Jennifer Lawrence’s The Hunger Games Bags Big Prizes At The MTV Movie Awards

Teen books sensation The Hunger Games proved to be a big draw at the recently concluded MTV Movie Awards, held here in Los Angeles. On Sunday night, a host of Hollywood A-listers gathered together, to celebrate the best in movies.

The sequel to the hit fantasy fiction thriller The Hunger Games, i.e. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire won the Best Film award at the glittering awards night. The Hunger Games part two left behind even Oscar winning 12 Years A Slave, securing the numero uno spot.

Also in the list of awards for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was Best Female Performance, for the beautiful and talented Jennifer Lawrence, and Best Male Performance, for Josh Hutcherson.

Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the night was one of celebration and revelry, with stars making the most of the evening. Performances by Rihanna, Eminem, Elie Goulding, and Zedd were among the highlights of the night.

Among the off-beat, fun categories, Zac Efron won in Best Shirtless Performance, while Hollywood cross-promotions for summer flicks were on in full swing. Among those seen promoting their summer releases, were Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx for The Amazing Spiderman 2, Jared Leto and Mila Kunis for Oz The Great And Powerful etc.

Di Maria, Fabregas and the stars fighting to save their Madrid and Barcelona careers

The Copa del Rey final at the Mestalla on Wednesday will provide the platform on which some players will be hoping to cement a future with their clubs

ANALYSIS
By Kris Voakes | International Football Correspondent

It is a rare season indeed in which Real Madrid and Barcelona's biggest tussle comes in the Copa del Rey rather than a league decider or a Champions League face-off. But such have been the varying difficulties faced by the two giants this term, Wednesday's cup final at the Mestalla will carry a huge weight come the summer.

Of course, Madrid still have interests in Europe but will have to overcome continental kings Bayern Munich to progress, while Atletico Madrid have an advantage of more than three points over each of the Clasico rivals in La Liga.

It all means that the opportunities for players to show their worth to their side are running out fast, and both Madrid and Barca have a number of first-team squad members whose futures remain somewhat unknown right now.

Below, Goal assesses six of the men for whom Wednesday's clash could be a make-or-break moment in their Clasico careers.

FABIO COENTRAO

The Portuguese full-back very nearly left the Santiago Bernabeu last summer when he was on the verge of a move to Manchester United, but one year on it seems his time in Madrid is up for good.

Having played barely a handful of games all season, the €30 million signing will this summer be looking elsewhere for his opportunity to regain the reputation he gained at Benfica. With Marcelo having nailed down the first-choice left-back spot, it would take a huge performance from Coentrao at the Mestalla to make the club and the player alter their plans.

At 26, he does at least have plenty more football in him.

ANGEL DI MARIA

He saw off the challenge of Mesut Ozil, won the heart of Carlo Ancelotti and was Madrid's best player in the recent Liga defeat to Barcelona, but still Angel di Maria has a major point to prove if he is to be assured of a spot in the Blancos squad for 2014-15.

While his Italian coach has been bouyed by his upturn in performances since Christmas, the club's board are less than happy with the Argentine's fluctuating fortunes over the past couple of years. With the movers and shakers at the Bernabeu looking to boost their stocks in midfield this summer, Di Maria's future could hang on exactly how much the capital outfit need to cover the cost of whoever comes in.

As such, another big performance against Barca will put the 26-year-old on more stable territory when it comes to the club's planning ahead of next term, but a lacklustre display could spell the end of his four-year stay in Madrid.

CESC FABREGAS

On the face of it, Cesc Fabregas should be about as well-placed as anyone when it comes to being kept on at Barcelona this summer. He has played more minutes than any other player since Tata Martino took over, and the departure of Thiago Alcantara and age of Xavi Hernandez should also play into his hands.

But there's more to the former Arsenal man's position at the club than immediately meets the eye, with his inability to find a niche in the first team since arriving from London in 2011 leaving some fans questioning his true quality.

Fabregas should still be wearing Blaugrana next season, but a no-show performance at the Mestalla might lead to more of the supporter base pushing for radical change ahead of Barca's ban-permitting summer transfer activity.

