Anthony Martial: Man Utd set to sign Monaco forward for £36m

The striker, who has been linked with Arsenal, was allowed to leave the France squad on Monday for a medical with Louis van Gaal's side.

Should he sign, Martial, who scored eight goals in 31 Ligue 1 games last season. will become the costliest teenager in football history.

He will also become Manchester United's third most expensive signing.

The Red Devils paid £59.7m to Real Madrid for Argentina winger Angel Di Maria and £37.1m to Chelsea for Spain midfielder Juan Mata.

United have until 18:00 BST on Tuesday, when the transfer window shuts for Premier League clubs, to complete the deal.

A France Under-21 international who has just been called up to the senior national team for the first time.

The teenager scored 32 goals in just 21 games at youth level for Lyon before breaking into the first team in the 2012-13 season.

He made just three appearances before joining Monaco in the summer of 2013 for a reported £3.5m.

Martial scored two goals in 15 appearances in his first season at Monaco and 11 in 42 last season.

With nine goals, he is the top scorer among the under-20 players in Europe's top five leagues since last season.

In a July 2015 study by the Soccerex 20 Football Value Index  - which claimed Raheem Sterling was the most valuable young player in Europe - Martial was ranked the 17th most valuable under-21 player on the continent at £11.6m.

He's already caught the eye of France boss Didier Deschamps and clearly United think he's worth the money, but it's all about potential.

"He plays centrally, but often drifts into wide positions, more on the left than the right," said  Deschamps.

De Gea STAYS....

United had tried earlier in the summer to arrange a player-plus-cash exchange with Gareth Bale only to receive no encouragement from the Real president, Florentino Perez, and then switched their attention to Sergio Ramos, an episode that finished with the defender signing a new contract at the Bernabéu and being awarded the club captaincy.

Real’s delaying tactics caused intense irritation at Old Trafford and had looked like being successful, capitalising on the fact that United would otherwise have been left with an unhappy goalkeeper who would have been worth nothing to them next summer.

United, in turn, agreed to take on the 28-year-old Navas, even though there is a clear sense in Madrid that he is not ideally suited to English football. Navas joined Madrid in a £7m move from Levante last year and is regarded as a fine shot-stopper but vulnerable to crosses and, at 6ft, shorter than most of the goalkeepers in the Premier League. United’s thinking was swayed by Sergio Romero’s erratic form during the early weeks of the season but the proposed De Gea deal still represented a climbdown, having previously stated there was no way they would let Real dictate the process.

Januzaj’s move to Dortmund reflects how he has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford in the Van Gaal era and a chaotic day at Old Trafford also saw the back-up goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard follow the same route as Darren Fletcher and Jonny Evans to become the latest United player to join West Bromwich Albion.

SHAMBOLIC DISPLAY FROM BRENDAN RODGERS' SIDE

Liverpool's disappointing season ended in humiliation in the shape of a 6-1 hammering by Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. This won't have been the farewell Reds captain Steven Gerrard had envisaged to cap his 17-year spell at the club.

The English midfielder, who will ply his trade for MLS outfit LA Galaxy next season, was given a starting berth for his final appearance for the five-time European champions. However, despite getting on the scoresheet, Gerrard was unable to prevent a shellacking that compounded a miserable week for the club following reports that young star Raheem Sterling is agitating for a move away this summer.

Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf broke the deadlock after 22 minutes and then doubled the Potters' advantage barely six minutes later.Ireland international Jonathan Walters made it 3-0 on the half-hour mark, before ex-Liverpool man Charlie Adam ('41) and French midfielder Steven N'Zonzi ('45) added further gloss to the hosts' sparkling first-half performance.

Gerrard reduced the arrears with his last goal in a Liverpool shirt in the 70th minute, though it could hardly be called a consolation strike.Another former Anfield favourite, Peter Crouch, sealed the drubbing late on.

LOUIS VAN GAAL PUTS PRESSURE ON SPANISH GOALKEEPER

The Manchester United's Dutch manager,Louis van Gaal, spoke about David De Gea after the match against Hull City.

"It's time De Gea said something about his future. I can't say anything about it. It's time for him to say something", retorted Van Gaal when questioned about the future of the Spanish international.

