Gary Lineker was back on the BBC on Saturday as the former England striker returned with a teasing dig at his critics.

Lineker, the 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner, was not involved in last week's edition of Match of the Day after becoming involved in a political row following a Twitter post in which he criticised the UK government's immigration policy.

The BBC asked Lineker to step back from hosting the popular football show, which led to a number of commentators and pundits, including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, refusing to take part.

A much-trimmed version of the show was broadcast on Saturday and Sunday, only showing highlights of the weekend's Premier League games with no analysis or commentary.

On Monday, it was announced the BBC would review its social media policy and confirmed former Tottenham and Barcelona striker Lineker would return to work.

As a result, he presented Saturday's coverage of the FA Cup tie between Manchester City and Burnley.

In a Twitter message posted before coverage began, Lineker wrote: "Ah the joys of being allowed to stick to football."

That was a clear retort to members of the public, media and politicians who have claimed Lineker should not delve into politics.

Lineker also acknowledged his gratitude to those who backed him last week, posting a picture that showed him sitting alongside pundits Shearer and Micah Richards, with the caption: "Teammates."

At the top of the show, Lineker passed to Shearer, who told viewers: "I just need to clear up and wanted to say how upset we were that all the audiences missed out on last weekend.

"It was a really difficult situation for everyone concerned and through no fault of their own some really great people in radio and TV were put in an impossible situation and that wasn't fair, so it's good to get back to some sort of normality and be talking about football again."

Lineker added: "Absolutely echo those sentiments."

Tottenham were stunned by a controversial stoppage-time penalty from James Ward-Prowse as a 3-3 draw at rock-bottom Southampton saw Spurs' grip on fourth loosened.

Antonio Conte's men appeared to be heading third in the Premier League, providing a fine response to Newcastle United putting pressure on them a day earlier, but Saints battled back from 3-1 down to rescue a point.

Pedro Porro's first Premier League goal put Spurs ahead at the end of a stop-start first half, before Saints levelled through Che Adams early in the second.

Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic then seemed to have put the game beyond Saints, but Theo Walcott earned them a lifeline and Ward-Prowse's emphatic late spot-kick left Spurs reeling.

Xabi Alonso saluted the development of former team-mate Joshua Kimmich as the Bayer Leverkusen boss prepares for a reunion with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Sunday.

Almost six years have passed since Alonso retired as a player, bringing an illustrious on-field career to a close at Bayern, where he won three consecutive league titles.

Kimmich was making his way in the game during Alonso's three-season spell at the club, arriving from Stuttgart and becoming increasingly important to Bayern but still having plenty to improve in his game.

Now 28, Kimmich has matured into one of Europe's most complete midfielders, which is what Alonso expected he might become.

Asked whether he saw similarities between himself and Kimmich, Alonso said: "In terms of position, yes. When I saw Joshua for the first time, I knew he had a great future just based on his style of play, his personality and his character.

"He has developed really well. His passes are special, the way he distributes the ball as well as his vision on the pitch. I like the way he plays. He’s a super player in the way he presents himself."

There have been few playmakers as complete as Alonso in the past 20 years. Kimmich is not far off, and the Germany international has time in which to rival the Spaniard's trophy haul, which includes two Champions Leagues, two European Championships and a World Cup.

On Sunday, Alonso's Leverkusen will confront a Bayern side that should feature Kimmich. After a slow start under predecessor Gerardo Seoane, Leverkusen have shown huge improvement under Alonso, who is almost six months into his first top-flight coaching job.

Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman and Kimmich were team-mates of Alonso, but the Leverkusen boss, a former Real Madrid and Liverpool star, does not see any obvious advantage from their past acquaintance.

"I do know them, but that doesn't make it easier," Alonso said, quoted on his club's website. "Our aim is to stop their players and make the game as difficult as possible for our opponents."

He will offer a few pointers, all the same.

"Yes, of course I can do that," Alonso said, "but it's always easier to say these things than to do them."

Pedri believes that Barcelona completing the LaLiga and Copa del Rey double this season would represent the start of a new era in Spain. 

The Blaugrana are nine points clear at the LaLiga summit with 13 matches remaining ahead of Sunday's blockbuster clash with second-placed Real Madrid.

