Vinicius Junior scored twice as LaLiga leaders Real Mardid won 4-2 at Osasuna.

The Brazil forward, who was this week subjected to more racist abuse from rival fans, leading to his club filing a complaint with the Spanish legal authorities, fired Real in front after just four minutes.

Although Osasuna hit back through Ante Budimir, a well-taken goal from Real captain Dani Carvajal had the hosts ahead at the break.

Brahim Diaz scored a third on the break just after the hour mark before Vinicius slotted in his second of the afternoon and Iker Munoz struck a late consolation for the visitors.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who were missing England midfielder Jude Bellingham through suspension, made a bright start.

Vinicius gave them an early lead when he took the ball off Osasuna defender Alejandro Catena and ran through to beat the goalkeeper in the fourth minute.

The Brazilian then saw another chance saved after he tried to round keeper Sergio Herrera and Osasuna hit back when Budimir scored from a corner.

Los Blancos, though, regained the lead in the 17th minute when Carvajal latched on to a chipped pass from Federico Valverde to hook the ball in with the outside of his boot.

Following such a frantic start there was a brief lull before Osasuna forward Jose Arnaiz fired another chance over and then Vinicius saw his effort fly just wide before Antonio Rudiger’s header was blocked.

As half-time approached Arnaiz’s curling shot from outside the box was saved by Real keeper Andriy Lunin at full stretch.

Vinicius needlessly picked up a yellow card for dissent when laughing at a decision from referee Martinez Munuera before the break, meaning he will be banned for the LaLiga game against Athletic Bilbao after the international break.

Real, who will face Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals, further extended their lead on the hour mark when Diaz raced on to a long kick up field from Lunin, which had been flicked on by Valverde.

Vinicius got his second goal soon after as Valverde turned provider again.

He chested the ball into the path of the Brazilian, who ran into the left side of box and slotted a low shot into far corner for a sixth goal in his past four appearances.

Rodrygo saw his late effort saved before Lucas Vazquez had a goal ruled out for offside.

In stoppage time, Munoz pulled another goal back for Osasuna and 19-year-old Turkish midfielder Arda Guler almost added a fifth for Real when his long-range chip from just past the halfway line dropped on to the crossbar.

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.

“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.

“I’m a pretty optimistic guy and we’re in better shape than ever. We have a lead in LaLiga and we’re in the Champions League quarter-finals, with (Eder) Militao and (Thibaut) Courtois on the way back.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t slip up, which we may.

“We have to be excited about the upcoming games. Right now, we should be happy, satisfied and hungry going into our next matches.”

Ancelotti confirmed Brazil defender Militao and Belgium goalkeeper Courtois have resumed training with the first-team group.

Courtois sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training just before the season started, while Militao tore the ACL in his left knee in the opening game of the campaign.

The pair could return for the LaLiga game at home to Athletic Bilbao after the international break on March 31.

Real play Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at theBernabeu on April 9.

Ancelotti said: “We’ll take advantage of the break to give them some minutes in a couple of friendlies with the academy and I think they could be back in contention.

“Our plan is to have them ready for the game against Bilbao without taking any risks – and I think they’ll be there.”

Real were thrashed 4-0 by City at the Etihad Stadium last season in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, losing 5-1 on aggregate.

But Ancelotti dismissed the idea of next month’s tie being a revenge mission, saying: “We want to beat opposition who are playing in the same competition as us.

“There’s no sense of revenge on our part. Each person has their own thought process.”

Osasuna have won three of their last five league games but were beaten 4-0 at the Bernabeu in October.

Head coach Jagoba Arrasate said: “If you give things away, they won’t forgive you.

“It is one of the keys and the other is for us to be brave and for them to see that they have a rival in front of them who wants to win too.”

La Liga will report the “deplorable racist chants” aimed at Vinicius Junior by Atletico Madrid fans to Spain’s legal authorities.

The Real Madrid forward was again the target for abuse by Atletico fans prior to their Champions League last-16 match against Inter Milan on Wednesday night.

The Brazil forward has called on UEFA, which runs the Champions League, to issue sanctions.

European football’s governing body is understood to be reviewing the official match report before making any decision on disciplinary action, but La Liga has acted already even though the match was not under its jurisdiction.

