Sporting briefs

Shelvey: Alan Curtis plans to pitch Jonjo Shelvey into Swansea’s FA Cup tie at Oxford today amid reports that the England midfielder could leave in January. “It’s fair to say that Jonjo will play on Sunday (today) and hopefully he will show everybody what he’s capable of,” said Curtis. Shelvey has only started once in Curtis’s five games in charge with Crystal Palace and Newcastle are reportedly keen to recruit the six-times capped international.

Gabbiadini: Napoli have turned down a €15m offer from Newcastle for striker Manolo Gabbiadini, reports said yesterday. The Italy international had also attracted interest from West Ham and Crystal Palace lately but Sky Sport Italia said Napoli do not intend to part with their player at this crucial phase of the season. Gabbiadini has managed five goals in 13 matches this season.

Fans banned: Sheffield United have handed banning orders to a number of fans after investigating allegations of racist chanting at Bramall Lane. It was reported that a number of United supporters were heard to chant “You’re just a town full of ISIS” towards Bradford fans during Sheffield United’s 3-1 win against the Bantams in Lea-gue One on December 28.

Saviola: Javier Saviola’s second spell at River Plate ended in ignominy when he quit with a record of no goals in six months since returning home in June after 14 years in Europe. Second comings can work out well like Carlos Tevez at Boca Juniors but they can also fail as Saviola, capped 39 times by Argentina, admitted. “After analysing my present situation with the coaching staff, I took the tough decision not to carry on playing at River Plate,” the 34-year-old said.

Patric: Gamba Osaka’s Brazilian striker Patric has set his sights on applying for Japanese citizenship with a long-term goal of forcing his way into the national side at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The 28-year-old joined the club in July 2014 and played a pivotal role in Gamba’s domestic treble triumph that season. “If I stay in Japan for two more years then I can apply for Japanese citizenship,” Patric was quoted as saying yesterday.

Results

Primera Liga
Barcelona vs Granada - 4-0
Getafe vs Real Betis - 1-0
Sevilla vs Athletic Bilboa - 2-0
Real Madrid vs Deportivo - 5-0
Levante vs R. Vallecano - 2-1

Ligue 1
Angers vs Caen - 2-0
Lyon vs Troyes - 4-1
Monaco vs Ajaccio - 2-2
Montpellier vs Bordeaux - 0-1
Reims vs Toulouse - 1-3
Rennes vs Lorient - 2-2