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• Ancelotti: Winning is more important than performances

  Carlo Ancelotti brushed aside criticism of Real Madrid's unattractive style, saying winning was more important than playing well.

  Madrid are unbeaten with five victories across seven games in all competitions this season (two draws), and they got off to a winning start in their Champions League defence on Tuesday, beating Stuttgart 3-1.

  In LaLiga, they have won their last two games 2-0 against Real Betis and Real Sociedad, but have still come under fire for their performances.

  Ancelotti, however, defended his team's style ahead of their clash at home to mid-table Espanyol.

  "Real Madrid fans prefer winning over playing well," he said.

  "Ideally you want both, winning while playing an attractive style of football, but our main objective is pleasing our fans who are very demanding, so we will keep our focus on winning as we know that our squad is still far away from ideal form.

  "We are not at our best and that is normal in the beginning of a demanding calendar. We will improve as the season starts to get into the important things to play for.

  "For the moment we are in, we are doing well." 

  The Italian added he was not worried about the poor form of forwards Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, who are still a work in progress despite playing better each week.

  Mbappe has scored five goals already this campaign, while Vinicius also netted in their last league game, and Ancelotti is confident they will be back to their best soon.

  "[The criticism] doesn't bother me because I see that the fans are delighted," Ancelotti said.

  "You can play better, but the fans are used to our 'rock and roll' football. Not a lot of touches. We try to make the Madrid fans happy. And our game is about intensity, pace... Without wasting too much time in reaching the opponent's goal.

  "These are our characteristics. We have players with a lot of strength and speed, especially on the ball, and we have to take advantage of that.

  "For me, I believe that beautiful football depends on the characteristics of the players I have. Attacking well, defending well ... playing well on the counter. There are many facets and everyone has their own opinion..."

  Barcelona top the LaLiga standings with 15 points, four ahead of Atletico Madrid, Madrid and Villarreal.

• FC Dallas v Los Angeles FC: 'Last chance' saloon for hosts, insists Luccin

  FC Dallas interim head coach Peter Luccin labelled his side’s upcoming fixture against Western Conference leaders Los Angeles FC as “crucial” if they are to make the playoffs this season.

  The Toros fell to a 3-2 defeat to Real Salt Lake in their last encounter, leaving them 11th in the table and four points behind the playoff line with five games of the season remaining.

  Dallas are winless in their last three MLS games, and Luccin reiterated the message to his players that this weekend could be their final chance at continuing their season.

  “We need to be clear now,” Luccin started. We cannot lie. We have a game on Saturday that could be our last chance, even though we have two games at home.

  “Our last game was important, but this one is crucial for us if we want to try and reach the playoffs.

  “It is just making sure everybody is in good shape. We are playing against a big team on Saturday, and we need to be prepared for that game.”

  LAFC, meanwhile, were held by Dallas’ playoff rivals Austin FC in midweek, allowing a cluster of sides around them to threaten their third-place position.

  Despite dominating for large parts of their encounter last time out, head coach Steve Cherundolo highlighted his side’s rushed approach to proceedings.

  While the LAFC head coach acknowledged the fatigue setting in at this stage of the season, he said that some of the mistakes his players were making could cost them in the future.

  “I thought with the ball we could have created more in the first half but were too rushed and impatient,” Cherundolo said.

  “Our choice-making of passes was often times too risky, with not enough reward.”

  “We’ve seen that before in recent weeks and that’s impossible to win games in a fatigued state at this stage of the season if you’re making errors like that.”

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  FC Dallas – Jesus Ferreira 

  Ferreira scored his fourth regular-season direct free-kick goal for FC Dallas on Wednesday. Since 2010, the only Americans with more direct free-kick goals in regular season MLS play are Jeff Larentowicz and Chris Tierney (five each).

  LAFC – Ryan Hollingshead

  Hollingshead recorded his fourth assist of the season on Wednesday. With Hollingshead also having a goal in 2024, this is the sixth straight regular season the defender has contributed to at least five goals dating back to 2019.

  MATCH PREDICTION: LAFC WIN

  LAFC have lost two of its last 12 away matches in all competitions, including a 4-2 defeat to the Galaxy on Saturday (W8 D2). LAFC conceded seven times in the two losses over that span but allowed just four goals in the other 10 matches.

  Dallas has suffered back-to-back home defeats in all competitions after losing just one of its previous 11 at home (W8 D2). Dallas have not lost three straight home matches in all competitions since September 2011.

  However, recent fixture suggest Dallas hold the advantage. The home side has lost only one of the 11 all-time meetings between the two sides, a 3-2 LAFC win at Toyota Stadium in 2021. The home team has won each of the five meetings between Dallas and LAFC since.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  FC Dallas – 28%

  Draw – 24.2%

  LAFC – 47.8%

• Dowie insists Bompastor appointment shows growth of WSL

  Natasha Dowie believes Chelsea's appointment of Sonia Bompastor highlights the new-found global appeal of the Women's Super League.

  Bompastor enjoyed three successful years at Lyon, including winning a Champions League, before deciding to move on and replace Emma Hayes this summer.

  Hayes led the Blues to seven WSL titles overall, winning each of the last five in a row, and Bompastor now has the challenge of becoming the first manager in WSL history to win the league on their first attempt.

  Dowie, who is now a Liverpool ambassador after winning the league twice with the Reds, thinks it shows just how much the WSL has grown in recent times.

  She told Stats Perform: "I think it's not just the best players in the world that want to come and play in England now, it's the best managers in the world. And that wasn't the case back in the day, and I think that's just brilliant."

  Furthermore, Dowie also notes that her appointment could also prove crucial in terms of Chelsea finally claiming their elusive Champions League title, following several near misses and a defeat in the 2021 final.

  "She's won everything at Lyon," Dowie added. "So now to move to a club like Chelsea, who have pretty much won the league the last five years, I think now the challenge for her and what she probably is excited about is how can we help Chelsea win the Champions League? That's all they haven't won."

  The former striker is also excited at the prospect of Sam Kerr returning from injury, believing that she can once again play a key role for the Blues.

  The Australian suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear during Chelsea's winter training camp in January, ruling her out for the second half of the season. 

  Before her injury, Kerr was averaging 0.61 goals per 90 minutes, from 3.66 shots per 90, with a 16.67% conversion rate.

  "[Kerr] is the number one striker, and she does it in the big pressure games, she always produces, and I think they missed her last year even though they won the league," Dowie said.

  "I think that to have a Sam Kerr in your team - it's a nightmare for any team and I think all fans, the way that she's entertaining as well, the backflip, the kind of charisma that she has, she brings a lot to the game.

  "So yeah, I think we're all excited to see her back performing."

  Dowie predicts Manchester United to have an improved WSL campaign this year, following their FA Cup final success last season.

  The Red Devils finished just two points behind Chelsea in 2022-23 but struggled to replicate that last year, and have since lost key players, including Mary Earps.

  "I do think United will push on again this year," said Dowie.

  "I think that to be fighting for the title with Chelsea the year before and then to obviously finish fifth last year was really disappointing.

  "I think there'll be a team this year that will be up there again competing for trophies, so you could say that United could be a surprise package."