“La Liga will report the deplorable racist chants against Vinicius Jr before Wednesday’s UCL match between Atletico de Madrid and Inter Milan to the Hate Prosecutor’s Office, regardless of the fact that the match was played in another competition and that the chants took place outside the stadium,” a league statement read.

“La Liga is wholeheartedly committed to making football a hate-free space and will continue to work relentlessly to crack down on racism, homophobia, violence and hatred… whatever the competition.”

Vinicius replied to a post on X, formerly Twitter, about the chanting and wrote: “I hope you have already thought about their punishment @ChampionsLeague @UEFA.

“It’s a sad reality that even happens in games where I’m not present!”

Real Madrid moved seven points clear at the top of LaLiga after beating Celta Vigo 4-0 at the Bernabeu Stadium.

Vinicius Junior’s close-range finish gave Real a half-time lead and own goals from goalkeeper Vicente Guaita and Carlos Dominguez put Carlo Ancelotti’s side, without the suspended Jude Bellingham, in full control.

Turkey midfielder Arda Guler stepped off the bench to score his first goal for the club in stoppage time as Los Blancos extended their unbeaten league run to 22 matches.

Second-placed Girona had closed the gap to four points on Saturday by beating Osasuna 2-0 at home, but once Vinicius Junior opened the scoring in the 21st minute following a corner, Real dominated the match.

Eduardo Camavinga went close on three occasions to extending Real’s lead and Rodrygo forced Guaita into a reflex save before the break.

Celta had been limited to blocked shots from Manu Sanchez and Luca de la Torre, but they threatened through Jorgen Strand Larsen’s effort early in the second period.

Guaita saved again from Brahim Diaz and Federico Valverde flashed a shot wide before the Celta keeper denied both Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior.

Real were rewarded for their pressure with a second goal in the 79th minute when Antonio Rudiger’s header struck the crossbar and deflected in off Guaita.

Celta substitute Dominguez turned the ball past his own keeper in the closing stages and in the fourth minute of added time Guler, a late replacement for Vinicius Junior, steered home the fourth goal.

The Turkey international burst on to Dani Ceballos’ through-ball, knocked the ball around Guaita and buried his shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the six-yard box.

Real returned to winning ways after being held by Valencia and RB Leipzig in their previous two matches to stretch their advantage over Girona and open up an eight-point lead over third-placed Barcelona.

Real Madrid are continuing their fight against Jude Bellingham’s red card with boss Carlo Ancelotti calling his two-match ban “overzealous and inappropriate”.

The 20-year-old England midfielder was sent off against Valencia last weekend after he remonstrated with referee Jesus Gil Manzano, who blew for full-time seconds before Bellingham headed in what would have been a winner for Real.

Madrid saw an initial appeal against a two-match suspension rejected by the Spanish Football Federation’s (RFEF) competitions committee on Friday.

Bellingham has not been named in Madrid’s 20-man squad for Sunday’s LaLiga visit of Celta Vigo but the league leaders are not letting the issue lie and, according to reports, have launched an appeal with Spain’s sports administrative court TAD (Tribunal Administrativo del Deporte).

“We’ve appealed because we believe the sanction is overzealous and inappropriate,” Ancelotti said on the club’s official website on Saturday.

“He wasn’t insulting anyone, as is reflected in the report.

“They have looked at the way he approached the referee and I hope they haven’t singled him out because Bellingham protests in the same way as anyone else, in fact there are lots who do far worse.

“We think the sanction is not correct, and that’s why we have appealed.”

Ancelotti has also defended Vinicius Jr, who has attracted criticism for his recent performances.

“I’ve looked back at the statistics and I’ve never seen a player who has been so poorly treated,” the Italian said.

“He gets kicked, insulted, jeered… He scores goals and sets them up. I think everyone should rethink their attitudes towards Vini Jr.

“Never before has a player with that level of talent been so harshly treated. When something needs to be looked at, we don’t need to be making t-shirts.”

Despite being denied victory against Valencia, Madrid still hold a comfortable lead at the top of the table but Ancelotti admits his side, who have drawn three of their last four games in all competitions, have taken their “foot off the gas” in recent weeks.

