Messi fundamental to Barca - Iniesta

Lionel Messi remains the key to Barcelona challenging for honours over the next few years, according to team-mate Andres Iniesta.

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta feels the future of Lionel Messi is "fundamental" to the club's ability to compete both domestically and in Europe over the coming years.

The Argentina captain - who marked his 300th Liga appearance with a hat-trick in Sunday's 5-0 win over Levante - has seen his future become the subject of much discussion in recent months.

An apparent disagreement with coach Luis Enrique, coupled with suggestions from Messi that he did not know where he would be playing next season, fuelled rumours the 27-year-old may leave Camp Nou.

However, Iniesta told FIFA.com: "I hope and wish that Leo can be with Barca for a long time, because he has been, is and will be fundamental to our competing for honours. That's my sole desire."

While Sunday's win extended Barca's winning streak to 11 matches in all competitions, the last few months have been somewhat tumultuous for the Catalan giants.

With a court case ongoing with regards to alleged tax fraud surrounding the signing of Neymar and the club subject to a transfer ban in 2015 for broken rules in relation to the signing of youth players, Iniesta acknowledged it has been difficult to keep focus.

"Look, there's no denying that when there's so much talk on the outside and when it’s not about football or your play, it can affect things," he added.

"You try, or at least should try, to ignore all of that because a lot of it isn't true. The sheer number of reports can annoy you. That said, we know we're at a club where a lot is asked of you, where everything is magnified tenfold. 

"There are so many opinions and a lot of things can come from that. When things aren't going exactly to plan, then we have to deal with those kind of situations.

"The only way we can change that and make the public more settled is by playing well and winning.

"That way they forget a bit about all the stuff on the outside and focus instead on what their players are doing on the pitch."

Van Gaal hails ´unbelievable´ United spirit

Louis van Gaal was pleased with Manchester United's character after they came from behind to beat Preston North End in the FA Cup.

Louis van Gaal felt Manchester United's "unbelievable" spirit and a change of tactics were behind their FA Cup fifth-round fightback at Preston North End on Monday.

Preston manager Simon Grayson masterminded a famous FA Cup victory over United during his tenure at Leeds United in 2010 and he must have been dreaming of another shock win when Scott Laird put the League One side in front just after half-time at Deepdale.

United avoided an upset, though, as Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini marked their recalls to the starting line-up with goals before Wayne Rooney struck from the spot after he had been upended by Preston goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann to seal a 3-1 win.

Van Gaal opted to replace the ineffective Radamel Falcao with Ashley Young and employ Fellaini as a striker alongside Rooney, who started in a more familiar role as a striker rather than in midfield.

Young laid on the first goal for Herrera and Fellaini put United in front, so Van Gaal was pleased to see his switch pay dividends as United set up a mouth-watering quarter-final at Arsenal next month.

The former Netherlands coach told BBC Sport: "I was satisfied [with the second half performance]. But also about the first half I was really satisfied.

"It is always difficult in such games, especially with long balls and fights between the centre-halves and [Preston striker Kevin] Davies. 

"In the second half the goal was a little bit unlucky, it was deviated also I think. But after then we showed an unbelievable team spirit.

"Then we changed the shape and that was the solution I think. We also scored fantastic goals, a little bit lucky also I think. The second goal [Antonio] Valenica's cross to the second post for Fellaini I liked a lot. I was very happy for Valencia."

Arsenal to face United in FA Cup quarter-finals

Arsenal will face Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in the pick of this season's FA Cup quarter-final ties.

Holders Arsenal will be at home to Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals next month.

Arsene Wenger's side have been in fine form in the 2014-15 competition, beating last season's final opponents Hull City, Brighton and Hove Albion as well as Middlesbrough on Sunday with little fuss, though a home defeat to Louis van Gaal's men already this term will keep them sharp.

United booked their place in the last eight with a 3-1 win at Preston North End on Monday. 

Liverpool's quest to help Steven Gerrard see off his Anfield career with a Wembley final appearance goes on at home to Blackburn Rovers.

Gerrard, set to leave for LA Galaxy in July, will turn 35 on the day of the final and many of his team-mates have already discussed wanting to secure the trophy as a fitting send-off to the midfielder.

