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      Mauricio Pochettino lined up by Real Madrid with ex-Spurs boss admired for his ‘anti-Barcelonism’ by Florentino Perez

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      MAURICIO POCHETTINO is being lined up as the next Real Madrid boss, according to reports.That’s because Bernabeu chief Florentino Perez reportedly admires the ex-Spurs manager’s “anti-Barcelonism.”
      Real Madrid are eyeing Mauricio Pochettino due to his anti-Barcelona stanceCredit: EPA
      Poch, 50, has been out of work since being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
      Tottenham are believed to be keeping tabs on the Argentine, who became a fan-favourite during his five-and-a-half years in London.
      And SunSport understands Poch would also be open to taking over at Chelsea should Graham Potter get the sack.
      However, Spanish outlet Sport claim the tactician could find himself replacing Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.
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      The Los Blancos boss is under pressure after falling behind Barcelona in the title race.
      And Poch could be the man Real turn to should they relinquish their crown.
      It’s also believed Bernabeu president Perez is a big fan of Poch due to his strong anti-Barcelona stance.
      Pochettino enjoyed two spells playing for their Catalan rivals Espanyol before starting his managerial career with the same LaLiga side.
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      And Poch has made no secret of the fact he will “never” take charge at the Nou Camp.
      Last year, he said: “I will never manage Barcelona. That is impossible.
      “I have this idea of life, a connection with a part of that city that makes that impossible.” More

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      Gennaro Gattuso SACKED as Valencia manager after just seven months in job with club languishing in 14th spot in LaLiga

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      VALENCIA have sacked manager Gennaro Gattuso.The Italian only took charge of the LaLiga side in June – 12 months after talks to take over at Spurs fell through – but he has now been axed with the club sitting 14th in the Spanish top-flight.
      Valenvia have sacked manager Gennaro GattusoCredit: Getty
      The Italian only took charge of the LaLiga side in JuneCredit: Getty
      The 45-year-old penned a two-year deal upon his arrival but he has been unable to stop the downward trajectory over recent years at the club.
      Valencia confirmed the news on Monday night, with a statement saying: “Valencia CF announces that this Monday, January 30, the club and the first team coach, Gennaro Gattuso, have decided by mutual agreement to end the contractual relationship that united the Italian coach with the VCF.
      “The Club wants to thank the coach for his commitment and work in these months in charge of the first team and wish him the best of luck in his future.
      “The team will return to training this Tuesday, January 31, under the orders of ‘Voro’ Gonzalez.”
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      Gattuso won just five of his 18 LaLiga games in charge.
      His reign ended with a 1-0 home defeat to Real Valladolid last night.
      Meanwhile, this will incredibly be Voro Gonzalez’s EIGHTH spell as caretaker manager of the club.
      But he faces a daunting task over the coming days as he prepares the squad for a trip to Champions League holders Real Madrid on Thursday.
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      Gattuso enjoyed a brilliant playing career in which he represented the likes of Rangers and AC Milan and he helped Italy to win the 2006 World Cup.
      He started coaching at Sion in Switzerland before going on to take charge of Pisa, AC Milan and Napoli, who he led to Coppa italia success in 2020, prior to moving to Valencia. More

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      Barcelona launch crackdown on Man Utd fans for Europa League clash with English IP addresses banned and no child tickets

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      BARCELONA have launched a crackdown on ticket sales ahead of their Europa League fixture against Manchester United.The LaLiga giants are hoping to avoid similar scenes to when they faced Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in the competition last season.
      Barcelona have put measures in place to avoid Man Utd fans from buying home ticketsCredit: Getty
      Last season Eintracht Frankfurt’s fans are estimated to have bought 30,000 tickets to the Europa League clash at the Nou CampCredit: AFP
      The German club’s fans managed to get their hands on a reported 30,000 tickets for the fixture at the Nou Camp, way more than their allocation.
      This led to Barcelona’s home leg feeling a lot more like an away fixture due to the atmosphere created by the Frankfurt supporters.
      To stop this from happening for the Europa League tie against the Red Devils, the Spanish club have implemented measures to reduce the risk.
      The fixture has been deemed as high-risk by the Anti-Violence Commission, which has seen the measures come into action.
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      The club has created an internal transversal committee which will block computers with an IP address coming from England from buying tickets.
      It has also reduced the number of tickets an individual can purchase from six to four.
      The fixture will also not have child tickets available.
      Tour operators have also been hit as only 1,000 tickets will be sold to them to pass on to customers.
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      On the day, there will be random checks on fans, and those who have received a seat from a season ticket holder will have to have the correct form to hand.
      Erik ten Hag’s side have been made aware of the measures that affects the club’s supporters.
      The Red Devils are estimated to have a ticket allocation of 4,700 for the fixture at the 99,354-seater Nou Camp stadium. More

