Sports Burst - Neymar's Clasico Cash-in
What was a bad night for Lionel Messi in El Clasico could end up leading to Barcelona splashing out to bring Neymar back to the Camp Nou
By Tim Stannard
Local media report that Barcelona set to spend big all over again in attempt to appease an irate Argentinean
Two days after Barcelona's El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu and the ripples are still working their way through the dimensional space that is LaLiga.
The center of that stone throw of crisis is Lionel Messi on Tuesday and part 15 of the 'Messi-dependence' theme of Barcelona of recent years. If the footballer doesn't perform on the night, then neither does the team. That was very much the case on Sunday with only glimpses of activity from the increasingly irate-looking Argentinean.
Tuesday's edition of Barcelona-based Sport tells tales that a constant existential threat over Lionel Messi leaving the club has sparked the club bosses into action by planning a way to keep their star player happy.
This cunning plan involves spending lots of money on new footballers. Because that has worked so well in recent years. Hello Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong.
A new center-back and right-back are set to be targeted as well as - here we go again - a long-term, world class replacement for Luis Suarez. However, Sunday's defeat could end up working out well for Messi on delivering what the footballer really, really, really, wants. And that's the return of Neymar.
Despite the fact that the Brazilian is currently suing the club for around $40 million for what his people say is money owed from his first spell in Barcelona, the image of Antoine Griezmann blasting an easy chance over the bar in the Bernabeu could lead to Neymar's return, Butterfly Effect style.
The Sports Burst live show will wearily assess this possibility at 12PM ET live on our beIN SPORTS Facebook page and Youtube channel.
Copa Libertadores 2020 gets under way on beIN SPORTS
The Copa Libertadores doesn't waste any time. And why should it. It's that good.
Thursday saw the end of the qualification rounds for the 2020 version of the competition. Tuesday sees the new edition getting underway, live and exclusive on beIN SPORTS.
The 2019 winners, Flamengo, remain favorites after a winning team largely stayed together and just last week picked up the 2020 Recopa Sudamericana title against Independiente del Valle. Palmeiras will also be in the reckoning at the end.
However, Argentina is not going to stand back and allow a repeat performance from the Brazilians with River Plate and Boca Juniors looking to mount a proper challenge.
The six-group stage featuring 24 nations from Peru to Paraguay kicks off with the tremendously named Defensa y Justicia of Argentina taking on the Brazilian giants of Santos at 5:15PM ET on beIN SPORTS, followed directly by Athletico Paranaense against Penarol. There will be some red cards in that.
As a tasty treat, you can also catch top Copa Libertadores action on beIN XTRA - no subscriptions, no fees, no strings. Just fun. Internacional against Club Universidad Catholica gets underway at 5:15PM ET.
Every single Copa Libertadores match will be live across the beIN SPORTS network. Get stuck in.
NBA joins fight against coronavirus as Italy struggles with impact
The NBA is the latest sports organization to make plans to limit the impact of the latest coronavirus outbreak.
Early recommendations from the body in a memo suggest that players limit physical contact with fans - fist bumps in preference to high fives - and avoiding taking objects such as jerseys from fans to sign.
Rugby authorities in Europe have decided that the two remaining Six Nations games scheduled this weekend will go ahead. England v Wales and Scotland v France are to be played, however, the tie between Ireland and Italy remains postponed.
Speaking of Italy and a decision is set to be made today on what to do with Wednesday's Coppa Italia semifinal, second-leg game between Juventus and Milan. Different stories out of the country have suggested that the match will either be played behind closed doors or with fans who have not travelled from the three most heavily impacted regions of the country. Quite how this will be worked out is anyone's guess.
Meanwhile, a meeting will be held on Wednesday with Italian's soccer bosses on how to deal with the fixture backlog from previously postponed games and deal with further potential restrictions.
RB Leipzig have apologized after 20 Japanese fans were asked to leave Sunday's Bundesliga game against Bayer Leverkusen over coronavirus fears. The supporters have since been invited back to another game by Leipzig after what seems to have been an overzealous interpretation of guidelines on supporters coming from areas impacted by the virus.