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The Blues ace is considered to be one of the finest exponents of the holding role in world football, with the France international seeing his talents recognised with the 2016-17 PFA Player of the Year award. He is also chasing down back-to-back Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge, having helped Leicester City to a remarkable triumph last season. Kante’s lifetime of being ignored is over Puel, though, places Romeu in a similar bracket when it comes to importance and ability, with the 25-year-old having seen his efforts this term spark talk of a possible return to his roots at Barcelona....

Luis Enrique’s side thrashed Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 in their last game at Camp Nou to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League with an epic comeback after losing the first leg 4-0, but the Blaugrana lost ground in La Liga last weekend as they went down 2-1 at Deportivo La Coruna. Barca to face Juventus in Champions League quarter-finals Following Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Athletic Club on Saturday, the Catalans are now five points behind their fierce rivals at the top of the table....

An early red card shown to Elche captain Gonzalo Verdu only made things easier for Barcelona, who remain undefeated on the season with five straight wins following a season-opening 0-0 draw. If Real Madrid can’t defeat Atletico in Sunday’s Madrid derby, then the Blaugrana will be the La Liga leader entering October after the upcoming FIFA international break. Lewandowski opened the scoring with a clinical goal about 10 minutes before the halftime break, with an easy tap-in on a cross by left-back Alejandro Balde, who was active in attack....

There were previous reports that Switzer was a Trump supporter, so it seemed believable. But it turns out the meeting was made up because Switzer just wanted to have some fun. MORE: Sports figures that support Donald Trump Switzer told Politico he was shopping with his wife and daughter when they decided to check out the Trump Tower lobby. Media members staked out there asked Switzer what he was doing, and he “told them I was here to see the president like everyone else....

If it’s up to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, the DH will stay out of the NL as long as Bartolo Colon provides him with guaranteed giggles with his performance at the dish and on the base paths. MORE: Watch Colon’s infield single | Bart runs down Pierzynski “Not having National League pitchers hit would deprive us of the entertainment that Bartolo Colon has given us this year,” Manfred told reporters in Detroit, via MLB....

Del Piero perplexed by Bonucci to Milan Liverpool and Chelsea are said to be competing for the Gabon international’s signing, with Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian reportedly considering an €80 million offer before their transfer window closes. But Dortmund are hopeful of holding onto last season’s Bundesliga top scorer and Bartra feels doing so will be pivotal to their 2017-18 campaign. “Of course I hope Aubameyang stays,” he told Bild. “He is important not only for his goals, but also for the spirit of the team....

Last summer, the Baseball Hall of Fame tweaked its Veterans Committee process, dividing candidates into four subcommittees: Today’s Game Committee: considers players, managers, umpires and executives retired at least 15 years who made their greatest contributions after 1987; Modern Baseball Committee: looks at 1970-87; Golden Days Committee: looks at 1950-69; Early Days Committee: looks at everything prior to 1950. Allen’s career, which spanned 1963 to 1977, divides fairly neatly between the Golden Days and Modern Baseball committees....

Pitchers can be maddening to try to predict, mainly because there are so many factors out of their control that can ruin a season (and a bet) by mid-May. But just because you can't predict injuries or run support doesn't mean you can't find some value in the pitcher props recently released by the LVH SuperBook. The staff at Fantasy Source, The Linemakers’ partner here at Sporting News, is here to help....

The former Rockets star recalled his stay in Texas with great fondness during his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday. MORE: 2016 Hall class, in photos “I will always remember my time spent with the Houston Rockets as some of the best times of my life,” Yao told the crowd. The 7-6 Chinese sensation played in the NBA from 2002 through 2011, when injuries forced him to retire at age 30....

The ice cream has been available nationwide since November 1 and will be in stores through the end of November. It is the brand’s third vegan ice cream. In August, Baskin-Robbins launched two vegan ice creams, the Non-Dairy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, made with cookie dough pieces, chocolate chunks, and a chocolate ribbon, and the Non-Dairy Chocolate Extreme, made with chocolate chunks and a chocolate ribbon. Jeanne Bolger, Director of Research and Development at Baskin-Robbins, said in a statement: “The Baskin-Robbins culinary team has been hard at work on our non-dairy flavors for over two years....

