Coming off the back of a Clasico victory, Ernesto Valverde is set to make changes to his Barca side for the Copa del Rey encounter

Barcelona made history last April when they became the first club to reach the landmark figure of 30 Copa del Rey titles with a stunning 5-0 win over Sevilla at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid.

No club gets close to Barca in terms of history in the competition, with Athletic Club’s 23 wins next on the roll of honour before Real Madrid come in third with 19.

On Wednesday, Ernesto Valderve’s side will begin their quest to again show their dominance in the knockout tournament as they travel to face third-tier outfit Cultural Leonesa in the last 32, which is played over two legs.

Relegated from the Segunda Division last season, they have little of the history that their opponents boast, having reached the last 16 three times, though most recently in 1959-60.

In the USA, this match will be available to watch on beIN Sports 1 and to stream on beIN Sports Connect.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be broadcast live.

Despite winning 3-1 against Inter de Madrid at the weekend, changes are forecast in the Cultural Leonesa side.

They are notably without their captain, Antonio Martinez, who is banned.

Possible Leonesa XI: Diarra; Saul, S. Gonzalez, Romero, Viti; Bernal, Marcos; Rodriguez, Delgado, Liberto; Ortiz

Barcelona will be without long-term defensive injury absentees Thomas Vermaelen and Samuel Umtiti while Lionel Messi will also be on the sidelines once again due to a broken arm. Gerard Pique is rested, meaning the club will rely on youth in central defense.

Valverde has called up seven players from the ‘B’ ranks for this clash, Inaki Pena, Alena, Miranda, Riqui Puig, Cuenca and Chumi, but competition rules mean that there must be at least seven players from the first team on the field at all times. 

Jasper Cillessen has been ill, but the goalkeeper starts as part of that seven.

Possible Barcelona XI: Cillessen Semedo, Chumi, Cuenca Miranda, Vidal, Samper, Denis,Malcom, Munir, Dembele.

Barcelona are huge 1/10 favourites to win the game according to bet365 . Cultural can be backed at 20/1, while the draw is priced at 17/2.

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

Fresh from a 5-0 Clasico victory over Real Madrid on Sunday, which accounted for Blancos boss Julen Lopetegui, Barcelona are in high spirits as they make the trip to Leon for their opening Copa del Rey match of the season.

Even the absence of Messi did not stop Valverde’s side from flexing their offensive muscles at Camp Nou at the weekend, but against more modest opposition they have elected to give some star names the night off, among them hat-trick hero Luis Suarez.

The coach has, however, warned of the dangers of complacency ahead of this fixture and has underlined the value he has placed on the competition.

“The cup is a very important competition. I don’t understand the idea of not going for one tournament to focus on another,” he said.

“We need to avoid surprises and play a good game because our opponents will be playing at 200%,

“We are expecting a rival who will try to play well, taking the ball from behind. They can count on the enthusiasm of the crowd, and it’s a difficult game for us in that sense.

“The opponent has a lot to gain, it’s a massive game for them.”

Cultural’s last experience at this round of the Copa del Rey, however, was not a happy one. In 2016-17, they faced Real Madrid and were thumped 7-1 in the first left before going down 13-2 on aggregate after a 6-1 loss at the Bernabeu in the second.

If they could keep things competitive for the return match on December 5, that would be seen as a victory in itself.

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The Socceroo’s all-time leading goal scorer will don the green and gold one final time

Tim Cahill will play his final game for the Socceroos as Australia get one final hit out before the Asian Cup against Lebanon at ANZ Stadium on November 20.

After retiring from international duty after the 2018 World Cup, Cahill has been given the chance to bow out in style on home soil with Graham Arnold set to deploy him off the bench late on.

Australia and Lebanon have played just once before with the green and gold claiming a comfortable 3-0 win in 2012.

In Australia, the match can be watched live on Fox Sports through the Foxtel platform and via free-to-air on Channel 10.

You can stream the game through either the Foxtel Go or Play platform – just bear in mind both services are subscription based.

The Socceroos are strong favourites to win going at odds of $1.22 with the draw valued at $6 and a Lebanon upset at $13.

A 2-0 victory to Australia is the most likely margin of victory going at an even $5.

Though the Socceroos struggled to find the back of the net against Korea Republic, goals are expected in this one with over 2.5 goals being struck valued at $1.80.

All odds courtesy of Bet365 and correct at the time of publishing. 

The Socceroos will have one final chance to impress before the 2019 Asian Cup against a Lebanon side desperate to pull off an upset.

While Lebanon did lose their last game to Kuwait, a side Australia beat 4-0 in October, prior to that they had gone 16 games unbeaten with a 1-0 win over Jordan in September the highlight. 

