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After fracturing a toe, Chelsea and England’s Cole Palmer will miss two Premier League games and their Champions League clash with Barcelona next week, according to coach Enzo Maresca.

Palmer, 23, who had just returned from two months of a groin injury, was alleged to have suffered the injury at home.

He allegedly smacked his toe on a nighttime door.

Palmer will miss Saturday’s trip to Burnley, Tuesday’s home game against Barcelona, and Arsenal’s Premier League opener against the top team next weekend.

READ MORE: Guardiola Says “Season Starts Now” As Man City Hunt Arsenal

Maresca predicted that “he is probably not available for tomorrow, Barcelona, or Arsenal.”

He hit his toe at home, which was unfortunate, but it is unimportant, and he won’t be returning in the following week.

Palmer will play for England in the World Cup squad the following year after scoring twice in the club world championship final against Paris Saint-Germain in July.

As Manchester City search for an answer to Arsenal’s top Premier League title, Pep Guardiola said on Friday that the “real season begins now.”

Prior to the recent international break, City thumped champions Liverpool 3-0 after Arsenal lost at Sunderland to earn a point with a draw of 2-2. City then closed the gap on the Gunners to four points.

Prior to his side’s Saturday game against Newcastle, Guardiola was questioned about the significance of a potential reversal in momentum.

The City manager stressed that it was crucial to not allow an “impeccable” Arsenal to grow to a leadership position while also advising that the season was still young.

When we used to battle so hard against Liverpool, I once believed that we wouldn’t lose many points and that it would be difficult to catch up,” he said.

He claimed that Liverpool last season had a similar outcome, winning the league with four games left.

INCLUDE   Chebbak, beaten by Hakimi, and Ajibade to the 2025 CAF Awards

Nothing will be decided in November, according to Guardiola, who has six Premier League titles won with City.

He said there are two seasons during which the transfer window is closed in the summer and the international break is completed.

We will be (together) until March, and we will see each other every three days or four days after the international break is over. The actual season begins now.

The key is to be present, to be close, and then to arrive at the end of the season with a chance to fight for it, she said.

That is the goal, and we must succeed in the future, of course. ”

The defeat of Eddie Howe’s struggling Newcastle would leave City one point behind Arsenal, who play Tottenham in London the following day.

For the visit to St James’ Park, Guardiola will miss Mateo Kovacic and Rodri.

Kova and Rodri are the only ones who are in good health, he claimed. Rodriguez is making progress, and his most recent setback was almost three weeks away.

He is aware that it will take time for him to recover physically, mentally, and psychologically, and remain consistent until the end. ”

In the final of the intercontinental playoffs for the 2026 World Cup, the Leopards of DR Congo face Jamaica/New Caledonia.

On Sunday, DR Congo’s victory over the Super Eagles of Nigeria secured their playoff ticket.

Due to their superior ranking, Coach Sebastien Desabre’s men were chosen by the draw on Thursday in Zurich, Switzerland.

In the World Cup final between Jamaica and New Caledonia, they will face off against the winner.

There won’t be any return matches during the intercontinental playoffs, which will take place in Mexico in March 2025.

Curacao Also Makes History As The Smallest Nation to Qualify for the World Cup

As Africa’s 10th representative for an expanded 48-team World Cup, they will join the party in the US, Canada, and Mexico with a victory in that match.

Only two tickets are available for purchase, despite the fact that there will be six competing teams.

Your World Cup 26 Play-Off Tournament matchups!

Where are the two heading? pic. https://twitter.com/f/cyxcvFjnT

Inter-confederation Play-off Games for the World Cup 2026

Following Thursday’s draw in Zurich, the inter-confederation play-off results are as follows:

Semi-finals

Jamaica vs. New Caledonia

Bolivia vs. Suriname

Finals

Jamaica vs. DR Congo: New Caledonia

Bolivia/Suriname squared off against Iraq

Achraf Hakimi, the captain of Morocco, celebrated his UEFA Champions League triumph with the award on Wednesday, capping a successful campaign for his club Paris Saint-Germain.

