After recovering from a hamstring injury, Robert Lewandowski will start on the bench for Barcelona’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan, according to coach Hansi Flick.
Lewandowski, who suffered an injury against Celta Vigo last month, will be available as a substitute for Poland’s captain at the San Siro, where the teams will line up level at 3-3, after missing last week’s thrilling first leg in Catalonia.
“He is good, much better than we anticipated, and he is ready for the bench,” he said. So perhaps he can come in when we need him, Flick told reporters.
Lewandowski’s return to Barca is a huge boost for the veteran striker, who has scored 40 goals all season for the club, who need to win at San Siro to reach the final.
READ MORE: Harry Kane claims his first-ever trophy as Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga.
Barcelona’s French defender #23 Jules Kounde (C) celebrates celebrating the completion of his team’s third goal with Barcelona’s Spanish midfielder #08 Pedri and Barcelona’s Spanish forward #19 Lamine Yamal on August 31, 2024, at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona. (Photo by MANU QUINTERO/AFP)
After defeating Real Madrid to win both the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey, Barca are on the verge of a quadruple of major titles in Flick’s first season as coach.
With only four games left in the Spanish league season, Flick’s team currently leads Madrid by four points.
Dani Olmo remarked, “I did imagine it was a quadruple bid.”
“I want to win everything,” he says. With all the trophies still to be won, Barca has the talent to be where they belong.
We have the drive and energy to pursue it.
Olmo added that Inter’s plan to double down on Lamine Yamal won’t stop Barca’s teenage wing wizard from wreaking the same havoc as he did last week.
The 17-year-old ran Inter’s defense like a machine at the Olympic Stadium, scoring a fantastic goal twice and striking the woodwork, and Inter coach Simone Inzaghi acknowledged that he would receive “special attention” from his defenders on Tuesday.
Simply put, “That means we’ll have a player free.” Olmo said, “Lamine has shown that he can play against one, two, or three defenders.”
If that’s the case, we’ll assist him. If he has two or three markers on him, that means we will have access to other players who are free to use our ideas and don’t change them.
The winner of Tuesday’s match will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal in the Champions League final in Munich later this month.
Ruben Amorim has warned his Manchester United players that they have a “big responsibility” to salvage a dismal season by winning the Europa League.
United warmed up for their Europa League semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao by suffering yet another Premier League defeat at Brentford on Sunday.
Amorim’s side slumped to a 4-3 loss that left them languishing in 15th place and in danger of their worst final position since they were relegated in 1973-74.
United’s winless run in the league extended to six matches as they trailed 4-1 against Brentford before late goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo restored a little pride for the lacklustre visitors.
Amorim has suffered 12 defeat in his 24 league games with United, winning just six times.
READ ALSO: Harry Kane Claims First-Ever Trophy As Bayern Munich Win Bundesliga
Manchester United’s Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim looks on during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St James’ Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on April 13, 2025. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP)
But, after their 3-0 first leg win over Bilbao last Thursday, United know they have the chance to qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League.
“I think it’s stressful to lose games. When we’re fighting for a title it’s not stressful,” Amorim said.
“I have no doubts that we are playing better and we are understanding the way we play, even in this context.
“So we have to take all the hits in this moment. We are losing games in the Premier League, but we are fighting for the Europa League so we need to accept that and to think about now Thursday which is the most important game for us.”
Amorim made eight changes at the Gtech Community Stadium in a bid to keep his stars fresh for the Bilbao second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire were among the key players who started on the bench in a clear indication of Amorim’s focus on Europe.
“We, as a club, need to understand in this moment that we have a big responsibility (to win the Europa League). We have to prepare a squad for different competitions,” Amorim said.
“Rotation is good for the players. Everybody is playing, we are preparing more than one game but it’s hard.
“Of course we want to be competitive, we struggled a lot during these 90 minutes. We have to think about the next game and then the Premier League.
“It’s really hard but we are doing the best we can to try to manage the situation and try to risk in some games.”
Barcelona travel to Inter Milan on Tuesday for a tantalizing Champions League semi-final second leg, with Raphinha’s most recent addition to the club’s spectacular European run guaranteeing a knife-edged rematch.
