Image source, AFP

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman believe his side can score goals against Liverpool on Sunday, despite not finding the net in their last two home games.

"Swansea and West Ham didn't come here to play open football and that gives us more difficulties. We didn't have the quality to break it down but Sunday's game will be different. It is all about sharpness in the box," he said.

"I'm surprised they [Liverpool] have four points less than we have. To come closer, they have to win.

"We did a great job replacing good players with more good players. One of the qualities is that we have conceded only 17 goals and if we keep that sort of number it will help us to a high position in the table."

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has been giving his views on the controversial penalty incident during his side's 1-0 win against Besiktas in the first leg of their last-32 Europa League tie.

Substitute Mario Balotelli scored the spot-kick, but only after taking the ball off stand-in captain Jordan Henderson, who also wanted to take it. Injured club captain Steven Gerrard, speaking as a television pundit for ITV, said Balotelli had disrespected Henderson.

Image source, AFP

But Rodgers says: "There has been a lot more drama made about it from you [the media] than us. It's very clear who the penalty takers are. When Steven plays he is number one. With the players on at the start of the game Jordan was nominated penalty taker.

"But if Jordan, Steven and Mario are on the pitch at the same time then we normally have Steven or Mario take penalties."

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has refused to be drawn on Adam Lallana's remarks that his departure from the club last summer will have 'left a sour taste in the mouth' before the side's meeting at St Mary's.

"That's not my question. My job is to prepare my team for Sunday's game," he said.

"I don't talk about players who come back to the club where they played last season because I could do that every week. He is doing well at Liverpool - he chose to leave the club and nothing else."

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Chelsea's Claire Rafferty returns to the England squad for next month's Cyprus Cup as they continue their World Cup preparations.

The inclusion of Rafferty, who can play in defence or on the wing, is the only change to the squad that lost 1-0 to the USA earlier this month.

England, who finished runner-up to France last year, face Finland on 4 March and then play games against Australia (6 March) and the Netherlands (9 March) before the knockout phase.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport chief F1 writer

"Mercedes have said that Nico Rosberg has been taken out of the car for this afternoon's session to ensure his injured neck - where he has an inflamed nerve - is not over-stressed and is fit for a full day's running on Sunday.

"Lewis Hamilton is in the car now and clearly not completely recovered from the illness that forced him to abandon testing on Thursday - he has tweeted that he is "feeling a bit better now".

"Hamilton is due to drive again on Saturday, but it could be a frustrating day for him - light rain is forecast at various points.

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"We've had our first driver go off today. Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz Jr has gone off at the fast uphill Turn Nine and brought out the red flag. That will be annoying for senior team Red Bull, who are part-way through a race simulation with Daniel Ricciardo, for which team bosses Christian Horner and Adrian Newey have turned up to watch."

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet says England striker Jermain Defoe may miss Saturday's home game against West Brom.

"Jermain is touch and go and there are a few in that situation, so it is important to monitor how they recover after training today to see if there are any issues, but hopefully they will all be there," says Poyet.

"Let's hope that nothing happens between today and tomorrow and we have got practically everyone available."

A few more words from Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini, this time on the importance of midfielder Yaya Toure.

City have won just one game in Toure's absence but with the influential Ivory Coast international returning after a successful Africa Cup of Nations campaign alongside new signing Wilfried Bony, Pellegrini is delighted to have more options.

Image source, AFP

"It's important to have Yaya back, he's an important player for us. For him and for Bony to come back after winning the Africa Cup of Nations is better," added Pellegrini. "We're sure Yaya will be the same player as he was before he left.

"We didn't win a lot of games without him but there were other problems too. We had players coming back from injuries and when you put both together, maybe that explains it."

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At his news conference, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was asked about John Terry's contract situation with the defender reportedly keen to sign another one-year contract.

"He accepts our policy of going year-to-year and he accepts it with a smile and as a challenge," said Mourinho.

"Last season he won the challenge and got an extension and this year he is winning it again."

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport chief F1 writer

"Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo is the first race driver to try a race simulation run at the second pre-season test, after Williams test driver Susie Wolff did a steady but consistent one on Thursday.

Image source, AFP

"This is where the team try to run a complete race distance, including pit stops and accurate tyre choices, to see how the car gets on. Red Bull's rivals will be scrutinising it with interest.

"Meanwhile, the patched-up Honda engine in the McLaren is still going and Fernando Alonso has just improved his best time. He is still fifth fastest, but now 1.387secs off pace-setter Ricciardo."

