Nico O’Reilly will be available for Manchester City’s Premier League showdown against Arsenal on Sunday.

The City academy graduate has been in wonderful form in recent weeks, scoring twice against the Gunners in the Carabao Cup final in March.

After helping his side keep a clean sheet in the 4-0 thrashing of Liverpool in the FA Cup, the left-back was on the score sheet again last time out against Chelsea, scoring another header to spark a second-half drubbing of the Blues in west London.

10 minutes after his goal against Chelsea, O’Reilly went down clutching his left hamstring with Rayan Ait-Nouri brought onto replace him.

Pep Guardiola did not provide an update on the youngster’s condition after that game.

But speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, he told reporters his young star is ‘fine’ and available for selection.

O’Reilly has started 24 of City’s Premier League matches this term, predominantly at left-back.

If passed fit, he is expected to slot in beside Abdukodir Khusanov and Marc Guehi who are set to continue at centre-half with Ruben Dias ruled out.

The Portugal international has missed City’s last four games and remains unavailable this weekend with an ankle injury.

Josko Gvardiol remains a long-term absentee with doubts over the fitness of John Stones, who has been limited to just 15 appearances this season.

After Arsenal’s slip-up against Bournemouth last weekend, a victory for City will see them reduce the gap at the summit of the Premier League to just three points.

Guardiola’s side also have a game in hand still to play – against Crystal Palace on a date still to be confirmed.

“I’d put it like this – even in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup we held our own well. In the end Bayern showed the quality they have. You could see it in the first Bundesliga game this season [when Stuttgart lost 5-0] as well. We have to play like we did in the first half. We have to really stand up to them and somehow try to stop their individual quality. I think we can manage that. Of course, it’s going to be very difficult.”

Bundesliga: How many risks can you afford to take against Bayern?

“I do think you have to play with courage. In Munich especially you have to be very brave, but not reckless, because they punish basically every mistake, and they’re doing that consistently this season. You mustn’t lose your head, but still play with a lot of courage.”

Bundesliga: What can you learn from Bayern’s record-breaking attack?

“A lot, actually. The finishing of those three in attack [Harry Kane, Luis Díaz and Michael Olise] is unbelievable – the composure and conviction with which they put chances away is definitely something you can learn from. But also, their interplay and how they set each other up is world-class. You can take something from that too. Of course it’s difficult, but you can maybe add one or two things to your own game.”

Asllani: “I’m proud of myself because not many people would have expected me to be where I am now a year and a half ago. I never stopped working, even when things didn’t look promising, and in the end I’ve been rewarded for that.

“I just try to enjoy everything – to enjoy football and have fun. I don’t focus on things off the pitch. I just want to perform and enjoy myself, because when I’m enjoying it, I play my best football.”

Watch: The best of Fisnik Asllani

But Eta, who was previously in charge of the Berlin club’s U19 side, has not appeared unduly flustered by all the attention. For her, all that matters is halting a run of form which ultimately led to her predecessor, Steffen Baumgart, being relieved of his duties last weekend.

Written by David Smith

Rayo Vallecano have qualified for their first-ever European semi-final, narrowly escaping
the sharp talons of AEK Athens. In a tough night away from home, Rayo went three-nil down in the 51st minute, surrendering their three-goal advantage from the first leg. The ‘Franjirrojos’ fielded the same starting XI from the previous encounter against the Greeks but Inigo Perez encountered various problems throughout the first half.

The game kicked off shrouded in the flares that had been lit up by the 1,500 Rayo fans who
had made their way to Athens. The hosts had a shaky start to the game, forfeiting
possession easily and being vulnerable to Rayo’s counter-attacks. Andrei Ratiu missed a sitter in
front of goal after the goalkeeper had spilled Isi Palazon’s shot from outside the box. Alvaro Garcia also went through on goal but was unable to hit the target. From then on the
confidence of AEK kept growing. Angolan forward Zine rifled one in from a throw-in and then
doubled their lead from the spot.

Between the two goals, Rayo were dealt an injury blow, as Garcia limped off to be replaced by Pacha Espino. The Greek side had effectively managed to box in their guests, with Rayo unable
to progress the ball forward, constantly giving away set pieces and aimlessly clearing the
ball. AEK focused on getting the ball out wide and had won the majority of duels and second
balls. Drastic change was called for from the Rayo bench.

Perez brought on Alemao for Ilias Akhomach, who provided a focal point in attack and permitted his teammates to advance further up the pitch, winning a good chunk of his duels.
AEK came out strong in the second half, winning a free-kick just outside the box and then netting their third goal, wiping out Rayo’s once hefty advantage in just 51 minutes. But the game started shifting in Rayo’s favour. With belief surging across the ground, AEK rode their energy hoping to get a fourth but left themselves vulnerable on the counter. Despite struggling to get numbers forward, the big moment came.

Pedro Diaz, who had just come on five minutes prior, was played through by Ratiu and had
space to drive the ball forward and play a pass across to Isi, aided by the gap Alemao’s off-the-ball movement had created. He scored the all-important decisive goal to send Rayo through. He jumped onto the advertising board, to celebrate with the ‘Rayista’ faithful. If there is one thing Rayo did not lack throughout, from fans to players, it was belief. The singing never stopped, despite a nightmarish opening hour to the game. A banner was unveiled right before kick-off along with a tifo. The banner read ‘El barrio en el barco, el barco sin dueño’ – The neighborhood on the ship, the ship without an owner.

It is a popular phrase used by the Bukaneros to express the sentiment of independence, that
despite the issues the fanbase has had with owner Raul Martin Prensa, the club is ultimately
manned by its supporters.

The road ahead is tricky for Perez and his squad. They sit three points off the
relegation zone. Perez admitted after Sunday’s three-nil defeat away to Mallorca that he
would agree to being knocked out by AEK if it meant ensuring survival in the top tier. The
dilemma continues as they now face Strasbourg for a place in the Conference League final.

The post Rayo Vallecano survive AEK Athens talons to make first ever European semi-final appeared first on Football España.

Barcelona are keen to improve their backline after conceding in every single one of their Champions League games this season, and their primary target is Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni. The Catalan side are trying to find ways to bring the price tag down for the Italy international though, with Inter reportedly looking to bring in €60-80m for him.

It has been suggested that they could work on a ‘player-plus-cash’ deal,  with Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres supposedly players that Inter might be interested in. However on Thursday it emerged that the Catalan side were keen to include young right-back Hector Fort in the deal. Barcelona have already been in talks with Bastoni, and have agreed a contract with the 26-year-old.

Robert Lewandowski: "We still have a little time. The club know what I think and I have had time to think. I don't want to talk about offers and my future. The remaining matches and the goals are more important. That something new comes out in the press every day is not… pic.twitter.com/P7NaWpDBWi

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 17, 2026

Inter ‘very interested’ in Hector Fort

As explained by Matteo Moretto on RadioMarca, Fort is a player that Inter are ‘very interested’ in. The 19-year-old has shown flashes of talent going forward for both Barcelona and Elche in his young career, registering two goals and two assists in just 12 appearances this season. He is currently on loan at Los Franjiverdes, after a season without much game time under Hansi Flick last year. Moretto adds on Twitter/X that Inter have been following Fort for some time, and believe he has a bright future.

El Inter está muy interesado en Héctor Fort, ya que lo considera un joven talento con futuro.

El club nerazzurro lleva tiempo siguiéndole la pista y cree que tiene las cualidades necesarias para convertirse en un futbolista importante. https://t.co/dEWWkxVgWw

— Matteo Moretto (@MatteMoretto) April 17, 2026

Fort eyeing return from injury for Elche

Fort’s season has been marred by injury though, with a broken shoulder keeping him out for the past three months. The teenage defender is on the verge of a comeback though, and is set to be available for Elche’s game against Atletico Madrid. Speaking to Elche’s club media, he confirmed he was eager to return to action.

“I’m very happy, I was really looking forward to it. It’s been a long three months, but the important thing is that I’m back now,” MD quote.

The post Inter ‘very interested’ in Barcelona player as part of potential swap deal for Alessandro Bastoni appeared first on Football España.

Real Madrid are assessing the damage of a season without silverware, with their La Liga hopes in the doldrums. It could well have major consequences for some members of their squad too, as Los Blancos work out how to strengthen ahead of the summer window.

That will start with manager Alvaro Arbeloa, with Real Madrid yet to make a call on his future, but there are also a number of players that will also be in danger of a sale. Dani Ceballos and David Alaba seem likely to depart, but another could be Raul Asencio.

Raul Asencio could leave Real Madrid

As explained by The Athletic, Asencio is considered as transferable this summer. The 23-year-old was promoted to the first team last season, and earned a starting spot at various points, but has fallen out of favour of late. Asencio also signed a new contract until 2031, and has always maintained that his goal is to triumph at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Asencio falling out with Alvaro Arbeloa

Part of the reason that he has fallen out of favour is a falling out with Arbeloa. It came as a surprise when Asencio was omitted from Real Madrid’s trip to Munich this week due to illness, despite training normally beforehand. Prior to their game against Girona, Asencio had sat out the previous five games, and was not in the squad for three them. The games missed in March he was also fit for.

Arbeloa was not best pleased when he was forced to use Antonio Rudiger due to a last-minute injury, and did not restore Asencio to the matchday squad until the defender apologised to his teammates. If Arbeloa does remain beyond the summer, the differences between them could impact Asencio’s chances of staying. Castilla centre-backs Diego Aguado and Joan Martinez are also tipped for first-team involvement in the future.

The post Real Madrid open to selling player after spat with Alvaro Arbeloa appeared first on Football España.

Written by Harry Gillies.

“What did you think of the sending off?”

The Spanish press lobbed the question at Bayern’s manager, as they had to every passing player, but Vincent Kompany just smiled and said, “If you look at the game we can talk about some other situations as well.”

Not that his words will get through to them. No, the Spanish journalistic line dutifully follows the questioning of referee Slavko Vincic, who had the temerity to give Eduardo Camavinga a second yellow, “handing” Bayern the 4-3 victory over Real Madrid. In the coming weeks, as the outrage dissipates and Real Madrid’s season ends in a trophyless whimper, journalists in the Spanish capital will turn their criticism towards Los Blancos.

Some praise might be granted to Bayern, who in honesty, were superior over both legs. From Harry Kane’s all-round, exceptional forward play, to the blend of zeal and artistry displayed by Luis Diaz and Michael Olise, Bayern have the most refined and potent attacking force in Europe. Each player in the Bavarian side knows his place and role. Madrid are a mismatch of superstar players that don’t quite click together, lacking the creative genius that Luka Modric and Toni Kroos once provided in midfield.

pic.twitter.com/ABlbwGLSez

— @UtdAbzy (@AbzyMedia1) April 15, 2026

Los Blancos still have dazzling individuals, and by channeling the spirit of past European comebacks, they took the lead three times. Arda Guler looked destined to be a saviour, scoring twice in the first half. The Turkish midfielder’s night ended in disgrace, shown red for harassment of the referee. He was not alone. Forming a pack, the Galacticos barked their collective grievances – some quite aggressively – at the disinterested Vincic. Spain’s royal club could have at least gone out with some decorum, but chose indignity in defeat.

Then there were the few who still acted in a kingly manner. Kylian Mbappe did not chase the officials, only lingering to offer a congratulatory handshake to Bayern’s players and applaud the travelling fans. But as he solemnly paced the grass, the French superstar surely would have reflected on the cruel irony of his Real Madrid career so far. Two seasons of individual brilliance, but no major trophies, while his former side Paris Saint-Germain – the defending European champions – face Bayern in the semi-finals. Continuous defeat was not what the boy from Bondy envisioned for himself when he lay in his bedroom, walls covered in Cristiano Ronaldo posters.

But if he were to compare himself now to his Portuguese idol, he would feel hope, not despair. It took Ronaldo five seasons to lift his first European Cup for Real Madrid, and he went on to win three more.

When Barca mathematically seal the league title, it will mark the first time in 16 years that Madrid have endured two consecutive seasons without winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey or the Champions League. Sometimes in a disastrous campaign, there are players who thrive instead of shrink, as has been the case with Fede Valverde. The Uruguayan midfielder plays with an indomitable spirit, showing with every performance why he wears the armband. The skinny kid from Penarol, who joined Castilla in 2016, has transformed himself into the exemplary Real Madrid player. For Endrick Felipe and Franco Mastantuono – South American talents whose careers have stalled in the Spanish capital – there is no greater inspiration than the Uruguayan’s rise.

"El REAL MADRID NO hará PASILLO al BARÇA si gana LaLiga"

EXCLUSIVA @marcosbenito9 pic.twitter.com/Qb8ArZOZ5J

— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) April 16, 2026

The breakthrough of academy talents gives fans a little light during times of darkness. Striker Gonzalo Garcia was the sensation of the Club World Cup and showed signs during the season that he could recapture that level. Thiago Pitarch greatly impressed against Manchester City, but in Munich, the midfielder only got the last three minutes, while Garcia was left on the bench. Club legends Raul Gonzalez and Iker Casillas progressed from the academy to lead the Galacticos over decades, but maybe that idea of Real Madrid is lost to a romantic past.

And of course, there are the two men who it is too late to blame it all on now, nor would it be fair. Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa might have always seemed disposable in the eyes of President Florentino Perez, with their youth and even nationality not helping their case: 2003 was the last time a Spanish manager lifted a trophy for Los Blancos, Vicente del Bosque hoisting La Liga.

It was irrelevant that Alonso was halfway into his first season and still had them fighting for three major trophies. Nor did it matter that his side only narrowly lost to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. He made the egregious mistake of losing a final to the hated Catalans, and that was the final straw. Perez’s callousness is universally known, as evidenced by the fact that Alonso’s cachet seems to have suffered only minor damage after his sacking.

As for Arbeloa, he will likely be demoted back to Castilla, portrayed as the interim that failed to turn things around. Few will remember him as the man that reeled in the egos, got players onside, and produced a fantastic run in March, only for everything to collapse in the last four games. The affable coach clearly took the job out of genuine love for the club, knowing that he could be thrown to a hungry mob if he failed, or succeed, and still not be rewarded – a club  man who they could hang out to dry.

Andoni Iraola has become available this summer. Evidence suggests that this bright, young Spanish manager would be wise to stay clear of La Casa Blanca. Real Madrid will most likely revert to a ‘wise old dog‘ appointment, with Didier Deschamps and Massimiliano Allegri having both been linked in recent months.

What is left this season? Los Blancos might be expected to form a guard of honour for Barcelona before El Clasico on the 10th of May, something they refused to do after the Super Cup Final. With nothing left to fight for, humility could set in – a virtue this squad might consider learning if they hope to bring glory back to the Bernabeu.

The post Analysis: As Real Madrid career towards premature end to season, what’s left at the end of it? appeared first on Football España.

Manchester City will be without Ruben Dias in their Premier League showdown against Arsenal this weekend.

City host the Premier League leaders at the Etihad on Sunday with just six points separating the two.

Dias, 28, has missed City’s last four games, including the Carabao Cup final victory over the Gunners in March.

The Portugal international was ruled out of the FA Cup victory over Liverpool and last weekend’s league win at Chelsea with Marc Guehi and Abdukodir Khusanov forging an impressive partnership at the back in those two outings.

While there had been hope Dias would be recover in time to be available for the visit of the Gunners, the Manchester Evening News report an ankle injury will keep him sidelined.

City also remain without long-term absentee Josko Gvardiol with doubts over the fitness of John Stones, who has been limited to just 15 appearances this season.

Nico O’Reilly has been in stunning form as of late, scoring twice in the Carabao Cup final before coming up with another valuable goal against Chelsea last time out.

The City academy graduate picked up a hamstring injury 10 minutes later which forced him off. Guardiola is expected to provide an update on O’Reilly’s fitness later today.

Arsenal have injury concerns of their own with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori all doubts.

Declan Rice shook off a bout of illness to play the full 90 minutes against Sporting CP on Wednesday night with Mikel Arteta admitting his midfielder was ‘shattered’ by the end of it.

Noni Madueke was also forced off that evening with what appeared to be a knee injury.

Gary Neville has urged Declan Rice to step up and be the player to secure the Premier League title for Arsenal this weekend when they take on Manchester City.

After defeat to Bournemouth last week, the Gunners head to the Etihad with a six-point lead at the summit of English football after City took full advantage with a crushing win over Chelsea.

Arsenal are now looking over their shoulder and defeat to in-form City on Sunday would half that deficit with Pep Guardiola’s side holding a game in hand – against Crystal Palace on a date still to be confirmed by the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s side have won just one of their four games since the international break ended having also lost the Carabao Cup final to City last month.

But a win, or even a draw, in Manchester on Sunday would go some way in easing the considerable pressure piling on the north Londoners.

Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday night with Rice in the side having been a major doubt ahead of kick-off.

The England international has been the heartbeat of the Arsenal team this season, completing the full 90 minutes against Sporting despite being ‘shattered’.

Former Manchester United captain Neville, still regretful over his old’s side failure to sign him while he was playing for West Ham, believes Rice is the man who must step up again this weekend.

Arsenal have not won at the Etihad since 2015 but Neville has urged Rice to have his ‘Roy Keane or Steven Gerrard moment’ on the blue half of Manchester and send Arsenal towards title glory.

‘I do think Declan Rice is someone… When he went to Arsenal for £100 million, I was gutted. I think he’s a Manchester United player,’ Neville told The Overlap.

‘He’s the player, Harry Kane, Declan Rice, that Manchester United would have always signed back in the day. You don’t let Declan Rice go to any other club.

‘To me, on Sunday, he is the player I am looking at. This is not me putting pressure on him, by the way. This is me expecting that this is the Roy Keane moment, the Gerrard moment.’

Bruno Guimaraes could make his long-awaited return for Newcastle United against Bournemouth this weekend.

The Brazil international has not been seen in action since picking up a hamstring injury in the 2-1 win over Tottenham in mid-February.

Newcastle were hopeful he would be able to return from his 11-game absence following this recent international break last weekend against Crystal Palace.

Illness delayed those plans, but Eddie Howe has seen plenty of positive signs in training this week.

While he stopped short of confirming the Brazilian’s availability, Guimaraes is pushing to make the squad for Saturday’s game against the Cherries.

‘There is a chance [he will be available],’ Howe told a press conference on Friday.

‘We’ve seen him in training. He’s pushing really hard to be back involved.

‘The medical team are trying to hold him back – there’s always that tug because the player desperately wants to play. I love that about Bruno.

‘I’ll make a decision based on what I see today in training. But there’s a possibility.’

Newcastle are heading into a huge summer with a number of their key players linked with moves away.

Anthony Gordon has reportedly decided his future lies elsewhere with Sandro Tonali a target for Manchester United.

‘I discuss things with players all the time. I don’t necessarily discuss transfer speculation unless I feel it’s got to a point that I have to,’ Howe said.

‘After I had the chat with Sandro (Tonali), the biggest thing I look for is the commitment to training because if I see that the player will perform. That will be same with Anthony and every player.

‘One thing I’m not going to do is play any player if I don’t feel they’re 100 per cent committed to the club and it’s future.’

That led to the departure of Lukas Kwasniok as head coach, with René Wagner replacing him, and the switch has already had an impact. Against Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 28, the Billy Goats fell 2-0 behind, but showed fantastic resilience to fight back and earn a point. A week later, they dealt with the high-pressure situation of a match-up with fellow strugglers Bremen to register a comfortable victory.

Watch: Cologne 3-1 Werder Bremen - highlights

Alan Shearer has revealed his predictions for this weekend’s Premier League fixtures including the ‘huge’ game between title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta takes the Premier League leaders to title-chasing Man City on Sunday in what Shearer has described as ‘the biggest game of the season’.

Arsenal boast a six-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s side but the title will be in Man City’s hands should they beat the Gunners as they have a game in hand to play.

Elsewhere there is another important game in the race for Champions League football as Manchester United take on Chelsea.

United have climbed to third in the Premier League under caretaker boss Michael Carrick while Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea have slipped to sixth following a difficult run.

Spiralling Tottenham will be desperate to return to winning ways at home to Brighton while fellow relegation-battlers West Ham take on London rivals Crystal Palace.

As ever, England legend and Betfair ambassador Alan Shearer has provided his Premier League predictions to Metro.

Brentford v Fulham

I was pretty disappointed with Fulham last week at Liverpool. I thought they could have gone for it a little bit more so, for that reason, I’m going to say, Brentford at home.

I mean, they drew with a late equaliser from Everton, but I think they’ll have enough to beat Fulham this weekend, so Brentford home win.

I’ve been hugely impressed with Igor Thiago this season. I know they got him the season before, but he got an injury and didn’t play too many games, and I think for what Brentford did in selling who they sold in Wissa and then Mbuemo, for him to come in and only be one goal behind Erling Haaland is remarkable.

He’s really horrible to play against. It’s not just his goals, he does a lot of work off the ball, running in behind, bringing people into the game.

The goals are obviously an added bonus, but there’s no doubt here he’ll feature in the Premier League team of the Season.

Prediction – Brentford win

Leeds v Wolves

If Leeds win this, then they’re staying up. That’s the way they’ll view it, and I think the confidence that the win against Man United will give them, will carry them through and be enough.

It’ll be a cracking atmosphere at Elland Road. They know what’s at stake and I think they’ll beat Wolves. Wolves have been poor. They’ve had a little pickup, but still away from home, I think they’re vulnerable.

Prediction – Leeds win

Newcastle v Bournemouth

I’ve got no belief in Newcastle winning. That’s the problem. I don’t know what Newcastle are going to turn up. When they get into the lead, they can’t get that second goal, and that’s hurt them so many times this season.

I was massively impressed with Bournemouth last weekend with how they played at Arsenal. Some really top performances from a lot of players, and their recruitment’s been good.

I know Iraola’s announced he’s not going to be there next season. That will be a huge loss for them. I just think his style of play, how brave he’s been, and that was summed up at going to Arsenal last weekend.

They press ridiculously high, do it really well and make it difficult for the opposition. After selling so many of their players at the end of last season, or the beginning of the season, to get through and get the recruitment that they have done is a huge plus for him and for Bournemouth, so they’ll miss him, definitely.

As much as I’d love to see a Newcastle win, I don’t feel confident in saying that, so I’m going to say a draw.

Prediction – Draw

Tottenham v Brighton

Brighton have been in superb form, I think they’re in ninth at the minute, and they’ve got a chance of getting into a European place, and they have picked up, and they’re in some good form.

I don’t have any belief in Spurs, either. I think what we saw last weekend at Sunderland, it wouldn’t fill me with confidence that they can get something at home under huge pressure. I’ve got no belief in them so I’m going to say a Brighton away win.

Prediction – Brighton win

Chelsea v Manchester United

It’s a huge game and probably one that Chelsea have to win if they want to play Champions League football next season.

I was disappointed with Man United on Monday evening, they were really flat and are struggling defensively with Maguire out and Martinez out. I think I’m going to go for Chelsea to win this one, Chelsea to win at home.

Chelsea do look a bit lost, I think. I’m not convinced defensively Rosenior’s got them doing the right things, and he made his point with Enzo Fernandez, it’ll be interesting to see how he reacts, and how he takes to that, and how the rest of the squad take to that.

I think they might just have enough to beat Man United this weekend, though.

Prediction – Chelsea win

Aston Villa v Sunderland

Sunderland, I know they’ve beaten Newcastle away from home, but they haven’t been great in large parts of the season away from home. And I think Villa, with the way they’re going, I think Villa will have enough to beat them at home.

Villa dropping points last week has put them back under a bit of pressure for those Champions League spots, that’s why they have to win, particularly their home games, and that’s why I think they’ll win this game.

Prediction – Aston Villa win

Everton v Liverpool

It’s a tough one. You know what I’m like when it comes to derby games. I’m going to sit on the fence and say it’s going to be a draw. I was going to say to keep both fans happy, but I’m not sure they will be.

Everton are having a brilliant season whereas Liverpool are not, so I think it’ll be a draw. Liverpool playing in midweek should not affect them because it’s a derby game, and we know what derby games are like, and there’s always an added, extra atmosphere.

