Kick Off: Abidal 'keeps job' after Messi criticism as Man City eye Barca captain

Welcome to All Football's Kick Off, we bring you all important news in the past 24 hours. Make sure you do not miss out.

TOP HEADLINES

Man City monitoring Messi situation after public spat with Abidal (Standard)

Man City will monitor Lionel Messi’s fall-out at Barcelona, with the Premier League champions believing they would be the Argentine superstar’s first choice if he ever walked away from Camp Nou, according to Evening Standard.

Spurs 3-2 Southampton: Lucas & Son rescue Mourinho's men in FA Cup thriller

Tottenham recovered from 2-1 down to beat Southampton 3-2 in Wednesday's FA Cup fourth-round replay thanks to a couple of late goals.

ABIDAL-MESSI SAGA

Barca squad 'believe Messi words unite them & support him' after Abidal clash

Barcelona trained on Wednesday for the first time after Lionel Messi's clash with Eric Abidal. The Argentine forward was supported by his teammates, who appreciated his defence of the group.

Abidal keeps his job after talking with Bartomeu (Marca)

Josep Maria Bartomeu and Eric Abidal had a meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss the fallout from Lionel Messi's criticism of an interview given by Abidal and it has been decided that the Frenchman will stay in his job.

Barca sweating over Man City move for Messi after public spat with Abidal (Mail)

Eric Abidal has kept his job at Barcelona despite upsetting the club's most important player Lionel Messi.

Setien tries to ease tension between Messi and Abidal during training (Marca)

Quique Setien tried to implement a relaxing training session for Barcelona's players after the tension that emerged on Tuesday night between Lionel Messi and Eric Abidal.

What if Abidal was right?

What if Eric Abidal is right?

Bartomeu calls for urgent 'clear air' meeting with Abidal after Messi row (RAC1)

Local radio outlet RAC-1 claim that the president has called for an urgent 'clear the air' meeting with Eric Abidal scheduled for midday Wednesday.

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Barcelona 'will sign Getafe striker Angel as a replacement for Dembele'

Barcelona will sign Getafe striker Angel as the emergency substitute for Ousmane Dembele if they are allowed to bring in a replacement.

Willian 'was dropped' for Leicester draw after 'sulking' over failed Barca move

Willian was dropped for Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Leicester last weekend because of his attitude, according to reports.

Abidal admits Barcelona interested in Arsenal captain Aubameyang

Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal has confirmed the club are interested in Arsenal skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

THE THINGS HAPPENED

FA Cup 5th round fixtures: Chelsea vs Liverpool; Rooney's Derby face Man Utd

Tottenham's win over Southampton on Wednesday night means we now know the draw for the fifth round of the FA Cup in full.

Messi & Griez lead Barca's Copa squad against Athletic Bilbao as Vidal returns

Barca have announced the 18-man squad list for Athletic Bilbao clash.

Neymar sent birthday messages by stunning models as he enjoys single life

NEYMAR has been bombarded with birthday messages from stunning models on Instagram.

Ex-Utd captain Valencia sends message to Ighalo after taking his No.25 shirt

Antonio Valencia has sent a message to Odion Ighalo following the news that the Manchester United loan signing has taken the No.25 shirt he used to wear at the club.

Carvajal & Casemiro miss out on Madrid squad for Sociedad game as Rodrygo back

Real Madrid have announced their squad for La Liga clash against Real Sociedad.

Chelsea wing Pedro smooches stunning mystery nightclub blonde 📸

Chelsea are in the midst of a fortnight off from Premier League action... and winger Pedro is making the most of it.

AF COLUMN & DEPTH

Ronaldo, Rashford, Traore & more footballers' amazing body transformations

Footballers’ amazing body transformations: see Ronaldo, Traore, Rashford and Akinfenwa before and after adding muscle.

From Maldinis to Kluiverts, check families span across 3 generations of football

Daniel Maldini recently made his Serie A debut for AC Milan, following in the footsteps of his father Paolo and grandfather Cesare as a Rossoneri player.

Top scorers in each position in 19/20: Messi & Ronaldo lead, Walker at the goal

Messi, Ronaldo and Lewandowski have respectively scored the most goals in their positions this season. Man City "goalkeeper" Kyle Walker has scored 1 goal to be included in the squad.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

🎥 The worst OG? This keeper thinking he is Messi, turns out he is not...

FIXTURES OF THE DAY

UTC 2020/02/06 18:00   Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad

UTC 2020/02/06 20:00   Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona