Tata names the 19 available first team players and Barça B's Gómez and Patric to the team for the match against Celtic
Tata Martino has named 21 players to the team for the match away to Celtic (20.45, Canal +). The list is made up of 19 first team players, including the keeper Oier Olazábal, and Barça B’s Sergi Gómez and Patric. The squad was announced after the Barça B - Mallorca match (0-1).
It’s worth noting that Leo Messi, Jordi Alba, Javier Mascherano, Carles Puyol, Isaac Cuenca and Ibrahim Afellay are injured.
Messi’s hamstring injury was confirmed this Sunday, his estimated recovery time is between two to three weeks.
Trip to Scotland and training session on Monday
The team will travel to Scotland on Monday morning. At 19.00 (local time), Barça will train in Celtic Park. Tata Martino and Cesc will hold a press conference before the session.
Suarez double sinks Sunderland
Suarez double sinks Sunderland
Luis Suarez marked his return to Barclays Premier League action with a double as Liverpool edged past bottom-of-the-table Sunderland.
The Uruguay international, back in the fold after completing a 10-match suspension, needed just 37 minutes to find his way on to the scoresheet when he made the most of a flowing move to tap home from close range, and then celebrated by revealing a tee-shirt dedicated to his family.
Strike-partner Daniel Sturridge had given the visitors the lead by bundling home a 28th-minute Steven Gerrard corner with referee Howard Webb failing to spot that the ball had gone in off his arm, and it was he who set up Suarez to make it 3-1 at the death.
However, managerless Sunderland, who had earlier hit the bar through Sebastian Larsson, more than played their part in the game and got themselves back into it when Emanuele Giaccherini pulled a goal back seven minutes after the restart.
There was as much focus before kick-off on the man who occupied Liverpool's number seven shirt as there was on the search for a replacement for the man who no longer occupied a seat on the Sunderland bench.
That process is ongoing with chief executive Margaret Byrne using her programme notes to inform the club's fans that talks have taken place with several candidates, and that there will be discussions with more this week.
Interim head coach Kevin Ball, who has put himself forward as a candidate, launched his temporary reign with a Capital One Cup victory over Peterborough on Tuesday night, and kept faith with the 11 men who brought a measure of normality back to the club after a chaotic few weeks.
Once again, they produced a performance which combined character, organisation and some intent.
Unfortunately for them, however, they came face to face with a team which boasted significantly more potent weapons than those in the Posh armoury.
There was little to choose between the sides during the early exchanges and Larsson came close to giving the home side a 24th-minute lead when his free-kick beat former team-mate Simon Mignolet, but came back off the bar.
Source : http://www.football.co.uk/liverpool/suarez_double_sinks_sunderland_rss4427177.shtml
Howson strike seals Norwich win
Howson strike seals Norwich win
Jonny Howson's first-half strike steered Norwich to their second Barclays Premier League win of the season as they defeated Stoke 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium.
The Canaries took advantage of sloppy play from their opponents in the 34th minute as Howson collected the ball from Anthony Pilkington and beat Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who might have done better, from outside the box.
Norwich had already hit the crossbar through Ryan Bennett and were good value for their lead, with a shot from Marko Arnautovic that whistled just over being the closest a subdued Potters side came in the opening 45 minutes.
Stoke improved after the interval and looked unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when Leroy Fer had a hand on Kenwyne Jones in the area, before Begovic pulled off a smart save to keep out a Robert Snodgrass shot.
With both clubs struggling for goals this season, a tight affair had been expected and Norwich boss Chris Hughton will be delighted to have emerged from the contest with all three points. They take his side - whose victory at Manchester City in May was their only other away league win in 2013 - to a total of seven points from six games this term, and up three places to 14th in the table.
They leapfrog Stoke, who are now 15th and also on seven points from six matches.
Norwich looked full of purpose from the off, with Pilkington bursting forward early on and unleashing a shot that Ryan Shawcross got in the way of.
Bennett struck the woodwork in the ninth minute with a sliding effort at the back post as he got the better of Shawcross from a corner, and the ball came back to the Canaries defender for a second attempt, but Begovic was able to gather.
