Real Madrid stars Casemiro and Karim Benzema are suggesting that Los Blancos players want caretaker manager Santiago Solari to stay in the managerial hot seat for the foreseeable future.

Solari has had an immediate impact since taking over on a temporary basis from sacked boss Julen Lopetegui at the end of October, winning his first three games in all competitions by a combined score of 11-0.

The 42-year-old, who spent five years at the Bernabeu as a player in the early 2000s, has been a coach with the capital club in various roles since 2013, most recently overseeing the team’s reserve side, Castilla.

Real Madrid’s performances and results have won Solari the early faith of supporters, and it appears the players are united behind him, too.

“We are facing up with Solari as coach of Madrid,” Casemiro said after Wednesday’s 5-0 Champions League win over Viktoria Plzen, according to ESPN’s Dermot Corrigan. “People can talk about whether someone else is coming or not, but we are showing him respect as Madrid’s first team coach. If things are going well, why not give him a chance?”

Benzema, who has played under six permanent managers at Real since his arrival in 2009, added: “Julen is a great coach but we are with Solari now, and playing with more confidence. For me, he should stay until the end (of the season).”

It remains to be seen whether Real president Florentino Perez will agree with his players. Real were thought to be seeking a big-name boss, but in Solari, they have a man who knows the club inside out.

A report earlier this week suggested the club is chasing former AS Monaco head coach Leonardo Jardim as a full-time appointment.

Barcelona became the first team to qualify for the knockout stages of this season’s Champions League despite conceding late in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Inter.

The Blaugrana cannot drop out of the top two places in Group B due to a superior head-to-head record over the Nerazzurri. They can, however, finish as group winners with a win at PSV Eindhoven on Matchday 5.

Mauro Icardi denied the visitors a fourth win out of four with another one of his trademark finishes from close range. He’s made a habit of rescuing Inter this season in the final quarter of regular time. On this occasion, he popped up in the 87th minute to slide home a loose ball in the penalty area.

The prolific Argentine canceled out Malcom’s first goal for Barcelona, which he scored just minutes after replacing Ousmane Dembele.

It was the least Barcelona deserved for a thoroughly dominant performance at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. Ernesto Valverde’s side fired 26 shots toward goal, forcing phenomenal Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic into seven saves.

Handanovic denied several attempts from the in-form Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho and blocked a point-blank effort from midfielder Ivan Rakitic midway through the second half.

The resistance ended when Malcom froze Inter defender Kwadwo Asamoah with a slick drop of the shoulder and a quick release. The goal capped a wonderful move that began with Barcelona ‘keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen only seconds earlier.

As he’s wont to do, Icardi emerged from the shadows and made an impact. Although he was ineffective for the majority of the 90 minutes, he stepped forward when Inter needed him most.

The draw keeps Inter in second place in Group B with seven points, just three ahead of third-placed Tottenham after their own 2-1 comeback win over PSV.

Spurs host the Serie A outfit at Wembley Stadium on Nov. 28 in a match that will determine the fate of each side.

It seems the idea of a new European “Super League” is far from universally appraised, even by the clubs said to be involved.

A report in German outlet Der Spiegel suggested an assortment of football’s behemoths have been working together to move away from UEFA’s control and form a new competition. Talks over the new league are said to have reached an advanced stage and the intent is for the tournament to begin as early as 2021.

However, according to the Telegraph’s Jeremy Wilson, Manchester United and Arsenal are two of the most high-profile clubs opposed to the suggested scheme, despite both being listed among the 11 proposed founding members.

Wilson claims European clubs that play in domestic leagues which are considered to be lagging behind the Premier League in terms of financial heft have been the most vocal advocates for the move.

However, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin opposes the radical change, saying Monday: “It would damage football worldwide. It would be boring. To see Juventus vs. (Bayern Munich) every week would be more boring than, let’s say, Juve vs. Torino. It’s no question for me that I will fight and do all I can against such a league for as long as I am here.

“If we are talking about a closed system, we can forget about solidarity and the development of football. In the long run, the clubs would be the losers.”

Bayern were also listed as one of the 11 potential starting clubs, but chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insisted the club “neither have any knowledge about this nor have we participated in any talks. That’s out of the question for us.”

Kevin De Bruyne will miss the Manchester derby and a number of other key fixtures in the coming weeks after suffering a knee injury during Manchester City’s League Cup win Thursday.

The midfielder, making his first domestic start since returning from a lengthy injury absence, limped off the pitch in the 86th minute after Fulham defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah fell on his left leg.

The knock overshadowed the 2-0 triumph, as scans Friday revealed that De Bruyne suffered knee ligament damage and will be out of action for five-to-six weeks, the team confirmed Friday.

Despite the serious nature of the injury, Manchester City said that the 27-year-old won’t have to undergo surgery.

Confirmation of the ailment represents a massive setback for De Bruyne, who returned from a right knee injury in August after a two-month layoff.

Manchester City face Southampton on Sunday and Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday before the derby against Manchester United on Nov. 11.

De Bruyne could also miss key fixtures after the international break against Lyon and Chelsea, as well as a handful of other matches.

City faired well domestically during his absence, going unbeaten in nine matches between the Premier League and League Cup. The only blemish came in the Champions League when Lyon recorded a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.