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      Real Madrid draw Barcelona in huge Copa del Rey semi-final El Clasico… but you probably won’t be able to watch it

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      REAL MADRID and Barcelona are set to square off in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.The two rivals drew each other after Los Blancos eliminated Atletico Madrid and Barca knocked out Real Sociedad in the quarter-finals.
      Real Madrid and Barcelona will face each other in the Copa del Rey semi-finalsCredit: Getty
      British fans won’t get to watch Barcelona vs Real Madrid in the Copa del ReyCredit: EPA
      That sets up an exciting El Clasico between the two sworn enemies amid an intense LaLiga battle – with Los Blancos only five points behind Xavi’s leaders.
      But British fans may not be able to watch it as no TV channel on these shores has bought the rights to the Copa del Rey.
      That is why no one got to see the exciting Madrid derby, in which Real equalised in the final few minutes and turned the game on its head during extra-time with a 3-1 win.
      This comes as a major surprise considering that Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime and Viaplay combined cost more than £1,000 per year.
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      The two rivals have faced off twice already this season and are scheduled to meet once more in LaLiga.
      Real beat Barcelona 3-1 in the league back in October at the Santiago Bernabeu.
      Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde and Rodrygo led Carlo Ancelotti’s side to a comfortable victory with Ferran Torres scoring a consolation goal.
      But the Blaugrana returned the favour with the same score three weeks ago in the Spanish Super Cup final.
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      Gavi, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri sealed the win for Barcelona with Benzema putting the Madrid giants on the scoreboard in Saudi Arabia.
      The two rivals’ upcoming cup clashes will take place on February 28 in Madrid and April 4 at the Nou Camp. More

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      Ex-Arsenal star Hector Bellerin close to leaving Barcelona… but transfer could be scuppered by Spurs at last minute

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      BARCELONA right-back Hector Bellerin could reportedly have a loan transfer to Sporting Lisbon scuppered by his old club Arsenal’s rivals, Tottenham.Bellerin, 27, joined Barcelona on a free transfer from Arsenal last summer, but he has been limited to just seven appearances so far this season.
      Hector Bellerin’s loan move to Sporting has been scuppered after Tottenham failed to sign Pedro PorroCredit: Getty
      He has less than six months remaining on his contract, but the LaLiga giants are open to offloading him before the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
      The Athletic reported that Bellerin was on his way to Portugal.
      Sporting were close to signing the Spaniard on loan until the end of the season.
      Bellerin was supposed to act as a replacement for Pedro Porro, who before Monday was on the verge of joining Tottenham in a £40million transfer.
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      But Sporting moved the goalposts and the deal is now OFF.
      The Portuguese club tried to change the terms of the deal at the last minute leaving Porro devastated, according to The Athletic.
      That could see Bellerin’s transfer scuppered by old rivals Spurs, leaving him stranded at the Camp Nou.
      Sporting had originally planned to sign Tariq Lamptey on loan, however Brighton were unwilling to let him leave on a temporary basis.
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      Bellerin spent 10 years at Arsenal before joining Barcelona last year.
      He fell out of favour at the Emirates Stadium in 2021 and consequently joined Real Betis on loan.
      The Gunners then decided to terminate his contract so he swapped North London for the Nou Camp.
      Barcelona sit at the top of the LaLiga table, six points clear of rivals Real Madrid. More

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      Inaki Williams’ insane run of 2,468 days without missing a game for Athletic Bilbao comes to an end