The Brazilian’s vicious strike hit the crossbar and sailed in off Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer for an own goal in Barcelona’s third game of the season, which did not fully reflect the Brazilian’s participation in the 3-3 first leg draw.
Despite the fact that his Champions League performances are stunning and accurate, Raphinha’s pivotal role in Hansi Flick’s relentless attacking scheme.
If you factor in Raphinha’s assist for Sommer’s own goal and his 21 goal contributions, Raphinha has scored 12 goals in 13 European games, compared to Inter’s total as a team of 22 goals.
The 28-year-old’s Champions League tally surpasses Lionel Messi’s best ever 19 direct goal appearances against the Catalan giants.
With the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup already in the cards, the former Leeds winger has 31 goals and 25 assists in 52 games overall.
Evidently, Raphinha’s rise in his third year at Barcelona is in large part due to the imminent arrival of the Champions League final.
According to him, Hansi Flick is the savior of the Brazilian winger’s revival.
In April, Raphinha claimed that “he literally altered everything for me.”
Before the season even started, the coach had to make changes to my mind for me to stay with the club.
He basically changed my career, giving me all the confidence I could need to do what I do, and he changed everything.
I owe it all to him because this is my best season since I first started playing.
Read more about Lewandowski’s decision to start scoring in the Barca vs. Inter-UCL match, according to the movie.
“I love him,” the statement read.
On April 26, 2025, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF play their final football game between the Spanish champions, Copa del Rey (King’s Cup), and Brazilian forward #11 Raphinha and Spanish defender #35 Raul Asencio (BACK). (Photo by Josep LAGO/AFP)
Raphinha was one of the several players that Barcelona signed in July 2022 by using various financial “palancas” or financial levers, selling off future television revenues and other assets, and in doing so, they signed him.
As Barcelona won La Liga under Xavi Hernandez, Raphinha impressed with his hard work but also dissatisfied with his inconsistent work, scoring ten times.
Raphinha and Barcelona both had disappointing years, as both he and the club failed to capitalize on their success and ended up without any trophy.
Raphinha scored ten goals again in every competition, but Lamine Yamal’s emergence on the right, in his preferred position, put him in danger of losing.
His Premier League experience made it easy for suitors to find him, and the Saudi Pro League was also calling. The cash-strapped Catalans also looked favorably on a potential sale.
Raphinha was persuaded to stay by Flick and quickly adapted to playing on the left wing despite the interest of Barca and Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams.
Even the German would not have imagined Raphinha would emerge as a Ballon d’Or contender during the course of his career because of how well his work-rate suits Flick’s high-pressing style.
After Barca’s late comeback against Celta Vigo in April, Flick praised the winger for his leadership and said: “Raphinha is very important. I love him, like the other players, but he is a leader. He always has that positive thinking to pass on to the rest of his teammates.”
On March 11, 2025, at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona, Germany’s coach Hans-Dieter Flick intercepts a ball during the second leg of the UEFA Champions League 16 game between FC Barcelona and SL Benfica. (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP)
Serhou Guirassyy’s goal almost came against Inter, but he almost did it for the crossbar, tying Borussia Dortmund with him for one more goal.
In that thrilling encounter, Raphinha again showed the kind of improvement drive that makes him so valuable in Flick’s young side.
He continued, “It is unacceptable to concede so many goals at home,” and he never resisted making up his mind.
After the teenager’s first leg fireworks, Yamal will continue to dominate the left and keep stumbling away at the San Siro, playing his perfect role as Barca tries to reach the final for the first time since 2015.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of the season, saying it was the “hardest decision” of his life ahead of a widely expected move to Real Madrid.
Alexander-Arnold is out of contract at the end of June and the England right-back’s future had been the subject of intense debate throughout Liverpool’s charge to the Premier League title this season.
“After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club, now is the time for me to confirm that I will be leaving at the end of the season,” the 26-year-old posted on X.
“This is easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
Alexander-Arnold’s contract talks over a free transfer switch to Real are reported to be at an advanced stage.
He will depart as a Premier League champion after the Reds moved level with rivals Manchester United on a joint-record 20 English top-flight titles.
