UEFA fear UK ban on Messi and Neymar playing in Champions League final

UEFA fear UK ban on Messi and Neymar playing in Champions League final

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has admitted there is a possibility of Lionel Messi and Neymar being denied entry to the United Kingdom due to their ongoing legal concerns, which could be a problem since the Champions League final is being hosted in Cardiff.

Barcelona must produce a remarkable comeback against Paris Saint-Germain to have any chance of reaching the showpiece event, but Ceferin is still concerned about the Westminster government's policies and revealed that the country could miss out on future finals.

"Neymar and Lionel Messi both have [tax evasion] procedures going on," he told the New York Times.

"This year, the Champions League final is in Cardiff.

"Imagine if they did not let them in.

"That is a big thing for us, if players from England can travel anywhere, but players from other teams cannot travel to [the UK].

"With free movement in Europe, it is much better.

"If we see that players cannot enter because they have any sort of procedure ongoing then we will simply think if we should play our European matches there."

He referenced the incident which took place during the group stages, when Serge Aurier was denied entry for a match against Arsenal.

"I was very disappointed when Aurier, from PSG, was not allowed to enter England," the Slovenian said in the interview.

"That will worsen when Brexit happens, especially if the reasons were as formal.

"We could have a serious problem."

He also discussed the recent travel restrictions introduced at the United States border, warning that they could harm a future World Cup bid.

Vs Real Madrid 3-2 Villarreal La Liga

Vs Real Madrid 3-2 Villarreal La Liga

Goals match Zamalek and border guards (1-0) a global target of Ayman Hefny [Egypt Cup 2017]

Goals match Zamalek and border guards (1-0) a global target of Ayman Hefny [Egypt Cup 2017]

Morata making great strides at Real Madrid

Morata making great strides at Real Madrid

Alvaro Morata seeks to be Real Madrid's permanent No. 9, and until that is confirmed his future will be somewhat in doubt, but that hasn't stopped the striker developing very quickly at Los Blancos.

Still not the true first-choice striker in Zinedine Zidane's mind, the Spaniard has endured the same sort of impatient wait that he experienced for parts of his Juventus stay.

However, at no point in Turin did Morata bag seven goals in eight games, and his tally of 12 strikes for the current campaign match his Bianconeri figures for 2015/16 in almost half the minutes and almost half the matches.

Going back another season, his first in Serie A, the striker notched 15 times across 46 games, with eight in the league the same amount as his current campaign, where he's played just 30 times.

Morata's goalscoring prowess has largely been off the bench, backing up his claims for a regular starting spot, and with six goals as a substitute he's level with LaLiga's best, Vicente Iborra and Pablo Sarabia, in this regard.

So far; Villarreal, Athletic Club, and Sporting CP have all been on the end of winning goals by the Real forward, who is proving himself on many levels at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in his first year back.

Zidane: What Real Madrid are doing is being achieved only on the pitch

Zidane: What Real Madrid are doing is being achieved only on the pitch

There is no conspiracy behind Real Madrid's position at the top of the LaLiga table in Zinedine Zidane's mind, as the French coach insisted that Los Blancos are in the position they are in because of their on-pitch performances.

While the tactician did not want to get involved in the latest officiating controversy, he did dismiss the idea that his team have benefitted from a helping hand.

"What we're doing is being achieved only on the pitch," Zidane said at his pre-match press conference, when asked if the claims of refereeing bias have undermined Real Madrid's achievements.

"I don't get involved in what the referees do and I don't think my players do either.

"My players respect the refereeing body a lot.

"I'm not going to get involved in [the controversy surrounding Roig and Real Madrid bags]. I respect everybody.

"I don't agree with these claims and it hurts, but so be it."

Discussing the midweek challenge posed by Las Palmas, Zidane was not going to let the fact his team have played so many matches in quick succession become an excuse.

"[Fatigue] will always exist," he told reporters at Valdebebas.

"We know how important each match we play is and we're prepared."

As for a reunion with Jese Rodriguez, Zidane hoped his former player could thrive on the Canary Islands, after this fixture of course.

"I hope he does well as I really love Jese as a person and as a player," the coach said. "I hope that, from Wednesday onwards, he does really well with Las Palmas."

Finally, he was asked about the images of Isco and Alvaro Morata referring to themselves as Real Madrid's 'second course' and 'dessert' and he stressed that there was no controversy.

"They were joking," he said of the images.

"You've seen how they then entered the game and that was perfect."

Los Blancos' match against Las Palmas takes place at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, with a kick-off time of 21:30 CET.