The 27-year-old also claimed a fourth Ligue 1 title last year, as well as the French Cup and UEFA Super Cup. However, PSG fell short in the Club World Cup final as Hakimi had to settle for a medal in New York for the winner.

The right-back won the award for the first time in his career when Mohamed Salah, an Egyptian player from Liverpool, and Victor Osimhen, a Nigerian striker, defeated them.

Before thanking his family, teammates, and Morocco coach Walid Regragui, Hakimi said, “It’s really an honor for me to be here today and I’m proud to win such a prestigious trophy.”

As Morocco prepares to take the Africa Cup of Nations on December 21 after suffering a severe sprained ankle, Hakimi will play for them as they prepare to win the event for the first time since 1976.

Ghizlane Chebbak of Morocco defeated fellow countrywoman Sanaa Mssoudy and Rasheedat Ajibade to win the title of best female player on the continent.

Although her team lost to Nigeria in the final match, the Al Hilal attacker was the tournament’s top scorer this year.

The Moroccan host nation, Yassine Bounou, won the best men’s goalkeeper award, and the Moroccan under-20 World Cup-winning side was chosen as the best men’s national team.

Othmane Maamma of Morocco, age 20, won the title of best young women’s player at Watford, while Doha El Madani, age 20, and Othmane Maamma of Morocco, age 20, won the title.

After helping the country, which had a population of 525, 000, secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup, Cape Verde boss Bubista was named the men’s coach of the year.

Chiamaka Nnadozie, the reigning women’s goalkeeper of the year, won her third straight award.

Chiamaka Nnadozie, the team’s goalkeeper, won the CAF Goalkeeeper of the Year award for the third time in a row, writing her name in African football folklore. &nbsp,

Nnadozie won the CAF Awards in Morocco on Wednesday, taking home the award in 2023 and 2024, adding to her previous victories.

The Super Falcons won their 10th Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title earlier in the year by playing the Brighton goalkeeper in all of their games.

At the ceremony in Rabat, She edged Morocco’s Khadija Er-Rmichi and South African goalkeeper Andile Dlamini to win the award.

Nnadozie thanked the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), her teammates, and the support of both the national and club levels after winning the prize.

Read more about Hakimi winning African Player of the Year against Salah and Osimhen.

In the competition, she scored three goals in six games, including the semi-final victory over South Africa and the final defeat over Morocco. The 24-year-old was the tournament’s tournament goalkeeper, according to the  .

At Paris FC during the time being reviewed, Nnadozie won the Coupe de France Feminine. &nbsp,

Yassine Bounou of Morocco won the prize in the men’s category, according to &nbsp.

Nnadozie’s accolade is her most recent addition to the list of individual awards from the year. At the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony, the former Paris FC player placed fourth in the women’s category of the Yachine Trophy.

The Super Falcons’ impressive year, including winning the WAFCON, earned them the title of the Women’s National Team of the Year.

The 10-time African champions triumphed over the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco and the Black Queens of Ghana in a fierce match.

Ghizlane Chebbak of Morocco defeated fellow countrywoman Sanaa Mssoudy and Rasheedat Ajibade to win the title of best female player on the continent.

Although her team lost to Nigeria in the final match, the Al Hilal attacker was the tournament’s top scorer this year.

The development board of Rwanda’s premier league leaders announced on Wednesday that their partnership with Arsenal would end at the end of the current season.

The Visit Rwanda partnership, which was signed eight years ago, had become more and more sensitive as a result of the escalating violence in the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which is close to Rwanda.

The M23 militia, which has seized large tracts of DRC territory since it took up arms in 2021, is being alleged by the DRC to be supporting and arming Rwanda.

Despite signing a ceasefire agreement and peace framework in recent months, the conflict has claimed the lives of thousands of people and created a humanitarian crisis.

Also read: McClaren steps down after Jamaica is excluded from the World Cup.

Arsenal supporters protested the partnership’s continued existence in April, in which case the Visit Rwanda logo is displayed on the players’ jersey sleeves.

The Rwanda Development Board announced in a statement that Arsenal and the Rwanda Development Board had reached a mutual agreement to end their partnership at the end of the current season, bringing the partnership to an end.

Rwanda maintains partnerships with Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain in Europe.