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After a string of defeats in their last seven games that plunged the Premier League champions into crisis, Liverpool manager Arne Slot warned his team not to make it a habit to lose games they should win.

Prior to Aston Villa’s Saturday trip to Anfield, the Reds have lost their last four league games, and they also lost to Crystal Palace in midweek.

After facing criticism for his 3-0 defeat to the Eagles, Slot again defended the need to rest his key players after a string of injury issues in the first half of the season.

Ryan Gravenberch is only just starting to recover from an ankle injury, while Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong, and Alisson Becker are all still sidelined.

Slot was watching Villa’s impressive visit, Real Madrid’s Champions League trip to Anfield on Tuesday, and Liverpool’s clash with Manchester City on Sunday.

At his pre-game press conference on Friday, Slot stated, “It has nothing to do with the squad depth; it has rather how we have handled the injuries and availability throughout the season.”

Simply put, the situation is as it is. I have to take care of a few of the players, and that is why I made the decision not to play. However, there are still more than enough good players available to play the game on Saturday, the game on Tuesday, and the game on Sunday. ”

Also, read: Liverpool’s crisis worsens after Palace loses to the League Cup.

Villa fell 12 points clear of Liverpool after five games of the Premier League campaign.

However, the two teams only meet this weekend because Unai Emery’s men are in top form just as Liverpool’s losing streak began.

Villa served as a primer for his team on how quickly things can change and how the Premier League can perform as a whole.

Only three points separate second-placed Bournemouth from eighth-placed Villa, despite Arsenal’s four-point lead at the top of the table.

Other than Arsenal, I believe there are other teams in the same points, which again proves how difficult the Premier League is,” Slot continued.

You don’t ever lose a game of football where you create more chances than the other team, even though the run is already quite long with us.

Let’s hope we make a habit of having more chances than the opponent but not winning it, Villa said. ”

Esther Okoronkwo, the Super Falcons’ star, is confident that Nigeria will claim their 11th title at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

Following a 3-1 aggregate victory over neighboring Benin Republic, Nigeria, the competition’s defending champion, qualified for the tournament.

Okoronkwo believes the Super Falcons can make history in Morocco once more after the team secured a ticket to the competition scheduled for the following year.

“Yes. Everything is possible for sure with Nigeria, according to the AFC Toronto forward, who is well-known for her assists, on Thursday for Channels Television’s Sports Tonight&nbsp.

“We’re not going there because we don’t want to win,” the statement read. We are certain that we will win the 11th WAFCON title.

With a 3-1 aggregate win over Benin, the Super Falcons qualify for the 2026 World Football Championship.

The Super Falcons won the title in July when they came from behind to defeat Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses 3-2.

In that game, Okoronkwo scored a goal and added two assists, earning her the award for African Women Player of the Year along with Rasheedat Ajibade, the team’s captain.

At the Paris Masters on Thursday, Jannik Sinner defeated Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1, to advance to the quarter-finals, and Alexander Zverev, the current champion, defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets in the third round.

After Carlos Alcaraz’s shock early exit at the hands of Britain’s Cameron Norrie, a maiden crown in the French capital will bring Sinner back to number one in the world rankings.

As he pursues what would be his fifth championship of the year, the four-time Grand Slam champion from Italy, no set has been dropped.

“I thought the first set was very important today,” she said. It’s very difficult to play against Francisco because of his level, Sinner said on-court.

“I raised the level in the second set, and I’m thrilled to be in the quarter-finals here for the first time.”

When Sinner seized on the serve of Argentina’s 21st-ranked player Cerundolo at 6-5 to take control of the opener, which featured four consecutive breaks, Sinner won favorably.

The 24-year-old then immediately increased their lead in the second set by leading by a set 5-1 before meeting with US fifth seed Shelton in Friday’s quarter-finals.

Shelton advanced to the last eight after defeating Russian Andrey Rublev 7-6 (8 / 3) 6-3.

The 23-year-old won a landmark tournament in Turin, his second of his career, following up on his first 1000-level title, which he won in Toronto this summer.

Shelton described the season-ending event as “an accumulation of a year’s work, a lot of ups and downs, great results, poor results, and having to bounce back.”

‘My Kryptonite’ 

In the day’s final match-up, Zverev defeated Spanish 15th seed Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 6-4, to extend his title defense.

Former world number one Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in three sets, will face the German third seed next.

The now-ranked Russian won both matches, including the title-match in 2020, with Zverev and Medvedev having previously met in the Paris Masters.

“Daniil is a person I know very well, and he frequently outwits me.” Zverev acknowledged that he resembles my kryptonite a little.

Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan defeated US fourth seed Taylor Fritz 7-6 (7 / 6) 6-2 to set up a last-eight contest with world number six Alex de Minaur of Australia.

13th seed Bublik said it would take something extraordinary for him to win his career’s first Masters title despite the fact that he arguably had the best life in 2025.

The 28-year-old said, “I have three matches left to win, I have to beat the top ten players, maybe Jannik in the final,” which “sounds a miracle.”

De Minaur, Bublik’s next opponent, defeated Russian 10th seed Karen Khachanov 6-2, 6-2, cementing his place at the ATP Finals the following month.

Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada defeated German Daniel Altmaier 33-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-finals after coming from behind for the third time in as many matches in Paris.

The ninth seed occupies a spot away from Lorenzo Musetti’s previous ATP Finals spot, which he currently holds after losing to Sonego on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old would advance above the Italian in the race to the eight-man showpiece with an Auger-Aliassime charge to the title-decider in Paris.

