Month: September 2019

The second of the three-part miniseries will determine which of the Spanish giants will play for the Copa del Rey in March

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Real Madrid host Barcelona at the Bernabeu in the second leg of their crunch Copa del Rey semi-final clash.

On February 6, the sides drew 1-1 at Camp Nou, with Lucas Vazquez’s early opener cancelled out by Malcom around the hour mark.

Real Madrid have won three of their four subsequent matches while Barca have picked up victories in only two, yet it is the Catalans who are favourites to progress from this clash.

Can Los Blancos prove their critics wrong ahead of Saturday’s league meeting between the sides?

Game	Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Date	Wednesday, February 27
Time	8:00pm GMT / 3:00pm ET
Stream (US only)	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

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In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

US TV channel	Online stream
beIN Sports / beIN Sports en Espanol	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be streamed on Eleven Sports 2.

UK TV channel	Online stream
N/A	Eleven Sports 2

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Position	Real Madrid squad
Goalkeepers	Navas, Luca, Courtois
Defenders	Carvajal, Ramos, Nacho, Varane, Marcelo, Odriozoloa, Reguilon
Midfielders	Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Valverde, Vazquez, Asensio, Ceballos
Forwards	Benzema, Bale, Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid have few significant selection problems, though Isco, who is training again, has been left out of their squad  and Marcos Llorente is injured.

Keylor Navas starts in goal, as the usual Copa del Rey turnover will not take place for such a big match. 

Real Madrid starting XI: Navas, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Reguilón, Casemiro, Kroos, Modric, Lucas, Benzema, Vinicius

Position	Barcelona squad
Goalkeepers	Ter Stegen, Cillessen, Pena
Defenders	Pique, Semedo, Lenglet, Alba, Roberto, Umtiti
Midfielders	Rakitic, Busquets, Coutinho, Arthur, Vidal, Alena
Forwards	L. Suarez, Dembele, Malcom, Messi

Barcelona are still without Rafinha and Thomas Vermaelen, who have knee and calf problems respectively.

While there were doubts over Jasper Cillessen and Arthur, these are relatively minor and both have been named in the matchday squad. The keeper generally plays the Copa del Rey fixtures, but his injury prevented him from doing so in this instance.

Barcelona starting XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba;,Roberto, Busquets, Rakitic; Messi, Suarez, Dembele

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Barcelona are 5/4 favourites to win this encounter, with Real Madrid offered at 19/10 by bet365 . Meanwhile, a draw is available at 13/5.

Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

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There was nothing to pick between Real Madrid and Barcelona when they met at Camp Nou earlier this month in a clash that finished 1-1, leaving the Copa del Rey semi-final between Spanish football’s giants delicately balanced.

Nevertheless, it is Barcelona who come into this match with the stronger mindset, undefeated in their last eight competitive matches , albeit having drawn four of these. 

The Catalans’ finishing has been questioned at times over the last month, with scoreless draws against Club Athletic and Lyon setbacks for Ernesto Valverde’s men, yet when the chips have really been down, they have excelled.

On Saturday, they overwhelmed Sevilla 4-2 thanks to a Lionel Messi hat-trick , allowing them to maintain a seven-point advantage over Atletico Madrid in the league standings.

And it is to Messi that they will seek to be decisive on Wednesday , according to ex-Real Madrid star Luis Milla, who also turned out for Barca.

“I don’t think there’s a favourite, even if one side comes into it in better form than the other,” he explained. “The only substantial difference that I see between both teams is Messi.”

While Barca have been more consistent than their opponents, Madrid have shown a capacity to raise their game for the big occasion, impressing in the first leg and then winning 3-1 away from home in the derby against Atleti .

However, they required two penalties to beat Levante last weekend and flopped to a 2-1 loss to Girona in their outing prior to that.

Gareth Bale has taken centre stage over the past few days owing to his apparent frustration at being a substitute at the weekend, despite coming on and getting the winning goal.

“I loved how he came on and played with rage,” interim boss Santiago Solari said, defending his player . “He won us the game and did a great job. I thought he had a fantastic match.”

While Bale’s future in Madrid, which has been on a tightrope for months, appears as precarious as ever, Karim Benzema is loving life at the Bernabeu and is keen to showcase his worth in Wednesday’s crunch match.

“Before there was a guy who scored more than 50 goals per season and my role was to provide assists,” the striker told France Football.

“I played to help Cristiano, we formed a good partnership. I was always looking for him with the intention of helping him to score even more goals.

