International Clubs

Bayer Leverkusen winger Jeremie Frimpong has apologised for kicking a bouquet of flowers laid ceremonially by the pitch at Atlético Madrid's Metropolitano stadium, saying he got "carried away with excitement."Visitors Leverkusen went ahead in the 46th minute in Tuesday's Champions League game through defender Piero Hincapié, and as Frimpong went to join his celebrating teammates, he kicked the flowers, angering the home fans and Atlético's players.The flowers have been placed by a corner flag at Atlético's stadium -- now the Metropolitano, and previously the Vicente Calderón -- since 1996 by fan Margarita Luengo, as a tribute to club legend Milinko Pantic, who was famed for his corner deliveries."After the game yesterday, I learned about the tradition of the bouquet of flowers at the Metropolitano," Frimpong posted on X on Wednesday. "I didn't know about it and at the time of the goal, I got carried away with excitement and I made a mistake. Sorry to Atletico's fans, and especially to Margarita."Frimpong's actions led to angry scenes on pitch, as Atlético defender José María Giménez sought to confront him. Atletico then fought back to win the match 2-1, with Julián Álvarez scoring twice, including a dramatic 90th minute winner.Luengo first placed four carnations by the pitch in January 1996, in a game which saw Atlético beat Athletic Club 4-1, ensuring the act became a tradition, with a bouquet of flowers laid by the corner flag for every home game, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.Creative midfielder Pantic starred for Atlético in the 1995-96 season, which was one of the most successful in the club's history, winning a league and cup double.

Soccer

Jeremie Frimpong sorry for kicking Atlético Madrid flowers

Xabi Alonso said Bayer Leverkusen must use Liverpool's 'Miracle of Istanbul' as motivation for a Champions League fightback against Bayern Munich after suffering a 3-0 round of 16 defeat against the Bundesliga leaders.Two Harry Kane goals and one from Jamal Musiala gave Bayern a commanding first-leg lead ahead of next Tuesday's second-leg, when Leverkusen will be without midfielder Nordi Mukiele following a sending off for two yellow cards in the Allianz Arena.Leverkusen recorded a 3-0 home win against Bayern on their way to a first-ever German title last season and the same scoreline must be repeated for Alonso's team to stay in the tie next week.But after helping Liverpool fight back from a 3-0 half-time deficit against AC Milan to win the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul, Leverkusen coach Alonso said that his team can pull off a similar result in the BayArena next week."Absolutely," Alonso said when asked about using Liverpool's win as inspiration. "It will take time to analyse and go through this result because we have been beaten well. Everything went against us because of us."But it is not over until it is over and, as you said, anything can happen. The mindset has to be that and if there is a chance, we will fight for it."We have to fight back. We will learn from this and believe in our return leg. We don't give up so easily."Three goals? You never know. One goal can change anything."After conceding the opening goal on four minutes, Leverkusen also saw Mukiele sent off and referee Michael Oliver award Bayern a penalty following a VAR intervention after a challenge by Edmond Tapsoba on Kane.But Alonso said that his team were largely the architects of their own downfall."A lot went against us today, but that was our own fault," he said. "We didn't have good control and made big mistakes. That's obviously very annoying."

Alonso urges Bayer Leverkusen to channel Miracle of Istanbul

Nathan Aké has said Manchester City are "trying to find the reason" they keep throwing away leads after conceding two late goals against Real Madrid.City led twice at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday and were 2-1 up with just four minutes of normal time remaining.But goals from Brahim Díaz and Jude Bellingham turned the tie in Real Madrid's favour, leaving Aké to admit that another late collapse was "hard to take.""Obviously the last five minutes or so when you're winning 2-1 to give it away like that is frustrating and hard to take," Aké said.

Man City searching for causes of lost leads - Nathan Ake

MANCHESTER, England -- Among the songs at the end of Manchester United's UEFA Europa League match with Rangers, the home fans started to sing Ruben Amorim's name.The Portuguese head coach says he doesn't like it because he doesn't yet think he deserves the honour. But on this occasion, he will have been quite glad to hear the tune of "Ruben Amorim's Red and White Army."With his United team minutes away from another damaging result, having inexplicably allowed Rangers to score a late equaliser completely against the run of play, Bruno Fernandes popped up with a stoppage-time winner as the match ended 2-1.It caused Amorim to turn to his bench and clench his fists in celebration. It was a goal he badly needed. Amorim has said this season is going to be a roller coaster, and against Rangers, he seemed to cram all the ups and downs into one game."We didn't deserve that draw at the moment, and it was fair for us to win the game, a game we knew would be tough," Amorim said."In this moment, we started well, the pace of the game helped us because it's different, and you could feel it. We tried to do things, we were better with the ball, sometimes we controlled well in the beginning and then we lost control for seven minutes because of some bad passes, some transitions, but then I think we created the best chance to win the game, and we deserved to win."This has been an ugly week for United, even by their standards.A fourth home defeat in five games against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday prompted Amorim to speculate afterwards that this might be the worst team in the club's history. He backtracked slightly in a news conference Wednesday, but clarified that he meant only that he had perhaps chosen his words poorly. If anything, he doubled down on the sentiment that this is a significant low point.There can be little doubt that Amorim has to deal with extensive problems in his new job. But at least for a few days, he might be able to enjoy a bit of respite from the doom and gloom. What lies in wait at Fulham on Sunday is anyone's guess.Victory over Rangers leaves United fourth in the Europa League table with one foot in the round of 16, but there can be no talk about corners being turned. United were fortunate.This was a makeshift Rangers team forced into another defensive reshuffle at half-time that saw left-back Rıdvan Yılmaz moved to right-back and right-back James Tavernier forced to centre-back. United took the lead in the second half only when their former loan goalkeeper Jack Butland punched Christian Eriksen's corner into his own net."Jack saved us a few times also in the second half," Rangers boss Philippe Clement said."That is the life of a goalkeeper. I am not going to be focused solely on that."After Butland's blunder, United had chance after chance to put the game to bed. They almost paid the price when substitute Cyriel Dessers took advantage of Harry Maguire's mistake to smash in an equaliser with two minutes to go.It would have been enough to condemn Amorim's team to another embarrassing night, only for Fernandes to latch on to Lisandro Martínez's perfect cross in the second minute of injury time."We are not playing our best, but we regrouped from the last game," Amorim said."I know the opponent is different. It wasn't as fast. You can see the connections. I think we need to be more clinical in the right moments because that can help us a lot."For a change, Amorim walked down the tunnel after the final whistle wearing a smile, but it was another night when the size of his task was made brutally clear.It has been 13 games in a row without a clean sheet, which is a major problem when the team isn't scoring goals. Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo, Manuel Ugarte and Maguire all had good chances. United had 16 shots in total with only an own goal and Fernandes' late strike to show for it.Garnacho looked like the most dangerous attacking threat, but there is no guarantee he will be at the club next month. The 20-year-old Argentina international is the subject of interest from Napoli and Chelsea, and United might have to seriously consider a good offer because of their precarious financial position.Amorim wants to keep him, and the club, ideally, does not want to have to auction off its best young players. This, though, is the situation it finds itself in."He's a player for Manchester United," Amorim said when asked about the winger's future."He was really important for us today, and let's see in the next days."Amorim can only hope that Garnacho is still part of his squad this time next week. For now, the coach can enjoy the relative serenity that comes in the aftermath of a win.The storm hasn't passed, but the clouds have parted ever so slightly.

