Pedro Rodriguez says Lionel Messi is to thank for guiding Barcelona into the Champions League semi-finals.

Messi, in doubt due to a minor hamstring problem, sat on the bench for over an hour, and in his absence Barca struggled, falling behind to a Javier Pastore strike five minutes into the second half at Camp Nou.

But the Argentine left his fingerprints all over the game shortly after his 62nd-minute introduction, as his driving run opened up the defence, eventually allowing Pedro to rifle home the equaliser and send Barca through on away goals.

And despite scoring the all-important goal, Pedro was quick to lead the acclaim for Messi, telling reporters: Messi is a very important player and he put in a great effort (after coming on).He was the catalyst, we change…

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has accepted the charge of violent conduct brought against him by the Football Association.

However, the Uruguay international does not accept the intention to hand him more than a three-game ban for biting the arm of Chelsea s Branislav Ivanovic during their Premier League clash at Anfield.

A statement from the FA confirmed that the incident was not seen at the time by referee Kevin Friend and his assistants but has been retrospectively reviewed by the officials.

Mr Friend has confirmed that had he seen the incident he would have issued the striker with a straight red card, an action that enables the FA to raise the charges.

Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident the FA have asked for a heavier punishment than a t…

Granit Xhaka was proud to commit his future to Borussia Monchengladbach after signing a contract extension until 2019.

Borussia Mochengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka has extended his association with the club by signing a new four-and-a-half-year contract.

The Switzerland international moved to the Bundesliga in 2012 after impressing with Basel, and has gone on to make 85 appearances in all competitions.

Xhaka became a regular in Lucien Favre s side last season, and after overcoming a knee ligament injury, has helped them to third place in the league table.

I feel comfortable at Borussia and am in my third season here, he said. Therefore, there was never any doubt that I would extend my contract. 

I m proud and happy to be able to play for Bor…

Manager Paul Lambert is happy with Aston Villa s start to the season, considering their tough run of fixtures.

The Premier League side are 13th in the table after eight games, with three wins under their belt following a spell of matches that has seen them face a number of the top teams.

And with victories over 2011-12 champions Manchester City and current table-toppers Arsenal among those results, Lambert is impressed with how they have fared.

The thing for us is that in our start to the season we ve played five of the top six which is an incredible thing to come through, he said.

You need a bit of respite at certain times from that. You can t keep going like that.

The only one we haven t played yet is Manchester United so when you look at it like that, ou…

AC Milan chief executive Marco Fassone labelled the club s ban from the 2018-19 Europa League as unfair .

Milan are appealing UEFA s decision to ban them from the competition, with the governing body citing a breach of Financial Fair Play and licensing regulations.

Fassone said the Serie A club would do all they could to have the ban overturned, with their initial appeal heading to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

We consider the UEFA ruling unfair, he said on Monday.

I hope the CAS will see things differently and we will fight until the very end to overturn the sentence.

Marco Fassone: We consider the UEFA ruling unfair. I hope the CAS will see things differently and we will fight until the very end to overturn the sentence

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Barcelona prospect Ilaix Moriba has completed a move to RB Leipzig for an initial fee of €16million.

Tottenham were rumoured to be interested but Marcel Sabitzer leaving for Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich on Monday opened the door for Leipzig s new arrival.

Moriba was unable to negotiate new terms with Barca over his contract, which was due to expire at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Barca president Joan Laporta said Moriba would not feature for the first team if he did not commit his future and Leipzig have taken advantage of the situation to get the player to Germany.

We ve signed from !

The 18-year-old midfielder joins on a five-year deal until 2026 

— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN)

I m very happy that my move to …

Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has insisted that Robert Lewandowski will not be leaving the club in the off-season.

The Poland striker has impressed with his displays for the Westfalenstadion outfit, helping them to two Bundesliga titles in the last three seasons and the UEFA Champions League final last campaign.

Lewandowski has been linked with a number of clubs including Manchester United and Bayern Munich, who beat Dortmund in last month s Champions League final at Wembley.
However, Watzke, who had previously stressed that the 24-year-old would not be joining Bayern, has now moved to ward off all potential suitors by stating that Lewandowski will remain with Dortmund in 2013-14.
…

Crystal Palace captain Mile Jedinak has extended his contract at the club, penning a three-and-a-half-year deal.

The 29-year-old made the switch to Selhurst Park in 2011 from Turkish outfit Genclerbirligi, and will now remain with Tony Pulis men until 2017.

Jedinak is a popular figure among Palace fans after skippering the side back to the Premier League for the first time since 2005 last season.

And the central midfielder is thrilled to extend his stay.

Speaking to the club s official website, he said: I m ecstatic to put pen to paper on a new contract.

I ve been a part of this football club for two and a half years and I ve enjoyed every moment of that.

The first season was great and the second obviously ended in us getting promoted and now we re in…

Jurgen Klopp claims Jordan Henderson will remain a key part of Liverpool s midfield despite the arrivals of Fabinho and Naby Keita.

Liverpool captain Henderson has returned to pre-season training after helping England reach the World Cup semi-finals.

But with the 28-year-old given an extended break following Russia 2018, Liverpool have thrived in his absence, crushing Napoli 5-0 in Dublin on Saturday, while they beat Premier League rivals Manchester United 4-1 in the International Champions Cup.

Klopp, though, insists the midfielder remains in his plans for the 2018-19 season, with Fabinho and Keita s signings addressing the loss of Emre Can to Juventus.

Hendo is so important to us, not only as a player but also as a person and as a leader, Klopp told …

Davy Klaassen has brought a disappointing 12-month spell at Everton to an end after joining Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.

The 25-year-old cost Everton in the region of £24million in July 2017 but he struggled to break into the first team at Goodison Park, making just three Premier League starts as the club went through a succession of managerial changes.

Ronald Koeman, who signed Klaassen, was sacked three months after the midfielder s arrival and successor Sam Allardyce opted not to utilise the Netherlands international.

The midfielder has now completed a move to Werder, who are said to have paid Everton close to £12m.

Werder coach Florian Kohfeldt said he had been tracking Klaassen for some time, telling the club s official website: We have been watc…