“Now though, I’m the leader of the attack. It’s up to me to make the difference. I’m very happy because now I can play my real football.”

Benzema is unlikely to ever replace CR7 in the hearts of the Madrid fans, but if he were to fire them to victory against their great rivals, it would be a healthy start.

The Catalan side have had trouble finding the net in recent weeks but the coach sees no reason to worry as they are still creating enough chances

Ernesto Valverde says he is unconcerned about Barcelona scoring only once in their last three matches in all competitions.

Barca were held 0-0 at Lyon in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, following their 1-0 home win against Real Valladolid and a goalless draw at Athletic Bilbao in La Liga.

Valverde’s men are seven points clear of Atletico Madrid and a further two ahead of Real Madrid in the table despite winning only one of their previous three league matches, with the form of Luis Suarez placing the striker in the spotlight.

Although the Uruguay international has hit 15 La Liga goals this season, second only in the Spanish top-flight to team-mate Lionel Messi, Suarez has drawn a blank in five consecutive matches in all competitions.

But speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to Sevilla in La Liga, Valverde is backing his misfiring front line to get back on track.

“We had some games without finishing chances but we’ve been creating them and not giving chances away,” Valverde told reporters. “We are looking forward to the challenge.

“I don’t know what to tell you. Sometimes results mean something as there are difficulties but it depends how you play. You might not win as you don’t create chances, or you might dominate and not take your chances. Against Lyon we were creating chances but didn’t convert them into goals.

“If we keep creating chances then the goals will come. Statistics can help us analyse things but they can lie. Looking at the last 15 games shows a different pattern. Sometimes you need to look at a more global scale to see what they mean rather than a shorter scale, but we have to win [against Sevilla] and that’s all that matters.

“That’s what being a player at a club like this is all about, sometimes you’ll be the focus. This time it’s the striker but it’s a curious thing with Luis. The spotlight might be on him at the moment but at the start of the season he had a similar period, then people said nothing when he started scoring regularly.

“Overall he has scored a lot of goals and I think he is the fifth highest goalscorer in the club’s history. In the last two games he has created good chances and had those chances himself. He’s been scoring all his life and will do it again. We need patience with him and we have that as he is a great player. We have every confidence in him.”

Saturday’s game comes ahead of back-to-back Clasico clashes against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, Barca going to the capital for the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final – which is locked at 1-1 – before visiting again four days later in the league.

“Don’t forget tomorrow’s game is a very important one,” Valverde added. “We are playing against a very tough opponent, especially at home.

“There are other games to think about but we have to put Sevilla behind us first. We aim to increase our lead and give the teams trying to catch us one fewer.

“Nothing is decided now or next week. Things need to be decided and there are other teams, Atletico Madrid, who can still pick up points and are in the fight. We don’t worry about other teams but what we can do, play our game tomorrow, then we will play at the Bernabeu.

“We know full well they are two important games, and for our fans and everybody. Clasicos are important. But tomorrow will be very difficult and we know what is at stake. We were six points ahead of Madrid, now it is nine and seven from Atletico. We want it to be the same.

“But although the Clasico is on the horizon we need to keep our focus on what we have straight ahead.”

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The Force were so close but so far in their loss to the Lions tonight.

Here’s what we learned from the clash.

1. Force fail to improve attack

The Force have struggled for attacking spark in 2017 and that was no different tonight.

They couldn’t piece together any momentum which worried the Lions, though their shape did look better when Jono Lance and Peter Grant came on in the second half.

Four line breaks and 15 tackle busts just isn’t going to get it done at Super Rugby level.

2. Meakes makes Wallabies case

Bill Meakes has been the best recruit in Perth this season and he continued to mount a strong case for national honours tonight.

In eight runs he racked up 66 metres, three tackle busts, two line breaks and an offload.

But it’s his link play in attack and defensive work which is particularly eye catching.

3. Absent stars sorely missed

A Force team that featured Adam Coleman, Ben McCalman, Luke Morahan, Chance Peni and Dane Haylett-Petty would have beaten the Lions tonight.

The South Africans weren’t anywhere near their glittering best and there were opportunities aplenty for the Force but they didn’t have the players to make those opportunities count.

They will all come back in the near future but for the sake of the Force’s season, they’re needed right now.

4. Lions sub par in overseas opener

This wasn’t the Lions we’re used to seeing carve teams up in Johannesburg.

If there is such a thing as an unconvincing bonus point win, this was it.

They too struggled to string together fluid attacking phase play and will want to improve ahead of a clash with the Rebels in a week.