The midweek game is no excuse at all for Liverpool because of the size of this game and what it means to the people.

Prediction – Draw

Nottingham Forest v Burnley

I think a home win here for Nottingham Forest. If they want to stay up, then they have to be winning these games.

I think Burnley will make it as tough as possible for them, but Burnley are done and have been for a while so I’ll go for a home win.

Prediction – Nottingham Forest win

Manchester City v Arsenal

The whole season effectively comes down to this game. I think it’s huge and the biggest game of the season for both clubs.

Confidence and momentum is such a big thing, which is why I’m going to say a Man City home win. I think the belief they’ll get from beating Arsenal in the Carabao Cup and the performances of the last couple of weeks.

I think a draw would be a good result for Arsenal, but I think City might have too much for them. Arteta knows there’s been no panic from Pep, has there?

It’s always been pretty consistent, and they always cone good at this time of the year, and it looks as if they are. They’ve won their first trophy and could even end up getting the treble.

I just think with the momentum that they’ve got and the confidence that they’ve got, I think they might have too much.

It’d be really interesting to see what Arsenal do, whether they sort of sit back or try to take the game to City, but I think City might just have too much for them.

Prediction – Manchester City win

Crystal Palace v West Ham

Crystal Palace beat Newcastle last week; they brought the three key players on for the last half an hour or so which won them the game. And they are in Europe.

Having said that, I’ve got a sneaky feeling West Ham might go there and nick something. I don’t think West Ham will be beaten.

Depending on what team Glasner wants to put out, because obviously they have a European game, I’m going to say a West Ham away win which doesn’t bode well for Tottenham. I’ve tipped all the other teams to win other than Tottenham.

Prediction – West Ham win

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Chelsea will listen to offers for Alejandro Garnacho this summer – just a year on from his arrival from Manchester United.

Garnacho and United had an acrimonious split last summer with the Argentina international heading to Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £40million.

The winger has a respectable haul of eight goals and four assists this season but has struggled to consistently hold down a place in the first-team.

Garnacho has started just 21 of Chelsea’s 51 games this term, 14 of those coming in the Premier League. Just one of his eight goals have come in the top flight.

Since Liam Rosenior’s appointment at the start of January, Garnacho has started just four times in the league with The Sun reporting the Chelsea boss is believed to have reservations over the former United winger.

The club are open to selling the 21-year-old at the end of the season should the right offer come in.

In an interview with Premier League Productions last week, Garnacho admitted he regretted the manner in which he left United in the summer having been exiled by Ruben Amorim for comments he made following the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.

‘I remember in the last six months I was just not playing like before at Manchester United,’ Garnacho told Premier League Productions.

‘I started to be on the bench, it’s not a bad thing, I was only 20 years old, but in my mind it was like I had to play every game.

‘In my mind, maybe it is also on me, I started to do some bad things.

‘But yes, it was just this moment in life and sometimes you have to make decisions and I am really proud to be here and still in the Premier League at a club like this.

‘Everyone knows the team we have and the things we can do. Sometimes, we have better moments or worse moments, I am proud to be here but with United, I have nothing wrong to say about the club, no one in the club or the team-mates.

‘It’s just a moment in life that changes and life continues. I have no regrets.’

Arne Slot’s time at Liverpool is starting to feel a little like the slow end to a loveless marriage.

The Dutchman’s honeymoon period at Anfield was longer than usual after he led the Reds to the title with ease last season. Expectations soared after they spent big on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz during the summer and reached the moon after five dramatic wins in their first five games.

And while there have been plenty of mitigating factors to point at for their inconsistent and sometimes disastrous form since then, recent results against Manchester City and PSG have left even the most patient Liverpool fans feeling like a change is needed.

Indecision has cost Liverpool this season

There’s a long list of reasons which most people will be aware of: poor squad building last summer, a huge drop off in performances from the best players and the impact of Diogo Jota’s death have all contributed.

However, in recent months one of Slot’s best qualities has started to become his biggest weakness.

The Dutchman was praised to high heaven last season for his decision making and ability to tweak things on the pitch during games to find ways to win.

That knack has all but left him this time around.

Take the constant changes to where Dominik Szoboszlai plays, for example, or the insistence on picking Alexis Mac Allister despite the fact he hasn’t looked fully fit once all season.

Substitutions have become panicked and the approach to both legs of the Champions League quarter-final proved to be badly misjudged.

The warning signs can be traced all the way back to Slot’s third competitive game in charge at Liverpool.

The Reds hosted Nottingham Forest and completely dominated the game, but were unable to create any meaningful chances against what was then Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Callum Hudson-Odoi scored a great goal in the 72nd minute against the run of play and Slot made changes to try get back into the game. Ibrahima Konate went off and midfielder Curtis Jones came on. Players were thrown forward and Virgil van Dijk was left to fend for himself at the back.

There’s logic to the changes – Slot desperately wanted to get back in the game – but the panicked feeling they induced meant what had been a controlled performance turned into a frantic one, with players being shunted around into different positions as each tweak was passed onto the pitch.

That feeling was visible again at Anfield on Tuesday night, and not for the first time this season. As Slot has tried to find a system and combination of players that works, each decision has felt less and less confident.

The club’s hierarchy don’t seem to think a change is needed, with all the noise coming from Anfield pointing towards Slot still being in charge next season. Take that with a big pinch of the finest salt – there’s little doubt that Liverpool’s owners are at the very least planning for a change, even if they’d prefer not to make one.

And while there is a world where Slot stays on, with Ekitike’s horror injury, Mohamed Salah set to leave and the shadow of Isak only now starting to look like he’s played football before, Liverpool’s short-term future now rests on the expensive shoulders of Wirtz.

I do seem to remember a certain former club hero getting the best out of him in Germany… if Liverpool were to file for divorce this summer, a rebound fling with Xabi Alonso would make everyone feel alive again.

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Barcelona saw their Champions League wait go on as they were knocked out by Atletico Madrid earlier this week. It’s 11 years since they won the competition, and it will be 12 by the time they get their next chance in 2027.

There was a lot of sadness at how the tie with Atleti played out, but as per MD, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny believes that Barcelona could not have done much more.

“It’s a disappointment because we all had the dream of winning this competition this year but, as the second oldest player in the team, I’m proud of what this team has shown in the competition this year, including the performance at the Metropolitano. Tuesday was incredible. We gave it our all. Sometimes, in football there is not enough and you have to accept defeat with sportsmanship.

“I think it depends a lot on the players but in the end, what we did it in the two games it was not enough to go through to the semi-finals. So, as frustrating as it is, you have to accept it and move on and fight for La Liga because it’s the only trophy we have left this season. I’m sure that this team will win the Champions League in the coming years because the talent and attitude of the players we have is a guarantee of a great future for the club.”

Szczesny: We will give everything to win La Liga

Barcelona now only have La Liga left to fight for. They are nine points clear of Real Madrid with seven matches to go, and Szczesny is keen to ensure they end the season on a high note.

“Of course, Flick was disappointed. He gave us a couple of days to rest because it’s eight days until the next game and he wanted everyone to make sure we focused on the league, and that’s what we’ll do. We will give everything to ensure a beautiful end to the season and then we will fight for this European trophy in the coming years.”

Szczesny loving life at Barcelona

There has been talk of this season being Szczesny’s last as a Barcelona player, although he is contracted until 2027. Regardless, he’s loving life in Catalonia.

“My family and I are very, very happy. We love it here. I know I won’t be here long because I’m older but it’s been a fantastic experience for me and my family. We are very grateful for the time we have been here.”

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Real Madrid were dumped out of the Champions League, with Bayern Munich winning 6-4 on aggregate after a 4-3 success at the Allianz Arena. Much of the focus after that match has been on the controversial red card for Eduardo Camavinga, and some believe this has taken away from criticism that should be coming the way of the Los Blancos players.

As per Diario AS, Thierry Henry took aim at Real Madrid over the lack of on-field intelligence they showed in Munich.

“Real Madrid fans are going to flood the networks crying for the referee. They will say that Camavinga’s second yellow card was a disgrace, that it was too soft for a Champions League quarter-final, and that the officials were biased against him. But you have to understand it: when you’re playing away at the Allianz Arena, you don’t give the referee a single reason to make a decision. You have to be smarter than that.

“You see Real Madrid completely destroying them in the first half with Güler and Mbappé, and everyone at home thinks that the comeback is already complete. Then Bayern came out in the second half, took advantage of the numerical superiority and turned the pitch into a washing machine. They suffocated them completely. And that shot by Michael Olise in added time to make it 4-3 for Bayern and bury the tie definitively? What a goal. To show that level of icy composure against Real Madrid in the 94th minute is special. Real Madrid thought they were the undisputed kings of the comeback, but tonight Bayern gave them a brutal taste of their own medicine.”

Petit: Some Real Madrid players not good enough

Emmanuel Petit was of a similar view, as he expressed his belief that some of the Real Madrid players on show at the Allianz Arena are not deserving of their place in Alvaro Arbeloa’s squad.

“There are players who don’t have the level to play for Real Madrid. They have to change to be able to win this type of game.”

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Barcelona have started to draw up their plans for the summer transfer window, and one area that could be addressed is midfield. It’s looking increasingly likely that Marc Casado will depart, and if that happens, he will need to be replaced.

Bernardo Silva has been linked in recent weeks, but one of the players that Barcelona have been following this season is Kees Smit. The AZ Alkmaar midfielder has been one of Europe’s rising stars, and it is taken for granted that he will make a big move during the summer transfer window.

Barcelona have an advantage in that Smit is a fan of the club, and the 20-year-old’s national team manager Ronald Koeman is of the opinion that a move to Catalonia would be in his best interest, as per Diario AS.

“He’s a player for Barça. He could be a mix of Frenkie de Jong and Pedri. If you’re a mix of the two, you’re very good. He’s going to go to a big team from outside the Netherlands, because in Holland nobody can pay the money that is needed to keep him for another year. He’s one of the best young players we have had, but he has to learn more and play more games.”

Real Madrid are also in for Smit

At this stage, Smit is not very high on Barcelona’s list of targets, but that could change as the summer nears. If he is to move to Spain, it is much more likely that he ends up at Real Madrid, who consider him among their leading candidates to reinforce their midfield options at the Bernabeu.

It will be interesting to see where Smit ends up in the summer. Barcelona would have a good chance of landing him if they made a concrete move, but given their financial limitations, and the fact that other positions are being prioritised, it would be unlikely that they pay the money needed to get a deal done.

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Barcelona have a number of contract situations to resolve in the lead-up to the summer transfer window, and of them is Hansi Flick’s. The German manager’s current deal expires in 2027, but there is hope that he can be convinced to remain at the Spotify Camp Nou for an additional 12 months at the very least.

Barcelona president-elect Joan Laporta has already scheduled talks with Flick, which these due to take place once the season is over. However, there is already a verbal agreement in place for him to sign until 2028, as MD have advanced, although nothing will be signed until the Catalans’ on-field efforts are complete.

Flick and his agent Pini Zahavi have a very close relationship with Laporta, as well as sporting director Deco. It’s expected that talks will go smoothly, which is why Barcelona are keen to add an extension clause into the impending agreement – specifically, they want to have the chance for Flick to stay up until the summer of 2029.

This would be done using a clause that would become active in the event that Flick’s Barcelona achieves certain objectives during the 2027-28 season. For example, if they were to win La Liga again, it would automatically extend the manager’s contract by an additional 12 months.

No-brainer for Barcelona to extend Flick stay

Since arriving as Xavi Hernandez’s replacement in the summer of 2024, Flick has breathed new life into Barcelona. They are set for back-to-back La Liga titles, and although they have failed to claim that elusive Champions League crown, the signs are there that they will be able to break their duck sooner rather than later.

The news that Flick will be staying until at least 2028 will certainly be welcomed very warmly by Barcelona supporters, who have taken very well to the head coach since his arrival in Catalonia. They will hope he can continue to make the first team better and better as the years go on.

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Schuster was full of praise for his side after their unforgettable win in Spain: "I feel a deep sense of gratitude. Gratitude that we get to experience exactly these moments together. Gratitude, too, that the team was able to prove it again today, that they picked up exactly where they left off last week—that this is anything but a given, but rather very, very impressive."

By storming past Celta, Freiburg ensured that there are still two Bundesliga sides in the semi-finals of a European club competition this season, following Bayern Munich’s thrilling quarter-final victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. 

Barcelona will hope to wrap up the La Liga title as soon as possible, and when they do, their attention will turn to the summer. The Catalans have plans for a number of deals to be done during the transfer window, and one of the players whose futures will need to be defined before then is Robert Lewandowski.

The 37-year-old striker sees his contract expire in June, and while he has a renewal offer on the table, it is not guaranteed that he stays at the Spotify Camp Nou. He’s reportedly already looking elsewhere, although the player himself has come out and clarified that any definitive decision has yet to be made, as per MD.

“We still have a little time. The club knows what I think and I have had time to think. I don’t want to talk about offers and my future. The remaining games and the goals are more important. That something new comes out in the press every day is not important.”

Lewandowski reflects on Champions League exit

Lewandowski was also asked about Barcelona’s painful Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid earlier this week. He was downhearted, but he is also looking forward to finishing the job in La Liga.

“It always hurts. We tried until the end. We fought, we wanted to win and be in the semi-finals. But that’s football. Now we have to concentrate on La Liga. We have a few games left and we want to win it.

“We have great potential, players who always want to play and win. Sometimes it can seem like we’re better but we end up losing. Football is not always fair. We still have important games to play. We cannot think too much about what has already happened, but we must think now about the future. You always have to think about what you can still do.”

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In the last 24 hours, there has been much focus on Alvaro Arbeloa’s future as Real Madrid manager, following the club’s Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

It’s been taken for granted that Arbeloa will not be kept on, having failed to deliver a trophy since taking over from Xabi Alonso in January – they are mathematically still in the La Liga title race, but they trail Barcelona by nine points with seven matches to go. However, there could now be hope for the former Real Madrid player that he remains in charge at the Bernabeu.

According to RTVE (via MD), Arbeloa has convinced the Real Madrid dressing room with his ideas, which in turn, has convinced some of the club’s board that he deserves to start the 2026-27 season as manager.

Although it has been a difficult period for Real Madrid in terms of results, the fact that Arbeloa has built a strong bond with his players, coupled with his regular use of La Fabrica talents, has meant that he has chances to have his contract renewed before it expires in June.

Does Arbeloa deserve to stay on?

While it is all well and good that Arbeloa has a good bond with the Real Madrid dressing room, that has not had much of an effect on results on the pitch – which is by far the biggest thing that Florentino Perez and co will look at when deciding whether or not to make another managerial change.

Arbeloa oversaw a demoralising Copa del Rey exit at the hands of Albacete, as well as a number of damning La Liga defeats to the likes of Osasuna and Getafe. The Champions League exit is likely to be the final straw, given that they have little to no chance of reeling in Barcelona before the domestic season ends.

Taking this into account, it would be a major surprise if Arbeloa is kept on. The players may well welcome the move, but the likelihood is that the Real Madrid supporters would not be pleased.

The post Alvaro Arbeloa given hope of staying on as Real Madrid manager despite Champions League exit appeared first on Football España.

Another week of European action has come to an end, and on Thursday, three more La Liga clubs were vying to reach the semi-finals of their respective competitions. In the Europa League, Celta Vigo and Real Betis hosted Freiburg and Braga respectively, while in the UEFA Conference League, Rayo Vallecano travelled to face AEK Athens.

Celta Vigo eliminated in comprehensive fashion

Celta Vigo 1-3 Freiburg (1-6 agg)

Celta Vigo’s hopes of a European comeback went up in smoke on Thursday, as they were soundly beaten by Freiburg at Balaidos. The Galicians had the belief they could overturn last week’s three-goal deficit, but by half time, that had stretched to five after goals from Igor Matanovic and Yuito Suzuki.

Suzuki added his second after half time to make it 3-0 on the night and 6-0 on aggregate, before Williot Swedberg got Celta on the board in stoppage time.

Real Betis collapse at La Cartuja to end European hopes

Real Betis 2-4 Braga (3-5 agg)

Real Betis are also out of this season’s Europa League, as they let a two-goal lead slip on their way to being eliminated by Braga. It had been a fantastic start for the home side as goals from Antony and Ez Abde had them on course for the semi-finals, but the Portuguese side came roaring back. Pau Victor, Carvalho, Ricardo Horta and Jean-Baptiste Gorby all struck to dump Manuel Pellegrini’s side out of the competition.

Rayo Vallecano keep Conference League hopes alive – just

AEK Athens 3-1 Rayo Vallecano (3-4 agg)

Rayo Vallecano are into the UEFA Conference League semi-finals, despite losing in Athens. Their 3-0 lead from last week’s first leg was wiped out inside 51 minutes when Zine (x2) and Razvan Marin struck, but on the hour mark, Isi Palazon scored the goal that sent the Madrid club into the last four of the competition, they will be matched up against Ligue 1 side Strasbourg for a place in the final.

The post La Liga round-up: Real Betis and Celta Vigo crash out of Europa League, Rayo Vallecano into Conference League last four appeared first on Football España.

Rio Ferdinand has warned Arsenal supporters calling for Mikel Arteta’s sacking to ‘be careful what you wish for’ and believes the Gunners would struggle to recruit an elite-level manager in the same summer as Manchester United.

Arsenal currently sit six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League ahead of their match at the Etihad Stadium this Sunday, while they have reached the Champions League semi-final where they will meet Atletico Madrid.

However, Arteta has faced calls to be sacked if he finishes the season without a trophy, with some supporters concerned over the team’s style of play in the second half of the season.

Ferdinand believes Arsenal would be wrong to dismiss Arteta and feels the club could struggle to compete with Manchester United, who may look beyond Michael Carrick and appoint a new manager this summer.

‘I would be careful what you wish for if I was an Arsenal fan if you think getting rid of Arteta is the best thing you guys could do,’ Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.

‘You have to remember where you guys were when he came. You guys are consistently qualifying for the Champions League, you weren’t before Arteta came. You’re finishing second most of the time, fighting for the Premier League year in, year out.

‘You’ve got to get over the line, yes I know, but you think the grass is greener over there with another manager? Who is the other manager?

‘He [Luis Enrique] is not coming to Arsenal. He’s leaving the best team in the world to go to Arsenal – are you crazy?

‘Every manager other than Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira or Cesc Fabregas would go to Man United over Arsenal.

‘He [Fabregas] doesn’t guarantee you anything, he hasn’t won anything, as talented as he is.

‘I’m just saying, it’s not like you go from Arteta and say, ‘we’ve got a certainty’. Pep’s your only certainty and he’s not going to Arsenal.’

Ferdinand also hit back criticism of Martin Zubimendi’s recent performances for Arsenal and believes the biggest problem for Arteta is his lack of creativity in attack.

‘I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it loud and clear,’ Ferdinand replied when asked about the criticism directed towards Zubimendi.

‘They are saying he’s been a liability, he was bought just because of a good game in the Euros final, he’s the weak link.

‘Yeah, he might be at fault for a goal or something like that, he’s given the ball away a few times or made mistakes when the ball has been played directly from a goalkeeper in that holding role, but I wouldn’t say it’s down to him.

‘I think Arsenal’s biggest problem is their lack of attacking flair, their willingness to just take the shackles off and go for it. That for me, I’d be worried about that as an Arsenal fan.’

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Manchester United have been urged to raid Premier League rivals Newcastle United and sign Bruno Guimaraes to replace the departing Casemiro.

The Brazilian midfielder announced in January that he was leaving United at the end of the season after four years at the club.

And while it has been an up-and-down time for Casemiro at Old Trafford, his resurgence and impressive performances this season leave United with a sizeable hole to fill in the middle of the park.

The Red Devils were already in the market for one central midfielder, having tried to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton at the end of the summer transfer window.

And so Casemiro’s imminent exit now makes recruiting a star midfielder a key priority alongside their ongoing search for a new permanent manager.

Baleba could well still be a name of interest this summer, while United are also said to be keen admirers of English duo Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton.

But former Red Devils striker Louis Saha believes that Guimaraes could be the ideal, ready-made replacement for Casemiro in central midfield, while also earmarking his teammate Sandro Tonali as an alternative option.

‘I’ve always been a big fan and defender of Casemiro,’ Saha told AceOdds.

‘He was asked to do one too many roles in the last two years, but that’s been cut and now he’s settled and his role is defined. He’s proved he’s a world-class player and I understand why the fans want him to stay.

‘United need aggressiveness and someone that will dictate the midfield. I see someone more like [Sandro] Tonali or [Bruno] Guimaraes, who are two monsters in midfield.

‘With players like [Kobbie] Mainoo, you need someone alongside him who has the experience and vision to manage the transition when Casemiro goes. You need that experience, directness and decisiveness. It’ll be hard to replace.

‘If you bring in a young player, it’s a disruption. It’s great for the future, but you need experience. If Casemiro goes, I think a combination of [Adam] Wharton and Guimaraes would be great because Guimaraes is more of a captain.’

Guimaraes, signed by Newcastle for £42million in 2022, has grown to become a pivotal player for Eddie Howe’s side and was made club captain in 2024.

The 28-year-old, who is currently out injured with a hamstring injury, has provided nine goals and four assists in the Premier League this season, but is out of contract in June 2028.

Tonali, meanwhile, was the subject of reported transfer interest from Arsenal at the end of the January transfer window.

The Italian midfielder appears to have a growing number of admirers, and his agent Giuseppe Riso hinted his client may seek a move from St James’ Park if Newcastle don’t qualify for the Champions League – which now seems extremely likely.

‘Newcastle are having a hard time letting go of Sandro, and he wants to lead the club to the Champions League,’ Piso said earlier this year.

‘We’ll evaluate and decide what to do in the summer. These transfer discussions will take place later.

‘We’ll see how the season ends and then we’ll decide what to do. There’s no preference at the moment.

‘It’s still early. What we’re saying today won’t apply tomorrow. Newcastle couldn’t let him go now, and there’s no point in moving, especially since Sandro is very attached to the club.’

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Nicky Butt has backed Frank Lampard for another stint in charge of Chelsea and says he would do an ‘amazing job’ back at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard looks set to take Coventry City back into the Premier League, with the Sky Blues requiring just a single point from their final four games to seal promotion to the top flight.

The Midlands club have been in brilliant form under Lampard, losing just seven games in a highly competitive league and scoring 84 goals – 11 more than any other Championship side.

This is by far Lampard’s most successful spell as a manager following his previous stints at Chelsea, Derby County and Everton.

Chelsea legend Lampard was appointed as manager at Stamford Bridge in 2019 and enjoyed an encouraging start to his tenure, guiding the Blues to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League and into the FA Cup final, which they lost to Arsenal.

The west London side continued to impress at the start of Lampard’s second season in charge, topping their Champions League group and climbing to the top of the Premier League in early December.

But Chelsea then won just two of their next eight games to slip to ninth and Lampard was sacked at the end of January 2021.

A disappointing spell at Everton followed before Lampard returned to Chelsea during the 2022-23 season as caretaker manager following Graham Potter’s sacking.

But Lampard failed to change the mood in west London, winning just one of his 11 matches in charge and taking Chelsea into the bottom-half of the Premier League.

Lampard has had no such issues at Coventry, however, and Manchester United hero Butt believes he should now be a candidate for the Chelsea job once again.

A large section of Chelsea supporters are already losing faith in Liam Rosenior, who was appointed in January following Enzo Maresca’s departure.

Chelsea were unceremoniously dumped out of the Champions League by PSG and have slipped to sixth in the Premier League, four points outside the top-five places.

The Blues are willing to give Rosenior more time to turn things around but Butt believes Lampard would do an ‘amazing job’ back at Chelsea should they be searching for a new manager in the near future.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Butt said: ‘Do you think if Frank Lampard gets promotion with Coventry they could go back in for Frank?

‘He got the job too early the first time I think and he had the transfer embargo so he had to use a lot of young players.