JAVIER MASCHERANO

Javier Mascherano might have arrived at the Camp Nou as an alternative to Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta in the centre of midfield, but over time he has become one of Barcelona's most vital centre-backs. Under Pep Guardiola's system of using adaptable players all over the pitch, the Argentine was a key component as Barca attempted to pass their way through all-comers.

But the 29-year-old has looked more like a midfielder than ever before over recent times, with his defensive capabilities being shown up as teams look to exploit the Blaugrana's deficiencies at the back. So long as they can delay their transfer ban long enough to get some work done in the transfer window, at least one centre-back addition is almost guaranteed.

And Mascherano's usefulness will become questionable if that is the case. Should a new coach be given the reins in Catalunya, the ex-Liverpool man may find himself overlooked as a first choice, and a poor display in Wednesday's final might persuade the power-brokers that Mascherano is not only short of first-team quality but is also no longer capable of Barca-like performances.

ALVARO MORATA

For many, Alvaro Morata used to symbolise the future of Real Madrid. His positive performances in 2012-13, including a superb display in the home Clasico win last March, had suggested a platform had been built for him to become a first-team star for some time to come.

But his 2013-14 has not gone entirely to plan. The Spaniard has started only eight games all season, scoring seven times in a total of 28 appearances, with Karim Benzema's resurgence blocking his path to more regular football. While the Frenchman might not necessarily remain as hot next term, the Madrid board are hoping to bring in more striking stocks this summer, further reducing Morata's prospects in the first-team squad.

The 21-year-old is understood to be frustrated at the lack of opportunities this season, with Cristiano Ronaldo's assertion that the two cannot play effectively together resulting in reduced game time, and he is not short of admirers should he decide that his career is more likely to flourish away from the Bernabeu. Wednesday night is a big moment in his young career.

JOSE MANUEL PINTO

If one thing is currently clear about Barcelona's goalkeeping plans amidst the uncertainty of Fifa's transfer ban, it is that Jose Manuel Pinto is not in the club's plans.

The 38-year-old was thrust into the spotlight by Victor Valdes' season-ending injury and has since been considered by outsiders as the most likely No.1 at Camp Nou come the beginning of next season in light of the potential suspension on incoming transfers.

However, the club are confident that transfer activity will be permitted this summer by either a lifting or postponement of their punishment, meaning the completion of Marc-Andre ter Stegen's transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach. Simply put, Pinto is not in Barca's considerations for the new campaign with even a big showing in the Copa del Rey final unlikely to make the club rethink.

Pogba is a force of nature, says Buffon

The Italy international has nothing but praise for his young team-mate and has little doubt the Bianconeri directors will make the right decision on whether to sell the midfielder

Juventus shot stopper Gianluigi Buffon has voiced his admiration for Paul Pogba, describing the young Frenchman as "a true force of nature."

The midfielder has established himself as one of the brightest young players in Europe following his excellent form for the Bianconeri since his move from Manchester United.

The 21-year-old is continually being linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, with the Ligue 1 giants reportedly willing to pay up to €70 million for the powerful midfielder, and while Buffon admits such a fee could prove too tempting for the club to ignore, he is eager for the player to stay at the club.

"Paul is a natural talent. There's no arguing about that. He is a true force of nature," the Juventus goalkeeper told Sky.

"He has surprised everyone. He has just exploded and didn't need much time for it. We all understood within two months or so that he was a huge talent and that we were talking about a great player.

"But in a difficult economic situation like this, you have to take a lot of things into consideration if a big offer comes in. 

"But I would like to stress that the directors and the president have always made the right choices and will do the same in this case."

Pogba has a contract with Juventus until the summer of 2016.

Chelsea close in on €42.5m Diego Costa deal

The Blues have held meetings with the striker's camp over the past month and are near to securing an agreement to bring the Atletico Madrid star to Stamford Bridge in the summer

EXCLUSIVE
By Wayne Veysey

Chelsea are close to clinching the €42.5 million signing of Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa.

Representatives of the Londoners have held a series of meetings with Costa's camp over the last month and further talks are planned around the Champions League semi-final first-leg clash between the two teams.