24-year-old De Gea did not recover from the injury picked up last week against Arsenal in time to be able to play in United's last game of the season.

His compatriot Victor Valdés, who arrived at the club in January after leaving Barcelona, was in goal on Sunday for the 0-0 draw with Hull City at the KC Stadium.

"He's a very quick and explosive player. He's very good on the goal line. He spilled a ball in the first half and Hull scored, but he got lucky with the goal being disallowed for offside", said the Dutchman.

When asked about the future of Colombia's Radamel Falcao García, currently on loan at United from Monaco but with the loan period ending imminently, Van Gaal denied having already made a decision and said he had to speak to the player.

"There's still a day left. I'll speak to him tomorrow", the United manager confirmed regarding the ex-Atlético striker, who has only scored four goals in 26 appearances this season.

IN SEARCH OF MORE FIRST-TEAM FOOTBALL

Didier Drogba is leaving Chelsea at the end of this season, citing a desire to play more first-team football at another team.

"I want to play for at least one more season and in order to play more football I feel I need to go to another club", the Ivory Coast striker told the Londoners' website. Drogba did not mention where he will be playing next season.

A club statement read:"Everyone at Chelsea Football Club would like to thank Didier for his fantastic service and he is always welcome back to Stamford Bridge".

COLOMBIAN BACKS COACH TO STAY ON

Real Madrid drowned their sorrows in goals against Getafe on an anticlimactic final day for 'Los Blancos'. Nevertheless, one of the straws the fans are clutching at ahead of next season is James Rodríguez, who has proven that he is a player capable of great things.

The Colombian bagged Real's fifth goal in the meaningless rout with a free-kick worthy of any highlights reel, curling the ball perfectly around the wall and into the net. This was far from the first excellent set piece he has delivered this season, so the team have a fine alternative to Cristiano Ronaldo, who had himself netted from an earlier free-kick but has hardly set the world alight on this score in recent times.

James's strike took him level with Gareth Bale on 17 goals for the season and 13 in La Liga, although the Colombia international played two fewer league games and, unlike the Welshman, has been tasked with combining his attacking instincts with defensive duties.

The former Monaco, Porto and Banfield star took stock of the campaign after the match: "It's been a good season. We were close on every front, but luck didn't go our way much. We also had a lot of people out through injury between January and March, but we made mistakes that we have to learn from. Next year we'll do better".

The Colombian also spoke about Carlo Ancelotti, making it quite clear that he wants the Italian to stay: "It would be tough to take and a bit of a shock if the boss left. He's been here for two years and he knows what we're about and how we perform, but it's not my place to talk about it".

ATLÉTICO 3RD AND ATHLETIC BOUND FOR EUROPA LEAGUE

A rollercoaster last day of La Liga action ended withAtlético third, Valencia fourth, Sevilla fifth, and Deportivo and Granada surviving at the expense of Eibar and Almería.

Valencia nabbed a spot in the Champions League play-offs through a hard-fought victory in Almería, meaning Sevilla will have to win the Europa League final to avoid going back into the competition next term.

Athletic de Bilbao will join Villarreal in the Europa League after sealing seventh spot with a crushing rout of none other than the Yellow Submarine, setting themselves up perfectly for next week's Copa del Rey final.

At the bottom, Ipurúa went from euphoria to heartbreak.Despite Eibar thrashing already relegated Córdoba, Deportivo saved themselves with an equaliser at the Camp Nou and condemned the Basque minnows to the drop.Almería also put on a brave stand, but were ultimately unable to hold on against Valencia and so head back to the second division.

FESTIVITIES TO CELEBRATE TITLE AND BID FAREWELL TO NO. 6

Xavi Hernández collected the league trophy from the hands of Spanish FA president Ángel María Villar after the match against Deportivo, which kicked off celebrations on the Camp Nou pitch.

The 'Azulgranas' stadium was packed to the rafters with 90,000 spectators and the reasons for the festivities were two-fold. Not only were they celebrating the league title, but they were also bidding farewell to a club legend, Xavi Hernández, who sets out on a new adventure in Qatar next season.

After a 17-year stint playing top-level football, the Catalan player was in for an emotional day and was unable to hold back the tears after the countless shows of affection both from the stands and on the pitch, with his teammates wearing a commemorative T-shirt over their kits bearing the number 6 on the back.

