Awoniyi Will Be A Star, Says Kanu Nwankwo

The former Nigeria captain has predicted a bright future for the Flying Eagles forward should he keep up his impressive performance

Kanu Nwankwo has lauded the recent form of Taiwo Awoniyi and feels that the Nigeria Youth international has what it takes to become one of football’s undisputed star players in future.

The 18-year-old has been scintillating so far this year helping the Nigeria U20 side win the 2015 African Youth Championship as well as grabbing a brace that helped the Nigeria U23 team qualify for the All African Games.

According to Papillo who is an ardent follower of the rookie, Awoniyi is the hottest Nigerian kid and should he remain consistent, he will become a star.

“Watched him play for U17/U20 and talked to him, our hottest kid and if he keeps doing his best he will be a star. AWONIYI,” Kanu wrote on his Twitter handle.

Luis Enrique: Neymar Must Accept That I Have To Make Decisions

The Barcelona boss says that he understands that his troops want to play every minute of every game but adds that they must follow his orders

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique insists he did not see Neymar react angrily to his substitution against Sevilla on Saturday but says that every member of his squad must accept that he is the boss at Camp Nou.

Neymar put the Catalans 2-0 up at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan with a fantastic free kick and was proving one of the visitors' most dangerous attacking threats before being surprisingly replaced by Xavi with 16 minutes remaining.

The Brazil international appeared visibly annoyed by his withdrawal but Luis Enrique did not want to be drawn on the issue on the eve of Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final, first-leg meeting with Paris Saint-Germain.

"I didn't see anything," the Barca boss told reporters at the Parc des Princes.

"I understand that all players want to play and the players should have to understand I have to make decisions.

"From there, you can speculate about whatever you want."

Luis Enrique also refused to confirm whether Neymar will start in Paris but he did acknowledge that the Selecao skipper has formed a wonderful understanding with fellow forwards Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

"I think they look great," he stated. "They give us so much and give us so much from a defensive point of view. They’re in good form.

"But I like everything about my team; that’s why we are where we are."

Indeed, Luis Enrique does not believe that the unavailability of the suspended Dani Alves will have a major bearing on Barca's hopes of victory in the French capital.

"Alves is an important player for us, as evidenced by the amount of minutes he plays," he added.

"However, we have a large squad and the options I have available to me offer me reassurances that Dani Alves' absence will not condition how we play."

Rangers Give Raja Casablanca Deadline On Osaguona Fees

The Flying Antelopes have told the Moroccan club to comply with the agreement reached on the striker's transfer fees else they'll lose his services

Enugu Rangers have set a deadline for Moroccan club Raja Casablanca to pay up the 150,000 Euros transfer fee of Ighodaro Osaguona, or risk losing the striker.

Osaguona has hit the ground running since he joined the Moroccan side last December with his goals helping them in the Caf Champions League and the domestic league.

He has scored two goals in the Botola Pro League and three in the Caf Champions League in a total of nine matches for Raja so far.

Rangers' Director of Media and Publicity, Foster Chime told Goal that they are very surprised that Raja defaulted on the agreement reached between both clubs to pay the asking price on the striker and won’t hesitate reporting the case to Fifa.

He said Raja agreed to pay the money in three instalments but Rangers are yet to get a dime.

“We have written to Raja and have also copied [the] Morocco FA and Caf that they have till the end of next week to pay the transfer fees of Ighodaro Christian Osaguona. We will take it to further lengths by going to Fifa if they do not comply with our latest ultimatum,” Chime told Goal.

“We are a peace loving club but Raja are taking that for granted. We released Osaguona to them since December last year and by the arrangement on how the cash is to be received, we ought to have received everything by the end of last month. Till date we are yet to get anything at all.

“It is after we have explored all possibilities and there is no headway that we will ask for his recall because they have reneged on the agreement reached with them.”

Osaguona scored 16 league goals for Rangers in the 2013/2014 Nigeria Professional Football League season.

Messi Is Unstoppable - Blanc

The Barcelona forward has been in prolific form in the last three months, though the PSG coach is wary of just concentrating on nullifying the Argentine

Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc has described Lionel Messi as "unstoppable" ahead of Wednesday's Champions League tussle with Barcelona.

The Argentine forward has been in incredible form in 2015 and has scored 45 goals in 44 games so far this season to propel the Catalan club to the top of La Liga and into the final of the Copa del Rey.

