Sports

MILAN — Luciano Spalletti returns to his old patch on Sunday night when his rampaging Napoli team take on Roma, where he is the central figure in one of Italian football’s most enduring love-hate relationships.

Two points ahead of Atalanta at the top of Serie A, in the Champions League knockouts with two games to spare and unbeaten in all competitions, Napoli travel to Rome dreaming of ending a title drought which stretches back to the days of Diego Maradona.

Spalletti has his unbeaten team on a 10-match winning streak over domestic and European competitions and playing the kind of free-wheeling football which recalls his thrilling and revolutionary Roma team from the early years of this century.

Francesco Totti was in his pomp and the capital club waltzed over the ashes of the ‘Calciopoli’ match-fixing scandal to claim two Italian Cups and almost win the Scudetto against all-conquering Inter Milan.

Spalletti first managed Roma between 2005 and 2009, arriving after leading Udinese to the Champions League and with the “Giallorossi” having only just escaped relegation in the previous campaign in which they went through four managers.

He created a new role for Totti which led to him winning the European Golden Boot in 2007 and was later christened the “false nine” after Pep Guardiola adopted it for Lionel Messi.

“He’s one of the best managers I had in my career, if not the best,” former France defender Philippe Mexes told the Gazzetta Dello Sport of his time under Spalletti at Roma.

“He instills grit and determination in you, he’s got character. And he always manages to get the very best out of his players.”

However it was his tense relationship with Totti which would eventually turn Roma fans against him.

Totti turmoil

Spalletti returned in January 2016 to replace sacked Rudi Garcia and again worked his magic, turning Roma’s form around and getting them into the Champions League.

But when Totti publicly complained about not starting matches Spalletti dropped him from the squad, sparking fury from fans unwilling to let go of their ageing icon.

The following season a team featuring 39-goal Edin Dzeko and Mohamed Salah collected a club-record 87 points.

But with Totti’s retirement looming and their spat never resolved supporters definitively turned on Spalletti, booing him before their hero’s final ever match which again secured Champions League football.

Spalletti has been barracked each time he has come back to the Olimpico with Inter and Napoli, who will be favourites against a Roma team who only trail Italy’s pacesetters by four points but are missing talisman Paulo Dybala.

Napoli are hoping to have Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa back for Sunday as the Cameroon midfielder recovers quicker than expected from a thigh problem picked up during last week’s win over Ajax.

Immediately before the showdown in Rome, Lazio take on unbeaten Atalanta in Bergamo without star striker Ciro Immobile to lead the line.

Lazio confirmed on Wednesday that Italy forward Immobile had suffered a thigh injury, with a return before 2023 highly unlikely.

Silvio Berlusconi will also make a big return this weekend when his club Monza take on champions AC Milan at the San Siro, where he celebrated famous wins in a trophy-packed, 31-year reign at the head of one of the world’s most famous clubs.

Monza are unbeaten in four and 10 games into their first ever Serie A season sit 14th before their first ever league match with Milan, who trail Napoli by three points.

Napoli barely skipped a beat while Victor Osimhen was out for a month with a thigh problem, but the Nigeria forward quickly made an impact on his return with crucial goals in recent wins over Ajax and Bologna.

Osimhen struck both times as a substitute so expect him to cause problems for Roma should Spalletti either start the 23-year-old in place of Giacomo Raspadori or bring him on during the course of the match.

MADRID — Former Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao earned Rayo Vallecano a 1-1 draw against his old side in La Liga with a 92nd minute penalty on Tuesday.

Alvaro Morata’s first-half strike seemed poised to help Atletico strengthen their grip on third place and keep close to leaders Real Madrid and Barcelona, but Rayo snatched a deserved draw.

After the break the hosts had their backs to the wall at the Metropolitano and weren’t able to finish their chances on the break. The pressure eventually told when Jose Gimenez handled in the box.

“We had good chances to score the second and kill the game off, but we didn’t score,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone told Movistar.

“We’ve dropped two important points.”

