Chris Smalling has signed a new contract at Manchester United, which keeps him at Old Trafford until at least June 2019. The England international, 25, has won two Premier League medals with United, made 147 appearances, and scored nine goals since his debut against Chelsea in the Community Shield in August 2010. After agreeing the deal, Smalling paid tribute to boss Louis van Gaal.: “I am so proud to play for such a great club. We have developed as a team over the course of the season under the manager and we are now playing as a complete unit. “This is a very exciting time to be at Manchester United, we are all determined to get back to where we belong and competing at the highest level.”

Sunday 19 April 2015:

Abia Warriors 1 – 2 Wikki Tourusts

Akwa United 1 – 0 Ifeanyi Uba FC

Bayelsa United 1 – 0 FC Taraba

Enugu Rangers 0 – 1 Giwa FC

Kano Pillars 1 – 0 Enyimba

Kwara United 1 – 3 Heartland

Lobi Stars 2 – 2 Sharks

Nasarawa United 0 – 0 Shooting Stars

Sunshine Stars 2 – 1 Dolphins

Pep Guardiola insists he will remain Bayern Munich’s coach next season, despite reports he is set to take over at Manchester City when his current contract expires in June 2016. “My future is: Wednesday free, Thursday training, and, of course, next year to be here. That’s my future,” said Guardiola who has work to do if Bayern are to remain in the Champions League. They host Porto on Tuesday needing to overturn a two-goal deficit after losing last week’s quarter-final first leg 3-1 in Portugal..

Harry Kane, 21, became the first Tottenham Hotspurs player to reach the 30-goal landmark in a season since former striker Gary Lineker in 1991-92 after scoring in the 3-1 win over Newcastle on Sunday. Asked if Lineker’s record was playing on his mind, Kane told BBC Sport: “Not really. After I got to 20 goals, I set myself a target of 30 and it felt like I was on 29 for ages. “But now I’ve got here I’m delighted. Maybe I need to set myself another target from now to the end of the season [but] I will keep that quiet. “It was a special occasion and to get the win makes it even more special.”

In-form Novak Djokovic beat Tomas Berdych to win his second Monte Carlo title and become the first man to win the opening three Masters events of the season. The world number one came through 7-5 4-6 6-3 on the clay to extend his winning run in 2015 to 17 matches. Djokovic, 27, adds Monte Carlo to the Masters titles he won in Indian Wells and Miami last month. The Serb hopes to complete the career Grand Slam with a first title at the French Open, which starts next month. “I think the most important period of the year is coming up right now,” said Djokovic. “Obviously Roland Garros and Wimbledon are the priority. that’s where I want to perform my best, but we’ll take it step by step and see how far I can go.” Djokovic had laid down a marker with victory over nine-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and completed the job in Sunday’s rain-interrupted final.

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini says he could be sacked if his team fail to finish in the top four. Pellegrini led City to the Premier League title last term but they have slipped to fourth after defeats by Crystal Palace and Manchester United. “You are wrong if you think that, at this club, you are out if you don’t win the title,” the Chilean, 61, said. “If we miss the top four then maybe it will be different because that would not be the same thing.” City were level with Chelsea at the top of the table after the New Year’s Day fixtures but have lost five league matches since. Going into Sunday’s home match against West Ham (kick-off 13:30 BST) they were only four points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool and four points behind rivals Manchester United in third. Asked about finishing outside the coveted top four, Pellegrini said: “If that happens, the analysis of the season will be different. Not to play in the Champions League is a disaster.” Pellegrini said on Friday clubs should not see sacking the manager as a cure for their problems. “It’s very easy to sack the manager, but that’s not the correct diagnostic,” he said. His position came under even greater scrutiny when highly rated Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp announced this week he would be leaving the German club at the end of the season.

Thomas Tuchel will replace the departing Jurgen Klopp as Borussia Dortmund head coach from 1 July. Klopp, 47, announced on Wednesday he was leaving Dortmund at the end of the season as he felt he was no longer the right man to take them forward. Former Mainz coach Tuchel has signed a three-year contract with the eight-times German champions. Tuchel, 41, stood down from his post at Mainz last year after leading them to their highest Bundesliga finish. He is regarded as one of Germany’s top coaches and was linked with the Hamburg job before Bruno Labbadia was appointed. Tuchel set a new club record at Mainz by winning their first seven league matches of the 2010-11 season. Klopp has frequently been linked with Premier League clubs, including Manchester United before the appointment of Louis van Gaal, Arsenal and more recently Manchester City.

