Paper Talk: United top of the table, Sturridge as good as Suarez?, Messi magic Barcelona have gone through to the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey thanks in no small part to this stunning effort from Lionel Messi against Getafe. Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool's deadly SAS. FOR the first time in a while, Manchester United are top of the table, while Messi sends a commentator wild. It's in Paper Talk. Here's a scary thought for Liverpool's Premier League rivals, Brendan Rodgers says Daniel Sturridge has the potential to be as good as SAS buddy Luis Suarez. Despite missing the festive fixtures through injury, England international Sturridge has scored 12 goals this campaign since leaving Chelsea in the off-season. While that's an impressive return, it pales in comparison to Suarez's 22 goals, a mammoth return considering the Uruguayan missed the start of the season thanks to a ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic last season. "My opinion has only been reinforced by the time I have worked with him (Sturridge)," Rodgers said. He can be world class, similar to Luis Suarez. Rodgers will be hoping Sturridge can build on his impressive return from injury against Stoke City, with the Reds ready to face Aston Villa this weekend as they look to keep pace with the top four. The idea of Lionel Messi, Robin van Persie, Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Ramos all in the same team may not be as far-fetched as you think. The stars have combined to form Pepsi's dream team for 2014 with 14 other players as part of the 'Live for Now' campaign, bringing together their flair and enthusiasm for the beautiful game. The global announcement marks the start of the 2014 Pepsi Football campaign, which will inspire fans the world over to 'Live For Now' by showcasing how much the superstars have cherished the enjoyment of the sport since a young age. Watch the promotion here. The Daily Mail It's been a tough old season for Manchester United this season, who trail EPL leaders Arsenal by 11 points. It's not all bad news though, with the Red Devils ahead of the pack when it comes to selling merchandise Amazon.co.uk has revealed that the Red Devils are the best-selling football team of all time, with sales of memorabilia a full 15 per cent ahead of their nearest rivals, Chelsea. The website has combined sales of each football team's branded products, including street signs, boxers and babies' dummies as well as footballs and captain's armbands, to reveal which teams score highest with fans in the merchandise stakes. Surprisingly, Napoli top the list of the best-selling European football teams of all time, while Lionel Messi has clearly boosted the fortunes of Barcelona on and off the pitch, with the Catalan giants placing higher than Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid. Manchester United summer recruit Marouane Fellaini is back in training but deadly striker Robin van Persie is still nowhere to be seen. Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie is calling for fans to be patient as David Moyes attempts to bring the Red Devils back on track. Back and wrist injuries have seen the Belgian miss several weeks, and the pressure will be on for him to justify his $50 million price the he returns to action. Van Persie is still not training at all as he recovers from a thigh injury suffered in United's final Champions League group game at the start of last month. Moyes admitted last week that he has 'no idea' when Van Persie will be back and it now appears that United will head to Sunday's game at Chelsea without either him or strike partner Wayne Listen to everyone's favourite excitable commentator, Ray Hudson, describe Lionel Messi's solo goal against Getafe. He's literally playing a tambourine on his knee as he dances past these defenders! You sure about that, Ray? Watch it in the video at the top of this page. Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates his goal during a Spanish Copa del Rey match against Getafe. Jack Wilshere, Eden Hazard and Edin Dzeko were part of a star-studded crowd at a sold-out O2 Arena in London to see the Brooklyn Nets take on the Atlanta Hawks in an NBA regular-season game. Per Mertesacker donned an Atlanta Hawks jersey for the NBA clash in London. A whole host of Premier League stars and famous faces from the celebrity world descended upon North Greenwich as the most popular basketball league on the planet rolled into town once again. Chelsea's Eden Hazard, David Luiz and Andre Schurrle were also part of the 20,000-strong crowd, as were Manchester United winger Nani and Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke. Wilshere's Arsenal teammates Per Mertesacker, Olivier Giroud, Lukas Podolski, Serge Gnabry and Lukasz Fabianski were all sat courtside while former Gunners midfielder Robert Pires was in the crowd with his wife Jessica Lemarie. For the record, the Nets recorded a dominant 127-110 victory. Chelsea stars enjoy the basketball in London.