Sluggish Barcelona must improve The Mirror reports that the 32-year-old outcast had hoped to keep up his match fitness ahead of finding a new club by playing some minutes for United’s other sides, after being told he was not in Mourinho’s first-team plans. However, it looks like Schweinsteiger has again been foiled despite the Sunday People claiming reserve boss Warren Joyce had requested for the World Cup winner’s services in the Under-23 Premier League....

The photo was shared in Reddit’s “Mildly Infuriating” forum by u/heichousbleach, an anonymous poster from Australia, who wrote: “My [workplace] doesn’t allow you to use a toilet as a toilet.” The post has garnered over 49,000 upvotes and thousands of comments from Redditors calling the sign “ridiculous.” The sign read: “Ladies…This toilet is to be used for PEEING only. If you need to create a smell please use the plaza toilets upstairs or the toilet across the road at Rydges!...

The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, already a home to some big-screen vehicles, is opening a new exhibit with these cars and more, starting March 12. The new exhibit will highlight some of the best pieces from the “Hollywood Dream Machines: Vehicles of Science Fiction and Fantasy” display from 2020 (the largest exhibition of its kind in the world). It will also include some surprise additions as the museum is branching out to include an even-broader range of cars....

The Belgium international was less than impressed to learn that he was given an initial score of 80 by the game makers ahead of the eagerly-anticipated release of their latest offering. EA Sports responded by telling Batshuayi that they would be willing to reconsider their marks if he continued to find the target. The 23-year-old was quick to remind them of that fact after netting a hat-trick in a 5-1 Carabao Cup victory for Chelsea over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday....

How will Trump’s travel ban affect World Cup bid? With the World Cup set to expand to 48 teams from 32 for the 2026 competition, Rummenigge points to the infrastructure in place and passion for the game in the U.S. as positives in the country’s attempt to bring tournament back to American soil for the first time since 1994. “In my network, the United States are mentioned suspiciously often,” Rummenigge told Sport Bild....

Both wingers have been linked with moves to Asia in the recent past, but have opted to remain in Europe. dabblebet: The latest Bundesliga title odds Neither have offered any indication that they intend to head to the Far East any time soon, but they have been warned that the opportunity to take advantage of such riches may have passed them by. Ribery and Robben are now 34 and 33 years of age respectively, with the CSL eager to move away from veteran performers and towards players with potential to contribute in the present and future....

‘Alexis unsure over Aresenal renewal’ Before the Bundesliga mid-season break, Ingolstadt defeated RB Leipzig by a goal, allowing Bayern to go top of the table. A month later, the Bavarian side lead Leipzig by just three points, but Rummenigge is a man of his word, and delivered Ingolstadt’s reward to the club. On Tuesday, he visited Ingolstadt’s office to present a truck filled with pretzels and Bavarian veal sausages (weisswurst) - enough to feed 80 people!...

Liverpool to face Bayern at Audi Cup An eagle-eyed Facebook user noticed the the lettering on the club’s crest had changed in recent post sent out from the German champions’ official account. Bayern responded to the user, confirming that the logo had indeed been modified with a slightly different font and that the colours had been updated. A graphic designer who is affiliated with the club, Daniel Nyari, commented on Twitter that the red is now warmer, the the blue is darker and that the angle Bavarian lozenges has changed...

A new sign that includes the acronym RMRM, for “Real men respect women,” was placed at the entrance to the team’s practice facility this week. MORE: Heinous crimes connected to athletes The photo was taken Tuesday, two days after a female Baylor student accused former BU defensive end and NFL Draft hopeful Shawn Oakman of sexually assaulting her at Oakman’s off-campus residence in Waco, Texas. MORE: Student sues BU, says claims were mishandled According to the Dallas Morning News, Baylor has posted signs at the entrance to the practice facility for years with core messages....

The Big 12 announced Thursday that it had accepted the program’s self-imposed punishment for Jeff Lebby, who ended up on the sideline during Oklahoma’s game against Tulsa last week, according to Yahoo Sports. MORE: Big 12 Power Rankings | Conference rankings | Week 4 picks Baylor and Oklahoma play Nov. 14. Lebby, Baylor’s passing game coordinator, also was publicly reprimanded by the conference. He was given a credential by Tulsa coach Phillip Montgomery, a former Baylor assistant....