Xavi's side are also a goal to the good in their Copa del Rey semi-final with Los Blancos, who they face in the second leg on April 5.

Pedri, 20, is one of several youngsters to play an instrumental role for Barca this season, scoring six times in 22 appearances with only Robert Lewandowski (15) netting more in the Spanish top flight.

And the midfielder, who will miss the latest Clasico after suffering an injury setback, feels a Barca double would represent a changing of the guard.

"The younger generation is coming up at a global level," said the midfielder, who was speaking as a global TCL Mobile brand ambassador.

"And as for us, we are seeing many of these young players emerging with a drive to succeed all without fearing the pressure of playing for Barca. If we win those two titles, [a new era in Spain] would be confirmed a little bit.

"For me, it would be a dream to win my first LaLiga. Any child dreams of that, and even more so for the club you love. That would be crazy."

Barca would take a giant step towards domestic glory with victory over Madrid at Camp Nou, where the Blaugrana have not beaten their rivals in five years.

While Pedri does not think the result will determine the destination of the title, he has urged his team-mates to deliver for the supporters.

"It’s only three more points," he said. "It's a huge turning point because it's against a direct rival. It will be a very difficult game, Real Madrid is always a very challenging opponent. Let's see what happens.

"Hopefully this year, we can bring joy to our fans. They have deserved it for a long time. Barca are used to playing and winning at Camp Nou, so we have to go for the victory."

Despite their favourable position, it has been another disappointing campaign for the club on the European front.

Barca were eliminated from the Champions League group stages for the second successive year – finishing third behind Bayern Munich and Inter before bowing out of the Europa League following their knockout play-off defeat to Manchester United.

Pedri thinks fortune went against the Blaugrana, but is confident they can provide a greater challenge in Europe's premier club competition next term.

When asked if they could genuinely challenge for the trophy next season, the 20-year-old said: "I think yes. Barca must fight for every title, and we have great potential.

"This year, apart from putting in more effort and getting chances until the end, we lacked a little luck in the key moments. Luck was often on the other side, and we suffered because of it

"The level of the teams is much higher. We have had to measure ourselves against very strong teams like Inter, Bayern Munich, Manchester United. They are three of the best teams at the moment. I am convinced that next year, we will perform really well."

Carlo Ancelotti announced he wants to stay at Real Madrid "for the rest of my life" ahead of a Clasico that could have major repercussions for his future at the club.

The former Milan, Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss signed a three-year contract when he arrived from Everton in June 2021 to replace Zinedine Zidane.

However, if Madrid finish this season empty-handed, there will inevitably be doubts over whether the Italian should stay in command.

They won the Champions League and LaLiga last term, and remain firmly in the hunt for a defence of the European title, having reached the quarter-finals, where Chelsea await them.

However, should they lose to Barcelona at Camp Nou on Sunday, Madrid will be 12 points behind their fierce rivals with 12 rounds of LaLiga games remaining. They also trail the Catalans 1-0 after the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.

Ancelotti realises there is no guarantee Madrid will let him see out his contract through to 2024, particularly if they end this campaign without silverware, but he believes his team can finish the season with a flourish and flip the narrative.

"It is an evaluation that the club must make. I would stay at this club for the rest of my life," Ancelotti said. "It is impossible, but I would like to. It is a decision of the club, and it will take it at the end of the season.

"My thought is I want to continue, I hope it's like that. But I enjoy every day that the club wants me here. If you want it to be for three months, I'll enjoy it; if it's for three years, the same. The clear thing is that I'll be grateful for the rest of my life."

Ancelotti, 63, has also bossed Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain in a stellar career, and Madrid would be hard pushed to find a more authoritative figure. This is his second spell at the club, with Madrid president Florentino Perez a firm admirer.

There is a theory that Madrid coaches that fall short of winning titles have their fate already written.

But Ancelotti said: "The written rules change, and the unwritten ones, too. I am convinced that we are going to win something, so the topic is over."

His first stint as Madrid boss ended when the 2014-15 season yielded UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles but not the key trophy objectives: LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Champions League.

Madrid have won five of their last six matches against Barcelona in LaLiga – a 3-1 home success in October among them – having not won any of the previous seven.

Those recent wins have included victories on their last two league visits to Camp Nou, and Ancelotti's side will be attempting to become just the second Madrid team to win three times in a row at the home of their Clasico rivals in LaLiga.