“Following the Girona match, which was our best performance of the season, we’ve struggled and perhaps we’ve stepped our foot off the gas a bit,” he said.

“We have to think about where we haven’t been doing things so well, that’s how we’ll improve. We’re not concerned, we evaluate things in the most critical manner and we have to improve.

“We lacked intensity and a good attitude on Wednesday and tomorrow we have to make sure we get those things right.”

Celta make the trip to the Bernabeu lying 17th in the LaLiga standings but boosted by their 1-0 home win over Almeria last time out.

Real Madrid endured a nervy night against RB Leipzig before they booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-1 win on aggregate after a 1-1 second-leg draw.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team held a one-goal lead from the first game in Germany on February 13, but came close to exiting in the last-16 stage only for Lois Openda to miss several chances while Dani Olmo hit the crossbar in stoppage time.

It meant Vinicius Junior’s 65th-minute opener, after a superb assist by Jude Bellingham, proved decisive with Leipzig’s equaliser via Willi Orban not enough to earn Marco Rose’s men a famous European victory.

Bellingham started days after his red card at Valencia following the controversial decision by referee Jesus Gil Manzano to blow for full-time before his headed effort could count as a last-gasp winner.

Leipzig had created plenty of chances in the first leg and should have put the ball in the net with 10 minutes played when Benjamin Sesko was sent through, but Andriy Lunin made a simple save and the offside flag was raised.

Vinicius diverted an effort over the crossbar with his chest soon after, which proved a rare venture into the Germans’ half in a one-sided first 45 minutes.

Openda curled wide moments later before his golden chance arrived in the 16th minute, but he dragged wide after an excellent ball by Olmo.

The Bernabeu crowd were already restless and a blocked Bellingham effort failed to turn the tide, with Paris St Germain loanee Xavi Simons next to test Lunin.

Simons was involved again three minutes before the break when his corner picked out Openda, who brushed the side-netting with his wayward shot from inside the area.

Whistles followed at half-time and Ancelotti reacted with Rodrygo introduced, but the visitors continued to create chances with Openda able to round Lunin before his decision to cut back inside allowed the Madrid goalkeeper to dive at his feet.

Madrid frustration boiled over when Vinicius was booked for shoving Orban to the ground, but he almost created the opener on the hour mark with a great run only for Bellingham’s scuffed effort to hit Rodrygo before a Toni Kroos shot was parried away.

Ancelotti’s team had finally started to move up the gears and the breakthrough occurred with 65 minutes played.

Bellingham was at the heart of the move, carrying the ball half the length of the pitch before he found Vinicius, who made an excellent run and rifled into the corner.

Any chance that Leipzig would fold was dispelled when Antonio Rudiger deflected a shot from Simons wide, which sparked big celebrations with Bellingham.

It was the visitors celebrating with 22 minutes left though when David Raum’s cross was headed in by Leipzig captain Orban to set up a grandstand finish.

Rose urged his team to press forward for a decisive second and Olmo sent a shot wide before Orban headed another chance over.

Leipzig pushed for a final opportunity, which did arrive in stoppage time but Olmo’s side-footed effort hit the top of the crossbar and bounced over to ensure Madrid progressed.

Erling Haaland netted his 29th goal of the season as Manchester City eased into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over Copenhagen as Real Madrid battled past RB Leipzig.

The Norway international found the net after early strikes from Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez at the Etihad Stadium to ease the holders to a 6-2 aggregate win.

Defender Akanji volleyed City into a fifth-minute lead from Alvarez’s corner and it was 2-0 within four minutes when, after Rodri’s header had come back of the crossbar, Copenhagen goalkeeper Kamil Grabara palmed Alvarez’s follow-up into his own net.

Mohamed Elyounoussi reduced the deficit with 29 minutes gone when he fed Orri Oskarsson and then ran on to his back-heeled return to fire past Ederson but Haaland restored the home side’s cushion in first-half stoppage time.

Willi Orban ensured Real Madrid suffered a nervous conclusion at the Bernabeu Stadium as they edged into the last eight after a 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg in Germany, the Spaniards had to wait until the 65th minute for Vinicius Junior to put them ahead on the night.