‘It wouldn’t be a stupid thing to go and get Frank Lampard back in charge of Chelsea for me. He’s done a great job at Coventry.

‘He’s got a bit more experience now and he probably made a few mistakes the first time around. People need to understand that transfer embargo means you have to rely on loads of young players, that must have been difficult for him.

‘He would be a totally different manager now. I think Lampard would find it easier working with better players, it would be easier for him to get his messages across to more technical players.

‘If Frank went back into Chelsea, with all the experience he’s got now, I think he would do an amazing job, I really do.’

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Martin Keown has backed Arsenal to reach the Champions League final and says he wants his former club to avoid holders PSG.

Mikel Arteta’s Premier League leaders face La Liga giants Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals after beating Portuguese champions Sporting in the quarters.

Kai Havertz’s injury-time goal separated the two sides after the first leg in Lisbon and Arsenal held Sporting to a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium to go through.

It was not the most convincing performance from an Arsenal team who just weeks ago were chasing a historic quadruple but have since fallen short in both domestic cup competitions and given Manchester City hope in the title race.

Arsenal will face Atletico Madrid for a place in the Champions League final after Diego Simeone’s side beat La Liga rivals Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate.

On the other side of the draw, Champions League holders PSG continue their title defence against German champions Bayern Munich.

Keown believes Arsenal will overcome Atletico to reach their first Champions League final since 2006 and says he would ‘prefer’ to face Bayern Munich than PSG in the showpiece event on May 30.

Asked for his prediction for the Champions League final line-up, Keown said on TNT Sports: ‘It’s too hard to call.

‘I’ll go with Bayern to get through on that side of the draw. An Arsenal-Bayern final.

‘We’ve seen out here already that Arsenal can beat Bayern Munich but Bayern are going through the gears now obviously.

‘I would still prefer Arsenal to play Bayern though just because of PSG’s pace which is ridiculous.’ 

Arsenal sealed emphatic victories over semi-final opponents Atletico Madrid and possibly Champions League finalists Bayern Munich in the group stage, beating the Spanish side 4-0 and the German outfit 3-1.

Joe Cole also expects the Gunners to advance at the expense of Atletico despite their recent unconvinving form.

‘Arsenal fans should be very, very confident,’ Cole said on TNT Sports. ‘They always knew they were on the better side of the draw.

‘A semi-final against an Atletico Madrid team that we saw against Barcelona, Arsenal are a lot stronger in so many different areas.

‘The only thing that Atletico Madrid have got over them is experience but I still think the double is on for Arsenal, I really do.

‘It will be chaos but Arsenal can’t be gentlemen in a game like that. There will be dark arts from Atletico so Arsenal need to manage that.’

Arsenal now put their Champions League aspirations on hold and turn their attentions to a huge Premier League clash against title rivals Manchester City on Sunday.

Arteta’s side, chasing a first league title since 2004, boast a six-point lead over Man City, who have a game in hand.

Arsenal drew 1-1 with City in the reverse fixture but lost 2-0 to Pep Guardiola’s team in last month’s Carabao Cup final.

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Sam Allardyce has urged Manchester United to sign a Premier League striker in the summer transfer window.

Much of the focus around United’s transfer plans for the summer is around the acquisition of a new midfielder.

Manchester United were already planning to sign a new central midfielder before Casemiro announced in January that he was leaving at the end of the season.

The Red Devils, back in the Champions League places under caretaker boss Michael Carrick, are now planning to sign two midfielders.

Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba have been heavily linked with moves to Old Trafford, with the Nottingham Forest star believed to be United’s first-choice target.

Midfield is not the only area Manchester United could look at, however, with several pundits of the opinion that strengthening is also needed in the attacking and full-back positions.

Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly and Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall have emerged as full-backs targets for United, while Allardyce has recommended Old Trafford bosses sign striker Igor Thiago.

Thiago has been a revelation at Brentford since his £30m move from Club Brugge, scoring 24 goals in all competitions this season.

With 21 goals in the Premier League alone, only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has registered more league goals than Thiago with 22.

Thiago’s form has not gone unnoticed with rival clubs and ex-Premier League manager Allardyce believes Manchester United should target the Brazilian.

Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce said: ‘I mean, who’s going to buy Brentford’s centre-forward, Igor Thiago?

‘Manchester United need to look no further as far as I’m concerned. He’s hit the 20-goal mark, you don’t need to look any further.

‘I thought they’d go for [Jean-Philippe] Mateta, but maybe with his age they thought better of it.

‘But this Brazilian lad [Thiago], he’s scored 20 goals already and has got Brentford almost pushing for Europe.’

Brentford were widely tipped to struggle at the start of the season following Thomas Frank’s departure but Keith Andrews has taken the Bees up to seventh in the Premier League.

Manchester United, meanwhile, remain third in the table and on course for Champions League qualification despite Monday’s shock defeat at home to Leeds United.

Carrick’s side travel to Stamford Bridge to face struggling Chelsea on Saturday while Brentford return to action against London rivals Fulham.

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Most Fantasy teams this season have included Bayern Munich duo Harry Kane and Michael Olise. Rightly so, given they are the top scorers in the game. But they have not always played from the start lately, seeing ownership drop and budget available to spent.

So, who else might you consider for your team? We're here to shine the spotlight on those hidden gems that could help you climb up the table...

Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), 22.06M

Bayern have taken their time with Jamal Musiala as they ease him back to full fitness. He played 84 minutes against St. Pauli last weekend and chipped in with a goal and an assist. He set up another off the bench for Luis Díaz against Real Madrid on Wednesday. Given Bayern’s recent rotation around European fixtures, a start and subsequent big showing is again likely against VfB Stuttgart on Sunday.

Watch: All Musiala's Bundesliga goals

A round-up of some of La Liga’s most intriguing storylines across the week, traversing through the good, the bad and something beautiful.

The Good: Levante are falling in love again

Love comes in all shapes and sizes, but few saw the cumbersome figure of Carlos Espi as Levante’s beau come the spring. At the start of the season, the flavour of the month was Karl Etta Eyong, fresh from a move to Villarreal and firing nothing but bullseyes. The Cameroonian striker delivered on early promise for the Yellow Submarine, racing out to six goals and three assists in his first nine appearances. Since October, Etta Eyong has added a single assist, and Levante’s form took a similar dip. Until the appearance of Espi.

Sporting a vintage kit that doesn’t look similar to the sails flown by wooden navals, the wind is certainly blowing a gust behind the good ship Espi. Since Etta Eyong’s last goal, Los Granotas have picked up just five points in the games where Espi has not scored. His total for the season reached double figures against Getafe on Monday night, a header in the 83rd minute good for victory. Although not his best performance, causing the three bruising centre-backs Jose Bordalas sent to martial him so many problems suggests he has something.

That and the goals. Averaging one every 83.5 minutes, Espi has given Levante genuine hope of survival. Those goals have directly led to eight of Levante’s 29 points, and seven have come in the last six games. Beyond a stunning streak in front of goal, the 20-year-old has an almost mesmerising gait. It certainly seems to implore defenders to leave him just enough space to get shots off, thinking they have him within reach.

Take the Getafe winner for example, Espi is looks as if he is ambling around outside the box, but with deceptive agility, glides in between the two Getafe defenders for a simple header. At 194cm (6’4), Espi is every bit as useful in the air as his height suggests, and his finishing thus far has been exemplary. It still looks as if he is coming to terms with his powers, growing into an imposing shape and a target man role. Yet there’s something of a disguise about Espi, that hulking figure is hiding a smart striker.

El partido de Carlos Espi no es solo el gol (tiene un martillo en la cabeza), es que trajo loco solo a los tres centrales de Bordalas, ganó todos los balones divididos, hizo jugar a la segunda linea, se desmarcó y género todo. 20 años tiene la criatura.pic.twitter.com/5cFE4tarbq

— Borderline (@Borderline_lvd) April 14, 2026

The Bad: A worrying routine

Real Betis have the chance at a historic season, and the Copa del Rey victory notwithstanding, Manuel Pellegrini’s finest in Seville. In a year where fifth might be good enough for the Champions League, and Betis are just two games from the Europa League final, the monotonous nature of this side has to be a major concern for Betis.

Aside from periodic counter-attacks through Ez Abde and Antony, deadly in space but increasingly frustrated without it, Betis are struggling to lift the tempo. In the first half of the season, Pablo Fornals was dictating play, finding gaps and avenues forward. With Giovani Lo Celso and Isco out injured though, the mental clarity required to carry a midfield, which is what he was been doing, has fogged over his windscreen. It’s had an impact on Cucho Hernandez, the sharpest Betis forward these days. Too much is being asked of him too though, with Chimy Avila and Cedric Bakambu providing little respite.

Pellegrini’s side have now gone seven La Liga games without a win after a 1-1 draw with Osasuna, and a focus on their Europa League campaign is natural. The Chilean has never been reluctant to point out that his squad is not designed to challenge on three fronts, but his side are drifting through the final third of the domestic campaign as things stand.

Clearly this is not intentional, but Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad have been slowly eroding the gap to Los Verdiblancos, and are now just two and four points behind them. In their final seven fixtures, Betis face Real Madrid, Barcelona and La Real. If the engineer cannot jumpstart the Betis in La Liga, he risks contemplating the smoking remains of a season that provides a rare chance to return to the Champions League for the first time in two decades.

The Beautiful: An old infatuation

The collective football community proffered a rare hat-tip to LaLiga last weekend, in light of the excellent La Liga Retro Weekend. Perhaps the duality of good and bad exists within Javier Tebas too? One to ponder for Real Madrid and Barcelona fans, who of course were deprived of its joys for reasons they didn’t bother to even explain. Gripes out of the way, Spain rolled around in a swamp of nostalgia, in this metaphor completely at home in it.

Hence why it was so generous of Real Sociedad and Alaves to put on a spectacle that made the fit look even better. Both sides committed themselves to a game that could have found a place in 1980s highlights. Real Sociedad in their thinner stripes with obnoxiously large standalone numbers on the back. Alaves bounding around in a Boca Juniors-style yellow and blue blocks, far too clean for modern designers. Los Babazorros scored twice in comic fashion, without even shooting. Real Sociedad lined up the rocket launchers, and started firing missiles from 30 yards out.

puro @Alaves.

LALIGARETRO | 42LEGADOSLALIGA
LALIGAHighlights pic.twitter.com/Tks1mHJ0Ev

— LALIGA (@LaLiga) April 15, 2026

When the sixth goal of a breathless 3-3 Basque derby came, it was, giving credence to its inclusion in the section, a thing of vintage beauty. Carles Alena starts the move with a quick pass to Denis Suarez, and is swiftly removed from action by a scything tackle. Suarez drives inside and lays the ball off to Lucas Boye. In the pouring rain, Toni Martinez decks it in the background. Boye, in the 97th minute, shows no appetite to shape it into the corner, but instead thunders it into the roof of the net. For good measure, even the celebration didn’t seek the camera, instead mobbed by his teammates, sodden and shouting.

The post The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful: A new love, an old infatuation and worrying routine appeared first on Football España.

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has perhaps hinted at a return to living in Spain down the line, with the purchase of a 5th division Spanish club close to Barcelona. The Inter Miami and Argentina star is yet to call time on his playing career, but has admitted that he is in the twilight of his time on the pitch.

Now 38 years old, Messi did sign a contract extension with Inter Miami this year until 2028, suggesting that he intends to be on the pitch for at least a year or two longer. The main question mark around his future centres around the 2026 World Cup, and whether he will turn out for Argentina at the tournament. Manager Lionel Scaloni has assured he will do everything possible to make it happen, but Messi has been reluctant to commit.

Messi becomes owner of UE Cornella

Messi has released a statement, as cited by Marca, explaining that he has become the majority owner of Unio Esportiva Cornella. They currently ply their trade in Spain’s Tercera RFEF, the fifth tier, in semi-professional football. Founded in 1951 after a merger, Cornella are renowned for a strong academy, with the likes of David Raya, Gerard Martin, Jordi Alba and Javi Puado all coming through the system there. Alba could come up against Messi, as owner of L’Hospitalet, who play in the same division.

A hint at Messi’s future?

It does perhaps suggest that Messi sees himself returning to live in Barcelona in the future. After appearing at Camp Nou earlier in the season, he manifested a desire to live in Catalonia again, referring to the city as ‘home’. Messi has never sold the house he had in Barcelona, and there has always been talk of a homage to him at Camp Nou at some point, although strained relations with President Joan Laporta may make that difficult.

The post Lionel Messi purchases Spanish club close to Barcelona appeared first on Football España.

Barcelona have filed a second complaint to UEFA over the officiating during their Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid. The Catalan club were furious after being knocked out at the Metropolitano, with star forward Raphinha calling it ‘a robbery’.

The Blaugrana exited the tournament after a 3-2 defeat to Atletico on aggregate, finishing the tie with red cards in both legs. Barcelona claimed that they should have had penalties in both games too, although that idea has been contested by Atletico Madrid.

In recent weeks, FC Barcelona and Inter Milan have begun slowly working out the details of Alessandro Bastoni's transfer. Preliminary contacts have taken place. It's not out of the question that a player could be included in this deal. The Nerazzurri are interested in Héctor… pic.twitter.com/7kmpXDi9Az

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 15, 2026

Barcelona file second complaint to UEFA

Barcelona have now filed a second complaint to UEFA in the space of a week, claiming that the performance of the two officials had a major impact on the final outcome of the match. They claim that multiple decisions were made that ‘did not comply with the laws of the game.’ Their statement also cites ‘sporting and financial harm’ to the club.

First complaint was rejected by UEFA

Last week Barcelona also complained that Atletico defender Marc Pubill should have conceded a penalty for a handball. UEFA did not respond to the complaint, explaining they felt it was ‘inadmissible’. This did not go down well in Catalonia, feeling that the club had been disrespected.

Full FC Barcelona statement:

FC Barcelona has submitted a complaint to UEFA regarding the refereeing performance in the Champions League quarter-final tie played against Atletico Madrid.

The club considers that, across both legs of the tie, several refereeing decisions were made that did not comply with the Laws of the Game, resulting from an incorrect application of the regulations and a lack of appropriate intervention by the VAR system in incidents of clear significance.

According to FC Barcelona, the accumulation of these errors had a direct impact on the course of the matches and on the final outcome of the tie, causing significant sporting and financial harm to the club.

Through this complaint, the Club reiterates the requests previously made to UEFA and, at the same time, offers to collaborate with the organisation with the aim of improving the refereeing system to ensure a more rigorous, fair and transparent application of the Laws of the Game.

The post Barcelona file second complaint to UEFA over officiating against Atletico Madrid appeared first on Football España.

Not for the first time, Bukayo Saka’s fitness is a concern for Arsenal fans.

The 24-year-old has so often been an ever-present figure in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI, once playing 87 consecutive Premier League games for the Gunners.

Arsenal have gone some way in addressing their overreliance on the Hale End academy graduate who has regularly carried them over the years. But in a season where they finally have viable alternatives, his output has dropped.

A return of nine goals and seven assists is meagre by his standards. While one can argue the manner in which Arsenal are playing this season has impacted that, Saka has at times been far from his usual self.

While only he can say for sure, physical demands placed on him over the years could be playing a role.

Last season, Saka missed three months – 21 games in total – with a torn hamstring that required surgery. Early in the 2025-26 season there was another hamstring issue, albeit a less severe one that saw him sit out of five matches.

A hip problem saw him miss games against Leeds, Sunderland and Chelsea in late January with his latest Achilles injury a concern heading into Sunday’s titanic Premier League clash with Manchester City.

As is typical of the Arsenal manager, Arteta has been cautious over revealing details behind his latest issue. Saka withdrew from international duty with England in March and missed games against Southampton, the first leg against Sporting CP and the weekend defeat to Bournemouth before his manager eventually disclosed it is an Achilles injury hampering his winger.

‘It’s something that he was carrying for a while,’ Arteta said. ‘It’s progression but hopefully it’s going to be a matter of days and not weeks. But he has to see when the load is more how he responds to that kind of progression.’

Achilles injuries have dominated headlines this week after Hugo Etkike’s devastating blow against Paris Saint-Germain. The Liverpool striker has suffered a rupture of his Achilles tendon, ending his season and his hopes of playing for France at the World Cup this summer. It is regarded as one of the most serious injuries a footballer can pick up with the recovery process long and painful.

Saka’s issue is likely at the other end of the of Achilles injury spectrum, a ‘common and manageable’ one according to Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare.

Arsenal have not disclosed the exact nature of the problem but a tendonitis or a tendinopathy, inflammation of the tendon from repetitive strain, is likely to be the source of Saka’s current woes.

It should be no surprise that Arsenal have been exercising extreme caution over one of their most prized assets with managing the injury the solution right now rather than a quick fix.   

‘These issues can be caused when you get these tiny pieces of microtrauma around the tendon that causes swelling and causes pain,’ Smith told Metro. ‘That’s very, very common.

‘They will manage him, manage his training and exercise load and they will be treating that very differently to how they would if it was a tear or a rupture. But it is very common and manageable.

‘It isn’t about taking him out of the picture for a prolonged period and treating it, it is about managing it. If this is what it is, it is a chronic issue that can persist for a number of seasons that players must learn to manage. The medical staff will be looking at how he responds day-to-day and if that pain or swelling is increasing, that is a signal for them to intervene more so they will be constantly tracking things.

‘And they will look for pockets of elongated time where they can either get him off his feet or time to go do strength and rehabilitation work.’

Arsenal have indeed kept Saka out of the firing line. His last appearance for the club was in the Carabao Cup final against City on 22 March, sitting out of England friendlies and his club’s four games since the end of the international break.

He is one of four doubts heading into the weekend with Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori also unavailable in recent games.

Every game for Arsenal has been important but Sunday’s trip to the Etihad towers above all else. Have the Gunners been saving Saka for the big one? It is a very likely situation, one every club will have utilised at some point.

‘We call it tactical periodisation,’ Smith continued. ‘They will be periodising their season, looking at the calendar tactically and thinking these are the games we want to target and we need players in a certain condition for them.

‘They will be building up all their preparation specifically for performance in that game. There is no doubt in my mind they will have an action plan for how they will manage Saka and everyone else in the squad leading up to the game on Sunday.’

Pre-match press conferences usually provide the biggest indication whether a player will play at the weekend. But so often reporters and supporters have been left none the wiser when Arteta speaks, preferring to keep his cards close to his chest.

Only the Arsenal boss, his staff and Saka himself will know how close he is to returning when his club might need him most.

Paul Merson has revealed his prediction for this weekend’s potential Premier League title decider between Manchester City and Arsenal.

The Gunners boast a six-point lead at the top of the table ahead of their trip to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

A victory or even a draw for Mikel Arteta’s side would surely ensure Arsenal become Premier League champions for the first time since 2004.

It looked as though Arsenal would cruise to that long-awaited title and potentially even win a quadruple just a matter of weeks ago but one win in five has raised fears of a capitulation at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal fell short in the domestic cup competitions either side of the recent international break, first losing to Man City in the Carabao Cup final and then suffering a shock FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Southampton.

The Gunners then lost at home to Bournemouth to give chasing City major hope in the title race, although Arteta’s side did at least advance in the Champions League courtesy of a narrow 1-0 quarter-final win over Sporting.

Manchester City were knocked out of Europe by Real Madrid before the international break and also dropped points in successive league games against relegation-battlers Nottingham Forest and West Ham.

Pep Guardiola’s team have looked ominously strong since then, however, outclassing Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final before thrashing defending Premier League champions Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup.

Man City’s momentum continued at the weekend as they beat Chelsea 3-0 ahead of Sunday’s monumental clash against Arsenal.

Merson says it is ‘extremely hard’ to ‘make a case’ for Arsenal and admits he now believes Manchester City will clinch a narrow win on their way to reclaiming the Premier League title.

‘Manchester City are the favourites to win the Premier League if they beat Arsenal on Sunday, 100 per cent,’ he told Sportskeeda. ‘It’s in their hands now because Arsenal did not play well at all against Bournemouth.

‘If City win on Sunday, they will beat Burnley next week and before you know it, they are at the top of the table with five games to go.

‘The way Arsenal are playing now, I can’t seem them winning all their remaining games, should they lose to City.

‘It’s just unbelievable how it has all turned around. Absolutely mind-blowing to say the least! You just look at it and go, “wow”.

‘In hindsight, you can’t see anything but a Manchester City win. I saw Arsenal in the first 15 minutes against Sporting in the Champions League and told my boy it would be 0-0. You just can’t see them scoring!

‘Defensively, Arsenal are solid. If they don’t lose this game, they win the league. For City though, a draw is no good. They must win.

‘I can’t see Arsenal winning all their remaining games if they lose to City on Sunday. It’s hard to watch Arsenal at the moment.

‘But the players need to look at the bright side of it. If they beat City, the league is done and they win it. That is how they must think about this game.

‘If Arsenal go to the Etihad, sit behind the ball, absorb all the pressure and try to play for a draw, they will get destroyed by City!

‘Even if they have a go and lose the game, it at least gives them confidence. Imagine if they sit behind the ball and lose 1-0? I don’t think it does any good for their confidence.

‘Mikel Arteta is the only person who can tell if he’s asking these players to play in a certain way or are they actually going into their shells due to the pressure.

‘Apart from Declan Rice, I don’t see anyone else being expressive on the pitch. There is no pace in that team, no urgency, no desire to get inside the box. They look nervous and what a bad time to be that way.

‘I don’t know what Arsenal turn up for this game. They need to take the game to City here. I’m desperately trying to make a case for Arsenal, but I’m finding it extremely hard to do so.

‘My heart says draw, but my head says Manchester City win. Football is so unpredictable and Arsenal will be hoping this game goes in their favour against all odds. But the way they’ve been playing is a big concern.’

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Paul Merson has revealed his prediction for the crucial Premier League clash between Chelsea and Manchester United and urged Michael Carrick to bench striker Benjamin Sesko.

Chelsea welcome Man United to Stamford Bridge on Saturday night hoping to boost their Champions League hopes following a difficult run.

Liam Rosenior’s side have won just one of their last six games in all competitions, slipping to sixth in the Premier League and crashing out of the Champions League.

Manchester United, in contrast, have climbed to third in the table since Michael Carrick was appointed caretaker manager in replace of Ruben Amorim.

The Red Devils have dropped points in each of their last two games, however, drawing 2-2 at Bournemouth before the international break before suffering a shock defeat at home to Leeds United on Monday night.

Merson believes United’s winless run to continue at Stamford Bridge, backing Chelsea to clinch a crucial 2-1 win to boost their hopes of Champions League qualification.

The Arsenal legend expects Enzo Fernandez to come back into the Chelsea team following his recent absence but says Sesko should be dropped and allowed to ‘make an impact from the bench’ as he has does effectively in the second-half of the season.

‘Chelsea were atrocious of the highest level in the second half against Manchester City,’ Merson told Sportskeeda.

‘Luckily for them, they now face Manchester United, who were also terrible in the loss to Leeds!

‘This is a must-not-lose game for United and a must-win game for Chelsea. After this, Chelsea face Brighton away, Nottingham Forest at home, Liverpool away, Spurs at home and Sunderland away.

‘If they lose this game, I don’t see them playing Champions League football next season.

‘As long as Manchester United avoid defeat, they are at an advantage for Champions League qualification because Chelsea will play Liverpool.

‘I would be shocked if Enzo Fernandez is not back in the line-up for this game.

‘I still can’t get my head around the fact that Chelsea banned him for two matches! They were crying out for someone like him to get on the ball and pass to break lines during the defeat to City.

‘Manchester United were poor against Leeds and have a few injuries to deal with.

‘I don’t know why Bryan Mbeumo did not start that game though. And Casemiro is nowhere near the same player without Kobbie Mainoo next to him!

‘I would probably leave Benjamin Sesko out of the line-up against Chelsea. He’s someone who they can bring on to make an impact off the bench.

‘The other day against Leeds, they had no one who could do that as a substitute because Sesko was in the starting XI.

