Winning LaLiga this season would show Barcelona's "recovery process is on the right track", according to president Joan Laporta.
Barca have suffered from poor finances and disappointing performances on the pitch in recent years.
They last won the league title in the 2018-19 campaign, while a group-stage exit in this season's Champions League means their seven-year wait to claim Europe's top club prize for a sixth time goes on.
Barca are, however, enjoying a domestic resurgence under Xavi, who returned as coach after a legendary playing career with the club.
Xavi is Barca's eighth head coach since Pep Guardiola left in 2012 and his team led LaLiga heading into the World Cup break.
"The priority objective is LaLiga," Laporta told reporters. "Clear and low.
"The dressing room, with Xavi at the helm, is clear about it.
"We want to win LaLiga to show that the club's recovery process is on the right track."
It appears it will be a two-horse race for the title with Real Madrid, who are two points behind Barca but came out victorious when the sides met at the Santiago Bernabeu in October.
Barca will get their league campaign back underway against city rivals Espanyol on December 31.
Player of the Match Andre Russell’s six-laden half century and an MVP-like performance from Akeal Hosein helped steer Melbourne Renegades to a four-wicket victory over Brisbane Heat with four balls to spare in their Big Bash clash at Geelong on Wednesday.
Hosein took three wickets and scored a quick-fire 30 for Melbourne after Russell had bludgeoned them back into contention after a Michael Neser’s hat-trick had threatened to deny them victory.
Brisbane won the toss and chose to bat first but were two wickets down for 14 in the third over thanks to Mujeeb ur Rahman and Hosein who claimed the wickets of Max Bryant for five and Colin Munro for eight, respectively.
However, knocks of 25 from Sam Billings, 29 from Matt Renshaw and an unbeaten Jimmy Peirson helped stage a recovery. However, after a partnership of 61 between Billings and Renshaw both were dismissed by Tom Rogers in the 11th over as Brisbane slipped to 78-4.
It was soon 96-5 as Rogers dismissed Ross Whitely for 8 in the 15 over.
Hosein took the wickets of Neser (3) and James Bazley (0) in three balls in the 15th over. Peirson smashed 45 from 30 balls with six fours to get Brisbane to a competitive 138-7.
Rogers ended with 4-23 while Hosein took 3-26 in another solid performance with the ball.
Melbourne’s relatively simple chase of just under seven runs an over, became extremely difficult when Neser ripped through the top order with just nine runs on the board.
He dismissed Sam Harper first ball and then Jake Fraser-McGurk from the final ball of the first over and then in his second dismissed Nic Maddinson for two and Johnathan Wells for a duck in consecutive balls of his second over to leave Melbourne facing defeat.
However, Russell and Aaron Finch staged a recovery would set the team firmly on the path to victory.
Russell hit two fours and six sixes and he and Finch put on 81 for the fifth wicket before he got out caught behind off Mark Steketee for 57 from 42 balls.
Hosein picked up from where Russell left off hitting two fours and two sixes in a 39-run partnership with Finch. He eventually holed out to deep midwicket for 30 from 19 balls off the fifth ball of Steketee’s final over with Melbourne needing just nine from seven balls.
Will Sutherland smashed Steketee’s last ball for a massive six over the midwicket boundary leaving Finch to hit the winning runs, a four over extra cover to seal with victory from Bazley’s second ball of the final over.
Melbourne’s third straight win means they have six points and only trail leaders Adelaide Strikers on net run rate.
Liverpool are ready for a "new start" ahead of their return to action in the EFL Cup against Manchester City, assistant manager Pep Lijnders has said.
Jurgen Klopp's side endured a poor showing in the early months of the season, heading into the World Cup break sixth in the Premier League standings – seven points behind fourth place and 15 adrift of leaders Arsenal.
That left Liverpool among those needing a significant improvement heading into the remainder of the season, though Lijnders believes positive signs were shown ahead of the tournament in Qatar, with results including back-to-back wins against Tottenham and Southampton.
"We see it as a new start. The boys are hungry, they are passionate, they want to show this on the pitch," Lijnders said.
"We know we have to be committed. Against City there will be moments where it will not be easy, but all our boys have this experience. It will be a top show for sure.