The Rojiblancos broke the deadlock in the 20th minute when Antoine Griezmann won the ball high up the pitch and crossed for his strike partner Morata to finish consummately. The France forward was impressive again and seems to be returning to his best level.

Pathe Ciss headed wide from six yards early in the second half as Andoni Iraola’s team battled to find the equaliser, and substitute Sergio Camello flashed a shot just past the post. 

The lively striker, on loan from Atletico, nearly set up Falcao to score but Ivo Grbic saved and Gimenez managed to hack the ball away.

Griezmann fired home at the other end but the goal was disallowed for a tight offside and Matheus Cunha had a shot saved from a tight angle as Atletico rediscovered some attacking impetus.

However, when Gimenez handled a Rayo header in stoppage time they surrendered the three points. Falcao, who played for Atletico between 2011-2013, slammed the penalty into the top corner.

“It leaves a bad taste in the mouth,” grumbled Morata, after the referee checked the penalty incident on the pitchside VAR screen.

“I don’t understand anything. When things happen to us, they don’t look at it and when we’re defending in our box they look at everything.”

Elsewhere Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic, now sixth, were unable to pull themselves back into the top four as they drew 2-2 at Getafe.

Pulsating clash

Valencia captain Jose Gaya missed a late penalty amid a chaotic finale as Sevilla held the visitors to a 1-1 draw.

Erik Lamela’s 86th minute strike earned Jorge Sampaoli’s side a creditable draw against Gennaro Gattuso’s relentless Los Che, in a pulsating clash at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Sampaoli was not able to build on his first win since replacing Julen Lopetegui at the helm, but will be happy with a point as Valencia blew the chance to snatch all three in stoppage time.

Edinson Cavani sent the visitors ahead with a firm header from Dimitri Foulquier’s deep cross in the sixth minute.

Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili made two stunning saves in quick succession to deny Rafa Mir, first twisting to tip over a vicious strike, then clawing away a header. Sevilla kept pushing in the second half and Nemanja Gudelj headed against the crossbar.

Both sides were guilty of heavy challenges but it created a chaotic, aggressive contest, amid which Sevilla eventually found a leveller through Lamela. The former Tottenham midfielder finished at the back post after a corner was flicked on.

The drama wasn’t over — far from it. Sevilla’s Papu Gomez was sent off late on for hacking down Justin Kluivert just outside the area as he ran through on goal, but the red card was cancelled and shown to Kike Salas instead. 

The young defender had shoved over Thierry Correia in the moments after Gomez’s foul when advantage had been played, so the referee awarded a penalty.

However, Sevilla had the last laugh when goalkeeper Bono tipped away Gaya’s spot kick, delighting Sevilla’s raucous support.

“I have no idea what was going on at the end,” admitted Sampaoli.

“We could have won, and we almost lost, but I’ll remember the conviction we played with, that was what Sevilla did best.”

The result leaves Sevilla provisionally 11th and Valencia in eighth.

AMMAN  — The Jordan Professional Football League heads into the final three weeks of competition with a tough, close-fought contest at both ends of the standings.

Faisali lead the pack with a slim one-point lead despite their 1-1 draw with Ramtha as they were aided by Wihdat’s 1-0 defeat to Hussein. Standings remained unaltered in the top five positions, as Shahab Urdun held Mugheer Sarhan 1-1, Ma’an beat Aqaba 1-0, Sahab beat Sarih 2-0 and Salt added to Jazira’s sticky situation with a 1-0 win.

Wihdat will next face Ramtha while Faisali play Sarhan and Hussein take on Jazira in the highlight of Week 20 matches. Salt seem clear of the relegation threatened last two spots, while three-time champs veteran Jazira, who were among the top five in past seasons, are having a most challenging season to secure their spot. The Pro League is slated to end November 6.

During the past week, the Jordan Cup took centre stage although the quarterfinals were marred by the death of a young fan celebrating Wihdat’s win in his neighbourhood, after being struck by a brick by a Faisali supporter angered by the ousting of his team.