However, Auger-Aliassime must stop Monaco’s in-form Valentin Vacherot before he can begin to think about that.

India defeated Australia 339 in a record-setting 339 to reach the World Cup final against South Africa on Thursday, with the exception of Jamimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 127.

With nine balls and five wickets left at DY Patil Stadium, on the outskirts of Mumbai, Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89, scored 167 runs for the third wicket.

In response to Australia’s impressive 338, the hosts came away with a 341-5 overall record, making it clear that Sunday’s 50-over trophy will have a new name.

Amanjot Kaur’s victory caused wild celebrations in the Indian camp, with cheers and joyous tears streaming down the dugout.

I can’t do this on my own, so I want to thank Jesus first. Rodrigues, a Christian born in Mumbai, said, “I know he carried me through today.

“It’s been really difficult these past four months, but it’s still felt like a dream, and it’s not yet sunk in.”

I was just quoting a passage from the Bible in the end, to assure myself that God would fight for me. He fought for me as I just stood there.

In 2005 and 2017, India finished second in the World Cup.

Also read: Trans Women Are Disqualified from English Women’s Cricket

The hosts won the previous tournament, which was a new record-chasing women’s one-day international, 331-7 over Australia earlier.

In the semi-final, India defeated seven-time champions Australia, which meant they lost their first match of the ODI World Cup since 2017.

With the dismissals of Shafali Verma (10) and Smriti Mandhana (24), India appeared to be in serious trouble at 59-2 in the 10th over.

However, Rodrigues and Kaur dominated the opposition before staging an offensive in front of a sizable, divided crowd.

Chances were slashed

Rodrigues was dropped by Australia’s captain and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy at the age of 82, which was a crucial moment in the game.

With India still needing 113 more, Annabel Sutherland overcame Kaur for 89.

Rodrigues remained cool despite Deepti Sharma’s 24-hour run out and Richa Ghosh’s 26-hour dismissal after Tahila McGrath put her down on 106. She then regained her composure.

Kaur claimed that she “had no words to express myself.”

She said, “We’ve been working for so long, and it’s feeling great.” It feels incredible.

Healy claimed that her team had fallen short.

She said she had a bad time bowling and that she didn’t do the right thing by finishing the ball well. She also had some bad chances in the field. But in the end, outdone, in the end.

In earlier innings of overcast conditions, Australia selected to bat, and Phoebe Litchfield hit 119 runs.

After Litchfield and Ellyse Perry’s second-wicket partnership of 155, which overturned an early lbw decision, India again had regular hits.

However, Ashleigh Gardner’s quick 63 before a clatter of wickets in the final over ensured that Australia’s excellent start did not come to an end.

Both Deepti and Shree Charani each took two wickets.

Ben Austin, an Australian cricket player, 17, passed away on Thursday after being struck with a ball while training in Melbourne, and both teams wore black armbands in his memory.

A senior sports official said that Saudi Arabia turned down an offer to bring Lionel Messi to the Saudi Pro League for a short-term break before the World Cup next year.

The Mahd Sports Academy’s CEO, Abdullah Hammad, stated in a podcast with Saudi platform Thmanyah that Messi’s team reached out to me and offered to play in Saudi Arabia because the MLS will be shut down for nearly four months.

Read more about Lionel Messi signing a new Inter-Miami contract.

The player wanted to stay healthy and get ready for the 2026 World Cup.

When David Beckham joined the Los Angeles Galaxy and later transferred to AC Milan, he continued.

Messi, who has won eight Ballon d’Or titles, left for Inter Miami in 2023 after being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.

After completing his long association with Barcelona, he joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, where he spent two years before moving to Paris Saint-Germain.

Hammad explained that he had rejected the offer to the sports minister.

The minister made it clear that the Saudi League would not be used as a staging area for other competitions, he said.

He responded, “That’s true,” to a question about whether Saudi Arabia had rejected Messi.

The Saudi league has attracted numerous stars from major European clubs, including Neymar and Karim Benzema, since Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Al-Nassr following the last World Cup.

The 2034 World Cup will be held in the kingdom’s hosting country.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Wednesday that Morocco’s capital Rabat will host the 2026 African World Cup qualifying play-offs between Cameroon, the Democratic of Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria.

On November 13 in a matchup featuring Marseille’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Turkish international Victor Osimhen, Nigeria will face Gabon in the first semi-final.

In a group game this month, Osimhen scored a hat-trick to help Nigeria advance to the play-offs against Burkinabe on goal difference while defeating Burkinabe.

Additionally, Nigeria Moves Four Spots To Top of the New FIFA Rankings

DR Congo will face Cameroon, who has eight World Cup appearances, which is an African record on November 13.

Bryan Mbeumo, who scored a brace against Brighton last weekend to put Manchester United in sixth place in the Premier League, is likely to play in this semi-final.

DR Congo hopes to win a second place finish. When Zaire won the 1974 World Cup and suffered three losses, including a 9-0 thrashing by Yugoslavia, the nation was known as Zaire.

The mini tournament winners advance to the intercontinental play-offs for the six nations in March at a location that has not been determined. The United States, Canada, and Mexico will be competing for two spots in the World Cup.

The tournament will feature places for Bolivia and New Caledonia, Iraq or the UAE will represent Asia, and Curacao and Costa Rica will take the top two Caribbean/Central American slots.

Semi-finals

Nov 13 – Gabon v Nigeria (1600 GMT), Cameroon v DR Congo (1900 GMT)

Final

Nov 17 – 1900 GMT

– Rabat matches in total