Malky Mackay believes Motherwell hot-shot Kevin van Veen is simply the next of several top cinch Premiership strikers Ross County have to deal with this season as they battle for survival.
The 31-year-old Dutchman is in the form of his life with 26 goals for the Steelmen this season – five against County and 11 in his last eight games – and has been shortlisted for the PFA Scotland player of the year award, a notable achievement for a player at a bottom-six club.
County travel to Fir Park on Saturday on the back of two successive and morale-boosting victories, a 2-0 home win over Livingston and a 3-1 victory over fellow strugglers Dundee United.
And with three fixtures remaining, the Dingwall outfit sit in the relegation play-off spot, two points ahead of the Tannadice outfit and one behind 10th placed Kilmarnock.
Asked about the threat of Van Veen, Staggies boss Mackay said: “He is in a real good vein of form and we just have to make sure we prepare properly in terms of our game plan.
“But Steven Fletcher (Dundee United) is a terrific centre-forward who we played against at the weekend and Duk (Aberdeen), Kyogo (Furuhashi, Celtic), I could keep going.
“Clubs have got good players up front in this league and we need to make sure we contain that.
“It was a terrific win for us last weekend obviously and it gives the boys that chance over the weekend to settle down and be focused and ready for the Motherwell game.
“We just focus on what is in front of our face like we did last week and the week before.
“The important situation was to bounce back from the Hearts game and get us back to where I believe we were leading up to that, in terms of the St Johnstone, Celtic and Aberdeen games, and get back to playing in a manner that is going to be tough for the opposition.
“We did against Livingston and followed that in the game against Dundee United, so that’s what we hope to bring to the last three games.
“It’s going to be a tough game without a doubt, it always is going to Fir Park and Stuart (Kettlewell) has done really well. They are in good form but we’re looking forward to it.
“We all have twists and turns to come and we have to make sure that we focus on ourselves and what is right in front of us.”
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Guijarro brace sets visitors up for Clasico glory
Patri Guijarro's first-half brace set Barcelona on their way to a thumping 4-0 win over rivals Real Madrid in Liga F on Saturday.
Claudia Pina and Alexia Putellas were also on target as Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season, extending their lead at the top of the table.
The visitors dominated from the off, as Guijarro broke the deadlock inside the fourth minute, tapping in from Putellas' flick-on from a corner.
Cata Coll was forced into a big save to deny Alba Redondo an equaliser shortly after, but Madrid's hope was soon dented as Guijarro picked out the bottom corner with a superb long-range strike for her second.
Pina strengthened their lead six minutes before the break, clinically slotting past Misa with her low strike.
Putellas added some more gloss to the scoreline with four minutes remaining of normal time, beating the Madrid keeper with a lovely dink to bring up her 199th goal for the club.
Barcelona have won all 10 of their games, and now sit eight points clear of Madrid, who suffered their first league defeat of the campaign.
Data Debrief: Total dominance
Madrid will have felt fairly confident coming into this game after a strong start to their season, but they once again failed to find a way past their Clasico rival.
Los Blancos have lost every single game they have played against Barcelona in all competitions, with this their 15th such meeting.
Barcelona smothered their attack early on, restricting their hosts to just one shot in the first half, while they had 10.
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