Following a group photo, the speeches began. Luis Enrique, one of the vice-captains, Andrés Iniesta, and the skipper and star of the night, Xavi Hernández, all stepped up to the microphone.

The Catalan player, visibly touched by a video in remembrance of his career which was shown on the big screens and by the chanting of the crowd, thanked his family for the "unconditional support" which they have always shown him. He professed himself "the happiest man in the world" and said that he also felt "proud to be part of Barcelona, the best team in the world, whatever they say".

PORTUGUESE STAR GIVES ANCELOTTI VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

Cristiano Ronaldo sent out a message of support for Carlo Ancelotti after the Getafe game, expressing his desire for the Italian to stay at Real Madrid.

The star took to social media to post a photo of himself beaming alongside the coach outside the dressing room, together with this caption: "Great coach and amazing person. Hope we work together next season".

THIRD TITLE IN ROW FOR PSG

Paris St Germain clinched a third successive Ligue 1 title, with a game to spare, and stayed on course for an unprecedented domestic treble with a 2-1 win at Montpellier on Saturday.
The Qatari-owned club needed only a point but ended the night eight points clear of their closest rivals Olympique Lyonnais who were held to a 1-1 home draw by Girondins Bordeaux.

The title kept Laurent Blanc's side on course for a sweep of domestic honours, with the Parisians already winners of the League Cup and facing second tier AJ Auxerre in the French Cup final at the end of the month.Monaco stayed third on 68 points, four adrift of Lyon, after beating Metz 2-0 in the principality while Olympique Marseille and St Etienne also won to stay tied on 66 in the battle for a place in next season's Champions League preliminary round.

Evian Thonon Gaillard joined Racing Lens and Metz in being relegated after losing 2-1 to St Etienne.

"I love watching the scenes of joy, whether on the field or in the locker room," said a delighted Blanc. "The players on the field earn the titles, we play a small part.

"We must let the players express themselves and the coach must always be behind them. It's not up to him to be at the front of the stage."

Midfielder Blaise Matuidi put PSG ahead in the 17th minute, slotting past goalkeeper Jonathan Ligali after a defence-splitting pass from Adrien Rabiot.

Ezequiel Lavezzi made it 2-0 in the 25th minute, from a cross by Serge Aurier, his eighth league goal of the season but Montpellier pulled one back five minutes before the break through Anthony Mounier's shot into the top corner.The win was the eighth in a row in the league for PSG who claimed their fifth French title.

The match, watched by a 27,930 crowd at the Stade de la Mosson, ended with flares lit in the stands and thrown on to the edge of the pitch with stewards stamping out the flames.

"I still enjoy doing this job," said Blanc. "I have to thank my staff because without his staff a coach is nothing at all."

Step One to Fixing Bayern Munich: A Long-Term Commitment From Coach

Where now for Pep Guardiola and Bayern Munich?

The coach and the club have been dodging the wrong questions this week as the club was blasted out of the Champions League by a Spanish opponent for the second straight year.

Tuesday’s victory was rendered Pyrrhic from the moment that the Barcelona front three sliced open Bayern’s defense twice in the first half, allowing the Catalan club to rest its important players for other contests to come. It was right for Guardiola and Munich’s chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, to say that their team went out with dignity against “probably the best side in the world.”

Though Barcelona did not rout Bayern in its own arena as Real Madrid did a year ago in the tournament, this contest was over long before Luis Enrique, Guardiola’s eventual successor at Barça, took off Luis Suárez, Ivan Rakitic and Andrés Iniesta to save energy for the battles ahead. Lionel Messi was already by then taking his own rest and virtually sleepwalking through the second half in the Allianz Arena.

That Robert Lewandowski refused to surrender without scoring a magnificent goal augurs well for the German champion. However, behind the sportsmanlike smiles and congratulations, missing out on a Champions League final in Berlin will hurt Munich, and deeply.

There is work, big rebuilding work, to be done with Bayern.

So when Guardiola was cornered by the media on Monday and asked about rumors that he is wanted by Manchester City, his response was not the full answer. “I’ve already said 200 million times,” he said, “I’ll be here next season. That’s it. I have a year left on my contract.”

