Ernesto Valverde has challenged Barcelona to miss the injured Lionel Messi while they are winning without him. 

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho gave short shrift when quizzed on the possibility of a sensational return to Real Madrid as he prepares for a reunion with one of his old pupils, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday.

A run of five games without a win has left Real boss Julen Lopetegui on the brink of the sack just four months after accepting the thankless task of replacing Zinedine Zidane at the Bernabeu after three straight Champions League titles.

On one of the world's most polluted coastlines, 30 young Palestinians dive head first into the sea off the Gaza Strip, their minds filled with dreams of Olympic glory.

Reigning African Footballer of the Year Mohamed Salah got back on the goal trail at the weekend, scoring the English Premier League winner for Liverpool at Huddersfield.

Julen Lopetegui has said he will fight to turn Real Madrid's stuttering season around but could not guarantee he will be in charge for the Clasico against Barcelona on Sunday.

Lopetegui's future is in doubt just four months after swapping the Spanish national team for Madrid on the eve of the World Cup.

A "positive" Thierry Henry suffered defeat in his first match as a head coach when his 10-man Monaco side slumped to a 2-1 loss at Strasbourg on Saturday to drop into the Ligue 1 relegation zone, while Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 10th straight victory to start their title defense.

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff is prepared to use team orders, if necessary, to help Lewis Hamilton secure his fifth drivers’ championship in Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.

Amid the sprawl of headlines calling for Julen Lopetegui to be sacked by Real Madrid on Sunday, Diario AS ran an online poll: who is more guilty, the coach or the club president? 

Just over 80,000 replies were credited - almost 17,000 more than had attended the Santiago Bernabeu the day before - and 86 per cent of them answered Florentino Perez. 

Lionel Messi is expected to be out for three weeks with a fractured right arm but his last contribution was to help send Barcelona back to the top of La Liga on Saturday.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has once more criticized the Nations League, comparing the tournament to watching opera every night or having world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua box week in week out.