5. Conference title now a bridge too far for Force

Due to the lacklustre state of the Australian Conference, the Force still had finals football hopes this season.

A Brumbies win tomorrow will kill those hopes, as 12 points will be too much of a gap to make up for a team of the Force’s standard in the back half of the year.

The Amsterdam side reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in 16 years and the coach is eager to keep winning together

Erik ten Hag says he hopes to keep the current crop of Ajax players together after their surprise 4-1 victory over Real Madrid, but admits it will be “almost impossible” to keep them away from Europe’s top teams.

Ajax sent shockwaves through the Champions League after stunning holders Madrid in the return leg of their last-16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

Hakim Ziyech, David Neres, Dusan Tadic and Lasse Schone helped Ajax overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit as the Dutch giants triumphed 5-3 on aggregate en route to the quarter-finals.

Ajax have already agreed to sell star midfielder Frenkie de Jong to Barcelona this summer in a €75 million deal, but other talents are expected to follow. Captain Matthijs De Ligt, 19, has also caught the eye of Europe’s richest clubs, while Neres, Donny van de Beek and Nicolas Tagliafico are also expected to attract offers in the near future.

But coach Ten Hag hopes the club can convince the majority of players to stay and continue to develop as a team.

“I hope we’re going to be able to keep this group together, as much as possible,” he told  Ziggo Sport .  “It would be great to develop even more, but it’s almost impossible in modern football. Players leave at early ages. It’s almost unstoppable, but it would be great to work with this group for a couple more years.”

Ajax will feature in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2002-03, but Ten Hag hopes they can continue to impress this season, even targeting a European and domestic treble.

“We must live by the day,” he said during his post-match news conference. “We are progressing a lot as a team and individually.

“It’s only the start of March and we can still win three trophies. So, it’s a great year, that’s a compliment for the team. The trophies will be lifted at the end of the season.

“We can enjoy this win, but it’s already a great season. But we wanted to achieve more. That’s what we are hunting for now.”

Ten Hag added: “It’s confirmation of our philosophy in the Netherlands and especially Ajax. In our history we won many trophies.

“The biggest trophy, the Champions League, and also many league titles. But the football climate has changed. The big leagues have grown.

“As small nations, it’s hard to compete with the big money. So, therefore, it’s a great victory. But we want more. The next match we will prepare very well and we play with courage and confidence.”

The German boss has embraced competition for the nation’s No.1 jersey and believes the Barcelona goalkeeper will push for the job

Joachim Low has welcomed Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s ambitions to be Germany’s starting goalkeeper, insisting the Barcelona’s man wish to put current No.1 Manuel Neuer under pressure is not an attack on his teammate or coaching staff.

Neuer has been first choice since the 2010 World Cup but in a recent interview with Goal and DAZN Ter Stegen admitted he is ready to “put pressure” on his teammate and challenge for the role.

After insisting he had no problem with Ter Stegen’s choice of words, the German manager revealed the Blaugrana shot stopper will get an opportunity as the No.1 during EURO 2020 qualifying.

“I think it’s absolutely okay what he said. It was not an attack towards Manuel Neuer or us coaches. He formulated his ambitions and he is absolutely right to do that because he became a really great goalkeeper in the last two or three years,” Low said to DAZN.

“We are happy to have two world-class goalkeepers in Germany. I said last year that Neuer is the No.1, also because he is our captain.

“But this year we have a little restart and Marc will get his chances in the qualification for EURO 2020. The EURO is next summer, we have a little time left until then.”

Since making his Germany debut in 2012, Ter Stegen has collected 21 national team caps, mostly when Neuer was injured or being rested.

Low hinted that Neuer would remain the No.1 initially based on his performances in Russia and embraced the battle to come between his two custodians.

“Of course there will be a fight [for No. 1]. At the end always the performances count. Manuel made good performances at the World Cup, although he had a long injury before,” he said.

“Both goalkeepers are on a great level, so this year we’ll see what happens. Surely Marc will also get a few games.”

Germany’s next match is a friendly against Serbia in Wolfsburg on March 20 before they renew hostilities with Netherlands in EURO 2020 qualifying four days later – a team they failed to beat twice in the UEFA Nations League last year.

To qualify for EURO 2020, the Germans will need to finish top two of group C, which features the Dutch, Northern Ireland, Belarus and Estonia.

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EA Sports has awarded the Wycombe Wanderers striker with the special gift featuring stats of 100 on an Ultimate Team card

The highest stat or overall any player can have on a FIFA game is capped at 99 and FIFA 19 has four players who have reached that magic number on Ultimate Team: Pele, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric.