Messi scored in both clashes with PSG last year, although Blanc is wary of putting all of his defensive eggs in one basket when there are also the likes of Luis Suarez and Neymar to worry about.

"Lionel Messi is unstoppable," the former Manchester United defender told reporters. "If he scores 40 goals, he's had a bad season!

"But we can't just focus on him. The solution must be collective, man marking doesn't work.

"We will need to be aggressive defensively but in the good sense of the term, to be able to stop their attackers."

The coach also piled praise on PSG forward Javier Pastore, who was described by France legend Eric Cantona as better than Messi or Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday.

"Pastore has huge potential and is becoming an important player for us," he said of the Argentine. "He has matured enormously in the last six months."

PSG will be hoping they can replicate their win over Luis Enrique's side at Parc des Princes in the Champions League group stage in Wednesday's tie, with the return leg at Camp Nou to be played six days later.

Zaha: Young People Should Grab PL Kicks Opportunity

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha revealed the role Premier League Kicks played in his formative years when he recently visited the project in Croydon where he honed his skills as a youngster.
The 22-year-old used to attend PL Kicks at the Canterbury Road site as a teenager, where, with the help of the Crystal Palace Foundation, Zaha began his journey to the top flight of English football.

And Zaha returned to the place where it all started to watch the talent on display as well as to speak and offer advice to the participants hoping to one day follow in his footsteps.

"PL Kicks has done a lot for me," said Zaha, who used to live five minutes away from Canterbury Road and started attending PL Kicks as a 14-year-old. "After a while I couldn't use the back garden because I broke everything!

"I played football all the time. At school I would play football so my school shoes were a mess and when I'd get home I would go out and ask my family if they would play football with me.

"It was great to be able to come down to the park and actually have goals, cones and nets and use it for free. It gave me an opportunity to showcase my talent. The sessions were mainly passing drills and from that to games, which I thought were the best sessions ever as I just wanted to play. I used to take on everyone.

"Those times were hard but this gave me a big opportunity and the staff were all supportive. I went from that to where I am now. The whole dream was football from the beginning but I probably would have done something to do with football, if that meant helping out or coaching then I would have."

Coaches who worked with Zaha are still helping out at the Canterbury Road site and they remember the winger fondly. "He always stayed on the outside, he would never go in the centre of the pitch because they would kick him in there, he wouldn't pass!” said PL Kicks coach Michael Lacey. "He stood out a mile."

Best XI: Week 32

This is the second week in a row that an American goalkeeper has headlined the Best XI. Last week it was Tim Howard and this week is Brad Guzan’s turn. To join the American on the pitch this week are the following players:

Many players missed the Best XI this week due to a high price. They were:

S. Aguero

T. Courtois

D. Ospina

C. Fabregas

K. Davis

S. Mignolet

A. Sanchez

All of these players had enough points to be included but we couldn’t fit them within the budget.  It’s the time of the year where bargains and discounts are very important.

Points

A big drop-off from last week – only 227 points this week but that was expected since there are no double gameweek teams.

Cost

This week the BEST XI cost £ 92.57M*.  The new price of our Best XI (if you were to try to create this team now after the price changes) is £ 123.42M.  That’s a 33.3% increase in price.

*Keep in mind the cost does NOT include any substitutes and is thus 96M instead of 100M, which assumes one might have four £ 1M substitutes.

Check out Rotoworld for season long Premier League news

MVP

This week’s MVP is Yannick Bolasie, who had one of the best eleven-minute stretches of fantasy PL this season. He scored three and assisted one in the span of eleven minutes for an incredible fantasy performance. Keep in mind though that the midfielder had only scored once before this season and fantasy points are not something he specializes in. If you believe in the hot hand, Bolasie faces up against West Brom next week in a plus-matchup, but be careful as his hat-trick is not something you’ll see again anytime soon.

Champions League Power Ranking: Barcelona Remains The Team To Beat

Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid still form a triumvirate that reigns over Europe, and the trio of super clubs did well to avoid each other at the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League. If all three advance, the semifinals promise mouthwatering clashes next month.

 Champions League Live – Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid, Juventus vs. Monaco]

The final eight features a collection of teams that all have the ability to advance. Surprises at this stage of the competition are almost expected.