"I think we were on our way back, to be honest, I felt that we got momentum, and then it was the World Cup. You have to take life as it is, a lot of things you cannot change, you have to make the best out of it.
"That's what we always tried to do, we used this time to not only train the lungs, the legs, the heart, but to train the eyes and the mind with video meetings.
"We know we can be successful, there are many things left to play for."
Liverpool and other sides competing in Europe have previously shuffled their deck for EFL Cup encounters, using them as an opportunity to hand experience to younger players within the squad, and Lijnders says the World Cup showed why rotation is key.
"If there's one thing this World Cup proves, it is that you need your whole squad. The teams that became successful needed their whole squad," he said.
"When we play League Cup it's always in a busy schedule, and we know we have to be top to win these games. We cannot rest players. The boys have to be on top in games, and it's a perfect time to use the squad.
"Age is just a number, we still believe we need to give our talents chances, not just younger players against lower-league oppositions but against Premier League sides too.
"We want them to have challenges and make them struggle because that's how they improve. It's my job and Klopp's job to improve our players and to improve the team, and that's what we try to do."
Gareth Southgate's decision to remain as England manager has left his players "absolutely delighted", according to Kieran Trippier.
The former Middlesbrough boss considered walking away from the post he has held since 2016 after his side were edged out in the World Cup quarter-finals by France.
With a semi-final appearance at Russia 2018, and a runner-up finish at Euro 2020, there had been questions over whether Southgate could depart before the end of his contract, which runs through to Euro 2024.
The subsequent confirmation he is staying has been positively received by his players, with right-back Trippier indicating the 52-year-old has the full backing of the squad he took to Qatar 2022.
"We are all absolutely delighted about it," Trippier told the i newspaper. "From the moment he first took charge until now, we've taken great huge steps.
"Players want to play for England, they know what it means to put the shirt on. He's a great man manager, and I think all the lads would say that.
"Speaking for myself, I'm delighted that he's staying on, and I know that all the rest of the players are too."
After a difficult time that saw England relegated in the Nations League prior to the World Cup, Southgate initially said he required time to think over his future before recommitting.
Trippier believes England are continuing to progress, pointing to the spirited performance against France as a sign of growth.
"I think we have moved forward, for sure," the Newcastle United full-back added. "You see the freedom the players had to attack, and you just have to look at the France game. I thought we were brilliant.
"We have taken huge steps. It was another learning curve for us, but we move on now."
England will begin a possibly thorny Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with games against reigning European champions Italy and Ukraine in March.
Pep Guardiola insisted a desire to win the Champions League was not his only motivation for signing a new Manchester City contract, but he accepts the job would feel incomplete without a European triumph.
Guardiola secured an extension at City last month, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2024-25 season.
City have enjoyed vast domestic success under the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona coach, winning the Premier League four times out of the past five seasons.
However, a Champions League win has eluded them. They lost to Chelsea in the 2021 final and succumbed to Real Madrid in last season's semi-finals.
Guardiola knows it will be a blemish on his record if City cannot end their bad luck in the competition before he leaves.
"I admit it's the trophy that we want and of course it would not be complete – my period here – if we don't win it," Guardiola told reporters ahead of City's EFL Cup clash with Liverpool.
"But it's not the only reason I extended the contract, absolutely not. What does it mean if for the last 11 months we didn't play in the Champions League?
"Of course, I will do everything in this time we are together, we are going to try, as we tried before. Of course it's the trophy we don't have and we will try to do it."
City's trophy count under Guardiola stands at 11, but the 51-year-old is immensely grateful for the faith shown in him by the club's leadership.
"I said many times what I had here. Thank you so much for the confidence they have in me," he said. "It would be difficult to repay what in these many years, the board, all the people have shown me.
"It's difficult for me to reject them because of how they still want me and my staff, to try and do our best.
"I don't have enough words to express the incredible gratitude for this club."
After taking on Liverpool on Thursday, City restart their Premier League campaign against Leeds United on December 28.
Pep Guardiola believes Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the greatest player of all time, describing arguments in favour of Pele or Diego Maradona as "sentimental".
Messi has long been considered among the best ever, but both he and Cristiano Ronaldo trailed Pele and Maradona in the eyes of some while neither had won the World Cup.
