Robert Lewandowski has been blown away by Barcelona s flood of teenage talent and believes there is no better place for young footballers to blossom.

The 34-year-old Poland captain was brought in from Bayern Munich to provide a quick fix and give Barcelona a reliable goalscorer in the short term.

But there is long-term vision at Barcelona too, with the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Ansu Fati and Alejandro Balde all emerging as first-team players while still in their teens.

Pedri arrived from Las Palmas in 2020 and was quickly assimilated into the senior set-up, bypassing the system at La Masia, the Barcelona academy, because he was considered so advanced already.

Most have come through years of training in the academy system, however, which is churning out top-cl…

Raheem Sterling struck Manchester City s second goal in their 2-0 win at Burnley to move onto 99 for the club in the Premier League.

With Pep Guardiola s men starting to build an ominous lead at the top of the table, this weekend would be an ideal time for Sterling to score for just the second time against Liverpool in what would be his 11th league meeting with his former employers.

Burnley have had a poor couple of games but there s value to be had in backing three of their top performers to deliver when they host in-form Brighton and Hove Albion.

Meanwhile, Anthony Martial is back among the goals for Manchester United and could well be worth a spot in your fantasy line-up.

154 Raheem Sterling has been directly involved in 154 goals in all competitions …

Leeds United are interested in signing Ben Brereton Diaz from Blackburn Rovers in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Leeds have been scouting the Chile international striker this season, and that the Premier League club could make a move for him when the transfer window opens in January, having been his long-term admirers.

Brereton Diaz is out of contract at Blackburn at the end of the season. The striker has reportedly told Rovers that he is not going to put pen to paper on a new deal, so the Championship club are now facing the prospect of losing the 23-year-old on a free next summer. Rovers could now be willing to sell Brereton Diaz for £10 million in the January transfer window.

The striker has scored nine goals and provided one…

Prediction: Manchester United to Win 1-0

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The first big-six clash of the Premier League season takes place on the opening weekend as Manchester United and Chelsea come together at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The two sides have gone through plenty of change within the last 12 months and are under the tutelage of club legends heading into the new campaign Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank Lampard. Each will be extremely keen to get their 2019/20 season off to the best possible start at the Theatre of Dreams.

Manchester United

One of the Red Devils major problems from last campaign their defence finally appears to have been fixed. Only West Ham United conceded more goals than Manchester United s 54 throughout the 2018/29 season. Solskjae…

Arsenal have been struggled defensively for several seasons now, and while most of the time it was the back four that attracted the most criticism, some have pointed out the midfield s inability to provide adequate protection as a part of the problem too. One of those people was former Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke City and Burnley striker Peter Crouch.

Now retired, Crouch played alongside Steven Nzonzi at Stoke and he it was madness that Arsenal gave up on their reported interest in the midfield powerhouse at the time. The Gunners have struggled at times to wrestle control away from supposedly lesser opponents, and the Crouch thinks Nzonzi s physical presence could have helped them in that aspect greatly. He says the north London club shouldn t have allowed Nzonzi to mo…

Alan Pardew s appointment as Tony Pulis successor at West Brom continues a well-spun rotation of British managers taking jobs in the Premier League.

Critics have long voiced concerns that foreign imports are preventing young British coaching talent from getting a chance to shine in the world s most lucrative division.

However, it could be argued that the same parade of familiar faces being called upon when the prospect of relegation threatens those very financial rewards is truly causing the blockage for the next generation.

Former England manager Roy Hodgson and ex-Manchester United boss David Moyes have already answered distress calls from Crystal Palace and West Ham this season, taking on their fifth and fourth Premier League jobs respectively.

West Br…

Valencia captain Dani Parejo has extended his contract at Mestalla until June 30, 2022.

The midfielder joined Valencia from Getafe in 2011, quickly establishing himself as a key figure, and continued his fine form this season with his sixth LaLiga goal of the campaign in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Barcelona.

The club confirmed the length of his contract renewal on Monday and the new buyout clause, set at €50million.

Parejo said: In all these years at Valencia, I ve grown as a person. Now I m a proud family man, father to two Valencian children who are, of course, Valencia fans.

I can tell them with pride that I m captain of a club with 100 years of history and that I work hard every day to wear the armband and to continue to form part of this club.

…

Luis Garcia hopes Diego Simeone can win another trophy before he leaves Atletico Madrid as he praised the Argentinian s decision to put a timeline on his future at the club.

June 2018 is when Simeone s contract as head coach expires at Atletico after he negotiated a reduction in the length of his deal following the 2015-16 Champions League final loss to Real Madrid.

Simeone could yet re-sign with the LaLiga title challengers, though the 47-year-old has spoken openly of his desire to take over at former club Inter in Serie A.

Speaking exclusively to Omnisport, Garcia was asked whether 2017-18 could really be Simeone s final season in charge of Atletico and the former Spain attacker said: It depends on a few factors. He has always been very honest. I think that s …

Norwich City and Middlesbrough are among the teams selected to welcome back a limited number of fans this week as the EFL continues its pilot programme.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, crowds had not been allowed at professional matches across Britain since football returned in June until Cambridge United were able to facilitate spectators last week.

With fans returning to games in France and certain regions of Germany, the EFL has now confirmed an extension of its scheme, with 10 fixtures initially selected for the coming weekend, although Luton Town have opted out.

Following government guidance, crowds will be capped at a 1,000 capacity with social distancing measures in place. Talks are ongoing over the possibility of higher attendances being allowed a…

Bayern Munich have selected Arjen Robben for what will be the winger s 100th Champions League match in Wednesday s Group B clash with Celtic.

The 33-year-old becomes only the second Dutch player to reach the landmark after Clarence Seedorf, who recorded 125 appearances.

A product of Eredivisie side Groningen, Robben established his reputation as one of the world s most feared attackers in stints with Chelsea and Real Madrid before moving to Bavaria at the beginning of the 2009-10 season.

The Netherlands legend cemented his place as a Bayern icon by netting an 89th-minute winner in the Champions League final triumph over Borussia Dortmund in 2013.

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN)

The visit of Celtic marks Jupp Heynckes first…