Viktor Gyokeres, a defender at Arsenal, will go for additional tests this week despite speculation he has a hamstring injury.
The Sweden international scored the team’s opener against Burnley on Saturday, but the international was substituted at half-time in the Gunners’ 2-1 win at Burnley.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “I am concerned because he hasn’t had many muscular issues and he needed to leave the pitch and he was feeling something,” before the Champions League game against Slavia Prague on Tuesday night.
That’s never a good sign, especially for a player who is extremely explosive, is always a good thing.
“So we are a little bit more thorough into this injury situation and will make an announcement as soon as we can.”
There is hope that Gyokeres’ decision to leave Turf Moor for half-time has sparked further problems, with the 27-year-old having a bad start to the season.
Before the majority of the squad departs for the international break, the Gunners face Sunderland on Saturday following the game against Slavia Prague.
The north London derby against Tottenham on November 23 marks Arsenal’s first game since the internationals.
The cricket association of Zimbabwe has announced that former world champion Sean Williams has left the sport after joining a rehab program to treat drug addiction.
Zimbabwe Cricket claimed the all-rounder had declared himself unfit for national selection and that it would not place him again.
Williams, 39, has taken more than 150 wickets for his country in each of the three game formats, totaling almost 9, 000 runs.
Before a World Cup Africa Qualifier match in Harare in September, he withdrawn from the T20 team, and during an internal investigation into the causes of his withdrawal, he “disclosed that he has been struggling with drug addiction and has voluntarily entered rehab,” according to Zimbabwe Cricket.
The governing body added that “ZC has determined that Williams will no longer be taken into consideration for national selection” after taking into account all options.
ZC stated that it expects all contracted players to uphold the highest standards for professionalism, discipline, and compliance with team rules and anti-doping laws.
A review of Williams’ record reveals a history of disciplinary problems and unavailability, which has had an impact on team preparation and performance.
While ZC applauds him for seeking rehabilitation, ZC’s suggestion that resuming team work in situations involving potential testing raises serious questions for professional and ethical standards.
His national contract expiring on December 31 was stated as “not practicable.”
ZC sincerely acknowledges and values his enormous contribution to Zimbabwean cricket over the past 20 years, the statement continued.
Williams has left a lasting legacy both on and off the field in some of the most significant moments in recent history.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was knocked out of the International Championship in the third round as he fell to a 6-5 defeat by fellow Englishman Jack Lisowski.
Lisowski won his maiden ranking title at the Northern Ireland Open in October and established a 5-3 lead against O’Sullivan, with a highest break of 113.
O’Sullivan, who turns 50 next month, rallied to level the match at the South New City National Fitness Center in Nanjing, China.
However, Lisowski clinched the deciding 11th frame by potting a tricky final black, after both men squandered earlier match-winning chances, to close out a first win over the seven-time world champion.
Lisowski, 34, has now won nine successive matches on the World Snooker Tour and will face Barry Hawkins in the last 16.
Hawkins beat Welshman Jak Jones 6-3 while veteran John Higgins also progressed with a 6-3 win over Hossein Vafaei.
World champion Zhao Xintong of China survived a scare as he beat compatriot Lei Peifan 6-5, while Stephen Maguire claimed a 6-4 win over world number two Kyren Wilson.
As the world’s interest in the metals rises as a result of their use in modern technologies and a desire to reduce reliance on the Chinese-dominated market, Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed his cabinet to create a roadmap for the extraction of rare earth minerals by December 1.
Putin also mandated that the cabinet implement measures to improve transport links between Russia and China and North Korea in a list of ministerial tasks released on the Kremlin website on Tuesday.
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Rare earths, which are found in smartphones, electric vehicles, and weapons systems, are of crucial strategic importance in international trade.
A deal signed by US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in April will give the US access to fresh Ukrainian mineral deals and support US investments in Ukrainian reconstruction.
Russia claims to be interested in working with the US on rare earth projects.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s investment envoy, claimed in March that some US companies had expressed interest in Russian projects involving rare-earth metals. However, the US and Russia’s chances of resolving their conflict in Ukraine have been stifled due to progress.
This year, China, the main producer of rare earths, retaliated against US tariffs by enforcing export restrictions on rare earths. Washington’s attention has been focused on developing its own supplies as a result of its almost total global control.
Putin’s order, which summarized the key takeaways from a Far Eastern Economic Forum he attended in Vladivostok in September, did not go into great detail about Russia’s rare earths plan.
Russia’s reserves of rare earth metals are estimated by the US Geological Survey at 3.8 million tonnes, but Moscow’s estimates are much higher.
As of January 2023, Russia had reserves of 28.7 million tonnes of rare earth metals, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Russia still accounts for only a small portion of the world’s stocks, despite this potential margin of error.
Putin also gave the government the directive to establish “multimodal transportation and logistics centers” along China’s and North Korea’s borders, among other things.
Putin said the locations should include a planned new bridge to North Korea and two already-existing railway bridges, which he said will be in place by 2026.
Who: Barcelona vs. Club Brugge What: Champions League group stage Where: Jan Breydel Stadium, Brugge, Belgium When: Wednesday at 9pm (20:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Barcelona are unbeaten at home this season, winning six and drawing one of their seven games at Jan Breydel Stadium, despite being firmly in the mix against Club Brugge.
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Although they lost to Atalanta and Bayern Munich, the Belgians still managed to win 4-1 over Monaco earlier in the group stage.
Club Brugge are currently second in the Belgian Pro League, three points clear of league leaders Union Saint-Gilloise, and they won 2-1 at home over Denders over the weekend.
Barcelona have won six Champions League games this season, winning either way against Olympiacos or Newcastle United, to lose 2-1 to Paris Saint-Germain, who are also in the Champions League.
