Juve boss praises Ronaldo amidst assault allegations

Juventus boss, Massimiliano Allegri, told the press on Friday that Cristiano Ronaldo is "ready to return" for the Saturday’s Serie A clash for Juventus against Udinese despite the maelstrom that surrounds the footballer.

Ronaldo is currently the focal point of allegations of rape by Kathryn Mayorga dating back to 2009, allegations that continue to ripple outwards. On Thursday, Ronaldo's key sponsors, Nike and EA Sports, issued statements expressing concerns over the case.

The share price of Juventus has dropped 5% from Tuesday. The club also came under criticism for the tone of a tweet on Thursday, giving full backing to the side's star player.

Juve doubled down on supporting Ronaldo on Friday in a pre-match press conference when Allegri said that "he’s fine, he’s a lad I’ve known for three months.”

Ronaldo missed out the midweek Juventus clash in the Champions League due to suspension and will not play a part for Portugal in the upcoming international break. “What I can say about him is that in his 15-year career, he’s always shown great professionalism both on and off the field. He’s dedicated and also very much so to social matters, which says it all.”

Mourinho admits that Manchester United must-do better 

The world really is getting downright weird now. 

Today, Friday October 5th, Jose Mourinho admitted that Manchester United was underperforming. "We can do much better," admitted the Special One - soon to be Special Gone? - to a fainting press conference ahead of Saturday's very must-win match against Newcastle United in Old Trafford. 

United has gone four games without a win in all competitions and Mourinho was asked whether a fifth would not be enough for his team. "Yes, I accept," said the Portuguese, who would not elaborate on what had been going wrong with the team - "many different reasons" - and what he would be doing about it. So, some sense of normality at least. 

Meanwhile, former United heavyweights Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have given their backing to Mourinho. "I'd like to see him take this...and and show us what a good coach he is," said a hopeful Scholes. 

The Locker Room at 7:30PM ET / 4:30PM PT is the one-stop shop for the hottest of takes on all the big issues going into the weekend. 

Basque derby leads away in frenetic football Friday 

One of the great footballing occasions of La Liga sits at the top of the sporting table today with a battling Basque derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad in San Mames. 

The universe finds both teams struggling this season and at the wrong end of the standings with only three wins between the pair. That clash is live on beIN SPORTS ESPANYOL at 3PM ET / 12PM PT. 

Over in Ligue Un and Mario Balotelli has once again been exiled by Patrick Viera and is not in the squad that takes on Toulouse today at 2:45PM ET / 11:45AM PT live on beIN SPORTS. 

The striker suffered some discreet criticism from both his club and country coaches that his fitness is not perhaps at an optimal state.

The Premier League kicks of its weekend too with Brighton and Hove Albion hosting a recovering West Ham United, while Werder Bremen takes on Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. 

In Italy, struggling Frosinone is away at Torino.

Want to know where to catch the best of all the action from the day? Well, that's the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT. 

James leads Bayern Munich rebellion 

While James Rodriguez has largely been a peripheral figure on the pitch for Bayern Munich this season with the midfielder racking up bench time, the Colombian has certainly made some noise off it. 

German outlet, Bild, is reporting that James had quite the temper tantrum in the Bayern Munich dressing room, yelling "we are not at Eintracht!" referring to the former club of new Bayern boss, Niko Kovac. It's fair to say that James is quite keen on departing in January. 

The Bundesliga giants have had a rocky road of late with just one point from six racked up in the Bundesliga in the past two weeks and a home draw against Ajax in the Champions League. And a lucky point at that. 

Bayern is back in action on Saturday in a derby against Borussia Monchengladbach, a team that is currently riding high in fourth.