The only time it was previously achieved was in a run from January 1963 to February 1965.

Xavi warned his Barcelona players they cannot assume the title is theirs even if they beat Real Madrid in Sunday's Clasico.

Barca welcome Madrid to Camp Nou for the second LaLiga Clasico of the season, and it comes at a potentially pivotal moment.

The Blaugrana are already nine points clear at LaLiga's summit, meaning anything other than a Madrid win will likely have the Spanish media proclaiming Barca as champions.

Even if Barca do lose, there will still likely be a fair amount of optimism at Camp Nou, given no team have ever led by as many as nine points at this stage of the season and failed to win the title.

Xavi recognises the importance of Sunday's contest, but he is not convinced by suggestions it is decisive – for either team.

"If we win, it would be a knock [for Madrid] in the table," he said.

"It wouldn't be definitive, but it would be a strong blow. Whatever happens, I think nothing will be decided [on Sunday].

"We train naturally, knowing we have a great opportunity. If we win, we will take a very important step to win the league.

"We are very motivated. For some players, it would be the first league title. We prepared for the match, no matter how important it is."

Sunday's game will be the second instalment in a run of three Clasicos in just over a month, with Barca winning 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Copa del Rey on March 2; the second leg of that semi-final is set for April 5.

Their meeting earlier this month had a peculiar feel to it, with Real Madrid recording 64.7 per cent possession, a high for them in Clasicos since at least the 2013-14 season. At the same time, Barcelona's 35.3 per cent possession was their lowest in a single match in any competition over the same period.

Although Barca did win that game, Xavi wants to see an improvement.

"Personally, I would like us to have a little more possession of the ball than in the Copa," he said.

"We are preparing the game in a certain way. We will try to have more control than in the last Clasico, have more of the ball and be protagonists with it.

"I see Madrid as very strong, they have improved a lot physically since January. I suppose it will be a closely contested game.

"The Clasicos are unpredictable, you never know what they will bring. We have prepared well; we have prepared many aspects. We hope Camp Nou will be a pressure cooker for them."

Of course, being able to call upon the ball-playing abilities of Pedri would help Barca retain possession.

However, the Spain international will be absent again on Sunday due to a persistent hamstring injury, with Xavi unwilling to risk him.

"We knew there was risk [with Pedri]," Xavi continued. "[On Friday] he didn't feel 100 per cent, and if you're not in good shape, the best thing you can do is recover well.

"We talked to him and told him that he didn't have to force himself. It's an important game, but it's not a great final. We don't want to lose Pedri for two more months.

"We have played well without [Robert] Lewandowski, without Pedri, without [Ousmane] Dembele, without Gavi... We have done it.

"People keep talking about the first leg of the Copa semi-final, but that's the only game in which we've not had possession.

"It's clear: a match in which we are dominated will not change our mentality. From the first day that I am here, we have worked in a very concrete way."

Carlo Ancelotti insisted Real Madrid have not contemplated defeat in Sunday's Clasico as they fight to keep LaLiga title hopes alive.

Defeat at Camp Nou would be a devastating blow to last season's champions and leave them 12 points adrift with 12 rounds of games remaining.

Head coach Ancelotti told his players to treat Barcelona "as a lion, not as a cat", predicting even he would be nervous about entering their den, but he pledged Madrid would go on the attack.

Italian boss Ancelotti has won three of his seven LaLiga meetings against Barcelona, losing the other four. He can become the fifth Real Madrid coach to win four or more Clasicos in LaLiga, after Miguel Munoz (12), Francisco Bru (5), Luis Molowny (5) and Zinedine Zidane (4).

If he and Madrid fall short, many will see the title race as being effectively over. Ancelotti is not so sure, but that is because he has not allowed defeat to enter his mind.

"I don't know, we didn't think about that," he said. "We thought about winning. If we don't win, we'll think about it.

"We have to see Barca as a lion, not as a cat. If we see them as a cat, it seems like we are going to a party. We are going to play against a great team, and it's an important game.

"In these games there's always fear, of course, but that's normal. It's fear, nerves. For me, the two hours before kick-off are the worst."