Lamine Yamal also scored early as Barcelona bounced back from their Clasico defeat on Sunday, beating Elche 3-1 at home to reclaim second place in the Spanish league.
Barcelona retaliate
Barcelona lost 2-1 to Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the season to lose, and Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford both scored against Elche.
After the win over Elche, where Barca were dominant but looked vulnerable, coach Hansi Flick said, “I saw many things we did well, but I also saw some things we didn’t do well.”
The three points were earned because it was a difficult match. We must constantly improve. With this victory, we have greater confidence. We must continue, though, because it is another step. We must consider the upcoming games with optimism, and I’m happy.
Flick wants Rashford to exhibit more clinical behavior.
Flick believes the England international should have scored even more goals despite Rashford having already scored six goals in all competitions since joining Barcelona on loan from Manchester United in July.
One or two goals more will be beneficial for him, Flick told reporters, “when you see the chances he has.”
“I’m happy he shows this level of skill, and I’m confident in his ability.” He is a very significant player for both the fans and the club, as well as the teammates.
Rashford acknowledged that his decision-making could be improved.
“On the pitch, I just make sure to do the right thing.” I could have had more assists or goals even today. After Elche defeated the team, the 28-year-old said to Spanish media that “sometimes the decision to shoot or pass was wrong”.
In the 2025-26 season, Marcus Rashford is returning to his former best form at Barcelona.
Hayen contends that Brugge can’t afford to give Barca the ball.
Nicky Hayen, a 45-year-old coach at Club Brugge, took over as interim manager in the 2023-2024 season. He has since won three titles, including the Belgian Super Cup in 2025 and the Belgian Cup last year.
Last year, Brugge also advanced to the Champions League’s last 16 after being aggregately defeated 6-1 by Aston Villa.
Hayen praised his team’s “ideas and intentions” following the weekend victory over Denders, but claimed that “the quality was not always top-notch.” The Belgian side will need to significantly improve their game in order to defeat Barcelona.
By scoring that third goal, we could have made things easier on ourselves. Additionally, he said, “We gave away some balls, which you should never try to avoid at all costs when you play Barcelona on Wednesday.”
Head-to-head
Only two times have Barca and Club Brugge faced off. Both of Barcelona’s matches, which were in the Champions League group stage, were won.
The last time the two teams met, Barcelona won 1-0 away in Bruges thanks to Juan Riquelme’s goal.
In the previous game at Camp Nou, Barca had won by a score of 3-2.
Team news from Club Brugge
Due to a groin injury, former Sunderland and ex-Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet will miss out, and Ludovit Reis will also miss because of a shoulder issue.
Raphael Onyedika, a midfielder from Nigeria, came off the bench against Denders over the weekend after five weeks of unfitness.
The main attacking trio at Club Brugge, Christos Tzolis, Nicolo Tresoldi, and Carlos Forbs, may have some problems for Barca. Tzolis, a young Greek international winger, has eight goals and eight assists this season, while Tresoldi, a young Greek international, has six goals and three assists to his name.
Before facing Barca, Tresoldi stated that he was anticipating facing one of his heroes.
One of my idols is [Veteran striker Robert] Lewandowski. He stated, “I’m looking forward to playing against him.”
Christos Tzolis, a professional at Club Brugge, is scoring and adding goals. [File: Timothy Rogers/Getty Images]
news from the Barcelona team
Important midfielder Pedri is expected to be unavailable until after the November international break due to a muscular issue, while winger Raphinha is still out with a hamstring issue.
Although injury-prone Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Joan Garcia are also sidelined, Barca are fortunate to have the reliable Wojciech Szczesny between the sticks.
Due to a calf issue, center back Andreas Christensen will likely miss Wednesday night and not play for the past two games.
As they recover from injuries and are likely to start as substitutes against Brugge, Lewandowski and playmaker Dani Olmo started some minutes off the bench against Elche.
Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s top female athlete, will face Australian superstar Nick Kyrgios in a “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition match on December 28 in Dubai, according to the organisers’ announcement on Tuesday.
In a contemporary adaptation of Billie Jean King’s 1973 showdown with fellow American Bobby Riggs, Sabalenka, 27, will face Kyrgios. This was a pivotal moment for both tennis and the women’s movement.
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Around 90 million people tuned in to watch King storm win the straight-sets victory that propelled the fight for equality in sports, which was played in Houston’s Astrodome.
Riggs, who was 55 years old, had defeated Australia’s Margaret Court four months prior to King, who had sought revenge.
Under modified rules, eight-time Grand Slam champion Jimmy Connors, 40, defeated 35-year-old Martina Navratilova in 1992.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka said in a statement, “I have so much respect for Billie Jean King and what she has done for the women’s game.
“I’m proud to play in this contemporary adaptation of the iconic Battle of the Sexes match and represent women’s tennis.”
In the past few months, Sabalenka and Kyrgios have made numerous jokes about the match, with the initial location of the match Hong Kong.
Since returning from a serious wrist injury that required him to be out for 18 months, world number 652 Kyrgios, who has only played five games this year, said he could easily defeat Sabalenka.
The Belarusian said she was determined to disprove Kyrgios when asked about the Australian’s remarks during her bid for the US Open.
Make no mistake, I’m ready to bring my A game, Sabalenka said, “I have a lot of respect for Nick and his talent.”
In 2016, Kyrgios ranked 13th in his career, and he also made it to Wimbledon’s final in 2022.
With his natural talent and unapologetic personality, which have also gotten him into controversy in the past, the 30-year-old is a major draw at Grand Slams.
The Dubai Coca-Cola Arena will host the game.
Nick Kyrgios, an Australian tennis player, has seven ATP Tour singles titles, but he hasn’t played in recent years because of his constant injuries and other off-court obligations.
