Triple King s Cup holders Barcelona were drawn against Celta Vigo in the last 16 on Tuesday, three days after being held to a 2-2 draw by the Galician team in La Liga. Real Madrid were pitted against second division Numancia and Atletico Madrid face third tier Lleida Esportiu who came from behind to knock out Real Sociedad on away goals and reach the last 16 for the first time.

Zamalek coach Nebojsa Jovovic has quashed recent rumors that he intends to leave his post, adding that he takes full responsibility for the club s poor results this season. "I don t think of leaving my job at all. These are just rumors," the 43-year old coach was quoted as saying by the club s official website on Monday.

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez insisted he cannot envisage former teammate Neymar moving to rivals Real Madrid due to his "admiration" for Barca. Neymar spent four years at the Camp Nou before sensationally moving to Paris Saint-German in August for a world record 222 million euro fee.

Zamalek chairman Mortada Mansour has announced several new faces in the coaching staff after the resignation of assistants Tarek Yehya, Medhat Abdel-Hady and Hussein El-Sayed due to the team s poor results in the Egyptian Premier League. "I thanked the three who resigned for what they have achieved with team," Mansour told a television programme.

Egypt s dazzling forward Mohamed Salah came off the bench to score twice and lead Liverpool to a 3-0 rout of Stoke City in the Premier League on Wednesday, going two goals clear on top of the scorers chart. Salah replaced Dominic Solanke in the 67th minute and quickly made his mark, doubling Liverpool s advantage with a brilliant strike 10 minutes later.

Russia will host the 2018 World Cup draw on Friday, the glittering ceremony providing a welcome distraction to the unrelenting diet of doping and corruption news that has sullied the nation s sporting reputation in recent years. The draw ceremony will give Russia the chance to showcase the cities and stadiums that will host the 32 teams next June and July, with 1986 Golden Boot winner Gary Lineker and Russian sports journalist Maria Komandnaya the main presenters.

After Friday s World Cup draw, fans can start planning their trips. Here is what you need to know: BUYING TICKETS The only way to get tickets is via the FIFA website, but they re not always on sale. FIFA releases tickets in phases, with the next starting on Dec. 5. It s a lottery system, so there s no need to stay up all night to apply first when the window opens.

Jurgen Klopp has pledged to keep rotating Liverpool during the Premier League s most hectic period after leaving out some of his biggest names against Chelsea and throwing away a 3-0 lead at Sevilla. Georginio Wijnaldum, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane were among those on the substitutes bench for the 1-1 draw on Saturday, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner among the men to benefit, while the in-form Mohamed Salah kept his place.

Stoke City striker Peter Crouch s habit of scoring crucial goals from the bench has earned him a one-year contract extension, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. The 36-year-old, who has not started a league match this season but is Stoke s leading scorer with four goals in all competitions, has made a Premier League record 144 substitute appearances in his long career.

Egypt winger Amr Warda scored twice to lift Atromitos to the Greek Cup round of 16 following a 4-0 away win over second-tier side AE Sparti on Tuesday. Madson opened the scoring in the 17th minute and Warda scored two quick-fire goals on 28 and 38 minutes to put the game beyond the reach of the visitors. Emmanuel Mensah completed the rout in the 75th minute. Atromitos have ensured their progress as they top group 4 while Trikala and AOK Kerkyra will face off for the second ticket.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino vowed on Monday to crack down hard on racist incidents when Russia hosts the World Cup next year. "This is a very high priority and we will make sure no incidents will happen," Infantino said in a video statement. "It is absolutely not tolerable and we will be very, very firm on that, so we can expect fair play in Russia."

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Goetze has been ruled out for about six weeks after partially tearing ankle ligaments in Saturday s chaotic 4-4 home draw with Ruhr valley rivals Schalke 04, the Bundesliga club said on Monday. The 25-year-old scored Dortmund s third goal as they opened up a 4-0 lead in the first half only to capitulate spectacularly and allow Schalke back into the game.

Liverpool s Mohamed Salah continued his impressive goal-scoring run and maintained his position on top of the Premier League scorers chart after netting against former club Chelsea in a 1-1 draw on Saturday. The Egypt winger, who left Chelsea after a brief and unsuccessful spell in the summer of 2016, put the Reds ahead in the 65th minute to break down a dogged Chelsea defence.

Manchester City restored their eight-point lead in the Premier League after Raheem Sterling s late goal clinched a 2-1 win at Huddersfield Town, while Alexis Sanchez gave Arsenal victory at Burnley on Sunday. City have swept aside all comers this season, but they found themselves in the unusual position of trailing at half-time after Nicolas Otamendi s own goal at the John Smith s Stadium. Pep Guardiola s side equalised through a Sergio Aguero penalty in the second half before Sterling s lucky 84th-minute winner sealed their 11th successive league victory.

Ten of the top 32 teams in the latest FIFA rankings will not be in the World Cup draw next week. No. 10 Chile, No. 14 Italy, and No. 24 the United States are among those who will be missing on Dec. 1 at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow.

Valencia have gone from being the laughing stock of La Liga a year ago to becoming the main challengers to Barcelona in the title race and face the biggest test of their credentials when they host Ernesto Valverde s leaders on Sunday. Valencia, the six times Liga champions who last lifted the title in 2004 under Rafael Benitez, are on a club record run of eight straight wins and another victory in Sunday s top-of-the-table clash would put them within a point of Barcelona.

The 6-0 rout of APOEL Cyprus didn t change much for Real Madrid in its quest to once again be crowned Champions League winner, but it was crucial to boost the confidence of its top two strikers - Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. Benzema scored twice Tuesday to end his six-match scoreless streak, and Ronaldo added two to maintain his good run in the European tournament and fend off criticism of his disappointing performances in the Spanish league, where he has scored only once in 12 games.

Ramadan Sobhi s disappointing form this season has led to doubts over whether he can really realize his potential, having showcased unquestionable talent in his early days with Egypt s Ahly and English Premier League side Stoke City. But the 20-year-old has recently shown he is still a work in progress, gradually winning back his place in the Stoke line-up.

Egypt s versatile defender Omar Gaber will complete a loan move to Los Angeles FC from Swiss giants Basel in January, both clubs announced on Tuesday. Gaber will pen a one-year contract with the club that was founded in 2014, the Major League Soccer club said on their official website.

Morocco coach French Herve Renard has been granted a contract extension until 2022 after helping the team reach the World Cup for the first time in 20 years, the country s football federation announced on Tuesday. Morocco qualified for the football s most prestigious showpiece for the first time since 1998 after securing an impressive 2-0 victory away to the Ivory Coast on their final qualifier a fortnight ago to lead their group.

Defending champions Ahly will be facing their first real test in their bid to retain their Egyptian league title when they face leaders Ismaily at Alexandria s Borg El-Arab Stadium on Monday. In a rescheduled game from the fourth week due to Ahly s Champions League commitment, the Reds will be looking for their fourth league win in a row when they visit their bitter-foes - who are unbeaten in eight games.