That is not even half the question of what Bayern needs to know. The team against Barcelona was gutted by injuries, most importantly to its flying wingers, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry. But it was also without the key defenders David Alaba and Holger Badstuber, and aches and fatigue also affected some who did play, like Xabi Alonso, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

The Germans among those players deny themselves the excuse that the Champions League semifinals they lost last year and this year sandwiched an event that was just as important to them, and arguably more so: the 2014 World Cup.

Age is becoming a factor to the German club, too. Six from the Bavarian team — which peaked two years ago when it won the treble of the Champions League, the Bundesliga and the German Cup in the same season — are now over 30. That need not be a terminal age for a player today, thanks to improved medical and dietary care and rosters that are large enough to rotate star players.

However, Ribéry and Robben may never again reach the peak they did in 2013 under Jupp Heynckes’s final season as coach. Ribéry is 32 now and Robben is 31. Alonso is 33, Lahm 31, and dear old Schweinsteiger, though only just 30, looks what he is — a ferocious competitor who has pushed himself through countless knocks and strains while playing for both club and country.

Players will always be the last to call time on their own splendid careers at the top. Coaches and club officials have to do that for them, and Matthias Sammer, the sporting director who sits alongside Rummenigge, is fully aware that the future will not take care of itself without the club intervening in those careers and then either buying new players or promoting replacements from the club’s academy.

This is where the question asked of Guardiola is insufficient.

It should not be whether he intends to see out the final year on his contract, but whether he is prepared right now to sign up for at least another three years. Whoever chooses the players to invest money in must be committed beyond the next immediate term, and if Guardiola is to have a major say in recruitment, then Bayern needs to know his intentions.

The decisions are pressing, and it is now that Bayern Munich must be feeling the absence of Uli Hoeness. He was the man who two years ago pursued and persuaded Guardiola to leave his yearlong sabbatical in New York and come to Munich.

Hoeness, an executive with the club since 1979 and its president from 2009 to 2014, had worked hand in hand with Rummenigge to make their club omnipotent in Germany, but he was jailed last year for tax fraud and is still serving time, though he has been granted work-release privileges.

So it falls to Rummenigge and to Sammer to plot the future. They say they trust in Guardiola, even if his mission to change the style of play employed under Heynckes is, at best, an unfinished project.

In part, the problem is that Bayern does not have to be the best in Europe to win the German league. With Borussia Dortmund having stumbled — brought down by Munich’s ability to lure or, if necessary, buy Dortmund’s finest players — the next-closest team has routinely been 15 points off the pace in challenging Bayern in the Bundesliga this season.

Even with that domestic dominance, and the option it afforded Guardiola to rotate a large squad, the injuries of the past season mounted intolerably. Barcelona, by contrast, was forced last summer to recruit more stars than it possibly needed because of a looming embargo in the following two transfer windows that was imposed by FIFA.

Barcelona is fit and healthy and has players to spare in the run-up to the Spanish and Champions League titles. Luis Enrique doesn't say much outside of what he is obligated to in answering questions from reporters, but one thing he did permit himself to say on Tuesday was this: “We can still win every competition we are in.”

NO LEAGUE GOALS THERE SINCE 2012, DESPITE SUPERB RECORD VS ATLÉTICO

If there is one player who has sparkled against Atlético de Madrid in the history of the Spanish league then that is Leo Messi. The 'Rojiblancos' are one of Messi's favoured victims, although it has to be said that he has not actually scored at the Calderón in La Liga since 26th February 2012. But still. It doesn't alter the fact that he has netted 18 goals against the team from the banks of the Manzanares in 17 games played against them. Only against Sevilla has he notched more - 19.

So dealing with Messi is going to be quite a headache for Diego Simeone, although last season he pushed the right button, electing to construct a kind of cage of players around Messi and managing to hold him in check. But this season is different. Messi is the old Messi once again and has two main aims.

The first of these, clinching the league title on Sunday at the Calderón, is something which is completely in the hands of the Barcelona side. Winning, or equalling Real Madrid's result at Espanyol's Cornellà stadium will be enough.

His second aim is more personal, and this is to win the Pichichi and thus the European Golden Shoe, At the moment it is Cristiano Ronaldo who is in the lead in this, with two goals more than Messi, who has two games left to catch up with Ronaldo, who does not appear to be on his best form at the moment.

