Lucas Vazquez does not believe Real Madrid s squad receive the respect they deserve following three consecutive Champions League titles, while he revealed his plan to stay at the LaLiga club.

Madrid are set to finish third this season, with Zinedine Zidane s side 15 points adrift of Spanish champions and bitter rivals Barcelona.

It has been a forgettable campaign for Madrid, who sacked Julen Lopetegui and then Santiago Solari after their Champions League defence came to a shock end at the hands of Ajax in the last 16.

Zidane – back at the Santiago Bernabeu for his second stint in charge – is set to overhaul Madrid s squad but Vazquez defended the team.

 FT: 3-2
  2 , 49 , 40 Gerard 11 , Costa 90 +4 |

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid…

Struggling to live up to the hype

Joao Felix seemed set to be a superstar when he broke into the Benfica side in the 2018-19 season.

He directly contributed to 22 goals in 26 league appearances, netting 15 and assisting seven, creating 29 chances. Joao Felix was awarded the Primeira Liga s Best Young Player of the Year and the Golden Boy award, and a huge move was on the cards.

Atletico Madrid, cash-rich with the imminent sale of Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona, pipped the rest of Europe s elite to the 19-year-old boy wonder, paying a club-record €126million to take him to the Spanish capital.

Yet, for whatever reason, whether that be Diego Simeone s pragmatic approach or Joao Felix suffering the inconsistencies that many young players do, it hasn t quit…

Mats Hummels showed courage by agreeing to a return to Borussia Dortmund, according to sporting director Michael Zorc.

The World Cup winner is heading back to Signal Iduna Park, where he spent eight years between 2008 and 2016, in a reported €38million move from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

Zorc is delighted to welcome Hummels back and believes the decision to depart the Bundesliga s dominant force after three seasons is a brave one.

We are very happy that we were able to secure this transfer, Zorc told Bild.

Mats is not only a seasoned Bundesliga player who brings everything but he is also a very important leader on and off the pitch.

It was also a courageous sporting decision for Mats, which shows what kind of character he has.

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Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker:

Desperate to make up some ground in the Serie A title chase, AC Milan will welcome Bologna to the San Siro on Saturday night.

AC Milan

Starting with the hosts, while AC Milan might find themselves facing a major uphill battle in their bid to claim a 20th domestic crown this season, the Rossoneri are enjoying a domestic purple patch. Last seen mounting a stellar last-gasp comeback away at Udinese as they eventually snatched an action-packed 3-2 victory, Stefano Pioli’s side are sat firmly in the driving seat to clinch another Champions League ticket in 2024. Making a real statement earlier in the month as they secured a a 3-1 romp against historic rivals Roma, the former Lazio boss has seen his high-flying squad win five of their pre…

Putting in another toothless display last weekend as they slumped to a 2-0 loss away at Tottenham, Chelsea find themselves in the midst of what has become a public Premier League nightmare.

Opening their Champions League knockout stage adventure with a 1-0 loss away at Borussia Dortmund on February 15th, it is no secret that Graham Potter finds a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders.

Knowing that they are in need of a minor miracle if they’re to claim a crucial top-four finish this season, Chelsea are facing the real threat that they could miss out on Europe football entirely come May.

Failing to find any kind of stability since appointing the ex-Brighton boss back in September, the fading Premier League giants have recorded just a pair of top-flight victo…

Monchi has returned to Sevilla as sporting director, the LaLiga club have confirmed.

The 50-year-old initially joined Sevilla as a goalkeeper in 1988 before becoming the behind-the-scenes mastermind of a glorious modern era.

The club won five Europa Leagues in the space of a decade, beginning with back-to-back titles in 2005-06 and 2006-07 before a run of three in a row concluded with a 3-1 comeback win over Liverpool in the 2016 final. Sevilla also claimed the Copa del Rey in 2006-07 and 2009-10.

Monchi departed in 2017 to take on the same role at Roma and, although the capital club secured a third-place finish in 2017-18, their form has deteriorated this season.

Head coach Eusebio Di Francesco paid with his job as a Champions League exit at the hands o…

Best Odds: 3/5

Bookmaker:

Looking to extend their buffer at the top of the La Liga table this weekend, Real Madrid will travel across the capital to local rivals Rayo Vallecano on Sunday lunchtime.

Rayo Vallecano

Starting with the hosts, while some in Rayo Vallecano’s camp might have opened up the 2023/24 campaign with their sights set on mounting another top-half charge, the little Thunderbolts are enduring an extended struggle. Last seen eventually falling to a 2-1 defeat away at Mallorca, Inigo Perez’s squad almost find themselves sat in La Liga limbo. Continuing to show a string of issues on either side of opening the New Year, Vallecano have collected just a single point from any of their previous five top-flight appearances a run that stems back to Ja…

Inter striker Romelu Lukaku has called for action from Serie A officials after allegedly being targeted by racist chants from Juventus fans following his equaliser at the Allianz Stadium.

The Belgium international netted a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time to earn Inter a 1-1 draw in Tuesday s Coppa Italia semi-final first leg, before using his finger to shush the home fans.

Referee Davide Massa booked Lukaku for the celebration and showed the goalscorer a second yellow card following a heated aftermath that spilled over past full-time, leading to Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado and Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic also seeing red.

Lukaku pointed to his previous experiences of racism in Italy as he responded to the events with an Instagram post.