Manchester United FC will be without Darren Fletcher until the summer after he had surgery to cure the chronic bowel condition that caused him to miss a large part of last season. Manchester United FC’s Scottish international midfielder Darren Fletcher has had surgery to resolve his ulcerative colitis condition and will miss the remainder of the season. The Premier League leaders said the operation had been planned to take place at an “optimal time” and “in the best interests of his long-term health”, adding: “We look forward to him returning…
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The weekend’s top games
A top-of-the-table clash in Portugal takes centre stage this weekend alongside tough tests for Premier League leaders Manchester United FC and Liga pacesetters FC Barcelona. France: Stade Rennais FC v FC Girondins de Bordeaux (Saturday 20.00) UEFA Europa League contenders Bordeaux could leapfrog Rennes into fourth place with victory. However, Francis Gillot’s side’s seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions is not as impressive as it sounds – they have drawn their last five Ligue 1 fixtures, scoring just once in the last four. “If we keep playing like we have recently,…
Read MoreBarcelona breeze into last eight
David Villa and Alexis Sánchez both scored twice as FC Barcelona beat Córdoba CF 5-0, while Real Betis Balompié and Club Atlético de Madrid also progressed to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. FC Barcelona booked a Copa del Rey quarter-final meeting with fellow UEFA Champions League contenders Málaga CF by cruising past Córdoba CF 5-0. Córdoba already trailed 2-0 from the opening meeting and fell further adrift when Thiago Alcántara (17) swept in a finish from Alex Song’s lobbed pass. David Villa swiftly added a sumptuous second, wrong-footing Alberto Aguilar…
Read More‘Messi has made the Ballon d’Or his own’
The Spanish press heaped praise on Lionel Messi after the 25-year-old became the first man to win the FIFA Ballon d’Or four times. “He is”, said El Mundo, “beyond classification.” In his native Argentina, it has been suggested that Lionel Messi’s winning of a record fourth consecutive FIFA Ballon d’Or is almost not newsworthy, such is the continuing regularity with which the 25-year-old is honoured. Not so in his adopted homeland, where debate has grown surrounding just how many individual titles the FC Barcelona striker can win before he retires.…
Read MoreBarcelona still on top after derby win
Liga leaders FC Barcelona made a convincing start to 2013 by overcoming Catalan rivals RCD Espanyol 4-0 to move 11 points clear of Club Atlético de Madrid, who drew with RCD Mallorca. Liga leaders FC Barcelona picked up where they left off last year by subjecting Catalan derby rivals RCD Espanyol to a 4-0 reverse and moving 11 points clear of Club Atlético de Madrid at the summit. Barcelona dropped just two points before the winter break and duly collected their 17th success from 18 league outings after Xavi Hernández lit the…
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