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      INAKI WILLIAMS’ insane run of 2,468 days without missing a game for Athletic Bilbao has come to an end.The Ghana international, 28, was not involved in Sunday’s LaLiga 1-0 defeat against Celta Vigo after suffering a muscle injury.
      Inaki Williams’ record run of consecutive LaLiga appearances has endedCredit: Getty
      And it saw his astonishing record of 251 consecutive matches come to a sorry end.
      Williams’ amazing streak started on April 7, 2016.
      He set a new record for the most consecutive Spanish league appearances in October 2021 after 203 straight games.
      And in April last year Williams made it a stunning six years without missing a match.
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      The Spain-born forward almost saw his run come to a dramatic end in August when he picked up an ankle injury.
      It was set to bring the record to an end after 236 games.
      But Williams managed to make a miracle recovery after docs initially feared he could miss several months of action.
      Unfortunately for the Bilbao icon, it finally came to an end on Sunday after 251 games.
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      And fans paid tribute to Williams’ record, which is unlikely to be broken for some time.
      One supporter said: “Unreal athlete, to maintain that level of fitness for six years is ridiculous.”
      Another declared: “I’m sad, I invested in that record, I’m pretty sure it kept him motivated to keep pushing even further.”
      One declared: “What a record, never going to be broken for a long time.”
      Another joked: “Start him and sub off after one minute to keep the streak going.” More

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      Ex-Arsenal star Hector Bellerin helps Tottenham land dream Pedro Porro transfer as he closes in on Sporting Lisbon move

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      BARCELONA right-back Hector Bellerin is on the verge of joining Sporting Lisbon on loan, according to reports.Bellerin, 27, joined Barcelona on a free transfer from Arsenal last summer, but he has been limited to just seven appearances so far this season.
      Bellerin is on the verge of joining Sporting LisbonCredit: Getty
      He has less than six months remaining on his current contract, but the LaLiga giants are open to offloading him before the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
      And according to The Athletic, he could now be on his way to Portugal.
      Sporting Lisbon are close signing the Spaniard on loan until the end of the season.
      Bellerin would act as a replacement for Pedro Porro, who is understood to be on the verge of joining Tottenham in a £39million transfer.
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      Sporting had originally planned to sign Tariq Lamptey on loan, however Brighton were unwilling to let him leave on a temporary basis.
      They have since shifted focus to Bellerin, who has been struggling to find form in recent months.
      The Spaniard spent 10 years at Arsenal before joining Barcelona last year.
      He fell out of favour at the Emirates Stadium in 2021 and consequently joined Real Betis on loan.
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      The Gunners then decided to terminate his contract so he swapped North London for the Nou Camp.
      Barcelona currently sit at the top of the LaLiga table, six points clear of rivals Real Madrid. More

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      Man Utd boost as Ousmane Dembele is set to miss both Europa League clashes after Barcelona star suffers injury

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      BARCELONA winger Ousmane Dembele could miss both legs of the club’s upcoming Europa League play-off against Manchester United due to a thigh injury.The Frenchman, 25, was forced off during Barcelona’s La Liga clash with Girona on Saturday.
      Ousmane Dembele has sustained a thigh injuryCredit: Getty
      The Frenchman was forced off during Barcelona’s match against GironaCredit: Getty
      He was seen clutching his leg midway through the first half, raising concerns for Xavi and his coaching staff.
      And a post-match statement from the club confirmed that he had sustained an injury to his quadricep.
      The statement read: “Tests carried out this evening on Ousmane Dembele have shown that he has a rectus femoris injury in his left thigh.
      “He is out and his recovery will determine his availability.”
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      According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, he will be sidelined for five-to-six weeks as a result.
      Consequently, the winger will miss both of Barcelona’s upcoming Europa League games against Man Utd.
      The La Liga giants are due to face the Red Devils twice next month in a play-off which will determine who progresses to the round-of-16.
      Dembele could also miss up to six La Liga games due to the injury.
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      Barcelona currently sit at the top of the league table, six points clear of rivals Real Madrid.
      But, the absence of Dembele could hinder the club’s title charge.
      The Frenchman has re-established himself as a crucial first team player for Barcelona this season, with eight goals and seven assists in 28 games so far. More