Amorim's Man United are enduring a roller-coaster season

Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke is likely to be out for around six weeks because of a knee injury, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou said Thursday.Solanke sustained the injury in training last week and missed the Premier League game against Everton on Sunday and Thursday's Europa League win against Hoffenheim."With Dom, the information now is that we are looking at around the six-week mark," Postecoglou said after his team's 3-2 win in Germany. "No surgery. Maybe we can get him back a little bit earlier, just see how he progresses."But, at this stage, it's saying around six weeks."Solanke was a £55 million ($68 million) signing from Bournemouth in the offseason and has scored 11 goals in 29 appearances for Spurs.Tottenham have been reeling from injuries in recent weeks, with Postecoglou adding Pape Matar Sarr to the list ahead of the trip to Hoffenheim. Other key first-team players missing for Spurs include Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, and Brennan Johnson.Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.

Tottenham striker Solanke out for 6 weeks with knee injury

Carlo Ancelotti has said Manchester City's elimination from the Champions League would be good news for Real Madrid, and insisted the struggling Premier League side remain "one of the candidates" to win the competition.Madrid beat RB Salzburg 5-1 at the Bernabéu on Wednesday to ensure themselves of a place in the playoffs -- with an outside chance of making the top eight -- while City crashed to a 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain, leaving their Champions League future in doubt."Yes," Ancelotti told in his post-match news conference on Wednesday when asked if City failing to progress from the league phase would be good news."Because Manchester City are still, for me, one of the candidates to win the Champions League again."In the last three seasons, Madrid and City have faced off in the Champions League knockout stage, including when Madrid won the trophy in 2022 and 2024.Madrid have had an up-and-down European campaign so far this season, beating Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta and Salzburg, while losing to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool, to leave them on 12 points from seven games, in 16th place.City, meanwhile, are in 25th place with just seven points, outside the playoff positions, after three losses and a draw in their last four games.Wednesday's defeat at the Parc des Princes came after taking a 2-0 lead."You never know," Ancelotti said when asked about Madrid's chances of facing a tough opponent in the playoff round."Only one thing is clear. We have to win our last game, and at this club, that's not new."

Man City Champions League exit would be 'good news' - Ancelotti

The mathematics were still causing a few heads to be scratched after Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday, but Declan Rice gave the new Champions League format a thumbs up."It's been really, really good. It's the first time trying it out and I think everyone was a little bit confused how it would work when it first got announced, but playing in this format has been really interesting," the midfielder said."Playing big teams, coming up against different opposition, I've really liked it."Rice scored the opener as Arsenal made it a virtual mathematical certainty that they will finish in the top eight of the 36-team group stage which this season replaced the established format of eight groups of four.They are in third place with 16 points and in reality can already start planning for the knockout phase, even if manager Mikel Arteta could not bring himself to say it."We haven't been told. I know we're in a really strong position," the Spaniard said after Arsenal extended their unbeaten home run in Europe to 15 games.Kai Havertz took his season's tally to 14 with Arsenal's second goal and Martin Ødegaard poached his first goal since November in stoppage time to wrap up a comfortable win."Overall, we got the job done and well done. We didn't concede a shot on target which is really positive again. It shows that the team is really well-rounded," Arteta said. "Overall, scoring three goals, winning in the Champions League at home, another clean sheet at home -- four in a row -- and having made some changes as well."We rotated players that didn't play that many minutes and they responded really well."Avoiding a Champions League playoff will also guarantee the Arsenal squad some winter sunshine as Arteta said a break is now likely to recharge batteries seeing as they are already out of the FA Cup, which continues on Feb. 7-11."It was very helpful [last season] and with the schedule that we've had for the last three months, you can have a break, reset a little bit and work on things and rest some people, while some people are back, that would be great," he said.

Arsenal's Declan Rice gives thumbs up on new Champions League

MADRID -- Imagine being Rodrygo. At 24 years old, you play for Real Madrid -- the biggest club in the world -- and the Brazil national team. An outrageously talented forward, you've already won three LaLiga titles and two UEFA Champions Leagues, scoring some iconic goals along the way.But you're not the team's star. Worse than that, you're not even second-fiddle. Or third best. You're fourth on the call sheet. Because you play with Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and Kylian Mbappé, who last year finished second, third and sixth in the 2024 Ballon d'Or voting. Rodrygo, notably, didn't even make the shortlist.On Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabéu, Rodrygo gave another reminder of just what a gifted player he is, scoring twice in Madrid's 5-1 win over RB Salzburg. Both first-half goals -- which got Madrid back on track after a difficult start -- showcased the forward at his best, with elite, impossible-to-track off-the-ball movement, and unerringly confident finishing under pressure.In the 23rd minute, Vinicius' ball over the Salzburg defence was aimed at Bellingham, but his mis-control found Rodrygo at the far post. The forward finished first time, across goal, past goalkeeper Janis Blaswich. It wasn't only Rodrygo's first chance of the game; it was Madrid's. And he made it count.Rodrygo's second goal, 12 minutes later, was even better. Having drifted out to his favoured position on the left wing, he played the ball inside to Bellingham, who returned the favour, finding Rodrygo's driving run with a clever backheel. Rodrygo's first-time finish, curled into the bottom corner, screamed supreme confidence.The forward's goal-scoring in the Champions League -- and the difference between his record in Europe's top club competition, and in LaLiga -- is so impressive that it's worth underlining. Rodrygo now has 22 goals in 57 Champions League appearances. That's a goal every two-and-a-half games, playing against the best teams in Europe. In LaLiga, he has 32 goals in 159 appearances, a goal every five games. In other words: Rodrygo scores twice as often in the Champions League.Why? It's difficult to say, or at least to identify one primary factor. Perhaps European football, and the way Champions League opponents often set up against Madrid, looking to play, leaving space in behind their defences, suits him? Perhaps it's a question of mentality, focus and consistency, able to perform on the biggest stage in a way he's unable to replicate every week in LaLiga? The end result is a six-year spell at Real Madrid which already contains plenty of spectacular, career-defining images, while simultaneously feeling like it's still yet to really catch fire.Rodrygo has played a part in some of the biggest, most dramatic moments in Madrid's recent history. Just think of his two goals in a minute against Manchester City at this stadium in May 2022, arguably the defining spell in that breathtaking run of Champions League comebacks. But when Madrid signed Mbappé last summer, it was Rodrygo's place in the team which was instantly, and understandably, questioned, with doubts over his long-term future.In fact, coach Carlo Ancelotti has largely stood by him, determined to squeeze all four stars into the starting eleven, even when the side's balance is threatened as a result. Rodrygo has made 13 starts and four substitute appearances in LaLiga this season, with three starts and two sub appearances in the Champions League. On Wednesday, he started on the right. It's a position which does him no favours, limiting his effectiveness, but it's also the only spot available with Mbappé, Vinícius and Bellingham to accommodate.The evening's second half -- as Salzburg's collapsed -- was a reminder why Rodrygo will never have the spotlight all to himself at the Bernabéu. Mbappé and Vinicius both scored, Vinicius twice; Mbappé after a goalkeeping howler, and Vini with two trademark finishes, in off the left wing. The headlines will be shared, Rodrygo a key contributor, rather than the main man.Even when Rodrygo was substituted in the 71st minute, replaced by Endrick, he didn't get a solo moment of glory. Mbappé was withdrawn by Ancelotti at the same time. The ovation from the Bernabéu crowd was shared, and as the two players left the pitch, it was Mbappé's name the fans were chanting, not Rodrygo's.After the game, Vinicius seemed surprised to be told on Spanish television he'd been named MVP."I had the feeling that I wasn't able to play well in the first half," he said. "'Rodry' deserved it."Rodrygo was equally magnanimous."It doesn't matter," he said. "Here, we play for the team."He'll be important away at Brest next week, in Madrid's last game of the league phase. Vinicius' yellow card against Salzburg means he'll be suspended for the trip to France. Rodrygo will slot into his preferred role on the left. If his European record is anything to go by, expect him to shine.

