By Tim Stannard
 
Villarreal to pay dues to Barca in Camp Nou clash
 
Irrespective of whether Barcelona succeeds in continuing the club’s quest on Wednesday to have the first unbeaten campaign in Liga in the modern era, President Gerard Pique will be happy.
 
During el Clasico, the Barca man was so irked at Real Madrid’s refusal to give himself and his teammates a guard of honor – or ‘pasillo’ in Spanish - on their entrance to the pitch for being league champions, that Pique summoned members of the team’s staff to do perform the ritual after the match.
 
However, Villarreal will be undergoing the prerequisite amount of bowing and scraping for Barcelona before Wednesday’s league clash, to keep Pique happy. The Yellow Submarine might then turn the tide by becoming the first team to beat Barcelona this season – the visitors are in good form on a three-match winning streak – or simply become another victim of a Barcelona team that shares Real Madrid’s ability to get the job done when necessary.
 

 
Barca will definitely be without Sergi Roberto, who was sent off in El Clasico for striking out against Marcelo. In fact, the footballer will be out for the remainder of the season after being hit with a four-game suspension. The club will be appealing the decision.
 
Barcelona v Villarreal is live on beIN SPORTS at 1:30PM ET / 10:30AM followed directly by what is essentially a scratch team from Coach Zizou’s Real Madrid for a trip to Sevilla.
 

 
Liverpool look over shoulder at Champions League chasers
 
One bit of business was done in the Premier League on Tuesday with Southampton grabbing a win over Swansea City to all but secure the south coast team’s future in England’s top division and relegate WBA.
 

Matters at the top of the table dominate Wednesday with the still open battle for third and fourth spot which will afford qualification to the Champions League next season.
 
Third is currently being occupied by Liverpool – 72 points – but Tottenham (71) and Chelsea (69) have two games left as opposed to Liverpool’s one. And one of those games for the chasers are being played on Wednesday with Chelsea hosting relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town and Tottenham Hotspur taking on Newcastle United. However, the wind is in the favor of Spurs ‘pulling a Spurs’ by choking again to end the season having plucked defeat from the jaws of victory.

 
Wednesday also sees the Italian cup final, which pits Juventus against Milan - the latter looking for some kind of return on a near $250 million investment on players this summer.
 
Tune into the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT for the best of a busy day of action.
 
 

Rooney rumbles over DC United move
 
MLS bigwigs have decided that the west coast should not be alone in having an aged former great, whose legs have gone, ripping off at his inferior teammates.
 
That’s why Wayne Rooney could be joining King Zlatan Stateside with strong rumors of a move to the swamp of Washington and DC United, a familiar rock at the bottom of the MLS pond.
 
The Washington Post murmurs that talks are ongoing to bring in the 32-year-old Englishman from Everton, once the EPL season is over.
 
By happy coincidence MLS has a hefty roster of matches on Wednesday headed by Toronto FC hosting Seattle in a repeat of last season’s MLS Cup final.
 

Celtics look to cream Philadelphia in play-off decider  
 
After the Golden State Warriors clinched their play-off series against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday evening, there is one clash left standing. And that’s the intriguing, confetti-laden affair between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. But all that could be over with the Celtics holding a 3-1 lead over their rivals and in action in game five of the series in Boston.
 
Top class tennis continues on beIN SPORTS with extensive coverage for viewers in the USA of the Mutua Madrid Open. Look out for Sloane Stephens in action against Karolina Pliskova followed by Maria Sharapova taking on Kristina Mladenovic in two round-of-16 games.

 
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