However, Orban levelled within three minutes and then went close with a header as the LaLiga leaders eventually made it through 2-1 on aggregate.

Real Mardid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has warned his players only their best will do against RB Leipzig as they look to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Los Blancos will defend a slender 1-0 lead from the first leg in Germany when Brahim Diaz scored a fine solo goal.

Ancelotti’s side have been held to three frustrating draws in their last five domestic matches, with Jude Bellingham shown a red card after the game at Valencia ended 2-2 when he thought he had headed in a dramatic stoppage-time winner as the referee blew up for full-time.

The 14-time European champions may be favourites to get the job done against Leipzig at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night, but Ancelotti insists there can be no sense of entitlement.

“It’s a big opportunity to progress in a competition that is very special for us, but we will have to be at our best,” Ancelotti told a press conference.

“The tie is not over, even if we do have a small advantage. We have to be at our best from the first minute to the last.

“The first leg was difficult against Leipzig, even though we created a lot of chances.

“We have to improve on that and be more dangerous because it’s going to be a different game tomorrow.

“They will look to play more in transition than us. Dealing with that defensively is going to be very important.”

Ancelotti reported no fresh concerns from the weekend, with captain Nacho Fernandez in contention to return to the side having missed some training with a minor issue which saw him start on the bench at Valencia.

England midfielder Bellingham, making his own return from an ankle injury, was sent off after the players surrounded the referee in the wake of his disallowed goal, with Madrid having earlier fought back from 2-0 down.

Ancelotti, though, feels there is no need to add further fuel to the situation, with his side now seven points clear at the top of LaLiga.

“I have not spoken to Bellingham about this matter,” the Italian coach said.

“He is someone who tries to give everything on the pitch and he is doing very well.

“The red card the other day was a mistake. He was a bit frustrated, but he didn’t insult anyone.”

Leipzig head to Madrid on the back of a 4-1 win at Bochum which left them fifth in the Bundesliga.

Defender Mohamed Simakan is suspended for the second leg, while Lukas Klostermann is doubtful because of a hip problem.

Leipzig coach Marco Rose said: “We are going to travel to Madrid and try everything.

“We want to be the most difficult opponent possible for Madrid so that they really have to stretch.”

What the papers say

Manchester United and Paris St Germain have emerged as the frontrunners to land the signature of Victor Osimhen in the summer. According to The Independent, Chelsea and Arsenal are also interested in the Napoli forward.

The Telegraph reports Newcastle are edging closer to inking a new deal with midfielder Joelinton. The 27-year-old has little over a year left on his current deal, but the two parties are believed to be on similar terms with negotiations proving productive thus far.

Tottenham have reportedly taken an interest in Sporting Lisbon midfielder Morten Hjulmand. The Sun, citing Portuguese paper Record, says Spurs sent scouts to watch the Denmark international in action as Sporting beat rivals Benfica 2-1 last Thursday, with a view to a potential summer move for the 24-year-old.

And the i says Newcastle intend to send 19-year-old winger Yankuba Minteh out on loan for a second successive season. Minteh has been at Dutch side Feyenoord this season.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Alphonso Davies: Real Madrid are willing to offer as much as £43m for the Bayern Munich defender, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Archie Brown: HITC reports Chelsea, Leeds and West Ham are all monitoring the English defender, currently playing for Belgian side Gent.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle after being denied a late winner in Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw at Valencia.

The England midfielder, making his return from injury, thought he had headed home a cross deep into stoppage time at the Mestalla but the referee had already blown for full time.

Real players surrounded the official in a chaotic aftermath and Bellingham was shown the red card before the players left the field.

It made for a dramatic ending to a compelling LaLiga clash in which the leaders had fought back from 2-0 down with two Vinicius Junior goals.

Valencia had stunned Carlo Ancelotti’s side by pouncing on two mistakes to score twice in quick succession through Hugo Duro and Roman Yaremchuk.

The result meant Real missed the chance to move nine points clear at the top and second-placed Girona will have the chance to cut the gap when they play Mallorca on Sunday.