That changed on Sunday, when Messi led Argentina to glory at Qatar 2022, matching Maradona's achievement from 1986.
However, in the eyes of Manchester City manager Guardiola, who coached Messi at Barcelona, there was never any doubt.
"Everyone has their opinion, but nobody can doubt he's there with the greatest of all time," Guardiola said. "For me, I've said many times: he's the best.
"It's difficult to understand how a player can complete what he's done in the past 50 or 70 years.
"The people who saw Pele or [Alfredo] Di Stefano or Maradona, the people can say 'my favourite', but these opinions are sentimental.
"On the other side, if he wouldn't have won the World Cup, the opinion about what he has done for the whole of football and my opinion of how he is as a player wouldn't change absolutely anything.
"But it's normal that it depends if you win [how] you are evaluated. Of course, for him, it's the final cherries on his incredible career."
Messi was joined in the Argentina side by City striker Julian Alvarez and Nicolas Otamendi, who spent five years at the Etihad Stadium between 2015 and 2020.
"We are incredibly happy for him [Alvarez] – congratulations," Guardiola added. "For him, for Nico Otamendi, personally for Messi, for Argentina the country, for a well-deserved champion.
"For Julian, he is with us, and we are delighted. He played a lot, and his contribution was amazing to the team for the way we played. We have a world champion in our team."
Guardiola confirmed Alvarez would now enjoy "a break", but City's other World Cup stars have started to return ahead of Thursday's EFL Cup fourth-round tie against holders Liverpool.
"The players that were at the World Cup are in a better condition than the players who were here, that's for sure," Guardiola explained.
"Sergio [Gomez], Erling [Haaland], Riyad [Mahrez], Cole [Palmer]... the rhythm they miss a little bit compared, for example, to Manu Akanji and Rodri and Aymeric [Laporte] and Nathan [Ake].
"They came back and we saw them so good, perfectly. That's normal. They compete, they train every day, while we had holidays."
Franco Harris, the former Pittsburgh Steelers running back and four-time Super Bowl champion, has died aged 72.
News of his death came three days before his number 32 shirt number was to be retired.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, a nine-time Pro Bowl honouree, was the 13th overall pick in the 1972 NFL draft for the Pennsylvania outfit.
Over the following decade, he helped the Steelers to the game's biggest prize on four separate occasions, while he was named the MVP of Super Bowl IX.
Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said: "The entire team at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is immensely saddened today.
"We have lost an incredible football player, an incredible ambassador to the Hall and, most importantly, we have lost one of the finest gentlemen anyone will ever meet. Franco not only impacted the game of football, but he also affected the lives of many, many people in profoundly positive ways.
"The Hall of Fame and historians everywhere will tell Franco's football story forever. His life story can never be told fully, however, without including his greatness off the field.
"My heart and prayers go out to his wife, Dana, an equally incredible person, a special friend to the Hall and someone who cares so deeply for Franco's Hall of Fame teammates."
Having rushed for over 11,000 yards, Harris was the Steelers' leader in franchise history, and he was due to become just the third player to have their shirt number retired this weekend.
The Steelers had intended for the honour to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, the match-winning play Harris was involved in for their first ever playoff win.
The running back famously was the apparently unintended receiver of Terry Bradshaw's last-gasp throw in the 1972 AFC divisional match with the Oakland Raiders, and ran for the clinching touchdown in the final minute.
Though the team subsequently lost their next match to the Miami Dolphins, the victory is widely regarded as an instrumental turning point that helped the club become the NFL's dominant force over the following decade.
Pittsburgh are due to face the now Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, 50 years and a day since Harris had his magical moment.
Mike Tomlin's side are bottom of AFC North with a 6-8 record this season, and are looking to string back-to-back wins together for only the second time in 2022.
Nick Kyrgios is gunning for Tom Brady and LeBron James after he and fellow tennis star Naomi Osaka were unveiled as co-owners of a pickleball team.
Kyrgios has partnered with four-time grand slam champion Osaka in investing behind Miami PC, who will compete in next year's Major Pickleball League.
Pickleball, a growing sport that combines tennis, badminton and ping pong, has attracted a fleet of major admirers and investors from other professional sports, including NFL great Brady and NBA superstar James.