Morata again

Morata again

Aspectacular header from Alvaro Morata allowed Real Madrid to remain LaLiga leader after being against the ropes in the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Barcelona's earlier victory at the Estadio Vicente Calderon and Villarreal's deserved 2-0 lead after almost an hour of play, left Los Blancos reeling from a potential K.O.

However, once Gareth Bale had begun the comeback, Morata then appeared at precisely at the right time.

Marcelo's measured cross in the 83rd minute was manna from heaven for a player who has suffered under Zinedine Zidane's rotation this season.

It's not the first time that the academy graduate has saved his side either, it's happened on a few occasions during this campaign.

The Champions League against Sporting of Portugal; without Morata's late intervention, the history of the Real in Europe in 2016/17 could've been quite different.

And already, their privileged situation at the top of LaLiga is safe at this stage thanks to the four points that the striker has rescued in LaLiga in the last few minutes of games.

He did it for the first time against Athletic at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, when his goal seven minutes from the end of the game allowed Zidane's side to take the three points.

Big night

In Villarreal he returned to give Madrid the points that allow them to keep Barcelona at bay.

Morata did not play in Valencia of course, when Real needed goals.

This time, Zidane changed his mind and saw the youngster put out Villarreal's fire, respondeing to the confidence of his coach.

The debate with Karim Benzema has reopened too, taking into account that Morata has scored only one goal less despite rarey having played.

In all competitions, the Spaniard has scored six goals as a substitute and six as a starter.

The Oscar goes to... Isco

The Oscar goes to... Isco

Although he spent two thirds of the match sitting on the visitors' bench, Isco Alarcon was key for Real Madrid to escape from the Estadio de la Ceramica with three more points in the bag.

Once Zinedine Zidane decided to put him onto the pitch after 58 minutes, the ex-Malaga playmaker orchestrated Los Blancos attacking game, which resulted in an improbable 3-2 victory.

The 24-year-old played a leading role in two out of the three goals scored by the reigning Champions League winners.

In the first one, he filtered a perfect pass to Dani Carvajal, whose cross was headed in by Gareth Bale.

Then, in the lead up to the match-winning goal, Isco snatched the ball from Samu Castillejo and initiated a blistering counter-attack that ended with a powerful Alvaro Morata header finding the net.

It was unclear how Madrid would respond without their midfield anchor Casemiro, but Toni Kroos and Luka Modric were effective in sharing the Brazilian's duties.

Meanwhile, the Spanish international played in his preferred spot behind the striker, delivering a football clinic that could eventually decide the LaLiga title.

On a side note, Marcelo's improvement with Isco on the field was very noticeable.

Barcelona bidding farewell to the Calderon with incredible unbeaten run

Barcelona bidding farewell to the Calderon with incredible unbeaten run

With just one last trip to the historic arena left, Barcelona have continued to wave goodbye to the Estadio Vicente Calderon with a glowing smile on their faces.

After the 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon, the Blaugrana clocked a seventh straight game without defeat at the ground when they visited the Rojiblancos for one last LaLiga match at the Calderon.

This current streak has tied their previous best, set between the 1965/66 and the 1970/71 campaigns.

Ever since Pep Guardiola's squad floundered in his first two duels with Atletico, the Catalans have collected six wins - two under Guardiola, one under Tito Vilanova, and three under Luis Enrique - and one draw, under Tata Martino.

The reigning LaLiga champions have generally obtained narrow victories at the Calderon, as they have managed this feat while only scoring 11 goals and conceding five.

As such, five out of these seven matches ended 2-1, by far the most popular score.

Iniesta: Barcelona must keep putting pressure on Real Madrid

Iniesta: Barcelona must keep putting pressure on Real Madrid

On the back of a hard-fought 2-1 win against Atletico Madrid, Andres Iniesta insisted that Barcelona cannot afford to drop more points if they want to successfully defend their LaLiga title.

The captain assured the triumph is a big boost to the team morale.

"Winning every match is mandatory whenever you are trailing in the standings," Iniesta said.

"We must keep putting pressure on the leader."

The 32-year-old admitted the Catalans were unable to play their best football, but gladly accepted the three points.

"This was a big win for us considering the opponent and the situation we were embroiled in," he continued.

"No matter how well we played, what is important is the fact we won and our title hopes remain alive."

Lastly, the Fuentealbilla native conceded that the midweek match against Bayer Leverkusen might have taken a toll on the hosts.

"It's always tough to win [at Estadio Vicente Calderon]. and I think Atletico paid the price for their tremendous effort in the Champions League."