[Champions League: Scores and Schedule | Group Standings | Teams]

To follow up on our last-16 rankings, here's a look at the quarterfinalists listed in order of their chances to raise the Champions League trophy in Berlin on June 6.

1. Barcelona. Over two legs in the round of 16, Lionel Messi looked like he was back to his brilliant best. He looked like the best player in Europe again, and his magical return to the summit makes Barcelona the team to beat in Europe. While the Catalan club recently drew 2-2 away to Sevilla in La Liga, Barcelona had won its previous nine matches by an aggregate score of 24-5. Even in the 2-2 draw, Messi managed a curling effort from the right side that ended up in the far left corner. Adding to Messi, Neymar struck a superb free kick goal that should serve as a confidence boost to the Brazilian, who has been wasteful in front of goal. Barcelona is still the favorite to win it all.

UEFA Stat: Barcelona has reached the quarterfinals for a record eighth consecutive season.

2. Bayern Munich. The German powerhouse is dealing with an injury crisis but continues to churn out results. Bayern is into the semifinals of the German cup and have a sizable advantage in the Bundesliga. Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Medhi Benatia and Tom Stake headline the contingent of injured players. However, Thiago Alcantarais back fit for the first time in ages. Also, Philipp Lahm is available and Javi Martinez is training again. Of the healthy crew, Robert Lewandowski remains key, as the striker has six goals in his last six appearances across all competitions. With Pep Guardiola at the helm, Bayern still plays some of the most dominating football in Europe, regardless of which players take the pitch.

UEFA Stat: Bayern has qualified for the Champions League semifinals in each of the past three campaigns.

3. Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo may be slightly overshadowed by Messi domestically and in Europe, but the Portuguese international has 10 goals in his last six matches across all competitions. Real Madrid responded to losing to Barcelona on March 22 by winning its next three matches by an aggregate score of 14-1. With regulars Luka Modric, James Rodriguez and Sergio Ramos healthy, Madrid looks lethal again. Los Blancos have only suffered one defeat in the Champions League this season, a shock 4-3 defeat to Schalke in the second leg of the round of 16. Real Madrid is hoping to become the first team to repeat as champion in the Champions League era.

UEFA Stat: Real Madrid has reached the quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive year and advanced to the final four in each of the past four seasons.

4. Juventus. The Italian champion had won six matches in a row before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Parma in the Italian league. Injuries and a weakened squad played a part in Saturday's defeat, but Juve remains comfortably ahead in Serie A and has secured passage to the Coppa Italia final. Easily the best team in Italy in recent seasons, Juventus looks in line to finally transfer its domestic form to Europe. The Old Lady of Italian football beat Borussia Dortmund comprehensively by an aggregate score of 5-1 in the round of 16. While AS Monacoproved to be a worthy opponent against Arsenal, Juventus should end the French club’s surprising run in Europe.

UEFA Stat: Juventus have won all 10 of its knockout ties against French teams.

5. Atletico Madrid. Atleti has faced Real Madrid six times in the 2014-15 campaign, and Diego Simeone’s side is unbeaten against its famous neighbor. In all, Atletico Madrid has won four of the meetings, including a 4-0 thrashing in the most recent Feb. 7 meeting at Vicente Calderon. The red and whites come into the quarterfinals unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions, and Atletico Madrid last lost head-to-head to Real Madrid in the Champions League final, which required extra time to separate the two rivals. If any team feels comfortable drawing Real Madrid, it is definitely Atleti.

UEFA Stat: Atletico Madrid has won all four of its Champions League matches at home, outscoring the opposition by an aggregate score of 11-0.

6. Paris Saint-Germain. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s absence in the first leg due to suspension hurts the French title holders tremendously. Ibrahimovic tallied five goals in his past two appearances with the French club, and the towering Swede has a remarkable record of 13 goals in his last seven appearances for club and country. Along with Ibrahimovic, PSG is also without standout midfielder Marco Verratti, who is also serving a one-match ban. In the group stage, the Parisian club beat Barcelona 3-2 at home and suffered a 3-1 defeat at the Camp Nou. Having knocked out Chelsea despite playing the second leg down a man for the majority of the match, the big-spending Ligue 1 club should not be taken lightly at this stage.

UEFA Stat: PSG is unbeaten in 33 European home games dating back to a 4-2 group stage defeat in November 2006 to Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC.

