Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the oldest goalscorer in Serie A history amid scenes of high drama as the 41-year-old netted a twice-taken penalty in Saturday's clash with Udinese.

At the age of 41 years and 166 days, the veteran Sweden international beat a record previously held by Alessandro Costacurta, the former Milan defender, who was 41 years and 25 days old when he scored, also against Udinese, in May 2007.

Ibrahimovic was making his first start in the Italian top flight since January 23, 2022, having undergone career-extending knee surgery at the end of last season's Scudetto campaign.

His goal was an equaliser for Stefano Pioli's team shortly before half-time at Stadio Friuli, with Jaka Bijol ruled to have handled the ball in the penalty area as he tried to tackle Rafael Leao.

Marco Silvestri saved well from Ibrahimovic's spot-kick, going down to his left, but encroachment from Udinese striker Beto meant the spot-kick had to be re-taken.

Udinese were furious, with head coach Andrea Sottil sent off for his protestations, but this time Ibrahimovic was clinical, smashing his kick straight down the centre.

Two minutes later, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Milan slipped 2-1 behind when Beto made up for his encroachment offence by finishing past Mike Maignan from an Isaac Success cross.

Ellis Simms hailed "a massive point" for Everton after the striker's first Premier League goal earned a 2-2 draw at Chelsea, his late heroics earning praise from Sean Dyche.

The substitute struck in the 89th minute at Stamford Bridge, brushing off Chelsea's Kalidou Koulibaly before beating Kepa Arrizabalaga at his near post.

It was a moment neither the defender nor goalkeeper would want to look at again, but it will live long in the memory for Simms, an Oldham-born youngster who has shown his goalscoring potential in loans with Hearts, Blackpool and Sunderland.

Now he has a goal at the top level of English football, and the point pushes Everton two points clear of the relegation zone.

Everton have now had 13 different goalscorers in the Premier League this season, with only Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United (14 each) having more.

They have not won in the league at Chelsea since 1994, a barren run of 28 games (D13 L15), but Everton were the side with the most to celebrate on this occasion.

Simms said the equaliser was "100 per cent" the biggest moment of his career.

"It's a great occasion to do it," he told Sky Sports. "I'm delighted for the team as well – a massive point against tough opposition, so we're delighted, we're made up.

"I've been working hard at Everton to come up with this, and it's a dream to come true to get my first Premier League goal.

"It's about patience. I've had to wait for my chance. Obviously we've got top players, so I'm not just going to walk straight into the team I just have to work hard in training and when I get the opportunity I have to take it, grab it with both hands."

Simms said there was "massive belief" in the ranks, and manager Dyche spoke glowingly of the 22-year-old, who has started just one league game so far for the Toffees this term, surprisingly being given the nod for February's derby with Liverpool.

"He's a young lad earning his spurs," Dyche said. "We threw him in against Liverpool, it was probably a bit too much on that night, but he's still around the group, he's working hard, he's realising the hard yards are important in the sides I work with, and he's maturing into it.

"He has scored goals, albeit in the Championship, and he's delivered with his pace and his power to break free and then gets a nice finish under the body of the keeper."

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter said his team's general play had been "a step forward", even after recent wins against Leeds United, Borussia Dortmund and Leicester City.

Their defending left plenty to be desired, though, so Joao Felix's low strike and Kai Havertz's penalty were only good enough for a point, leaving Chelsea 10th in the table, with Abdoulaye Doucoure cancelling out the first of the hosts' goals before Simms had his late say.

"I thought the performance overall was positive," Potter said. "We did a lot of things really well, scored a couple of goals, but ultimately didn't defend well enough in a couple of actions which has cost us, and we're disappointed to drop points."

Asked about the late concession, Potter said: "It looked too easy throughout the team, so I was disappointed from my perspective with the second goal, and the first as well.

"It was a positive performance from us overall, but it's hard to say that when you've only got one point."

Leeds United, Everton, Southampton and Leicester City all earned big results on Saturday in their efforts to beat the drop.

The Premier League's struggling sides were the big winners from the five matches to take place.

Leeds beat fellow relegation candidates Wolves 4-2, while Everton pegged back Chelsea twice at Stamford Bridge and Southampton came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Tottenham.