Barcelona won 1-0 against Madrid at the start of March in the Copa del Rey. That success at the Santiago Bernabeu came despite the visitors having just 35.2 per cent of possession, and a second leg of that semi-final is still to come at Camp Nou on April 5.

In LaLiga alone, Barcelona have had nine 1-0 wins this season, the most they have ever had in a single league campaign. Once they get a lead, they dig in their claws and fight to protect their prey.

This is business time in Spain, and Madrid and Barcelona are used to meeting each other at this stage of a season, as the destination of the trophies is scrapped over.

Should Madrid win on Sunday, the deficit would be down to six points and seeds of doubt might be planted into Barcelona minds.

Madrid's best chance of a trophy still probably lies in the competition where they are the undoubted lions and 14-times winners: the Champions League. A last-eight clash with Chelsea awaits them in that competition.

"The data shows we have a disadvantage in the Copa and in LaLiga, and where we don't have it is in the Champions League," Ancelotti said. "Anything can happen. We want to reduce the disadvantage in LaLiga."

For the Clasico, Ancelotti has told his players to "enjoy the moment, be the protagonists", saying they can win the defensive and attacking battles.

"Tomorrow we will play offensively, yes," he added. "Offensively, but without risks.

"We have the plan, the two teams know each other very well. We have no secrets."

Massimiliano Allegri paid no attention to Juventus' Serie A points deduction as he declared his side will be facing Inter on Sunday to "defend second place".

The Bianconeri were served with a 15-point deduction in January for financial irregularities, sending them tumbling down the standings and facing a fierce fight to secure Champions League qualification for next season.

Juventus sit seventh in the table, 10 points adrift of fourth-placed Milan, but Allegri sees things differently and considers the clash with Inter to be a fight for the runners-up spot.

His team would sit second but for their punishment, three points ahead of Inter but still 15 points behind runaway leaders Napoli.

"We go to San Siro to defend second place," Allegri told a press conference. "I will repeat it until exhaustion. We are second with three points more than Inter, five ahead of Milan, four ahead of Lazio and six ahead of Roma.

"If at the end of the year the team net of penalties will be sixth or fifth in the standings, then it means that we will not have done well.

"We'll take stock at the end of the season. There are definitely positives. We've got five youngsters playing. We're still in the cups and need to get into the top four in the league. We also need to assess what we've done on the field."

Allegri is under no illusions regarding the challenge of Sunday's clash at San Siro, however, and wants improvements from Thursday's Europa League display, when Juventus won 2-0 against 10-man Freiburg.

"The team must do better than the second half on Thursday night against Freiburg. We must be aware that we are going to play against a team that does well at home," Allegri said.

"We have to do our best – it's a tough challenge tomorrow. We need to try to come out on top in these contests with direct rivals. It'll be tough to close the gap in the league, but we must remember that on the field we've picked up 53 points."

Simone Inzaghi has congratulated Milan and Napoli on joining Inter in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and says it is "a huge step" for Serie A.

Italy's top flight will have three representatives in the last eight of the competition for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.

With Juventus and Roma also through in the Europa League and Fiorentina progressing in the Europa Conference League, six Italian clubs are through to the quarters of UEFA competitions for the third time ever after the 1998-99 and 1990-91 seasons.

Inzaghi, whose Inter side will face Benfica over two legs in the next round, believes it can only be a good thing for Italian football when their teams hold their own on the continent.

"We all played great games," he said at a press conference on Saturday. "I have to congratulate Milan and Napoli – they deserved it like us. So too did Roma, Juventus and Fiorentina.

"There are six teams through, which is a huge step. Now we must all continue, because the more we go on, the better it is for our country."

Two of Serie A's European representatives face off at San Siro on Sunday in a game that could potentially have huge repercussions in the top-four race.

Second-place Inter are 12 points better off than Juventus in seventh, but the Bianconeri are said to be optimistic about overturning a 15-point deduction imposed on them in January.

That could change the complexion of the higher echelons of Serie A, and Inzaghi hopes a decision is soon made by the authorities one way or another.

"I look at the standings, but we are aware there are legal proceedings ongoing," Inzaghi said. "I hope that we find out soon because the teams need clarity."

Inter have lost three of their past six Serie A matches after their Champions League games, including their last two against Bologna and Juventus in the reverse match.

Juventus, by comparison, have won each of their last six league games after European matches.