However, for the first time in the 26-year history of FIFA’s video game franchise, EA Sports has awarded a player with a 100-rated card. And that special FUT card has been rewarded to a League Two player – Adebayo Akinfenwa aka The Beast.

The cult icon has been given the personal card in real life as gift to celebrate the fact that he has reached 1 million followers on Instagram.

Akinfenwa is well-known as one of the strongest football players in the world thanks to the video game and was previously the strongest player on the FIFA games too, although he was recently overtaken following the Winter Upgrades.

Yet the forward will take back that crown as his new card has every stat at the highest possible score of 100 – just the slight upgrade from his normal card which is just 66-rated with 83 physical and 64 shooting.

The Beast himself admitted that some of the stats on his new card are generous, can you imagine playing against an Akinfenwa card with 100 sprint speed and agility? Fortunately, you won’t have to won’t have to play against it as EA confirmed to Goal that the card has not been given to Akinfenwa in-game, he just received a large physical version of the card to keep.

While Akinfenwa hasn’t received any in-forms or upgrades in FIFA 19 so far, there is still one Akinfenwa card on Ultimate Team that you need to fear. If you are lucky (or unlucky) enough to get into an online game against Akinfenwa, you will notice his personal team features a teal version of his own regular card.

EA Sports will reward any professional player with a personal version of their own card with souped-up stats and an overall of 99 – some of which you can see in these FUT squads of Premier League stars.

The Wycombe forward’s personal teal card is ridiculous with 96 pace, 98 dribbling, 99 shooting, 84 defending, 96 passing and 99 physicality. It might not be the perfect 100-rated card but it would still tear your defence apart.

Goal takes a look at the all-time top marksmen in derby games between La Liga’s totemic rival institutions

Real Madrid and Barcelona are gearing up for another Clasico this March.

It is one of the biggest rivalries in football and has featured some of the best players to ever grace the planet.

Icons such as Ferenc Puskas, Alfredo Di Stefano and Raul lit up Clasico encounters in years gone by, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have become the centrepiece in recent times.

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Ahead of the big game, Goal took a look at the all-time top scorers in the histor of El Clasico.

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Perhaps unsurprisingly, Messi has scored the most Clasico goals with 26 strikes to his name for Barcelona against Real Madrid.

The Argentine’s tally in derby games between the rivals is unrivalled and he leads by a considerably distance.

Not even Cristiano Ronaldo comes close – the Portuguese is tied on 18 goals with Madrid icon Alfredo Di Stefano.

Table last updated on February 28, 2019.

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	26
=2	Alfredo Di Stefano	Real Madrid	18
=2	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	18
4	Raul	Real Madrid	15
=5	Cesar Rodriguez	Barcelona	14
=5	Francisco Gento	Real Madrid	14
=5	Ferenc Puskas	Real Madrid	14
=8	Luis Suarez*	Barcelona	12
=8	Santillana	Real Madrid	12
=10	Hugo Sanchez	Real Madrid	10
=10	Juanito	Real Madrid	10
=10	Josep Samitier	Barcelona/ Real Madrid	10
=13	Estanislao Basora	Barcelona	9
=13	Karim Benzema	Real Madrid	9
=15	Jaime Laczano	Real Madrid	8
=15	Ivan Zamorano	Real Madrid	8
=15	Eulogio Martinez	Barcelona	8
=15	Luis Suarez**	Barcelona	8
=15	Santiago Bernabeu	Real Madrid	8

*Uruguayan footballer born in 1987.
**Spanish footballer born in 1935.

Home-grown Madrid hero Raul is next with 15 finishes against the Blaugrana , while Cesar Rodriguez, Francisco Gento and Puskas are tied with 14 goals each.

In terms of current players, Luis Suarez and Karim Benzema is are in the all-time top scorers list. Barca’s Uruguayan star has 12 strikes, while Los Blancos’ French forward has nine.

Interestingly, while Messi is the runaway leader, Madrid dominate the Clasico top scorers list as you can see in the table above.

Of the top 10, only Messi, Suarez, Josep Samitier and Cesar Rodriguez represent Barcelona, with even Samitier coming with the caveat that he also played for Real.

MLS teams are still thin compared to the deep squads assembled by Mexican teams like Tigres and Monterrey, who have their eyes on the trophy

It was scoreless in the first leg of the Houston Dynamo’s Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal contest against Tigres when both managers began to make their second-half adjustments.