It was an emotional night for Valencia, who were returning to action for the first time since a deadly fire in their city, with tributes paid to victims and other people affected before kick-off.

The game got off to a slow start as the visitors struggled to create any meaningful opportunities despite dominating possession.

It was not until the 23rd minute that Real caused any alarm in the Valencia box as Vinicius, returning to a ground where he was racially abused last season, went down under a challenge from Dimitri Foulquier. No penalty was given.

Valencia took the lead against the run of play in the 27th minute after Real lost possession.

There was an element of fortune about it as Foulquier crossed to the far post and Fran Perez miskicked his attempt to clip back across goal. Duro, who had not been expecting the ball, reacted quickly to head home.

Dani Carvajal then compounded the setback moments later with an underhit backpass that Yaremchuk seized upon to round Andriy Lunin and slot in.

Real recovered and Bellingham, back in the side after three weeks out, created a chance for Federico Valverde but Giorgi Mamardashvili was equal to his effort.

The pressure paid off in first-half stoppage time as a Carvajal cross took deflections off a defender and Mamardashvili and found its way to Vinicius for a simple tap-in.

Real upped the tempo after the break and Vinicius lashed a shot wide before Bellingham, who has enjoyed a stunning first season at the Spanish giants, wrong-footed the defence and forced Mamardashvili to save with his legs.

Diego Lopez brought a good save from Lunin at the other end but further Real pressure paid off when Vinicius rose to head in a Brahim Diaz cross.

There was a long delay late on after Valencia’s Mouctar Diakhaby suffered a serious-looking injury and was carried off on a stretcher.

Real had a scare in stoppage time when Valencia were awarded a penalty for a foul on Duro by Nacho but the decision was overturned by VAR.

It was not the end of the drama but Bellingham’s effort came too late to count.

LaLiga leaders Real Madrid came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Valencia in an ill-tempered finish at the Mestalla that saw Jude Bellingham sent off after the final whistle.

The hosts scored two goals in four minutes midway through the first half from Hugo Duro and Roman Yaremchuk, but Vinicius Junior pulled one back on the stroke of half-time.

Vinicius then got a second in the 76th minute to level it up.

There was late drama as Valencia’s Mouctar Diakhaby suffered an apparently serious injury in the closing minutes. Moments after play restarted the referee pointed for a Valencia penalty after Nacho went flying in on Duro, but VAR came to Madrid’s rescue as the decision was overturned.

As the players went off, Bellingham was sent off, apparently for dissent, in what was his first match back after three games out with an ankle injury.

Youssef En-Nesyri’s early brace set Sevilla on their way to a 3-2 win over Real Sociedad.

Andre Silva pulled one back for the visitors in first-half stoppage time, but Sergio Ramos restored Sevilla’s two-goal advantage midway through the second half, with Brais Mendez’s late goal for Sociedad mere consolation.

Mason Greenwood was on the scoresheet as Getafe took a point from an entertaining 3-3 draw with Las Palmas.

Greenwood added to Jaime Mata’s early goal as the hosts roared into a two-goal lead inside 15 minutes. Sandro Ramirez pulled one back before Nemanja Maksimovic made it 3-1 at the break, but Las Palmas earned a point via second-half goals from Sergi Cardona and Munir El Haddadi.

Javi Hernandez’s stoppage-time goal cancelled out Florian Lejeune’s strike as Cadiz salvaged a point from a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano.

Serhou Guirassy scored twice as Stuttgart won 3-2 at Wolfsburg to close the gap to second-placed Bayern Munich to four points.

Guirassy put Stuttgart in front after 14 minutes, and although Joakim Maehle levelled early in the second half, the Wolfsburg defender was soon guilty of fouling Enzo Millot in the box, giving Guirassy the opportunity to restore Stuttgart’s lead from the penalty spot.

Josha Vagnoman added a third in the 77th minute and they needed the cushion as Lukas Nmecha pulled one back for the hosts late on.

Borussia Dortmund remain fourth after goals from Karim Adeyemi and Ian Maatsen earned a 2-0 win at Union Berlin.

Leipzig stayed one point back in fifth with a 4-1 win at Bochum, who took a seventh minute lead though Maximilian Wittek but collapsed midway through the second half.