THE COSTA SUCCESS
DIEGO COSTA 2013-14 STATS
GAMES PLAYED GOALS ASSISTS	45 34 4

Chelsea have indicated in discussions that they are willing to pay €42.5m for the striker, although a significant portion of the transfer fee includes agents' fees.

The Europa League champions are also prepared to more than triple the wages of Costa, who is believed to earn around €61,000-a-week at the Estadio Vicente Calderon.

The west Londoners are keen to tie up the deal before the end of the season and ahead of Costa departing for the World Cup, where he is expected to be an integral member of the Spain squad trying to defend their 2010 crown.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone cleared the way on Tuesday for Costa to leave by admitting that his side were powerless to stop him being sold to a club of Chelsea's financial might.

"It will depend on [Costa] and what he thinks is the best for his future," Simeone told AS. "I will support any decision he makes. It's natural that Chelsea are interested in him. That makes me happy because my aim and that of my coaching staff is to see our players improve.

"We understand that Chelsea have huge financial power and, if he wants to live off football for the rest of his life, I will have no problem in him going. It was like Radamel Falcao, how could I tell him not to go to Monaco?

"Samuel Eto'o is getting older and Diego Costa could do his thing there but, for now, he is ours."

	CHELSEA LATEST
12/5	Atletico Madrid are 12/5 with Bet365 to beat Chelsea by one goal

Costa has emerged as Chelsea's top centre-forward target following a stellar campaign for Atletico, who head the table in La Liga as well as being in the last four of the Champions League.

The 25-year-old has scored 34 times in 45 matches this season and his 26-goal league haul is second only to Cristiano Ronaldo (28).

Chelsea were keen to trigger the Brazil-born forward's release clause in January, when he was also being closely monitored by rivals Arsenal, but the player did not want to leave in mid-season.

The buy-out figure was understood to be €36m in January, although a slightly higher sum of €42.5m will need to be paid to capture him in the summer window.

The Gunners have subsequently dropped their interest in Costa following lukewarm scouting reports, leaving Chelsea in pole position to capture the prolific striker.

Jose Mourinho has made no attempt to hide his desire to recruit a blue-chip striker amid doubts over the futures of all three of the Blues' senior frontmen - Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o and Demba Ba. At least two of the trio are expected to leave in the summer, while Romelu Lukaku will hold talks with Chelsea chiefs when he returns from his season-long loan at Everton.

Atletico Madrid lead the chase for Torres and there is also interest in the Spaniard from Inter, Tottenham and Galatasaray. A growing possibility is that he could leave on a season-long loan to free up space in Chelsea's attack and on their wage bill.

Ba's representatives have already begun speaking to interested parties, while current first choice Eto'o, 33, is out of contract in the summer.

Manchester United ready to sell unhappy Javier Hernandez

The Mexican has complained to David Moyes about his lack of playing time and been told he can leave this summer, with Atletico Madrid interested in the striker

EXCLUSIVE
By Greg Stobart

Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez has been told the club are ready to sell him this summer after complaining about his lack of playing opportunities.

Hernandez has spoken to United manager David Moyes on at least three occasions in the last two months over his frustration with a lack of playing time having made just five Premier League starts this season.

The Mexican has been told the club will listen to offers in the summer and feels he is no longer in Moyes' plans having fallen behind Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck in the pecking order at Old Trafford.

Hernandez is now desperate for a summer transfer and has been strongly linked with Atletico Madrid as a replacement for Diego Costa, who is closing in on a move to Chelsea.

Hernandez, 25, was particularly upset that he was overlooked for a clearly unfit Wayne Rooney in the second leg of United's Champions League quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich last week.

He had played for 90 minutes and scored in the 4-0 win over Newcastle four days earlier and felt he deserved to stay in the side, having also impressed in training in recent weeks.

Hernandez has made 31 appearances in all competitions this season - 20 as a substitute - and has scored nine goals during a disastrous first season for Moyes.

The former Guadalajara forward, who cost €9.7 million in 2010, is worried about a lack of sharpness going into the World Cup and looks set to join a summer exodus from Old Trafford.