‘Chelsea could be ninth in the league by the end of the week, if they don’t win this game. But I actually think they can trouble United. I’m backing Chelsea to get a 2-1 win.’

Manchester United beat ten-man Chelsea 2-1 the last time these two sides met back in September, taking advantage of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s early red card.

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Jarell Quansah: "I’ve really loved it, to be honest. It’s been refreshing for me. I’ve started loving football again. Being able to play week in, week out against some of the best teams in the world. Showing what I’m capable of, what I can give to this team and to the fans as well. I’ve really enjoyed it so far, but it’s not over yet. We’ve got an important month ahead of us."

Watch: Quansah was a candidate for the February Rookie of the Month award

It may come as a surprise - especially after their Matchday 29 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen - but Dortmund remain on track for their second-best points return in a single Bundesliga season. Winning their remaining five league games would leave Niko Kovač's men with 79 points - just two shy of the record set in their last title-winning campaign under the legendary Jürgen Klopp in 2011/12.

Watch: A very different Dortmund

Olise's display was especially eye-catching. After hammering home his side's fourth goal of the night with the final kick of the game, the France international collected the Man of the Match award in trademark insouciant fashion. 

Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi has dismissed the idea of a move to Real Madrid this summer. The former Real Sociedad star was heavily linked to Los Blancos in the second half of last season, but had agreed a move to the Emirates.

While Zubimendi completed a €70m move to Arsenal, Real Madrid did not bring in a midfielder. The position has remained a problem for Real Madrid this season though, and is now supposedly a priority for their summer transfer window. Asked about Real Madrid’s interest during an interview with Cadena SER, Zubimendi was not interested.

“Look, I don’t know, I don’t have an answer, but I haven’t been very on top of all that. I think the moment has passed. I’m very focused, very happy where I am, and I have other things on my mind that are worrying me a lot, so I’m not in the mood for those things.”

Zubimendi on Atletico Madrid clash

Earlier in the conversation, Zubimendi admitted that the last few weeks at Arsenal had been ‘a bit strange’, but that everyone would have signed off on their situation at the start of the season. Next up for Arsenal in the Champions League is a meeting with Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals.

“I think they’re in great form, very confident, with the spirit, well, that’s what Atletico Madrid is all about, so, well, we already know them from the group stage, but this will be different. In the end, they’re a team that has invested a lot, signed some very good players, has a core group of players who have been around for many years, with a very good coach, and well, it doesn’t surprise me that much either.”

Arteta: “What Simeone has done with the team is impressive”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was also asked about the meeting with Los Colchoneros after overcoming Sporting CP 1-0 on aggregate.

“We’ll take things from the first leg. I also took things from last night. But the way they compete, the way they play, what Diego (Simeone) has done with that team is impressive,” he told Diario AS.

“We’re really excited to be back in Madrid for the first leg. We need to prepare well. The time will come to do that. I think the tie is wide open for both teams, and we’ll have to earn it minute by minute. Let’s hope it goes our way.”

The two sides met in October of this year at the Emirates, with Arsenal running out 4-0 winners over Atletico. It is an improved Diego Simeone side awaiting Arsenal in the first leg at the Metropolitano in two weeks though.

The post Arsenal star Martin Zubimendi on Real Madrid move: “I think the moment has passed” appeared first on Football España.

Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has said that he is not concerned about his future at the club beyond the summer. He is expected to be in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu until the end of the season, yet with it looking likely that Real Madrid will finish the season without silverware, the expectation is that he will not be there next year.

Arbeloa’s side are nine points adrift in La Liga, and has seen his side eliminated from the Copa del Rey and Champions League, struggling for results to back up his permanent candidacy. Speaking after the Bayern Munich defeat, Arbeloa told Diario AS that he did not feel as if he had anything to prove.

“As I’ve said, since I’ve sat in this chair, it’s been… well, not to prove my level as a coach. I’ve never wanted to win matches with my decisions, but rather by helping the players on the pitch. We’ve faced, well, many teams. Kompany’s Bayern Munich, Guardiola’s City, Simeone’s Atletico… well, I think most teams in Europe bear the mark of their coaches.”

“I don’t know how much of my stamp this team has; what percentage. Surely, a much smaller one than the examples I’ve given or what Castilla might have had, in my case. And as I’ve said, I’ve always tried to help the club… (pause), in any way I could. And that’s how it will be until the very last day.”

Real Madrid future ‘does not worry me’

He was asked if he felt that during their Champions League clashes with Manchester City and Bayern Munich, he had provided sufficient arguments to make a case for his continuity.

“It doesn’t worry me at all, and I’ll understand any decisions the club makes. I’ll understand them perfectly. As I said, I’m a man of the club, who always… well, if I’m hurting today, it’s not for myself, but for Real Madrid. Because we’re not going to win the sixteenth this year. I’m hurting for the players, as I said before; for the club, the fans. And…”

“Not for myself. Because I’m not worried at all about my future. Since I’ve sat in this chair, I haven’t been worried at all… well, it hasn’t been the slightest bit of a worry. And as I said before, I feel I’ve done everything I could to try and help my players win every day.”

‘It’s the club’s decision’ – Alvaro Arbeloa

Refusing to give away anything about his future plans, Arbeloa would not opine on whether he would consider another job as manager, or even if he would accept an offer to continue at Real Madrid.

“Right now… (smiles), I’m not thinking about any of that at all. And… as I said before, it’s the club’s decision, and I’m a club man. And all I want is for Real Madrid to win, regardless of who’s on the bench.”

Since Arbeloa was appointed, there has been talk about his potential replacement, with the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Unai Emery and Jurgen Klopp all linked to the position. That talk did die down after a series of positive results, but has restarted now, and there is no clear candidate to replace Arbeloa as things stand.

The post Alvaro Arbeloa addresses Real Madrid future – ‘I’m not worried about it at all’ appeared first on Football España.

Real Madrid will be on the hunt for a midfielder this summer. Los Blancos have been struggling to adapt the absence of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in the middle of the pitch, and while initially there was hope that Fede Valverde or Eduardo Camavinga could become the long-term partner for Aurelien Tchouameni in that spot, this season seems to have made up their mind that this is not the case.

Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi has ruled out a move to Real Madrid this summer, and there has been plenty of talk over who they might target. Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez has been mentioned, but the cost could end up being prohibitive. On the other hand, AZ Alkmaar starlet Kees Smit has also been mentioned often, but it is not clear whether Los Blancos would be willing to hand the keys to their midfield to such a young player.

Liverpool willing to do business for Alexis Mac Allister

One name that was frequently linked to Real Madrid in the past was Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. The talk of the Argentina international has quietened somewhat in the Spanish capital, but it could be a deal that suits both sides. The Telegraph explain that Liverpool will consider parting ways with Mac Allister to fund a rebuild. Currently he has two years left on his deal, and there has been no suggestion of a new contract for him at Anfield.

Liverpool hold an interest in Eduardo Camavinga

One factor that could facilitate a deal is that Liverpool seemingly hold an interest in one of the casualties from Real Madrid’s incoming move for a midfielder. Eduardo Camavinga is expected to leave the Santiago Bernabeu, and Liverpool were in contact with Camavinga’s camp last month, sounding out a potential move. Relations between the two clubs are fluid from previous deals too.

The post Liverpool willing to do business for midfielder liked by Real Madrid appeared first on Football España.

The future of Marcus Rashford has been a major talking point in Barcelona all season, and while at the beginning of the season he seemed to carve out a spot in Hansi Flick’s squad, the space for him is rapidly reducing. Manchester United agreed to allow him to leave on loan, with Barcelona retaining a €30m buy option.

United are not willing to compromise on that price for the 28-year-old, who has two years remaining on his deal at Old Trafford. In January, the first reports emerged that Barcelona were hoping to renegotiate the price, but with the Red Devils refusing to do so, in March for the first time, it was reported that the Catalans were having doubts about making Rashford a permanent signing. For his part, Rashford has expressed a desire to remain in Barcelona.

FC Barcelona have conceded in all of their last 15 games in the Champions League, an unprecedented negative statistic for the club. To make things worse, in the last two campaigns they have conceded a total of 44 goals. [@sergisoleMD] pic.twitter.com/fDY3EXTVRa

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 16, 2026

Permanent move for Rashford increasingly unlikely

As reported by Marca, the final call is yet to be made. A key meeting will take place between Flick and Director of Football Deco in which his future will be discussed, but as things stand, signing Rashford permanently is ‘close to being ruled out’. The club feel that the €30m price tag is too high, and that in order to commit to it, they want guaranteed performance from Rashford. In his last 16 games, he has managed just two goals. His performance is the main reason, but his salary does not help.

Rashford contribution against Atletico Madrid

His performances during Barcelona’s quarter-final loss to Atletico Madrid may well have pushed Deco into looking at other options. Rashford was one of Barcelona’s more lively players in the first leg at Camp Nou, but could not take advantage of three good chances presented to him. In the second, Flick elected not to start him, despite the absence of Raphinha, and he managed to create little danger in the final 20 minutes, with Barcelona in need of a big moment.

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Former Manchester United star Louis Saha believes his old club need another huge summer of investment if they are to build on the improvements they have made under Michael Carrick.

Monday’s shock home defeat against Leeds United represented a rare blot on the interim manager’s copy book since he took over from Ruben Amorim in January.

Despite that defeat, United remain well on course to secure Champions League qualification and would take a major step towards achieving that objective should they gain a positive result at Chelsea on Saturday night.

A return to Europe’s elite club competition would, however, mean a far busier schedule next term and place huge demands on a squad that will play just 40 games this season following early Carabao and FA Cup defeats.

United are already pressing ahead with plans to strengthen in central midfield in light of Casemiro’s impending departure.

The likes of Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba are all under consideration, but Saha has urged United’s key decision makers not to neglect strengthening in attack.

Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko have all enjoyed promising debut seasons at Old Trafford but the former France international insists they are in need of additional support.

Saha is a huge fan of PSG winger Desire Doue but believes Victor Osimhen is a more realistic target.

He told World Cup Betting: ‘If he was available, my dream signing for Man Utd would be Desire Doue. He’s an amazing talent, and I really love his confidence and his work rate.

‘His potential is enormous. That’s why it would really be a matter of breaking the bank. He is like a young [Cristiano] Ronaldo.

‘If you ask me, the one I really want is him. Maybe the more realistic option would be Victor Osimhen to partner with Benjamin Sesko at some stage. 

‘The Champions League is going to be huge for the club next season and we have a need for a midfielder, some really physical players there. Players like Declan Rice and Sandro Tonali, others will say someone to support Kobbie Mainoo.

‘This is the balance that United need to find, and midfield is extremely important. And maybe another kind of playmaker, someone who is unpredictable, someone who is able to complement Bruno Fernandes as well. 

‘For some games, a different type of setup will be needed because of the opposition. So it’s important to have that right balance, and I think those three additions are extremely important.’

While Casemiro is definitely heading for the exit, one experienced campaigner in Harry Maguire will definitely be remaining.

The England international defender put an end to any speculation surrounding his future by signing a new contract earlier this month.

‘Harry Maguire earned that contract because he wanted it,’ added. Saha. ‘He wanted to be there. He’s a player that refused to leave.

‘Critics and pundits, who think they know better, never faced what Harry Maguire has faced.

‘I was always one of his supporters. I know he played badly in some games and needed to do better. But he was an easy target because the system and culture were not there, the foundations of this club were diminished.

‘The structure, for me, was the problem. So, Harry Maguire was an easy target, and that’s unfair. Since his debut, he’s always shown up, never hidden. He claimed he is one of the best in both boxes, and I think he is.

‘To be totally honest, he’s a leader, never hides, and this is the type of culture that Man United needs to rely on. For that, he deserves his new contract. I’m sure many fans feel the same, even if we are always looking forward to younger players. He deserved it.’

Former Arsenal and Liverpool goalkeeper Alex Manninger has died aged 48 after his car was hit by a train in Austria on Thursday morning.

The accident occurred in Nussdorf am Haunsberg, a municipality 13 miles north of Salzburg, on Thursday at approximately 8:30am.

A train on the Salzburg Local Railway struck a VW Multivan at a small, unmanned level crossing shortly after a stop. The vehicle was propelled several meters after being hit.

Around 25 passengers on the train and the driver were unharmed but the driver of the VW Multivan was trapped in his vehicle and had to be freed by first responders before being resuscitated with a defibrillator.

Police spokeswoman Ingrid Planitzer confirmed that the driver of the vehicle later died due to serious injuries.

‘It’s essentially a service road that crosses the local railway line there. If you continue along that road, you’ll come to several holiday homes and some fish ponds,’ Matthias Ganisl, commander of the Nussdorf volunteer fire department, told Salzburger Nachrichten.

Manninger joined Arsenal from Austrian side Grazer AK in 1997 and went on to make 64 appearances for the Gunners.

He was part of the Arsenal side that won the Premier League and FA Cup double in 1998.

Speaking about his time at Arsenal in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport earlier this month, Manninger said: ‘It makes me emotional just thinking about it. I was 20, a kid. Wenger wanted to bring an international dimension to the club and focus on young players. I was one of them.

‘Arsene even introduced a training camp, which was unusual for the Premier League at the time. I have to say that, despite my age, I felt comfortable in goal, up front I had a giant like Tony Adams. He taught me so much. I only have one regret – leaving too soon. But, you know, I wanted to play.’

Manninger, who made 33 appearances for Austria’s national side, finished his career at Liverpool in 2017.

Austrian Football Association sporting director Peter Schottel said: ‘Alexander Manninger was an outstanding ambassador for Austrian football, both on and off the pitch.

‘His international career set standards and inspired and influenced many young goalkeepers. His professionalism, composure, and reliability made him an integral part of his teams and the national team.

‘His achievements deserve the utmost respect and will be unforgettable. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.’

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If Real Madrid’s players were furious last night following their elimination at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League, President Florentino Perez was not a shoulder to cry on afterwards. Perez was disappointed after a result that for many, including him, seems to have ended Los Blancos’ season.

Jude Bellingham called the decision to send off Eduardo Camavinga ‘a joke’, while Dani Carvajal blamed the official for their elimination. Manager Alvaro Arbeloa told the press that the decision was ‘absurd‘. Out of the cup competitions without success, and with a nine-point deficit to Barcelona in La Liga, it looks like being a second straight season without trophies for Real Madrid.

Florentino Perez visits Real Madrid dressing room – ‘Intolerable’

Curiously, Arbeloa told the press that he had not spoken to Perez after the match, but Sport say that he did visit the Real Madrid dressing room in Munich. Despite a decent performance against Bayern, the result was not acceptable.

“I appreciate your effort today, but the season has been a real disappointment for everyone,” he reportedly told the players.

“You know the demands placed on you as Real Madrid players. One season without titles is a failure because we are Real Madrid, but two seasons without winning titles is intolerable,” hinting that he too feels the Liga title is lost.

Uncertain future at Real Madrid

It is yet to be known what consequences that will bring at the Santiago Bernabeu, but the expectation is that Arbeloa will be dismissed as manager. For much of the season, it has been claimed that Real Madrid will look to a sign a central midfielder and another centre-back, but the unravelling of the season will no doubt spark fresh conversations about the construction of the squad.

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Barcelona have settled on Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni as their primary target for the summer transfer window to strengthen their backline, and are reportedly hoping to speed ahead with negotiations. The latest is that the Blaugrana would like to close a deal for the Italian international before the World Cup.

However the negotiations with Inter do not look as if they will be simple. The Nerazzurri seem open to a deal, and have given Barcelona permission to speak with Bastoni. The 27-year-old has given the Catalan side the green light to go ahead with the deal. Yet the agreement with Inter looks as if it will be much more difficult.

Barcelona are supposedly hoping to start talks around €50m for Bastoni, but Inter see him as being worth somewhere between €60-80m depending on the report. Currently, he has two years left on his deal.

FC Barcelona have conceded in all of their last 15 games in the Champions League, an unprecedented negative statistic for the club. To make things worse, in the last two campaigns they have conceded a total of 44 goals. [@sergisoleMD] pic.twitter.com/fDY3EXTVRa

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 16, 2026

Barcelona look to include Hector Fort in Bastoni deal

According to GdS (via MD), Barcelona are keen to include right-back Hector Fort in the deal as a way of bringing down the price. The 19-year-old broke into the Barcelona senior side two seasons ago, but after little involvement under Hansi Flick last season, headed to Elche on loan. After a slow start, Fort was impressing for Elche, but a shoulder injury has kept him out for the past four months. iFort has made 12 appearances this season, registering two goals and two assists.

Inter have interest in Barcelona forward

Previously it has been reported that Inter hold an interest in two Barcelona players that they may consider including in the deal; Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres. It seems unlikely that Olmo will be on the move after just two seasons, but Torres has just a year left on his deal this summer. His future is less clear at Barcelona.

The post Barcelona look to include La Masia talent in Alessandro Bastoni deal appeared first on Football España.

Anthony Gordon is ready to leave Newcastle United this summer amid interest from Bayern Munich and Arsenal.

The England international emerged as a transfer target for the Gunners last year with a new left winger likely to be high upon Mikel Arteta’s shopping list at the end of the current season.

Bayern Munich are also eager to bolster their attack and after the success of Harry Kane, Luis Diaz and Michael Olise, are now targeting another Premier League import.

While Gordon has not told the club he wants to leave, the former Everton star is keen to explore his options and find a new challenge this summer, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The 25-year-old hopes to resolve his future before England’s World Cup campaign begins in June.

The report states Gordon has not told the club he wishes to leave but the feeling within Newcastle is that a move is now on the cards with bids expected.

Reports in the German media have claimed Bayern will look to sign Gordon for a fee of around £60million. Newcastle signed Gordon from Everton for £45m three years ago with their asking price this summer likely to exceed £80m.

Liverpool were also interested in signing Gordon two years ago but it remains to be seen whether they rekindle that interest.

Gordon is a boyhood Liverpool fan and would jump at the chance to join the club who will need to revamp their attacking options this summer with Mohamed Salah leaving and Hugo Eikitike facing a long spell on the sidelines.

In addition to Gordon, Sandro Tonali is another Newcastle star who could seek a fresh challenge at the end of the season.

But according to the report, the Magpies are in a position where they only need to sell one of their prized assets to help fund summer recruitment with any departure for Gordon likely to strengthen their position with the Italy international.

Tino Livramento, another player admired at Arsenal, is likely to be sold if the right offer comes in. The former Chelsea youngster has just two years left on his contract on Tyneside.

Arsenal face a nervous wait to learn the extent of Noni Madueke’s knee injury but the winger appeared in good spirits as he celebrated the Gunners reaching the Champions League semi-finals.

A dull stalemate against Sporting CP at the Emirates on Wednesday was enough to secure Arsenal’s place in the final four of the competition thanks to their 1-0 away in Lisbon last week.

The result set up a semi-final showdown with Atletico Madrid but Mikel Arteta’s focus for now is on a season-defining Premier League clash with Manchester City on Sunday.

The Arsenal boss is already dealing with a string of injury problems with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori all absent.

There was also concern for Madueke when he was forced off in the second-half against Sporting.

The former Chelsea star, who had a separate injury scare while on international duty with England last month, collided with Pedro Goncalves on the touchline with Max Dowman brought onto replace him for the remainder of the game.

Arteta confirmed it was a knee issue post-match but was unable to provide any further update. ‘It was something in his knee, we had to take him off,’ Arteta said.

‘I don’t know the extent of that.’

But there appeared to be positive signs at the final whistle in footage recorded by journalist Ryan Taylor.

As Arsenal players celebrated the hard-fought result that booked their place in the semi-final, Madueke hobbled over to join his teammates with Saka and Timber also emerging from the tunnel.

While moving with a limp, the winger did not appear too concerned by the issue, smiling and laughing with his teammates.

Arteta will be expected to provide a further update on his winger when he speaks to the media on Friday.

Saka has not played since the Carabao Cup final with Arteta revealing this week he is dealing with an Achilles injury.

Having still not returned to first-team training, he remains a doubt for Sunday’s trip to the Etihad.

Madueke has served as Saka’s understudy all season but any doubts over his fitness could open the door for 16-year-old Dowman to start against Pep Guardiola’s side.

The BBC noted: "Seven goals, two red cards and the competition's 15-time winners exiting in anger - once again the knockout stages of European club football's elite contest has delivered drama in spades."

Watch: Luis Díaz decoded

Thierry Henry has warned Mikel Arteta that Arsenal cannot afford a repeat of their performance against Sporting CP in their Premier League match against Manchester City on Sunday.

Arsenal have secured their place in the Champions League semi-final where they will meet Atletico Madrid following a goalless draw at home to Sporting on Wednesday night.

But the Gunners, who had a 1-0 win from the first leg in Portugal last week, delivered another unconvincing performance as they registered just one shot on target against Sporting in the return fixture at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal now turn their attention to the Premier League this weekend as they play City at the Etihad Stadium in a game which will have a significant impact on the title race.

Arteta’s side currently sit six points clear of City at the top of the Premier League but Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand and will cut that lead to three points with a win.

‘I want to see that fire at the Etihad,’ Henry told CBS Sports.

‘That’s what I want to see, it’s easy to talk, go there, at Man City, and deliver.

‘I believe in what I see though, I believe in him Arteta, ‘the fire’, but when you talk like that you have to do it then. I didn’t see that tonight.

‘We are through, so happy, semi-final, I never won it, but I won the league though, go and win at Man City, I want to see that fire there, I believe Mikel, yes, but show it.’

Asked how he would approach the game against City, Henry replied: ‘Not like tonight, or against Bournemouth, or Brighton away, or Mansfield, or everything that I’ve seen this season.’

Asked if the performance against Sporting would be enough to beat City, Henry laughed and replied: ‘The Man City I’ve seen recently? We’re talking about the team that won four in a row, Liverpool came in between that if not it would have been more.

‘I do believe, I’ve been saying since the beginning of the season, this year I do believe we can win the league, this is the biggest chance in your life just to prove to yourself, as a team, that we can.

‘And then people will not talk about the word they want to use that I do not want to use.

‘I do believe personally but I am sitting in a chair for CBS, there’s nothing I can do. Now I heard ‘fire’, I want to see that fire at the Etihad.

‘If you have the face of Declan Rice go back to that, at the end of the game I stayed with his face, you had a lot of guys smiling but his face… I don’t know, maybe I need to speak to him to know what he had in his head. This is a guy who just went through to the semi-final of the Champions League.

‘There’s no positive or negative here. We are in a semi-final of a Champions League, well done, that didn’t happen a lot in history so obviously I’m over the moon. But City… I want the team to win there, not draw, statement.’

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Joe Cole has rated Arsenal’s chances of beating Atletico Madrid and reaching the Champions League final.

Mikel Arteta’s Premier League leaders edged out Portuguese champions Sporting 1-0 in a tight and cagey quarter-final.

Arsenal will meet Spanish giants Atletico in the semis after Diego Simeone’s side beat La Liga rivals Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate.

Champions League holders PSG face German champions Bayern Munich in the other semi-final tie after wins over Liverpool and Real Madrid respectively.

Following a brilliant first-half to the season, Arsenal appear to be stuttering towards the finish line, winning just one of their last five games in all competitions.

But former England star Cole still believes Arsenal fans should be ‘very confident’ about their chances of overcoming Atletico Madrid and reaching the Champions League final.

‘Arsenal fans should be very, very confident,’ Cole said on TNT Sports. ‘They always knew they were on the better side of the draw.

‘The Premier League is one entity but I think they will turn up against Sporting and perform and get through.

‘A semi-final against an Atletico Madrid team that we saw tonight, Arsenal are a lot stronger than so many different areas.

‘The only thing that Atletico Madrid have got over them is experience but I still think the double is on for Arsenal, I really do.

‘It will be chaos but Arsenal can’t be gentlemen in a game like that. There will be dark arts from Atletico so Arsenal need to manage that.’

Arsenal beat Sporting 1-0 in Lisbon last week courtesy of Kai Havertz’s injury-time goal and that proved to be enough to send the Gunners into the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Speaking after the victory over Sporting, Gunners boss Arteta said: ‘It’s a massive moment. To be part of those four teams is great work.

