finish may even be beyond the dethroned champions, with the Blues needing to beat Newcastle on the final day and rely on Brighton stunning Liverpool in order to secure Champions League qualification. Conte has endeavoured to steer around the talk of what his future might hold, but a man snapped up by the former Juventus boss for £40 million ($54m) in the summer of 2017 is hoping he will stay put....
The Browns should be thrilled about how their rookie QB handled his appearance on the FS1 pundit’s show Thursday. While Mayfield made the rounds at Fox Sports to promote the network’s soon-to-be-aired documentary about his unlikely journey to the NFL, he was forced to come face-to-face with Cowherd and the host’s trolling. Mayfield, who was wearing a hoodie with the word “undraftable” printed across the chest, was prepared to stick up for himself and the Browns just two days after Cowherd ripped him (again) on Twitter for not being worthy of the No....
RELATED: D&D Games to Play If You Like Baldur’s Gate Players who want to pull off the characteristic Bard from Dungeons & Dragons might want to tailor their Baldur’s Gate 3 Bard to achieve maximum performance and look into possible optimization options for their character. However, just how could players pull off the perfect Bard? The Point Of The Bard Players of the Baldur’s Gate game who aren’t familiar with its original sourcebook Dungeons & Dragons 5e might not be entirely sure what to expect from the Bard Class....
RELATED: D&D Games to Play If You Like Baldur’s Gate However, players aspiring to prevent Faerun’s descent into total chaos in Baldur’s Gate 3 would need the right equipment to ensure their protection against the fiercest blows. In this regard, just which shields in this Baldur’s Gate title work best as formidable defenses for players? Scrapwood Shield AC: +2 Quality: Common Effects: N/A In today’s wartorn realm of Faerun, characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 in need of ways to survive may rely on even the simplest of tools....
American veteran Woods opened his Players Championship campaign with an even par at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday - six shots adrift of a crammed leaderboard which includes world number one Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Alex Noren, Chesson Hadley, Matt Kuchar and Patrick Cantlay. Woods is back challenging on the PGA Tour after a fourth back surgery, recording top-five finishes at both the Valspar Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, while he was 32nd at the Masters....
While he might want to not plead guilty and appeal against the charges, he is the cynosure of all discussions and the rulebooks are once again being rummaged by those who want to understand what the fuss is all about. Even before that controversy has died down, a British tabloid accused Virat Kohli of similar misdemeanour, although it was rubbished by the English cricket fans themselves. Given no complaint was lodged against Kohli within five days of the commission of the alleged offence, one may not expect any more smoke there but it is not a bad time to review what ball tampering is all about....
South Africa stands at the brink of historic, fundamental change. In three weeks the country’s black majority will choose a government for the first time. But the election campaign has brought an upsurge of political violence. Right-wing whites and traditionalist blacks disagree with the terms of the imminent transfer of power. The most powerful of them is Zulu Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who is boycotting the vote in an effort to retain his power base in coastal Natal province....
We asked SN contributors M.E. Anderson, founder of the popular MLB Cathedrals Twitter account, to rank MLB stadiums 1-30 as part of our Ballpark Bracket competition. Here he explains his rankings: MORE: Full details on our Ballpark Bracket challenge 1. PNC Park PNC Park takes the top seed. A small, intimate ballpark with a great view. Improvements that could be made: Give fans the ability to be able to navigate 360 degrees around the park and add more hang-out space....