Leicester, meanwhile, snatched a draw at Brentford, though 19th-placed Bournemouth lost 3-0 at Aston Villa.

Wolves 2-4 Leeds United: Six-goal thriller and two reds at Molineux

Leeds came out on top in an enthralling encounter at Molineux, with Javi Gracia's side claiming what could be a vital three points in their bid to survive this season.

Jack Harrison put them ahead early on, and he has now been directly involved in four goals (two goals, two assists) in his four Premier League games under Gracia, just one fewer than in his previous 21 matches under Jesse Marsch and Michael Skubala this season (five).

Luke Ayling netted his first league goal since doing so against Wolves exactly a year ago (March 18, 2022) to make it 2-0, with Rasmus Kristensen putting Leeds three ahead.

Their hopes of a comfortable win were dashed when Illan Meslier, on the day he became the youngest goalkeeper in Premier League history to reach 100 appearances, made a mistake that Jonny pounced on, volleying in from 41 yards. That is the furthest distance a player has scored from in the top flight since Wayne Rooney's 58-yard strike for Everton against West Ham in November 2017.

A deflected Matheus Cunha strike gave Wolves hope, but Jonny became the first Wolves player to both score and be sent off in any league game since September 2008. 

Julen Lopetegui was fuming that Wolves were not awarded a first-half penalty and that a foul was not given in the build-up to Rodrigo's late effort for Leeds, with Matheus Nunes then sent off even though he was on the substitutes' bench.

"I'm not waiting for [further apologies]. I just want them [the officials] to do their job," Lopetegui said.

Southampton 3-3 Tottenham: Conte left seething after Ward-Prowse seals comeback

Southampton came from two goals down to avoid defeat for a second time in the Premier League this season, with only Manchester City (P3 W2 D1) avoiding defeat having fallen two goals behind on more occasions this term.

Tottenham, who took the lead through Pedro Porro but saw it cancelled out by Che Adams, restored their advantage through Harry Kane – he has now scored nine headers in the league this season, equalling Duncan Ferguson's single-season record in the competition from 1997-98.

Ivan Perisic took Spurs' tally of Premier League scorers to 162, with only West Ham (164) having more different scorers in the competition's history, yet Theo Walcott pulled one back for Saints. The former Arsenal winger has more top-flight goal involvements (12) and goals (seven) against Tottenham than he does against any other opponent.

Yet Spurs conceded a 14th goal since the season restarted when Pape Sarr was deemed to have fouled Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and James Ward-Prowse converted the penalty. He has been involved in more Premier League goals against Tottenham than he has any other opponent (nine – five goals, four assists).

Brentford 1-1 Leicester City: Barnes holds the Bees

Brentford remain without a win against Leicester in the Premier League (P4 D2 L2). The Bees have not beaten the Foxes in the league since March 1953 (P8 D3 L5 since).

Leicester ended a run of four consecutive defeats in the Premier League but this was just the eighth point they have picked up in 2023 (P10 W2 D2 L6). Only Crystal Palace (five) have picked up fewer points since the turn of the year, while only Everton and Bournemouth (20 and 18 respectively) have conceded more goals in the competition this calendar year than Leicester's 17.

Only Ivan Toney (eight) has scored more home goals for Brentford in the Premier League this season than Mathias Jensen (five), whose goal was the Bees' 19th from a set-piece this term – more than any other side in the division.

Leicester scored from their only shot on target of the game. Harvey Barnes' goal was his ninth of the season – his joint-most in a single Premier League campaign (also nine in 2020-21).

Chelsea 2-2 Everton: Simms snatches huge point

Substitute Ellis Simms scored his first goal for Everton as Sean Dyche's team drew 2-2 at Stamford Bridge, twice coming from behind.

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 28 Premier League home games against Everton (W15 D13), but the Toffees can take plenty of confidence from this result.

Joao Felix put Chelsea ahead with his first home goal for the Blues, but Abdoulaye Doucoure equalised from a corner; four of Everton's seven goals under Dyche have come from set-pieces.