“I know many of you have wondered why or been frustrated that I haven’t spoken about this yet, but it was always my intention to keep my full focus on the team’s best interests, which was securing No. 20,” Alexander-Arnold said.
Liverpool’s English defender Trent Alexander-Arnold (C) and teammates celebrate after a late own goal from Tottenham Hotspur’s Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld (not pictured) during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on January 31, 2019. Paul ELLIS / AFP
“This club has been my whole life — my whole world — for 20 years. From the academy right through until now, the support and love I have felt from everyone inside and outside of the club will stay with me forever.
“I will forever be in debt to you all. My love for this club will never die.”
READ ALSO: Harry Kane Claims First-Ever Trophy As Bayern Munich Win Bundesliga
Liverpool-born Alexander-Arnold was one of three high-profile Reds players whose deals were due to run out at the end of the season — a contract saga that provided a continuous backdrop to Arne Slot’s first campaign in charge.
Top-scorer Mohamed Salah and captain Virgil van Dijk signed new deals in recent weeks but Alexander-Arnold has opted to leave.
The defender made his senior debut in 2016 and has made 352 appearances for the Reds to date, scoring 23 goals and lifting multiple trophies including the 2019 Champions League and two Premier League crowns.
‘Gratitude’
Liverpool Win At Fulham To Reignite Premier League Title Challenge
Liverpool were reportedly willing to make Alexander-Arnold one of the highest-paid defenders in Premier League history in a bid to keep him.
But the lure of playing for Real alongside close friend and England team-mate Jude Bellingham proved impossible to resist.
Despite the snub, Liverpool paid tribute to Alexander-Arnold, who joined the club as a six-year-old.
“Alexander-Arnold will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for his contribution during a sustained period of success,” the club said in a statement.
In the same statement, Alexander-Arnold said he had “loved every single minute of it, achieved all my dreams”.
But he said he wanted a fresh challenge.
“Giving everything day in, day out for 20 years, I’ve got to a point now where I feel like I need a new change, a new challenge for me as a player and as a person. And I think now is the right time for me to do that,” he said.
Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, another Merseysider who graduated from the club’s youth academy, was the first Reds player to react to the news on social media.
“Thank you for everything brother. Legend. Good luck,” he wrote on Instagram.
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, now playing for Ajax, also took to Instagram to salute Alexander-Arnold.
“What a journey! It’s been amazing to see you grow as a player and a person over the years,” he wrote.
“Thank you for everything and good luck with the next chapter. Just keep being you and challenging yourself everyday! The scouser in our team!”
Last month, Van Dijk said Alexander-Arnold would be remembered for “a lot of good things” even if he decided to leave Anfield.
Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp (R) embraces Liverpool’s English defender Trent Alexander-Arnold (L) at the end of the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England, on December 29, 2019. Paul ELLIS / AFP
Alexander-Arnold’s mooted move to Real Madrid has split Liverpool fans and pundits, with some believing he should have stayed to become a one-club legend.
READ ALSO: Chelsea Beat Champions Liverpool To Boost Top-Five Push
His status is reflected in a mural that stands just metres from the club’s Anfield stadium, emblazoned with the quote: “I’m just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dream has just come true.”
Alexander-Arnold played in Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat at Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
Liverpool have three league fixtures left this season, giving Alexander-Arnold a chance to say a long goodbye before the final game against Crystal Palace at Anfield on May 25.
An unfamiliar Simulated Reality League (SRL) ticker started appearing in Nigerian gaming centers in April 2020 as live football was being replaced. Arsenal vs. Chelsea, 14:00, appeared to be real, but they are still 100% algorithm. Four seasons later, operators from Bet9ja to Surebet247 keep them on the menu, and SRL fixtures continue to fill the gap between lunchtime and the Champions League’s evening games.
How the machines actually function
Sportradar’s Betradar division constructs SRL. The engine “plays” a full 90-minute simulation in real time while digging through the historical data from more than 50 000 real matches. While traders fluctuately price the markets, it spits out everything a sportsbook would require, including xG swings, VAR delays, and even an 87-minute own goal.
