Lionel Messi will miss Barcelona's LaLiga match at Elche on Sunday after losing his appeal against a two-match ban.

The Argentina star was suspended for his red card in the Supercopa de Espana final defeat to Athletic Bilbao, in which he was sent off for striking Asier Villalibre following a VAR review.

It was the first time in 753 appearances for the club in all competitions that Messi was dismissed.

Barca appealed against the suspension but confirmed on Friday that their efforts had been in vain, meaning Messi will not be available for the game at Estadio Martinez Valero.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner had already served one match of his ban, having been absent from Thursday's Copa del Rey win at Cornella.

Ousmane Dembele and Martin Braithwaite scored in extra time after Barca missed two penalties against the third-tier side.

Messi will be free to return in next Wednesday's Copa del Rey last-16 clash against Rayo Vallecano, with another meeting with Athletic, this time in LaLiga, to follow on January 31.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants Manchester United to harness the spirit of the 1999 treble-winning side when they face Liverpool in the FA Cup.

Solskjaer will make changes for the tie of the fourth round at Old Trafford on Sunday after a 2-1 win at Fulham on Wednesday, which put United two points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The Red Devils are still in the hunt for three trophies this season and face an out-of-sorts Liverpool side who are smarting from a shock 1-0 home defeat to Burnley on Thursday.

United dramatically beat the Reds 2-1 at the same stage of the FA Cup 22 years ago courtesy of late goals from Dwight Yorke and Solskjaer, then went on to complete a famous treble.

Solskjaer says dumping the Premier League champions out once again could be a big moment in what he hopes will be a glorious season.

"Of course we can transform a few things from that season. We know that there's tight moments, very fine margins. We know in that season we were close to going out against Liverpool," said the United boss.

"Peter Schmeichel saved a penalty from [Arsenal's] Dennis Bergkamp in the semi-final in injury time. Those moments, I think they gave us the mental advantage, especially in the semi-final.

"But against Liverpool as well in that fourth round, when you get that boost of turning 1-0 down to a 2-1 win against a big team it's massive.

"The FA Cup is a run we've got to enjoy as long as it lasts. We got to the semis last year and we're going to make a few changes but we'll put a team out there that I hope can go through."

Victor Lindelof is available to return from a back injury and Solskjaer will rotate his squad just a week after a drab goalless draw between United and Liverpool at Anfield in the top flight.

"Of course the focus is now on the FA Cup," said Solskjaer. "We know it's a difficult tie, I'm not the best on draws, I think they should try to get someone else in if they want an easy draw."

Solskjaer also said forwards Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Edinson Cavani could all feature in the same side at some stage.

He said: "I used to play in a decent team and the gaffer [Alex Ferguson] had four centre-forwards at least to choose from and with the four front men we've got, we have players to choose from who can get us goals in any game, against any opposition.

"I'm very pleased with the ones I've got and we’re working hard to get the relationships with all of them so we can use them in different ways and sometimes maybe all four of them will play."

Frank Lampard is paying no attention to names being linked with replacing him at Stamford Bridge as the pressure increases on the Chelsea manager.

Since going top of the Premier League in December with a win over Leeds United, Chelsea have taken just seven points from a possible 24.

A 2-0 defeat at Leicester City made it two wins in eight league games for the Blues, who are now 11 points adrift of leaders Manchester United.

RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann is among those have been touted as potential successors to Lampard.

But asked about such speculation, Lampard told a media conference ahead of a fourth-round FA Cup tie with Luton Town: "I don't listen to it.

"It's only everywhere if you want to go and scroll through social media and I don't do that.

"I'm not stupid, I know the pressure that comes with managing a top football club but I can only do my job. It doesn't matter to me.

"The pressure is fine, you're obviously not happy when you're not winning games.

"It comes with the territory, you can look around the league and see teams that are having problems that are not used to having problems. I just have to get on with the job.

"My concern is not the pressure on me because I can deal with it, I've been in football a long, long time as a player at top clubs so I understand how it goes and it's different as a player.

"But the pressure needs to be positive on the players because the players are what make you a good manager or not such a good manager and that can flip very quickly as we always see.

"It's important that the players don't feel that [pressure]. I don't mind taking that, the players have to feel a good pressure.

"We want to win games, they want to get some form back, we know how quickly results and form can turn in this league, we just have to direct that pressure in the right way on the pitch."

The scrutiny on Lampard is intensified by Chelsea's significant outlay in the transfer window prior to the 2020-21 campaign.

Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech were the headline signings for Chelsea but all have struggled for form in recent times.

Werner has not scored in the league since November 7, while Havertz and Ziyech have each found the net just once.

Neither Havertz nor Ziyech created a chance against Leicester, the latter having replaced the former Bayer Leverkusen man in Tuesday's dispiriting loss.

On whether some of his close-season recruits have been surprised by the intensity of the Premier League, Lampard said: "I think that some of the new lads have been quoted as saying that.

"We've got the most physical and fastest league in the world, it's pretty clear to see. 

"When I talk about players needing adaptation, and we've seen great players need time in this league to kick in, especially when they're young because they come to this league fresh, it's very normal."

Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool will "go again" and believes it is on him to change the way he communicates with his players to get the Reds firing again.

Liverpool suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Burnley on Thursday, bringing an end to an astonishing run of 68 home games without a loss in the Premier League dating back to April 2017.

During that impressive run, Liverpool scored 168 goals, but the defending champions have now failed to score in four successive league matches and have slipped six points off leaders and fierce rivals Manchester United, who they face in the FA Cup fourth round this weekend.

Klopp accepted full responsibility for the Burnley setback and said the onus is on him to give his players the platform to get back to the lofty standards that saw them win the Champions League and Premier League over the previous two seasons.

"Of course we go again, no doubt about that. I said what I thought, like most of the time actually," Klopp told a pre-match news conference.

"I said it when things don't work out on the pitch as we want them to work out, then there's an issue.

"How I understand it, the issues, I then tell the boys, I didn't tell them clear enough. I have to change the way I tell the boys [these things].

"Confidence is nothing naturally given, to normal people at least, you have to do something to build confidence, it didn't work out in the final third in the last few games.

"But it's not like we can't find it again - we have to work, that's what we do. I don't have five million different words for the same issue, maybe other words describe it better but the thing is we didn't get the results now for a few weeks we wanted.

"Parts of the game were absolutely good enough, parts were not, we have to keep going with things that were good enough, that's the way."

Klopp's side were utterly dominant en route to ending a 30-year wait for a top-flight title last term and he was asked if a change in mindset, whereby they have become the chasers, may ease the pressure a little.

The former Borussia Dortmund boss replied: "That will be a good way to do it to be honest, yes.

"When you don't like a situation, you have to change the right things.

"I like to say and see that in each match there is a chance. I spoke to my players last night and will do again today, it's not for a press conference what I will say to them.

"In the end what we do for the outside world is not so important, it's only important we change it. In the end we have to defend, have to create, have to score, we know that 100 per cent that's what we'll try to do on Sunday."

Asked how the team felt about the end of their unbeaten league at Anfield, Klopp said: "Honestly we didn't feel that pressure.

"We never spoke about a number or anything like this. We can start again 100 per cent."

Klopp's team drew with United in a turgid and goalless Premier League game last weekend.

The Liverpool boss again plans to put out a strong line-up against an in-form United, and said of the clash with the Red Devils: "It's a different competition. 

"We want to go through and for this we have to play really well because United is in a really good moment, they get the results they wanted so far. We have to be ready 100 per cent."

Manchester City will be without influential midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for between four to six weeks, manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed.

Conor McGregor has promised to put on an emphatic show against Dustin Poirier on Fight Island this weekend.

You don't get the nickname "Mystic Mac" for nothing and his latest bout, albeit it occurred 12 months ago, was a rapid dismantling of Donald Cerrone so it would not be a surprise to see the Irishman be true to his word.

Poirier is one of the most respected fighters in UFC, though, and if McGregor takes his eye off the prize then an upset could be on the cards.

The beauty of MMA is no one really knows how a fight will pan out but, that being said, we've tried to answer some of the big questions ahead of a blockbuster UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi.

Wait, didn't Conor McGregor retire?

Well…he said he had. Here's the thing, McGregor has twice before said he's retired and both times come back to fight. The pandemic seemed to derail McGregor's rejuvenated focus but no one truly believed he was done for good.

Okay, so tell me who is Dustin Poirier?

Seasoned UFC fans need no introduction to Poirier, an experienced campaigner with an excellent MMA CV. Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway are just some of the elite names Poirier has beaten. The latter fight earned him the interim lightweight belt but he came up short when fighting the fearsome Khabib Nurmagomedov for the full title. Poirier rebounded to defeat Dan Hooker in June and now he gets another crack at McGregor.

Oh, they've fought before…what happened the first time around?