‘It’s a great night. I’m very happy for all our people. We are making steps that haven’t been done at this club for 140 years [back-to-back Champions League semi-finals].

‘You have to earn it. You have to go through a lot of work. Gratitude to the players.’

On Arsenal’s semi-final opponents Atletico Madrid, Arteta added: ‘I watched them yesterday – that stadium is special.

‘Those are the moments we want to live together as a team right now, so enjoy tonight. Tomorrow we will start to prepare for the weekend and then we will think about that.’

Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli also discussed the semi-final tie against Atletico Madrid, telling reporters: ‘We played them in the group stage but this will be a completely different game.

‘We have to earn the right, we have to do things right in the game as well. Let’s keep it up and try to win both games.’

Arsenal, sitting six points clear at the top of the Premier League, face title rivals Manchester City in a huge clash on Sunday.

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Sporting CP’s vice-captain Daniel Braganca singled out ‘extraordinary’ Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya after the Portuguese club’s Champions League exit.

Arsenal held a 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Lisbon last week and managed to secure their place in the Champions League semi-final with a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.

Raya was named UEFA’s Player of the Match for his excellent performance in the first leg as his fine saves kept Sporting at bay.

The Spain international was only tested once by Sporting in the return leg on Wednesday evening but Braganca believes Arsenal’s goalkeeper was a key difference between the two sides.

‘Being eliminated for what we did hurts. It leaves a bitter taste after the game, because we could have scored and revived the tie,’ Braganca told Sport TV.

‘They also had opportunities but Arsenal have an extraordinary goalkeeper who makes the goal seem small.’

Meanwhile, Sporting head coach, Rui Borges, believes Arsenal were ‘lucky’ to progress to the Champions League semi-final.

‘I can’t say it hurts. It’s an infinite pride in the team’s personality and ability,’ Borges said.

‘I think in both games we were superior to Arsenal, they ended up being lucky with the goal at Alvalade and went through.

‘We showed character in both games, in this extraordinary atmosphere, our fans were also extraordinary. They deserved more but we have to leave with our heads held high, for the strength and joy they demonstrated.’

Elsewhere, Sporting captain, Morten Hjulmand, bemoaned Arsenal’s delaying tactics at set-pieces and claims it disrupted Sporting’s rhythm.

‘I think today was a balanced game. I think the impact of the first game, which we lost, made it harder to go to the Emirates and win, especially when we haven’t lost much at home. I knew it was going to be difficult here too but even so it was a game with little intensity, no rhythm, zero goals, boring, I’d say,’ Hjulmand told CBS Sports.

‘I think there were a lot of interruptions during the game, so we couldn’t get the rhythm we wanted. So, yes, a bit boring if I were a spectator. 0-0, and the first game was 1-0… that’s not how Sporting wants to show itself. We want to score goals, create opportunities and today we didn’t.

‘During the game I felt a lot of stoppages, especially on set-pieces, and that takes a lot of time away from the game and the rhythm as well.

‘When we managed to get into the rhythm, especially in the first half, I think we created many opportunities to make it 1-0. But, in the end, we didn’t create enough to win the game, to be honest.’

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Chelsea legend and former Manchester United and Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho is being lined up for another Premier League job.

Mourinho is still a much-loved figure at Stamford Bridge having won three Premier League titles across his two spells in charge of Chelsea.

The 63-year-old later won the Europa League and EFL Cup at Manchester United before an underwhelming stint at Tottenham.

Mourinho has had three managerial roles since leaving the Premier League, managing Roma, Fenerbahce and his current club, Benfica.

A long-awaited return to Benfica has not proved successful, however, and ex-Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has even been linked with replacing his fellow Portuguese this summer.

Mourinho still has admirers around the globe despite a number of disappointing managerial spells and has even been linked with a return to the Premier League.

According to talkSPORT, Newcastle United bosses would consider appointing Mourinho if they sack under-fire manager Eddie Howe.

Ex-England manager Howe has enjoyed a largely impressive spell in charge of the Magpies and led Newcastle to the Carabao Cup trophy last season.

But Newcastle have slipped to 14th in the Premier League this season, sparking huge speculation over Howe’s future at St James’ Park.

If Howe is moved on, Newcastle’s Saudi owners are believed to be keen to hire a big-name with former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini another contender.

Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, who is leaving the Cherries at the end of the season, would also reportedly be ‘open’ to taking over at Newcastle.

Discussing Mourinho’s possible arrival at St James’ Park, Newcastle fan Charlotte Robson told talkSPORT: ‘I don’t think he gives himself very long as a manager, but maybe we don’t need him to stay long term.

‘Maybe we just need two great years with one and then he leaves, and we’re in a slightly better position than we’re in now. I think that’s normal in the modern game.

‘It depends what we are looking for. Is it someone who wants to kick on in Europe or who wants to stay longer?

‘I’m sure the board understands what they want from a managerial profile. Eddie Howe has worked for Newcastle because he’s so risk-averse, but that’s not working anymore, so maybe we do need to put some more coal in the fire.’

Newcastle return to Premier League action on Saturday against Bournemouth, while Mourinho’s Benfica take on Portuguese champions Sporting.

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Mikel Arteta admits Declan Rice was ‘shattered’ before playing in Arsenal’s goalless draw with Sporting CP in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Arsenal sealed their place in the Champions League semi-final where they will meet Atletico Madrid after a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium.

Rice, meanwhile, did not train before the game due to illness but was handed the captain’s armband and went on to play a full 90 minutes against the Portuguese champions.

Arsenal now turn their attention back to the Premier League as they face Manchester City on Sunday in a game which will play a significant role in who will be crowned champions this season.

Speaking after Arsenal’s draw against Sporting, Arteta hailed Rice’s commitment but revealed that the midfielder was told he had ‘no chance’ of playing in Wednesday’s match due to his illness this week.

‘That is the reason why we are the only English team in the competition, because this league and this schedule takes the hell out of you, and it’s very difficult to do what we’ve done,’ said Arteta.

‘We are not perfect, we need to improve things, that’s for sure, we recognise that, but there’s value in what these players have done, because they deserve it.

‘Declan yesterday, he was shattered. He had no chance to play today, he wasn’t feeling good at all today, he played 94 minutes at the level that he’s done.

‘Piero [Hincapie] the same, every single player is putting everything through the line to contribute, to give his best, and I really value that from the team.’

Arteta also revealed that it was not his decision to make Rice captain for the game and claims it was a call made by the Arsenal squad.

‘They made a decision,’ Arteta said.

‘They made a decision because Declan has earned the status and the role.

‘The way he’s taken ownership in difficult moments. He’s a great leader, he’s a top player for us and I love that the players take that ownership.’

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Bayern held a slender first-leg lead after winning 2-1 in Spain, but were pegged back inside a minute as Manuel Neuer misplaced a pass straight to Arda Güler, who brilliantly fired into the empty net from distance to level the tie on aggregate.

The Bundesliga leaders responded quickly and equalised in the sixth minute when Aleksandar Pavlović headed home from Joshua Kimmich's corner, only for Real to retake the lead through Güler's curled a sublime free-kick.

Bayern showed tremendous character once more and found parity on 38 minutes as Harry Kane coolly finished after being played in by Dayot Upamecano, but Kylian Mbappé struck late in a pulsating first half to restore Real's advantage on the night.

Real Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday, as Bayern Munich secured a 6-4 aggregate victory in their quarter-final tie. However, it did not come without controversial, as Eduardo Camavinga’s late red card was the catalyst for the Bavarians to score the two late goals that sent them through to the last four.

Camavinga was shown a second yellow card by referee Slavko Vincic after a challenge on Harry Kane, although the booking itself was for delaying the restart after he held on to the ball for three seconds. Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa could not believe the decision, and the same feeling was shared by his players.

Carvajal, Bellingham slam red card decision

After the incident itself, Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal was spotted shouting “it’s your fault. It’s your f****** fault!” at Vincic, as per MD. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham fumed at the decision when he spoke in the mixed zone after the match (via Marca).

“It’s a joke. It is impossible for it to be yellow. Two fouls and two yellows.”

Rudiger: It’s better that I don’t speak

Rudiger was also asked about the matter as he passed through the mixed zone, and as per Marca, he took the opportunity to speak briefly to the waiting reports on the Camavinga red card.

“You’ve seen it, haven’t you? Really, it’s better that I don’t speak. Have you ever seen something like this? Ugh.”

Guler sent off after full time for complaints

Arda Guler, who was outstanding at the Allianz Arena, was one of the players that did not speak publicly post-match, although he did his talking to Vincic right after the full time whistle was blown. He lambasted the Slovenian official over the decision to send Camavinga off, and right by the tunnel, he too was shown a red card, meaning that he will also be suspended for the start of next season’s Champions League.

The post Real Madrid players slam referee after controversial red card during Bayern Munich defeat – “It’s your f****** fault” appeared first on Football España.

Real Madrid are set for a trophyless season, after they were dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday. They are nine points adrift of Barcelona in the La Liga title race, meaning that it could be a second dismal campaign in a row for the Bernabeu club.

In the lead-up to the Bayern tie, it has been well-documented that a deep run into the Champions League would be needed for Arbeloa to have any chance to staying on as Real Madrid manager for next season. The club has an option to extend his stay if deemed appropriate, although that looks very unlikely to happen now.

Arbeloa was relaxed on his future when he spoke post-match in Munich, but according to The Athletic, it is now almost certain that he will not be kept on as Real Madrid manager beyond the end of this season. The club’s failures in La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, all of which were on his watch, mean that he is very likely to be removed from his position before the summer.

Who could replace Arbeloa?

Now that season is effectively over for Real Madrid, attention will start to turn to the summer’s events. New signings are planned, but first and foremost, they will need to sort the managerial situation, now that Arbeloa appears certain to depart. Targets have already been drawn up, with the report noting that Jurgen Klopp, Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps and Mauricio Pochettino are all liked by president Florentino Perez.

Of those names, Pochettino is considered to be most likely candidate to arrive this summer, although Real Madrid’s preferred target is still Klopp. Whether the former Liverpool manager can be convinced to return to the dugout remains to be seen, but the search for Arbeloa’s replacement is bound to ramp up now.

The post Real Madrid ready to cut ties with Alvaro Arbeloa after Champions League exit appeared first on Football España.

Real Madrid were knocked out of the 2025-26 Champions League in controversial circumstances on Wednesday. Bayern Munich won 4-3 on the night to ensure a 6-4 aggregate success, but that came about after two late goals – which came after Eduardo Camavinga was shown a controversial red card.

Camavinga was booked on 78 minutes, and eight minutes later, he saw a second yellow after a foul on Harry Kane. Real Madrid were furious at that decision, and in his post-match press conference (via Diario AS), head coach Alvaro Arbeloa summed up his side’s feelings on the matter.

“The players are very hurt. Especially because of how we lost. I congratulate Bayern on their great tie, but we would have liked them to beat us differently. It was an inexplicable expulsion which nobody understands, hence the feeling of injustice and anger. All the work and effort has been thrown over the edge by a decision like the one made by the referee.

“Nobody understands that a player is sent off for an action like that. At that point the tie is over. It is an unfair action and we are very hurt. It’s something you can’t control. I’m very proud of more players, of the fans. It hurts me that this year we are not going to win La Decimosexta. We must prepare for the next match.”

Arbeloa believes that referee Slavko Vincic issued the second yellow card to Camavinga absentmindedly, without realising that it was the Real Madrid midfielder’s second such offence.

“I think he got the card precisely because of that, because the Bayern players had to go and remind him that it was the second one. But that is not a yellow card. I don’t know, or he hasn’t played football… or I don’t know. I think it’s even worse that he doesn’t know he had a yellow card, because it’s a double mistake. He ruined a beautiful tie.”

Arbeloa: I’m not worried about my future

Arbeloa was also asked about whether he sees himself continuing as Real Madrid manager, now that it’s all-but confirmed that it will be a trophyless season for the club.

“I’m not worried at all and I’ll understand perfectly all the decisions that the club can make. I’m a man of the house and if I’m hurt, it’s not for me, but for Real Madrid. Because we are not going to win the Sixteenth this year. But I care very little about my future. Since I’ve sat in this chair… It has not been the slightest concern. And I feel like I’ve done everything I could to help my players.”

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Real Madrid bowed out of this season’s Champions League on Wednesday, as they went down 4-3 to Bayern Munich in the second leg of their quarter-final tie, which ensured a 6-4 defeat on aggregate for Alvaro Arbeloa’s side.

Andriy Lunin – 5

He may have made a couple of good saves to keep Bayern at bay, but his error for the 1-1 goal was disappointing. There is every chance that the result would’ve been different if Thibaut Courtois was fit.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 5

Preferred to Dani Carvajal at right-back, but once again, he was poor defensively. He was caught out for at least two of Bayern’s goals, and he failed to make up for those deficiencies in attack.

Eder Militao – 7

Real Madrid may have conceded four goals, but the fact they only conceded twice before the 88th minute was thanks to their centre-back partnership. Militao was very solid, although it was not enough in the end.

Antonio Rudiger – 7

Like Militao, he was very good – as he usually is on the biggest stage. However, he was a little fortunate to avoid a red card after a clumsy foul soon after being booked.

Ferland Mendy – 7

A very encouraging performance from Mendy. It’s testament to him that Michael Olise was nowhere near as threatening as he was in the first leg.

Jude Bellingham – 7.5

He was outstanding in the first hour, before he started to tire. He provided help at both ends of the pitch, underlying how much of a miss he was for much of the first leg.

Fede Valverde – 6.5

He was used in the Aurelien Tchouameni role, and he performed rather well.

Arda Guler – 8

His best performance of the season. He was given a gift for his first goal, but the second was all class from the free-kick. On the whole, he was also very involved in the midfield battle.

Brahim Diaz – 5.5

Given the nod over the likes of Eduardo Camavinga and Thiago Pitarch, but he failed to make much of an impact in attack.

Kylian Mbappe – 6.5

Got his goal, but aside from missing a big chance in the second half, he was not overly involved.

Vinicius Junior – 6.5

Did well when called upon in a defensive role, and provided a great assist to Mbappe. But it wasn’t his night.

Substitutes

Eduardo Camavinga – 4.5

A match that summed up his season perfectly. Picked up a yellow card on 78 minutes, and on 86, he was shown a needless second booking, which sealed Real Madrid’s fate.

Thiago Pitarch – N/A

Brought on for stoppage time as Real Madrid chased a goal.

Franco Mastantuono – N/A

Same as Pitarch.

The post Real Madrid player ratings against Bayern Munich: Arda Guler shines on disappointing night appeared first on Football España.

Joe Cole has backed Mikel Arteta to start 16-year-old Max Dowman in Arsenal’s potential Premier League title decider against Manchester City but says Viktor Gyokeres should be dropped.

The Gunners travel to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to take on Man City in the biggest game of the Premier League season.

Arsenal, chasing a first league title since 2004, boast a six-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s side but Man City’s game in hand means the title is effectively in both club’s hands.

Arsenal missed the chance to move 12 points clear of their title rivals on Saturday as they slipped to a potentially damaging 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth.

Manchester City still had to take advantage to keep the title race alive and did so impressively, thumping Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.

A goalless draw with Sporting on Wednesday night means Arsenal have won just one of their last five games in all competitions.

But that was enough to send Mikel Arteta’s team through to the Champions League semi-finals courtesy of a 1-0 aggregate win over Portuguese champions Sporting.

It was another underwhelming performance from Arsenal in the final third, with Arteta’s side creating just one shot on target.

Arteta’s £64m summer signing Gyokeres was subbed off for Kai Havertz with over half an hour remaining and Cole believes the forwards should switch places at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

‘I think Mikel Arteta goes with Kai Havertz because you’re going to need to hold the ball up against Man City,’ Cole said on TNT Sports.

‘Viktor Gyokeres fluffed his lines tonight in terms of holding the ball up and that’s why he got dragged off. Havertz did that better and they looked a more composed team.’

Teenage sensation Dowman was introduced at a similar time as Havertz and Cole was impressed by his second-half cameo in the Champions League.

‘It would be a massive call [to start Dowman against Man City] but he is special, he’s clearly special,’ Cole added.

‘What he’s already done at the game at his age is incredible. He could start…

‘Arsenal were in a Champions League quarter-final tonight and Arteta turned to Dowman and that shows you the faith they have in him.

‘We might even see him on Sunday and that would be huge.’

Meanwhile, Arteta was full of praise for his Arsenal team after they reached back-to-back Champions League semi-finals for the first time ever.

‘It’s a massive moment,’ Arteta said. ‘To be part of those four teams [in the semi-finals] is great work.

‘It’s a great night. I’m very happy for all our people. We are making steps that haven’t been done at this club for 140 years.’

Arsenal have played Manchester City twice so far this season, drawing 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League and losing 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

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Jamie Carragher has U-turned on backing Arsenal to win the Champions League this season after Mikel Arteta’s side reached the semi-final on Wednesday night.

Arsenal had a 1-0 advantage over Sporting CP from their first leg in Lisbon last week and in the return fixture at the Emirates Stadium, a goalless draw was enough to secure their place in the final four of the competition where they will play Atletico Madrid.

In the other semi-final, Paris Saint-Germain will meet Bayern Munich after Vincent Kompany’s side sealed a 4-3 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday evening.

Before the start of the Champions League last-16 matches last month, Carragher predicted that Arsenal would beat PSG in the final in Budapest on May 30.

However, the former Liverpool and England defender now believes Arsenal’s lack of a ‘star’ player across their attack will end their hopes of winning the Champions League this season.

‘I’m not sure they’ve got the quality in the attack,’ Carragher told CBS Sports.

‘The game we just watched tonight, you think of the players on both teams, Arsenal don’t have that.

‘It’s not a criticism, they just don’t have those players in attack, they haven’t.

‘So, that’s why I think when you get to the business end of the season, certainly in the Champions League… even though I tipped Arsenal to win it, I just don’t believe it.

‘I can’t see a team winning the Champions League who don’t have a star in the front four, and they haven’t got one.’

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Declan Rice has told Manchester City that Arsenal will be ‘ready’ for this weekend’s huge Premier League clash and insists the Gunners will go out to win at the Etihad Stadium.

Mikel Arteta takes his Arsenal team to Man City on Sunday boasting a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners missed the chance to move 12 points clear at the weekend as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth.

Arsenal then saw title rivals Manchester City close the gap at the top of the table to six points with an emphatic 3-0 win at Chelsea.

Given the situation at the top of the Premier League, Sunday’s game has been described as a ‘title decider’ by Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney.

It has been suggested that a point at the Etihad would be sufficient for Arsenal to get over the line and secure a first Premier League title since 2004, but Rice insists they are only thinking about the three points.

Asked whether Arsenal ‘had to win’ their huge clash against title rivals Man City, Rice told TNT Sports: ‘Yeah, of course, you have to win every game, we want to win every game.

‘Our record has been amazing this season and these type of games… it’s why we play the game.

‘We’ll be ready for it, we’ll be ready to go. How much do you want it, you know? I know I’ll be ready and the boys will be ready, so let’s go.’

Rice was speaking after Arsenal booked their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League with a narrow 1-0 win over Sporting.

Kai Havertz scored an injury-time winner out in Lisbon last week and the return leg at the Emirates Stadium ended goalless.

Rice added: ‘I’m delighted. I’m so, so happy. We now want to go one step forward than last season and get to the final.’

‘Frustrating? No…we’ve just got to another semi-final. Who cares what people think.’

Analysing Arsenal’s performance against Portuguese champions Sporting, Chris Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘We know what is going to happen, we know what the narrative is going to be.

‘A lot of people will rip Arsenal to shreds with the way they attacked or, should I say, didn’t attack.

‘Towards the end of the game, it is about seeing it through – the objective tonight was going through and finding a way.

‘It wasn’t perfect by any means, but defensively they do a lot right. It has been a struggle for a while and things do need to change…’

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The Bundesliga leaders responded quickly and equalised in the sixth minute when Aleksandar Pavlović headed home from Joshua Kimmich's corner, only for Real to retake the lead through Güler's curled a sublime free-kick.

Bayern showed tremendous character once more and found parity on 38 minutes as Harry Kane coolly finished after being played in by Dayot Upamecano, but Kylian Mbappé struck late in a pulsating first half to restore Real's advantage on the night.

Real Madrid need to win in the Allianz Arena to give themselves a chance of getting into the Champions League semi-finals, and after three goals in 15 minutes, they are on course for the win they need to force extra time at the very least.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s side made a golden start to proceedings in Bavaria when Arda Guler pounced on a Manuel Neuer error to score after 36 seconds, although their lead lasted five minutes as Aleksandar Pavlovic headed home soon after for the home side.

Guler scores again as Real Madrid level tie after 29 minutes

But they have now struck for the second time in the first half, and it’s a second of the evening for Guler. His free-kick from the edge of the box was just out of Neuer’s reach, which has brought Real Madrid back to 3-3 in the tie.

THE NIGHT BELONGS TO ARDA GÜLER — AND NEUER IS LEFT HELPLESS AGAIN!
FC Bayern München 1-2 Real Madrid pic.twitter.com/eoioW9vgpl

— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) April 15, 2026

Take a bow, Arda Güler

Real Madrid go 2-1 up on the night, and back level on aggregate

Stream with TNT Sports on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/ygM7aznsmo

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 15, 2026

Arda Güler beautifully curls home the freekick

Astonishing game between Bayern and Real Madrid pic.twitter.com/wF7OgHrrYj

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 15, 2026

Kane strikes after relentless Bayern spell

But once again, Real Madrid failed to hold their lead for a sustained period. A relentless spell from Bayern has ended with their second equaliser of the night, scored by Harry Kane.

FC Bayern München 2-2 Real Madrid

Harry Kane scores for Bayern! pic.twitter.com/ergTVyDX2D

— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) April 15, 2026

Harry Kane scores his 50th club goal of the season to give Bayern the advantage again

Stream with TNT Sports on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/gSnHthSQIb

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 15, 2026

Mbappe makes it 4-4 on aggregate

But this time, it is Real Madrid that have got a quick response. An excellent run from Vinicius Junior has ended with him slipping in Kylian Mbappe, who makes no mistake to score his second goal of the tie.

KYLIAN MBAPPÉ STRIKES — REAL MADRID TAKE THE LEAD 3–2 AND ARE CHARGING TOWARD THE SEMI-FINALS!

FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN 2–3 REAL MADRIDpic.twitter.com/ugeEkzrSmm

— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) April 15, 2026

What. A. Game. Vini assists Kylian Mbappé and this tie is level AGAIN

Stream with TNT Sports on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/pnD0prkN0X

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 15, 2026

It’s been a Champions League classic in the opening stages, and at this stands, Real Madrid are getting the minimum result they need to keep their progression hopes alive.

The post WATCH: Kylian Mbappe drags Real Madrid level on aggregate after Arda Guler and Harry Kane trade goals appeared first on Football España.

Real Madrid would have dreamed for a fast start at the Allianz Arena, and while they got it, it’s as you were after goals for each side in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich.

Guler draws Real Madrid level in tie

Alvaro Arbeloa’s side need to overturn a one-goal deficit from last week’s first leg at the Bernabeu if they are to progress, and inside 36 seconds, they were back on level terms. A dreadful error from Manuel Neuer, who’s been heralded in the media after a fine performance in the Spanish capital, presented a chance to Arda Guler, who made by mistake by finding the empty net from far out.

GOALLLL ARDA GULER !!!!!

What a mistake by Neuer !! pic.twitter.com/iL4zJb18MK

— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) April 15, 2026

Arda Güler scores from range just 45 seconds into the game after Neuer’s mistake

Stream with TNT Sports on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/jx8lcHCtT0

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 15, 2026

WHAT A START IN MUNICH pic.twitter.com/02uVr5eWhu

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 15, 2026

Pavlovic heads Bayern back in front immediately after

But only 5 minutes later, Bayern would issue a response. Andriy Lunin did not cover himself in glory for this one, as Joshua Kimmich’s corner was headed in at close range by Aleksandar Pavlovic.