Saturday 18 April 2015:

Crystal Palace 0 – 2 West Brom

Everton 1 – 0 Burnley

Leicester 2 – 0 Swansea

Stoke 2 – 1 Southampton

Chelsea 1 – 0 Man Utd

Sunday 19 April 2015:

Man City 2 – 0 West Ham

Newcastle 1 – 3 Tottenham

World number one Novak Djokovic overcame a battling Rafael Nadal to set up a meeting with Tomas Berdych in the final of the Monte Carlo Open. Djokovic, bidding to win a third Masters title in a row, lost the first two games of the match but fought back to triumph 6-3 6-3 on the clay. It was the 43rd meeting between the pair with Nadal – who has slipped to world number five – 23-20 ahead. Djokovic, 27, has lost only two matches this year. With Prince Albert of Monaco in the crowd, Nadal and Djokovic put on a high-class semi-final. But, ultimately, the injury-plagued Spaniard lacked the consistency to overcome the rampant Serb. The second set hinged on an 11-minute game at 3-3, with Nadal surrendering a 40-0 lead to suffer what proved to be the vital break. I’m very happy with how I played against such a tough opponent,” said Djokovic. “Rafa is the all-time best on the clay, it was not an easy match. “I played well, it was a relief to get this win. There was a lot of tension, it was tough to keep it all under control. “I know the final with Tomas will be a different kind of match, but I’ll do my best to recover and get ready.” Earlier, sixth seed Berdych completed a 6-1 6-4 victory over Gael Monfils of France. Monfils had accounted for Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov earlier in the tournament, but Berdych won the first set in just 23 minutes. The Czech broke twice at the start of the second set to reach his first Masters series final since losing to Federer in Madrid three years ago.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 50th goal of the season to help Real Madrid beat Malaga and move to within two points of La Liga leaders Barcelona. Ronaldo crossed for Sergio Ramos to put Madrid ahead but then hit the post with a second-half penalty. Ronaldo was involved again as James Rodriguez made it 2-0 before Juanmi pulled a goal back for Malaga. Ronaldo, 30, made it 3-1 from Javier Hernandez’s low cross and has now hit 50 goals in his last five seasons.

Lionel Messi scored his 400th goal for Barcelona as Luis Enrique’s team beat Valencia to stay clear of title rivals Real Madrid. Messi set up Luis Suarez’s opening goal after 55 seconds before scoring his landmark goal in stoppage time. The Argentine scored his 46th goal of the season at the second attempt after Valencia goakeeper Diego Alves saved his initial effort.

The Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) says it is terminating the contract of head coach Mariano Barreto. The Portuguese, a former Ghana coach, took charge of the Walia Antelopes last year, signing a two year contract. But a disappointing reign saw Ethiopia finish bottom of their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group. An official statement, sent to BBC Sport, says the EFF will pay an undisclosed amount of money to Baretto for ending the contract early. Local media have reported on deep divisions between Barreto and the EFF’s technical department. Ethiopia are drawn with Algeria, Lesotho and Seychelles in their 2017 Nations Cup qualifying group. They kick off their campaign against Lesotho in June. The EFF have declined to suggest who may be in the frame to take charge of the national side for the qualifiers.

Saturday 18 April 2015:

Crystal Palace v West Brom 3 pm

Everton v Burnley 3 pm

Leicester v Swansea 3 pm

Stoke v Southampton 3 pm

Chelsea v Man Utd 5:30 pm

Sunday 19 April 2015:

Man City v West Ham 1:30 pm

Newcastle v Tottenham 4 pm

FIFA will hand out up to more than half a million dollars in cash to officials who attend next month’s annual congress. Officials from all 209 associations are entitled to receive an allowance of $1,000 (£666) for their five-day attendance around the FIFA Congress. FIFA has confirmed the allowance, for personal expenditure, is distributed in cash in US dollars from a FIFA administrative office, ’upon proof of identity and official accreditation’. A FIFA spokesperson has told Sky Sports News HQ: “The payment is made in cash as, from an administrative point of view, it would be extremely difficult to organise bank transfers for so many people (almost 700 people, with some of them who change at the last minute) and in 209 different countries and because the transfer fees would be too high in proportion to the amount of the allowance.” Each association is entitled to receive a maximum allowance of $3,000 (£2,000) for three officials, which means a total of more than $627,000 (£417,000) can be claimed in cash. FIFA also offers to pay basic accommodation and travel costs for all associations. The cash allowances are within FIFA rules, and there is no suggestion of any improper payments. The 65th FIFA Congress will be held on 28-29 May in Zurich

Bayern Munich’s club doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt and three of his assistants have resigned from the club after claiming they were blamed for the shock Champions League loss to Porto. Muller-Wohlfahrt, who had been with the German champions for almost four decades, said in a statement that the “relationship of trust has been damaged”. The 72-year-old, also involved with the German national team for several decades, felt his team had been “made responsible for the defeat (to Porto) for inexplicable reasons,” sport1.de reported. The other three members who walked out were Muller-Wohlfahrt’s son, Kilian, as well as Peter Ueblacker and Lutz Hansel. It has been reported that coach Pep Guardiola is not completely satisfied with Dr Muller-Wohlfahrt’s work, although he has not publicly pointed the finger at him. Last year, Guardiola advised Thiago Alcantara to seek treatment in Spain at his own preferred doctor rather than follow Dr Muller-Wohlfahrt’s advice, with Bayern sending one of their own doctors along to observe the work being carried out. Muller-Wohlfahrt has been Bayern’s club doctor since 1977, although he did resign once in 2008 when Jurgen Klinsmann was in charge. As soon as Klinsmann was sacked, he returned to the club and has been responsible for their medical department since. He is a trusted doctor with high-profile clients such as Usain Bolt regularly seeking his advice and treatment for their injuries. It is believed he will be continuing in his role as doctor for the Germany national team.