McGregor scored a huge first-round knockout victory that really catapulted him to new levels of stardom and it goes without saying the 32-year-old has since transcended the world of UFC and is one of the most globally recognised sports stars.

What's different this time?

Well firstly, both men are older. Their first bout occurred in April 2014 and there was no love lost in a typically robust build-up to a McGregor fight. But the histrionics have largely been replaced by the more respectful tones of experienced fighters – both of whom are now fathers. Poirier has lost just twice since his defeat to McGregor, while this bout takes place at lightweight, whereas their first encounter was at featherweight.

Where will the fight be won?

Poirier is a completely different animal this time around – the emotive blow-for-blow scrapper has been replaced by a colder, more calculated tactician in the Octagon. McGregor remains a lethal striker and both men will want to dominate standing up. If McGregor is on song it's hard to look past a win for the Irishman.

Will the winner get to fight Khabib?

Well it's certainly the one McGregor is hankering for. Their first bout of course ended in an ugly brawl between the two camps, but McGregor remains desperate to prove he can avenge that submission defeat from October 2018. Poirier is also on a five-man shortlist of fighters to face Khabib, who for now remains retired following his win over Gaethje late last year. The unbeaten Russian met with UFC president Dana White to discuss the possibility of a comeback but it is by no means certain he returns.

Angelo Mathews lifted Sri Lanka out of trouble with a superb century on day one of the second Test against England.

A collapse to 135 all out in their first innings was the main cause of Sri Lanka's defeat in last week's first game of the two-match rubber and they found themselves in early strife once more in Galle.

James Anderson (3-24) returned to lead the England attack and removed Kusal Perera and Oshada Fernando, the latter for nought, to leave the hosts 7-2.

But Mathews (107 not out) made the most of favourable batting conditions to lay the foundations for an imposing total, finding willing allies in Lahiru Thirimanne (43) and captain Dinesh Chandimal (52) and lead a recovery to 229-4 at stumps.

England's attack toiled hard after Joe Root lost the toss but they caused problems early on, with Sam Curran having a huge lbw shout against Kusal in the second over before Anderson added to his 600 Test wickets.

Recalled in place of long-time new ball partner Stuart Broad as England juggled their seam options with an eye on their forthcoming tour of India, Anderson persuaded Kusal into a ludicrously expansive hack that he edged to Root at slip.

Oshada was recalled to the Sri Lanka side after four ducks in five innings for Kusal Mendis, only to suffer the same fate as he edged a lifting delivery onto his stumps.

Thirimanne scored a century in the first Test, although his fine form was ultimately insufficient to repel his nemesis Anderson, who moved a ball beautifully away to encourage an edge behind and dismiss the opener for an eighth time in Tests.

Sri Lanka were 76-3 shortly after lunch at that stage. Mathews' alliance with Chandimal was certainly timely and they were able to milk England spin due Jack Leach and Dom Bess with minimal risk.

Paceman Mark Wood was the only bowler to offer sustained discomfort to each, both mentally and physically as he frequently touched 90 mph.

The over after Anderson fumbled a run-out chance at mid-on, Wood had his reward - pinning Chandimal with an in-swinger the batsman's review showed was thundering into leg stump.

Unperturbed by the end of that 117-run stand, Mathews brought up an 11th Test ton with a single off Leach and will resume alongside Niroshan Dickwella (19 not out) in the hope of kicking on to something even more substantial.

Zinedine Zidane has tested positive for COVID-19, Real Madrid have confirmed.

Los Blancos made the announcement via a short statement on their official website on Friday.

It is not known how long Zidane will be absent from the Madrid dugout but he will definitely not be on the sidelines for what has become a potentially crucial LaLiga clash at Deportivo Alaves this weekend.

Zidane's position as head coach at the Santiago Bernabeu has come under increased scrutiny in the wake of the shock 2-1 extra-time defeat to third-tier Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Madrid were crowned LaLiga champions in the heavily disrupted 2019-20 campaign but are seven points adrift of leaders and rivals Atletico Madrid, who also own a game in hand.

The Copa capitulation in midweek led to Spanish paper Marca leading with the headline "No one escapes this embarrassment".

After Alaves, Madrid face Levante on January 30 and travel to Huesca a week later in what looks a critical period for Zidane's long-term future at the club.

'Mystic Mac' is back!... and not for the first time.

Conor McGregor steps back into the Octagon having not fought since knocking out Donald Cerrone after just 40 seconds at UFC 246 over 12 months ago.

That was supposed to be the first of three fights in 2020 for a rejuvenated McGregor, who had spent 14 months away following the ugly melee that followed his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.