The Jordan Football Association’s (JFA) decision to hold the Wihdat-Faisali match with empty stands after unsportsmanlike conduct in the previous week’s league matches has not lessened the heightened tension on social media, but has, on the contrary, raised concerns over lax regulations and repeated violence outside of the stadia.

The Jordan Cup quarters saw Wihdat eliminate titleholders Faisali 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw; Aqaba ousted Hussein 1-0; Amman FC beat Mugheer Sarhan 2-1 and Ramtha beat Jazira 4-1. 

It was quite and unlikely grouping of contenders after surprising results ousted some leading clubs. On their way to the quarters. Ramtha eliminated Salt 3-1, Faisali beat Sahab 3-0, Hussein ousted Arabi 3-1, Wihdat beat Sarhan 4-0, Aqaba beat Ittihad Ramtha 1-0 while Mugheer Sarhan, Amman FC and Jazira eliminated Sarih, Baqa’a and Shabab Urdun respectively on penalties.

In two of the 2022 competitions played so far, Faisali won the season opening 35th JFA Shield title when they beat Ramtha who in turn upset Jordan Cup titleholders Faisali 2-0 to win the 39th Jordan Super Cup. 

PARIS — For Karim Benzema, winning the most prestigious individual award in football is the ultimate recognition for his remarkable performances with Real Madrid last season and confirmation that he is a player and a man transformed since his years in exile from the French national team because of a sextape scandal.

Benzema, fresh from scoring for Real against Barcelona in Sunday’s Clasico, was the overwhelming favourite to win the Ballon d’Or in Monday’s ceremony in Paris.

He is the fifth Frenchman to claim the prize, the first since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.

His victory was seen as such a foregone conclusion in France that the front page headline of newspaper Le Parisien on Monday was dedicated to him. “The revenge of the unpopular one,” it said.

It is not long ago that Benzema, now 34, was a pariah, frozen out of the France team for five and a half years because of his involvement in a blackmail scandal involving his former teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

The Lyon native went on trial late last year and was handed a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros ($73,848).

In June he decided not to appeal his conviction, eager to turn the page and keep the focus on football.

By then he had completed a stunning season with his club, propelling Real to glory in the Champions League as well as the Spanish title.

Astonishing season

With the criteria for the prize having been changed to only take into account the last full season, rather than the calendar year, his performances meant there was little prospect of anyone else winning the Ballon d’Or.

The figures speak for themselves.

Benzema scored 44 goals in 46 games for Real last season, including 27 in La Liga as he ended the campaign as the top scorer in Spain’s top flight by a distance.

But his very best form came in the Champions League, in which he was also the leading marksman with 15 goals in 12 appearances.

Wearing the captain’s armband, Benzema scored five times in the group stage for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, but the best was to come in the knockout rounds.

He scored a stunning hat-trick in 17 second-half minutes in the spectacular last-16 comeback win over Paris Saint-Germain, and another away to Chelsea in the quarterfinal first leg.

It was also his extra-time goal in the return leg of that tie that nipped a Chelsea comeback in the bud, and he scored three more over both legs of the semifinal against Manchester City, including an extra-time spot-kick in the return leg which secured Real’s spot in the final.

He was not the standout player in the final, with Vinicius Junior scoring the only goal of the game, but that victory over Liverpool in Paris would not have been possible without Benzema’s prior contribution.

The former Lyon striker has now won five Champions Leagues since moving to the Spanish capital aged 21 in 2009.

“What is most important to me is to win collective trophies. If you do things well on the field, individual awards will follow,” Benzema pointed out recently.

This award comes after he was named the UEFA player of last season at a ceremony in August, for he did not just enjoy success at club level.

Benzema also won his first international title with France in the Nations League, scoring in the final as Les Bleus beat Spain 2-1.

Off-field affairs

Absent from his country’s victorious 2018 World Cup campaign, he is now hoping to cap off an incredible year by helping France retain that title in Qatar — his 35th birthday is the day after the December 18 final.

