Daniel Sturridge scored in his first match back after being out for five months due to injury.

Sturridge scored within 12 minutes of coming on as a sub.

“It was nice for him and he’s been out for a long time,” Brendan Rodgers said. “It’s about managing his game time. When he’s in that area, he’s shown he’s lethal.

“Daniel is a top-class player – he has shown that in his career so far. He worked very hard, and the first opportunity that came his way he took.

“It was a great first touch and a wonderful finish. I’m delighted for him, but it’s about managing that integration in the team.”

Gareth Bale will play the Cristiano Ronaldo role for Real Madrid on Saturday against Real Sociedad.

Ronaldo is on a two-match ban.

Bale has scored 11 goals in 11 matches when he plays without Ronaldo.

"[Bale] will change his position," Carlo Ancelotti said. "He will play on the left. I prefer to have James on the right wing. But we will play the same way. We will defend with a 4-4-2 and James will have a position further forward in attack. We are not going to change the system."

Diego Costa has lost his appeal on a three-match ban.

Costa will miss Chelsea's match on Saturday against Manchester City.

Costa was found to have stomped Liverpool's Emre Can.

Bayern Munich intends to let the January transfer deadline pass without adding to the squad and have abandoned their pursuit of Marco Reus.

Bayern expects to be without Javi Martinez, Thiago Alcantara and Philipp Lahm until March, while Franck Ribery and Rafinha will also be absent with less serious problems.

Reus will be available for €25 million in the summer, but he reportedly prefers a move to Real Madrid.

Pep Guardiola has concerns about Reus due to his injury history.

Wolfsburg and Chelsea are finalizing a transfer involving Andre Schürrle.

Schürrle and Wolfsburg have agreed upon personal terms already.

Wolfsburg has offered €27 million, while Chelsea was asking for €30 million.

Schürrle, 24, has been linked with a return to the Bundesliga in recent weeks, with speculation building ever since Jose Mourinho said on Friday that the Blues could be persuaded to cash in on the World Cup winner if they received "a phenomenal offer."

Schurrle has three goals in 14 Premier League apperances but has only started five times. 

Manchester United will make one final push to sign either Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund or Aymeric Laporte of Athletic over the final days of the January transfer window.

Either player would significantly help United's defense.

While the likelihood is that neither will move in January, sources say the Premier League club have had a little more encouragement over the past two weeks with both targets.

Chelsea is close to a £23.3 million with add-ons agreement with Fiorentina for Juan Cuadrado.

Cuadrado was initially considered a target for next summer.

The forward himself made his desire to move to Stamford Bridge clear early in the talks. 

“He has the characteristics suited to English football because he’s fantastic in positive transitions and with Mourinho it could be perfect,” said the Fiorentina coach, Vincenzo Montella.

Inter Milan plans on making a run to sign Yaya Touré this summer.

Roberto Mancini would have an opportunity to reunite with Touré if Inter is successful in their bid.

“Yaya is one of the strongest players in the world,” Mancini told the Italian newspaper Il Giornale. “He still is. He has played in so many teams. He has been in leagues in Belgium, Russia, Spain and England. Italy is the one missing. This could be the right opportunity for him to come and try.

“We are building a team. There are players that change the look of a team, and Yaya is one of them. Next year we could try. We need to bring three champions, and we will see that we will be ready to fight for the scudetto.”

Touré is under contract with City until June 2017.

Diego Costa is facing a three-match ban for his apparent stamp on Emre Can of Liverpool during Tuesday's Capital One Cup semifinal.

Costa is contesting the ban, which would force him to miss Saturday's critical match for Chelsea against Manchester City.

The incident - one of several during an action-packed 120 minutes - happened in close proximity to the dugouts, but was missed by the match officials. It was subsequently reviewed on video by referee Michael Oliver, with the charge following as part of the FA’s fast-tracked procedures.

Jeremy Mathieu has confirmed that Lionel Messi and Luis Enrique had a heated argument during a Barcelona training session earlier in January.

"It was when we got back from holiday," Mathieu said to RMC of the incident that occurred at the La Liga club's training center on Jan. 2. "Suddenly, for a foul that wasn't given, 'Leo' blew his top. Things got tense, they said a few things to each other.

"The coach came to speak to him in the dressing room afterwards and that's that. It happens at every club, but because it's Barcelona, it's made out to be a huge thing. That's the problem."