Then, of course, a global pandemic caused chaos to the world of sport and, in June, McGregor announced he was retiring from fighting, citing he was just not excited about the MMA game.

Fans of McGregor and the UFC had been here twice before and the scepticism that met his announcement was justified when it was confirmed the big-talking Irishman would face off against Dustin Poirier for the second time in his career.

Ahead of that bout on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi this weekend for UFC 257, we take a look back at McGregor's past 'comeback' scraps.

August 20, 2016 – McGregor beats Diaz by majority decision

In March of the same year, McGregor suffered his first loss fighting in the UFC after submitting to a rear-naked choke from Nate Diaz at UFC 196.

McGregor was slated to have his rematch against Diaz at UFC 200 but in April posted on Twitter: "I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese."

Two days later, he clarified that he had not actually retired but had fallen out with UFC bosses over promotional work and the fight was pulled.

But the bout was eventually staged at UFC 202 in an absolute classic that saw McGregor avenge the defeat via majority decision.

McGregor floored his opponent in round one and Diaz was downed twice more in the second round, but the Irishman survived a series of brutal blows in the third.

Diaz scored a takedown late in the fifth but McGregor saw out the time with the three judges scoring it 48-47, 47-47, 48-47, leading to a famous declaration: "The king is back!"

January 18, 2020 – McGregor beats Cerrone by knockout

Five months on from the ugly aftermath of the Khabib defeat, McGregor announced, "I've decided to retire from the sport formally known as 'Mixed Martial Art'."

High-profile incidents away from the Octagon had plagued McGregor, while he also launched his 'Proper No. Twelve' whiskey brand.

Still, the lure of the UFC proved too much for one of the all-time greats and a focused McGregor was back to fight Cerrone in Las Vegas in a bout pitting two of the sport's most popular stars against one another.

McGregor put on an absolute clinic and a series of brutal blows led to the bout being waved off after just 40 seconds. It marked his first victory in the Octagon since November 2016 when he defeated Eddie Alvarez to win the UFC lightweight title and become the company's first ever dual champion.

After the fight, McGregor said: "I made history tonight. I set a new record. I'm the first fighter in UFC history to secure knockout victories at featherweight, at lightweight and now at welterweight - across three weight divisions, so I'm very proud of that."

January 23, 2021 – McGregor v Poirier?

"Hey guys I've decided to retire from fighting. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it's been!"

And with that McGregor was done... again.

But really we knew he wasn't, and once more McGregor will step into the Octagon against an opponent he is familiar with.

Almost seven years have passed since McGregor earned 'Performance of the Night' honours after the fight was stopped after one minute and 46 seconds of the first round when 'The Notorious' put Poirier on the back foot then caught his opponent with a huge left hook behind the ear.

So the question remains: how will McGregor fare on his latest comeback from 'retirement'?

Alou Kuol scored his second goal of the season as Central Coast Mariners moved top of the A-League table with a 2-0 win over defending champions Sydney FC on Friday.

Sydney suffered their first loss of the campaign at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Ben Warland scoring an own goal before Kuol came off the bench to seal all three points for the Mariners.

Warland turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Matt Simon eight minutes into the second half after an incisive run from Daniel Bouman, who was making his first A-League start.

Teenage forward Kuol gave Alen Stajcic's side breathing space 16 minutes from time with a deflected strike on the break.

The Mariners lost their 100 per cent record with a loss against Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday but responded superbly to go two points clear at the summit.

Luis Suarez was hailed as "amazing" by Diego Simeone after firing Atletico Madrid seven points clear at the top of LaLiga.

A late penalty was Suarez's second strike of the game and secured a 2-1 win over Eibar on Thursday night, taking the striker's haul to 11 goals in 14 league games.

Such has been the Uruguayan's impact since arriving from Barcelona, it even sparked a post-match question to Simeone as to whether he might be the coach's best signing.

In a little over nine years in charge of Atletico, Simeone has brought a host of notable players to the club, with Jan Oblak and Antoine Griezmann among them.

Simeone recognises Suarez's impact, but he was reluctant to compare the signings he has made during his reign.

"I don't stop in mid-season to think about such an argument," Simeone said. "He is amazing and we are very happy that he is with us.

"He is a great player with great characteristics. He knew how to play the game and gave us an important victory with a great defensive effort from the team."

The handsome lead that Atletico now hold over second-placed Real Madrid makes them favourites to land a first LaLiga title since 2013-14. They even have a game in hand.