Currently 82nd in the world, Lebanon are a team on the rise having been as low as 147th in 2016.

The green and gold will however back themselves to win comfortably and will have added reason to deliver to ensure Cahill is sent off in style.

The veteran striker is expected to be introduced late in the match and you’d be a brave man to bet against him scoring a trademark header to seal a fitting farewell from the international game. 

Despite dominating for long periods against Korea Republic, a lack of sharpness in front of goal meant the Socceroos had to wait until the final minute to equalise on Saturday. 

With the number nine position still up for grabs, goals against Lebanon will be crucial for any player keen to stake their claim. 

Playing with a renewed emphasis on attack, Arnold’s new-look Socceroos could well run riot should they go ahead early and shake off their cobwebs in front of goal. 

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The forward is a special player for club and country according to the France boss

France coach Didier Deschamps once again sung the praises of Kylian Mbappe after the star’s stunning start to the season.

Mbappe, 19, has scored 13 goals and provided six assists in 12 games in all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain to begin the campaign.

The attacker is a contender to win the Ballon d’Or and Deschamps – whose team face Netherlands and Uruguay later this month – again lauded Mbappe.

“Kylian is able to do extraordinary things. Look at his stats. He is efficient. Look at the goals he scored with his club and with us. He also made assists,” he told a news conference on Thursday.

“He is a young player, who is doing very well at the moment. And he doesn’t ask anything. He is an offensive leader for PSG. For us as well.

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“But he doesn’t try to take more space than he does now. He does already and it is natural.

“Obviously, he can still improve and that is wonderful. But he is already very effective.”

Mbappe discussed his candidacy for the Ballon d’Or on Thursday, saying he’s done everything he can to earn the award this year while adding that he will have no regrets should the votes not go his way.

World champions France take on Netherlands in the Nations League on November 16 before facing Uruguay in a friendly four days later.

The Tottenham playmaker has been easing himself back after injury but says he is raring to go again ahead of Denmark’s Nations League games

Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen says he feels ‘fresh’ as he eases back to full fitness.

The Dane, 26, is returning from an abdominal injury and has played a full 90 minutes just twice – both times in the Champions League – since in mid-October.

He was used as a substitute in the Premier League games against West Ham, Manchester City and Wolves, and did not make it off the bench in Tottenham’s 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Eriksen admits his body needed a rest but moved to allay concerns he would overdo it on international duty after a busy summer during which Denmark made it to the last 16 of the World Cup.

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Ahead of his country’s Nations League clashes with Wales and the Republic of Ireland, he told Sky Sports: “I feel very good, very fresh. I haven’t played that many games so I think for my body it’s been good with a bit of a build-up going into every game.

“My body needed it, it said take a rest. It’s never fun to be injured, it’s always boring being on the side, you want to go back to help the team and to be able to play. I’m happy to be back.”

Eriksen is aware Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino would rather he continued to build his fitness with his club than be on international duty.

But he added: “Any coach in football doesn’t like national team games because it’s out of your hands, you can’t really control what’s going to happen.

“It’s different, but he knows as a player it’s there – he did that as a player as well so he knows how it is.

“As a player you want to play for your national team, if you’re fit, you play, if you’re not fit, you don’t play. I think everyone is professional enough.

“Personally, as well, if I’m fit and feel good I will play, it won’t take anything out of that. It’s always a pleasure to be with your national team.”

Denmark visit Wales on November 16 and host the Republic of Ireland on November 19.

Adam Le Fondre’s scoring touch deserted him on Saturday and Sydney FC could not hold on for a scrappy win at Newcastle Jets.

Substitute Nick Cowburn scored a late equaliser as Newcastle Jets held A-League leaders Sydney FC to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

The struggling Jets – bottom of the table ahead of this clash – looked set to come up short against the 2017-18 premiers after Alex Brosque’s scrappy first-half effort, only for Cowburn to net three minutes from time.

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Adam Le Fondre’s scoring streak ended at six games in all competitions and Sydney were instead grateful for some generous goalkeeping as they opened the scoring.

Rhyan Grant delivered from the right and Brosque, getting across his man, headed goalwards, the ball squirming under a despairing Glen Moss.

However, Newcastle grew into the contest and ended well on top, seeing a Ronald Vargas penalty appeal turned down before Cowburn directed Dimitri Petratos’ free-kick inside the near post.

Elsewhere, Brisbane Roar battled back from two behind to claim a 2-2 draw at Western Sydney Wanderers.

Brisbane – winless this season – trailed to an early Oriol Riera double, but Alex Lopez’s strike late in the first half brought the visitors back into the contest.

And when Eric Bautheac was felled in the area shortly after the break, Adam Taggart netted from the penalty spot to earn a share of the spoils.

