France and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has stated that Real Madrid will take on Barcelona s advert for football in El Classico without any fear.

Come Sunday evening, the two European power-houses renew their long-standing rivalry in a top-of-the-table clash at Camp Nou.

Big-spending Real make the trip hoping to preserve a one-point lead at the league s summit as they bid to respond to Barca s historic Treble-winning 2008/09 campaign and a 6-2 defeat at the Bernabeu in May.

Benzema, a summer arrival from Olympique Lyonnais, is confident that he and his team-mates can compete against Pep Guardiola s side, but is more than aware of the size of the task.

Speaking to skysports.com, the striker said: Barca are a quality team and they have so many good pl…

Italian Sportmediaset is reporting that Napoli are keeping close tabs on Mehdi Benatia and Davide Astori.

The Azzurri back line is set to undergo major changes in the summer, with Hugo Campagnaro already agreeing to join Inter and Rolando likely to leave as well.

Napoli have, therefore, made Udinese defender Mehdi Bentia their number one target, but they are also hoping to lure Cagliari stopper Davide Astori to Stadio San Paolo.

The two centre-back have been in scintillating form this season, but the problem is the Azzurri could face stiff competition from other interested sides.

Mehdi Benatia, 26, joined Udinese from Clermont in the summer of 2010 and has since clocked up 76 Serie A appearances for the Zebrette, scoring 5 goals in the process.

D…

Monaco have confirmed the double-signing of Porto pair Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez on five-year deals.

The Stade Louis II outfit, who are set to round off their Ligue 2 campaign this weekend after already sealing the title, have long been linked with a move for the duo, and have now formalised a 70 million euro double transfer as they aim to re-establish themselves at the top of French football.

A statement from Porto confirmed that Moutinho has moved in a 25 million euro deal while Colombian starlet Rodriguez costs 45 million euros.

A statement on the principality club s official website read: AS Monaco FC is glad to reach an agreement with FC Porto and players Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez for their transfers to ASMFC, for the season 2013-2014.

Moutin…

Four Chelsea fans have been given suspended prison sentences after being found guilty of aggravated violence against a black man at a Paris Metro station.

The men were ordered to face a hearing in France following the incident that occurred prior to Chelsea s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain in February 2015.

Joshua Parsons, 22, and James Fairbairn, 25, who attended the hearing, had denied that their actions were racially motivated. Richard Barklie, a 52-year-old former policeman, and 27-year-old William Simpson were tried in absentia.

It is reported that all four were given suspended custodial terms of between six and 12 months and ordered to pay €10,000 to the victim.

CCTV and mobile phone footage of the incident showed 33-year-old Soul…

Market: Portland Timbers win

Odds: 

With the chance to leapfrog Seattle in the Western Conference, Portland will host the Sounders at Providence Park in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Starting with the hosts, while Portland may have seen their two-match winning run come at an abrupt end against defending MLS champions Atlanta earlier in the week, Head Coach Giovanni Savarese will be glad to make a return to Providence Park on Saturday. Handed the chance to leapfrog Seattle and climb as high as fifth in the West, the Timbers have won three of their last four matches in Oregon, including a 4-0 win over LA Galaxy last month. Also remarkably losing just a pair of matches on home soil since August 2018, Portland should be confident of getting back to winning w…

French champions Bordeaux will play fellow First Division side Lorient in the League Cup semi-finals in what is a rematch of the 2002 final after beating Second Division strugglers Sedan 1-0 here on Tuesday.

A 50th minute goal by Yoan Gouffran who was one of 11 changes to the starting line-up made by coach Laurent Blanc following the league leader s 0-0 draw with Boulogne-sur-Mer last Saturday was enough to see off the Wild Boars who had ousted Bordeaux at the same stage on penalties in 2008.

There was to be no repeat of those heroics this time especially after the visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 61st minute when Sedan s Australian defender Ante Rozic was sent-off for a second bookable offence, just two minutes after his first offence.

Gouffran ensured th…

World Cup hosts South Africa recalled controversial striker Benni McCarthy Thursday for mid-November home friendlies against Japan and Jamaica.

The scorer of a record 31 Bafana Bafana (The Boys) goals was ignored for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa after shunning a call-up for warm-up games against Norway and Portugal.

McCarthy claimed he had a hamstring injury, but Blackburn Rovers medical staff said the 31-year-old who burst on to the international stage at the 1998 African Nations Cup was fit to play.

There was no place for Spain-based defender Nasief Morris in a 24-man squad chosen by coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who replaced fellow Brazilian Joel Santana last month and is scheduled to hold his first media conference Friday.

Morris…

James McClean was the Republic of Ireland hero once again as Martin O Neill s men took another step towards the World Cup finals with a 1-0 victory in Austria.

West Brom winger McClean netted twice as Ireland won 3-1 in Moldova last month and grabbed the winner shortly after half-time in Vienna with a wonderful goal totally out of place in a largely forgettable game.

The win enabled Ireland to take control of Group D with 10 points from four games, three ahead of Serbia, who meet Euro 2016 semi-finalists Wales later on Saturday.

Austria s hopes of a play-off spot look remote already and it was not hard to see why after a performance that started in encouraging fashion but tailed off badly.

Having won just one of their opening three pool games the onus w…

Former Manchester United and Argentina midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron is set to make a shock return to professional football with Estudiantes.

Veron, 41, retired in 2014 after a successful career which included stints with the likes of United, Inter and Lazio, plus 73 international caps.

Now the chairman of boyhood club Estudiantes, the midfielder is set for a surprise comeback.

He told us he wants to return, that from January he will return as a player, midfielder Israel Damonte told La Oral Deportiva.

He will play from January for the tournament [league] and Copa [Libertadores in 2017].

Veron had previously promised to play next year s Libertadores if supporters bought 65 per cent of the boxes at the club s new stadium.

…

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker:

Looking to mark their return from the international break with a flurry across the capital, Tottenham will make the trip to Selhurst Park on Saturday lunchtime when they face off against Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace

Starting with the hosts, managing to come from behind away at a high-flying West Ham twice before heading into the international break, Crystal Palace will be desperate to show their resolve once again. Watching Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher grab himself a brace at the London Stadium last time out, the Eagles are still waiting for their first victory under new boss Patrick Vieira. Opening the 2021/22 Premier League campaign with what quickly turned into a routine 3-0 drumming at Stamford Bridge, the former Arsenal icon…