Blackburn displayed their credentials on the weekend, however, comfortably seeing off top-flight Stoke City 4-1 at Ewood Park - Josh King's hat-trick headlining the win.

At least one Football League team is guaranteed a trip to Wembley in the semi-finals as Bradford City, the lowest ranked remaining side in the competitions, will welcome Reading to Valley Parade after beating Chelsea and Sunderland to progress to the last eight. 

Bradford reached the League Cup final in 2013 and the League One outfit boast a proud record of having never lost at home in a cup competition under manager - and former Reading fan favourite - Phil Parkinson, a sequence that was extended to 12 matches following a 2-0 win over Sunderland on Sunday

The remaining ties sees Villa Park play host to a Midlands derby as Aston Villa and West Brom renew rivalries. 

The ties will take place over the weekend of March 7/8.

Why I signed Yakubu – Reading boss

Reading boss Steve Clarke said Yakubu Aiyegbeni’s winner in the FA Cup on Saturday was exactly why he brought the striker to the club.

The frontman has only played 38 minutes so far in a Reading shirt, but made a bit of history by putting the Royals into the quarter finals for only the fourth time since they were formed in 1871.

It was a superb finish from the 32-year-old, and Steve said on the club’s website, “We knew what we were getting when we signed him, Yak’s a goalscorer and we brought him in for games like that, when it’s open and you know you’re going to create chances towards the end.

“It was a great pass from Hal, who also took his goal very well. You expect Yak to hit the target there, nine times out of 10 he scores and thankfully today was one of the nine.

“The goal was exactly why I put him on. He came on midweek, got a good introduction to the Championship when he took an elbow to the face and broke his nose. But we fixed him up and he still looks gorgeous. It’s not a surprise when he scores in that situation.”

Overall it was a super team display with grit, resilience and also chances created – traits of the Clarke era so far.

He continued, “We’ve had three difficult away games in the cup but each time the fans have gone home happy which is a little bit of joy in a difficult season.

“We’d take anybody next – home or away. We look forward to the draw, but the game is three weeks away, we’ve got five league games before then, first of all Wigan on Tuesday.”

“There’s still work to do in the Championship, we’re seven points off the bottom and we need to secure our position.

“The play-offs look too far, so we’ve given the supporters a run to the quarter final and it would be nice to go further.”

Mourinho no sympathy for PSG´s busy schedule

Jose Mourinho brushed aside talk about Paris Saint-Germain's busy schedule, citing Chelsea's own hectic fixture list.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has laughed off suggestions that Paris Saint-Germain could be fatigued ahead of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

The Premier League leaders visit the reigning Ligue 1 champions in the first leg in Paris on Tuesday for what represents PSG's sixth game in 18 days.

For Chelsea, it is only a fourth in that time period, but Mourinho pointed to PSG's mid-season break as a mitigating factor.

"When the French players were on holiday we played five games in 10 days so don't speak to me about game accumulation," he said in a media conference on Monday.

Mourinho also confirmed that top scorer Diego Costa will return to Chelsea's starting line-up, after missing the last three domestic games for a stamp on Liverpool's Emre Can.

"Yes, I start him," he said. "I don't think it's good for a player to be three weeks or three matches without starting a game."

The Portuguese refused to be drawn on whether Thibaut Courtois or Petr Cech will start in goal and is unsure about Real Madrid and Bayern Munich being given the tag of favourites to win the tournament.

"No. I don't agree, at all. I don't agree because the Champions League is a space for surprises," he said.

Chelsea faced PSG in the quarter-finals last year, when a late Demba Ba strike saw them through on away goals following a 3-1 defeat in Paris and a 2-0 victory in the return leg.

Hazard: Mourinho wants me to score like Messi and Ronaldo

A goalscoring record in line with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is what Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho would like to see from Eden Hazard.

Eden Hazard says Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho would like to see him become more prolific in front of goal and become more like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Belgium international has scroed nine goals in 25 league appearances for the Stamford Bridge outfit this season, compared to 26 in 23 for Barcelona's Messi and 28 in 20 for Ronaldo of Real Madrid.

