Barcelona have been handed a tricky last-16 tie with Catalan rivals Espanyol in the Copa del Rey, while Cadiz who progressed due to Real Madrid s expulsion will face Celta Vigo.

Holders Barca last met Espanyol in the Copa in the 2008-09 season, when  under the stewardship of Pep Guardiola they secured a 3-2 aggregate victory en route to winning the trophy.

Cadiz lost the first leg of their round-of-32 tie against Real 3-1, but Rafael Benitez s side were expelled from the competition after fielding the ineligible Denis Cheryshev who had yet to serve a ban from his time playing for Villarreal last season.

In Celta, Cadiz face a side that have lost just three times in La Liga this campaign and sit fourth having taken 28 points from 15 matches.

Other notab…

Talksport understands that Christian Eriksen is ready to re-open transfer talks with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Denmark international’s current deal runs to the end of next season though Spurs are keen to secure his services after the midfielder reiterated his fondness to the North London club.

The news comes days after Dele Alli penned a new deal, which will keep him at Tottenham until the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Eriksen has been with Spurs since signing from Ajax in the summer of 2013 and he has since racked up two-hundred and thirty-two appearances in all competitions, scoring fifty-seven goals.

He was named Tottenham’s Player of the Season in both 2014 and 2017 and was part of the squad that reached the EFL Cup final in 2015.

Inte…

The Mirror understands that Manchester United will not stand in the way if Ashley Young wishes to secure a move away from Old Trafford next summer.

A number of clubs looked at Young during the recently closed transfer window with the player having just twelve months remaining on his current deal though he remains part of Jose Mourinho’s squad.

There is an option for the club to extend that deal by a further year next summer though they will allow him to seek a new challenge if he so chooses.

Young moved to the Red Devils from Aston Villa in the summer of 2011 and has since racked up one hundred and sixty-four appearances in all competitions, scoring fourteen goals.

He has won the Premier League, League Cup, FA Cup and the Europa League in that tim…

River Plate goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero was thrilled to see the club defy the doubters once more by claiming Copa Libertadores glory on Wednesday.

River earned their first Libertadores title in 19 years with a 3-0 second-leg victory over Tigres UANL on home soil at El Monumental, which secured an aggregate victory by the same margin. 

In the process, Barovero became the first keeper to keep a clean sheet throughout the Libertadores final since Boca Juniors Mauricio Caranta did so in the 2007 decider against Gremio.

Barovero, 31, said he was pleased to help contribute to the history of River, a club he joined from Velez Sarsfield in 2012.

[The win] is what all dreamed and wished for, Barovero said after helping secure River s third Libertadores crown…

Santiago Solari insists he is not suddenly worrying about his future as Real Madrid coach after Jose Mourinho was sacked by Manchester United having been linked with a return to the Santiago Bernabeu.

United ended Mourinho s tenure on Tuesday following a dire start to the season, which has left them trailing Premier League leaders Liverpool by 19 points.

Mourinho s final game in charge was Sunday s 3-1 defeat by United s bitter rivals, but his position had long since been the subject of speculation, the coach s relationship with various players coming under scrutiny.

The Portuguese coach has been linked with a potential return to Madrid – whom he coached for three years until 2013 – at the end of the season, despite Solari only taking over permanently last m…

Turin-based newspaper that Juventus are preparing an assault on Sampdoria midfielder Roberto Soriano.

The Bianconeri are still trying to recover from the disappointing start to the season and they are widely expected to make few more quality signings in January.

And with both Sami Khedira and Claudio Marchisio struggling through injury, adding a central midfielder to his ranks is one of the priorities for coach Max Allegri.

Tuttosport has suggested that Juventus are hot on the trail of Sampdoria hotshot Roberto Soriano, who has been linked with a big club move for over a year now.

The Serie A rivals hold very good relations having done plenty of business of late and it is believed they shouldn t have a problem finding an agreement eventually.

Ro…

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez predicted Luka Modric could win the Ballon d Or for a second time after his masterclass in the Supercopa de Espana final.

Croatian playmaker Modric scooped France Football s prestigious prize for world player of the year after his dazzling performances at the 2018 World Cup.

He will turn 37 before the Qatar World Cup in November, but Modric s goal and overall display in the 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday showed he remains a force.

Thibaut Courtois saved a late penalty from Raul Garcia as Madrid made sure of a first trophy since Carlo Ancelotti returned to the club for a second spell as coach.

Asked about Courtois and Modric, Perez said after the game:  Without wanting to brag, they are the two best in thei…

New Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink has warned fans that appointing him as manager does not mean the squad have a quick fix to their recent problems.

The 69-year-old faces Watford in his first game back in charge on Saturday, after watching from the stands as Chelsea beat Sunderland 3-1 last week in the wake of Jose Mourinho s departure.

Hiddink, who led the club to the FA Cup in his opening spell at the helm back in 2009, reflected on the club s poor form prior to his arrival and stressed it would not be easy to turn the situation around.

He said: If you look back a bit to last season where there was this huge success in winning the title then of course you go into the next season and you have your targets, your aims and your aims are the same.

Getting …

Everton manager Roberto Martinez believes Francesco Guidolin has the pedigree to turn Swansea City s fortunes around as he prepares to host his former club at Goodison Park.

Swansea climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Watford on Monday, with new head coach Guidolin assigned a watching brief at the Liberty Stadium.

The former Udinese boss will take charge of first-team affairs on Sunday and Martinez, who was manager at Swansea from 2007 to 2009 following a successful stint as a player at the club, believes the appointment could prove to be Huw Jenkins latest successful punt as chairman.

Francesco has got a long, long career in Italian football and previously in French football, Martinez told a news conf…

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says the release of Luis Diaz’s kidnapped father just a couple of hours before their Europa League tie in Toulouse was perfect timing.

Luis Manuel Diaz was taken along with his wife Cilenis Marulanda 12 days ago, although Diaz’s mother was freed swiftly.

After a long wait and days of negotiation with guerilla group the National Liberation Army, Diaz’s father has been released.

We are delighted by the news of s father s safe return and we thank all those involved in securing his release

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

“It looks like Lucho (Diaz) is really happy, (giving) thumbs up all the time,” Klopp told TNT Sports.

“It looks very, very good. Timing-wise it couldn’t have been better. If it is now th…