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• Koeman demands Barcelona hit winning streak as Cadiz eye another scalp

  Ronald Koeman has told Barcelona they must win all their remaining six games in 2020 to stay in the LaLiga title hunt. 

  A rocky start to the campaign has followed the turbulent end to last season, which came to a head with the 8-2 thumping by Bayern Munich in the Champions League. 

  Tension was then created when Lionel Messi tried to push through a close-season exit, while the effect of the pandemic has also hit Barcelona hard, causing off-field strife, with the early departure of president Josep Maria Bartomeu bringing club elections forward to January. 

  A whole host of distractions appear to have taken a toll on Barcelona's first-team squad, with three defeats in their opening nine LaLiga games leaving coach Koeman with a tall order to reel in the early front-runners. 

  Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal are the surprise top three, with Real Madrid fourth and Barcelona seventh heading into the weekend. 

  Koeman feels there is no room for error now, saying: "Atletico win their games, they concede few goals. The season is long, but we cannot lose more points and until the end of the year - we have to win all the games."

  On Saturday they tackle a Cadiz side who sit sixth, a point ahead of Barcelona albeit having played two more games. 

  Cadiz beat Real Madrid earlier this season, however, so Koeman is taking their threat seriously. 

  Koeman is trying to see a bright future for his team, and despite stressing the need to string together wins, he would not go further into what a defeat to Cadiz might mean. 

  "You have to answer when things happen, I prefer to think that you can win games and be positive," he said. 

  Cadiz have taken 13 of their 15 points this season away from home, and their last league win anywhere came in October. It suggests Barcelona may be facing last season's Segunda Division runners-up at a good time. 

  Cadiz have also not beaten Barcelona in LaLiga since May 1991, when Koeman lined up in a championship-winning Johan Cruyff team that suffered a 4-0 humiliation. 

  Barcelona have won all six of the league games between the sides since, but head into this weekend on a rough run away from Camp Nou. 

  Koeman's side have taken only one point from their last three LaLiga away games and are desperate to avoid a fourth such match without a victory. The club last endured such a dry run on the road when Frank Rijkaard's team went six without winning from March to May in 2008, with Pep Guardiola soon stepping in to shake up the side. 

  "Normally we will have a lot of ball against a defence like that of Cadiz," Koeman said. 

  "We will have to be patient. It seems to be more difficult for them to win at home, but they are achieving good results [overall this season], and it is a difficult ground where we must be focused to play at our level and score goals." 

  If Messi finds the net, it will be his first goal against Cadiz in LaLiga. Barcelona's record goalscorer has scored against 37 of the 40 sides he has faced in the competition, with Xerez, Real Murcia and Cadiz being the exceptions. 

  Messi has, admittedly, only played against Cadiz once previously.

• Flick prepared to be patient as Sane settles in at Bayern Munich

  Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick believes Leroy Sane needs more time to establish himself with the Bundesliga champions.

  Since joining Bayern from Manchester City for a reported €45million in July, Sane has scored three goals and provided three assists in seven Bundesliga games, three of which have been starts.

  He has also created four big chances, with only Thomas Muller (six) and Serge Gnabry (five) creating more for Bayern.

  His big chance conversion percentage is 50 per cent, while he has completed just 38.1 per cent of his attempted dribbles.

  The attacker missed almost the entire 2019-20 season with City after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament and suffered a knee injury against Hoffenheim at the end of September.

  Flick has largely been impressed with Sane's contribution but believes there is plenty more to come once he has settled at the club.

  "You have to consider the background," Flick told a media conference ahead of Bayern's top-of-the-table clash with RB Leipzig on Saturday.

  "He had a serious injury and was injured again in the Hoffenheim game. I know from my own experience that you need some time.

  "What I see in training is good. It's not that easy when you come to a new club; you have to integrate first. At the moment we can't train like we did in pre-season."