But rather than take glee from toiling rivals Real Madrid exiting the Copa del Rey to third-tier minnows Alcoyano on Wednesday night, Simeone said such a result served as a reminder there are no certainties in football.

"It makes us pay attention and understand that football is more complex every day," Simeone said.

"Barca also won [against Cornella] in extra time ... Bayern [Munich] also lost in their cup, football is not simple.

"The opposition compete, they do it well and it makes us always be alert. Football is wonderful because it always gives you the chance to win."

Suarez, who sits third on Barcelona's list of all-time leading scorers, was a remarkable close-season acquisition by Atletico.

He has now scored 12 times in LaLiga against Eibar, more than he has managed against any other team.

The one-time Ajax and Liverpool frontman has looked sharp for his new team and puts his success down to the warm reception he was given, having at one stage appeared reluctant to leave Barcelona.

"I'm very happy. The team has been very welcoming," Suarez said. "They make me feel at home. I try to help the team the best I can, but we are all doing it too.

"We are showing everyone that we want to fight for important things.

"We need to keep working. We need to keep fighting for all the goals we set at the beginning of the season."

After Falcao and Griezmann, Suarez becomes new Atletico goal hero

It will be how well he sustains his early form that dictates how Suarez is eventually remembered at Atletico, but there can be no denying he has made a spectacular start.

He is averaging one goal every 92.18 minutes in LaLiga and has a 25.58 per cent shot conversion rate in the competition.

No player with more than one league goal during the Simeone era has a better average minute-per-goal record than Suarez, although Radamel Falcao comes close, with his 43 LaLiga goals under the Argentinian coach coming at one every 109.58 minutes.

Of all the players with more Atletico goals than Suarez in Simeone's time as coach, only Kevin Gameiro (27.14 per cent) has a better shot conversion percentage.

Suarez has so far had 13 goalscoring opportunities defined by Opta as 'big chances' and has gobbled up eight of those for an immensely healthy 61.54 per cent strike rate, better than any Atletico player with 10 goals or more in Simeone's time.

Griezmann remains Atletico's LaLiga leading scorer during Simeone's tenure, with 94 goals from 180 games, snaffling 53.04 per cent of his 115 big chances with an overall shot conversion rate of 21.22 per cent.

Only across one season of his Barcelona career did Suarez score at a faster rate in LaLiga than he has to date for Atletico.

In the 2015-16 campaign he plundered 40 goals from 35 games at a clip of one every 78.75 minutes on the pitch.

He eclipsed Lionel Messi in the scoring stakes that season as Barcelona edged out Madrid and Atletico in a three-team title battle.

This term, Suarez, who turns 34 on Sunday, is threatening to barge the Clasico giants out of contention and help Atletico make it a one-horse race.

Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane says he has been unfairly put in the "bling-bling drawer" and will take criticism as an incentive to realise his potential.

Sane was unable to hit the ground running at Bayern after joining the European champions on a five-year deal from Manchester City in July for a fee of €49million, which could rise to €60m.

The winger missed almost the entire 2019-20 season with City due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament before returning to his homeland.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge last month warned Sane must show more desire and says Bayern will be prepared to "kick his butt" if needed to get the best out of their big-money signing.

Sane has since taken his goal tally to seven for the season, while also providing five assists in 21 games, and Rummenigge this week rubbished suggestions the Bundesliga leaders could sell the 25-year-old this year.

Bayern and Germany great Lothar Matthaus stated the Bavarian giants should have signed Timo Werner rather than Sane before the Germany forward moved to Chelsea.

Sane insists people have got the wrong impression of him. 

"You are welcome to come to my house and see if there are really diamonds, gold chains and stuff like that lying around. I don't own any of these. Still, people put me in this bling-bling drawer." he said in an interview with Der Spiegel.

He added: "I have the feeling that people look at me differently than others. Apparently I provide people with material like this, even though I don't want to. So of course I have to question myself."

Sane took note of Rummenigge's criticism and has vowed to repay the faith Bayern have shown in him.

"I'm working very hard to get there [back to his best]." the former Schalke man said. "I just have to really prove myself at Bayern. 

"I know that the club is behind me, otherwise they wouldn't have taken me. I also take this criticism as an incentive."

Sane also said he has no problem with Germany coach Joachim Low after he was overlooked for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, although he described the snub as a "hard blow" to take.

"The national coach had his reasons and I always had a good relationship with him. After the World Cup he came to me and said that I should continue like this. That he believes in me. That was the end of the topic for me." Sane added.