Goalkeepers are supposed to come into their prime later in their careers but, even so, Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon has got to be having a laugh.

The 38-year-old has beated Dino Zoff's club record of 903 minutes without conceding in Serie A.

The Italian has now gone 926 minutes since being beaten in the league after a 10th successive clean sheet in Friday's 1-0 win over Sassuolo.

Sebastiano Rossi holds the Serie A record after going 929 minutes without being beaten while playing for AC Milan in 1994.

Image source, Reuters

Now, as we gear up for an exciting finish to the Premier League title race, the chase for the Ligue 1 crown in France is a little bit more predictable.

Paris St-Germain, who knocked Chelsea of the the Champions League in midweek, will be crowned champions of France for the fourth successive season if they beat Troyes on Sunday.

Monaco's failure to beat struggling Reims on Friday means Laurent Blanc's side can wrap up the title with victory at the bottom club with two months - yes two months - of the season still to go.

Image source, AP

According to the Sun, even Louis van Gaal's supporters among the Old Trafford club's boardroom accept the need for change following the defeat at Liverpool on Thursday.

Image source, .

Antonio Conte's appointment as Chelsea's next manager is a case of when rather than if, according to the Daily Star, external, and the Italian is taking English lessons in preparation for the role.

Image source, .

Louis van Gaal may believe "it is working" at Manchester United under him but, it appears, The Times does not agree.

Image source, .

Another story getting plenty of column inches is the predicament of Manchester United. They host West Ham in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday on the back of a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie with Liverpool.

United boss Louis van Gaal has come in for plenty of stick over that loss and his team's form this season - they lie sixth in the Premier League - but he insists the club is moving in the right direction. 

"I think it is working," said Van Gaal, rejecting the accusation United have fallen short in his time at the helm.

"It is not giving the best results. It is not good enough when you think you have to be a champion, or win the Europa League or the FA Cup.

"There are many of my colleagues who are not in three competitions any more."

Image source, Getty Images

Rafael Benitez has gone from managing Spanish giants Real Madrid to a relegation fight with Newcastle. Can he save the Tyneside club from the drop? What are the issues he must urgently address? How will he approach the task? 

You can get the answers by clicking here. Have a read, it's worth it.

Image source, .

The Daily Mail , externallikewise go in on Rafael Benitez calling in his "flops" for training, but they also have a chat between ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher and former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes. It comes in the wake of Liverpool's 2-0 win over their arch rivals on Thursday and let's just say Scholes is not too happy about his former side's performance.

Image source, .

Rafael Benitez didn't waste any time getting to work after his appointment as Newcastle boss on Friday.

According to the Daily Express,, external he cancelled the players' day off and had them back on the training pitch to prepare for Monday's game against Premier League leaders Leicester City.

Image source, Daily Express

Rafael Benitez's appointment as Newcastle manager has certainly made the club's record goalscorer Alan Shearer a happy man.

Magpies legend Shearer reckons the Spaniard's arrival gives Newcastle, who are 19th and one point from safety with a game in hand, "a big opportunity" of staying up.

"It's a great coup for Newcastle to get someone like Benitez, if - and it's a big if - he can manage the football club the way he wants to manage," said Shearer.

"What's been clear is that every manager that Newcastle have appointed has come from a point of weakness, where they've not been able to set their own agenda.

"They've always had to work to a certain structure, whereas I think Rafa will be different - he'll set what he wants, he can demand that he controls the transfers, and he can run the football club as he wants to run it."

Image source, Reuters

In addition to our morning footie chat, as is the norm for a Saturday morning, we are teaming up with the Danny Baker show on BBC Radio 5 live.

One of Danny's many conversation topics this morning is: "Things, other than money, you've exchanged for tickets and memorabilia."

You can let us know by the power of text on 81111 (UK Only - with your names on please) or by tweeting us at #bbcfootball. 

And you can listen to the show right now using the play button at the top of this page.

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace last won in the league at Stoke on 19 December and could still get dragged into a relegation battle but they have reached the FA Cup semi-finals with wins over Southampton, Stoke, Tottenham and Reading.

"We've won, but we've got to win in the league," says Eagles boss Alan Pardew.

"A semi-final in the cup brings an excitement to you, and we hope that rubs off on our league form.

"We've been pressure conscious of late, but that wasn't there in the cup. We have 10 games left now and we're looking forward to them."

Image source, Reuters

In terms of last night's FA Cup action, Crystal Palace may be without a Premier League win in 2016 but they are into the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in 21 years.

The Eagles beat Championship side Reading last night thanks to two late goals.

A Yohan Cabaye penalty and Fraizer Campbell stoppage-time strike were enough to see them through as Palace boss Alan Pardew got one over his former side.

You can watch highlights by clicking here.

Image source, Getty Images

So, the plan for this morning is to check out some of the reaction to Rafa's appointment and last night's FA Cup tie, see what the back pages think of the Spaniard's return and other stories they have from the football world plus a general look forward to today's games.

That of course, is all subject to change as this is being thrown together as we speak.

So, just in case you've been on the moon or otherwise engaged, Rafael Benitez has replaced Steve McClaren as manager of Newcastle.

The former Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Valencia boss takes over with the Magpies a point from safety with 10 games left.

The Spaniard, 55, has signed a three-year contract, which is understood to contain a break clause should Newcastle be relegated at the end of the season.

"C'mon Toon Army. The club and I need your total involvement," he said.

(The most interesting aspect of that story to me is that Rafa said 'C'mon Toon Army'. I'd actually love to hear him say that in his first news conference.)

He's back. Rafael Benitez is back in the Premier League after being confirmed as Newcastle United's manager and so there can only be one way to start today:

Three Premier League games - FACT 

Norwich v Manchester City (12:45 GMT) - FACT

Bournemouth v Swansea (15:00 GMT) - FACT

Stoke v Southampton (15:00 GMT) - FACT

One FA Cup quarter-final - FACT

Everton v Chelsea (17:30 GMT) - FACT

(Welcome back Rafa)

Image source, PA