Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers believes Luis Suarez deserves to win the Ballon dOr this year ahead of Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi. Suarez has been included on the 30-man shortlist for the award and is one of the favourites to take the title after scoring 59 goals in 53 games for the La Liga champions last season. Sky Sports Black Friday sale Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price! Rodgers, who managed Suarez during his time in charge of Liverpool, is set to face his former player on Wednesday night when Celtic take on Barcelona in the Champions League. And the former Reds boss believes the Uruguayan deserves to win footballs top individual prize for the first time, ahead of previous winners Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Suarez is one of the favourites to win the award along with team-mates Neymar and Lionel Messi and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo If youre talking about the Ballon dOr and the last year then I dont think theres been any player better than Luis Suarez, said Rodgers. Rodgers worked with Suarez during his time in charge of Liverpool In terms of that award, I think he would be very deserving of it in terms of how hes played, what hes given the team, how hes carried the team and the level that hes played at consistently. But listen, Lionel Messi is a player that Ive admired since I saw him as a young player, a teenager. Ive seen him come into the team at 16,17 and the last ten years hes been remarkable. Celtic face Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday night His quality and just the things hes done in the game are magical. Ive had the fortune to work with Luis so I know first-hand his qualities but theyre both brilliant players.Barcelona visit Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday night. See Luis Suarez play as a goalkeeper while training with Uruguay... but he still manages to score The Hoops need to record a shock victory over the five-time European champions in order to keep alive their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage of the competition.Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price. Hurry, offer ends December 4! Also See: Rodgers: No repeat of 7-0 loss Sinclair: No fear of Barcelona Charlies CL predictions Messi fit for Celtic trip Stitched Jerseys . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., who trains out of San Diego, will fight bantamweight champion (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey on July 5 in the co-main event of UFC 175 in Las Vegas. Cheap Jerseys . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. https://www.cheapjerseysjustwholesale.com/.S. womens soccer team to a 2-0 win over China in Colorado in the afternoon. Wholesale Jerseys .Y. - For once, Clayton Kershaw was glad to see a long shutout streak end. Soccer Jerseys . Adam Lind provided the power and rookie starter Marcus Stroman had the best start of his young career as the Blue Jays dumped the Yankees 8-3 at Rogers Centre. Stroman, making his fifth start for Toronto, allowed one earned run and three hits over a career-high eight innings.JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- The murder trial of Oscar Pistorius resumes Monday after one month during which mental health experts evaluated the athlete to determine if he has an anxiety disorder that could have influenced his actions on the night he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa is expected to receive the conclusions of a panel of one psychologist and three psychiatrists who were instructed to assess whether the double-amputee runner was capable of understanding the wrongfulness of his act when he shot Steenkamp through a closed toilet door in his home on Valentines Day last year. The assessments of a panel at a state psychiatric hospital could determine whether he should be held criminally responsible and affect the judges deliberations on a verdict or, in the event of a conviction, the severity of the sentence, according to legal analysts. The evaluation came after a psychiatrist, Dr. Merryll Vorster, testified for the defence that Pistorius, who has said he feels vulnerable because of his disability and long-held worry about crime, had an anxiety disorder that could have contributed to the killing in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013. He testified that he opened fire after mistakenly thinking there was a dangerous intruder in the toilet. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has alleged that Pistorius, 27, killed the 29-year-old model after an argument, and has portrayed the Olympic athlete as a hothead with a love of guns and an inflated sense of entitlement. But he requested an independent inquiry into Pistorius state of mind, based on concern the defence would argue Pistorius was not guilty because of mental illness. Pistorius defence team could get a boost if the hospital evaluation roughly aligns with the conclusions of Vorster, the defence witness, said a llegal expert observing the trial.dddddddddddd Kelly Phelps, a senior lecturer in the public law department at the University of Cape Town, said a diagnosis that Pistorius has an anxiety disorder could add weight to his account and compel the judge to consider the question: "Is it more likely that he is telling the truth about what occurred on that night?" Even if the judge rules that Pistorius is guilty despite any disorder that he is suffering, Phelps said, the diagnosis could be a mitigating factor when he is sentenced. "That is the area of law that is often referred to as diminished responsibility," she said. Other possible conclusions in the psychiatric evaluation are that Pistorius is not suffering from any anxiety disorder, which could undermine his defence. Alternatively, it might be found that he was incapable of distinguishing between right and wrong or acting in accordance with that understanding, which could lead to a verdict of not guilty because of mental illness and referral to state psychiatric care. Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder, and could also face years in prison if convicted of murder without premeditation or negligent killing. He is free on bail. Once Judge Masipa receives the conclusions from the mental health experts, the defence will be in a position to call its few remaining witnesses, prior to closing arguments and Masipas deliberation on a verdict. If, however, the experts who observed Pistorius are not unanimous in their conclusions, the judge can call them to the stand to clarify their findings. Pistorius was evaluated as an outpatient at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital in Pretoria, the South African capital. He has been staying at the upscale home of his uncle. 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