Sporting Digest: Football

Hristo Stoichkov, the Bulgarian striker, yesterday refuted suggestions that he is about to move from Barcelona after reports last week said that the 31-year-old could be on his way to Compostela to join his compatriot Lyuboslav Penev. "Compostela certainly offered the possibility of playing me there but nobody spoke to me directly about this and I'm not moving from Barcelona," Stoichkov was quoted as saying in the sports daily Marca. "I have a contract until 30 June and I'm going to stay here." Speculation about Stoichkov's future with the Catalan club has been rife since the start of the season. He has only played in one League match since the arrival of the Dutch coach Louis van Gaal in the summer.

Liverpool have been cut to 6-1 second favourites for the Premiership title by the bookmakers William Hill after their 2-1 victory at Newcastle yesterday. Manchester United, beaten 3-2 at Coventry, have been eased to 1-5, then they bet 8-1 Chelsea, 16-1 Arsenal.