Is Rodrygo the most underrated player in the Champions League?

Vinícius Júnior said he's eyeing Ronaldo Nazario's record as Real Madrid's top-scoring Brazilian after netting his 100th goal for the club in their 5-1 Champions League win over RB Salzburg on Wednesday.A brace from Rodrygo -- one coming from a sublime Jude Bellingham assist -- put Madrid 2-0 up at half-time at the Santiago Bernabeu, before Kylian Mbappé added a third. Vinícius scored twice to complete the win, and assure Madrid of a place in the playoffs for the knockout phase.Vinicíus has now scored 101 goals for Madrid in all competitions, leaving him closing in on Brazil legend Ronaldo, who scored 104 in five years at the club between 2002 and 2007."I'm happy to score goals in this shirt," Vinicius told Movistar on Wednesday. "I'm three goals away from Ronaldo, from being the Brazilian with most goals in this shirt. Let's hope I can score more."Vinicíus has won two Champions Leagues -- scoring in both finals -- with Madrid, as well as three LaLiga titles.He was surprised to learn he had been named MVP in the game against Salzburg."I had the feeling that I couldn't play well in the first half," he said. "Rodry deserved it, Jude too, and a lot of players. But I'm happy with the win and goals, even when I played badly."Rodrygo praised teammate Bellingham, after the England star set up the game's second goal with a clever backheel."It's very easy to play with Jude, with the movements he makes, the passes he gives you," Rodrygo told Movistar. "The second assist was beautiful, I love playing with him."Coach Carlo Ancelotti dismissed concerns about a back injury for Bellingham -- saying it was "nothing special" -- and said improving the team's defending was his primary concern."We don't have any doubts about the players up front," Ancelotti said. "We'll try to fix the rest, and improve in every game. The efficiency we have in attack is incredible. We have to fix other things, but we're in good form."