Dani Olmo levelled before the break, but three goals in five minutes from Lois Openda, Ivan Ordets and Yussuf Poulsen settled it before Bochum’s Moritz-Broni Kwarteng saw red late on.

Struggling Mainz took an early lead against Borussia Monchengladbach through Jonathan Burkhardt but could not hold on as Nathan N’Goumou levelled early in the second half, with Mainz’s Dominik Kohr sent off late on.

An embarrassing own goal from Benedikt Gimber helped Eintracht Frankfurt to a 2-1 win at Heidenheim, while Philip Tietz and Ermedin Demirovic scored two each as Augsburg thrashed Darmstadt 6-0.

Roma cruised to a 4-1 win over Monza. Lorenzo Pellegrini and Romelu Lukaku put them in control before half-time with Paulo Dybala adding a third before Leandro Paredes’ penalty. Andrea Carboni got a late consolation goal for the hosts.

Hassane Kamara struck in first-half stoppage time to cancel out Loum Tchanouna’s early goal as Udinese drew 1-1 with Salernitana, but the hosts finished with 10 men as Festy Ebosele saw red in the second half.

Torino and Fiorentina shared the points from a 0-0 draw in which Torino’s Samuele Ricci was sent off in first-half stoppage time.

Marseille had five different players on the scoresheet as they enjoyed a 5-1 away win at Clermont Foot.

Iliman Ndiaye got things started in the first half, and although Bilal Boutobba levelled early in the second half, Marseille seized control with strikes from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Jonathan Clauss, Luis Henrique and Faris Moumagna.

Jonathan David’s 56th minute strike earned Lille a 1-0 win away to Reims.

Plans to found a European Super League are "purely about money" and the breakaway competition would cause smaller clubs to disappear if it ever came into being.

That is the view of Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Serhiy Palkin, who believes the vast majority of European clubs are united in their support for UEFA.

The threat of a Super League has never fully gone away despite fierce fan and media opposition causing the competition's attempted 2021 launch to fail in spectacular fashion.

Real Madrid and Barcelona remain committed to the project, and in late 2022, A22 Sports Management was enlisted to oversee its revival, with a plan for a three-tier competition featuring promotion and relegation with no permanent members made public last year. 

Those plans were met with widespread criticism, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin saying the proposal was "even more closed" than the initial Super League format, given a tier-one founder would be guaranteed three years in the competition regardless of their results. 

Last December, the European Court of Justice ruled UEFA cannot stop breakaway competitions by threatening to sanction clubs, but Palkin feels there is no real desire for change.

"For me, it's difficult to discuss. When this news was issued about A22 winning in court, we had already issued our statement, we are supporting UEFA," he told Stats Perform.

"Almost 90 per cent of clubs did the same statement on their websites. We have a special group on WhatsApp, everybody supports UEFA. I don't understand this Super League. 

"I don't understand what kind of essence they have. I don't understand why we need to change something, when under the umbrella of UEFA, we have very well-structured competitions. 

"If you look from 10 years ago to today, they developed a lot of things in a good way and they are always raising the amount of money that we receive. 

"They are increasing the number of games, they are increasing the number of competitions with the Conference League.

"They involved a lot of clubs. It's not all clubs, but the number of clubs involved in European competitions is increasing significantly. 

"The most important thing for me is the involvement of clubs in European competitions and the financial support of these competitions. All the numbers are just increasing."

Palkin believes only the very richest clubs stand to benefit from the Super League, warning smaller sides might struggle to stay afloat if the plans ever come to fruition. 

"We don't have just 25 clubs in Europe. We need to pay attention to the whole of football. The most important thing is to spread football over the whole of Europe," he added. 

"Otherwise, don't go to stadiums, just switch on the TV and see the top, top clubs playing between each other, and that's it. Then they become much, much richer, and others disappear. 

"For them [smaller clubs], receiving these bonuses from UEFA is critical from a financial point of view. 

"I support football, the game itself, and we need to promote this idea. This Super League, it's not about the game, it's just about money. It's purely about money."

Jude Bellingham is fit to face Valencia with Carlo Ancelotti confirming the midfielder will feature for Real Madrid on Saturday.