Benzema, whose grandfather emigrated to France from Algeria, was brought up in the Lyon suburb of Bron.

He quickly emerged as an exciting talent at Lyon, then France’s dominant club, before earning a move to Real where he spent years in the shadows of Cristiano Ronaldo and was frequently caught up in off-field affairs.

In recent years a far more mature Benzema has let his football do the talking.

That is why, in 2020, Zidane was in no doubt when asked if he thought Benzema was his country’s greatest ever centre-forward.

“For me he is clearly the best, yes,” he said.

PARIS — Alexia Putellas said she hoped to return from a serious knee injury before the end of this season but refused to discuss her future with the Spanish national team after winning her second successive women’s Ballon d’Or on Monday.

The reward for Putellas, 28, came after a season in which she was the top scorer as her club Barcelona reached the Champions League final.

The prize, awarded at a star-studded ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre in central Paris, is also a consolation for Putellas who is currently recovering from a serious knee injury.

The injury saw her miss the Euro in England in July and means she faces a battle to play at all this season.

“The knee is doing well. I just need to focus on recovering and if everything goes as I hope — and as the doctors and my club hope — I hope to be back playing this season,” she said.

There is a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July and August next year, although the presence of Putellas appears in some doubt anyway for reasons other than her injury.

The Barcelona captain recently published a statement calling for change, along with 15 national team players who asked not to be called up by Spain, amid differences with the coach Jorge Vilda and the Spanish football federation.

“All I am going to say today about the national team is that obviously it is a topic that makes me very sad,” she said.

‘Day for celebration’

“I think it needs to be spoken about but today is not the day. This is a day for celebration, a historic day, and that’s all.”

Putellas saw off stiff competition, notably from three stars of the England team that won the European Championship, to take the Ballon d’Or following a campaign which also saw Barcelona win a domestic league and cup double.

“It makes me even more annoyed to be injured, but I am very happy to be here,” Putellas added.

“To retain the trophy is much harder. When I injured my knee I thought my chances of winning it had gone but in the end the jury based their decision on the whole of last season, of which I only missed one month.”

Putellas scored 11 goals in the Champions League last season as holders Barcelona reached the final but lost to Lyon.

It is just the fourth time that a women’s Ballon d’Or has been awarded, with Norway’s Ada Hegerberg winning the inaugural prize in 2018 before United States superstar Megan Rapinoe succeeded her in 2019.

There was no Ballon d’Or gala in 2020 due to the pandemic before Putellas won it for the first time last year after helping Barca to Women’s Champions League glory for the first time in their history.

Putellas had already won the UEFA player of the year prize in August.

MADRID — Reigning champions Real Madrid beat Barcelona 3-1 in the Clasico to overtake their fierce rivals at the top of La Liga on Sunday.

Karim Benzema opened the scoring in the 12th minute by converting a rebound after Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved from Vinicius Junior, with Fede Valverde drilling home the second from the edge of the box before the break.

Ferran Torres pulled one back for Barcelona in the final stages after good work by Ansu Fati, but Rodrygo won and converted a late penalty to ensure Carlo Ancelotti’s side inflicted Barcelona’s first domestic defeat of the season.

Madrid ended the Catalans’ seven-game winning streak in the league and added to the still-raw pain of their struggles in Europe, where they are on the verge of Champions League elimination.

Barcelona, who spent heavily in the summer to try and catch up with their rivals, now trail them by three points. The Catalans had conceded just one league goal in eight games before the Clasico but shipped double that tally in the first half, leaving Madrid as the division’s only unbeaten side.

“We knew there would come a time in the game where we had to suffer, because they move the ball well, and that’s when each of us had to give more, defend well, and we did it,” Madrid midfielder Luka Modric told DAZN.

“In attack we were convincing, we scored three goals and I’m very happy for our performance, I think we had a great game.”

After a damaging draw with Inter Milan midweek that left Barcelona’s European hopes hanging by a thread, Xavi made changes, including Jules Kounde returning in place of Gerard Pique.