Vinícius eyes Ronaldo's Brazilan record at Madrid after 100th goal

It's been a journey into the unknown, but the new-look 36-team Champions League is finally reaching the climax of the league phase.While we're starting to get some kind of idea of who's going to go through, a lot can happen in the final round. We only know two of the eight clubs that will go straight through to the round of 16, and 18 of the 24 teams who will be in the knockout rounds.That said, nine teams have already been eliminated with only three more to come -- so jeopardy is limited.Unlike in previous seasons, no teams will drop into the Europa League from the Champions League.Unexpectedly, Man City are in real danger of being eliminated, which might not have been the case under the old format.Let's take a look at what's at stake and how the final matchday is shaping up.The teams in position 1-8 go straight to the round of 16, and won't have to play games in February.The clubs in places 9-24 will face the playoff round next month.Those in 25th to 36th are eliminated.Yes, because the league placings create the knockout bracket. Unlike in previous seasons, where there would be open draws, paths will be set after this phase has been completed.The new "seeding" system means the highest-placed teams can't face each other until the latter stages of the knockout round.For instance, if we look at the table right now, Liverpool and Barcelona are in first and second and they would not be able to play each other until the final. The teams in third and fourth -- currently Arsenal and Inter Milan -- can't play Liverpool or Barcelona until the semifinals.However, the value of being placed high in the table has been complicated by poor European seasons for Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, who have unexpectedly become possible opponents earlier in the knockout rounds.The teams in first and second will play 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th in the round of 16 and top clubs could yet finish in those positions. Bayern Munich (15th), Real Madrid (16th), Juventus (17th) and Celtic (18th) are there right now.Finishing seventh or eighth is to be avoided, as that creates a direct collision course with first and second in the quarterfinals.1 - Goal difference
2 - Goals scored
3 - Away goals scored
4 - Wins
5 - Away wins
6 - Higher number of total points collected by league phase opponents*
7 - Higher goal difference attained of league phase opponents*
8 - Higher goals scored by league phase opponents*
9 - Disciplinary points
10 - UEFA club coefficient.*You add up the record of the eight teams faced in the league phase, effectively creating a difficulty level of opponents. Round of 16 (2):
Liverpool are guaranteed to finish first or second, and thus take a top seeding position in the bracket.
Barcelona have also secured a top-eight finish with a dramatic winner in a 5-4 comeback victory at Benfica.Guaranteed at least a place in the knockout playoff round (16):
AC Milan, Arsenal, AS Monaco, Aston Villa, Atalanta, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Brest, Celtic, Feyenoord, Internazionale, Juventus, Lille, Real MadridWill make the knockout playoffs or be eliminated (9): 
Benfica, Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sporting CP, StuttgartOut (9):
Bologna, Girona, Red Star Belgrade, Sparta Prague, RB Leipzig, RB Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Sturm Graz, Young BoysBefore the competition began it was thought that 16 points would secure a place in the top eight, but the low spread of points at the bottom of the table means it could take 17 points to be absolutely certain of going through. It's possible to finish outside the top eight on goal difference with 16 points.1. Liverpool (21 points, goal difference +13)
PSV Eindhoven (a)The Reds are through and certain to finish in the top 2.2. Barcelona (18, +15)
Atalanta (h)A direct place in the round of 16 is booked and they can finish no lower than sixth, though goal difference realistically means they will be top four at worst.They must win at home to Atalanta to be absolutely sure of a top-two finish.3. Arsenal (16, +12)
Girona (a)4. Internazionale (16, +7)
AS Monaco (h)The two clubs could both still miss out on goal difference if they lose, with five teams sat outside the top eight on 13 points. However, it is very unlikely and instead they will be looking for wins to secure a top-four place.Arsenal are effectively certain of being top eight with a goal difference of +12. For the Gunners to go out it would take a defeat plus SIX of the following: Any result in AS Monaco/Inter BUT if Monaco win it would need a huge GD swing; victories for Atlético Madrid, AC Milan, Atalanta, (and with a big GD swing for the following teams) Aston Villa, Bayer Leverkusen, Brest, Feyenoord/Lille.Leverkusen, with +6, have the best goal difference of the teams on 13 points so it would take a massive swing even for the Bundesliga club to overtake Arsenal. And with AS Monaco/Inter and Feyenoord/Lille playing each other, the chances are further limited.Inter are marginally less safe with goal difference of +7, Monaco would overtake Inter, who have only let in one goal, with a win by 2+ goals, and it would then require victories for four of Atlético Madrid, AC Milan, Atalanta, Aston Villa, Bayer Leverkusen, Brest, Feyenoord/Lille. If Inter lose by one goal, it would need five victories from that list.5. Atlético Madrid (15, +5)
RB Salzburg (a)6. AC Milan (15, +4)
Dinamo Zagreb (a)A win for Atlético and Milan would send both clubs through to the round of 16.A draw could be enough, but it would place them right on the edge of qualification and into a goal difference battle on 16 points. Aston Villa, Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen would go above both clubs with any win, while it would be close for AS Monaco on GD, but Brest and Feyenoord/Lille would need a multiple-goal swing.A loss is highly unlikely to keep them top eight on 15 points, with 12 clubs below them able to finish on 15+ points.7. Atalanta (14, +14)
Barcelona (a)The Serie A side's 5-0 victory over Sturm Graz has put them right in contention for the top eight.A draw could still see them through due to their vastly superior goal difference ... but for that to work only one of Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, AS Monaco, Feyenoord/Lille and Brest can win.Realistically, Atalanta must get a victory at Barcelona to go through directly.8. Bayer Leverkusen (13, +6)
Sparta Prague (h)9. Aston Villa (13, +5)
Celtic (h)10. AS Monaco (13, +3)
Internazionale (a)11. Feyenoord Rotterdam (13, +2)
Lille (a)12. Lille (13, +2)
Feyenoord Rotterdam (h)13. Brest (13, +2)
Real Madrid (h)It's a real hit and hope for all six sides on 13 points -- but there is a guaranteed place for the team who bag a win and has the best goal difference.What do their chances look like above that? Arsenal (16) have far superior goal difference, while Inter (16), Atlético (15) and AC Milan (15) have favourable fixtures.Does that mean there could be only one or two places to fight for in the top eight? Atalanta's away game at Barcelona does open the door.Leverkusen sit eighth right now but even a victory at home to Sparta Prague might not be enough, as Villa could win by a bigger scoreline and overtake them on goal difference. With Leverkusen and Villa both at home and with the best goal difference, the one open slot could come down to these two clubs and the margin of victory.AS Monaco have a tough trip to San Siro but would overtake Inter with a win of 2+ goals. The only thing is Inter have conceded just one goal in their seven matches.Feyenoord and Lille play each other, but goal difference is problematic at +2. Brest, also on +2, must win at home to Real Madrid. For these three sides (and Monaco) to have a chance of the top eight, they will need three of those teams 9th and above to draw or lose. It's likely the knockout playoff round for these clubs.14. Borussia Dortmund (12, +8)
Shakhtar Donetsk (h)15. Bayern Munich (12, +6)
Slovan Bratislava (h)16. Real Madrid (12, +5)
Brest (a)17. Juventus (12, +4)
Benfica (h)18. Celtic (12,+1)
Aston Villa (a)All five sides are assured of the knockout playoff round, and while mathematically they have a chance of making the top eight with a victory, it would take a crazy set of results to do so with six teams on 13 points between them and the places.For a team on 13 points to make it, five of the following eight would need to happen: Loss for Atlético Madrid, AC Milan and (because of GD) Atalanta; draw or loss for Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, AS Monaco, Brest; draw in Feyenoord/Lille. At least Real Madrid and Celtic are in control of making one happen themselves.And that doesn't even factor in the possibility of multiple teams on 13 points winning, and thus the need to have the best goal difference to be at the front of the queue on 15 points.19. PSV Eindhoven (11, +3)
Liverpool (h)20. Club Brugge (11, -2)
Manchester City (a)These are only two teams who, mathematically, could make the top eight (everyone above would have to lose or draw), be in the knockout playoff round or go out. Realistically, they are locked in the knockout playoff round -- though Club Brugge could be made to sweat.Club Brugge will be through if they avoid defeat at Man City. However, they would be overtaken by Man City if they lose at the Etihad, and the Belgian club would then have to hope they are not passed by the four clubs on 10 points. They are still in a strong position with a loss, as to go out it would take Stuttgart vs. PSG to be a draw plus both Benfica (away to Juve) and Sporting (home to Bologna) to draw or win.PSV Eindhoven have a considerable buffer as they are five goals better off than Brugge. It would take a big loss, or a massive win for Dinamo Zagreb, along with those same results for Stuttgart vs. PSG, Benfica and Sporting for the Eredivisie club to go out.21. Benfica (10, +2)
Juventus (a)22. Paris Saint-Germain (10, +2)
VfB Stuttgart (a)23. Sporting CP (10, +1)
Bologna (h)24. VfB Stuttgart (10, -1)
Paris Saint-Germain (h)All four teams know that victory secures a place in the knockout playoff round -- though they will also be safe if Man City and Dinamo Zagreb do not win, and with Shakhtar Donetsk's goal difference being much worse.Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Sporting CP effectively only need a draw as Zagreb's goal difference is so inferior, and Stuttgart vs. PSG means at least one of those two teams would definitely be lower.Stuttgart are most in danger of being overtaken by Man City with a draw/loss. However, if they draw they could get out of jail if one of Benfica or Sporting CP were to lose.All the teams on 10 points are in danger, however.If Man City or Dinamo Zagreb win, any could be eliminated with a defeat. If two or three of the clubs are beaten then 24th place would could come down to goal difference.Sporting and Stuttgart have similar goal difference. If they both lose and that finishes identical then Stuttgart finish higher on away wins.25. Manchester City (8, +2)
Club Brugge (h)26. Dinamo Zagreb (8, -8)
AC Milan (h)Man City sit outside the top 24 but they are guaranteed to qualify and go above Club Brugge on goal difference with any win. The only question is whether that would be at the expense of the Belgian club, or one of the teams on 10 points.Dinamo Zagreb have slim hope due to goal difference. They must win at home to AC Milan and get at least two of: Benfica lose, Sporting lose, PSG/Stuttgart not to draw, Man City draw or lose.27. Shakhtar Donetsk (7, -6)
Borussia Dortmund (a)Shakhtar Donetsk would have to win first of all. Manchester City and Dinamo Zagreb must fail to win. And one of the teams on 10 points must lose with a big goal difference swing.28. Bologna (5, -5)
Sporting CP (a)29. Sparta Prague (4, -12)
Bayer Leverkusen (a)30. RB Leipzig (3, -6)
SK Sturm Graz (a)31. Girona (3, -7)
Arsenal (h)32. Red Star Belgrade (3, -10)
Young Boys (a)33. SK Sturm Graz (3, -10)
RB Leipzig (h)34. RB Salzburg (3, -19)
Real Madrid (a), Atlético Madrid (h)35. Slovan Bratislava (0, -18)
Bayern Munich (a)36. Young Boys (0, -20)
Red Star Belgrade (h)The bottom nine have been eliminated.All 18 matches are played at the same time in a bumper round where every goal will change the table.The games take place at 3 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. UK on Wednesday, Jan. 29.The draw for the knockout playoff round -- featuring the clubs that finish ninth to 24th -- will take place on Friday, Jan. 31 at 6 a.m. ET / 11 a.m. UK.In the knockout playoff round draw, teams are paired by their final positionBefore the draw, teams will have two possible opponents.For instance, 21st (Benfica) and 22nd (PSG) will be paired to play either 11th (Feyenoord) or 12th (Lille).The two pairs of fixtures will then be drawn into opposite halves of the bracket.The teams placed 9th to 16th are seeded and will be at home in the second leg.First legs: Feb. 11-12, 2025
Second legs: Feb. 18-19, 2025After the knockout playoff round draw, the teams who finish inside the top eight will still have four possible opponents.For instance, fifth (Inter) and sixth (AC Milan) would still be able to play any of 11th, 12th, 21st and 22nd.Once the knockout playoff round is complete, the teams in fifth and sixth would have two possible opponents remaining, the winners of those ties.The round of 16 draw then takes place on Friday, Feb. 21, when fifth and sixth would be drawn into opposite halves of the bracket -- which would create a fixture against a winner of a knockout playoff round tie.The teams placed 1st to 8th are seeded and will be at home in the second leg.First legs: March 4-5, 2025
Second legs: March 11-12, 2025The knockout bracket is now set. There is one more draw, straight after the round of 16 draw, to determine the home teams in the second leg for the quarterfinals and semifinals.