The England star has been sidelined with an ankle injury but is available for the LaLiga clash at the Mestalla.

Bellingham, who has 21 goals for club and country this season, has been out since suffering the injury against title rivals Girona in February and has missed Real’s last three games.

Ancelotti said: “He’s at 100 per cent. He hasn’t trained too much with the team but he’s done all he needs to on an individual basis.

“He’s in good shape, optimum physical condition and he’s comfortable with his ankle. He’s up for it and will play.

“The team has trained well and (Dani) Carvajal, (Eduardo) Camavinga, Joselu and Bellingham will all be back. We want to deliver a positive display. The key moments in the season come in March and April and confidence is high.

“We have options. Picking a starting XI is always tough. There are several players who are contributing very well and deserve to play. I haven’t had too many difficult decisions to make up until now because we’ve always had so many injuries.”

Real are six points clear at the top of LaLiga having lost just once in the league this season, to rivals Atletico Madrid in September.

They beat Valencia, who are ninth, 5-1 at home in November but have struggled at the Mestalla recently.

Real have only won one of their last five trips to Valencia, including last year’s 1-0 defeat, with Ancelotti wary of the threat their hosts have.

He said: “The closer we get to the end of the season, the more important the games become. Real Madrid have always struggled at Mestalla because it’s a tough place to go against opposition enjoying a good run. Of course, we’ll have to be at our best.

“The plan is to play a great football match and I’m sure Valencia are thinking the same. That’s what the fans and players want ahead of the game, an entertaining spectacle.

“It’s one of the biggest. But all are important, including the three points against Sevilla. Picking up points at this stage of the season is hugely important. Every team needs the points to fight for top spot, the Champions League places or against relegation.”

Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique insists they will have a better team next season even after the expected departure of star forward Kylian Mbappe.

It is understood the 25-year-old France international, whose contract expires at the end of the season, has told the club he wants to join Real Madrid this summer, a move which has been touted for a number of years.

“It doesn’t cross my mind that the team will be weaker next season. I’m absolutely sure,” Enrique told a press conference ahead of Friday’s match against Mbappe’s former club Monaco.

“If everything goes well, I think and I’m convinced that we’ll have a better team next season.

“Me, I always want to try to improve the team and I think there is always a way to improve.”

PSG, who have an 11-point advantage at the top over Brest, have lost just once in Ligue 1 this season – back in September and are on course for a 10th title in the last 12 years.

“I am very happy with all the efforts we made, with the results we obtained,” added Enrique.

“We are following a very good trajectory. Now we are entering a difficult period, the key period, the best of the season.

“It’s all or nothing, and it’s a feeling we love. We have to continue to be true to our idea, to what got us here, to try to dominate the matches from the start.

“We don’t need to improve the general idea, but we need to improve the details.”

While Monaco are currently third they are 13 points behind and have lost six times this season, including four at home.

“Monaco are one of the best teams in the league and a direct competitor of ours in the title race,” said the PSG boss.

“We know that we’ve got a tough game ahead of us tomorrow, so we’ll put out a highly competitive side.”

What the papers say

Big changes could be in the pipeline at Chelsea on and off the pitch this summer, according to various reports. The Daily Mail says Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim is a possible replacement for manager Mauricio Pochettino.

On the field, the club are looking to sell defender Trevoh Chalobah, 24, and Albania forward Armando Broja, 22, according to The Daily Telegraph. England midfielder Conor Gallagher, 24, and Spain left-back Marc Cucurella, 25, could also leave in the summer.

Summer changes are also expected at Manchester United. The Manchester Evening News says Brazil winger Antony, 24, is among the players they would be prepared to sell.

Victor Osimhen is eyeing a move to the Premier League, according to The Sun. Arsenal and Chelsea are believed to be heading the race for the Napoli striker, 25, although Manchester United and Paris St Germain are also reportedly  interested.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Alphonso Davies: Real Madrid have reached agreement to sign the Bayern Munich and Canada left-back, 23, in the summer or next year, according to The Athletic.

Joao Palhinha: Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Arsenal are chasing the Fulham and Portugal midfielder, 28, reports Football Insider.