In an Instagram post, Kyrgios confirmed he would be partnering Osaka in Miami and vowed to defeat Brady and James, who have made investments of their own into franchises within the league.
Kevin Durant is another investor, signing up a new team, the Brooklyn Aces, while Kyrgios and Osaka have also been joined by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Florida.
"Introducing the @miamipc," Kyrgios wrote. "Big welcome to our draft picks... We are coming for you @kingjames [LeBron] @easymoneysniper [Durant] @tombrady."
Former Germany international footballer Mesut Ozil is another name involved, with the ex-Arsenal man backing the D.C. Pickleball team.
India are hoping KL Rahul will be fit for their second and final Test with Bangladesh after he hurt a hand in the nets.
The batter has been skippering the side in the absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma, but he suffered an injury on Wednesday, the eve of the match.
Speaking ahead of Thursday's first day, batting coach Vikram Rathour indicated the blow was not a major one, but did not confirm whether Rahul would be fit to start.
"It doesn't [look serious]," he said. "He seems to be fine. Hopefully he'll be okay. The doctors are looking at it, but hopefully he'll be okay."
Rahul's potential absence would be a major blow to India, who are looking to seal a Test sweep after a 2-1 defeat to their hosts in their ODI series earlier this month.
Aside from Rohit, who is out with a thumb injury, Jasprit Bumrah remains a long-term absentee with back trouble, while Navdeep Saini is also missing for the second game due to a muscular problem.
Interim vice-captain Cheteshwar Pujara is the likely candidate to take over the leadership if Rahul is unable to recover in time, while Abhimanyu Easwaran could make his debut at the top of the order.
The Bengal batsman posted consecutive hundreds for India's A side, and was originally called up to the senior squad as Rohit's replacement.
Christoper Vivell has joined Chelsea as the Premier League club's new technical director.
Vivell was dismissed from a similar role at Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in October, amid reports Chelsea were attempting to bring the 36-year-old to west London.
The German has now made the move to Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea confirming his appointment on Wednesday.
"Chelsea are building the most exciting project in global football and I'm extremely proud to be joining the club," said Vivell.
"There is so much potential for the club to continue to succeed, develop and grow. Under the new ownership, Graham Potter and the broader sporting team, there is a clear and sustainable philosophy underpinned by performance analysis, data and innovation, and I am looking forward to playing a part in that."
Chelsea lost four of their last five games prior to the World Cup break, with Potter's team losing three consecutive Premier League matches in that run.
That poor form had seen some suggestions of pressure building on Potter, but co-owner and chairman Todd Boehly believes Vivell will play a vital role in supporting the head coach.
"We are delighted that Christopher is taking up this important leadership role at the club," Boehly said. "His work in Germany and Austria speaks for itself. We are confident he will continue on his impressive trajectory here at Chelsea.
"He will provide important support to Graham and the ownership group and play a vital part in advancing our overall vision for the club."
Chelsea restart their campaign on Tuesday with a home match against Bournemouth.
Kylian Mbappe returned to Paris Saint-Germain training on Wednesday, three days on from France's World Cup final defeat.
Mbappe scored a hat-trick in Sunday's showpiece match against Argentina, becoming only the second man to net a World Cup final treble.
But it was only enough to earn a 3-3 draw and take an out-of-sorts France team to a penalty shoot-out, where they lost 4-2 despite Mbappe again converting his spot-kick.
Mbappe now owns the record for the most World Cup final goals, having also netted once in France's 2018 success, and took home the Golden Boot ahead of PSG team-mate Lionel Messi.
Messi and Argentina were still celebrating their Qatar 2022 triumph back at home this week as Mbappe made a swift return to club duty, having celebrated his 24th birthday on Tuesday.
PSG are back in competitive action next Wednesday, taking on Strasbourg in Ligue 1 as they attempt to stretch a five-point lead at the top of the table.
Ethan Mbappe, Kylian's younger brother, has been involved with the PSG first team for their mid-season friendlies, appearing on the bench for Wednesday's game against Quevilly-Rouen.
Eddie Jones has skirted around answering questions on potentially linking up with Australia, insisting he is not motivated to prove England wrong in his next job.
Jones was sacked as England coach this month after seven years in charge.