Last season Barcelona’s best moment came at the Bernabeu, as Xavi’s side earned a surprising 4-0 win, but this visit found them at their lowest ebb since the Spanish World Cup winner took charge.

“The feeling I have right now is that we’re in a negative dynamic where nothing is going for us,” Xavi told DAZN. “I can’t be happy with anything, losing in the Bernabeu 3-1 is very bad.

Benzema on the money

Vinicius probed in the opening stages down the left flank against the unconvincing Sergi Roberto and that was where Madrid’s opening goal came from after 12 minutes.

The masterful Toni Kroos held off Sergio Busquets and threaded a neat pass down the wing, with Vinicius leaving Roberto for dead. Ter Stegen denied the Brazilian winger, but Benzema was on hand to slam home the rebound.

The French forward had gone five games without a goal, but ended his drought on the big stage, showing typically perfect timing.

Vinicius was booked for complaining about a push from Roberto as Barcelona began to earn a foothold in the game, but another individual error quickly pulled it away from them.

Eric Garcia’s loose header found Vinicius in a dangerous area and Madrid toyed with Barcelona’s defence, dragging them one way before Ferland Mendy passed the ball back across for Valverde to drill home from the edge of the area.

Madrid continued to push forward after the break and Benzema curled home a third, but it was ruled out for offside.

At the other end La Liga’s top scorer Robert Lewandowski sent a free-kick into the wall and appealed for a penalty after Dani Carvajal collided with him in the box, but the referee was not interested.

Substitute Fati angled a strike wide from outside the area but Madrid were largely comfortable, sitting back and keeping Barcelona at arm’s length until Torres struck.

Fati’s brilliant run and cross for the Spanish winger gave Barcelona a lifeline, but Madrid sealed the win when Garcia trod on Rodrygo in the area and he beat Ter Stegen from the spot.

“We are very disappointed,” Barca defender Kounde told DAZN. “I don’t think we had a bad game but in the first half we failed where they are strong, on transitions.

“I think that for the first goal we should have committed a foul to stop the counter attack, and the second is quite similar. That’s the strength of [their] team. Sometimes they don’t have the ball, are suffering and then they score two goals.”

Real Betis moved fourth with a 3-1 win over Almeria with William Carvalho netting a brace. Real Sociedad’s 2-1 win at Celta Vigo takes them fifth and Espanyol earned a 1-0 victory over Real Valladolid.

PARIS — Karim Benzema is the dayoverwhelming favourite to win the men’s Ballon d’Or at a ceremony in Paris on Monday and thereby become the first Frenchman to claim the most prestigious individual prize in football since Zinedine Zidane almost quarter of a century ago.

There are 30 nominees, but the Real Madrid striker is the outstanding candidate after his remarkable performances last season helped his club win the Champions League and La Liga.

Benzema scored an astonishing 44 goals in 46 games for his club including 15 in the Champions League.

His exploits included a hat-trick in 17 second-half minutes against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16, and another away to Chelsea in the quarter-final first leg. He also scored three more goals over both legs of the semifinal against Manchester City.

Benzema was named the UEFA player of the year in August, and he is living a marvellous twilight to his career with the World Cup to come.

Formerly a pariah, frozen out of the France team for five and a half years because of his involvement in a blackmail scandal over a sextape involving teammate Mathieu Valbuena, Benzema has put that behind him and is playing the best football of his career with his 35th birthday approaching the day after the World Cup final.

“What is most important to me is to win collective trophies. If you do things well on the field, individual awards will follow,” Benzema pointed out recently.

His victory at the Chatelet Theatre in the French capital seems an inevitability.

“If they don’t cancel it then he’s probably going to win this Ballon d’Or,” said Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski this week.

That was a joke by the Pole, who would surely have been crowned in 2020 had that year’s award not been cancelled due to the pandemic.

No Messi

Normal service was restored last year when Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the seventh time, but he is not even nominated this time after a disappointing season at Paris Saint-Germain.

