Barca sweat on striker form before Villarreal clash

Barcelona host high-flying Villarreal on Saturday aiming to tighten their grip on pole position in La Liga amid concerns about the form of strikers Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

Title pressure mounts ahead of pivotal weekend

Premier League leaders Arsenal face a title test from London rivals Chelsea on Sunday. Manchester City can keep the pressure on Arsenal with a win at Leeds, while troubled Tottenham cannot afford another damaging defeat.

Forest through to last 16 while Celtic bow out

Nottingham Forest held off a Fenerbahce fightback to qualify for the last 16 of the Europa League with a 4-2 win on aggregate despite losing Thursday’s second leg, while Celtic exited after coming up short against Stuttgart.

Swansea roll out red carpet for Snoop

Snoop Dogg received a raucous reception on his first visit to Swansea since becoming co-owner, welcomed by whirling white towels and a guard of honour.

Mourinho returns to Bernabeu amid turmoil and controversy

Jose Mourinho has not set foot in the Santiago Bernabeu since leaving Real Madrid in 2013, but his Champions League homecoming with Benfica on Wednesday will be far more complicated than initially anticipated.

Carrick hails super-sub Sesko after Everton win

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick praised the impact of super-sub Benjamin Sesko after the Slovenian’s cool finish earned a 1-0 win at Everton on Monday night.

Sesko strike sends United into top four

Benjamin Sesko came off the bench to fire Manchester United up to fourth in the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Everton to extend Michael Carrick’s unbeaten start in charge of the Red Devils.

Arsenal’s Gyokeres hails Spurs win as perfect response

Viktor Gyokeres believes that Arsenal’s derby rout of Tottenham was the “perfect response” to the club’s critics after the Gunners had stumbled in the race for the Premier League title.

Slot sees Mac Allister back at his best

Liverpool boss Arne Slot believes Alexis Mac Allister is rediscovering his best level following his decisive goal against Nottingham Forest.

Three talking points from the Premier League weekend

Arsenal responded to Manchester City applying pressure in the Premier League title race with a 4-1 destruction of Tottenham in the north London derby for the second time this season.