And Hazard has revealed Mourinho is keen to see him find the net more frequently. 

"Jose Mourinho would like for me to score more," he is quoted as saying by The Mirror. "Us forwards need to score and to pass. But I think I compensate for that given how many chances I create.

"I'm fouled a lot, there are a lot of free-kicks and penalties that I win. But he'd like me to score more, like those great players [Messi and Ronaldo] who score two or three times each game.

"What strikes me the most is that Mourinho leaves us to it. He doesn't put much pressure on us, he takes it on him and he lets us play.

"Obviously when we don't win he's not happy and you can see it during the week in training, but he doesn't do our heads in saying 'No, do this, do that' every second.

"He lets us express ourselves on the pitch, he observes and from time to time he sees that we need a little push, so he says something honestly, whether it’s good or not good.

"Everyone respects him, he's won everything and he still wants to win."

Chelsea take on Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League last 16 on Tuesday

SILVA READY FOR COSTA BATTLE

Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva is ready for a "battle" with Chelsea striker Diego Costa in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League clash.

Thiago Silva is relishing the prospect of pitting his wits against Diego Costa when Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg.

The French champions welcome Jose Mourinho's men to the Parc des Princes this week as the sides meet for a second season running, with Chelsea having come out on top on away goals in the 2013-14 quarter-finals.

While PSG captain Silva knows all about the reputation of Brazil-born Costa, he maintains he and his team-mates will be more than ready to cope.

"Diego Costa is one of the top strikers in Europe at the moment. He can play, but also he can do battle as well," Brazil international Silva said in quotes reported by The Mirror.

"That is no problem, that is the reason you want to play at this level, to do battle against the best players in the world.

"He is the sort of player that lets you know he is there, but we will also let him know that we are there as well."

Tuesday's match throws up a number of sub-plots and reunions, with Silva's PSG team-mate David Luiz facing his former club for the first time and Mourinho coming up against talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The pair worked together at Inter and Silva warned there are areas of the Swede's game Mourinho will be unable to thwart.

"Of course Mourinho will know what quality to expect from Zlatan Ibrahimovic because they were together at Inter," he added.

"I am sure there will be some sort of plan for Chelsea to stop the threat of him, but Mourinho will know that Zlatan can score goals from anything - those you cannot prepare for.

"We know that a Jose Mourinho team is going to be very organised, so we will have to be patient in our approach. I don't expect them to come to Paris and be attacking but that is why it is so important we keep our focus.

"They will soak up the pressure, but they have dangerous players that can hit you on the counter attack. Costa, Oscar, [Eden] Hazard can hurt you in a second. We must stay focused for the whole game."

INFO

PSG

DWDWW

20:45

CHELSEA

WWDWL

COMPETITION

            UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

DATE

             17 FEBUARY 2015

KICK OFF

               20.45

VENUE

        PARC DES PRINCES (PARIS)

Messi equals hat-trick record in Barca rout, Atletico hopes dented

Lionel Messi scored a record-equalling 23rd La Liga hat-trick in his 300th league appearance to keep Barcelona a point behind Real Madrid.

Lionel Messi scored a record-equalling 23rd La Liga hat-trick in his 300th La Liga appearance as Barcelona hammered Levante 5-0 to keep up the pressure on league leaders Real Madrid on Sunday.

The Argentinean talisman supplied the first goal for Neymar in the 17th minute before side-footing past Diego Marino to double Barca's lead 21 minutes later.

Messi's close-range finish made it 3-0 on the hour-mark and when Ivan Lopez brought down Neymar in the box after 65 minutes, Messi sealed his hat-trick.

Luis Suarez rounded off the scoring with a spectacular overhead kick which confirmed an 11th successive win for the Catalan giants - a record shared from Pep Guardiola's time in charge.

But once again, Messi took the plaudits with his latest hat-trick, putting him level with Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

The rout reduced Real's lead atop the table to a solitary point through 23 matches.

Defending champions Atletico Madrid are six points further back after losing 2-0 at Celta Vigo. 

In a significant dent to their title defence, Diego Simeone's men struggled to get to grips with their hosts all night and Celta took a deserved lead 10 minutes after the break when Nolito converted a penalty.