  Bayern are two points clear of Leipzig at the Bundesliga summit and will hope to improve on their recent record against Julian Nagelsmann's side when they visit the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

  Bayern won their first three meetings with Leipzig but have triumphed only once in their last five matches. Indeed, since 2017-18, only Hertha Berlin (four times in seven games) have picked up points in as many games against Bayern as Leipzig (four times in six games).

  Leipzig are also the only team to stop the Bavarian giants from scoring in their last 70 Bundesliga matches, holding them to 0-0 draws in May 2019 and February 2020.

  And Flick is in no doubt his side are in for a tough game against Nagelsmann's forward-thinking outfit.

  "Leipzig have developed tremendously," the Bayern boss said. "Even before I was at Hoffenheim, I knew that Julian was a top coach.

  "Leipzig plays forward very quickly and are very variable. The idea of their football appeals to me and I value Julian as a coach. That's why Leipzig are where they are."

  Alphonso Davies returned to full training this week after six weeks out with ankle ligament damage, while Joshua Kimmich stepped up his own personal fitness programme following surgery on a right lateral meniscus injury.

  Saturday's game will come too soon for them, but Flick holds out hope Davies could make an appearance in Wednesday's final Champions League Group A game against Lokomotiv Moscow.

  "Alphonso has trained, but is not yet ready for tomorrow," Flick said. "Maybe he will be back on Wednesday.

  "Otherwise, except for Coco Tolisso and Joshua Kimmich, everyone is on board. That is a good sign, especially in the current situation."

• Zidane adamant he has full backing of Real Madrid hierarchy and players

  Under-fire Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is convinced he retains the full support of the club and his players amid a difficult run of results.

  Madrid head to Sevilla on Saturday having failed to win any of their previous three LaLiga matches, suffering losses to Valencia and Deportivo Alaves either side of a draw with Villarreal.

  Los Blancos have never endured a winless run of four league games under Zidane, and the champions are already seven points adrift of pacesetters Real Sociedad – though arguably the greater concern is second-place Atletico Madrid.

  Diego Simeone's men are unbeaten this term and, although a point behind La Real, they have two games in hand on them and one on their city rivals.

  Tuesday's 2-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk increased the pressure on Zidane as their Champions League progression hopes were left hanging in the balance, but the Frenchman continues to put on a brave face.

  When asked if he felt he had the club's backing, he told reporters: "Yes, completely, I feel the support of the club. I can't be happy when we lose a game, but we know where we are.

  "We are lucky to fight for this club and that's what I'm going to do until the last day, and the players too. We have to be together with what we know how to do."

  Zidane was then asked if the players have given him their backing, which seemed to irk the former France international.

  "In the end, you guys [the media] always try these things, asking whether the players are with me or not," he replied. "What the players want is to compete and they have always shown their care for me, but it is not the most important thing.

  "I have been a player here, coach, I know the history I have with this club and sometimes it is true that things do not work out for us.

  "[Criticism] doesn't bother me. It's my position, it's what it is, when you don't win it's like that, it's normal for there to be criticism, but it won't change what I think. We will continue."

  Traditionally, Madrid do well against Sevilla – Los Blancos have beaten them 19 times in their previous 30 LaLiga meetings, while Zidane has not claimed more wins against any other opponent across all competitions than he has over the Andalusians (seven).

  Nevertheless, Europa League holders Sevilla – coached by former Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui – are likely to be fresh having rested many first-team regulars during the 4-0 Champions League defeat to Chelsea.

  They are also unbeaten in 15 league games at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, keeping seven clean sheets in their past 10 home games, and will move above Madrid with a win.

  But Lopetegui remains wary of Madrid, suggesting their difficult form might make them even more threatening this weekend.

  "Real Madrid are always dangerous, and even more so in these situations," he said. "They're a team that have answers for many situations and now that feeds into them to give a good performance. I'm expecting a strong Real Madrid, who will demand the best version of us."