"We are thinking only of tomorrow's game," Inzaghi said. "Now that we have obtained qualification, we have this final game of an intense period.

"The players are feeling fatigued and we have injuries, but we intend to not look back and think only of the next game."

Inter lost the reverse fixture against Juve 2-0 and are aiming to avoid losing both games against their Derby d'Italia rivals for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

Zlatko Dalic has been rewarded for Croatia's third-place finish at the 2022 World Cup with a new contract that runs through the 2026 edition.

Initially appointed on a short-term deal in 2017, Dalic has proven highly successful in the role.

He first secured qualification for the 2018 World Cup, which earned him a full-time contract, and then led Croatia's 'golden generation' all the way to the final before a 4-2 defeat to France.

But arguably more impressive was their run to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar last year, going deep into the tournament despite a perception of their squad being significantly less talented than four years earlier.

Croatia's hopes of lifting the trophy were ended by eventual winners Argentina, though their 2-1 win over Morocco in an entertaining third-place play-off ensured they went home with the bronze medal.

"Zlatko Dalic absolutely fulfilled all of the goals that were set before him in these five and a half years, and at the same time he signed two magnificent achievements at the World Cup in Russia and Qatar and led Croatia to silver and bronze medals, thus becoming our most successful coach in history," Croatian Football Federation president Marijan Kustic said.

"Therefore, I am extremely pleased that we have agreed on the continuation of the cooperation that has been absolutely brilliant so far."

Dalic added: "I have pointed out many times that this job is the greatest honour and the greatest pleasure I can have as a coach, and I am truly looking forward to the future with the Croatian national team.

"Regardless of the wonderful successes we have already achieved, I have great passion and ambition to continue working with Croatia and I believe that there are still many great challenges ahead."

Dalic will now hope to make a strong start to Euro 2024 qualification when Croatia face Wales and Turkey later this month, before turning their attention to the Nations League finals – they face Netherlands in the semi-finals in June.

Frenkie de Jong described Barcelona as the "team of my dreams" and reiterated his intention is to remain with the Blaugrana for the foreseeable future.

Netherlands star De Jong was the subject of one of the biggest sagas of European football's summer transfer window.

Manchester United were reportedly keen on bringing De Jong to Old Trafford for a reunion with his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, while it was said Barca were keen to cash in and help alleviate some of their financial issues.

A move failed to materialise, but rumours persist that United will launch a fresh bid for the 25-year-old at the end of the season.

However, speaking to TV3, De Jong seemingly remains unmoved in his desire to stay at Camp Nou, a stadium where renovation work will take place until 2026 – the same year De Jong's contract is due to expire.

"Hopefully I can play in the new Camp Nou. Barcelona has always been the club of my dreams and I want to stay here for many years," De Jong said.

"For me, the Camp Nou is the most beautiful stadium in the world. The plans for the stadium are very good. To continue here for many years. Barca is the team of my dreams."

De Jong's immediate focus is on Sunday's Clasico clash against Real Madrid at Camp Nou, where a victory would leave Xavi's men 12 points clear of Los Blancos.

"Playing in a Clasico is a very difficult feeling to explain," De Jong added.

"When I was a child, I dreamed of doing it with Barca and now I can do it. It's a very important game for the fans and also for the players, a game that can decide a league."

Luciano Spalletti sees no reason why Napoli's remarkable campaign has to be their peak as he urged the team to make every season a "once-in-a-lifetime year".

Napoli face Torino in Turin on Sunday in what is their final match of the month, with the upcoming international window providing a brief break to the domestic season.

If results elsewhere go their way and they beat Torino, Napoli could head into the break with a 21-point lead at the Serie A summit, a surely insurmountable gap with only 11 matches to go.

Either way, the Partenopei are enjoying a sensational season, with their relentless surge for a first Scudetto in 33 years coupled with progression to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.

But rather than focusing on what they are achieving, Spalletti can see their potential and hopes to inspire a quest for non-stop improvement.

"The once-in-a-lifetime year, as far as I'm concerned, will be the one after this, and then it will be the one after that, and it can go on and on," he told reporters.

"What happens to us now is real and must always be used to improve.

"The best is always what you want to go and discover. You must never stop, you must dig deeper to get the most out of something."