Tigres manager Tuca Ferretti surveyed his bench and had his pick of a current Mexico international defender, a former Argentina international midfielder and a veteran Liga MX fullback. He went with the Argentine, slotting former Sevilla man Guido Pizarro into the midfield in the 62nd minute. 

Dynamo manager Wilmer Cabrera’s first sub, made five minutes later, was Marlon Hairston. Nothing against the Mississippi native, but he’s a fringe U.S. international who hardly has the reputation of a player like Pizarro.

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There are several things still separating the elite of the elite in Liga MX with MLS’ best. One of the biggest is depth. Tigres and Monterrey were built to win both Liga MX and the Concacaf Champions League, with Tigres looking to win its first international title and Monterrey hoping to extend its dominance in the regional competition.

To that end, these teams have built squads where they easily can rotate players for midweek games and see only a small drop in quality. Ferretti has a team in which there is always competition for places. He has players he barely uses who would start for nearly every other team in the Americas (Chilean forward Eduardo Vargas chief among them). 

“It’s a good opportunity, having two good players at every position,” Ferretti said after his team topped the Dynamo 2-0 last week behind a pair of late goals. “When you have two good players in every position, one always is going to feel bad, but they know perfectly well that they’re my friends, they’re my ‘sons’ off the field.

“I look to put together the XI that will be best for the team. Understandably, some of them aren’t happy. The one who plays is very happy, the one on the bench, you know what he feels. But they know perfectly well that the only chance they have to show is on the training ground and in the matches.

“I’m going to be fair with the team, and whoever I think is best I’m going to put in. There are times both are good in the same week, but I have to pick one. FIFA doesn’t give me the chance to play with 12 or 14!”

You won’t hear many MLS managers petitioning the governing body to allow it to toss more players on the field in international action. While Ferretti has been able to put his best player, forward Andre-Pierre Gignac, on the shelf for the entire tournament as the Frenchman copes with a niggling knee injury, Dynamo manager Cabrera has needed to be judicious with minutes for Alberth Elis and Mauro Manotas in league play as he seeks to keep them fresh for the CCL. Cabrera’s MLS rivals are doing the same.

MLS has been looking for ways to deal with its lack of depth compared to its regional rivals in recent years. While the designated player rule had been in place for seven years in 2014, when three MLS teams faced Liga MX teams in the CCL quarterfinals and all three fell short, it was clear more needed to be done.

“I think you see the difference in the leagues on nights like tonight,” Landon Donovan said after his LA Galaxy were bounced by Club Tijuana that year. “We’ve got probably six, seven, eight guys who are mature, who know how these games are. They’ve got 20 guys who know how these games go. And that’s the difference between the payrolls.”

Now the league has mechanisms like Targeted Allocation Money and other ways for teams to bring in high-quality players without slapping a designated player tag on them. It has made teams deeper and allowed those like Atlanta United – who may want to spend money more like Tigres does – to at least make a few splashes each year.

Last week’s results led some observers to conclude MLS isn’t improving as much as the league’s powerful marketing machine would like you to believe. Maybe it’s not, but it’s definitely getting better. What is often forgotten is that MLS’ growth and improvement don’t happen in a vacuum. Tigres and Monterrey are two of the most progressive clubs in Mexico and recognize the threat MLS poses in their own backyard. Tigres moved to sign Mexico center back Carlos Salcedo while Monterrey brought in Mexico fullback Miguel Layun and Argentina midfielder Maxi Meza. 

In some ways, they’re luxury players. Tigres already had three or four quality center backs on the roster. Rayados didn’t need a fullback or a winger. Yet, these are the signings that give them the depth to compete on both fronts. Those luxury signings are the kinds of deals MLS teams working around a salary cap really can’t make. Even with TAM, which functionally can nearly double the salary cap, the players signed using those mechanisms have to produce week-in, week-out as starters. In Mexico, they can be teams’ bench options for the bulk of the season.

That said, it still can be done. An MLS team can perform on the field and win CCL. Anything can happen in a tournament setting, and it’s too early to count out every MLS team in the tournament. Toronto FC dealt with a rash of injuries during its run to the final last season and fell just short of lifting the trophy. The time is coming for MLS to break Liga MX’s hegemony. When it happens, it won’t mean it’s the better league. But the lack of a trophy doesn’t mean MLS is garbage, either, just like Sporting Kansas City smashing Toluca in the round of 16 doesn’t mean MLS is far superior. 

There is still a clear gap between the top teams in the two leagues. MLS teams may be able to match some of the star power in the top, but until players 15-20 on the roster slots start competing with their Liga MX counterparts, the American league will continue to struggle on the international level.