ALEKSANDAR PAVLOVIĆ SCORES IN THE 6TH MINUTE — REAL MADRID HIT BACK IMMEDIATELY!

FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN 1–1 REAL MADRID pic.twitter.com/je75CasUzt https://t.co/hod8PAlsFC

— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) April 15, 2026

Bayern make it 1-1 inside just six minutes, and regain their lead on aggregate

Stream with TNT Sports on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/D9a2x7GYSA

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 15, 2026

Bayern answer right back!

What a start in Munich pic.twitter.com/El07uaYNDX

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 15, 2026

Real Madrid will be disappointed to have squandered their early advantage, but they have plenty of time to score again in Bavaria.

The post WATCH: Arda Guler punishes Bayern Munich error after 36 seconds to level tie for Real Madrid appeared first on Football España.

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has refused to be drawn on who is the best goalkeeper of all time, claiming that in each era, a different shot-stopper could be given the title. Neuer is one of the names in the conversation, alongside his would-be opposite number, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Neuer has been one of the 21st century’s most iconic goalkeepers, but did make an error against Los Blancos during their meeting in the 2024 semi-finals. Neuer said that his team were not speaking about game in the build-up.

“No. We know about their track record in this competition, but when you’re a professional, you live in the moment. And now we’re playing against this Real Madrid. A team that, if they have a good day, can beat anyone. But so can we. We beat them at the Bernabéu, in fact. It’s an advantage to play at the Allianz Arena,” he told Diario AS.

Manuel Neuer: ‘The only advantage is a goal’

Neuer continued manager Vincent Kompany’s cautious approach, noting that his side’s advantage was slender, amid talk off a potential comeback.

“The only advantage is that we have a one-goal lead, but it’s Real Madrid, a very tough challenge. We’re lucky to be playing the second leg at home and we’re counting on the fans. We’re very motivated and ready. It’s a good situation… but we have to be careful, because we’ve seen in the past how Real Madrid can win.”

Neuer not drawn on best goalkeeper debate

Neuer was also asked whom he believed to be the best goalkeeper of all time.

“It’s difficult, it depends on the era. In recent years… it’s not enough to say 2-3, there are many and each one has their own style. For Real Madrid, right now, it’s difficult not to have Courtois. But if we look at the past, Schmeichel, Kahn, Buffon, Casillas… they’re all very good. I don’t see one as the best of all time, it depends on the era.”

Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa commented earlier in the season that Courtois was in his view, the best goalkeeper he had ever seen at the Santiago Bernabeu. Certainly the Belgian is for many top of the lot in Spain.

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Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany was optimistic about their chances of reaching the Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid on Wednesday. The Bavarian side hold a 2-1 advantage from the first leg, and are heavy favourites to go through.

One of the fashionable phrases currently is that Champions League games are decided by details, and Kompany was asked whether he thought that would be the case.

“It’s difficult, there are many things that can be important. The team, the commitment, knowing how to suffer… Sometimes a referee can also decide, I don’t expect it to happen. The feeling is that we are prepared. We have trained well and there is enthusiasm,” he told Marca.

‘We have to focus on ourselves’ – Kompany

The first leg saw two vastly different halves, with Bayern dominating the first half, but the final 20 minutes belonged to Los Blancos.

“We could have scored more goals in the first leg. They played better in the second half and improved. They can gain confidence from that performance. We had a good feeling, and we can improve too. We can be confident, but we have to show it. With the quality Real Madrid has, they’re always dangerous. We have to focus on ourselves and find solutions.”

Kompany on Real Madrid comebacks

The message from the Real Madrid camp beforehand has been that if there is one side capable of mounting a comeback, it was Los Blancos. Kompany was asked about the mythology of their opponents.

“Of course. We have a lot of respect for them. We’ve played at the Bernabeu before, and we’re ready for Real Madrid at their best. Their current results don’t reflect their true quality. They’re one of the best teams in the world. If you look at the history of this competition, everyone can tell stories like this, like Liverpool, Barcelona…”

He was also asked if he had analysed the errors of other teams that had fallen prey to Real Madrid comebacks in the past.

“As I said before, I go to bed thinking about what we need to do better for the next match. And I do it knowing that the other coach is doing the same. I don’t want to dwell on the things we need to improve… although of course we can’t ignore the opponent, it’s part of the job. Finding solutions. What about all the chances we missed in the first leg? Well, there has to be balance in the analysis. That’s the mentality we have.”

Real Madrid have dubbed the game a final, and many regard it as their last chance to make something of their season, given the nine-point deficit in La Liga to Barcelona.

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The 4-0 loss to VfB Stuttgart last time out means they have now won just one of their past seven games, which came directly after a run of five matches unbeaten. Scoring goals has not been an issue recently – that aforementioned defeat was only the second time in the last 10 games that HSV have failed to find the back of the net – but no clean sheet in nine is a worrying stat for head coach Merlin Polzin.

Real Madrid will seek to pull off a remarkable comeback against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena at 21:00 CEST, going into the clash 2-1 down from the first leg. The major question mark over Alvaro Arbeloa’s line-up is the absence of Aurelien Tchouameni.

Arbeloa mentioned that Camavinga was one of his primary options to replace his suspended compatriot. The injury list for Real Madrid has been reduced to just Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo Goes, while Bayern Munich are without Lennart Karl and Sven Ulreich. Were they to make it to the semi-finals, Real Madrid do have eight players at risk of suspension with a yellow card.

Thiago Pitarch ahead of Camavinga in midfield?

It is expected that Jude Bellingham returns to the starting XI, one of three changes predicted by Marca from the first leg in the Santiago Bernabeu. Ferland Mendy will come in at left-back for Alvaro Carreras, who struggled against Michael Olise in the first leg, and Dean Huijsen will be replaced by Eder Militao.

Despite the absence of midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, #RealMadrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa is backed to keep Eduardo Camavinga on the bench as his side face #FCBayern.

Marca believe that Thiago Pitarch will be selected ahead of him. pic.twitter.com/yWQS7PoTLf

— Football España (@footballespana_) April 15, 2026

That is also the case for Diario AS, although they introduce a degree of uncertainty over whether Huijsen could remain in the side.

Bayern Munich to remain unchanged

Vincent Kompany is expected to maintain the same XI as the team he sent out at the Bernabeu. Harry Kane’s ankle injury has continued to improve, and it seems that Serge Gnabry will be fit enough to continue in the number 10 role.

There had been some suggestion that Jamal Musiala could come back into the side, and it seems Alphonso Davies will remain on the bench too, despite being fit. Bayern hold a strong advantage, but Jude Bellingham noted that his side would give it their all to come back in what was described as a ‘final’ for Los Blancos, and perhaps their last chance to save their season.

The post Predicted Teams Bayern Munich-Real Madrid: Eduardo Camavinga to remain on bench appeared first on Football España.

Manchester United are facing a defensive crisis ahead of their Premier League clash with Chelsea this weekend with Harry set to miss out.

Maguire was shown a straight red card in United’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on 20 March for the denial of a goal scoring opportunity, deemed to have hauled back Evanilson as he broke through on goal.

As a result of that sending off, the England international was suspended for United’s 2-1 defeat to Leeds United on Monday.

But the 33-year-old will now serve an additional ban with a misconduct charge upheld by the FA.

Maguire will miss out of the visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday after thew FA ruled he swore at fourth official Matt Donahue following his red card at Bournemouth.

It leaved United short at the back with Lisandro Martinez also serving a suspension this weekend.

The trip to Chelsea is the first of three games the Argentina international will miss after he was sent off against Leeds for violent conduct when he was judged to have pulled Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair as the two battled for the ball.

Martinez will also miss the upcoming home games against Brentford and Liverpool.

How Man Utd can line up against Chelsea this weekend

With Matthijs de Ligt still out with a back injury that has sidelined him since the end of November, United are short of three senior options at centre-half.

It leaves them with the youthful pair of Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven to possibly start in west London.

Yoro, 20, has started the last six games while Martinez has been out injured, featuring again in the place of the suspended Maguire on Monday.

Heaven, 19, is United’s only other available centre-half, still to start a game under Michael Carrick. The former Arsenal youngster last started a game during Darren Fletcher’s brief reign in charge as interim boss in the 2-2 draw with Burnley in January.

Carrick will also have the option of deploying Luke Shaw at centre-half, a role he regularly played under Ruben Amorim, albeit in a 3-4-3 formation.

Moving Shaw inside would leave a void to be filled at left-back.

Patrick Dorgu is still working his way back from a hamstring injury with the Chelsea game likely to come too soon for the Denmark international.

Nossair Mazraoui, who started on the right against Leeds, is an option to slot in again with Diogo Dalot moving over to cover Shaw on the left.

"Our goal is to pass something onto others out of our own personal experience," they shared. "We want to raise awareness and give as many people as possible a better chance of receiving a life-saving stem cell donation. Every single registration can make the crucial difference between hope and uncertainty."

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has promised to bring the Champions League back to the club, after their drought in the competition was extended to 11 years on Tuesday night. The 18-year-old opened the scoring against Atletico Madrid, but was powerless to stop Los Colchoneros going through 3-2 on aggregate.

The Blaugrana were convinced that they would be able to mount a comeback against Atletico in the second leg, and did so in the second half. Ademola Lookman responded with a goal seven minutes later though, and Barcelona could not find the equaliser in the second half.

Ig Fermín López: "Culer pride. We gave everything, we'll be back. Visca el Barça, always

Thank you for your messages." pic.twitter.com/PgTAGe4GzG

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 15, 2026

‘This is part of the road to the top’ – Lamine Yamal

Nobody seemed more disappointed than Lamine Yamal, who put his all into the comeback effort. The following day on Instagram, he sent a message to the Barcelona fans.

We gave it our all but it wasn’t good enough. This is just part of the road: to get to the top you have to climb, and we know it won’t be easy nor will they make it easy for us. But giving up is not an option.

We have plenty of reasons to be excited about, and we’re going for them with everything. Every mistake is a lesson, and don’t doubt that we will learn from each one.

View this post on Instagram

We are Barca, and we will be back where we belong. My parents taught me that a man’s word is always fulfilled.. and we’ll bring her to Barcelona.

Sempre Barca

Barcelona to focus on La Liga

The defeat will no doubt hurt a Barcelona squad that was convinced they had what it took to win the competition. Asked what it was that they were lacking to win the competition, manager Hansi Flick said that he was focused on winning La Liga. The Blaugrana host Celta Vigo next week, and will look to maintain their nine-point advantage over Real Madrid at the top of the league.

The post Lamine Yamal sends message after Barcelona Champions League exit: “We’ll bring it back to Barcelona” appeared first on Football España.

Barcelona star Raphinha has not held back after his side exited the Champions League at the hands of Atletico Madrid. Los Colchoneros eliminated Barcelona from a second cup competition in the space of two months, after making it to the Copa del Rey final too.

Raphinha played no part in their Champions League encounter following a hamstring injury, but was present at the Metropolitano to support his teammates on Tuesday night. The Brazilian had said before the match that the Catalan side would make it to the semi-finals.

Raphinha: ‘Next round, you’re going out’

Joining his teammates to applaud the Barcelona fans, Raphinha also seemed to get into it with the Atletico fans. He was seen pointing at them, and indicating that they would be going out in the next round. On a second occasion, he even mouths ‘pa’ fuera’ – ‘going out’. The images were captured by DAZN.

Raphinha was on tilt last night after #Barca exited the #UCL against #AtleticoMadrid. More belowpic.twitter.com/9IxSc7rGBW

— Football España (@footballespana_) April 15, 2026

Raphinha complaints about refereeing

This goes in tandem with Raphinha’s complaints about the officiating over the course of the tie. The Brazilian spoke to the media with a hot head after their exit from Europe, and claimed that the game was ‘robbed’ from Barcelona. He would also go on to point out that Atletico Madrid finishing the game without a yellow card, something he could not understand.

Proud

We came so close. pic.twitter.com/OkgMFHJrif

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 15, 2026

When will Raphinha be back?

Following his hamstring injury on international duty, Raphinha is still not expected to be back for another two weeks at least. There is a chance he could feature against Osasuna at El Sadar on the first weekend of May, but the date circled in red is the final Clasico of the season. That is scheduled for the 10th of May at Camp Nou, and he will no doubt be desperate to close the season on a positive note in that match.

The post VIDEO: Barcelona star Raphinha enrages Atletico Madrid fans after Champions League exit appeared first on Football España.

Barcelona star Raphinha could be in hot water after the Blaugrana exited the Champions League at the hands of Atletico Madrid. The Brazilian did not hold back following a 3-2 aggregate defeat at the Metropolitano.

Raphinha traveled to Madrid to support his teammates, and was seen out on the pitch before the match with them. He joined the rest of the squad on the bench during the game, and was seen gesturing to the Atletico Madrid fans afterwards, seemingly indicating that they would be going out in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Raphinha comments: ‘The game was robbed’

He also spoke to the media shortly after the match. Telling the cameras that “the game was robbed,” Raphinha indicated that in his eyes, the refereeing decisions went against Barcelona in both legs of the quarter-final. A second time he doubled down on implying that the referees were deliberately against the Catalan giants.

“The refereeing has been terrible; it’s unbelievable the decisions he’s made. Atletico committed countless fouls, and the referee didn’t even show them a yellow card. I really want to understand his fear that Barca might get through to the next round.”

Raphinha could face Champions League ban

As per MD, Raphinha could be punished for his actions. They say that the UEFA sanction could be as much as a three-game ban for infringing on the basic code of conduct for players, in this discrediting the sport, and in particular, UEFA. The same ban was handed out to compatriot Neymar Junior in 2019, after he criticised officials in 2019, when Paris Saint-Germain were eliminated by Manchester United.

He would serve the ban next season in the Champions League. Diario AS also say that his gestures to the Atletico Madrid fans could result in sanctions too, after Real Madrid’s players were sanctioned at the same stadium for gestures to the Atletico fans. In that instance, Kylian Mbappe, Dani Ceballos and Jude Bellingham were fined, and only Antonio Rudiger was hit with a ban, after making a ‘cut-throat’ gesture.

The post Barcelona star facing Champions League ban after Atletico Madrid clash appeared first on Football España.

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has told the press that his side showed personality in order to be able to get back into the game against Barcelona, having gone two goals down in the first half. Ademola Lookman’s goal put Los Colchoneros back in front on aggregate, and they won out 3-2 eventually.

Simeone was asked for his summary of the game when he entered the press conference with a large grin on his face. He praised Barcelona, before coming onto his own side.

“Did you see how they play? The speed they go at? It was incredible at the start of the match. We made mistakes. Which allowed them to take their game to the next level, with a lot of associative players inside. Ferran, Pedri, Gavi, Olmo, all quick. With the 2-0, the team had two chances to fall apart, to down tools, or continue playing the game. And they did it.”

“They did with the personality of Koke, Griezmann, the ball recoveries of Marcos Llorente, the speed of Lookman, who scored a golazo. Then the 1-2 goal was fantastic. In the second half, they eased off, having played Saturday’s game. The substitutions gave us energy. They finished with that Plan B that all teams have with balls into the box for Lewandowski and Araujo. We had a chance able to score through Le Normand. We started winning when we arrived at the stadium and saw the reception. After the match, I thanked the players for their effort. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m fortunate.”

Atletico Madrid attack makes the difference

Asked what Atletico had now that they did not in the past, Simeone replied simply ‘goals.’ It was January signing Ademola Lookman that got the eventual winner.

“He continues to evolve completely. He’s improving a lot defensively. He’s gaining a lot of weight within the team. In all the time I’ve been here at the club, I haven’t had a player of that calibre and with those characteristics. We’re playing with four forwards, although Giuliano is described as a full-back, midfielder, and striker… In Ademola’s case, he has more qualities; I saw that in Nigeria. He’s got it.”

“Every team has its own playing style, and we’ve evolved too over the years. We’ve changed. We’re a team that attacks better than it defends, and we need to attack. Whether Griezmann plays, Baena plays, Almada plays… whoever it is.”

Simeone avoids commenting on Barcelona complaints

Before the match, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick complained to UEFA about the pitch at the Metropolitano, while the Catalan side also filed a formal complaint about the decision not to award a penalty against Marc Pubill in the first leg. Simeone refused to be drawn into any conversation about it.

“Do you know how good it is to be in the semi-finals of the Champions League? Phwoar. It’s incredible. To be among the best four teams in Europe. Incredible.”

“We’re excited about the three games we have left [in the Champions League]. With humility, but we have three games to play. We know what we want and we’re going to go get it.”

In terms of the emotions he felt at the final whistle, Simeone said it was a blur.

“I think I ran out and hugged Barrios. I don’t remember. There are a lot of things behind this result. A lot of work, a lot of people at the club. You saw the stadium, what happened there was incredible. It’s not easy to knock Barcelona out three times. Messi’s Barcelona and Yamal’s Barcelona. We did it with a lot of hard work and a lot of heart. All three times we had to play the second leg at home. Let’s hope my players can rest and that we can play a good match on Saturday.”

Marcos Llorente and Antoine Griezmann contributions

Two of Atletico’s veterans, Marcos Llorente and Antoine Griezmann were at the heart of their victory. Llorente has gone from strength to strength this season, more recently playing in central midfield.

“Marcos is incredible. He’s a player who has evolved both as a footballer and as a person. He plays a midfielder, a stopper, a winger, a full-back, a forward… It’s amazing how hard he works. He even encourages his teammates to lead organised lives.”

Griezmann. On his own. Leading the Atleti fans. This man loves football. pic.twitter.com/EKuo8LwEqJ

— Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) April 14, 2026

Meanwhile things are setting up for a potentially remarkable end to Griezmann’s Atletico career, having announced his exit to Orland City in the summer.

“We spoke with Antoine, I said it to all of you the other day. We have a football genius, a game-changer. A player who has shown great character. Against Barcelona years ago, two goals, against Bayern, goal. One that we’ve never had in time at Atletico. I hope God grants him what he’s looking for in the time he has left at the club.”

Atletico have little time for celebrations, as they begin preparations for the Copa del Rey final. They face Real Sociedad at La Cartuja on Saturday night at 21:00 CEST.

The post Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone – ‘We attack better than we defend, goals are the difference’ appeared first on Football España.

Mikel Arteta will hope his latest rallying cry can push Arsenal over the line in their Champions League showdown with Sporting CP tonight.

But the Gunners boss may have to check his facts again after one particular claim made in the build-up to kick-off.

What can still be a phenomenal season for Arsenal has shown signs of faltering in recent weeks. After losing the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City, the north Londoners crashed out of the FA Cup against Southampton as their quadruple hopes were slashed to a double.

A dismal defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday piled further pressure on the Premier League leaders. The gap at the top is now just six points ahead of Sunday’s season-defining clash with Manchester City at the Etihad.

Focus is on the Champions League for now with Arsenal leading their quarter-final tie at its halfway stage after a 1-0 win away in Lisbon last week. They welcome the Portuguese giants to the Emirates tonight with a semi-final against Atletico Madrid awaiting the winner.

Arteta was loud and proud as he stressed just how far his side have come this season in his pre-match press conference.

‘What we are trying to achieve is difficult, it is challenging. It is bumpy at times. And it is supposed to be like this,’ Arteta said.

‘So you have to confront it. What I basically said is we are trying to do something in this competition that hasn’t been done in the history of the club, in 140 years. So that tells you the difficulty of that. It is the first time we are three years in a row in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the first time in our history.

‘For other clubs, that is the daily meal. For us, no. So we value a lot where we are. We have the opportunity to go to the semi-finals, we are competing to win the Premier League and we are in a really strong position after 22 years without doing it. So we know the difficulty. But the beauty is that it is challenging.’

He added later: ‘There are things we have done. I repeat myself. We haven’t been in this position in the Champions League ever in our history. We have overcome a lot of hurdles that have been here for years so the team has done something incredible because it has never been done before. We want to go to the next step and that is where the beauty lies.’

While stirring stuff, it’s not strictly true. While victory tonight would mark the first time Arsenal have reached back-to-back Champions League semi-finals, the feat of three consecutive quarter-finals was achieved under Arsene Wenger between 2008 and 2010.

In the 2007-08 campaign, Arsenal reached the last eight, eliminated by Liverpool on a crazy night at Anfield. The following season, they went one stage further, reaching the semi-finals where they were again scuppered by Premier League opposition, outclassed by Manchester United across two legs.

There was another quarter-final run in the 2009-10 season, this one halted by Barcelona and Lionel Messi who scored four-times in the second-leg.

After those heights, Arsenal’s miserable run of six consecutive last 16 exits followed before a six-year absence from the competition with Arteta leading them back to Europe’s premier club competition three years ago.

Arsenal of course also have a Champions League final appearance to their name, coming up short against Barcelona in 2006.

John Obi Mikel has questioned Chelsea’s decision to sell Nicolas Jackson, insisting the Blues are ‘missing’ the striker this season.

Jackson enjoyed a promising first season at Stamford Bridge following his £32m move from Villarreal in 2023, scoring 17 goals in all competitions.

The Senegal international quickly formed a productive partnership with Cole Palmer and helped the England star win the Premier League Young Player of the Season award following his move from Manchester City.

Jackson was less influential in his second season at Chelsea, however, and attracted criticism from a number of pundits for his inconsistent finishing.

It quickly became apparent that Chelsea intended to replace Jackson last summer and the Blues welcomed Joao Pedro and Liam Delap to the club.

Jackson was subsequently sent on loan to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, leaving Pedro and Delap as Chelsea’s two main striker options this season.

Pedro has largely impressed following his £60m move from Brighton, scoring 19 goals in all competitions, but ex-Ipswich Town forward Delap has netted just twice since his £30m transfer.

Obi Mikel has questioned both Pedro and Delap, however, claiming neither have provided Chelsea with what Jackson did during his time at Stamford Bridge.

‘We are missing Nicolas Jackson,’ the Chelsea hero said on his YouTube channel. ‘What he gave us, no striker has given us. So yes, we are missing Jackson.’

Bayern Munich paid an eye-watering £14.3m just to sign Jackson on loan for the 2025-26 campaign.

The German giants also agreed to sign Jackson on a permanent transfer this summer worth a further £56m if certain conditions were met.

Jackson has failed to play enough games to activate the transfer, however, meaning Bayern will have to renegotiate a new deal with Chelsea or send him back to Stamford Bridge.

The 24-year-old was delighted to join Bayern Munich and wanted to stay at the Allianz Arena but is now said to be ‘open’ to returning to west London.

Obi Mikel is not the only pundit to question Chelsea’s decision to offload Jackson, with Paul Merson and Paul Scholes voicing similar opinions earlier in the season.

Jackson has not had a huge impact at Bayern, playing back-up to England captain Harry Kane, but is still set to be a Bundesliga and potentially even a Champions League winner.

Vincent Kompany’s side are 15 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table and preparing to face Real Madrid on Wednesday night for a place in the Champions League semi-finals.

Jackson’s parent club Chelsea, meanwhile, have lost five of their last six games to slip to sixth in the Premier League and crash out of the Champions League.

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Hugo Ekitike is expected to be sidelined for at least nine months with a serious Achilles tendon injury suffered in Liverpool’s Champions League exit against Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool’s last hope of silverware this season ended on Tuesday night after defeat to the French champions at Anfield who sealed a 4-0 aggregate victory to progress to the semi-finals of the competition.

But there was greater concern for their leading scorer Ekitike who was stretchered off in the first-half on Merseyside.

Eiktike fell to the ground unchallenged after 34 minutes, clutching the back of his ankle in visible pain.

Despite two attempts, the striker was unable to get back to his feet and received treatment from Liverpool’s medical staff before he was carried off the pitch in tears.

Arne Slot provided a grim update after the match, admitting the injury was ‘not good’ with Ibrahima Konare also fearing the worst for his teammate.

Liverpool are still to officially confirm the extent of the injury but L’Equipe report the former Eintracht Frankfurt star has ruptured his Achilles tendon which will sideline him for approximately nine months.