How teams can qualify for Champions League knockout rounds

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City have one "last chance" to salvage their Champions League campaign after a 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain left the 2023 European champions facing a humiliating early exit from the competition.Despite taking a 2-0 lead early in the second half with goals from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland, City surrendered their advantage and ended up losing convincingly at the Parc des Princes.The loss means that City must now beat Club Brugge at the Etihad next Wednesday to reach the playoff round. Anything other than a victory will see City eliminated.But after seeing his team outplayed by PSG, Guardiola had no complaints about the result or City's fate."We have a last chance against Brugge and if we don't go through it's because we don't deserve it," Guardiola told reporters. "We have to recover against Chelsea in our next game and just move forward."Tonight, they [PSG] were better. Congratulate PSG and accept it. The law of football is like that -- how intense and aggressive they were in key positions. You have to recover players and do it better."Their players suffered and they were better. They were better in the duels and we found our moment with 0-2 for the goal, but the first half they had two clear chances."City surrendered a winning position for the ninth time this season and the defeat was their third successive away loss in the Champions League having previously gone 12 games on the road without a loss in the competition.And Guardiola said he felt City's defeat was due to being unable to dominate the game in midfield against PSG's energetic unit."When they had the ball, they dropped, but we created problems," Guardiola said. "After 2-0 and especially 1-2 we could not play. You have to play with the ball and they were better."They had an extra man in the middle with the false nine and it was difficult. They were better. They had one more player in the middle and we expected with the buildup and to have more aggression. but they jumped back and squeezed really well and we could not make the process. The connection with Bernardo [Silva] and Kova [Mateo Kovacic] was not possible or not good and we could not make the process."Guardiola said Manchester City could not "cope with" PSG in the transition game."We had to defend with the ball and it's impossible to play well," he said. "PSG played better in their games and couldn't win. Today they were able to. In the big stages, the big teams, we struggle. We have to accept it. Recover and go to Chelsea. We have to recover our game."

Pep Guardiola: Man City have one 'last chance' to avoid UCL exit

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt another injury blow, with Ange Postecoglou confirming Pape Matar Sarr will miss the side's Europa League trip to Hoffenheim on Thursday.The under-pressure head coach is dealing with an injury crisis at Spurs, with key first team players including Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke all unavailable for selection.Postecoglou said Sarr sustained an injury in Tottenham's 3-2 defeat to Everton last Sunday. Sarr's absence means Postecoglou will be without 14 first-team players for the midweek match in Germany. However, the Spurs boss is hopeful Sarr and Yves Bissouma will be available for his side's Premier League clash against Leicester on Sunday."Pape has a slight knock from the weekend, so he's out," Postecoglou told a news conference. "He tried to train [today] but he's still a bit sore from the weekend. We're hoping it's not something that will keep him out for too long, he has a chance for the weekend, but the turnaround was too quick."The Spurs boss also said it remains a possibility that the club do not sign an outfield player to bolster the squad during the ongoing January transfer window.The north London club signed 21-year-old goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague at the start of the window but have not added to their squad since then.Asked if there was a chance that Spurs would not sign any other players this month, Postecoglou said: "Yeah, potentially. The club is working hard to get some help for the players. As far as I know at the moment there's nothing imminent but things happen quickly in the last week of the window, so still hopeful."Spurs sit ninth in the Europa League table, one place outside the automatic qualification spots for the round of 16.