Kai Havertz converted a spot-kick to restore Chelsea's lead. He has scored in three consecutive games for the Blues for the second time, previously doing so in March 2022.

However, Simms came on from the bench to earn a point for Everton. The Toffees have now had 13 different goalscorers in the competition this season, with only Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds (14 each) having more.

Erling Haaland revealed he has not set himself a target of goals for the season after hitting another hat-trick in the Manchester City's 6-0 FA Cup win against Burnley.

The Norway international took home the match ball for the sixth time this season in all competitions, with his latest feat at Etihad Stadium coming four days after hitting five in the Champions League against RB Leipzig.

With his latest exploits steering City into the semi-finals of the FA Cup, Haaland's tally in his maiden campaign with Pep Guardiola's side now stands at 43 – becoming the sixth Premier League player to break the 40+ total and first since Harry Kane (41) and Mohamed Salah (44) both did so in 2017-18.

Further records are sure to tumble for Haaland, and the City number nine does not intend to take his foot off the gas at any point.

"It's been a good couple of games, with important goals and 7-0 and 6-0 wins before the international break – it's impressive and I'm really happy," he told BBC Sport.

"Every goal means a lot to me, every goal for the team means a lot. To win 6-0 is an amazing thing against a really good Burnley side. I'm really happy and now the next game is at Wembley.

"We are in the part of the season where we should be at our best. Of course, we should be at our best all the time, but now it's where things get decided.

"We have to perform. The last couple of games have been finals, and that's exactly what we are doing.

"I have not set a target [of goals] this season. As a striker, I love to score goals, but my focus is not on scoring goals, it's getting the chances. If you get the chances, there's a chance to score, so that's what I try to focus on."

Antonio Conte did not hold back as he hit out at Tottenham's players following Saturday's 3-3 draw with Premier League strugglers Southampton.

Spurs led 3-1 in the closing stages at St Mary's Stadium, after Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic netted in quick succession.

Yet Theo Walcott pulled one back for Saints before James Ward-Prowse slammed home a contentiously-awarded penalty deep in stoppage time.

Tottenham have won just one of their last five league away games, and while they sit fourth, they are only two points ahead of Newcastle United having played two games more.

Conte, whose future at Spurs is far from certain, did not mix his words in his post-match media duties, labelling his players as "selfish" and accusing them of lacking fight.

He told reporters: "The problem is we have shown we are not a team. We are 11 players.

"I see selfish players. I see players that don’t want to help each other, that don't play with heart."

Conte suggested the issue in his squad is something that has plagued Spurs since long before he arrived.

"The players don't want to play under pressure, don't want to play under stress. Tottenham's story is this – 20 years and they never won something. Why?" he asked.

"The fault is only the club or every manager that comes here? Until now I try to hide the situation. But there are 10 games to go.

"People think we can fight? Fight for what? With this attitude, this spirit, this commitment. For seventh? Eighth place? I am really upset."

Conte reiterated this sentiment when speaking to BBC Sport, saying: "We are winning 3-1 [with] 15 minutes to go and I think you have to win. 

"I don't want to talk about the technical aspect, the spirit is missing. We are not a team. We are a team where everyone is thinking of himself.

"When you are in this way that can happen, you lose against Sheffield United and drop [out of] the FA Cup and with Milan [in the Champions League]. I don't see the sense of responsibility of the players.

"Now it's difficult – we are working hard with this group and to move in the right direction. We are going behind, I see a lot of negative situations and a lot of selfish situations and players that I don't like.

"I know the way to beat teams, in the past I beat a lot of teams, winning teams. I have great frustration about this because me and the staff stay every day to think of a way to improve.

"Honestly, it's time I have to take responsibility for me, the staff, the club but also the players. The players go onto the pitch, I'm the coach, OK I take the responsibility, the players have to take some.

"What happened in the last period is unacceptable and I tried every moment to speak to try to improve the situation and to transfer the importance to be a team and to help each other, but I'm not seeing this."

Conte concluded with a blunt summary of Spurs' campaign.

"In a process where you want to build something, the tactical aspect is important, but the spirit is important," he said.

"The mind has to stay focused and despite one and a half years, I saw much more last season.