It seems that this term Messi might have found the door of Simeone's cage, having scored in both games against Atlético at the Camp Nou. He will arrive at the Calderón at the peak of his powers, with a role totally different from what he had in other seasons, with the freedom to roam all over the pitch

NEGOTIATING WITH UNITED

David de Gea is the chosen one to be the next Real Madrid goalkeeper. The player earmarked by Vicente del Bosque for a "soft transition" to replace Casillas for Spain could also be Iker's successor at the Bernabéu.

'Los Blancos' and De Gea have agreed comprehensive terms, but the most difficult and tortuous part is yet to come - negotiations with Manchester United.

At the Real Madrid offices in Concha Espina, Florentino Pérez and those around him have been quite clear about the fact that signing a keeper for next season is a top priority. And they firmly believe that De Gea is going to be the Spanish no. 1 over the next ten years, and will take over from Casillas in due course.

The club rates this factor very highly, that whoever inherits the mantle from a legend such as Iker should also be a Spanish goalkeeper, someone who could follow in the veteran's distinguished footsteps for club and country. Once De Gea became aware that Real Madrid's interest was serious, the idea of renewing his contract with United, up in 2016, was dropped.

Since then, the shotstopper has rejected a string of big-money offers from the suits at Old Trafford, the last of which was worth €7.5 million a season after tax.

It is worth noting that De Gea's agent, Jorge Mendes, has a fantastic relationship both with Florentino Pérez and with the United owners. He was instrumental in the talks between Real Madrid and De Gea and now has a key role to play to broker a transfer. The Red Devils higher-ups do not want De Gea to go, but have had to face the fact that the Atlético academy graduate wants to leave. That doesn't mean they are going to make it easy, however… or cheap.

If it weren't for his contractual situation, De Gea, who turns 25 in November, would easily be worth €50m, as he is viewed as one of the top goalies in the world alongside Thibaut Courtois and Manuel Neuer. United forked out €20m to prise him from the Calderón in 2011 and his stock has only risen since then. Real Madrid are willing to pay a world-record fee for a goalkeeper to land their man, but they remain hopeful that they can secure his signature for no more than €30m.

GERRARD WILL NEVER WALK ALONE

After seventeen years, Steven Gerrard has bid farewell to Anfield. The Reds captain played his last game at home in front of his home crowd. Liverpool lost 3-1 to Crystal Palace, but for once a win was not what the fans had come to see.

Despite the defeat, the game will go down in Liverpool history, not least thanks to the beautiful tribute that the club and fans paid to their player.

The midfielder walked down the corridor that led out onto the pitch for the last time, walking down the steps and touching the 'This is Anfield' sign, there to remind all that this isn't any old ground, for the last time. Anfield, his home, his people, gave him an emotional send-off like no other.

The game itself mattered little. Those that had paid at the turnstiles to enter were there to bid farewell to their captain and thank him for 17 years of service. Crystal Palace and Zaha dampened the festivities somewhat.

Liverpool's Lallana opened up the scoring but was soon to be equalled by Puncheon from a free kick just before the break. In the second half, Zaha made it 2-1 for Palace from an offside position and then went on to be awarded a penalty, even though he had been fouled outside the box. Murray was lucky enough to get on the end of the rebound and make it 3-1.

The result didn't mar the farewell event, although 'Stevie' perhaps deserved to be sent on his way with a victory for The Reds. But that's football, as he himself well knows. The captain himself played the same hardworking, intense game as always, pressing hard and giving his all for the Liverpool cause.

When the referee blew the final whistle, Anfield stood up in applause, while Gerrard's teammates all rallied round to give him a hug and a pat on the back. With each hug, another tear from the Liverpool veteran. With each pat on the back, the captain was surely remembering the more than 500 games he has played for his club.

Not a man comfortable with long, drawn-out farewells, Gerrard wanted to make his way to the dressing room as soon as he could. But Anfield had other plans. Nobody got up to leave the stadium. Nobody wanted this to be any old farewell. It was a goodbye to the team's captain and the fans wanted to show how important he was to them.

So they stood, their scarves held high, flags waving, letting him know that he may be leaving, but that they would be forever grateful, that he would never walk alone.

AVOIDS TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE

Carlo Ancelotti has assured that Real Madrid "will give it our all until the figures show that there's no hope".

