Archive May 21, 2025

Jurrien Timber will miss Arsenal’s final Premier League game of the season against Southampton after undergoing ankle surgery on Tuesday.

The Netherlands full-back was absent from Sunday’s 1-0 win against Newcastle and manager Mikel Arteta said on Wednesday he would be “out for a few weeks”.

Timber, 23, has played 48 times across all competitions for Arsenal this term after missing the majority of last season with an ACL anterior cruciate injury.

“With Jurrien, you understand that he was coming back from an ACL one year out, and to have this season after an ACL, it’s incredible,” said Arteta.

“We didn’t sign a player, we signed a leader, a very, very special character.”

Arteta also confirmed centre-back William Saliba will miss the Gunners’ trip to Southampton on Sunday because of a hamstring injury.

“William is going to be out for a few weeks, unfortunately. He pulled his hamstring against Newcastle, so he’s going to be out for a few weeks,” Arteta told Bein Sports.

Saliba’s 100th Premier League appearance ended early on Sunday as he was forced off at half-time with a hamstring problem at Emirates Stadium.

At the age of 46, almost four years after his last fight, Manny Pacquiao announced his return to the ring.

On July 19 in Las Vegas, the Filipino says he will face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.

Pacquiao now wants to become the oldest welterweight world champion in boxing.

On social media, Pacquiao declared, “I’m back. Make history, please.

In 2019, Pacquiao defeated Keith Thurman to win the WBA (Super) world title at the age of 40, setting new records for the oldest welterweight champion.

As rumors about Pacquiao’s return grew, the WBC controversially re-ranked him at number five last week.

Mauricio Suliman, the WBC’s president, defended the decision, saying: “Pacquiao has been approved by our organization and licensed by Nevada, passed all medicals, and…

Pacquiao last squared off against Yordenis Ugas in August of 2021.

The welterweight champion boxer has won 62 fights, eight losses, and two draws overall.

After being chosen for two Lions games against India A, England seamer Chris Woakes will make his return from an ankle injury.

The 36-year-old has been selected in a 15-man squad for the second-string games starting on May 30 and 6 June despite not playing since January.

The squad will be led by Somerset wicketkeeper James Rew, who was just called up for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, while Jordan Cox, who he replaced, was also chosen after recovering from an abdominal injury.

Dan Mousley, a 20-year-old all-rounder, and Seamer Josh Hull, a 20-year veteran, also feature in the group, along with one-day international international Sam Mousley, who made his limited-overs debut against the West Indies in the autumn.

Fast bowler Jofra Archer, who injured his thumb while playing in the Indian Premier League, has not been chosen.

The men’s cricket performance director for the ECB, Ed Barney, described this series as a huge opportunity for an exciting and highly skilled group of players.

As we continue to succession plan for England’s needs, it will give both individuals and as a group the opportunity to excel on the international stage.

India’s five-test tour of England begins on June 20 with two four-day matches against India A in Canterbury and Northampton.

As many as 80 000 fans descend upon a city of 345,000.

As Tottenham and Manchester United prepare for Wednesday’s Europa League final, how will Bilbao, a city in northern Spain, be tested?

In the past, Uefa, the governing body of European football, has expressed regret for the fracas at the 2022 Champions League match between Real Madrid and Liverpool in Paris and for transportation issues at the 2023 match between Manchester City and Inter Milan in Istanbul.

By population, Bilbao is the tenth-largest city in Spain and the largest city in the Basque country, which also includes San Sebastian, a tourist hotspot, and the tenth-largest city in the country.

Bilbao, which has 345, 000 residents, is smaller than Palma, which is on the island of Mallorca, and Las Palmas, which are both in Gran Canaria.

Athletic Club, a La Liga team that United defeated in the semi-finals, is located at the San Mames stadium, which was constructed in 2013.

It has a capacity of just over 53, 000, but the final final capacity has been reduced to 49, 600.

You might not think it’s as simple to get to Bilbao.

Only three English cities, London, Manchester, and Bristol, offer direct flights to this region.

282 flights are scheduled for Bilbao on Wednesday, according to reports in Spain, which is a record for a single day, despite a 94% week-on-week increase in departures from the UK to Bilbao.

When United and Spurs reached the final, airlines scrambling to add more flights to meet demand, which saw prices spike for those flights, some as high as £1,400.

Even so, many fans were being forced to fly elsewhere or take direct flights to nearby Spanish or French cities before making connections.

Others chose to travel by air instead of taking a ferry, car, or train across the Channel before arriving on Spain’s north coast.

One United fan traveled 2, 500 miles from Manchester, including visiting Dublin, Paris, and Rome, on a direct 33-hour ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao.

One airport is located 12 kilometers from the city center in Bilbao.

On average, there are 13, 000 hotel beds in Bilbao.

A mathematician can determine whether the city has a problem accommodating its English visitors.

Some upscale hotels have been charging more than £1,800 per night for their double rooms.

Matthew Blackford, a United fan, slept in a park with his friends to avoid “silly hotel prices,” while many fans have booked rooms or hostels, stayed with locals, or traveled by car.

He told BBC Sport, “We only arrived in Bilbao last night at 10:30 with a few friends.”

“We immediately left for a few drinks. Where are we going to sleep tonight, we only learned later.

We discovered some benches,” she said. For three or four hours, I was able to put my head down.

The sixth all-English European final will take place on Wednesday.

Any nation’s ability to host two teams of this size would be tested by resources, especially when the teams involved have fan bases that are large enough to travel in such numbers.

48 miles away, San Sebastian and Bilbao have reported minor altercations between supporters.

No arrests have been made, and there are reportedly no general kinships between the supporters in Bilbao.

More than 1,500 officers have been assigned to the game, with all special units working, and there will be three security rings around the stadium.

The remaining tickets were given to Uefa sponsors or purchased by neutrals, including officials, other sponsors, and guests, for each team, totaling approximately 15 000.

In distinct neighborhoods of the city, both teams have been designated fan zones.

In Etxebarria Parkea, there is beer for five euros and a capacity of 20 000.

Denis Irwin and Andy Cole, club legends, will perform, as will Mani from the Stone Roses and Liam Fray of the Courteeners.