There was a suspect moment for Begovic in the 17th minute as a delivery came across the box, with the goalkeeper failing to get anywhere near the ball as it appeared he was shoved to the ground by Michael Turner.
Stoke were unable to make anything of a corner at the other end, and in the 28th minute, Begovic looked unconvincing again as he came to catch a Pilkington cross. He collided with Ricky van Wolfswinkel, who was judged to have committed a foul, and saw the ball go wide of the post.
Source : http://www.football.co.uk/norwich_city/howson_strike_seals_norwich_win_rss4426996.shtml
Premiership: Exeter Chiefs 9-21 Leicester Tigers
Premiership: Exeter Chiefs 9-21 Leicester Tigers
Premiership champions Leicester moved level on points with second-placed Northampton after grinding out a 21-9 victory at Exeter.
Ben Youngs and Niki Goneva both touched down for the visitors in a one-sided first half at Sandy Park.
Captain Toby Flood kicked a conversion and three penalties for the Tigers.
Exeter fought back from a 15-0 deficit at half-time but three Gareth Steenson penalties were all the home team had to show for their efforts.
Leicester climb above Bath into third position in the table and trail unbeaten leaders Saracens by four points, while Exeter's inconsistent start to the campaign continues.
Richard Cockerill's men, who had lost their only previous Premiership outing away from home this season at Bath two weeks earlier, dominated the first 40 minutes with an effective display against a Chiefs side that struggled to show any form until after the interval.
Tigers have the edge
Exeter and Leicester have played each other seven times in the Premiership since the Chiefs were promoted to the top flight in 2010.
Rob Baxter's side did the double over the Tigers in the 2011-12 season, but Leicester have won the other five meetings.
The Tigers had already wasted two scoring opportunities - full-back Niall Morris failing to ground Flood's chipped kick and then Flood missing a routine penalty - before the visitors finally registered their first points of the game on 11 minutes.
England and Lions hooker Tom Youngs twisted away from the back of a maul and fed younger brother Ben, who exploited a gap on the blind side to cross.
Flood was again wayward from the conversion but found his range to add a penalty soon afterwards.
The visitors were made to wait until a minute before the interval to add their second try, which came courtesy of Fiji international Goneva.
Switched from the wing to the centre due to the absence of injured Manu Tuilagi, Goneva intercepted a misplaced pass on half-way and cruised clear of the home defence for his third try of the season.
Given their 15-point league at half-time, many would have expected Leicester to close out an easy victory but Exeter were much improved after the break and forced two early penalties, both kicked by fly-half Steenson.
The second took him beyond 500 Premiership points, and the gap between the sides was closed to six when Leicester were penalised at the scrum and Steenson slotted over the resulting penalty from close range, although Flood responded almost immediately with a three-pointer of his own.
Despite the odd moment of alarm, Leicester held firm to clinch a third win in four Premiership matches, with captain Flood's fourth successful kick adding some gloss to the final scoreline.
SUNDAY'S LINE-UPS
Exeter Chiefs: Dollman; Whitten, Shoemark, Hill, James; Steenson, Thomas; Sturgess, Yeandle, Tui; Mumm, Welch; Johnson, Scaysbrook, Ewers.
Replacements: Whitehead, Moon, Rimmer, Hayes, White, Lewis, Slade, Jess.
Leicester Tigers: Morris; Scully, Goneva, Allen, Thompstone; Flood, B. Youngs; Mulipola, T. Youngs, Cole; Deacon, Parling; Slater, Salvi, Crane.
Replacements: Briggs, Stankovich, Balmain, Kitchener, Gibson, Harrison, Williams, Bowden.
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth (RFU)
Back to Europe and on with the league
El Barça torna dimarts (20.45 hores, Canal +) a la Barça return to Champions League action on Tuesday (8.45 pm, Canal +) looking to make it two wins out of two in the group stage
The team have a great opportunity to extend their record-breaking start to the league campaign against Valladolid in the Camp Nou (10 pm)
The Champions League is back this week as Barça travel to Glasgow to take on Celtic on Tuesday evening looking for their second win in the group stage. The Scottish champions have become familiar opponents in recent seasons.
Next weekend, it’s back to the bread and butter of the league with a home match against Valladolid on Saturday evening (10 pm). A chance to extend that record-breaking start to the season.