"This season, we are going backwards."

Erling Haaland scored his sixth hat-trick of the season as Manchester City swept Championship leaders Burnley aside in a 6-0 victory in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Just days after hitting five against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, the Norwegian added another match ball to his collection after a dominating performance.

Julian Alvarez netted a second-half brace either side of a Cole Palmer strike, ensuring a miserable return to Etihad Stadium for Clarets boss and former City captain Vincent Kompany.

It leaves City's quest for a treble well and truly on, with an FA Cup semi-final now added to the schedule for Pep Guardiola's side.

City dominated possession from the off but early opportunities were limited, though Haaland characteristically popped up to beat Bailey Peacock-Farrell to Alvarez's through ball, tapping beneath the Burnley goalkeeper to open the scoring after 32 minutes.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker repeated the trick to double City's lead, finding space at the far post to tuck home after Phil Foden's driven ball across the face of goal, with just 179 seconds separating the two strikes.

Haaland secured his hat-trick before the hour mark with his easiest goal of the game, smashing into an empty net after Foden's low drive bounced into his path off the right-hand post.

Three minutes later, City grabbed a fourth as Alvarez got in on the act, tapping home from close range after Kevin De Bruyne put the ball on a plate for the Argentine striker, with substitute Palmer adding another after Peacock-Farrell could only palm Foden's cross into his path.

City were not done, Alvarez latching onto De Bruyne's inviting through ball and turning Ameen Al Dakhil in the box before firing in his second and wrapping up another big win.

Ellis Simms stunned Chelsea with a late leveller as the striker's first Premier League goal gave Everton a dramatic 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Joao Felix had opened the scoring with his second goal in the competition since arriving at Stamford Bridge in January, with Chelsea looking good to brush off opponents who had offered very little going forward.

Everton surprisingly got level when Abdoulaye Doucoure nodded in from a corner, but a penalty from Kai Havertz restored Chelsea's lead.

A home win looked all but assured, yet Everton grabbed an 89th-minute equaliser when substitute Simms strode through and beat Kepa Arrizabalaga, halting Chelsea's three-game winning run.

Eric Dier conceded Tottenham only had themselves to blame after a late collapse at bottom-of-the-table Southampton meant they were forced to settle for a 3-3 draw.

Spurs led 3-1 with 13 minutes remaining, but Theo Walcott got a goal back for Saints before James Ward-Prowse converted a stoppage-time penalty after Pape Sarr was adjudged to have fouled Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Antonio Conte appeared to be furious at the decision, but Dier acknowledged the result should have already been put to bed by that point of the match.

"We only have ourselves to blame," the Spurs defender told Premier League Productions.

"Sloppy mistakes. We lost possession easily and didn't have control of the game at 3-1 when we should have. 

"We conceded really poor goals and should not let them back into the game. They lost both their centre-backs [to injury] and we should have caused them a lot more problems."

The draw for Spurs on Saturday means Manchester United and Newcastle United continue to hold the upper hand in the race to secure a Premier League top-four finish.

Spurs are a point behind Erik ten Hag's side having played two games more, while they lead Newcastle by just two points, despite the Magpies holding two games in hand.

"There will be lots of ups and downs for everybody fighting for top four and relegation," added Dier.

"It will definitely go down to the last couple of weeks of the season, and we need to find some consistency."

Ward-Prowse held his nerve to score past ex-Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster, capping an influential performance that had seen him rack up a game-high five key passes prior to the vital spot-kick.

"Yes, there was a lot of pressure," he said about the penalty.

"I know Fraser very well, he used to be my next-door neighbour, so I've taken a few penalties against him in my garden with my little boy, so we have something going on there."

Asked if Saints can avoid relegation, he replied: "Of course. You have to have belief. We're in the mix, and we have to be positive and look up the table."

And Southampton manager Ruben Selles was thrilled to take momentum into the break in club action.

"You know the feeling when you go to the international break that you did something big," he said.

"It feels great, and we need to take all that we can from it; it is a great moment. The players showed character. It feels great and I'm very proud.

"I don't think we deserved to be 3-1 down, but we showed character and the crowd helped us. Once we scored the second one, we had all the energy.