Cristiano Ronaldo is nominated but there is no Neymar on the list.

Benzema aside, there are four other members of Real’s Champions League-winning side: Vinicius, the evergreen Luka Modric, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and midfielder Casemiro, now of Manchester United.

Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Lewandowski and Kevin De Bruyne feature too, but Benzema stands out by a distance.

If Benzema wins, he will be the fifth Frenchman to do so, following in the footsteps of Raymond Kopa in 1958, Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991) and Zidane (1998).

The award was previously based on a player’s performances over the course of the calendar year.

But the format has changed, with the prize now based on a player’s record over the last season.

Putellas to retain women’s award?

There is far less certainty about the identity of what will be the fourth women’s Ballon d’Or.

There are three members of England’s European Championship-winning squad short-listed among the 20 contenders.

Lucy Bronze and Millie Bright were both named but Arsenal striker Beth Mead is the most likely candidate after scoring six goals at the Euro.

Australia’s Sam Kerr and German duo Lena Oberdorf and Alexandra Popp may have a claim too, but it could also once again be Spain’s Alexia Putellas, who won last year.

The 28-year-old is currently recovering from a serious knee injury which saw her miss the Euro with Spain and means she is unlikely to play at all this season.

Putellas, who followed in the footsteps of Ada Hegerberg and Megan Rapinoe by winning a year ago, captained Barcelona to the Champions League final last season as well as a domestic league and cup double.

She was the Champions League top scorer with 11 goals, although her club lost the final to Lyon.

The winners will also receive non-fungible tokens to go with their gleaming trophies, while organisers France Football magazine have also added a new humanitarian prize.

It is named for Socrates, the former Brazil midfielder who also held a medical degree.

The prize “will identify the best social initiative by committed champions”, France Football said.

PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia — Spain’s Alex Rins stormed to a pulsating win at the Australian MotoGP on Sunday with world championship leader Fabio Quartararo crashing out to put a huge dent in his title hopes.

The Suzuki rider started 10th on the grid and finished 0.186 seconds ahead of Spanish great Marc Marquez who claimed his 100th premier class podium.

Francesco Bagnaia narrowly came third in one of the closest top three finishes the sport has known to move top of the championship standings.

Ducati’s Bagnaia started the race just two points behind Quartararo and now heads to the penultimate grand prix of the season in Malaysia with a 14-point advantage and a chance to win the world title.

It could have been a bigger gap, with the Italian leading into the final lap at the waterfront Phillip Island circuit before an audacious Rins and then Marquez passed him.

“I’m super happy to finish first,” said an ecstatic Rins after his fourth career MotoGP win.

“First because it is the last time on a Suzuki on the island and second for all the people who supported me during the bad moments.”

Suzuki’s season fell off the rails after it made a shock announcement in May that it would be quitting MotoGP at the end of the season, just two years after winning the championship with Joan Mir.

“It wasn’t easy for us as a team to know that next year the team is not continuing... we had some not so good races, but we don’t give up,” said Rins.

Quartararo on a Yamaha started fifth but made a massive mistake under braking at turn five on lap four and dropped to 22nd.

He started setting fastest laps in a desperate bid to get back in the points, but overdid it on lap 10 of the 27-lap race, losing control on a corner and sliding out.

‘We must be smart’

The Frenchman has now failed to score in the last three Grands Prix in a horror run that has seen his title hopes fade.

“The championship changed for him [Bagnaia] and it can change for us in the last two races,” insisted Quartararo. “I think we can make a great last two races.” 

Bagnaia, who was 91 points behind Quartararo after the 10th race of the season in Germany, said he planned to approach Malaysia the same way he does every race. 

“It will be very important but I will just try to do the same... thinking session by session. We must be smart,” he said.

Australian Jack Miller started 40 points behind Quartararo, still with slender title hopes, and had moved up to fourth when his race also ended prematurely.

Alex Marquez was at fault, smashing into him at turn four in an error that ended both of their races.