Club captain Nemanja Vidic is heading to Inter while Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, Shinji Kagawa, Nani, Anderson and Alex Buttner are among several other players expected to depart.

Giroud asks for Manchester United favour: Beat Everton for us!

The Arsenal striker wants to see David Moyes's side triumph at Goodison Park on Sunday and has vowed to score "again and again" to help his side secure a top-four finish

Olivier Giroud wants to see Manchester United come out on top against Everton on Sunday so boostArsenal's hopes of finishing in the top four.

The Gunners, who are currently fourth in the table and one point above Roberto Martinez's side, will guarantee qualification for the Champions League if they secure victory in each of their last four games.

	ARSENAL LATEST
1/5	Arsenal are 1/5 with bet365 to finish in the top four

Giroud, though, has called on United to assist the north Londoners and wants to see them triumph at Goodison Park as David Moyes returns to his former club.

"We need to win the last four 'finals' because we don't have our destiny in our hands," he told Arsenal's official club website. 

"I hope Everton will lose against maybe Manchester United this weekend. We keep focusing on what we have to do and win our games. After that we will see but first we have to do the job.

"I enjoy my stats because when you are a striker you think that we are looking for the stats and assists as well.

"I am OK with my stats but I know the team will need me again for the last [four] Premier League games. So I need to score again and again."

Giroud was on the scoresheet in Tuesday's 3-1 win over West Ham to take his tally for the season to 20 and, after kissing his black armband in tribute to the 96 who died during the Hillsborough disaster, insists he was desperate to score to allow him the chance to show his respect.

"Yes, I had a good chance to score in the first half," the Frenchman added. "I think I didn't do the good gesture so I really wanted to score and it was great for me and the team to come back.

"I learnt from my mistake in the first half and I took my chance on the second one and it's all about the control with my left foot so I was in a good position."

In denial and decline: Not even Guardiola could solve the Barcelona crisis

The Catalans are set to end the season without a major trophy after losing the Copa del Rey final to Real Madrid, highlighting the need for sweeping changes at Camp Nou

COMMENT
By Ben Hayward at Mestalla

Perhaps Pep Guardiola was right. Following four fantastic years in which he became Barcelona's most successful coach with 14 titles out of a possible 19 and a style of football envied throughout the world, the former club captain left his job. "I could no longer motivate the players," he said.

Guardiola knew exactly how he wanted to play and set about creating the greatest Barca side in history. Within his first 15 months, he had won it all. But less than two years after his departure, that team is now in disarray.

Badly beaten by Bayern Munich in last season's Champions League semi-finals, when they went down 7-0 on aggregate, Barca were forced to scrap their plan for continuity as Tito Vilanova suffered a relapse of his cancer in the summer. 

The Barca board had been powerless to prevent Pep's departure, but picking Vilanova seemed like the next best thing. Instead of addressing the needs of the team, however, Barca were clinging desperately to past glories, papering over the cracks. In denial and in decline, the appointment of Vilanova vindicated president Sandro Rosell as the Catalans claimed La Liga with a joint-record 100 points, but behind the scenes, all was not well.


Grey days | Martino looks unlikely to last much longer at Barca
The Bayern debacle was only part of it. In 2012-13, Barca beat Real Madrid only once in five fixtures, lost at AC Milan and scraped past Paris Saint-Germain on away goals. Against the biggest teams, Guardiola's Barca invariably produced their brilliant best. But when faced with similarly tough tests, Tito's team toiled. 

Vilanova's appointment was a risk in the first place after Pep's assistant had taken time out for cancer treatment during 2011-12. A relapse before Christmas 2012 meant more time off was needed and this time Barca were left without a leader and with no clear contingency plan.

That hardly helped their cause but equally cannot be used as an excuse. Vilanova's decision to sign Alex Song as cover for midfield and defence is one the club are still paying for. Yet other pressing needs were also ignored and Messi's great goalscoring feats distracted from what was really going on.

So eager to prove themselves post-Pep, some of the missing motivation of which Guardiola had spoken returned and in La Liga at least, all seemed well.