"The players want to fight for each other."

Bournemouth welcomed David Brooks back to the fold as the midfielder returned to action for the first time since September 2021.

Brooks was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2021, but he was given the all-clear in May last year.

The Wales international began a modified training programme and eventually returned to a matchday squad when he was named on the bench for Bournemouth's 1-0 win over Liverpool last week.

Brooks went one further on Saturday, coming on as a substitute in Bournemouth's 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa – a damaging result for the Cherries' hopes of beating the drop.

Having seen Brooks play 11 minutes at Villa Park, Bournemouth head coach Gary O'Neil is confident the 25-year-old will be raring to go after the international break.

"I'm delighted for Brooksy. I'm disappointed he came back in a game we didn't get anything from, but the bigger picture is it's fantastic for him," O'Neil told BBC Sport.

"He'll be ready to go again after the international break."

Bournemouth, who are 19th in the Premier League, host Fulham in their next game on April 1.

Gary Lineker was back on the BBC on Saturday as the former England striker returned with a teasing dig at his critics.

Lineker, the 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner, was not involved in last week's edition of Match of the Day after becoming involved in a political row following a Twitter post in which he criticised the UK government's immigration policy.

The BBC asked Lineker to step back from hosting the popular football show, which led to a number of commentators and pundits, including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, refusing to take part.

A much-trimmed version of the show was broadcast on Saturday and Sunday, only showing highlights of the weekend's Premier League games with no analysis or commentary.

On Monday, it was announced the BBC would review its social media policy and confirmed former Tottenham and Barcelona striker Lineker would return to work.

As a result, he presented Saturday's coverage of the FA Cup tie between Manchester City and Burnley.

In a Twitter message posted before coverage began, Lineker wrote: "Ah the joys of being allowed to stick to football."

That was a clear retort to members of the public, media and politicians who have claimed Lineker should not delve into politics.

Lineker also acknowledged his gratitude to those who backed him last week, posting a picture that showed him sitting alongside pundits Shearer and Micah Richards, with the caption: "Teammates."

At the top of the show, Lineker passed to Shearer, who told viewers: "I just need to clear up and wanted to say how upset we were that all the audiences missed out on last weekend.

"It was a really difficult situation for everyone concerned and through no fault of their own some really great people in radio and TV were put in an impossible situation and that wasn't fair, so it's good to get back to some sort of normality and be talking about football again."

Lineker added: "Absolutely echo those sentiments."

Tottenham were stunned by a controversial stoppage-time penalty from James Ward-Prowse as a 3-3 draw at rock-bottom Southampton saw Spurs' grip on fourth loosened.

Antonio Conte's men appeared to be heading third in the Premier League, providing a fine response to Newcastle United putting pressure on them a day earlier, but Saints battled back from 3-1 down to rescue a point.

Pedro Porro's first Premier League goal put Spurs ahead at the end of a stop-start first half, before Saints levelled through Che Adams early in the second.

Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic then seemed to have put the game beyond Saints, but Theo Walcott earned them a lifeline and Ward-Prowse's emphatic late spot-kick left Spurs reeling.

Xabi Alonso saluted the development of former team-mate Joshua Kimmich as the Bayer Leverkusen boss prepares for a reunion with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Sunday.

Almost six years have passed since Alonso retired as a player, bringing an illustrious on-field career to a close at Bayern, where he won three consecutive league titles.

Kimmich was making his way in the game during Alonso's three-season spell at the club, arriving from Stuttgart and becoming increasingly important to Bayern but still having plenty to improve in his game.

Now 28, Kimmich has matured into one of Europe's most complete midfielders, which is what Alonso expected he might become.

Asked whether he saw similarities between himself and Kimmich, Alonso said: "In terms of position, yes. When I saw Joshua for the first time, I knew he had a great future just based on his style of play, his personality and his character.

"He has developed really well. His passes are special, the way he distributes the ball as well as his vision on the pitch. I like the way he plays. He’s a super player in the way he presents himself."

There have been few playmakers as complete as Alonso in the past 20 years. Kimmich is not far off, and the Germany international has time in which to rival the Spaniard's trophy haul, which includes two Champions Leagues, two European Championships and a World Cup.