Among the other title contenders, Spain’s Aleix Espargaro came ninth to leave him 27 points adrift while Enea Bastianini was fifth to be 42 points behind.

Jorge Martin started on pole and led for much of the early stages ahead of Marc Marquez before Bagnaia assumed the lead on lap 15.

In a dogfight at the front, a flying Rins passed Bagnaia with seven laps to go before the Italian took back his lead a lap later ahead of the last lap drama.

LIVERPOOL — Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he cannot afford to focus too heavily on in-form striker Erling Haaland in Sunday’s clash against Manchester City as the champions have too many threats elsewhere.

The Norway international has scored 20 times this season, including 15 Premier League goals, and will pose a huge threat at Anfield.

City and Liverpool have been the dominant forces in the English top flight in recent seasons but Klopp’s side have started the current campaign slowly, winning just two of their first eight league games.

The Anfield side are languishing in 10th spot in the table, already 13 points behind second-placed City, who have smashed in 33 goals in just nine Premier League games.

Liverpool kept Haaland quiet in the FA Community Shield, the curtain-raiser to the new season, but the 22-year-old has since scored in every game for City in all competitions except one.

“Like always when you play against the best striker in the world, you have to make sure he doesn’t get that many balls,” Klopp said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“That is what you have to defend before you come into the challenge with him so that is what we will try.

“But against City the problem is if you close Haaland down with too many players then you open up gaps for all the other world-class players so that will not make life easier.

“It’s a challenge, a football problem but we try and find solutions.”

Liverpool came up against Haaland twice in the Champions League in 2019, when he was a raw 19-year-old playing for Red Bull Salzburg, and he scored in one of the games.

Klopp said his potential at even that tender age was “insane”.

“Physically he sets new standards, the combination of being really physical and technical. His orientation on the pitch is exceptional — he knows always where the decisive gaps are and is barely offside — so many things for making a striker.

“[He has] some of the best players around him in the world in setting up goals and finding the right moments for the passes: Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, (Riyad) Mahrez — they are all really good at that so it’s a perfect fit, no doubt about that.”

Pep Guardiola has scoffed at the suggestion Manchester City should roll over Liverpool on current form when the sides meet on Sunday. 

During Guardiola’s time at City and Klopp’s era as Liverpool boss, the two clubs have become the strongest forces in the English game. 

Liverpool’s title triumph in 2019/20 is the only time City have failed to win the league in the past five seasons, but twice they have pipped the Reds by just a point in thrilling title races. 

However, Liverpool’s run of just two wins in their opening eight games of the Premier League season has allowed City to open up a 13-point lead on Klopp’s men. 

“For just two little details they didn’t achieve something that no English team has done,” said Guardiola of Liverpool narrowly missing out on an unprecedented quadruple last season. 

“It is the same team, same manager, these moments happen. We will have it. We try to avoid bad moments, but we will have [them]. It’s part of the nature of the competition. 

“The players know because over the past years we fought for all the competitions and all the titles. It’s been really close and we were a little bit better in the Premier League, but nothing changes the opinion I have about them.” 

The arrival of Erling Haaland at City appears to have made a difficult task in taking the title off Guardiola’s men an almost impossible one. 

Haaland has scored 20 goals in 12 competitive games, including 15 in just nine Premier League appearances. 

And the Norwegian will be fresh for the trip to Anfield after Guardiola left him on the bench for the full game as City drew 0-0 with FC Copenhagen in midweek to book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League. 

“Erling last season could not play this amount of games in a row,” added Guardiola on Haaland’s injury-disrupted campaign with Borussia Dortmund last season. 

“He was tired, Bernardo [Silva] as well and other ones. Of course they feel good, so they are ready.”

PARIS — Barcelona slipped closer to a second straight Champions League group-stage exit despite Robert Lewandowski’s double in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Inter Milan on Wednesday, while Mohamed Salah scored the fastest hat-trick in the competition’s history as Liverpool hammered Rangers.

Bayern Munich, Napoli and Club Brugge — for the first time since the inaugural group stage in 1991-92 — all booked places in the last 16.