The report adds that timeline represents a ‘best case scenario’ for the 23-year-old who will also miss France’s World Cup campaign this summer.

When asked about Ekitike’s injury after his side’s loss,  Slot said: ‘Not too good, I think we could all see that.

‘Let’s wait and see what it will be. In the second half he went home so I haven’t seen him.’

Konate added: ‘I’m very sad for him. To be fair, I think it’s bad,’

‘I don’t want to talk about that, with a World Cup coming it’s very, very hard for him at the moment. I send him my prayers.’

Andoni Iraola is ‘open’ to joining Manchester United this summer with the Premier League giants also interested in signing two Bournemouth stars.

The Cherries boss announced on Tuesday he will step down as head coach when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The 43-year-old has been a revelation during his three years at the Vitality Stadium. And departs with no shortage of suitors.

Iraola is said to favour a return to Spain at this stage in his career with the job at his boyhood club Athletic Bilbao available. But the Spaniard will consider is options with there likely to be several Premier League clubs interested in his services.

Underwhelming campaigns for Liverpool and Chelsea mean there is pressure on Arne Slot and Liam Rosenior while United are still to make a permanent decision on will be their next permanent boss.

Michael Carrick remains the favourite for the role but Monday’s defeat to Leeds United underlined the size of the task at hand at Old Trafford.

With Iraola weighing up his next move, Fabrizio Romano reports the Bournemouth boss is open to remaining in the Premier League.

While there is no suggestions United have made any contact with the Spaniard, he would be ‘open’ to taking over in Manchester this summer.

Iraola is unlikely to be the only major departure on the south coast.

Having lost Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi to Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain respectively last summer, there is growing interest in current stars Junior Kroupi and Marcos Senesi ahead of the summer transfer window.

In his first season at the club, Kroupi has scored 10 goals, including two in games home and away to United who are now weighing up a possible move, the Daily Mail report.

Liverpool and Chelsea are also admirers of the young Frenchman.

Marcos Senesi is also being monitored by United. The Argentine is another who is out of contract at the end of the season and is expected to move on after four years.

The centre-half will have no shortage of Premier League offers with Chelsea and Tottenham also credited with interest.

Manchester United are not only working on incoming signings ahead of the summer transfer window but are also in talks to sell a number of current Old Trafford players.

Much of the speculation around United ahead of the summer has been on their search for a new midfielder to replace Casemiro, who announced in January his intention to leave at the end of the season.

The Red Devils were already planning to sign a new midfielder before the Brazilian’s announcement, with former manager Ruben Amorim left disappointed by the club’s failure to bring in a No. 6 last summer.

Manchester United have expressed interest in Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba and Alex Scott ahead of the summer, with Nottingham Forest’s Anderson believed to be their top target.

While United’s priority is midfield reinforcements, they are also expected to sign a new forward to support Benjamin Sesko and are interested in signing a new full-back.

Manchester United’s new permanent manager should have money to spend with the Premier League giants on course to qualify for the Champions League.

They were just sixth at the time of Amorim’s sacking in January but have climbed to third under caretaker boss Michael Carrick.

Old Trafford bosses are already busy making plans for the summer and are just as preoccupied working on outgoings as incoming deals.

Manchester United hope to sell Marcus Rashford to Barcelona and have already agreed to offload Rasmus Hojlund, who looks set to earn a permanent move to Napoli.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his colleagues will look to cash in on Andre Onana despite his desire to return to Old Trafford while Jadon Sancho will finally leave after a dismal spell in Manchester.

Another player set to leave is goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, who has already agreed a deal to join European giants Besiktas, according to reports in Turkey.

Bayindir, who joined United during Erik ten Hag’s tenure, was the first-choice goalkeeper at times last season and in the early part of the current campaign.

But the 27-year-old is firmly behind Senne Lammens in the pecking order and was in talks over a move to Besiktas during the January transfer window.

While that deal fell through, Bayindir is set to return to Turkey this summer, with Besiktas preparing to announce the transfer, according to Fanatik.

Manchester United were reluctant to sanction Bayindir’s exit midway through the season but it is claimed they are ready to agree a deal ahead of the summer transfer window.

Bayindir looked set to feature regularly for United this season but £18m summer signing Lammens has emerged as the No. 1 at Old Trafford, even impressing legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

As a result Bayindir has not featured for Champions League-chasing Manchester United since September.

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The current trophy was designed and crafted in 1949 by art professor Elisabeth Treskow at the Cologne School of Arts and Crafts, replacing the “Victoria” statue, which went missing during World War II. The names of all German champions since 1903 are immortalised on the trophy and at the end of each season, the new titleholder is added.

Watch: All of Bayern's 105 Bundesliga goals as they close in on the 2025/26 title

Thierry Henry believes Arsenal could face trouble in their Champions League quarter-final if Sporting CP use similar tactics to Bournemouth.

Arsenal have a 1-0 advantage going into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday night following their win in Lisbon last week.

However, Mikel Arteta’s side head into the game at the Emirates Stadium off the back of a 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth in the Premier League, which has cut their advantage over Manchester City at the top of the table to six points.

Arsenal delivered an unconvincing performance in the loss at home to Bournemouth as they struggled to create clear-cut chances in attack and failed to beat the press from Andoni Iraola’s players in their own half.

If they eliminate Sporting on Wednesday night, Arsenal will play Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final and Henry feels a positive result can help the team ‘make a statement’ in their crucial Premier League game against Manchester City this Sunday.

‘If you’re Sporting, if you see the way Man City played Arsenal and the way Bournemouth played Arsenal at the weekend, the way they put pressure in that 4-2-4 early doors, Arsenal didn’t have an answer on how to step out from that,’ Henry told CBS Sports.

‘I don’t know what Sporting are going to do, but yes, it is very important for Arsenal to win the game and make sure they can prepare for the game we are all waiting for, what time it is.

‘Because for a very long time, I wasn’t even focusing on Bournemouth, even before Bournemouth winning I wasn’t focusing on that, I wanted that game, if I was a player, I want to win at statement, I want to make a statement.

‘I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but that’s what I’m waiting for.’

Asked if he prefers Arsenal to face Atletico Madrid after they knocked out Barcelona, Henry replied: ‘We will see. We need to beat Sporting.

‘They [Atletico] can celebrate, we’re not there yet.’

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Arne Slot admits Liverpool will need to ‘sell to buy’ in order to replace Mohamed Salah this summer.

Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday night as two second-half goals from Ousmane Dembele sealed a 2-0 win for Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield.

Salah made his final Champions League appearance for Liverpool as he came off the bench in the first half to replace Hugo Ekitike, who is set to miss the rest of the season with an Achilles injury.

The 33-year-old has already confirmed he will leave Liverpool on a free transfer at the end of the season, while Andy Robertson is also departing Anfield as a free agent this summer.

Slot admits Liverpool face a ‘big challenge’ in the next transfer window and suggests the club may need to offload more key first-team players before making new signings.

‘I think much is being said recently and maybe by many people also through this year that the club is in a transition,’ Slot told Amazon Prime after Liverpool’s defeat at Anfield.

‘We’ve sold eight to ten players to recoup money to sign four, five, six very talented and good players.

‘Now we are losing Mo and Andy Robertson on a free transfer as we lost Trent [Alexander-Arnold] on a free transfer, and this model of the club means we have to sell usually to buy.

‘It’s a big challenge, it was already last season and it’s going to be a challenge in the summer again.

‘But this club has also showed many times this model works and we can be very successful with this model and I think we’ve signed, which you could see today, very good, talented players.

‘Let’s hope they’re all fit going into their second season in the Premier League, so as I said many times, the future looks really good especially if we can a few good signings after a few good players leave this summer.’

Speaking after Liverpool’s Champions League exit, Wayne Rooney dismissed Slot’s suggestion that the club are in ‘transition’.

‘I think you’re talking about rebuilds… they were champions last season,’ Rooney said after Liverpool’s Champions League exit.

‘They won the league last season and they spent an awful amount of money to try and make the squad better.

‘There’s certainly been faults from… whether that’s recruitment, obviously they’ve had players out injured but you shouldn’t be talking about a rebuild when you’ve just won the Premier League.

‘They’ve lost some really good players, you can see why the fans were so upset when they lost Trent.’

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Entry is free for anyone logged into the Bundesliga app, with prizes - including Bayern and Stuttgart shirts - up for grabs from Wednesday to Sunday!

So, what are you waiting for? Get in the mood for the Southern derby by taking part now!

Player ratings for Barcelona as their Champions League journey came to an end against Atletico Madrid.

Joan Garcia – 8

Made one sensational save in the second half, and was left unable to stop Ademola Lookman’s goal. Otherwise couldn’t really be faulted for his performance.

Jules Kounde – 4

A non-factor going forward, Kounde was exploited by Ademola Lookman time and again, and not only for the goal. The Frenchman struggled whenever tested, despite not having much responsibility.

Eric Garcia – 5

After an outstanding first half, Eric Garcia all but put a nail in Barcelona’s coffin with his second sending off against Atletico in the space of two months. Garcia was excellent on the ball, and played well for the most part, but there’s no removing the red card from his performance.

Gerard Martin – 7

A solid and competent performance from Gerard Martin, who didn’t put too much of a foot out of place. Martin could do little about Atletico’s goal, and wasn’t really got at by Julian Alvarez.

Joao Cancelo – 6

Cancelo didn’t really do too much wrong, but it is true that he didn’t manage to provide much offensively, his primary duty. He was part of the effort to keep Giuliano Simeone quiet.

Gavi – 8

An excellent first start in the Champions League this season. Gavi glued the Barcelona midfield together in the opening hour, with some crucial defensive interventions. Largely handed the ball to others going forward, but his aggression was key to keeping Barcelona on top.

Pedri – 5.5

Perhaps we’re judging by Pedri’s standards, but for a second time in a week, he looked a yard slower than the rest of the game. Did have a couple of nice moves, but mostly struggled to create for his side.

Lamine Yamal – 8.5

Faded in the second half, but was still a cut above the rest of Barcelona’s players. Took the opening goal with consummate ease, and created several chances, including one that was half a goal for Fermin Lopez, were it not for a fine save from Juan Musso. The 18-year-old will be back, but no doubt leaves the pitch frustrated, given all he did for the cause.

Dani Olmo – 8

Was excellent in the first half, finding ways to create space for the forwards. On several occasions, he found space in the middle of the pitch, one of which was an assist for Ferran Torres. One of the few players who was able to slice through the Atletico defence.

Fermin Lopez – 5.5

Denied by a brilliant save, Fermin had to score the header from close range. Generally he was a little lacking in the final third, struggling to create the danger he would have wanted.

Ferran Torres – 8

A largely very good performance from Ferran, who took his chance brilliantly, and was a constant threat for fcbarcelona.com/es. He managed to peel off the Atletico defenders on several occasions, and also provided the pass for Lamine Yamal’s goal.

Substitutes

Ronald Araujo – 4

Several good balls were swung into Barcelona’s makeshift striker, but he couldn’t get on the end of them. Should have scored the one he did get on the end of.

Frenkie de Jong – 6

Came on for the final stages, but couldn’t really make the impact he wanted. Often at centre-back.

De Jong: "We've shown a very good level in both matches. Luck hasn't been on our side. There have been a couple of dubious actions and Pubill's penalty action decides the tie."

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 14, 2026

Robert Lewandowski – 4

Did little to question Hansi Flick’s decision to bench him. Scarcely had a touch as Barcelona searched for the equaliser on aggregate.

Marcus Rashford – 5.5

A couple of nice crosses went unrewarded, but largely looked off the pace in a game where Atletico were hunting a 10-man Barcelona down.

Roony Bardghji – 6

Had one or two nice moves, and got a shot off on one occasion. Didn’t make too much of an impact.

The post Barcelona Player Ratings v Atletico Madrid: Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal incisive appeared first on Football España.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has told the press that his side did enough to make it to the Champions League semi-final, following elimination at the hands of Atletico Madrid. Ademola Lookman’s first-half goal swung the tie in favour of Los Colchoneros, who won out 3-2 on aggregate.

Speaking after the match, Hansi Flick was asked what his message was for the players in the dressing room after major disappointment.

“Like we always do. We decide what situation we will show them and what we have to make better. We played a fantastic first half. The goal for them was not expected, but it’s like football. When we see both matches, we deserved to stay in the semi-final. We have to score more goals, but that’s life.”

Frenkie de Jong: "I think we've played a really good game, we gave it our all, luck wasn't on our side. Every year we're growing, we have a young team with a lot of quality, we're going to keep going like this."

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 14, 2026

‘We focus now on winning La Liga’ – Flick

Flick was reluctant to give a definitive answer on what the missing ingredient was for Barcelona in European competition after a second agonising exit.

“We have to win La Liga. We have to show the attitude mentality. Of course we are disappointed, the fans, players, coaches, for everyone, it’s a big dream to win the Champions League. We are on that way. We have a young team, and we will improve next season.”

Flick was not enticed in the prospect of securing the league title in El Clasico next month, but rather getting the job done.

“For me, I don’t care about when we will win it, I want to win it. I don’t care what matchday. It’s tough. I think everyone really believed in that [comeback], that we can make it happen. But it was very different in the end.”

Flick: ‘The fans are proud of the team’

The Blaugrana coach was generally pleased with his side’s attitude, and took the view that the fans would be too.

“We analyse everything, when something happens like that, they take the next step. As I said, we have a young team. We have to also speak about what they are doing, the fans are proud of the team. We work with the players on that. I know it’s disappointing. It’s football, it’s like that.”

After the first leg, Flick was highly critical of the referee’s decision not to award Barcelona a penalty. In terms of the referee’s decision to send off Eric Garcia, Flick was not interested in any controversy, commenting that “I don’t want to speak about that. I have to accept it.”

Barcelona return to La Liga action next week, hosting Celta Vigo at Camp Nou, with a nine-point lead at the top of the table. It extends their run without making a Champions League semi-final to seven years.

The post Barcelona manager Hansi Flick: ‘Over the two games, we deserved to be in the semi-final’ appeared first on Football España.

Atletico Madrid 1-2 Barcelona (3-2 on agg.)

Atletico Madrid secured passage to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in nine years, thanks to a goal from Ademola Lookman. Hansi Flick’s Barcelona could not stop the bleeding against a lethal Atletico, who for a third time this season against Atletico Madrid finished the match with ten men.

The game started off in aggressively frantic fashion, with both sides immediately going for the throat. The opening minute saw Lamine Yamal test Juan Musso with a shot, saved well, before Atletico Madrid burst up the other end, Julian Alvarez causing problems. Every player seemed to be sprinting at all times, and with Lamine Yamal missing his first press four minutes in, Clement Lenglet did not bank on his second effort. Blocking the Frenchman’s pass, Ferran Torres returned the ball to the teenager one-on-one, who was coolness personified, slotting past Musso for an early lead.

That did not settle things. Gavi was forced into two crucial interventions on the edge of his box shortly after, and Ademola Lookman, who started off the sharpest of any Atletico player, sliced an effort wide. Before the 10-minute mark, Dani Olmo was sent clear by Lamine Yamal again, but Musso, after an initial slip, got a hand to halt the Barcelona onslaught.

Finally, both sides agreed to lower the absurd pace of the game, looking for longer spells of possession. It appeared as if the hosts were starting to get to grips with the game, and Antoine Griezmann fashioned the first real chance of the game for Los Colchoneros. Spreading the ball wide left to Lookman, he beat Jules Kounde on the outside, before connecting with Griezmann at the near-post. The Frenchman under serious pressure couldn’t turn it in. If there was one major problem for Atletico, it was the centre of the pitch. Koke Ressurreccion and Marcos Llorente were outnumbered by Gavi, Pedri and Olmo, the latter two were finding the front three in space.

It was from there the second Barcelona goal came from, with Olmo slipping it to the feet of Ferran Torres. he worked a yard on the outside of Robin Le Normand, and from a tight angle, picked out the top corner. At this point, after 26 minutes, Atletico were rocking. Another giveaway in their own half allowed Lamine Yamal to pick out Fermin Lopez with a customary trivela pass, and the header was only kept out by a second sensational save of the game from Musso.

The response came five minutes later. Nahuel Molina found Griezmann on the turn, and the Frenchman released Marcos Llorente in behind. His pass was inch-perfect for Lookman to raid in from the flank, and finish past Joan Garcia, putting Atletico back in front. Not only did the fans crank up the noise, the Atletico players seemed to speed up a step.

It was in the 42nd minute that Diego Simeone was celebrating a foul won by Lookman in his own half, a sign of just how tense the game had become in the final 10 minutes before the half, with the game precariously perched on a knife-edge. Barcelona continued to create half-openings, but Atletico were now getting to grips with them a little more, managing the half-challenges to throw off a pass or a run at the crucial moment.

Both sides knew that the next goal could go some way to deciding the tie. Barcelona’s wild celebrations gave away to perhaps the loudest cheer of the night when Torres’ second was ruled out for offside ten minutes into the second period. Lookman had curled another effort wide, but it heightened the sense of pressure for Barcelona, playing mostly in the Atletico half at this point.

The first period was played almost without pause, but the second felt far more deliberate, as both sides laboured through spells of pressure. Lamine Yamal’s footwork was the primary source of speed in the game, and after dribbling his way out of a manhole for a second time in a matter of minutes, Olmo ballooned an increasingly rare sight of goal over the bar. Hansi Flick sent on Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford as it looked like Atletico had decided to sit in and protect their lead, but Griezmann had other ideas. The Frenchman took charge of getting his side up the field, and it resulted in two dangerous balls across the box from Julian Alvarez and Llorente. Moments later, a long throw caused havoc in the Barcelona box, and only a point-blank save from Joan Garcia kept Barcelona in it.

Atletico could smell the semi-final though, and blood was in the air. Alexander Sorloth had only been on the pitch for three minutes when Eric Garcia brought him down, and after a VAR review, was sent off as the last man. What had undone Barcelona in the first leg, undid them again. If the Flick system has brought the Blaugrana back to the summit of Spanish football, there is little denying it has a fatal flaw in Europe.

In the final minutes, Barcelona did their best to throw what was left of them at Atletico, but by this point, the Metropolitano was roaring their side over the finish line, with every clearance, tackle and wayward Barcelona pass. Ronald Araujo couldn’t get over a late header in stoppage time, closing the book in bitter fashion on Barcelona’s European campaign. Perhaps the player that might not be the focus of the songs was Musso, who found two crucial saves in the first half when it looked like Barcelona might melt the Atletico resistance, he proved unbreakable.

Cholo Simeone, serenaded at the final whistle, proved that he had the plan to unpick a seemingly swarming Barcelona side. If the Catalan side spent much of the 180 minutes pursuing the Atletico goal, the lacerations that Atletico carved through Flick’s side proved too deep and too serious for Barcelona to stop the bleeding. Atletico Madrid await one of Arsenal or Sporting CP, while Barcelona are left with existential questions about their philosophy once again.

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Raphinha told Atletico Madrid supporters they will be eliminated in the Champions League semi-final after they eliminated Barcelona on Tuesday night.

Atletico held a 2-0 advantage from their win at Camp Nou last week but Barcelona pulled the quarter-final tie level after just 24 minutes in the return leg with goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres.

Ademola Lookman then struck before the break to put Atletico 3-2 ahead on aggregate and Barcelona were unable to find a third goal before they were reduced to ten men with 11 minutes to go with Eric Garcia’s red card.

Atletico will now play either Arsenal or Sporting CP in the Champions League semi-final, with Mikel Arteta’s side heading into Wednesday night’s second leg at the Emirates Stadium with a 1-0 win from last week.

After Barcelona’s Champions League exit, Raphinha made his feelings clear towards Atletico’s supporters inside the Metropolitano as he was caught by DAZN’s cameras saying ‘out you go’ and gesturing with his thumb.

Raphinha’s fury continued in his post-match interview as he described Barcelona’s Champions League exit as a ‘robbery’.

‘For me, it was a robbery. Not only this [game] but the other one too,’ Raphinha told TNT Sports Brasil.

‘The refereeing has been very bad. The decisions he makes are incredible. Atletico committed I don’t know how many fouls and the referee didn’t show them a card.

‘It was difficult, even more so when you see that you need three times as much to win the game. I really wanted to understand their fear of Barca winning.

‘Making one mistake I can understand, but two games in a row… this tie was quite misleading in my view. Everyone can make mistakes, it’s human nature, but when the mistakes keep happening it’s a cause for concern.’

Speaking after his side’s defeat, Hansi Flick said Barcelona ‘deserved’ to be in the Champions League semi-final with their performance over the two legs against Atletico.

‘We’re disappointed. We had the chance to make it 3-0 and then conceded that goal. We had many opportunities, but we didn’t take them,’ Flick said.

‘We played a fantastic game. We played with one less man but the players were fantastic. I really appreciate what I saw today. We haven’t had much luck, we have to accept it.

‘We’ve talked about how to improve. In the first half, we should have scored more goals. We didn’t expect their goal. Looking at both matches, we deserved to be in the semi-final.’

Atletico head coach Diego Simeone said: ‘Every time we compete, we understand there’s only one way to face them – attack them.

‘They had more possession this time, in the previous match it was more even. If you don’t attack them, you lose. They’re very good at attacking. We knew the chances we had.

‘In the cup, we played a fantastic first half here and then had to suffer there. In the Champions League first leg, we took advantage of the important moments we had in our favour, and that 2-0 lead gave us some breathing room for a complex match.

‘The way Julian and Griezmann ran, the work of Llorente, Nahuel, Koke, Matteo’s outstanding performance, how the substitutes came on. It gave us enormous strength.

‘Playing a Champions League semi-final… wow, that’s great. We’ll go there with all the enthusiasm and faith. We know our strengths and weaknesses.

‘We have a lot of faith, we’re prepared, and we’ll go there to find what we’ve been looking for for many years.’

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Hugo Ekitike was forced off with a suspected Achilles injury during Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The French striker started alongside Alexander Isak for the second leg of Liverpool’s quarter-final tie against the Champions League holders.

In the 29th minute, Ekitike went down unchallenged after landing awkwardly moments earlier and immediately looked in pain as he was surrounded by both sets of players who looked concerned.

Ekitike could be seen clutching the Achilles on his right foot before medical staff helped him off the pitch on a stretcher.

The 23-year-old was clearly upset before leaving the pitch and he could now potentially miss Liverpool’s remaining six Premier League fixtures this season.

Ekitike is also pushing for a place in France’s World Cup squad with their campaign due to begin against Senegal on June 16.

When asked about Ekitike’s injury after his side’s loss, Arne Slot said: ‘Not too good, I think we could all see that.

‘Let’s wait and see what it will be. In the second half he went home so I haven’t seen him.’

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate said: ‘I’m very sad for him. To be fair, I think it’s bad,’

‘I don’t want to talk about that, with a World Cup coming it’s very, very hard for him at the moment. I send him my prayers.’

Liverpool went on to lose 2-0 as two second-half goals from Ousmane Dembele sealed the win for PSG.

Luis Enrique’s side will now play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final.

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Find out who's in and who's out on Matchday 30...

All kick-offs 3.30pm CEST unless stated

It’s set to be a monumental day not just for Eta, but for women in men’s football as a whole, as Bayern counterpart Kompany explained.

"I'm really happy for her. It’s always very easy to dismiss these key moments and say she’s just a coach like any other. But ultimately, it’s something quite special," the Belgian explained prior to his team's UEFA Champions League meeting with Real Madrid.

"It opens up opportunities for younger women who feel they, too, can become coaches. It opens doors. I wish her all the best. My only hope is that she isn’t treated like a man there, that people show her more patience. Coaching is a job where you’d really like to have more patience."

Watch: Marie-Louise Eta's first Union training session

La Liga’s first ever Retro Weekend was a lovely thing: the old kits, the walkout music, the big flashing ‘R’ for the TV replays. Villarreal dressed as Juan Roman Riquelme went to Bilbao to face Athletic Club who wore thick 1970s stripes. Beautifully nostalgic, although I imagine they flew. Now that we fully understand how climate change works, footballers fly everywhere. 