League game against Espanyol: "We know that it is an important game; we have to bounce back after Wednesday's match. The team have trained well and we are focussed on tomorrow's game."

Looking back on the season: "I am proud of this team. We have given our all. The final analysis will be carried out at the end of the season. The league isn't over yet. We'll talk again after these two games."

To continue or not to continue: "I understand that people are interested in my future, but our perspective is different. There are still two games to go and we have to do our best because we are still in with a chance. We have to graft and fight hard in these two games. Then there will be time to talk about the future."

Support from Florentino: "He spurs us on; he has urged us to play our last two games well and that is what we are going to do."

Relationship with the players: "We have been working together for two years now and my relationship with the players is a close one. It always will be; we have such trust in each other and such respect that it will always be this way."

Bale: "He has performed well, he has had some good moments when the team was on a roll and a harder time of it when the team was not doing so well. He has had a few minor problems but has become more used to playing with the team."

21 EUROPEAN CUPS IN THE SEMIS

The draw for the Champions League semi-finals will take place on Friday and four historic teams will be in the pot:Barcelona,Bayern,Juventus and Real Madrid.

21 European Cups are spread over the four European giants' trophy cabinets. 'Los Blancos' lead the way with ten, the German champions have five, 'Los Azulgranas' are on four and 'La Vecchia Signora' sits at the bottom of the pile on two.

A GREAT DEFENSIVE DISPLAY SEALS SEMI-FINAL PLACE

Juventus got back to their roots and returned to their rightful place at the top of European football.

The Serie A giants closed ranks in Monaco, turning to ultra-defensive tactics which worked to perfection. Just like during their glory years, Juve showed reliability and resilience against a lacklustre Monaco side that failed to turn the tie around. It was a true Italian performance which allows them to continue dreaming of a Champions League crown.

Allegri fielded a three-man defence reminiscent of the 'Conte era', something he has rarely done this season, but his plan could not have gone any better. A goalless draw with no clear-cut chances for either side.

The Italians stuck to the job at hand and their place in the semis never looked under threat. Nobody is going to want the 'Vecchia Signora' in the semi-final draw now.

ITALIAN SAYS THE MEXICAN KNOWS HE IS IMPORTANT

Thrilled at qualifying for the Champions League semi-finals, Ancelotti said, "we had a great game, our tactics were spot on and that's how we'll continue until the final".

The Real Madrid boss told Canal+ TV that "following Modric's injury, we decided to play Ramos in midfield".

On match hero, Mexico's Chicharito, he said: "he understands that he is important to the team and he should be congratulated, because he's had a tough year. He hasn't played much".

When asked about the opposition, Ancelotti said: "we played against a tough team, I have a lot of respect for the opposition, they work really hard in defence".

Ahead of Friday's semi-final draw, Ancelotti said: "whatever happens in the draw, we have to win if we want to be in the final".

ATLETI BOSS PROUD OF PLAYERS

Atlético de Madrid coach Diego Simeone congratulated his team despite falling at the quarter-final hurdle of the Champions League and stated that the defeat left "no negative feelings".

"I'm proud of my team for competing as we did. I have a team of men", he declared in a post-match press conference that lasted barely three minutes.

Simeone praised his players: "They showed me that you have to compete in the game. If you give it your all, you go home happy. I have no negative feelings. There are coaches who are envious of me for having these players".

BARÇA HAVE BECOME LAST-4 STALWARTS

Barcelona are back in the semi-finals of the Champions League, having been knocked out in the quarters last season by Atlético de Madrid.

This is the eighth time the Catalans have got to the semis in the last ten years, which only goes to illustrate the club's might on the European stage. They have won the tournament on three occasions in that period - in 2006 (in Paris), 2009 (in Rome) and 2011 (in London) - and are now looking in fine fettle to lift 'Ol' Big Ears' again in Berlin.

Going into last season's competition, Barça had been riding a streak of six straight semi-finals appearances. However, Atlético brought the run to an end thanks to a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou and a 1-0 victory at the Calderón, secured through Koke's early effort.

Now, after disposing of Paris Saint-Germain home and away, the 'Azulgranas' are returning to what seems to have become their natural habitat. This makes it seven semi-finals in eight years.