The 62-year-old won the Six Nations on three occasions, including a Grand Slam in 2016, and guided the Red Rose to the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, but pressure had been building for some time.
A dismal set of 2022 results saw Jones' England win just five of 12 Tests, prompting his dismissal following a third-placed finish in the Six Nations.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Jones said he "wouldn't do anything differently" and is keen for a return to coaching.
There have been links to Australia – Jones' home nation, who he led to the 2003 World Cup final, losing to England – that were encouraged by comments Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan made to the Daily Mail.
McLennan invited Jones to join the Wallabies set-up, not clarifying his potential role but suggesting they could "weaponise these recent events for Australia" ahead of next year's World Cup, in which a quarter-final meeting with England is on the cards.
Jones sounded less keen to make his next move based solely around his ultimately disappointing experience at Twickenham.
"It's not about coaching England's rivals; it's about adding to the game," he said. "I love the game and I love coaching. I want to continue coaching."
He added: "As you get a bit older, as I am, you just want to leave things in a better place. I just want to share the great experience I have had, particularly with coaching players and teams.
"What we want to see is great games of rugby, and if you have the opportunity to be part of that, you are extremely lucky."
Jones laughed at mention of joining the Australia team, saying: "Be a discerning reader, never believe what you read in the papers."
Gianluca Vialli has been urged to "stay strong and keep fighting" in his cancer battle after it emerged the Serie A great is being treated in hospital.
The 58-year-old former Italy striker has been visited at a London clinic by his mother and a brother, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
Concern in Italy about Vialli's health is shared in England, where former Chelsea defender John Terry sent a message of support.
Terry was given his Blues debut by player-manager Vialli in 1998 and went on to be a long-standing club captain.
He wrote on Twitter: "Stay strong and keep fighting Luca. We are all thinking of you. We are sending our love, strength and prayers."
Vialli began his career at Cremonese, his hometown club, before going on to star in Serie A for Sampdoria and Juventus, later ending his playing career at Chelsea before going into management and coaching.
Cremonese posted a picture of a young Vialli on Tuesday, adding the message: "Always by your side."
He scored 16 goals in 59 appearances for Italy and featured in the Azzurri's 1986 and 1990 World Cup squads.
It was announced last week Vialli would be stepping away from his role as delegation chief with the Italy team to focus on his battle with pancreatic cancer.
He has been reunited of late in the Italy set-up with head coach Roberto Mancini, his former Sampdoria strike partner, and Vialli is hoping to recover in order to resume his national team role.
Vialli announced he had undergone radiotherapy and chemotherapy in November 2018, having been diagnosed with cancer one year earlier.
He was initially given the all-clear in April 2020, but he announced he was fighting the disease again in December 2021.
Explaining his decision to suspend his Italy involvement, Vialli said on December 14: "The goal is to use all my psycho-physical energies to help my body overcome this phase of the disease, in order to be able to face new adventures as soon as possible and share them with all of you."
Carlos Correa has agreed to instead join the New York Mets after confirmation of his deal with the San Francisco Giants was delayed.
The Giants looked to have secured their franchise shortstop with the signing of the former Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins star to a 13-year, $350million contract in free agency.
That agreement was set to be made public on Tuesday, only for the news conference to be postponed amid reports of a medical issue arising during Correa's physical.
It was suggested the deal would still be finalised, only for the Mets to swoop and agree terms with Correa that were reported early on Wednesday.
A slightly shorter 12-year, $315m contract – no longer tying Bryce Harper for the longest free-agent deal in MLB history – is to take Correa to New York, according to The New York Post.
"We need one more thing, and this is it," Mets owner Steve Cohen told the publication. "This was important. This puts us over the top. This is a good team. I hope it's a good team!"
It is said the Mets will use Correa at third base, with good friend Francisco Lindor continuing at shortstop.
This deal, like the pact with the Giants, is subject to a physical.
Correa has dealt with durability issues during his eight-year career, playing at least 150 games in a season just once.
He has made seven trips to the injured list since 2015, with a torn ligament in his thumb, lower back soreness and a fractured rib.
However, Correa played 58 games in the shortened 60-game season in 2020, followed by 148 in 2021 and 136 last season.
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