LONDON: Bukayo Saka will be sidelined for another eight weeks, further worsening the injury crisis Arsenal are currently facing.
After the team confirmed they were out of Kai Havertz until the end of the season following a hamstring injury that required surgery, Saka is only expected to return in mid-April.
Although Saka appears to be undergoing a recovery process, Mikel Arteta does not want to take any risks until the player is completely fit.
Arsenal currently only have Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling and teenage player Ethan Nwaneri in attack.
Arteta’s refusal to force Saka back will see the player sidelined for a total of four months.
Arsenal previously confirmed that Havertz will need surgery after suffering an injury during a training session in Dubai last week.
Arteta, who has already lost Gabriel Jesus, will also be without Gabriel Martinelli, who will be sidelined for a month.
MANCHESTER, England: Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola could not explain another late slump as his team lost 3-2 at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League play-offs early this morning.
Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham scored late goals to erase City’s 2-1 lead, Bellingham scoring the winner in the 92nd minute at the Etihad Stadium as the mood turned from joyous to frustrated.
“We arrived at the last minute with a result and we couldn’t keep it,” Guardiola told a news conference.
“After 2-1, many games it happened, against Feyenoord in the Champions League (City led 3-0 in the 74th minute but were forced to draw 3-3), against Brentford in the Premier League, against Manchester United, many games we ended up conceding,” he said.
“Unfortunately it’s happened too often, it’s difficult.”
Erling Haaland’s two goals, including an 80th-minute penalty, saw City eye victory over the reigning champions and La Liga leaders but a clear lead means nothing to Guardiola’s side this season, who sit fifth in the Premier League.
They conceded seven goals in the last 15 minutes of Champions League action this season.
However, Guardiola said the responsibility “belongs to everyone, not just the players.”
“I have no problem accepting it. To blame a particular player, it’s ridiculous. It’s all of us, me first. Of course the players too,” he said.
“They wanted it, how they ran, how they did it, but the fact is we weren’t stable enough in that crucial moment.”
NYON: Two-time Europa League champions Porto will face two-time finalists AS Roma in the knockout play-offs after the draw took place here today.
Porto, who were champions in 2003 and 2011, last met Roma in the last 16 of the 2019 Champions League, which saw the Portuguese club record a victory.
Meanwhile, Fenerbahce from Turkey will meet Belgian club Anderlecht, while another Turkish Super League representative, Galatasaray, will face AZ Alkmaar from the Netherlands.
Ajax Amsterdam, champions in 1992, are scheduled to face Union SG, while FC Twente will face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.
The top eight teams automatically qualify for the last 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th will have to compete in a return playoff.
Two giant English Premier League clubs, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who are among the top favorites to win this tournament, have already automatically advanced to the last 16.
United and Spurs could face the winner of the clash between Midtjylland and Real Sociedad, or the winner of AZ Alkmaar’s match against Galatasaray.
Results
Europa League playoff draw
FC Twente vs Bodo/Glimt
Union SG vs Ajax Amsterdam
AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray
Ferencvaros vs Viktoria Plzen
Fenerbahce vs Anderlecht
PAOK vs Steaua Bucharest
Midtjylland vs Real Sociedad
Porto vs AS Roma
Note: The first match will be held on February 13 and the second match on February 20.
MADRID: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was delighted with Kylian Mbappe’s display as the France forward struck twice in a 4-1 win over Las Palmas that lifted the champions to the top of La Liga.
The Italian manager said he never doubted the 26-year-old’s ability to play as the main striker even though Mbappe had a slow start in Madrid since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain.
“Mbappe is the best center forward in the world, there is no doubt about his ability to play in that position.
“He is a great striker who is very good in the middle (of attack), compared to the wings, because that way he can exploit his unique runs, with speed and technique,” said Ancelotti.
After a tough week that saw Real suffer a stifling 5-2 loss to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup and a 5-2 extra-time win over Celta Vigo to reach the quarter-finals of the King of Spain’s Cup, Real were shocked with a 25-second goal by Las Palmas.
However, with Mbappe’s help, they recovered and took advantage of Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 defeat at Leganes on Saturday to return to the top of the league.
Real are now top of La Liga on 46 points, two ahead of neighbors Madrid, with Barcelona in third seven points behind after being tied 1-1 by Getafe.
JEDDAH: Barcelona came back from an early deficit to thrash Real Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Hansi Flick’s side scored four goals in the first half and saw their goalkeeper sent off as they extended their record to a 15th title in the competition.
Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Alejandro Balde found the target before the break, after French striker Kylian Mbappe put Real ahead in the fifth minute.
Raphinha completed Barca’s win in the second half as Rodrygo scored Real’s second.
It was Barcelona’s first trophy in more than a year, after failing to win any titles last season.
“The main goal of big clubs is to win titles, that’s why they work hard. But now we have to prove it in the next game.
“Real made a lot of mistakes, and we knew how to exploit them to dominate the game,” said Flick, who won his first trophy as Barcelona manager.
Barca denied Real from winning their third title of the season, after they won the European Super Cup against Atalanta and beat Mexican club Pachuca for the Intercontinental Cup last month.
“In the first half we didn’t play football, we made long passes and that wasn’t the plan.
“I told the players they can die, but not the way we played in the first half,” Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo opened his scoring account for the year 2025 with a penalty kick in a 3-1 win with Al-Nassr early this morning.
The 39-year-old veteran striker and his teammates enjoyed a winter break and returned to action in the Saudi Pro League (SPL) as they look to close the gap on league leaders Al-Ittihad.
It took only 42 minutes for the former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker to score in his first match after the break.
Their opponents Al-Akhdoud, however, surprised them by taking the lead after six minutes before Al-Nassr responded through former Liverpool winger Sadio Mane, who then scored the third goal.