UEFA president Michel Platini hits back at FIFA president Sepp Blatter in a row over World Cup places. Blatter told football executives from North and Central America and the Caribbean yesterday their confederation “should” be awarded another World Cup place for the 2018 tournament in Russia given their success in Brazil last summer. “If Blatter wants to give one more slot to a confederation that reaches one time the quarter-final, what will he give to us, who have [the last] three world champions?” says Platini.

Premier League clubs and players have received more than 130,000 abusive posts on social media this season, according to a study by anti-discrimination group Kick It Out, BBC reports. The research found Chelsea were the most targeted club, while Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli suffered more abuse than any other player. Kick It Out now wants to form an expert group to tackle internet trolls. “The level of abuse is truly staggering,” director Roisin Wood said. “We must do all we can as a collective to protect those who are on the receiving end of discriminatory abuse.” The group says it is exploring forming a group made up of representatives from football, social media platforms and police to address the level of football-related racist, sexist and homophobic abuse. Wood said: “This research shows the true extent of the issue we are dealing with. So far this season, we have received 140 complaints relating to football-based hate crime on social media, yet we can see from these findings that over 134,000 discriminatory posts have occurred just in relation to the Premier League. “It is a huge volume to be looking at addressing but we must confront the problem head on.”

Fernando Torres has hailed former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard as the best player he has ever played with, putting him ahead of a host of Spanish World Cup winners. Torres won back-to-back European Championships as well as the 2010 World Cup with Spain, playing alongside the likes of Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. But the 31-year-old says Gerrard, who he shared a successful spell with at Liverpool between 2007 and 2011, is his ideal player. “It is very difficult to choose because I have had the luck to play with a lot of great footballers. For me, the best is and has been Gerrard,” Torres said in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca. “I would chose him above all if I had to have him in my team, if I had him behind me. Steven Gerrard is the best player I have played with throughout my career, therefore my ideal player would be very like him.” After leaving Liverpool for a disappointing four-year stint at Chelsea, Torres is now back where his career began at Atletico Madrid. And the striker hinted that he could be involved in coaching at Atletico’s youth academy once the time comes to hang up his boots. He said: “For me it would be nice to work with the kids. I think it is important that they have the right coaching and the club is doing a good job in that aspect at the moment. “I compare it to when I started and now they have a lot more facilities and can develop much better.”

David Seaman claims Thibaut Courtois has the edge on David De Gea as the two goalkeepers prepare to meet this weekend. Chelsea’s Courtois and De Gea of Manchester United – widely regarded as two of the world’s best young keepers – line up on opposite sides at Stamford Bridge on Saturday Night Football. The Belgium No 1 has helped Chelsea to the brink of the Premier League title in his first season in England, while De Gea’s form has improved steadily since his arrival at Old Trafford in the summer of 2011. The Spaniard has been linked with Real Madrid and is a candidate for the PFA Player of the Year shortlist but Seaman, who won nine major trophies with Arsenal and was capped 75 times by England, told Sky Sports News HQ: “For me it’s Courtois. “He’s been solid and shown his class. At Chelsea you don’t get a great deal to do (as a goalkeeper), but when he’s been called on he’s been fantastic. “De Gea had a really dodgy start, but he’s shown his character and he’s now showing everybody why Manchester United bought him. He’s a quality keeper who makes some fantastic saves.” The one blot on Courtois’ recent copybook came against Stoke this month when he was beaten by a 60-yard Charlie Adam strike. It was a goal which bore comparison with the famous Nayim goal conceded by Seaman during Arsenal’s Euroepan Cup Winners’ Cup final defeat to Real Zaragoza in 1995. Seaman said: “Going back to Courtois – apart from the goal he let in against Charlie Adam he’s had a great season. I’d tell him: don’t worry, it happens to the best of us!”

Chelsea are expected to confirm a deal to sign Brazilian midfielder Nathan Allan de Souza within the next 24 hours, according to Sky sources. Nathan underwent a medical at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday after the Premier League leaders reportedly agreed a deal worth £4.5m to beat off interest from Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool. The 19-year-old youth international broke through the ranks with Atletico Paranaense but has become embroiled in a legal battle with the Brazilian Serie A side and as a result is out of contract at the end of the month. Nathan burst on the scene in the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2013 when he scored five goals to help Brazil reach the quarter-finals. He has since progressed to the U20 side and has notched up five appearances. The teenager is expected to return to Brazil before becoming the seventh Brazilian player at Chelsea full time in June.