Atletico were left furious because in the same move, Augusto Fernandez appeared to have handled the ball.

Fabian Orellana's clinical strike 20 minutes from the end confirmed the win for Celta, who have taken four points off the champions this season. 

Valencia moved into the top four with a 1-0 win over Getafe thanks to an Alvaro Negredo penalty. 

The on loan Manchester City forward stepped up with 18 minutes remaining as Valencia continued their great recent run of form which has seen them record four wins in the last five league outings. 

Elsewhere, Villarreal lost for only the second time in their last 13 league games after a 2-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano. 

Both goals came in the second, with Alberto Bueno nudging home from close range and Gael Kakuta's well-timed run into the box. 

Rayo are the only side other than Barcelona that Villarreal have lost to in any competition in 22 games. 

CHELSEA CYCLE WAS OVER

David Luiz denied issues with Jose Mourinho led to his Chelsea departure, instead claiming it was time for a new challenge.

Paris Saint-Germain centre-back David Luiz insisted he moved to the French champions as his cycle at Chelsea was finished, not because of manager Jose Mourinho.

PSG spent in the region of £50million to sign David Luiz on a five-year deal before the start of the 2014-15 season.

David Luiz's switch to the French capital ended his successful three-year spell at Stamford Bridge, where he won the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup.

The Brazil international's departure was not heavily felt by Mourinho, who claimed Chelsea would not miss the 27-year-old.

Despite Mourinho's comments, David Luiz said he had no issue with the former Real Madrid boss as the charismatic Brazilian prepares to reunite with Chelsea in Tuesday's Champions League last-16 tie at Parc des Princes.

"When Mourinho left Real Madrid he said he wanted to go when he felt good — I was not feeling good and I said I wanted to leave," David Luiz told the Daily Mail.

"Chelsea offered me a new contract and I said, 'I'm not feeling the same thing I was feeling years ago'.

"People tried to make stories about me and Mourinho but we never had any history. He was the boss and he decided who plays and who doesn't.

"When he didn't put David Luiz in, it was [feigns horror] — 'Oh my God' — but I'm just one more player, no problem.

"Mourinho is a coach who has a different style. He doesn't talk to you about your life. As a player you will not know too much about his personal life and he will not know too much about his players.

"He didn't try too much because I was in Brazil — he said, 'It's OK, you can go'. I had a great life in London, great moments, we were champions of Europe, I had an amazing connection with the fans, my team-mates and everyone at the club. 

"But I decided my cycle was finished. I was not playing as much, but I still played in all the big games."

YAKUBU BRUSHES OFF AGE DOUBTS

Yakubu says he will not allow doubts surrounding his age to affect his form after signing for Reading.

Reading striker Yakubu has brushed off renewed questions about his age after arriving at the Madejski Stadium on a free transfer.

The Nigerian - officially 32 years old - scored on debut in a 2-1 FA Cup victory over Derby County on Saturday, netting an 82nd-minute winner

Yakubu says he will not allow doubts surrounding his age to affect his form after signing for Reading.

Reading striker Yakubu has brushed off renewed questions about his age after arriving at the Madejski Stadium on a free transfer.

The Nigerian - officially 32 years old - scored on debut in a 2-1 FA Cup victory over Derby County on Saturday, netting an 82nd-minute winner.

Yakubu, though, has been plagued by doubts surrounding his age throughout his career, but insists he will not allow the issue to affect his form.

"You can see the way I play, so I am not talking about my age," he said. "It is normal. People can choose if they don't believe it, so it's up to them.

But for me I am just enjoying my football.

"The hunger is always there. When you play in England you always have the desire to play. You cannot hide here."

INFO

DERBY COUNTY

LDWWW

1 - 2

READING

WLWWD

Competition

FA Cup

Date

14 February 2015

Kick-off

16:00

Half-time

0 - 0

Full-time

1 - 2

Venue

iPro Stadium (Derby)

Attendance

21337

GOALS

	0 - 1	53' H. Robson-Kanu  (assist by S. Cox)
D. Bent 61' (assist by J. Lingard)	1 - 1
	1 - 2	82' Y. Aiyegbeni  (assist by H. Robson-Kanu)