After Mane’s equaliser, Al-Nassr were awarded a penalty and Ronaldo calmly finished it, putting his team in front.
The Portuguese striker fired a powerful shot into the right corner of the goal before celebrating with his teammates.
By scoring that goal, it was the 24th consecutive year that Ronaldo has scored in professional football since his first in 2002.
Ronaldo was recently reported to have asked Al-Nassr to sign Casemiro from Manchester United in what is seen as a critical factor in determining his future.
The Portuguese icon is in the final six months of his £175 million-a-year contract with the SPL club and is considering a move to another club.
He and Casemiro won 12 trophies together at Real Madrid, including four Champions Leagues and two La Ligas, while they also teamed up at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag.
RIYADH: An extra-time goal from Tammy Abraham completed AC Milan’s comeback to win the Italian Super Cup after beating Inter Milan 3-2 in Riyadh.
Inter, who led by two goals early in the game, were denied the Super Cup for the fourth time in a row, allowing Milan to equal Inter’s eight titles in the competition.
The victory at the King Saud University Stadium saw new Milan manager Serge Conceicao lift the trophy in just his second match with the Serie A club.
Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring for Inter in the first half, followed by Mehdi Taremi’s goal two minutes after the break.
Conceicao brought on Rafael Leao who won a free kick and was converted by Theo Hernandez. Christian Pulisic equalised with 10 minutes remaining.
The match looked set to be decided on penalties but Abraham surprised Inter with the winning goal in extra time.
LIVERPOOL: Fans accused Liverpool of copying Arsenal’s tactics when taking corner kicks in the win over Leicester City.
The Reds widened the gap at the top of the Premier League after coming back to beat The Foxes 3-1 at Anfield.
Observers who watched the match claimed that Arne Slot’s team’s corner kick routine resembled Arsenal’s tactics coached by Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners are considered set piece experts when they scored 22 goals from corner kicks since the start of last season.
The north London club often places players in the back row of defense and starts taking their place in front of the goal when the kick is taken.
The situation was the same as what Liverpool did when they played against Leicester, but it didn’t produce results.
One Arsenal fan wrote on page X: “Liverpool fans criticize Arsenal’s corners every day, but end up trying to imitate them and making it impossible to score.”
Meanwhile Slot urged Liverpool to use Manchester City’s decline in performance as a warning that their comfortable position at the top of the league will be lost if they are not careful.
“If you’ve been in this game for a long time, you know that when a rival has 20 games remaining, you don’t look at the league standings.
“Just a month ago we were one eye behind City and look what’s happening now.
“It can happen to any team. It’s still too early to celebrate. You were with me in all the previous games and it wasn’t an easy win.
“He showed how difficult it is to win even if you have all the players. We just need to focus on one game at a time,” said Slot.
LONDON: Arne Slot urged “extraordinary” Liverpool not to let up on their challenge after the Premier League (EPL) leaders hammered Tottenham 6-3 to move four points clear at the top of the league.
Slot considered Liverpool’s big win in north London earlier this morning as their best performance on the opposing field since he arrived from Feyenoord to replace Jurgen Klopp at the end of last season.
Mohamed Salah was the instigator of the big win with two goals and two assists, while Luis Diaz also scored two goals in addition to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Slots have won 21 of their 25 matches in all competitions this season, an impressive run that sees them well placed to win the league championship for the first time since 2020, as well as competing in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.
However, despite their impressive performance, Slot was disappointed when Liverpool scored two goals through goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke, so asked his troops to remain focused until the last minute of each match.
“He was very good. Maybe he was our best performance away from home, although I also liked what I saw at Manchester United,” said Slot, referring to the 3-0 win at Old Trafford last September.
“Until the 60th minute to the 65th minute, I was really excited by what I saw. Of course we were very trapped when we made a move from the bottom and it led to a goal for Tottenham.
“I think if we go back to the dugout with a 2-1 lead, it wouldn’t do justice to the chances we had. That’s why I’m a bit happy with the fact we blew out a 3-1 lead.
“Then 4-1, 5-1, extraordinary performances, but then you also see, no matter how high quality you have, if they think they don’t need to run any further in this league and especially against Tottenham, because they are too good with the ball, they started creating chances.”
Liverpool’s position at the top of the league at Christmas was guaranteed before kick-off when second-placed Chelsea were tied pointless by Everton.
DOHA, Qatar: Real Madrid’s success in winning the Intercontinental Cup made Carlo Ancelotti the club’s most successful manager with 15 titles won.
After beating Mexican club Pachuca 3-0 in the final at Lusail Stadium, Ancelotti overcame Miguel Munoz, whose record of 14 titles was equaled by the Italian manager when he won the European Super Cup following his victory over Atalanta in August.
“Too many (titles)! I’m heartened, very happy… it’s a story of success. Today I really liked the attitude of the players.
“In the front line, they made an impact, Vinicius Jr played brilliantly. Our attack was very good.
“We have quality. Kylian also played well, Rodrygo scored the second goal. We are very happy to win the title away from home and in the middle of a busy season,” said Ancelotti.
The 65 year old Italian is one of the most successful managers in the world of football.
When he was offered to return to Madrid three years ago to replace Zinedine Zidane, he realized that his main mission was to add to the giant Spanish club’s championship collection.
Ancelotti became the first manager to win titles in Europe’s top five leagues – England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France – and guided Real to the La Liga and European Champions League double twice in three seasons.
Ancelotti’s trophy collection with Real Madrid is three European Champions League titles, two Club World Cups, three European Super Cups, two La Ligas, two Spanish Cups, two Spanish Super Cups and one Intercontinental Cup.