Quique Setien described being appointed Barcelona coach as being beyond his wildest dreams , calling the role the highest accolade in world football.

Setien – who left Real Betis in May 2019 – was named Barca coach in something of a surprise appointment on Monday following Ernesto Valverde s departure.

Barca great Xavi had been strongly linked with the job, though reportedly turned down the offer to succeed Valverde at this stage in the season.

And having been handed the opportunity to manage one of the world s biggest clubs, ex-Las Palmas coach Setien – who acknowledged his shock at the speed of the move – is convinced his eagerness for the job will be easy to transmit to Barca s star-studded squad, even if it will be impossible to improve on the team …

Bruno Fernandes scored twice as Manchester United beat Real Sociedad 4-0 in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie.

Fernandes took his tally to 33 goals in all competitions for the Red Devils to put Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s men in charge inside the first hour.

The LaLiga side had posed a threat at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, where the match was being held due to coronavirus travel restrictions, but Marcus Rashford and Daniel James struck before Amad Diallo was granted his debut late on, meaning United go into next week s return leg in a commanding position.

Former United man Adnan Januzaj curled a shot just wide of the right-hand post and Dean Henderson had to save smartly from Alexander Isak, those chances coming either side of a wasted Rashford opport…

Best odds: 11/10

Bookmaker:

The Premier League returns to action in England following a round of FA Cup matches, and on Wednesday evening, Fulham will be welcoming neighbours Chelsea to Craven Cottage. It looks strange from either point of view, but it will be a genuine mid-table clash.

Fulham

Fulham and Norwich City have been widely regarded by the neutral lovers of the game in England among those clubs that repeatedly move between the top two tiers. Last season, Norwich were in the Premier League and Fulham were in the Championship, and now it s the other way around. The difference is, this time, Fulham look like they mean business regarding their efforts not to go down again.

At the moment, the Cottagers are in seventh place with 28 points, the same …

Inter Milan are interested in signing Bernd Leno from Arsenal next summer, according to . The Germany international goalkeeper is out of contract at Premier League club Arsenal at the end of the season, and defending Italian champions Inter want to sign him on a free transfer then.

Leno has been on the books of Arsenal since 2018 and is the first-choice goalkeeper at the North London club at the moment. The Germany international, though, will face stiff competition from Aaron Ramsdale. The English goalkeeper joined the Gunners from Sheffield United in the summer transfer window.

German goalkeeper Leno has yet to sign a new contract at Arsenal, and Ramsdale joining the Gunners suggests that he will leave next summer. Samir Handanovic is the first-choice goalkeeper at Int…

Monaco have agreed a deal with Chelsea to bring Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas to Ligue 1.

The 31-year-old had been out of favour at Stamford Bridge this season and, with his contract expiring in June, has departed for the French top flight on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

Fabregas joined Chelsea from Barcelona in 2014 and had initially been a key player for Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, winning the Premier League title under both.

However, Maurizio Sarri s arrival ahead of 2018-19 effectively spelled the end of Fabregas Chelsea career, as the Italian brought in his former Napoli midfielder Jorginho, who instantly took the Spaniard s position.

The transfer brings Fabregas long association with English football to an end, at least for the time being, ha…

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti bemoaned one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history, the Italian believing his side did not deserve to lose to giant-slaying debutants Sheriff.

Sheriff caused a boilover at the Santiago Bernabeu, where the Champions League debutants and Moldovan visitors won 2-1 on Tuesday.

Jasurbek Yakhshiboev opened the scoring with a powerful header in the first half, before Karim Benzema s emphatic penalty levelled the scores for Madrid.

But Sebastien Thill rifled home a stunning effort from the edge of the box in the 89th minute to hand the Moldovan outfit a dramatic win in Madrid.

Los Blancos had 31 shots, hitting the target with 11, and recorded over 75 per cent possession, while Sheriff took just four shots, but c…

Memphis Depay has links to Manchester United and he might be able to help out his former club.

Depay spent two years at United but struggled before leaving for Ligue 1 outfit Lyon in 2017.

The Netherlands international has since flourished in France, and he could now play a role in United bringing Jadon Sancho to Manchester.

TOP STORY – DORTMUND WANT DEPAY AS SANCHO REPLACEMENT

Manchester United s bid to sign Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho could hinge on Lyon captain Memphis Depay, according to The Sun.

Sancho has been tipped to leave Bundesliga side Dortmund for Premier League giants United in a blockbuster transfer this off-season.

Former United forward Depay has emerged as a possible replacement for Sancho at Dortmun…

Best odds: 31/20

Bookmaker:

Having won the first leg by 3-0, Barcelona travel to England on Tuesday for the rematch against Liverpool in the Champions League semifinal.

Liverpool

The Merseysiders are still involved in the races for two of the biggest trophies the Premier League as well as the Champions League, and though they seem to be the underdogs in both, the mere fact that there still there compared to where they were just a few years ago is stunning. The job Jurgen Klopp has done since taking over the reigns is indisputably remarkable, despite the fact that they still haven t won a trophy in that time.

They ve proven that they can play with the best and play and equal game at that (or more), and many have agreed that the scoreline from the first l…

According to , Napoli have no intention of entering into any discussions with any club about a potential sale of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at this point, despite some rumours suggesting otherwise. They are completely focused on completing the campaign and winning the Scudetto and have no desire to allow any potential transfer talks to turn the head of one of their most important players.

The Georgian winger, who played for Rubin Kazan only a year ago and was allowed to leave following Russia s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, spent the remainder of last season with Dinamo Batumi in his homeland, and Napoli snapped his services up in the summer for as little as €10million. It has proven an extremely shrewd acquisition, with Kvaratskhelia now considered among the best wingers in …

Aaron Ramsey and Kieffer Moore insisted Wales will not fear facing any of their potential opponents on home soil in the World Cup play-offs for Qatar 2022.

Wales finished second in Group E to earn home advantage in March s play-offs after they fought back from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Belgium on Tuesday.

Kevin De Bruyne had put Belgium ahead early in the game before Moore equalised just after the half hour.

Moore s goal was his eighth for Wales since making his international debut in September 2019 – more than any other Wales player in that time.

It s so important to get a home draw, Moore told Sky Sports.

If you look at the teams that have come in second, the likes of Portugal and Italy it s been a bit nervy. But nights like this, I d b…