Category sport-news

In their surprise Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, Pep Guardiola accused his much-changed Manchester City team of “playing safe.”

The German side won 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday after the City manager made ten changes to his starting lineup.

Following last week’s Premier League defeat at Newcastle, Guardiola felt his players were too cautious.

He said, “We didn’t try,” in reference to the Leverkusen defeat. We didn’t try in football because you have to try things when you play on the green.

He continued, “I believe they played not to make mistakes, not to play to accomplish something because it’s so challenging. They played in a safe environment, so you have to play offensive and try.

Guardiola’s team faces struggling Leeds on Saturday, suggesting that the Leverkusen debutants had lost their self-assurance.

He said, “I have a lot of confidence in them, but I still have a lot right now.” “I value what they do as football players a lot more than what they do themselves,” he said.

Rodri is still out for the Leeds game, but Guardiola has confirmed that the Spanish international will be back soon.

In the Premier League, Guardiola’s men are currently third, seven points clear of Arsenal.

As his team prepares for Sunday’s game at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta claims second-placed Chelsea “fully deserve” to be regarded as Premier League title contenders.

After 12 games this year, Arteta’s men are six points clear of second-placed Blues.

After winning 4-1 against arch-rivals Tottenham and 3-1 defeating German giants Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the pair are now in good spirits.

Following three straight victories in the league and a thumping 3-0 victory over Barcelona on Tuesday, Chelsea’s tails are also up.

Chelsea’s youngster, under the leadership of Enzo Maresca, are still viewed as outsiders who want to win the Premier League.

Arteta, who won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup last year, does not, however, undervalue his opponents.

He told reporters on Friday, “I believe we are all there, and they (Chelsea) are there because they fully deserve to be.”

“What they have done over the past few years, I believe, is very, very positive and they deserve to be there,” he said. “The squad that they assembled, the numbers that they have, the quality that they have, the number of coaches they have, make sense.”

The former midfielder from Spain and Arsenal said he found watching Chelsea to be one of his favorite teams.

They are very clear about their goals, he said, and that is why they are very tough because of that. They have a lot of fluidity, a lot of threat, a lot of individual talent, and a lot of individual talent.

“It’s a big game, a big London derby, obviously.” We’re going to face a formidable adversary. We are fully prepared for it because they are in excellent form, and we are aware of the challenge and opportunity we have on Sunday.

Manager Ruben Amorim stated on Friday that Matheus Cunha will remain sidelined as Manchester United attempts to recover from a “really tough” week.

United ended a five-game unbeaten run that had raised the spirits at Old Trafford on Monday when they fell to 10-man Everton at home.

Cunha’s injury forced the Brazil forward to miss out on the team, which added to Benjamin Sesko’s knee injury and made him unavailable.

Both players will miss Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace, where Maguire, a veteran defender, will once more miss out.

According to United boss Amorim, “Sesko will take a little longer.” The same Harry. I’m not anticipating Matheus in this one, but the next one (on Thursday against West Ham). ”

United, who have lost their previous four Premier League games against Palace, have dealt a major blow with the absence of Cunha and Sesko.

After Idrissa Gana Gueye slapped teammate Michael Keane at home on Monday, Amorim’s side needs to get in the mood.

Amorim said, “The week was really tough, as it should be.” The process needs to continue, and we must move on to the next game, despite the difficult result and defeat.

Everything can change very quickly, especially in our league this year, so let’s go again and concentrate on the coming one. ”

United are aiming for their second straight home victory against a Palace side that has lost all 12 of their Premier League matches.

In both of their matches earlier this month, Amorim’s men blew leads over Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, drawing 2-2.

The Portuguese, who are 10th in the Premier League, said, “It’s hard to pinpoint one thing why we are not winning away.”

There are numerous issues. We are getting better, but we need to know how to win the games. ”

Iran will not play in the World Cup finals in Washington on Friday because the United States refused to grant visas to several delegation members, according to the Iranian football federation.

The Iranian delegation’s representatives informed FIFA that the decisions made were unrelated to sports and that they would not play in the World Cup draw, according to the federation’s spokesperson.

After a few frustrating nights in the Champions League, spanish champions Barcelona and current league leaders Real Madrid are looking to rekindle their resolve this weekend in La Liga.

The top two teams aim to defeat Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, who are currently in the lead, on Saturday when Barcelona hosts Alaves, while Madrid travel to Girona on Sunday.

Real Madrid’s defense wobbled alarmingly in also conceding three against Greek side Olympiacos, despite being able to claim a 4-3 victory thanks to four goals from Kylian Mbappe, while Barcelona suffered a morale-crushing 3-0 defeat by Chelsea on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge.

Hansi Flick, a coach for Barca, was perplexed and looking for some hope after the humiliating defeat in London.

“I notice the intensity, quality, and intensity of our training. He told reporters that it is “absolutely different” from what it was six weeks ago.

“Players are returning, enhancing the level of training.” I feel optimistic and have a good feeling about that.

For the first time in 2025, Flick’s Barca didn’t score a goal in the Chelsea defeat.

Raphinha has started a few substitute games since returning from injury, and Alaves may get a bigger role when they travel to the newly reopened Camp Nou.

“You can see I’m happy that Raphinha is back, and Pedri will follow soon from injury, as you can see,” said Flick.

