Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid are in “better shape than ever” with a seven-point LaLiga lead and a Champions League tie against Manchester City to look forward to.

Real travel to mid-table Osasuna on Saturday afternoon knowing victory will take them 10 points clear ahead of second-placed Girona kicking off at Getafe.

“It’s a hugely important game that will demand the best of us, especially going into the international break,” Real boss Ancelotti said at a press conference ahead of taking charge of his 900th top-flight match in Europe’s top leagues.

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)

“We want to finish this part of the season strongly. We’ve done pretty well so far and we’re heading into the break in a good position.

…

Republic of Ireland Under-21s boss Jim Crawford has backed his players for walking off after one of their team-mates was allegedly racially abused.

The Football Association of Ireland has reported the incident, which prompted the abandonment of Monday’s friendly clash with Kuwait’s Under-22s side in Austria, to FIFA and UEFA and reiterated its zero tolerance stance on discrimination.

Crawford said: “I fully support the FAI’s stance to take this matter to FIFA and UEFA and hope now that the correct and appropriate action is taken.

FAI Statement | Ireland U21 v Kuwait U22

— Ireland Football (@IrelandFootball)

“I’m proud of the stance our players and staff took to stand by one of their own. No-one should be subjected to raci…

Barcelona s Lionel Messi said his side will use the Champions League final win over Manchester United in 2009 as motivation for the re-match.

The two powerhouses met in the 2009 European final which Barcelona won 2-0 in Rome and they are set to lock horns again in Saturday s Champions League decider at Wembley.

Despite the fact that the English side no longer possess the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez in their squad, Messi said talk that Sir Alex Ferguson s side was weaker now in comparison to the team two years ago, was misguided.

They won the English championship (Premier League) and they are in the Champions League final, Messi told reporters at Barcelona s open media day on Monday.

They can t be very weak if they have achieved all that…

The wally with the brolly

So, the Wally with the brolly is back in the English game as a manager. Steve McClaren has been appointed as the new boss at Championship side Nottingham Forest. Former manager Billy Davies was sacked yesterday after leading the club to two consecutive play-off campaigns ending in failure.

Rumoured

It had been rumoured that McClaren may have been first choice for Aston Villa but that fan unrest had led them to look elsewhere. I m afraid that McClaren s pitiful spell in charge of the England national team has left his position as a manager as untenable to a large group of English football fans.

Of course, that is hugely unfair. McClaren enjoyed great success as a coach at Derby and alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. …

David Villa looks set to make his A-League debut when Melbourne City face Sydney in the opening round.

Spain s all-time leading goalscorer, on loan from New York City, arrived in Australia on Sunday and has already started training with his new team-mates.

John van t Schip appears set to use Villa at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, but the 32-year-old may start on the bench.

I wouldn t be disappointed at all [if I started on the bench), Villa said on Tuesday.

I m the one that needs to adapt to the team. We ve still got more sessions to come before the game.

It s up to the coach, I m just a member of the team. There s a squad of 23 players, 11 on the pitch and the objective is to enjoy my experience and contribute and it s not up to me.

Ci…

Sam Allardyce remains unconcerned that he is yet to be offered a new contract at West Ham, despite the club s strong start to 2014-15.

West Ham are fourth in the Premier League, having won four of their opening eight matches playing an attractive brand of attacking football.

Allardyce gained promotion to the top flight with West Ham in 2011-12 and only agreed a two-year extension late in the following season, once the club had secured its Premier League status.

That deal is set to expire at the end of the current campaign and although the former Blackburn Rovers manager is yet to be offered fresh terms, the 60-year-old insists the situation does not worry him.

The conversations are the same as what they were in the first year in the Premier League, he sa…

Romelu Lukaku s £75million move to Manchester United from Everton represents a key pillar of Jose Mourinho s plans to launch a Premier League title challenge at the second attempt at Old Trafford.

But a Belgium international pursuing the top prize in English football is certainly nothing new, with an exceptional generation of Red Devils talent represented across those sides chasing glory.

Can Lukaku unseat Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard this time around, or will Manchester City s Kevin De Bruyne, Tottenham s Mousa Dembele or Liverpool s Divock Origi muscle in on the title picture? Alternatively, Arsenal could upset fans of Belgium players everywhere

CHELSEA

As in their 2014-15 Premier League triumph, Hazard was Chelsea s dazzling creative …

James Rodriguez lacks versatility and will be easily dealt with by opposition defenders, according to former Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer.

The Colombia international completed a two-year loan switch to the Bundesliga giants from Real Madrid earlier this month after falling down the pecking order in the Spanish capital.

The move sees him reunited with coach Carlo Ancelotti, who took him to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2014, but Sammer is unconvinced by what James offers the side.

He is a little bit limited, Sammer told Eurosport.  His variety sounds pretty interesting, but I can t really see it. He can t play on the wing, and so there is a lack of speed.

He has a lot of creativity in his game, can move from the wing to the centre, but…

As for the visitors, while Atletico Madrid might have managed to pick up a 1-0 win against Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano a fortnight ago and extend their unbeaten run to six matches on the bounce, the Spanish outfit have struggled to make much of a statement this year. Playing out back-to-back stalemates against Sevilla and rock-bottom Espanyol since opening March, Diego Simeone s men find themselves sat down in fifth in the La Liga standings and have a growing reputation for their issues on the road. Remarkably, along with crashing out of the Copa del Rey thanks to an embarrassing 2-1 defeat against lower league Cultural Leonesa, Los Colchoneros have now failed to win any of their last six away fixtures across all formats, a run that stems back to the 9th of January. With the pr…

Philippe Coutinho would likely love to return to the Premier League, according to his agent, although there are plenty of possibilities over his future.

Brazil international Coutinho is on loan at Bayern Munich from Barcelona, but the Bundesliga champions are not expected to make the move permanent.

With Barca expected to want to sell the playmaker, who joined from Liverpool in a deal worth in the region of €160million in January 2018, it is believed a move back to England could be the most viable option.

Chelsea and Arsenal have been linked with a bid, with the latter said to be a realistic option as Kia Joorabchian, Coutinho s representative, is a Gunners fan.

However, Joorabchian said to Sky Sports News: The fact I m an Arsenal supporter is not a sec…