Monday 30th September
7 pm. Training in Celtic Park
Tuesday 1st October
8.45 pm. Champions League match, Celtic FC v Barça
Wednesday 2nd October
2.15 pm. Training in the Ciutat Esportiva
Thursday 3rd October
6 pm. Training in the Ciutat Esportiva
Friday 4th October
11 am. Training in the Ciutat Esportiva
Saturday 5th October
12 pm. Training in the Camp Nou
10 pm. League match, Barça v Valladolid
Sunday 6th October
Free day
Jol accepts the pressure is on
Jol accepts the pressure is on
Martin Jol defended his record as Fulham manager after recurring errors heaped further pressure on his position.
Six months will have elapsed between Barclays Premier League home wins at Craven Cottage, even if Jol steers Fulham to victory over Stoke and predecessor Mark Hughes next Saturday.
Fulham, whose last home win in the top flight was against QPR on April 1, failed to follow up the Capital One Cup defeat of Everton by defeating Cardiff, as the Welshmen claimed their maiden Premier League away win with a 2-1 success.
Jol, whose contract expires at the end of this season, guided Fulham to ninth and 12th-place finishes in his first two campaigns, but his side are now in the relegation zone.
The Dutchman said: "We have to do better, but I can't go on the pitch and do it myself.
"We beat (Everton), but it's the Capital One Cup, it's not the Premier League. And in the Barclays Premier League you have to win your games.
"Everyone who is in the bottom three or bottom five is concerned. There's always pressure.
"I take responsibility, because I took all these players on board.
"It was not easy, because we don't have all the millions but I still feel that we did well to get the (Darren) Bents, even (Dimitar) Berbatov.
"(But) it's not good enough to win games sometimes.
Source : http://www.football.co.uk/fulham/jol_accepts_the_pressure_is_on_rss4426888.shtml
Messi out for two to three weeks
Tests carried out on Sunday morning have confirmed a slight injury to his right thigh
He’ll be sidelined by the injury for about two or three weeks and so will definitely miss this week’s matches against Celtic and Valladolid
Tests carried out by the Club’s medical services this morning have confirmed the initial diagnosis that Leo Messi has suffered a slight thigh injury in his right leg. The Argentine will be out for between two and three weeks, which means that he definitely won’t be available for the two matches coming up for FC Barcelona this week: Tuesday in Glasgow against Celtic, and Saturday in the Camp Nou against Valladolid. That will be followed by another international break meaning that Barça will have to wait until 19th October to resume the league programme against Osasuna in Pamplona.
Messi came off injured and was replaced by Xavi after scoring the first goal against Almeria.
Jol: Fulham are in safe hands
Jol: Fulham are in safe hands
Martin Jol is confident Fulham will not be relegated from the Barclays Premier League with him in charge.
The Dutchman's position is under scrutiny after another late lapse saw Cardiff claim a 2-1 win on Saturday, meaning the Cottagers are still without a home victory in the top flight since April 1 in a run which has seen supporters' frustration grow.
"The devil was playing with us. If you concede goals that late, it's awful," former Tottenham, Hamburg and Ajax boss Jol said.
"We are very close. It's not easy to win games.
"I can appreciate fans are getting a bit nervous, or other people. If they invest money in the club, they would like to be in the top 10.
"The only risk I can see is that we will still be near the bottom at the end of the season. I never did that (took part in a relegation battle). I feel I can keep them up, but it's not about me."
Jol, who guided Fulham to ninth and 12th in the last two seasons, is not happy with the jeers.
"That is a problem," said Jol of the boos.
"It's not helpful. That is what always worries me.
"It's bad, it's not good for your health. I've got a thick skin. I could easily say 'b***** off', but I won't do that. It's the reality of the Premier League."
Source : http://www.football.co.uk/fulham/jol__fulham_are_in_safe_hands_rss4426768.shtml
Steve Hansen says bonus point crucial ahead of decider
New Zealand remain on course to win the Rugby Championship after a convincing 33-15 win over Argentina.
Sky Bet -
Rugby Union Betting - Retrieving latest Sky Bet odds
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Rugby Union Betting - Retrieving latest Sky Bet odds
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- Retrieving latest Sky Bet odds