Xavi Hernandez’s Barca needed a victory at the Camp Nou to keep their fate in their own hands and Ousmane Dembele’s goal after a cleverly-worked short corner gave the hosts a half-time lead.

But Inter turned the match on its head early in the second half, as Gerard Pique left a cross into the box and Nicolo Barella stole in unmarked to equalise.

Lautaro Martinez took advantage of more weak defending to put the Italians in front just after the hour mark, drilling in a low strike which went in off both posts.

Lewandowski equalised with eight minutes remaining as his deflected effort wrong-footed goalkeeper Andre Onana, but Inter substitute Robin Gosens looked to have knocked out the five-time champions with his 89th-minute effort.

Polish star Lewandowski’s towering header in injury time gave Barca four minutes to find a winner, but it was Gosens who almost won it for Inter only to be denied by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

La Liga leaders Barca now trail second-placed Inter by three points in Group C, but with a stronger head-to-head record, Simone Inzaghi’s side will qualify with Bayern if they beat pointless Viktoria Plzen at home in two weeks.

“We had an enormous opportunity and we didn’t take it,” said Barcelona defender Eric Garcia. “We made errors that at this level, you cannot make.”

Bayern reached the knockout phase for a 15th consecutive season with a 4-2 victory at Plzen.

The German champions romped into a 4-0 half-time advantage through goals from Sadio Mane and Thomas Mueller and Leon Goretzka’s brace.

Adam Vlkanova and Jan Kliment gave the home fans two goals to cheer, but the Czechs bowed out of the competition.

Salah makes history

Liverpool arrived at Ibrox under pressure after a weekend loss to Arsenal saw Jurgen Klopp’s men slip to 10th in the Premier League table.

Rangers stunned their visitors in the 17th minute as Scott Arfield slotted in, before Roberto Firmino levelled.

The Scots caved in the second half, though, as Firmino’s second and Darwin Nunez’s first Champions League goal for Liverpool put the game to bed for last season’s losing finalists.

Salah came off the bench and wasted no time in scoring a six-minute treble, breaking Bafetimbi Gomis’ record from 2011.

Harvey Elliott wrapped up a 7-1 victory late on as Liverpool moved within a point of the next round.

“From the outside everyone expected us to win but we take it a game at a time,” Virgil van Dijk told BT Sport. “We know we’re in a tough period.”

Earlier, Group A leaders Napoli progressed as they extended their unbeaten start to the season with a 4-2 home victory over Ajax.

Hirving Lozano and Giacomo Raspadori scored inside the first 16 minutes as the hosts made a flying start against opponents they thrashed 6-1 last week.

Davy Klaassen and Steven Bergwijn both netted for Ajax in the second period, but further Napoli goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen made it four wins from four for the Serie A pace-setters.

Ajax will have to beat Liverpool next time out in Amsterdam to keep their hopes of going through alive.

Brugge surprise qualifiers

Unfancied Belgians Club Brugge booked a ticket to the knockouts with a gutsy goalless draw at Atletico Madrid.

“I have already done a lot of things in my career, but this was a very big moment,” Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet told RTL Belgium.

Brugge, who had Kamal Sowah sent off with 10 minutes to play, are four points clear at the Group B summit from Porto, who won 3-0 at Bayer Leverkusen.

Galeno gave visitors Porto an early lead, before Kerem Demirbay missed a penalty and Patrik Schick saw a potential equaliser ruled out by VAR for handball.

Porto were controversially given a penalty which was scored by Mehdi Taremi in the 53rd minute, and the Iranian wrapped up the points with another spot-kick.

Tottenham climbed to the top of a tight Group D with a tense 3-2 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in London.

Harry Kane’s penalty and two goals for Son Heung-min were enough to send Eintracht to the foot of the table.

Marseille leapfrogged Sporting Lisbon into second place on head-to-head as Alexis Sanchez scored in a 2-0 win which saw the Portuguese finish the game with nine men.