The Red Devils have picked up late winners against Bournemouth and Juventus respectively in their last two games, coming from 1-0 down both times

Jose Mourinho has praised the collective personality of Manchester United’s squad ahead of his side’s clash with rivals Manchester City.

The Red Devils have picked up a number of results after coming from behind in recent weeks, netting twice late on against Juventus to win 2-1 and hitting back from a goal down against Bournemouth to pick up three points last weekend, Marcus Rashford scoring a stoppage time winner on that occasion.

After early season problems and a well-publicised fall out between Mourinho and Paul Pogba, the United camp looked to be rife with disruption, so their recent turnaround has come as a surprise to many.

When asked what is behind the last-gasp goal scoring of late, Mourinho praised the character among his players.

“It’s the collective personality,” he told Manchester United’s official website. “I don’t go in the direction of individual personalities; I don’t go in the direction of, ‘I try to create this on my players’.

“I think it’s a collective feeling that everybody is having. It probably comes with the Manchester United DNA. That is something that probably the shirts keep and when you wear it, you have it.

“So even when the moment is difficult, even when the team is not playing very well – which is not the case, because recently our results are a consequence of playing really well – but I think it’s something that’s in this group’s DNA.

“The boys are friends, the boys are proud and when things are not going well, they never say: ‘The game is over’.”

After a run of four games without a win at the end of September and beginning of October, the outlook for Mourinho looked bleak and many fans were calling for the manager to be sacked.

But a 3-2 win against Newcastle United, in which the Reds came back from 2-0 down, steadied the ship somewhat, and United have not lost in the Premier League since.

Mourinho emphatically celebrated the victory over Juventus on Wednesday and made a gesture to the opposition fans by raising his hand to his ear at the final whistle. Former United defender Gary Neville said that reaction showed determination in itself.

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The France international believes that the Ligue 1 champions still have some growing to do before they can truly challenge Europe’s elite teams

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe believes that the club is still heading in the right direction, though he admits that they are not yet at a level where they can realistically challenge for the Champions League. 

The French side were bought by Oryx Qatar Sports Investments‎ in 2011 and have been on a upward trajectory ever since, having won five of the last six Ligue 1 titles and looking odds on to dominate the domestic league again this season. 

But PSG have repeatedly come up short in Europe’s top competition, where they fell at the round of 16 to Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid across the last two seasons. 

And while the star-studded side are 13 points clear at the top of the league table following a record-breaking start to their campaign in France, the Champions League is proving a far tougher task once again. 

PSG sit third in their group behind Liverpool and Napoli, with the Premier League side next up on their European schedule.

Despite the club’s ambition of being Champions League winner, young star Mbappe thinks there is still growth needed in the side before they can truly challenge the top teams in Europe, though he does say the continent’s top prize will “become their goal at some point.”

“The club hasn’t stopped growing since the new owners arrived, and we players must evolve together with the club before we can think about winning a Champions League, that’s the final step (in the process),” he told ESPN.

“The club is very conscious about these steps and, if everyone plays their part, it will come naturally.

“But, with our potential, of course the Champions League will become our goal at some point.”

Mbappe also pointed to a growing relationship with star man Neymar as a step in the right direction for both him and the club. 

Mbappe and Neymar both joined the club in the summer of 2017, and while communication was difficult between the two in their early days together, the teenager believes they have built a strong bond between them. 

“We began talking since before I arrived at PSG, he was there already and knew I was coming too,” he said. 

“He asked when I’d arrive, and how. It wasn’t always an easy relationship, because both me and him didn’t speak good English in the beginning, and he didn’t speak any French. Now we can talk, and with communication the affinities come naturally.”

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France’s World Cup-winning squad should produce the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner, according to Kylian Mbappe.

Kylian Mbappe believes a member of France’s World Cup-winning squad deserves to win the 2018 Ballon d’Or next month.

The winner of France Football’s annual award will be announced on December 3, with six of Didier Deschamps’ squad from Russia 2018 in the running.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – who have both won the award five times in the last decade – are also in contention, although many expect their duopoly to come to an end.

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Belgium and Chelsea star Eden Hazard has been praised by some, while Luka Modric has been backed to add the accolade to his The Best FIFA Men’s Player award.

Mbappe, who was crowned best young player at the World Cup, is also a hot favourite, but he would be happy to miss out as long as one of his international team-mates wins.

“There are many good candidates this year,” he told a media conference. “Many players can win it. 

“I hope the winner will be French. It will be a reward for our adventure [the World Cup]. 

“But it is so close [the results will be so close], I can’t make any prediction.”