7. FC Porto. Being ranked seventh out of eight may not be flattering for the Portuguese power, but that is based on the teams ahead, rather than an indication of Porto’s lack of quality. In particular, Porto’s home record in the Champions League is immaculate with four wins and a draw, which includes the qualifying round. Over those five European home fixtures, Porto has outscored its opposition 15-2.

UEFA Stat: A season ago, Porto earned its first victory against a German side over two legs in 37 years when Porto defeated Eintracht Frankfurt on away goals in the UEFA Europa League round of 32. The last two times Porto advanced past the quarterfinals, it won the competition.

8. AS Monaco. Monaco played a brilliant first leg against Arsenal in the round of 16, and the French side boasted a stellar defensive record up until that point. However, the Gunners exposed Monaco in the second leg with a comprehensive 2-0 defeat that only allowed the club to advance on away goals. While Monaco’s appearance in the final eight is well deserved and should be celebrated, Juventus comes into the tie as a heavy favorite. However, Monaco faced the same scenario in the round of 16 and managed to qualify for the final eight.

UEFA Stat: Monaco last faced Italian opposition in the 1998 Champions League semifinals, when Juventus knocked out the French side. Monaco has won just one of six previous knockout ties against teams from Italy.

Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. He has previously written about the 2014 World Cup and 2013 Confederations Cup and regularly provides opinions on the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA and @perfectpass

Aston Villa Hope To Bring Former Atletico Madrid Playmaker To England

Premier League relegation fighters Aston Villa have been reportedly “cleared to make transfer bid for Fenerbahce midfielder Diego”, who is unhappy in Turkey.

Villa’s hopes of signing the Brazilian have taken a significant step in the right direction after the playmaker’s father reportedly confirmed that he is keen on leaving the Turkish outfit.

The 30-year-old, who signed from the La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, has made 17 appearances for Fenerbahce this season, but his father's comments have alerted a number of clubs who are interested in the midfielder.

According to the Metro, the playmaker’s father said to Turkish outlet Milliyet that his son “has a few problems with the staff”, and that “he is not being played a lot and is not really all that happy so he could leave Turkey at the end of the season.”

Tim Sherwood’s Aston Villa are reportedly interested in bringing the Brazilian ace to England, with Everton also thought to be tracking the midfielder, and with Diego’s willingness to leave Turkey, a small transfer fee would be expected.

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid- LIVE

Atletico Madrid 0-0 Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo lines up a free-kick - Gazza style - 40 yards out and crunches in a swerving strike which forces Jan Oblak into a save down to his right. Atleti just hanging on.

170 minutes of this tie to go...

Keshi To Sign Contract This Week

Former Nigeria captain Stephen Keshi will sign a contract as coach of the Super Eagles this week.

The three-time African champions have been without a substantive coach since June 2014 when Keshi’s first contract with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) lapsed.

Keshi oversaw Nigeria’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign without a contract and speculations had been rife over his future with the Nigeria national team.

The NFF has now put such speculations to bed by announcing that Keshi will put pen to paper on a new deal this week.

“By the grace of God, the contract of Stephen Keshi will be signed in a day or two. We have completed everything from our end and by the grace of God everything will be finalised this week,” Dr Mohammed Sanusi, General Secretary of the NFF, exclusively told supersport.com on Tuesday.

Keshi had failed in his quest to lead Nigeria to the 2015 Afcon finals in Equatorial Guinea and many had expected him to fall on his sword as his predecessor Samson Siasia did.

When quizzed on that, Sanusi said such comparisons would not help Nigerian football.

“Of what significance (failure to qualify for the 2015 Afcon) is that to our football right now. I don’t think we should go into that now...

“We should be thinking of more important issues right now; things that will take our football to the next level and right now we are talking about the contract of Keshi,” he said.

After failing to qualify for the 2015 Afcon, Nigeria will commence their quest to reach the 2017 tournament in Gabon with a game against Chad on the weekend of June 12-14.

The Super Eagles will also face Tanzania and Egypt in Afcon qualifying Group G and Sanusi is upbeat about the chances of Nigeria progressing from the group.

“We want to make Nigerians have faith in the Super Eagles again. We will strive to do well in the Afcon qualifiers and hopefully we will come out of our group,” he said.