Besides Atlético, Liverpool are the only side who have prevented Barça from reaching the last four over the past decade, back in 2007, when the Reds prevailed at the last-16 stage.

CHICHARITO - REAL'S STAR MAN

After scoring the winning goal on the night, the Mexican highlighted a massive team effort, saying that "it was a derby, a team effort, I got to score, but everyone played their part", before adding, with regards to his current situation, that: "I was patient, my teammates had faith in me, as did my family and this goal is for them".

When asked if had been the most important goal of his career, the former Manchester United man said: "It's all about the now. Every goal I score is important, but it was a team effort. It was a great assist from Cristiano and the whole team did an amazing job".

On starting tonight's game: Chicharito said, "Ancelotti told me to get ready and to do what I've done in other games".

On the opposition: He said, "Atlético reached the final and won the league, they're worthy rivals", adding that "in order to win the Champions League you have to beat all-comers".

EIBAR DEMANDED LITTLE OF REAL MADRID

Carlo Ancelotti continues to prove that he is a wily old fox and that some leopards can change their spots.

Although he has virtually always stuck with a standard XI throughout his career and does not like to make substitutions until late on in the game, at this stage of the season and with the Champions League just 72 hours away, he opted for an unprecedented line-up against Eibar and made his changes earlier than ever.

And there were lots of them. Only four of his regular starters actually started: Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo. After he had made his substitutions, only two first-choice players were left: Pepe, who came on for Ramos, and Ronaldo, of course, who always plays and never gets substituted.

The replacements, although some of them play quite often (Álvaro Arbeloa, Raphaël Varane, Isco), got the job done, with some of them pushed more than others. Two men had the chance to show off their abilities: Jesé and Chicharito.

The home-grown player proved his worth with his late goal, but never looked entirely comfortable. He started on the right, switching to the left flank at times, but failed to demonstrate his true potential except in the move when he scored. That was when Jesé looked like Jesé. He showed speed and produced a good shimmy with little space to work with, followed by an even better finish.

Chicharito played a more active role. His positioning and talents were never on a par with those of Karim Benzema, even if he was supposedly playing in the same position.

With Toni Kroos suspended, Ancelotti decided not to play Lucas Silva in midfield. One of the reasons for signing the Brazilian was supposed to be that the manager does not see Illarramendi as a natural replacement for the German.

He cannot be too keen on Lucas Silva either, because he has only played one match (against Levante) as a central holding midfielder.

SPECTACULAR STRIKE BY NEYMAR

Neymar made it 2-0 with this stunning free kick.

BARÇA AND REAL FACE A SIMILAR RUN-IN

Both sides have seven games to go with a complicated fixture list offering no margin for error. Also, the Champions League has the potential to complicate things for both contenders. Real Madrid face Atlético and Barça take on PSG. The 'Azulgranas' host Valencia between the first and second legs, whilst 'Los Blancos' are at home to Málaga in what will be the first chance for Carlo Ancelotti's men to retake the top spot.

The 'Culés' then visit Espanyol, Cordoba and the Vicente Calderón, with home games against Getafe, Real Sociedad and Deportivo.

Real still have to travel to Balaídos, the Sánchez Pizjuán and Cornellà, whilst playing Almería, Valencia and Getafe on home turf. Interestingly, the two teams have fairly similar runs of fixtures.

Sergio Busquets was one of the players who mentioned the task facing Barça after the Sevilla thriller. "We've got a tough run of games coming", said the midfielder, who also regretted slipping up and allowing Real to close the gap: "The advantage is less than a game now, but we have to approach the league the same way we have done up until now, going for the three points, even though we have some tough grounds still to visit."

LUIS ENRIQUE DEFIANT DESPITE DRAW IN SEVILLE

"It's no big deal. We're still top and we're confident that we will keep improving", the 44-year-old said in the wake of the equaliser that his charges shipped in the closing stages at the Sánchez Pizjuán.

"We were clearly the better team in the first half, playing really good football, causing Sevilla a lot of problems and controlling the match. It's a shame that by losing control for just three minutes, we allowed the game to be blown open again", the 'Azulgranas' coach noted.

