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• Xavi 'convinced' Barcelona U-turn is right decision

  Xavi believes staying at Barcelona is the right decision after he performed a U-turn on leaving the club.

  Reports emerged on Wednesday that Xavi, who had initially decided to leave Barca at the end of the season, had changed his mind.

  Confirmation arrived on Thursday, with Xavi and Barca's club president Joan Laporta holding a press conference.

  And Xavi has no doubt he is making the right call.

  “You know that I am a very big Barcelona fan and I always try to do the best for the club," he said, as reported by Football Espana.

  "The most important thing is to think about the institution. When we met with the president I put my position at his disposal, but I saw that I enjoy great confidence from the president and the entire board.

  "The players have been very important, they have made me see that this project has to continue. We are working well, it is a winning project. The project is not finished.

  "The fans have also made me see that I must continue. The staff too. I think about what is best for the club.

  "In January I thought it was best to leave, but now I see it differently. I think it is the best decision.

  "I am 100 per cent committed. The trust they have placed in me again is spectacular. Let's get to work."

  Crunch talks with Laporta were reportedly key to Xavi's decision, and Barca's president added: "It's great news that Xavi is staying. Stability is one of the keys to success."

  Since taking charge of Barca in 2022, he has taken charge of 137 games in all competitions, winning 85 of them (62 per cent), drawing 24 and losing 28.

  His team have scored 261 goals, winning two trophies – the 2022-23 LaLiga title and the 2022-23 Supercopa de Espana.

  Barca's last-gasp defeat in El Clasico last weekend saw them fall 11 points behind LaLiga leaders Real Madrid with just six games remaining.

• FC Dallas v Houston Dynamo: Arriola says hosts must pay supporters back

  Midfielder Paul Arriola says FC Dallas need to start paying their supporters back in Saturday's Texas derby against the Houston Dynamo, having failed to impress in the early stages of the season.

  Dallas sit 13th in the Western Conference standings with just five points from eight matches in 2024, their only victory coming against the San Jose Earthquakes in their season opener.

  They have only taken two points from seven matches since then, putting head coach Nico Estevez under pressure. 

  However, Arriola says a clash with their biggest rivals at Toyota Stadium represents a chance to put things right.

  "Our fans have been great all season, we haven't shown up for them. It is motivation for us to go and beat Houston on Saturday and obtain three points," he said. 

  Dallas were beaten 2-1 by the Colorado Rapids last time out, leading Estevez to question his players' character. 

  "We turned up with fear, lacking in determination and character," the Dallas boss said after that match.

  "It is very difficult to play like that because Colorado are one of the hardest working teams in the league on both sides of the ball."

  Houston, meanwhile, are preparing for a second straight meeting with a state rival, having suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Austin FC – their third loss of the year – last week.

  Star midfielder Hector Herrera made his first appearance of the season from the bench in that match, playing 30 minutes after recovering from a groin injury.

  Head coach Ben Olsen said of the Mexican's return: "You can see when he comes on the field, the game changes for the better in some areas.

  "Right after he came on, the pressure was turned up on them. We got into so many dangerous spots, but still that connection in the box just wasn't there."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH 

  FC Dallas – Petar Musa

  Musa is the only Dallas player with multiple goals to his name in MLS this season, having netted his second goal of 2024 in last week's loss to Colorado. 

  Can he provide attacking inspiration for a team with just seven goals in eight games this year? 

  Houston Dynamo – Hector Herrera 

  While it remains to be seen whether Herrera is ready for a start, he could have a sizeable impact upon his return to action.

  Last season, the Mexican led all Houston players for chances created (77), passes into the final third (835) and assists (13) in MLS play.

  MATCH PREDICTION – FC DALLAS WIN

  Dallas have made their second-worst start to an MLS campaign, only taking fewer than five points by this stage of a season when they earned four in 2009. They did, however, go on to make the playoffs that year.

  With home advantage on their side, perhaps things will start to turn on Saturday. The Dynamo haven't won consecutive away MLS matches within a single season for almost 11 years, and they won their last road game 2-1 against Minnesota United.

  Dallas tend to turn up for the derby, having gone unbeaten through their last 13 regular-season home matches against Houston (eight wins, five draws) in a run which stretches back to September 2011.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  FC Dallas – 44.6% 

  Houston Dynamo – 26.5%

  Draw – 28.9%

• Carragher says Liverpool may need to move on from Salah and Nunez

  Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool's next manager has a big decision to make regarding Mohamed Salah's future, adding the Reds definitely need to move on from Darwin Nunez.

  Liverpool's title hopes suffered a potentially fatal blow at Goodison Park on Wednesday, as goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin handed Everton a memorable 2-0 win.

  The defeat – Liverpool's first at Goodison since 2010 – means they are three points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal and one clear of Manchester City, who have two games in hand.

  Jurgen Klopp now looks likely to end his final season at the helm with just February's EFL Cup triumph to show for his efforts, with Carragher declaring Liverpool's title hopes to be over on Wednesday.

  He also believes Klopp's successor – which could be Feyenoord's Arne Slot if reports are to be believed – may need to shake up Liverpool's frontline.

  "Mo Salah is Liverpool's goalscorer and he's gone off the boil. That's shone a light on others," Carragher told Sky Sports.

  "There is a real discussion for the new manager about what the future holds for Mo Salah – it's the first time we've asked that question. He only has a year to go on his deal.

  "He's looked a shadow of himself for a lot of this season but especially since he's come back from injury. He is Liverpool's legend, superstar, one of the all-time greats, but he's been so far off it."

  Salah has 17 Premier League goals this season, but 14 of those came before he went to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt in January.

  Prior to that tournament, Salah boasted a shot conversion rate of 21.54 per cent for 2023-24, netting with 14 of his 65 total attempts in the competition. Since returning, he has only converted 8.57 per cent of his 35 efforts.

  Salah's strike partner Nunez has also come in for criticism, with only Erling Haaland (30) missing more big chances than the Uruguayan's 26 this term. Haaland has, however, converted 34.78 per cent of his big chances to Nunez's 18.75 per cent.

  Carragher does not believe Nunez is capable of further improvement after two up-and-down campaigns on Merseyside, saying: "I think I'm at the stage with Nunez where I'm not sure there's a question to ask.

  "You want him to do well because he gives everything, he causes trouble, he gets the odd goal. 

  "But after two years, when Liverpool are going for the title or in big games, you need your man to score at Old Trafford or at Goodison Park. This is the business end, the time to win. 

  "He's ground to a halt. After two years there's going to be no improvement in him. This is what he is. 

  "He can cause trouble but he's erratic with his finishing – it's not enough to win you trophies so there's a big decision to be made on him. It's not acceptable when you're going for a title."