SRL is not just another eight-minute virtual animation loop due to its realism. Bet9ja explainers claim that the SRL “models real teams and players” and keeps punters glued throughout the entire match.
No one anticipated the figures.
The market is projected to be worth US $ 19.16 billion in 2024, and it will grow to US $ 92 billion by 2034, growing at a 17 % CAGR, according to consultancy Precedence Research. Hard data is scarce in Nigeria, but operators claim that SRL turnover is now comparable to weekly Serie A handle. The outcome ? Twenty-four-seven games with never-postponed mobile data requirements and odds that resemble the Premier League never occur.
An illustration of the lunch hour in Lagos
Two screens, one of which depicts a real Copa Libertadores replay and the other an SRL “Liverpool v. Aston Villa,” can be found inside a Surebet247 store on Allen Avenue at 1 p.m. When nothing else is live, or when Klopp’s actual squad is just too unpredictable, Uche, a 26-year-old graphics designer, tells me he punts SRL during his lunch break. SRL is treated the same way as live sport because the operator offers the same minimum stake of 50 as SRL and it appears under “Flash Soccer” in the sportsbook.
Regulation: horizon storms
A new federal agency with authority to certify every piece of online gaming technology, which almost certainly includes SRL engines, is proposed in the Central Gaming Bill (2025). Extra audits could cause smaller betting shops to lose money while stifling the introduction of new SRL sports. Regulators are also under pressure to keep up with innovation.
Can savvy gamblers still “beat” the sim?
Real leagues leave informational gaps that bookies can’t fill, argue traditional edge-hunters, the men who search Instagram for hints of a star striker’s hangover. Your insider knowledge of Enyimba’s dressing room bustup doesn’t matter to the algorithm because those human variables are flattened into data averages in SRL. Efficiency is a warning sign for punters looking for long-term ROI: it’s built in.
Three scenarios for 2025‑2030
Scenario
how it appears
There are a chance it occurs.
staple of snack foods
Between live events, SRL serves as a filler, with football dominating teams and constant margins.
3/5
leap that is a ‘immersive’
Microbets drop every 30 seconds in a virtual stadium thanks to cheap AR glasses. According to Deloitte’s 2024 Sports Outlook, generative AI is already moving in this direction.
2/5
regulatory restraint
The big three operators continue to use SRL, while smaller stores abandon it, due to the central gaming bill’s forced separation of certification.
1/5
The bottom line for Nigerian businesses is that they lose money.
Boost the engine: South-south audiences could be able to access cricket SRL during IPL downtime because football is so saturated.
Push for transparency: publish independent RNG certificates front-and-center rather than buried in the footer.
Keep streams light by keeping their footprint from falling. SRL’s core audience wagers on sub-400 daily data bundles.
At the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco and Nigeria battled to a goalless draw on Sunday in a Group B encounter.  ,
Nigeria won a point in a game in which possession was almost evenly distributed, increasing their chances of making it to the knockouts.
Daniel Bamenyi will be remembered for holding down the defense line for the Flying Eagles. Following his display at Cairo, Egypt’s 30 June Stadium, the defender’s heroics merited him the Man of the Match award.
Harry Kane claims his first-ever trophy as Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga.
Daniel Bameyi won the Man of the Match award for his brave defense! #MARNGA photo is #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20. twitter.com/PBzJoWOAkC
After defeating Tunisia 1-0 in their opening match of the competition, Aliyu Zubairu’s men now have four points from two games.
FULL-TIME!
Tunisia defeat Kenya 3-1 to finish the game. #TUNKEN pic #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 https://twitter.com/Rm3Q7xCnzP
Tunisia defeated Kenya 3-1 to resurrect their hopes of making it to the next round of the tournament in the other Group B match.
Nigeria is spirited up! #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 image twitter.com/prSpMk1fM4
Read more about Former Liverpool star Firmino’s “Proud” After More Champions League History at READ ALSO:
Morocco leads the group in scoring with four points, equal to the four goals scored by Nigeria. Kenya are currently at the bottom of the table, undefeated, while Tunisia are in third place.
At the break, everything square! #MARNGA photo #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 twitter.com/MJXzadImJi