A 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao last Saturday would help Barca’s first Camp Nou game in two and a half years, and a similar performance against Alaves would help patch up some gaps in the near future.

After losing points in both of their previous league games, including last weekend’s clash with promoted Elche, it would provably bring the champions of last season back to the top of La Liga.

After that disappointing 2-2 draw and 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano before the November international break, Alonso’s team now leads Barca at the top by one point.

After a subpar campaign start, Girona are 18th.

Real’s victory in Athens on Wednesday ended a three-game losing streak across all competitions thanks to superstar French striker Mbappe’s heroic run.

Alonso argued that a win was crucial for the team to regain its winning formula at Montilivi, which he hopes they can continue to build on.

Some Spanish reports suggest that the coach’s players, including winger Vinicius Junior, do not support him, which has raised questions about him.

The season will be long and demanding, the group says. “We are all united. There will be many different situations, but Alonso argued that the key is unity: having confidence in one another.

Watch out for Mikel Oyarzabal.

Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad forward, has been in excellent form recently, helping his team to rise to the top of the table after a poor start, and claiming to start as Spain’s starting striker at the World Cup in 2014. Villarreal’s top flight leader will make a Sunday appearance in San Sebastian to increase his La Real’s three goals and two assists in his previous four La Liga games.

Important statistics

Atletico Madrid has 12 league matches that are unbeaten.

Barcelona scored 53 games in a row before losing 3-0 to Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Alvaro Carreras, a Real Madrid defender, has 1125 touches on the ball, more than any other player in the league this season.

Fixtures

Friday (all times GMT)

Getafe v Elche (2000)

Saturday

Mallorca v Osasuna (1300), Barcelona v Alaves (1515), Levante v Athletic Bilbao (1730), Atletico Madrid v Real Oviedo (2000)

Sunday

Real Sociedad v Villarreal (1300), Sevilla v Real Betis (1515), Celta Vigo v Espanyol (1730), Girona v Real Madrid (2000)

Monday

Rayo Vallecano v. Valencia (2000)

As Liverpool prepares for a challenging-looking game at West Ham this weekend, have they reached rock bottom or have they continued to fall?

There are no indications that Arne Slot is getting a grip on the situation, which the Premier League champions have lost six of their previous seven league games.

In stark contrast, second-placed Chelsea hosts vigorous leaders who demonstrate a team’s readiness to end its two-decade title drought.

In order to prepare for this weekend’s action, AFP Sport examines three points:

The crisis in Liverpool gets worse.

By the standards of one of the biggest clubs in the world, Liverpool have lost nine of their past twelve games in all competitions.

The pressure is mounting on Liverpool manager Arne Slot just months after his reign as the club’s 20th English league champion as they approach their worst run of form in more than 70 years.

After being humiliating 4-1 by PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, the Dutchman admitted to not having well-adjusted.

Liverpool are unable to take their chances and fail to stop defensive errors.

This season, they have conceded 34 goals in all competitions, compared to no other Premier League team.

The Hammers have been rejuvenated since Nuno Espirito Santo took over from Graham Potter in September, so Sunday’s trip to West Ham is a difficult one.

However, Liverpool, who sits only 12th in the league, is just three points clear of Aston Villa in fourth place despite their horrifying run of form.

Arsenal have depth

Arsenal are displaying signs that this season could be special, both at the top of the Premier League and in the Champions League.

The Gunners have a 76% chance of winning the Premier League since 2004, when Arsene Wenger was in charge, according to analysts Opta.

After winning 3-1 on Wednesday in the Champions League against German giants Bayern Munich, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta kept his focus on Sunday’s game at Chelsea.

The Gunners’ impressive strength was fully demonstrated in Wednesday’s victory over Bayern, which is now six-time European champions.

Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli scored two goals in the substitutes’ matches, but Arsenal still lacks several first-team players, including Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Viktor Gyokeres.

Areta, whose team leads Chelsea by six points, says he is satisfied with the resources at his disposal.

He said, “I look at the players who are entering and they can change the game.”

“We certainly have improved that, not only with the players coming in, but also with the players’ mindset,” he said.

Villa is moving forward.

Unai Emery’s managerial style has led to a dramatic turnaround after Aston Villa failed to win any of their first five Premier League games.

Villa could move up to second place in the table if the results come out against them this weekend when they face struggling Wolves.

Villa’s first four league games saw them score just one goal, but a run of six wins in seven has propelled them into the top four.

Emery’s team hasn’t been scoring crates of chances, but it’s interesting that eight of their 15 Premier League goals have so far come from outside the penalty area.

Rob Edwards, the team’s new manager, won’t be happy visiting Villa because they haven’t lost at home since August.

The Midlands side are already nine points clear of safety after collecting just two points from their 12 games so far.

Fixtures

Saturday (unless otherwise specified) 1500 GMT

Brentford face Burnley, Manchester City face Leeds, Sunderland face Bournemouth, Everton face Newcastle in 1730, and Tottenham face Fulham at the same time.

Sunday (1405 unless stated)

Crystal Palace face Manchester United at the stadium (1200), Wolves at Aston Villa at the club, Brighton at West Ham at the club, and Chelsea at Arsenal at the stadium (1630).