Tottenham's Pape Matar Sarr adds to Ange Postecoglou's injury woes

Feyenoord supporters have been banned by French authorities from travelling to Lille for next week's final UEFA Champions League group game between the two clubs.In an order published on Wednesday, France's interior ministry said there was a "real and serious risk of confrontation" between supporters of the two teams.Lille host Feyenoord on Jan. 29 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.The French authorities said Feyenoord's travels are often marred by "public order disturbances due to the violent behaviour of certain supporters or individuals claiming to be supporters of this team", and cited several examples of fan violence.Justifying its decision, the ministry added that 3,600 fans -- 500 of whom were identified as being dangerous -- had planned to travel to Lille, although only 2,600 seats had been allocated to Feyenoord."Of the 1,000 supporters who have nevertheless planned to travel without a stadium admission ticket, it is feared that some will try to force their way into the stadium," it said.

Feyenoord fans banned from Lille Champions League match

Prince William was in Monaco to watch Aston Villa in the Champions League on Tuesday, although Britain's future king could not bring luck to his beloved team.Television cameras captured the prince in the crowd as the English side fell to a 1-0 defeat against AS Monaco at Stade Louis II.Prince William -- arguably Villa's most famous fan -- was in the crowd for the team's victory over Bayern Munich earlier in the competition.The loss dealt a blow to Villa's hopes of automatic qualification for the round of 16.They are in the hunt for a top eight qualification to the knockout stages with one game to go in the league phase, although Tuesday's defeat means they must now hope results go their way.Teams finishing between ninth and 24th face a playoff to advance to the next stage.

Champions League: Prince William watches Aston Villa vs Monaco

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has said he fears his side's 1-0 defeat to AS Monaco on Tuesday may have cost them their chance to finish in the top eight of the Champions League.Villa, who are in Europe's top club competition for the first time since 1983, are close to finishing in the top eight -- which would guarantee qualication into the knockout stages -- but they now need results to fall their way after securing 13 points with one game remaining.Emery's side were spent most of Tuesday's game playing from behind after Wilfried Singo's strike in the eighth minute. It was only their second defeat in the league phase this season."It was my mistake when we played with two strikers because we lost positioning," Emery said. "We lost control of the game. We were very weak in the middle."We were horrible in set-pieces, we were horrible. We had seven corners and not one close to scoring."It was important to get three points because I think we lost the opportunity to get in the top eight. Today was the key."Villa return to action when they take West Ham United at Villa Park on Sunday before hosting Celtic in their final Champions League league phase clash on Jan. 29.

Champions League: Aston Villa boss Unai Emery rues horrible defeat

LIVERPOOL, England -- It took Mohamed Salah just 34 minutes to weigh in on a debate that had been raging for days in the build-up to Liverpool's UEFA Champions League clash with Lille.After the Egyptian's teammate Curtis Jones, during a grilling by former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, admitted that he believed Chelsea legend Eden Hazard to be the superior footballer, Salah's online critics wasted no time holding those comments up as vindication."It's a talk I've had with Mo and all the lads," Jones told TNT Sports. "As a footballer, is he better than Mo? In my opinion, yes. But who would you rather have in your team?"Certainly, Jones left the watching world in no doubt about which of the forwards he would rather share a pitch with on Tuesday night, celebrating feverishly with Salah after teeing him up to score the opener in a 2-1 win which guaranteed Liverpool will progress automatically to the last 16 of the Champions League.Salah's goal -- an exquisite finish after a lovely through-ball from Jones -- was a rare moment of quality in a first half which took some time to spark into life.The Lille fans arrived at Anfield in fine voice, whirling scarves and setting off flares in the away end as their team prepared to take on the Premier League leaders. Bruno Genesio's side were unbeaten in 21 games ahead of their clash with Liverpool, and it was easy to see why as they frustrated their hosts in the opening exchanges on Merseyside.But few teams in world football can suppress Salah at the moment, and so it proved when the Egyptian tucked the ball past Lucas Chevalier to register his 50th European goal for Liverpool. It was yet another milestone in a season that has been littered with them for the 32-year-old, who marked the achievement by perching on the advertising hoardings in front of the Anfield Road Stand and basking in the adulation of his supporters and teammates alike.Salah could have had a hat trick, such was the scale of the threat he posed to the Ligue 1 side for much of the match. The Egypt international looked destined to score when he raced onto a superb pass from the industrious Luis Díaz on the stroke of half-time, holding off his man brilliantly before sending an effort trickling just wide of the post.In the second half, too, Salah delighted in tormenting the Lille defence, curling another shot narrowly wide and forcing a fine save from Chevalier. But it was substitute Harvey Elliott -- a player who has, at times, been viewed as Salah's protegee since his arrival from Fulham in 2019 -- who scored Liverpool's second of the night, restoring the hosts' lead after Jonathan David had brought Lille level in the 62nd minute.It was an equaliser that had arrived against the run of play, just minutes after Lille had been reduced to 10 men after Aïssa Mandi picked up a second yellow card for a cynical challenge on Diaz. For that very reason, it felt like it would only be a matter of time before Liverpool got their noses back in front, and their dominance was rewarded when Elliott's strike rippled the back of the net after taking a wicked deflection off the foot of Ngal'Ayel Mukau.While Slot will surely have been frustrated to see his team concede, Liverpool's defensive strength in the Champions League this season is evidenced by the fact they set a new club record on Tuesday night for the most minutes without conceding a goal in Europe, beating the 572 set under Rafael Benitez in the 2005-06 edition of the competition.The victory also saw Liverpool equal their best ever sequence of seven wins in a row in the Champions League era, having won their opening seven matches of the 2021-22 campaign. Pair that with the fact Slot's side are six points clear at the top of the Premier League, and still in both domestic cup competitions, and it is hard to overstate the magnitude of the Dutchman's achievements since he replaced Jurgen Klopp in the dugout last summer.Of course, every scintillating Salah performance serves as an ominous reminder that his days at Liverpool are -- at least for now -- numbered. The forward, alongside teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, is out of contract in the summer and while he has made no secret of his affinity with the Anfield club and its fans, the prospect of a future without him continues to loom large on Merseyside."Special I think is the word that describes Mo's performances at this club the best," Slot said after the game. "He has been outstanding for this club for so many years."Indeed, with every passing week, Salah's continued importance to this team becomes clearer. Debate over where he ranks among the world's elite forwards will persist, but there can be no denying that Liverpool would be wise to ensure that he commits his future to Slot's side sooner rather than later.