On Sunday, Alonso's Leverkusen will confront a Bayern side that should feature Kimmich. After a slow start under predecessor Gerardo Seoane, Leverkusen have shown huge improvement under Alonso, who is almost six months into his first top-flight coaching job.

Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman and Kimmich were team-mates of Alonso, but the Leverkusen boss, a former Real Madrid and Liverpool star, does not see any obvious advantage from their past acquaintance.

"I do know them, but that doesn't make it easier," Alonso said, quoted on his club's website. "Our aim is to stop their players and make the game as difficult as possible for our opponents."

He will offer a few pointers, all the same.

"Yes, of course I can do that," Alonso said, "but it's always easier to say these things than to do them."

Pedri believes that Barcelona completing the LaLiga and Copa del Rey double this season would represent the start of a new era in Spain. 

The Blaugrana are nine points clear at the LaLiga summit with 13 matches remaining ahead of Sunday's blockbuster clash with second-placed Real Madrid.

Xavi's side are also a goal to the good in their Copa del Rey semi-final with Los Blancos, who they face in the second leg on April 5.

Pedri, 20, is one of several youngsters to play an instrumental role for Barca this season, scoring six times in 22 appearances with only Robert Lewandowski (15) netting more in the Spanish top flight.

And the midfielder, who will miss the latest Clasico after suffering an injury setback, feels a Barca double would represent a changing of the guard.

"The younger generation is coming up at a global level," said the midfielder, who was speaking as a global TCL Mobile brand ambassador.

"And as for us, we are seeing many of these young players emerging with a drive to succeed all without fearing the pressure of playing for Barca. If we win those two titles, [a new era in Spain] would be confirmed a little bit.

"For me, it would be a dream to win my first LaLiga. Any child dreams of that, and even more so for the club you love. That would be crazy."

Barca would take a giant step towards domestic glory with victory over Madrid at Camp Nou, where the Blaugrana have not beaten their rivals in five years.

While Pedri does not think the result will determine the destination of the title, he has urged his team-mates to deliver for the supporters.

"It’s only three more points," he said. "It's a huge turning point because it's against a direct rival. It will be a very difficult game, Real Madrid is always a very challenging opponent. Let's see what happens.

"Hopefully this year, we can bring joy to our fans. They have deserved it for a long time. Barca are used to playing and winning at Camp Nou, so we have to go for the victory."

Despite their favourable position, it has been another disappointing campaign for the club on the European front.

Barca were eliminated from the Champions League group stages for the second successive year – finishing third behind Bayern Munich and Inter before bowing out of the Europa League following their knockout play-off defeat to Manchester United.

Pedri thinks fortune went against the Blaugrana, but is confident they can provide a greater challenge in Europe's premier club competition next term.

When asked if they could genuinely challenge for the trophy next season, the 20-year-old said: "I think yes. Barca must fight for every title, and we have great potential.

"This year, apart from putting in more effort and getting chances until the end, we lacked a little luck in the key moments. Luck was often on the other side, and we suffered because of it

"The level of the teams is much higher. We have had to measure ourselves against very strong teams like Inter, Bayern Munich, Manchester United. They are three of the best teams at the moment. I am convinced that next year, we will perform really well."

Carlo Ancelotti announced he wants to stay at Real Madrid "for the rest of my life" ahead of a Clasico that could have major repercussions for his future at the club.

The former Milan, Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss signed a three-year contract when he arrived from Everton in June 2021 to replace Zinedine Zidane.

However, if Madrid finish this season empty-handed, there will inevitably be doubts over whether the Italian should stay in command.

They won the Champions League and LaLiga last term, and remain firmly in the hunt for a defence of the European title, having reached the quarter-finals, where Chelsea await them.

However, should they lose to Barcelona at Camp Nou on Sunday, Madrid will be 12 points behind their fierce rivals with 12 rounds of LaLiga games remaining. They also trail the Catalans 1-0 after the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.

Ancelotti realises there is no guarantee Madrid will let him see out his contract through to 2024, particularly if they end this campaign without silverware, but he believes his team can finish the season with a flourish and flip the narrative.