At 64, Spalletti is something of a stalwart of management in Italian football, having coached Udinese, Roma, Inter and now Napoli, among others, in Serie A.

If he does guide Napoli to the title, it will be his first league crown in Italy – even in the lower divisions, with Empoli, he did not win a championship, attaining back-to-back promotions by other means.

Nevertheless, Spalletti recognises the significance of his previous experiences and is now driven by a desire to make the most of the time he has left in the game.

"I try to optimise the time that passes, because one day we will be judged for the professionalism and seriousness shown in dealing with everything," he added.

"I know that I have to value all the opportunities that pass before me, because as a coach I don't have a lot of time, what with being 64 years old.

"And I am willing to do anything for Napoli to be able to enhance the events ahead of us."

Antonio Conte cheekily rubbed salt in Pep Guardiola's wounds by revealing he met the Manchester City manager's "idol" Julia Roberts during his time as Chelsea boss.

Guardiola revealed his admiration for the Hollywood star following City's 7-0 rout of RB Leipzig to reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.

The Catalan coach, though, revealed a personal disappointment that Roberts chose to visit City's rivals Manchester United during a 2016 trip, and said that snub would make him a "failure" regardless of whether his side win the Champions League this season or not.

"I have three idols in my life: Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Julia Roberts. These are my three idols. For obvious reasons, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods deserve it, and Julia Roberts as well," Guardiola said.

"Julia Roberts, years ago, came to Manchester. Not in the 1990s, when Alex Ferguson win titles, titles, titles and titles. She came in the period when we were better than United, these four or five years.

"And she went to visit Man United. She didn't come to see us. So, even if I win the Champions League, it cannot compare to the fact Julia Roberts came to Manchester and did not come to see us. My idol.

"That's why no matter what happens, even if I win the Champions League, it will not make up for the disappointment I had."

Spurs boss Conte has now added to his rival boss' misery by speaking about his own encounter with the 'Pretty Woman' star.

"Julia Roberts? She also came [to a match] when I was at Chelsea," he said.

"She watched the game and then I had the possibility to show her into the dressing room. 

"It's good that an important person like Julia Roberts likes football. I think it's important for football."

Asked if Guardiola is a "failure", Conte replied: "It's normal for big coaches at important clubs to try to win every competition, and we know very well for Pep – one of the most important coaches in the world – the importance of winning the Champions League after seven years with Manchester City.

"During your career, sometimes failure is part of your job and it pushes you to become stronger and make yourself better. 

"For the big coaches, the expectation is to lift a trophy. It's the same for me here, and if we don't lift a trophy the first responsibility falls on the coach. I know the expectations of myself are really high."

After coming through part one of a huge week unscathed – albeit with Karim Benzema suffering an injury scare – Real Madrid now turn focus to a huge showdown with fierce rivals Barcelona at Camp Nou.

While the odds were massively stacked in Madrid's favour when protecting a 5-2 lead in their Champions League last-16 tie with Liverpool, going through 6-2 aggregate winners, the opposite is true in their LaLiga title battle with Barca.

Madrid have struggled for consistency domestically and are nine points adrift of the leaders with 12 rounds of games to play after this weekend. Put simply, it is win-or-bust for Los Blancos' outside title hopes.

Carlo Ancelotti's side have a great recent record against their Clasico foes in the league but, regardless of Sunday's result, is it already too late in terms of getting their LaLiga campaign back on track?

Stats Perform looks at how the two sides are shaping up heading into their fourth of five meetings this season, and whether Madrid have any realistic chance of catching Barca.
 

Camp Nou the fortress

Madrid have dropped points too frequently this campaign, particularly away from home. Indeed, they have won just three of their past seven league games outside of the Bernabeu, failing to win back-to-back since October.

Barcelona, by comparison, have won four in a row at Camp Nou without conceding and have taken 32 points from a possible 36 at home this campaign.

Only Paris Saint-Germain can boast a better home record across Europe's top five leagues, collecting three points more than Barca, albeit having played one game more.

On the face of it, then, Los Blancos have their work cut out picking up a point this weekend, never mind the three points they desperately need. 

But Madrid have won five of their past six league games against Barca, including their past two visits to Camp Nou – only once before, between January 1963 and February 1965, have they won three in a row there in the competition.