Martinez also praised the contribution of Romela Lukaku, who scored a hat-trick in Switzerland.

"As a striker you need to be fed with goals but Romela was unstoppable at times. As well as creating the chances, he was in the right place with the right room and he could have scored six, but what also pleases me is the responsibility he took and that chemistry with players around him was strong. It is important that carries on.

"I expect a competitive Leicester side and it will be a really difficult game. Our group is feeling strong. February was always going to be a testing month and our experience will help us."

More from Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini. He says: "I hope tomorrow we will recover our normal performance at home - we will have to play well with intensity.

"If we win tomorrow we will have the same amount of points we had at the same moment as last season."

Remember what happened last season? This.

Image source, Getty Images

Everton manager Roberto Martinez believes his side's Europa League adventures, including Thursday night's win at Young Boys, are helping the team as they switch focus to the Premier League and the visit of Leicester on Sunday.

"We are enjoying our football and it has helped young players to learn. It also highlights that we need to take that into our domestic performances," he said.

"We haven't been able to get the momentum but we feel confident in our play and I hope that last night's result will be the final push to help us enjoy our football until the end of the season."

Scotland midfielder Graham Dorrans intends to help Norwich City secure an immediate return to the Premier League after arriving on loan from West Bromwich Albion.

The 27-year-old has dropped to the Championship to join the Canaries on an initial one-month deal.

"Everybody wants to play in the Premier League. I came here with the view of getting back to the Premier League," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.

Championship strugglers Millwall have signed Leicester City forward Gary Taylor-Fletcher on loan until the end of the season.

The 33-year-old previously played under Lions boss Ian Holloway at Blackpool.

Australia's World Cup match against Bangladesh is in doubt because of heavy rain predicted for the Brisbane area.

The game is scheduled to begin at 03:30 GMT on Saturday, although there is no reserve day set aside so both sides will pick up a point each if the match cannot be played.

A match can only be successfully completed if each side has a minimum of 20 overs, although the match can start later than the original time if needed.

If only it had been raining in the Wellington area last night. England were thumped by eight wickets in their game against New Zealand, if you didn't know.

Maybe the Australia and Bangladesh players can take to their "boogie boards" (a small version of a surfboard to you and I) and enjoy the rain as much as these youngsters (and dog) did in Brisbane earlier today.

Image source, AFP

Southampton's on-loan Benfica midfielder Filip Djuricic has said he wants a permanent move to the Premier League's fourth-placed club.

The 23 year-old joined for the rest of the season on 2 February, and made his debut against West Ham nine days later.

"I'm here to help the team reach the Champions League and after it's my goal to stay here if at all possible," Djuricic told BBC Radio Solent.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Oasis star and Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher will be a guest on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday night.

Gallagher, who is preparing to release his second solo album, interviewed then City striker Mario Balotelli for Football Focus in 2012.

As well as discussing Tottenham v West Ham, Everton v Leicester and Southampton v Liverpool, he will also front a feature on City's match against Newcastle, which takes place on Saturday evening.

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The World Club Series gets underway in Warrington on Friday night with the home side up against St George Illawarra after the event was expanded from a one-off to a six-team competition.

But Hollywood actor Russell Crowe (pictured below), the co-owner of NRL Grand Final winners South Sydney who will face Super League Grand Final champions St Helens on Sunday, is urging rugby league officials to be bold and raise the profile of the event.

"Some of this world series situation I disagree with because we are into a mode of two out of three games being friendlies," he said. "If there is no blood on the line it is not rugby league."

Image source, AP

Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen has set his sights on an England call-up after being granted UK citizenship.

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The South African-born batsman, 31, has scored more than 8,500 runs in all competitions, 1,046 of them in last season's County Championship.

"If I continue to do well it gives me an opportunity to represent England," he said.

After England's eight-wicket humiliation at the hands of New Zealand this morning, they may need all the help they can get.

We have seen Louis van Gaal, let's say, be a bit grumpy at some news conferences this season, but not today. Today he is in a positive mood and this may well be why.

Asked if he had a fully-fit squad to choose from, the Dutchman replied: "We are very close to that stage. In the first four months I started, I could only select from the fit players. And, as you know, I always had 10 or 11 players injured.

"Now, in the last month, I only have one or two players and now only Michael Carrick is injured so that's a big difference.

"That's also because of the way of training, also the players had to adapt to the way of training, and now that's complete. That's the big difference with the beginning of the season."