"It is an evaluation that the club must make. I would stay at this club for the rest of my life," Ancelotti said. "It is impossible, but I would like to. It is a decision of the club, and it will take it at the end of the season.

"My thought is I want to continue, I hope it's like that. But I enjoy every day that the club wants me here. If you want it to be for three months, I'll enjoy it; if it's for three years, the same. The clear thing is that I'll be grateful for the rest of my life."

Ancelotti, 63, has also bossed Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain in a stellar career, and Madrid would be hard pushed to find a more authoritative figure. This is his second spell at the club, with Madrid president Florentino Perez a firm admirer.

There is a theory that Madrid coaches that fall short of winning titles have their fate already written.

But Ancelotti said: "The written rules change, and the unwritten ones, too. I am convinced that we are going to win something, so the topic is over."

His first stint as Madrid boss ended when the 2014-15 season yielded UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles but not the key trophy objectives: LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Champions League.

Madrid have won five of their last six matches against Barcelona in LaLiga – a 3-1 home success in October among them – having not won any of the previous seven.

Those recent wins have included victories on their last two league visits to Camp Nou, and Ancelotti's side will be attempting to become just the second Madrid team to win three times in a row at the home of their Clasico rivals in LaLiga.

The only time it was previously achieved was in a run from January 1963 to February 1965.

Xavi warned his Barcelona players they cannot assume the title is theirs even if they beat Real Madrid in Sunday's Clasico.

Barca welcome Madrid to Camp Nou for the second LaLiga Clasico of the season, and it comes at a potentially pivotal moment.

The Blaugrana are already nine points clear at LaLiga's summit, meaning anything other than a Madrid win will likely have the Spanish media proclaiming Barca as champions.

Even if Barca do lose, there will still likely be a fair amount of optimism at Camp Nou, given no team have ever led by as many as nine points at this stage of the season and failed to win the title.

Xavi recognises the importance of Sunday's contest, but he is not convinced by suggestions it is decisive – for either team.

"If we win, it would be a knock [for Madrid] in the table," he said.

"It wouldn't be definitive, but it would be a strong blow. Whatever happens, I think nothing will be decided [on Sunday].

"We train naturally, knowing we have a great opportunity. If we win, we will take a very important step to win the league.

"We are very motivated. For some players, it would be the first league title. We prepared for the match, no matter how important it is."

Sunday's game will be the second instalment in a run of three Clasicos in just over a month, with Barca winning 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Copa del Rey on March 2; the second leg of that semi-final is set for April 5.

Their meeting earlier this month had a peculiar feel to it, with Real Madrid recording 64.7 per cent possession, a high for them in Clasicos since at least the 2013-14 season. At the same time, Barcelona's 35.3 per cent possession was their lowest in a single match in any competition over the same period.

Although Barca did win that game, Xavi wants to see an improvement.

"Personally, I would like us to have a little more possession of the ball than in the Copa," he said.

"We are preparing the game in a certain way. We will try to have more control than in the last Clasico, have more of the ball and be protagonists with it.

"I see Madrid as very strong, they have improved a lot physically since January. I suppose it will be a closely contested game.

"The Clasicos are unpredictable, you never know what they will bring. We have prepared well; we have prepared many aspects. We hope Camp Nou will be a pressure cooker for them."

Of course, being able to call upon the ball-playing abilities of Pedri would help Barca retain possession.

However, the Spain international will be absent again on Sunday due to a persistent hamstring injury, with Xavi unwilling to risk him.

"We knew there was risk [with Pedri]," Xavi continued. "[On Friday] he didn't feel 100 per cent, and if you're not in good shape, the best thing you can do is recover well.

"We talked to him and told him that he didn't have to force himself. It's an important game, but it's not a great final. We don't want to lose Pedri for two more months.

"We have played well without [Robert] Lewandowski, without Pedri, without [Ousmane] Dembele, without Gavi... We have done it.

"People keep talking about the first leg of the Copa semi-final, but that's the only game in which we've not had possession.

"It's clear: a match in which we are dominated will not change our mentality. From the first day that I am here, we have worked in a very concrete way."