This Barcelona side is a lot different to the ones Madrid faced in those past two seasons, though, as was clear to see in their two recent cup encounters.

The Catalans claimed a 3-1 win in the Supercopa de Espana final in January and a 1-0 win in their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg two weeks ago, with the second leg at Camp Nou to come in early April.

Those 1-0 wins are something they have become accustomed to in the league, too, with nine of their 21 victories coming by that scoreline – more than they have ever recorded in a full season.

Xavi's side have found a way to break down and see out wins against any type of opponent, and their four-year wait for a league title is surely therefore coming to an end.
 

Madrid far from majestic

Opta's prediction model certainly suggests as much, giving Barca a 93.2 per cent chance of finishing top and Madrid just a 6.7 per cent likelihood of overhauling their great rivals.

However, given the six-point swing on the line on Sunday, those figures could change fairly drastically should the visitors win again at Camp Nou.

That is why this meeting is so important to both Barca and Madrid; effectively the final chance for any sort of jeopardy to be injected into the title tussle between Spain's biggest two clubs.

But not only will Los Blancos have to beat Barca, they will realistically have to string together a long run of wins and require Xavi's men to drop at least six more points. 

On the four occasions Barca have dropped points this season, they have responded with winning streaks of seven, five, seven and two, with this latest run still ongoing. 

Madrid, meanwhile, have not put together a winning run of more than four games in the league since mid-October, losing to the likes of Rayo Vallecano, Real Mallorca and Villarreal since then.
 

So you're telling me there's a chance?

Ancelotti has repeatedly vowed Madrid will fight Barca all the way, while opposite number Xavi has predicted the title race may go the distance.

In the long history of LaLiga, though, no team has ever led by as many as nine points at this stage and not gone on to win the title.

But if Madridistas are after a crumb of comfort, there have been two occasions of a team squandering a lead of six points or more after 26 games, which would be the scenario the sides find themselves in if Madrid win.

One such instance will be all too familiar to those Madrid fans, with their side failing to finish top when eight points clear of eventual champions Valencia in the 2003-04 campaign.

The other occasion was 42 years ago when Real Sociedad, six points behind heading into the final stretch, overtook Atletico Madrid to land the title.

Effectively, then, Madrid must win at the home of their biggest rivals or else they will be tasked with achieving something that has never before happened in the Spanish top flight.

The odds may not be in their favour, but if last season's run to Champions League glory taught us anything, it's that you can never write this Real Madrid side off.

Top Premier League clubs Manchester United, Newcastle United and Chelsea are said to be monitoring Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele ahead of his release clause activating.

Dembele is in his sixth season with Barcelona, having racked up a total of 40 goals in his 178 appearances.

He remained a first-team regular to start this campaign, with 14 starts from his 18 LaLiga appearances, before suffering a serious hamstring injury in late January.

The France international is yet to return nearly two months later, but despite his troubling physical problems, England's elite believe he could represent terrific value due to his contract situation.

TOP STORY – BARCELONA'S DEMBELE AVAILABLE AT A DISCOUNT

Dembele was purchased from Borussia Dortmund for €105million plus add-ons back in 2017, but according to Calciomercato he will be available for just €50m (£44m) in the upcoming transfer window.

His contract is set to expire after one more season, and if the club do not secure a long-term extension, Dembele will have his release clause activated.

The €50m figure is said to be more than enticing to England's wealthy clubs, as it is considered a bargain compared to the going rate for other world-class wingers.

Serie A giants Juventus and Inter are also said to be fans of Dembele's, but the price tag is too rich for their current financial situation unless they sell some players to raise funds.

ROUND-UP

– Foot Mercato is reporting Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi is considering a move back to Barcelona next season, with his father said to be in regular communication with the club.

– Real Madrid are monitoring 29-year-old Tottenham striker Harry Kane as a potential successor to Karim Benzema, per the Daily Mail.

– According to Calciomercato, Barcelona and Tottenham are both fans of 26-year-old Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who is expected to leave the club in the upcoming transfer window.

– Goal is reporting Brighton and Hove Albion are prepared to make 25-year-old winger Kaoru Mitoma the highest earner in club history, in order to fend off interest from Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal.

– Former player Jose Enrique revealed on his live stream that Liverpool have agreed to terms for 20-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who Enrique shares an agent with.