Salah's UCL exploits leave little doubt about his quality

Diego Simeone said Julián Álvarez is destined to end up "in a special place" with Atlético Madrid after scoring twice -- including a 90th minute winner -- in their 2-1 comeback win over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.Atlético were up against it after midfielder Pablo Barrios was sent off in the 25th minute at the Metropolitano, and then Piero Hincapié put visitors Leverkusen 1-0 up before half-time.Álvarez levelled, Hincapié was sent off himself and then kept a cool head to finish late on, to leave Atlético third in the Champions League table, with 15 points from seven games."When we were thinking about [signing] Julian, this is what we got excited about," Simeone told Movistar. "He's got incredible experience. He's a player with a present, and an even better future."Let's hope we can help him as a team, and he can keep having the humility he has to be able to keep running, working and fighting for everything, because I have no doubt that as the years go by, it will leave him in a special place at this club."Atlético have pulled off some dramatic wins in this season's Champions League so far, beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in November and now besting much-fancied Leverkusen. They visit RB Salzburg in their last league phase game with a strong chance of making the top eight."It's a game that will be remembered by the people that saw it," Simeone said on Tuesday. "They were better in the first half. They didn't let us get the ball. One team played, and the other didn't get into the game."What happened in the second half isn't a coincidence, the team has done it in other games. We equalised, they had the sending off, we felt we could win it. We took the chance we had, and won an emotional Champions League game. It's a beautiful moment for the fans."Álvarez admitted the game was the highlight of his Atlético career so far, since joining from Manchester City last summer."Probably yes, with everything that happened, going down to ten men early, conceding," Álvarez told Movistar. "It was difficult. But we played our game, the team grew, we levelled, and with ten versus ten, we saw we had the chance to win."They're three very important points, and they'll help us keep believing in what we're doing.""Julian equalised out of nothing," Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said. "It's not just about football, it's about maturity. We have to improve if we want to compete."

Atlético Madrid's Álvarez destined for 'special' future - Simeone

Match winner Raphinha said Benfica insults sparked a scuffle in the tunnel after his stoppage-time goal earned Barcelona a remarkable 5-4 comeback win at the Estádio da Luz in the Champions League on Tuesday.Raphinha's 96th-minute strike was just one part of a sensational ending in the pouring Lisbon rain, with Benfica coach Bruno Lage then dressing his players down on the pitch at full time after they had led 3-1 and 4-2.The drama continued as the players headed down the tunnel, with Raphinha at the center of the commotion as both teams clashed."I'm someone who respects everyone," Raphinha, who previously played for Benfica's rivals Sporting CP, told reporters after the game. "When I was leaving the pitch, people were insulting me. I returned the insults. I know I shouldn't. It got heated with the Benfica players ... they preferred to insult me."I'm someone who doesn't let anything lie. I respect them if they respect me, but I don't shut up if they insult me. It's normal after an ending like that to a match."A barely believable night had preceded those events, with Raphinha saying he's in the best form of his career after scoring twice as Barça made it six successive wins in the Champions League to book their passage directly to the round of 16.Raphinha's winner was his eighth in Europe this season -- only bettered by teammate Robert Lewandowski's nine -- and took his tally in all competitions for the campaign to a career-high 22."I think I am in the best moment of my career, yes," the Brazilian international added. "We knew it would be hard here, we knew how good they were, especially playing in front of their fans, their players individually and as a team, but what matters is that we knew to keep our focus during the entire game."We had the mindset that we could turn the game around after the break, scoring a second to get back into the game and we managed to do it in the end. We never gave up and grabbed a win."Benfica had earlier taken advantage of several Barça mistakes to lead 3-1 at half-time courtesy of a hat trick from Vangelis Pavlidis.The Greece international opened the scoring in the second minute and completed his treble inside half an hour after Lewandowski had briefly levelled from the penalty spot.Pavlidis rolled his second goal into an empty net after goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny had taken out his own defender, Alejandro Balde, when coming for the ball.He then completed his hat trick with a penalty after Szczęsny fouled Kerem Aktürkoğlu."It was a crazy game," Barça coach Hansi Flick said in a news conference. "Benfica did really well, especially in the first half, but we made a lot of mistakes. We didn't defend very good."It's important we speak about this. The next opponents will look at this match and we have to make it better. We will do that."At half-time we said we wanted to change something; we need better positioning. And we said we want to come back."Another goalkeeping error gave Barça a route back into the game, with Anatoliy Trubin's drilled pass ricocheting off Raphinha's head 20 yards out and rebounding back into the goal.A Ronald Araújo own goal looked to have sealed the points for Benfica, but a second Lewandowski penalty and an Eric García header inside the final 12 minutes set up a grandstand finish as both sides went all out for the win.Szczęsny made a super save from Ángel Di María and minutes later, as Benfica appealed for a penalty, Raphinha was sent through at the other end to seal the win."The best thing is the mentality of the team in the second half, they always believe in themselves," Flick added. "It's unbelievable. I was happy with one point, but with three it's much better. It was a great finish. We invest a lot in the second half, we create more chances and we deserved it."The victory means Barça have booked their place in the round of 16 with a game to spare, at home to Italian side Atalanta next week.Therefore, they dodge two extra fixtures in February, when teams that finish between 9th and 24th will take place in a two-legged knockout tie for a place in the round of 16."Reaching directly the final 16, this will help us a lot for the rest of the season, I am 100% sure about that," Flick said. "The most important thing is we need time to train. This is very important. You can see in the match we are making mistakes, but there is no opportunity to train things in the two days or one day we have."It's all about recovery, getting back the energy and to be fit for match day. For the players it's really tough."

Barcelona's Raphinha hits back at Benfica 'insults' after win

Welcome to Matchday 7 of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League season! Europe's premier club competition returns in its new format with nine matches across the continent on Tuesday, providing exciting matchups, top talent and drama.Enjoy the play-by-play from all the games as Liverpool host Lille, Benfica take on Barcelona, and Atlético Madrid face Bayer Leverkusen.

Champions League as it happened: Raphinha winner in goal-fest

Manchester City's defence will be strengthened by the return of John Stones, manager Pep Guardiola said, as they get ready to resume their Champions League campaign at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.Two wins from six matches have left the 2023 winners in 22nd place in the Champions League table with eight points. However, Guardiola is confident his side can put their struggles over the last two months behind them with Stones, Rúben Dias and others coming back into the fold.The 30-year-old Stones, who has been struggling with a foot injury since early November, last played in their 2-1 league loss at Aston Villa in December, where he was forced off at half-time.Stones had scored three goals in 12 appearances prior to being sidelined.Fellow defender Dias, who had missed five league games with injury played the full 90 minutes in their 6-0 thrashing of Ipswich Town on Sunday and is also fit."Ruben is back, John is back, and the people up front, they are coming back as well. Thanks for that, now game by game, let's see what happens," Guardiola told reporters on Tuesday.With two matches still remaining in the new league phase, City are looking to claw their way up the table. The top eight teams qualify automatically for the last 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th will compete in two-legged knockout playoffs to secure their spot in the last 16."Step by step the players are coming back and hopefully we can be there in the Premier League and qualify here. Today John came back to the team, that is incredibly good news for us," Guardiola said."We can add to the position that we struggled a lot all season. We could not find our rhythm and the guys who have been with us, I could not demand (a faster return) from them as there was a fear of being injured.""We could not sustain the intensity that has defined in the past nine years but now hopefully we (can) do it. Now comes the toughest period of the season... the challenge is there, and we go for it."Both City and PSG have struggled in the Champions League this season, with PSG 25th on seven points. Guardiola had kind words for PSG coach Luis Enrique, who is his friend."I want from the deepest of my heart a horrible performance from PSG tomorrow, so we can beat them, but it will be 95 minutes and afterwards the relation [with Luis Enrique] will return to how it always has been," he said."Our families are really, really close. There are friendships that will be eternal, forever. I love them, I think they love us. We have an incredible connection."We are happy when we can see each other."After their trip to France, City welcome Belgian side Club Brugge on Jan. 29 on the final Champions League matchday.