Alaves (almost) reprised Spanish football’s best ever kit from their 2001 UEFA Cup final; I imagine data protection laws now stop them from printing the name of every socio on the shirt. Sevilla won, which was very old school of them. Although, some of Atletico Madrid’s players on Saturday were so young they might genuinely have thought a kit from 2022 qualifies as retro. And, to top it off, legends such as Santi Cazorla, Iago Aspas, Kike Garcia and Christhian Stuani all appeared in their clubs’ match day squads! 

The retro matchday in the league kicked off with Real Madrid vs. Girona. It was pure nostalgia.

The graphics, the lineups, the referee’s uniforms, the ball, the scoreboard, the iconic La Liga logo. No, we’re not in the ’90s. It’s 2026, and the Spanish league is back in its… pic.twitter.com/806UOkBh4L

— IGScore (@igscoreofficial) April 11, 2026

There was a lot of love for old style TV graphics and for the co-commentators such as Graham Hunter and Terry Gibson, who genuinely know stuff about Spanish football, gleaned from years of, you know, watching it. How did we survive in a world without YouTube influencers-turned-football pundits who don’t own a TV?

The referees joined in – but only as far as their outfits. Defenders weren’t allowed to crunch through the back of attackers (good thing) or use their arms for leverage while jumping in the penalty area (bad thing). Osasuna’s Jorge Herrando flopped in front of an opponent who was trying to clear the ball and was rewarded with a penalty as he covered his mouth and smirked to a teammate: very 2026. 

La foto más retro de #LALIGARETRO pic.twitter.com/R8QVvbe6vs

— Diario SPORT (@sport) April 12, 2026

Not everything about the old days was better. No one is misty eyed about an eight-lane running track separating Real Sociedad’s players from their paying spectators. No one, I hope, wants to go back to suitcases of cash changing hands to encourage mid-table teams to play properly at the end of a season. You might well think today’s La Liga players are overpaid but it wasn’t very long ago that they frequently weren’t paid at all. 

It was entirely predictable that Real Madrid curmudgeonly refused to take part in a novel promotional idea from the league in which they play. Or that Barcelona, while supportive in principle, couldn’t possibly get a shirt ready without a month of conference calls to Nike’s Vice-President of Nostalgia. Rayo Vallecano would have loved to, but their kits are all hand sewn by a lady who lives round the corner, and she couldn’t do a whole new set without more notice. Their fortnightly retro contribution is obliging supporters to queue up and buy a ticket from a window at the ground.

I think Retro Weekend will be back and that Barca’s players will look delightful. After all, nostalgia is a growing business. Why: because of the pace of change in our technological era can be disconcerting and is often experienced as loss. That is in society and in football.

Obviously, footballers age and squads must develop but the cost of rapid change is a lack of identification between players and fans. Kits change but does it have to be every season? And do they have to be so expensive? And what’s in it for TV viewers when their favourite leagues shift from one broadcast platform to another? A lot of social media reaction to La Liga’s Retro Weekend from the British Isles has been reminiscence about Revista de Liga and the days of Spanish football on Sky Sports.

The classic Revista format was cancelled before La Liga took the rights away from Sky because audience research suggested magazine shows didn’t drive subscriptions. I don’t know exactly how you would conduct that research and be certain you were getting the right answers. There was an emotional connection between viewers and the terrific presenters and experts on that show. Its cancellation definitely felt like a loss. 

Let’s avoid heavying our hearts too much: La Liga right now has fantastic star players, youth system products making their way in the teams of solvent clubs, and stadiums that don’t look like they were abandoned halfway through construction. It would be lovely if they could get the TV deals right and get more people watching. Anyway, I’m off to enjoy the quarter-finals of the European Cup. Wait a minute, how come Atletico Madrid are in it, they’re not the Spanish champions?!

The post COLUMN: La Liga’s Retro weekend was a success, and a reminder of what we’ve lost appeared first on Football España.

Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa sent an optimistic message ahead of their Champions League clash with Bayern Munich, as his side look to comeback at the Allianz Arena. Los Blancos are 2-1 down from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, but Arbeloa did not feel it was as difficult a task as some have made out.

Arbeloa’s side will look to continue their strong record against Bayern in Germany, and despite being outplayed for much of the first leg, came close to an equaliser in the closing stages. The Real Madrid manager claimed that his squad were brimming with belief.

“First of all, we are Real Madrid. If there is a team that comes to this stadium to turn things around, it’s us. We are a team that never gives up, the team with 15 European Cups. We are Madrid and we will return with our badge or on top of it.”

“I don’t know how many teams in the world can say they’ve won the European Cup 15 times. The Real Madrid coach believes, the players believe, and the club believes. Every single fan I’ve met these past few days believes we’re going to win. Everyone believes. We know how difficult it is; nobody knows what will happen tomorrow, but we’re going to give it our all, and with that, we believe we’re going to win.”

‘We have many options to replace Aurelien Tchouameni’

One of the major question marks for Arbeloa to answer is who will replace Aurelien Tchouameni in the line-up. The Frenchman has been one of their most consistent players, but will be suspended for the game.

“We have many options and many players who can play where Tchouameni does. Camavinga, Thiago, Ceballos, Valverde… I know the starting eleven I’m going to field tomorrow. They give me a lot of confidence. The substitutes are going to have to help us in the second half because it’s going to be a very long and intense match. I feel privileged to have the squad I have.”

‘We don’t need any miracles’ – Arbeloa

While the mythology surrounding Real Madrid is bigger than any other side in the competition, Arbeloa pointed out that their opponents had plenty of pedigree too.

“They are also a great team, a team that can look us in the eye because of its history, its mentality, its personality… We have to focus on ourselves, which is what’s important and what we can show.”

That said, his view was that a victory in Munich was perfectly achievable.

“I don’t see that we need to perform any miracles. If we won the other day, it wouldn’t have been anything crazy. Their goalkeeper was the MVP. We are capable of doing it. Nobody who knows Real Madrid thinks that Real Madrid winning tomorrow will be a miracle.”

“We need to improve many aspects of our game. It’s important to take advantage of our chances; we won’t have as many as in the first leg. It’s about confidence. We have to score if we want to win and advance. We have to play very well tomorrow.”

Naturally, Tchouameni would be replaced by Eduardo Camavinga, but his compatriot’s inconsistency and injury issues have cast doubt on that idea. It could be that youngster Thiago Pitarch is selected ahead of him, with Brahim Diaz also in contention for minutes.

The post Alvaro Arbeloa on chances against Bayern Munich and Aurelien Tchouameni replacement: ‘We don’t need a miracle’ appeared first on Football España.

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has admitted that he has suffered from the lack of fixed position in recent seasons, after being moved about by various managers. The England international has struggled for consistency this season, and has not had a fixed role under Xabi Alonso or Alvaro Arbeloa.

Part of the reason for that has been the injuries that he has suffered. Most recently, Bellingham returned from a hamstring tear in mid-March, but has featured in Real Madrid’s last four games.

“I feel good. This season has been frustrating; I’ve had bad luck, missing games due to injuries. At the beginning and in these last two months. The hardest part is coming back, mentally, preparing for those matches. The more you play, the better. I played against Mallorca, against Atletico, against Bayern… Your confidence grows, and you keep improving.”

Bellingham admits La Liga title is nearly out of reach

Many see the Champions League as Real Madrid’s last chance to make something out of their season, having exited the Copa del Rey, and slipped to nine points behind Barcelona in La Liga.

“Any loss in the Champions League feels like a disaster, given our current situation; it’s almost like a final. Obviously we want to compete and play well. We have a lot at stake and we must play well. It’s all or nothing, that’s our mentality. We have to see it like that. We’re not going to hide. We want to believe, we don’t have any more chances. We have to play and win.”

Asked why it was that Real Madrid had struggled so much in the league, he was unable to point to a specific cause.

“It’s complicated, it’s not the right place or the right time to reflect on it. In La Liga, at least at home, we’ve dropped too many points. You can’t win a league title by dropping so many points, with the competition from Barcelona. And away from home too. It’s just not possible. I don’t think the fight is over. We’re behind, but we have to focus on tomorrow. It’s a big day.”

Bellingham: ‘I’ve been a victim of my versatility’

After surgery on his shoulder in the summer, Bellingham returned in the September, but has struggled for continuity and to find a settled role in the team.

“There’s been a change, from my first season to now. Before, I played further forward, in that diamond midfield, with two wingers. Last year I played more on the left coming inside. And with Arbeloa and Xabi, a bit deeper. I can play in several positions. I can do different things at a good level, and I’m a little bit of a victim of that. It’s good and bad, because there’s no one position you can get used to, but you have to adapt.”

“When I score goals, I want to score more, but you also have to defend, you have to find that balance. And if I don’t score, I have to help the team. And I have to do whatever the coach asks.”

This season, Bellingham has received more criticism than in previous years, with some even claiming that he had lost focus. Bellingham responded by pretending to drink with one of his celebrations, referencing talk about him enjoying the Madrid nightlife.

“I think I’ve already spoken about this; you can’t mix your private life with your life as a player. I’ve enjoyed nights out, of course I have, but things came out that weren’t true, like that I drank too much, that I went out a lot. But none of that is true. I’m very professional, every single day. It was a joke.”

The Vinicius Junior-Kylian Mbappe combination

Another of the heated debates in the Spanish capital has been the chemistry between Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. Los Blancos best performances under Alvaro Arbeloa have come with Mbappe injured or on the bench.

“It’s difficult to answer. There have been matches where we’ve played very well, cobined a lot. You have to look at each player individually. Perhaps we crowd together too much on the left; if I go to the other wing, we might have more balance. Maybe people are seeing the glass half empty. We play with freedom, and I hope that will be evident tomorrow, and that we can play fluidly.”

Real Madrid take on Bayern Munich at 21:00 CEST at the Allianz Arena, and trail 2-1 from the first leg. Bellingham is expected to start for just the second time since early February.

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Bayern are also in contention to go all the way in the DFB Cup and claim their third continental treble since Neuer joined the club from Schalke in the summer of 2011.

To keep the dream alive, Bayern must first overcome Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday. Germany's record champions lead 2-1 in the tie, thanks in no small part to a goalkeeping clinic from Neuer in the Spanish capital.

It’s set to be a monumental day not just for Eta, but for women in men’s football as a whole, as Bayern counterpart Kompany explained.

"I'm really happy for her. It’s always very easy to dismiss these key moments and say she’s just a coach like any other. But ultimately, it’s something quite special," the Belgian explained prior to his team's UEFA Champions League meeting with Real Madrid.

"It opens up opportunities for younger women who feel they, too, can become coaches. It opens doors. I wish her all the best. My only hope is that she isn’t treated like a man there, that people show her more patience. Coaching is a job where you’d really like to have more patience."

Watch: Marie-Louise Eta's first Union training session

Noah Atubolu (Freiburg)

Atubolu has once again underlined his status as a potential future Germany No.1 this season with his strong performances for Freiburg, who have impressed at home and abroad. The 23-year-old even set an impressive new Bundesliga record by saving his fifth consecutive penalty on Matchday 4.

Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim) 

Baumann's consistency between the Hoffenheim sticks has seen him become Germany's No.1, a position he will likely hold at this summer's FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA. He has long been a virtual ever-present in the German top tier, recently joining the Bundesliga's top-10 list of appearance-makers.

Daniel Heuer Fernandes (Hamburg) 

Having helped Hamburg return to the Bundesliga after a seven-year absence last season, Heuer Fernandes has been instrumental in keeping Hamburg above the waterline in 2025/26.

Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund) 

Dortmund's success this season has been built on a superb defence, and the man marshalling that backline is Kobel. No goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets in the Bundesliga this season than the Switzerland international.

Moritz Nicolas (Borussia Mönchengladbach) 

Since his breakthrough last season, Nicolas has seemingly got better with each game for Gladbach. Despite the Foals' up-and-down form, he has still managed 10 clean sheets after Matchday 29, and ranks among the best in the league for most saves.

Watch: Goalkeepers - check out the candidates!

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal and manager Hansi Flick were firm in their conviction that a comeback against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals was more than possible on Tuesday night, as the two sides face each other at the Metropolitano. Yet the numbers on offer this season suggest that the task is even taller than first appears.

The two sides have met on five occasions this season, with Barcelona winning three of them and Atletico Madrid winning two. The Catalan side took both La Liga encounters, but Los Colchoneros rotated in the second of those ties, and Atletico came out on top in their Copa del Rey double header. Across the five games, both sides have scored eight goals.

Enrique Cerezo: "Hansi Flick's complaints about the Metropolitano pitch? Some people like short hair, others like long hair. Maybe he just doesn’t like it with a mane…" pic.twitter.com/DAvb2v4FdO

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) April 14, 2026

Barcelona defensive woes suggest Atletico will score

The statistics do bode well for Atletico. Diego Simeeone said that his side will look get on the front foot in the game, and captain Koke Resurreccion called on his team to have personality on the ball to be able to hurt Barcelona behind their press. As pointed out by Diario AS, Barcelona are currently on a run of 14 games without a clean sheet in Europe. Since Flick arrived, no side in the Champions League has conceded more than the 43 of Barcelona. This season, Barcelona have conceded in every Champions League game too, implying they may well need four goals to go through.

Barcelona defensive experiment

Since Flick came in, defender Jules Kounde has almost exclusively been used as a right-back, but MD say that in the final training session before the game, the Frenchman was tested at centre-back. Ronald Araujo would be at right-back in that case, with Eric Garcia in midfield. It would be something of a surprise if Kounde was moved, but Pau Cubarsi is suspended, and Garcia may be required in the middle of the pitch, as it is not certain who will partner Pedri in the middle of the pitch.

Hansi Flick: "We have to think more about our game than about the result. Normally, when we play well, we score goals." pic.twitter.com/xX2GMBtFbB

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 13, 2026

Flick ‘not worried about defending’

Barcelona’s struggles defensively were pointed out to Flick before the game, given Inter managed to go through against them despite his side scoring six times last year. Flick assured that he was not concerned about their defending, and that it would hinge on his side pressing as a unit and being compact as a team.

The post Barcelona statistics give Atletico Madrid edge in Champions League decider appeared first on Football España.

Barcelona sitting President Rafael Yuste and Atletico Madrid counterpart Enrique Cerezo held a traditional directors lunch before the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Madrid. The former confirmed that Barcelona were studying UEFA’s decision to reject their complaint about a non-penalty call during the first leg.

The Catalan side were furious when Marc Pubill was not punished for a perceived handball in the second half of their 2-0 loss to Atletico at Camp Nou, and filed a complaint to UEFA over the matter. On Tuesday, UEFA said they had deemed the complaint ‘indamissible‘.

“The legal department is assessing the grounds on which UEFA has not accepted our claim, and when they tell us, we will act accordingly,” Yuste told MD hours later.

Hansi Flick tested Jules Koundé as a centre-back during yesterday's training session. It remains to be seen if the experiment was to the coach's liking. [@ffpolo] pic.twitter.com/jdHOHl50H0

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 14, 2026

State of Metropolitano pitch not a concern

Equally, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was seen complaining about the state of the Metropolitano pitch as his side trained on it on Tuesday. It was cut later that evening, and the Blaugrana have received assurances from UEFA over its state this evening. Yuste, who is in temporary charge of Barcelona until the summer when Joan Laporta is sworn in for a fourth term, was not concerned.

“I’m not worried because I know that both sides of UEFA have been with the teams and I think the pitch will be in perfect playing condition.”

Atlético Madrid's last 13 home games against Barça:

– 3 wins
– 2 draws
– 8 losses pic.twitter.com/VMp1pUtG41

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) April 14, 2026

Cerezo confirmed that Atletico had invited Laporta to the dinner due to their ‘good relationship’ and the fact he was the president elect. He thought little of any Barcelona complaints though, be it about the pitch or the refereeing.

“These are things they’ve complained about, UEFA has told them it’s fine (the pitch), and I can’t tell you more than that. I think some people like long hair and some people like short hair. I already saw it clearly, and as long as UEFA says so, that’s it. You all talk about so many things during the day – the pitch, Pubill’s play… Come on, something new. For me, this (the complaints) is utter nonsense,” he explained to Sport.

Julian Alvarez future

Naturally, as is the case before every meeting between the two, Cerezo was asked about Julian Alvarez’s future, amid interest from Barcelona. His answer did not differ from his response over the past six months, telling the Catalan paper that “I think he’s going to stay with us for a long time.”

The post Barcelona legal department studying UEFA ruling, as Atletico Madrid president calls grass complaint ‘nonsense’ appeared first on Football España.

Former Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola is set to leave Bournemouth this summer after three years in the job. The Basque manager is one of the targets to fill the upcoming vacancy at former side Athletic Club this summer, after Ernesto Valverde announced his departure at the end of the season.

Iraola has called Valverde as his greatest reference point, and was initially heavily linked with a return to San Mames. However in recent weeks, that talk has quietened somewhat. It seems President Jon Uriarte is keen to appoint former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic, who is currently the favourite to takeover.

Iraola to leave Bournemouth this summer

As reported by The Athletic, Iraola has decided to leave Bournemouth at the end of his deal. Bournemouth have since confirmed this to be the case. Iraola tends to only sign one-year rolling deals, and has decided to look for a new opportunity, despite their best efforts to retain him. They have been linked with Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna to replace him, after Iraola guided the Cherries to a 12th-place and 9th-place finish. Currently Bournemouth lie 11th, three points of a European spot, and 15 points clear of the relegation zone.

Iraola to have his choice of jobs

Iraola has previously been cited as a target for Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace in the past, and even linked with a potential job at Real Madrid this summer, albeit that conversation has died down. This week Iraola confirmed he had spoken with Los Leones since Valverde’s announcement.

EXCLUSIVE BOMBSHELL!

SHOCK ALERT: Our sources confirm Newcastle United have made a DIRECT APPROACH for Andoni Iraola!

Insiders say a RADICAL new direction is coming… and it looks like Eddie Howe could be OUT!

HUGE SHOCKWAVES ripping through the North East! pic.twitter.com/iiNa6UauPH

— indykaila News (@indykaila) April 13, 2026

In addition, Indykaila also report that Newcastle United have made an approach for Iraola, with a view to replacing Eddie Howe with him. It seems the 43-year-old will have his pick of opportunities after successful spells at Mirandes, Rayo and Bournemouth.

The post Athletic Club target Andoni Iraola to leave Bournemouth this summer appeared first on Football España.

Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado looks as if he will be on his way out of the club this summer, but his chances of leaving Spanish football are high. One of the few clubs that would be able to do a deal for Casado have decided to pull their interest.

Casado, 22, was one of the stories of the season for Barcelona last year, going from all but certain exit to starter during the first half of the season. One of the top performers under Hansi Flick in his first year, Casado this year has been given less opportunities, with Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong and Gavi ahead of him in the pecking order. It seems that he has decided he will seek more game time this summer with an exit.

Hansi Flick tested Jules Koundé as a centre-back during yesterday's training session. It remains to be seen if the experiment was to the coach's liking. [@ffpolo] pic.twitter.com/jdHOHl50H0

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 14, 2026

Atletico Madrid end interest in Marc Casado

Last season Casado was linked with Atletico Madrid in January and again in the summer, as they looked to bring in a central midfielder. At the time, Casado was reluctant to leave, and did not pursue a move for him. Sport report that Los Rojiblancos are no longer interested in Casado for this summer. It is added by the Catalan daily that this rules out Barcelona using him as a potential bargaining chip in their bid to sign Julian Alvarez this summer.

Pablo Barrios wanted to play today and did everything possible to be available, but the club decided to stick to the initial plan and not risk him. He is in good condition.@marqoss pic.twitter.com/Tv9W36wCvy

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) April 14, 2026

Atletico Madrid focus on Ederson dos Santos

Notably, ex-Barcelona Sporting Director Mateu Alemany has taken over in the interim between Atletico being interested and deciding against a move for Casado. It seems Alemany’s primary target to strengthen their midfield is Atalanta man Ederson dos Santos. Already he has opened negotiations with Atalanta, in a bid to beat Premier League sides to his signature, but no deal has been found.

The post Atletico Madrid drop interest in possible Barcelona exit appeared first on Football España.

Mikel Arteta has confirmed Declan Rice has joined Arsenal’s list of injury doubts ahead of their Champions League showdown with Sporting CP.

The England international played the full 90 minutes away in Lisbon last week and again in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League.

But the midfielder was among the clutch of Arsenal stars to Tuesday morning’s training session ahead of the visit of the Portuguese giants.

Arsenal lead 1-0 at the halfway point in their quarter-final tie ahead of the return leg in north London on Wednesday night.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta confirmed he is still waiting to learn if a host of names will be ready with a season-defining clash with Manchester City also waiting this weekend.

Arteta refused disclosed any details over Rice’s absence, suggesting the club will make a late decision on his fitness.

Asked if he could disclose anything specific on Rice’s issue, Arteta said: ‘I don’t want to do that. We will have to wait and see tomorrow but obviously he was unable to train.’

Asked if his issue was related to an awkward landing in the Bournemouth game, the Arsenal boss added: ‘He has played a lot of games which is part of the issue but he will do everything he can to be with us tomorrow.’

Arteta gives Saka, Timber and Odegaard update

Rice was one of five players not seen in training this morning.

Bukayo Saka has not played in Arsenal’s three games since the end of the international break. While Arteta had hoped to have him back last Saturday against Bournemouth, the winger did not recover in time.

‘It is something he has been carrying for a while,’ Arteta said. ‘It was an Achilles issue. It is progression and hopefully it is a matter of days and not weeks but he has to see when he is loading more, how he responds to that kind of progression.’

Jurrien Timber meanwhile has missed the last five games, not featuring since the mid-March victory over Everton.

‘We have to wait till tomorrow morning to see how some of the boys are.’

When asked if Timber or Saka could be back, Arteta added: ‘Maybe one of them, let’s see.’

Martin Odegaard has had an injury-hit start to 2026, missing 12 games through muscle and knee problems. The Norway international was back in the starting XI against Southampton and Sporting but was sidelined again lats week.

His national team manager Stale Solbakken revealed last week the midfielder had suffered a ‘minor setback’ with Arsenal still to provide a clear update on his condition.

Riccardo Calafiori played the full 90 against Sporting last week but was another who sat out of the Bournemouth game.  

The title

Bayern Munich hold a 12-point advantage over Borussia Dortmund with five games to go. It means that:

• Bayern will be champions if they better Dortmund's Saturday result at Hoffenheim when they host VfB Stuttgart on Sunday

Should Bayern only equal Dortmund's result, their vastly superior goal difference of 47 goals means they will be all but confirmed as champions but will have to wait at least one more game to mathematically secure the title.

According to the St. Pauli website, the club’s Peace Prize is intended to honour “individuals and initiatives that actively stand for solidarity, togetherness and respectful coexistence” and makes “a deliberate statement at a time when the foundation of democratic and civil society is under increasing pressure”.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has been far from happy during the course of his side’s Champions League quarter-final with Atletico Madrid. Last week the German manager was furious with the officiating, and ahead of their second leg at the Metropolitano, Flick complained over the state of the pitch.

Flick was incensed that Barcelona were not given a penalty for a supposed handball by Marc Pubill, but UEFA have dismissed Barcelona’s official complaint on the matter. As the Catalan side took to the Metropolitano to train on Monday evening, Flick was also seen complaining about the pitch to UEFA match delegate Christian Kofoed.

BREAKING: Cardoso and Oblak are BACK!

Barrios and Hancko have been left out of the squad list. pic.twitter.com/FB3YLksRfW

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) April 14, 2026

UEFA reassure Barcelona over length of grass

In a meeting between officials of the two sides on Tuesday morning, UEFA assured that Barcelona that the grass would be within the required length (30mm) and would be well watered before the game, as per MD. The grass was measured on Wednesday and was found to measure 26mm.

As per Marca, the grass was mowed on Monday after Barcelona trained on it, and is expected to be cut again before the game. Atletico Madrid believe this is a method of appyling pressure on UEFA.