Archive January 30, 2026

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says Jeremie Frimpong will miss “a few weeks” with a groin injury – a better outcome than the club had feared.

The versatile defender had to be substituted after four minutes of the 6-0 win over Qarabag on Wednesday.

The injury means the Reds have no recognised right-backs available to face Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.

“He [Frimpong] will definitely not be in the squad tomorrow,” Slot said.

“He is out for a few weeks, but [it’s] not as bad as we thought, so something positive from something not so positive.”

Frimpong, 25, who signed for the Reds in May, suffered a hamstring injury earlier this season and missed several weeks.

Conor Bradley has already been ruled out for rest of the season after suffering a significant knee injury, involving damage to bone and ligament.

Another regular right-back option, Joe Gomez, will also miss the game against Newcastle after a recent knock, but Slot expects him back soon.

Fire versus ice – a contrasting match-up of personalities that tennis knows all too well.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka will provide the demonstrative energy in Saturday’s Australian Open final, while fifth seed Elena Rybakina will offer clinical composure from the other side of the net.

What both players are certain to bring, however, is plenty of explosive power.

Given the pair are two of the biggest ball-strikers on the WTA Tour – and lethal with their serves – it will be fascinating to see whose game breaks down first in what should be an intense contest.

Sabalenka has won two of her four Grand Slam singles titles in Melbourne and, given that pedigree, is the favourite to triumph again.

The 27-year-old Belarusian thrives on Australian hard courts, using the quicker surface to puncture holes through even the most stoic of defensive players.

The manner in which Sabalenka hit Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina off the court in the semi-finals was testament to that.

However, finding a way past Rybakina might require a more subtle approach.

Working on the variety of her game – coming forward to the net and showing more deftness – has been a key focus for Sabalenka.

“Her shots are heavy, deep, flat balls. It’s not easy to work with,” Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka has found a solution, though, having won eight of their 14 previous meetings – including the 2023 Australian Open final where she claimed her maiden Grand Slam title.

“Sabalenka has a bit more firepower which can force Rybakina into some areas she doesn’t want to be in – but there isn’t much in it,” said 1987 Wimbledon champion and BBC Radio 5 live analyst Pat Cash.

“It’ll be interesting to see how they handle each other’s pace.”

Sabalenka has reached her seventh consecutive final at a hard-court major, becoming only third woman in the Open era to achieve that feat after Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis.

Sabalenka has also contested the Australian Open final in each of the past four years and her consistency in reaching the latter stages at Grand Slams is unparalleled among the current crop.

Yet there remains a feeling that Sabalenka has not converted as many of those runs into major trophies as she should have, given her dominance on the WTA Tour.

“I would say that last year was lots of lessons, lots of things to learn about myself, and definitely not gonna happen again this season,” said Sabalenka, who lost in the Australian Open and French Open finals in 2025.

“It’s a different mentality that I will try to have in each final that I play.

Rybakina – not entirely surprisingly given her understated personality – regularly flies under the radar.

But the 26-year-old from Kazakhstan has reminded everyone about her capabilities throughout this fortnight.

Winning the 2022 Wimbledon title showed how high her ceiling can be, but she has not reached the same heights since.

Saturday will be her first Grand Slam final since losing to Sabalenka here three years ago.

Her inconsistency at the majors when compared to Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff may also be why Rybakina is less visible.

But, having increased her level from the back of the court this fortnight to reach the final, she is back in the spotlight.

“The serve quite often might not work as much as I want and you need to be ready with other aspects of your game,” she said.

Despite her reservations about the quality of her opening shot, Rybakina has still won 86% of her service games – a tournament high and just ahead of Sabalenka’s 84%.

She has also fired down 41 aces. No other player in the women’s draw has managed over 30.

Using her power from the baseline effectively marks Rybakina out as a dominant front-runner.

She has won her past 23 matches after winning the first set – and you feel she will have to do the same against Sabalenka.