Manchester City's Stones 'back' for UCL clash with PSG

A teenager has been arrested in connection with the online abuse sent to the wife of Arsenal forward Kai Havertz, police said Tuesday.Sophia Havertz had publicly shared direct messages sent to her after Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United on Jan. 12.A 17-year-old boy from St Albans, north of London, was arrested on suspicion of malicious communications, Hertfordshire Police told EasyChamp . He was released on bail.Sophia Havertz shared two posts on her Instagram story, including one where someone threatened to "slaughter" her unborn baby.Arsenal had lost on penalties to cup holder United. Germany international Havertz missed a chance from close range at the Emirates Stadium and then failed to score in the shootout.Information from EasyChamp 's Tom Chambers contributed to this report.

Teen arrested over online abuse of wife of Arsenal's Kai Havertz

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed that William Saliba will miss the Champions League clash against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday but added that he expects a quick return to action for the centre-back.Saliba missed Arsenal's draw against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday with a muscular injury that Arteta had said he was "very worried" about.But, the Spaniard's concerns have been allayed by Saliba's progress in the days since."He's evolving really well," Arteta said in a news conference on Tuesday."The last few days he was feeling much better already but this game comes a little bit too early for him."Saliba's relatively short period on the sidelines will be come as a relief to Arteta, whose side have been ravaged by injury this season. Club captain Martin Ødegaard missed a majority of the first half of the season with an ankle injury, while Ben White, Bukayo Saka, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Jesus all remain long-term absentees.That injury report means the return of Ethan Nwaneri and Riccardo Calafiori to training comes as a welcome respite."Very positive news. We missed them for a few weeks and they returned today for training. They will be available for the game," Arteta said of the duo, who picked up injuries against Brighton at the start of the year.

Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb: William Saliba to miss UCL clash

Tamworth player Chris Wreh made himself unavailable for his team's match against Boldmere St Michaels on Tuesday after he expressed his disappointment at the club's response to the racist abuse he suffered following their FA Cup defeat to Tottenham.Tamworth, who compete in the National League, held Spurs to 0-0 at full-time, before the Premier League club went on to win 3-0 after extra-time.After the match, Wreh posted a screenshot of abuse he received on social media."After an amazing day today, this is the last thing I expected to see when I opened Instagram. Nevertheless, thank you for all the support today. Fans were unreal," Wreh said.The 28-year-old posted an update on Tuesday and confirmed the police were investigating the matter, and that he would not play for Tamworth in their match on Tuesday due to their response to the abuse."Unfortunately, I will not be available for this evening's game," Wreh said."While I have the utmost respect for my manager [Andy Peaks], who has supported me throughout this issue, I am disappointed that the club has not publicly supported me yet, which has left me feeling confused and disappointed."To date, I have received only one call from an official at the club, more than 36 hours after the incident. At no point was I asked if I was okay, instead I was informed that the silence was due to the desire to keep the matter internal."I cannot agree with or condone this approach."If these incidents are kept 'in-house,' they will never be addressed. I hope everyone understands my reasons for speaking out."EasyChamp has approached Tamworth for comment.The club issued a statement on Wednesday, which read: "We are aware of racist abuse that was sent via direct messenger on social media to our player Chris Wreh after the F.A. Cup match between Tamworth Football Club and Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 12th January 2025."Club officials are continuing to liaise with our Dedicated Football Officer and other policing partners to assist with their initial enquiries."Representing the Club, Andy Peaks First Team Manger has been and continues to be in communication with Chris throughout this deplorable racial posting which has been recognised by Chris."We will continue to support Chris with the extensive work that's going on behind the scenes to bring the person responsible to justice."Tamworth Football Club and its management have and will always support it's players against any sign of racism or discrimination so all players have trust within the club, for which they have all played a major role in the clubs rapid growth, and recent FA cup run."Racist abuse will never be tolerated and will be thoroughly investigated."

Tamworth's Chris Wreh racially abused after Spurs loss, refuses to play

Premier League leaders Liverpool will travel to the Championship's bottom club Plymouth Argyle in the fourth round of the FA Cup, with Leyton Orient or Derby County drawn to face Manchester City.Plymouth are sure to be enthused by the prospect of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk lining up at Home Park after the second-tier club dispatched Brentford 1-0 in the third round on Saturday.Whether City face in-form League One side Orient or mid-table Championship outfit Derby, they will likely provide sterner opposition than Salford City who were beaten 8-0 by Pep Guardiola's men on Saturday.After beating Arsenal on penalties in a hectic third-round tie on Sunday, FA Cup holders Manchester United were rewarded with an opportunity to face Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City. The former United striker was in charge at Old Trafford on an interim basis earlier this season.Elsewhere, Brighton & Hove Albion will play Chelsea, Everton take on Bournemouth and Aston Villa host Tottenham Hotspur in three tough clashes between Premier League teams.Newcastle United face a tricky-looking trip to League One leaders Birmingham City, while Fulham must travel to face either Mansfield Town or Wigan Athletic.Remaining third round matches take place on Monday and Tuesday. The fourth round will be played Feb. 7-10.Manchester United vs. Leicester CityLeeds United vs. Millwall or Dagenham & RedbridgeBrighton & Hove Albion vs. ChelseaPreston North End vs. Wycombe WanderersExeter City vs. Nottingham ForestCoventry City vs. Ipswich TownBlackburn Rovers vs. Wolverhampton WanderersWigan Athletic vs. FulhamBirmingham City vs. Newcastle UnitedPlymouth Argyle vs. LiverpoolEverton vs. BournemouthAston Villa vs. Tottenham HotspurSouthampton vs. BurnleyLeyton Orient vs. Manchester CityDoncaster Rovers vs. Crystal PalaceStoke City vs. Cardiff City