The re-appointment of the legend has the club’s faithful excited for the future after a dismal few weeks

Zinedine Zidane could not have planned it any better.

Last summer he left Real Madrid a champion, having won the club’s third straight Champions League and now he has returned to salvage a team in crisis.

Zidane was re-appointed as Madrid’s head coach on Monday on a contract through 2022, returning to helm a ship that has gone off course under successors Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari.

Madrid sit third in La Liga, 12 points behind rivals Barcelona, having just endured a brutal stretch which saw them lose twice to Barca, as well as suffer elimination from both the Copa del Rey and Champions League.

While Zidane doesn’t have much of a chance to secure any silverware this year, there is plenty of hopr among the Madrid faithful that next year will be a return to glory for the club.

And if Twitter is any indication, there’s also plenty of respect from neutrals for the method at how Zidane managed his exit and now triumphant return. 

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After a disappointing run of form for the Ligue 1 side, the Netherlands star faces a potentially career-defining match at Camp Nou

Lyon attacker Memphis Depay has made no secret of his belief that his talents deserve the greatest stage.

Having had a taste of the big time playing for one of the game’s most famous clubs in the form of Manchester United, the 25-year-old Netherlands international is of the opinion that he warrants another shot with an elite outfit.

Of course, it is only just over two years since he left Old Trafford with his tail between his legs, sent packing to Lyon to try to rekindle what seemed like an ailing career.

If his confidence took a hit with that relative demotion, it is not apparent.

“I want to go to a club like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich,” he told Helden , speaking in January.

“I want to go to a city that suits me and a club that suits me, to a team that really wants to play football.”

Time remains on the side of the former PSV prodigy, of course, but on the field he has not yet proved himself worthy of such a challenge.

Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Barcelona at Camp Nou, however, is a stage on which he could transform his career.

His form for Lyon this season has been solid but not spectacular. A return of six goals and eight assists in Ligue 1 are not numbers readily associated with an attacker chasing a move to Europe’s top clubs, particularly as he has been pushed into the shadows by Nabil Fekir.

In recent weeks, meanwhile, even Moussa Dembele has proven himself a more reliable offensive weapon.

Furthermore, closer inspection of his numbers reveal that they are more damning than they initially appear.

Since December 1, he has only one goal and one assist in league play, while over the Ligue 1 campaign as a whole, he has not scored against opponents in the top nine and has just two assists in those matches.

He did manage three decisive passes against Manchester City in the group stages of the European Cup but, having been tasked with being Lyon’s chief attacking outlet against Barcelona three weeks ago in the absence of the suspended Fekir, he turned in a largely anonymous display.

This is a Lyon side that has performed satisfactorily this season but which has offered fleeting glimpses of thrilling football. There is a sense that they should have achieved more but have been undone by a lack of rigour and concentration. Memphis personifies all of these traits.

Although he was one of several key Lyon players rested for Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Strasbourg, when the concession of two goals inside two second-half minutes saw OL throw away a two-goal advantage in a frustratingly familiar manner, head coach Bruno Genesio will not be pinning his hopes on the Moordrecht native.

Instead, the Dutchman will be on the field as a wildcard; a player who could produce a tie-defining moment of brilliance.

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Encouragingly for Lyon and for Memphis, there are signs that he is coming back to his best after a period of three months in which he did not score.

A deflected free kick in a Coupe de France victory over Caen was the catalyst.

“It’s been a long time but today it happened,” Genesio sighed to Eurosport after the match. “He’s not given up, he’s played his part for the team and he’s been rewarded. It’ll do his confidence a lot of good.”

It certainly seems to have done the trick. That effort was followed up 10 days ago with the opening goal against Toulouse in a 5-1 rout, a superb strike in which he teased the defender before firing a curling shot into the corner from an improbable angle.

This moment of brilliance is the type to make highlight reels around Europe, to go viral on social media as perfect fodder for YouTube compilations, the type from which Memphis has made his name.

“It’s good for the confidence of the team to have a Memphis who plays well and who influences the match,” midfielder Lucas Tousart said after the Dutchman’s goal against Toulouse. “And to have a Memphis who scores, that will really make a difference.”

Come Wednesday, there will be no second chance. Barcelona are not a Toulouse or a Caen, and for a Lyon side that is taking up the role of underdogs, every opening must be maximised.

For OL, this is a potentially season-defining encounter, but for Memphis the stakes are higher; it could be career-defining.