"The second half was much more hard-fought and tightly balanced. Both sides had chances, neither team were on top, but we made a mistake and we paid for it", Luis Enrique went on, putting Sevilla's two goals down to momentary lapses and a manic three-minute spell before the break that he felt "unsettled" Barça.

The former Celta manager denied that his players had taken their foot off the pedal after half-time and instead preferred to praise Unai Emery's side, calling them "one of the best teams in the league".

"We nearly had them, but they played really well and brought a lot of intensity", Luis Enrique concluded.

BARÇA COUGH UP TWO-GOAL LEAD IN 2-2 DRAW AT SEVILLA

Lionel Messi and Neymar gave Barcelona an early 2-0 lead, only to see Éver Banega cut the deficit to one before halftime and then Kevin Gameiro scoring a late equalizer to ensure a sharing of the points.

The result reduced Barcelona's lead atop the La Liga table to just two points ahead of Real Madrid, who were 3-0 winners over Eibar earlier on Saturday.

Manager Luis Enrique made the decision to start Jeremy Mathieu in defense ahead of Javier Mascherano, likely taking into account the aerial prowess of the Frenchman over the Argentine. Joining Mathieu in defense was Dani Alves, Gerard Piqué and Jordi Alba in front of goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. In the midfield it was the usual trio of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta, while Neymar and Luis Suárez were restored to the starting line-up with Messi.

After an initial period in which the two teams felt each other out, an exquisite strike from Messi would open the scoring just shy of 14 minutes. Neymar played a ball across to Messi, and the Argentine cut to his left and slung one of his patented left-footed curlers around Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico and into the net.

Barcelona doubled their lead on the half hour mark when Neymar converted a superb free kick taken just outside the area. The Brazilian curled the ball right over the wall and into the top left corner as a motionless Rico could only stand and watch.

With Barcelona up 2-0, Sevilla dug in their heels and started pressing forward in search of a goal. And just seven minutes after Neymar's strike, the Andalusians would halve the margin when Banega's long-range effort found the back of the net. The Argentine was given enough time and space and fired a shot on goal that Bravo perhaps should have saved. Instead it glanced off the Chilean's hands, struck the inside of the post and went in to make it a 2-1 game.

It looked for all the world that Suárez would make it 3-1 to Barcelona in the 50th minute after a neat combination play from Iniesta and a ball deflected off of Rico giving the Uruguayan an open look at goal, but somehow the former Liverpool man managed to send his effort over the crossbar, much to the dismay of Luis Enrique on the touchline.

That was followed up by a pair of Sevilla misses, with Koke and Carlos Bacca both unable to land a shot on target in the 53rd and 55th minutes, respectively.

As the match entered its final 20 minutes, the points were still very much up for grabs with Sevilla pushing hard for an equalizer and cheered on by their boisterous home fans. Their attacking impetus was rewarded on 83 minutes when the hosts drew level thanks to a goal from substitute Kevin Gameiro. Jose Antonio Reyes intercepted a Pique pass and the veteran fed Aleix Vidal on the right who then crossed for Gameiro, giving the former PSG man an easy push into Bravo's goal to make it 2-2.

There would be no late winner for Barcelona, who now turn their focus to Wednesday's Champions League quarter final clash in France versus PSG.

HUGE AMOUNTS RIDING ON REAL-ATLÉTICO TIE

If Carlo Ancelotti's troops knock out the 'Rojiblancos', it would go a long way towards rectifying the wayward course taken by their campaign back in February. Furthermore, the morale boost would spur them on in their bid to win all their remaining La Liga matches, reaching the 94-point mark which could well be enough to land the title.

On the other hand, if Atlético end their fabled city rivals' dreams for the third time this season - they prevailed in the Spanish Super Cup and dumped the 'Blancos' out of the Copa del Rey - both Ancelotti and more than half a dozen of his players would be on borrowed time. A summer overhaul would ensue at the Bernabéu, including the installation of a new coach.

The Real players are more pumped than ever and are gunning for revenge in the upcoming derby double-header. Álvaro Arbeloa issued a rallying cry on the pitch at the Bernabéu after the win over Eibar, stressing that the squad are "full of hope and motivation" ahead of the Champions League quarter-final tie.

Jesé also weighed in: "We'll be going to the Calderón brimming with optimism, knowing we have the second leg to come at home. We have to get a result and show what Real Madrid are all about".