In truth, though, Tito's team had ridden their luck through a number of games in the first round of the Primera Division, with the issues in defence and an ageing midifeld, plus over-dependence on an over-burdened Messi who subsequently suffered injury not especially evident while results remained good.

But the damaging defeat to Bayern brought Barca back down to Earth with a bang, while the 3-1 semi-final loss at home to Madrid in the Copa del Rey was also painful. "Winning La Liga and getting to two semi-finals is still a very good season," Vilanova said. But in reality, only the first half of the season had been positive, with an incredible 55 points from 57 in La Liga. The second part had yielded just 45 and brought lacklustre losses in the cup competitions.


Messi-dependence | Vilanova's side were hugely reliant on the Argentine
When Tito was forced to step down, the Barca board panicked again, this time picking Gerardo Martino as coach. The appointment of the Rosario native and former Newell's boss had nothing to do with Messi nor the wish to keep him happy, the club insisted. But as former Spain midfielder Albert Luque said during a debate on television: "Can you imagine Martino at Barca if Messi wasn't there? Impossible."

Like Vilanova, Martino started well and for a long time the Argentine coach enjoyed positive results, yet there was a lingering feeling that Barca were not completely convincing - even when they beat Manchester City in the Champions League and won 4-3 at the Bernabeu last month.

And so it proved as, within the space of one woeful week, Barca's season has imploded. The Champions League exit at Atletico was a shock, but more worrying still was the form of Messi and his partnership with summer signing Neymar and their failure to score, which was repeated on Sarurday in the Liga loss at Granada that leaves the Catalans virtually out of contention in the title race.

That saw Johan Cruyff call for the return of Guardiola as coach and the logic is there for all to see as Barca slipped to a third defeat in a row by losing to Madrid on Wednesday. "The best thing for Barcelona is for Guardiola to come back," the Dutchman said this week.


Popular | Guardiola is the most successful coach in the club's history
Would Pep have settled for Barca's insipid first-half performance at Mestalla? Not likely. Would he have allowed Dani Alves to make a video of himself singing and dancing and fooling around in club attire the night before the crucial Champions League clash at Atletico? No way. Would he have bought Alex Song as a solution to Barca's problems in central defence? It's hard to imagine.

One of Guardiola's conditions for staying at Barca was a revolutionary renewal of the playing staff, with several first-team members to be put up for sale. But Alves, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas are all still at Camp Nou and Pep is not.

At Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson sold David Beckham because he considered the midfielder was focusing more on off-the-pitch activities than football. Guardiola fell out with Pique for the same reasons, while he grew digruntled with Alves' attitude (as Barca have this season) and was unhappy with Fabregas' commitment to the cause.

But on top of that, this is not the same squad which wowed the world between 2008 and 2011. Captain Carles Puyol is no longer good enough even for this team when there are injuries, when before he was one of the game's greatest defenders, while Xavi remains important but is also a fading force in his twilight years and committed players like Eric Abidal and Seydou Keita are no longer at the club.

Meanwhile, Messi has been injured, Neymar's signing seems to have rocked the boat with the Argentine and others at Camp Nou, and other sides are also now finding out how they can deactivate this team. Additionally, most of these players have won it all and are older now, while poor planning of the squad means there has been no evolution. And, as if that weren't enough, many of the first team seem to be conserving energies for the World Cup.

The best thing for Barcelona is for Guardiola to come back and I think Joan Laporta would sign him again" - Johan Cruyff

When he took over at Barca, Guardiola could see the potential in this golden generation and knew the seeds for success only needed planting and then nurturing for great growth to be achieved. He then saw the same at Bayern, where Heynckes' superb side were already the finest in Europe even before they won all their trophies last season.

But as he looks back with interest at Barca, Pep won't be seeing something similar right now at Camp Nou. So will he come back? One day, sure. Will that be soon? No - and why would he want to? With the Catalan club in such a state, a whole new project is needed, not to mention elections and a change at boardroom level. And all of that takes time, so as things stand, Guardiola is better off where he is and even if he did return, there would be no quick solution to the Catalans' crisis.