Staying aggressive and not getting tight in the crucial moments will be crucial.

“When you’re pushing the forehand it is not effective – you need to continue going for it and it’ll click,” Cash added.

Arsenal teenager Max Dowman has committed his future to the Premier League leaders by signing a pre-contract agreement.

The Gunners say this will lead to the 16-year-old England youth international signing professional terms when he turns 17 on 31 December.

Dowman, who can play on the wing or as an attacking midfielder, had emerged as one of the most sought-after young players in European football but will be staying in north London.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said Dowman is one of the best young talents he has seen with an apparent comparison to Lionel Messi.

“Certainly one of the best,” said Arteta. “What he’s done with us at the age of 15.

“Me personally, I haven’t seen it before. Only with a guy who used to play in Barcelona, but maybe not even that. He certainly has not only that – he has a certain charisma as well and personality that he doesn’t get overwhelmed, whether it’s by the situation, or the stadium or the opposition, and that’s a huge quality to have.”

Dowman, who joined the Arsenal academy when he was eight, added: “I’ve been at the club my whole life, so this really means a lot.

“There’s such a clear pathway here, players who have come through our academy, like Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, who all really inspire me.

“It’s amazing to have role models so close that have experienced the same thing that I have.”

Dowman’s contract will see him become a scholar from the summer before transitioning to a professional deal.

At 15 years and 234 days, Dowman became the second-youngest player to represent the Gunners and the second-youngest to play in the Premier League – with team-mate Nwaneri, currently on loan at Marseille, holding both records.

In November, he became the youngest player to feature in a Champions League game when he made a substitute appearance in the 3-0 win at Slavia Prague.

Benfica will face Real Madrid in the Champions League play-offs just three weeks after their dramatic league phase encounter.

On Wednesday, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s 98th-minute goal earned Jose Mourinho’s side a 4-2 win against the Spanish giants.

Newcastle will play Qarabag after finishing the league phase in 12th place, while defending champions Paris St-Germain, who finished 11th, will face Ligue 1 rivals Monaco.

The two-legged play-offs are for teams who finished between 9th and 24th in the league phase and the first games will take place on 17-18 February, with the second round one week later.

Qarabag finished 22nd in the league phase after winning three, drawing one and losing four of their matches.

They were defeated 6-0 against Liverpool at Anfield in their final outing and have not beaten a Premier League team in nine previous attempts.

The Azerbaijan champions avoided defeat for the first time against an English club when drawing 2-2 with Chelsea in November.

The winner of the tie between Newcastle and Qarabag will face either Chelsea or Barcelona in the last 16.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham all finished in the top eight of the league phase and have qualified automatically for the last 16.

Bodo/Glimt v Inter Milan

Benfica v Real Madrid

Monaco v Paris St-Germain

Qarabag v Newcastle

Galatasaray v Juventus

Club Brugge v Atletico Madrid

Borussia Dortmund v Atalanta

Once the eight winners of the play-offs have been determined they progress to the last 16, where they will meet the top eight finishers from the league phase.

From this point onward the competition adopts a knockout format, with each fixture other than the final contested over two legs.

As with the play-offs, teams’ final ranking in the league phase will influence seeding in the last 16, with seeded sides – those that finished in the top eight of the league – given the advantage of playing their second fixture at home.

This is the first season that the position in which teams have placed in the league phase will also influence seeding for the quarter-final and semi-finals.

Teams finishing first to fourth at the end of the league phase will be seeded for the quarter-finals, and therefore given the second leg home advantage for their potential quarter-final tie.

The two sides who finish top and runner-up in the league will also be seeded for the semi-finals, earning them the benefit of playing the second leg of their semi-final tie at home should they reach that stage.

The dates for the knockout phase are as follows:

Last 16: 10-11 and 17-18 March

Quarter-finals: 7-8 and 14-15 April

Semi-finals: 28-29 April and 5-6 May

Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.