With five points separating the bottom nine sides in an incredibly tight Premier League, we asked who is going to be relegated this season. Your thoughts so far...

James Whale, external: I thought a couple weeks ago that my team Sunderland would stay up due to there being three worse teams. But I think we've finally had it, so Sunderland, Leicester and QPR.

Martin Smith, external: Burnley survival will depend on if they can win their next three games, as after that they then play Man United, Chelsea, Swansea, Liverpool, Man City, Southampton, Arsenal and Everton ... most of them away. Not an easy run.

Derek Hansen, external: QPR - Can't win away from home and concede too easily. Overly reliant on Austin. Burnley - Hope I'm wrong but I fear a great team spirit and Ings wont be quite enough to keep them up. Villa - In freefall, I can't see Lambert turning it around.

Let us know your relegation choice and the reasons why at #bbcsportsday and the BBC Facebook page,

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Lionel Messi broke the La Liga goalscoring record in 2014 and became the Uefa Champions League's all-time leading goalscorer.

Barcelona team-mate Ivan Rakitic and MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez make the case for Messi to win this year's award.

Watch the BBC's Messi video here.

Image source, BBC Sport

From 17:00 GMT, the BBC Sport website will have live text commentary of this year's Ballon d'Or ceremony from Zurich.

Over the course of the day, we'll be taking a look at what the trio have achieved in the last 12 months - here's Lionel Messi's stats.

Image source, Getty Images

The Times football correspondent Matt Hughes, external in Zurich: "Messi appears to leave the door open to leaving Barcelona - I'm not sure where I'll be next year," he said. "I've always said I'd like to end my career at Barcelona, but as Cristiano says, only God knows the future."

Championship strugglers Rotherham United say they have signed Huddersfield Town winger Danny Ward on a permanent deal subject to Football League clearance, report BBC West Yorkshire Sport, external.

Image source, England Netball

England levelled their three-match international series with Jamaica at 1-1 with a 55-47 win on Sunday.

The match ended with more than a minute left to play after a power cut at the the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston.

The umpires declared the result would stand, with the decider set for Wednesday at 00:30 GMT.

Nine fans face 14 charges, including arson, destruction of property and attempting to cause bodily harm, after plastic stadium seats were set ablaze during a first division match between AEL and APOEL in Cyprus.

Police said a group of APOEL fans lit fire to the seats and a nearby storage room while pelting fire crews with rocks, sticks, firecrackers and ceramic tiles. The match was stopped for 20 minutes until police restored order

After defeat, some sportsmen make excuses, some are a little more straight talking.

I think we can safely put Stuart Bingham into the latter category.

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The 38-year-old from Basildon says he was so bad in his Masters defeat by Marco Fu that he "didn't know" what he was doing at times.

"Marco punished nearly everyone of my mistakes," Bingham told BBC Radio 5 live. "My performance was shocking. I just can't seem to play here. I've got a great following here, so I'm disappointed."

Judd Trump and Stephen Maguire are locked at two frames apiece at the Masters.

We're not trying to get rid of you, but just a reminder that there's live coverage now on BBC Two if you want to watch.

Nice are confident that Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa will be registered as one of their players, despite a last-gasp hiccup with the French federation.

French sports daily L'Equipe reported that the FFF had yet to register the France international because it was wondering whether he has already played for a maximum two clubs this season as per Fifa's regulations.

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Ben Arfa, whose transfer to Nice was announced by the French club this month, was loaned to Hull City until December and it is unclear whether a game he took part in with Newcastle's development side is an official match.

But Nice say the English FA has now confirmed to the French federation that the game was not official.

League One promotion challengers Preston North End have signed goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on loan from Manchester United for the remainder of the season, report BBC Radio Lancashire, external.

Johnstone, a Preston lad, who was recalled from a spell with Doncaster, said: "If anyone else other than Preston had shown an interest in me, the likelihood would have been I would have stayed at Doncaster, who have been very good to me."

Castleford are confident of being able to repair their ageing ground in time for next month's Super League opener against Wakefield, but chief executive Steve Gill says the weekend's storm damage highlights the urgent need for a new stadium.

The Tigers were forced to close one of their stands for Sunday's Andy Lynch testimonial match against Bradford after a retaining wall collapsed during Friday night's storms.

It will remain closed for Castleford's two other pre-season games, against Widnes and York.

Gill said: "We will always spend what we need to make the ground safe but the old girl is creaking and this highlights the need for a new stadium."

Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler: , externalGot to be Ronaldo surely.

Manuel Neuer won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, as well as a German league and cup double with Bayern Munich.

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He was also his country's player of the year and conceded just 40 goals in 62 games in 2014.

Southampton keeper Fraser Forster and BBC football commentator Guy Mowbray are among those who feel Neuer should win the Ballon d'Or. Watch the BBC video here.

Image source, BBC Sport

From 17:00 GMT, the BBC Sport website will have live text commentary of this year's Ballon d'Or ceremony from Zurich.

Over the course of the day, we'll be taking a look at what the trio have achieved in the last 12 months - and next up is Manuel Neuer.

Image source, Getty Images

League One side Oldham Athletic have taken Blyth Spartans winger Jarrett Rivers on trial for a week.

The 21-year-old - who works in his mother's newsagents - scored the winner in the Northern Premier League side's FA Cup win over League Two Hartlepool.

Rivers came through the youth system at Middlesbrough, and joined Blyth from Whitley Bay last summer.

With five points separating the bottom nine sides in an incredibly tight Premier League, we asked who is going to be relegated this season. Your thoughts so far...

Kyle Flynn, external: Three to go down ... QPR - useless away form. Villa - Can't score ever. Leicester - squad not good enough.

Matt Edwards, external: QPR, Leicester and one other to be dragged down out of Burnley, Sunderland, Villa, Hull and Palace.

Denise Richards, external: At least one Team in claret and blue will be relegated.

Gary Timms, external: Any three of Leicester, QPR, Hull, Sunderland, and, as much as it pains me, Villa. The lack of creativity is frightening.

Arthur Fane, external: Southampton are definitely going down - they sold all their best players, they have no chance . . . . oh wait!

Let us know your relegation choice and the reasons why at #bbcsportsday and the BBC Facebook page,

Rochdale have signed forward Febian Brandy on a deal until the end of the season, after his release by Rotherham.

He moved to the Millers last summer but made just one substitute appearance and was loaned out to Crewe.

Image source, Getty Images

Roger Federer fought his way to a tough win over old rival Lleyton Hewitt in the Fast4 tennis exhibition in Sydney.

The Swiss world number two continued his unbeaten run into the new season with a 4-3, 2-3, 3-4, 4-0, 4-3 win over the Australian in the short-form contest.

Federer arrived fresh from a four-match winning run in Brisbane, where he took the title in three sets over Milos Raonic on Sunday.

Next month's Everton v Liverpool derby at Goodison Park will remain a tea-time kick-off despite council objections, the Premier League has ruled.

Liverpool City Council had asked that the Saturday, 7 February fixture, set to begin at 17:30 GMT, start earlier.

The request followed Merseyside Police identifying the weekend game as having a higher risk of disorder because of the late kick-off time.

However, the Premier League has said the time will not be changed.