While reluctant to put himself in the frame, Mbappe has seen his chances talked up by a rival for the most prestigious of personal accolades.

Hazard told RTBF: “I do not deserve the Ballon d’Or. I think there are players who have been better than me.

“I would have said Luka Modric, but he plays a little less well since August or September, so if we take into account the beginning of the season, I would say Kylian Mbappe.

“The goal for me is not to have the Ballon d’Or, it is to maximise fun on the pitch. If I win it one day, so much the better, if I don’t it, it will not be a problem.”

The Spurs winger has been singing the praises of a current club colleague while discussing the likelihood of taking in a lengthy stay in north London

Moussa Sissoko considers Tottenham team-mate Harry Winks to be of “the same profile” as Steven Gerrard, with Spurs and England hoping to see that potential fulfilled.

A 22-year-old talent in north London enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2016-17 as he nailed down a regular role for Spurs.

Senior international recognition arrived in the following campaign, with Winks being tipped to reach the very top of the game.

Fitness issues have held him back since then, but the highly-rated midfielder is back in favour for club and country, and earning comparisons to an iconic former England and Liverpool captain.

“At our place, there is little Harry Winks,” Tottenham winger Sissoko told Foot Mercato on the exciting talents emerging in English football.

“He is a very good player who reminds me of Steven Gerrard. I think he has the same profile. 

“He is evolving. From day to day, we see him evolve, progress. He is confident. He is in the England team so that proves that he is a quality player. He is the young player that will explode in the years to come.”

Sissoko will be hoping to stick around at Spurs and witness Winks’ ongoing development, with the France international having overcome a testing start to his time in north London to become a key man for Mauricio Pochettino.

“I feel good in Tottenham. I am well settled,” he added after generating plenty of transfer talk.

“Everything’s going well for me. I am with my little family. They feel good about it. I think that’s the most important thing. 

“You can tell me that each transfer window you hear my name, but I have always been good in my head. There will always be noises from outside but when you are solid in your head, when you know what you want and where you want to go, there is no need to worry about the future.”

Sissoko admits that he would “not be against” a return to Ligue 1 at some stage, having come through the ranks at Toulouse, but he is contracted to Tottenham until 2021.

Pressed on whether he expects to see out that deal, the 29-year-old said: “If I say yes, I would be lying. If I say no, I would be lying too because in football everything goes fast. 

“I can say no and then tomorrow something happens, the club wants to sell me or I want to leave. It’s hard to answer that question. I live from day to day. For the moment.

“I feel good and it is the most important thing. I try to keep moving forward and growing. We’ll see what happens in the future. But for now, I do not have the head elsewhere.”

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He added: “I do not know if I will go back to France or not. Will anyone want me in France? That’s the question. I do not know. 

“I feel good in England. Since I started playing football, I always said that I hoped to play in England because it is the championship that corresponds most to my qualities, and I do not think I was wrong. 

“We’ll see what happens later. I feel good and I hope to stay here for a very long time.”

The Austria winger refused to be drawn on speculation linking him with a January exit

Marko Arnautovic has refused to comment on reports he could leave West Ham in the January transfer window. 

Arnautovic has impressed for the Hammers so far this season, scoring five goals in 10 Premier League matches.

That has led to speculation the former Stoke man could seek to leave the London Stadium when the winter window opens.

The 29-year-old fuelled talk of a January exit last week by telling an Austrian newspaper that he wanted to “compete with the very best”.

Then Arnautovic’s agent, his brother Daniel, suggested a host of top sides in England are monitoring his situation.

Chelsea and Everton were two sides mentioned as possible destinations, while a return to Serie A – where Arnautovic had a short loan spell with Inter Milan during the 2009-10 season – was also mooted.

But when asked about his Hammers future after Austria’s late win over Northern Ireland, Arnautovic was non-committal, saying:

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“I don’t want to talk about it. I am concentrated on West Ham.

“We have a big game against Manchester City on Saturday and I am only thinking about this game and the following games and what is being said is not my business.”

The game at Windsor Park looked to be heading for a draw after Corey Evans had cancelled out Xaver Schlager’s opener.

However, a stoppage-time strike from Valentino Lazaro secured a dramatic victory for the visitors.

The result had no impact on their Nations League progress however, with Franco Foda’s side already guaranteed to finish second in Group B3 behind winners Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Arnautovic was a 71st minute substitute for Austria after initially being considered a doubt for the game in Belfast with a knee injury.

The winger has trained away from his teammates in the build-up to the game, but reassured West Ham supporters about his fitness ahead of their huge Premier League clash with champions Manchester City on Saturday.

“I will be OK. Two days in a row was a bit too much but the gaffer asked me to play the last 25 minutes if needed, and it was needed. I am glad I could help.”