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.
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.
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.
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:
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 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.
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).
As Crystal Palace came from behind to maintain their unbeaten start in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday, Liam Rosenior’s side fell to a 2-1 defeat at Strasbourg.
Palace opened the scoring with a 1-0 lead, and Ismaila Sarr almost doubled it with a header that struck the post from Strasbourg goalkeeper Mike Penders well out of his area.
Emanuel Emegha headed home from Diego Moreira’s cross to equalize for the French side in the opening half.
As Penders was again severely out of position when Strasbourg lost the ball on the edge of their own box, Adam Wharton hit the bar as Palace’s goal gaped.
READ MORE:  , Slot Vows To “Keep Fighting” As Liverpool’s Crisis Deepens
After Julio Enciso’s free-kick smacked back off the post, Penders made a fantastic save to stop Yeremy Pino, and Strasbourg went down the other end and scored. Samir El Mourabet, a teenager, swept in the rebound.
After failing to draw 2-2 with Iceland’s Breidablik, Strasbourg moved on to 10 points, with Samsunspor at the top.
In their first full season playing football in Europe, Palace are 18th overall in the league standings with two victories and two losses.
They are two points clear of the top eight, which means they qualify directly for the last 16. With the exception of Finland’s KuPS and Irish outfit Shelbourne, Palace still have games to play.
Despite his team’s severe slump, Arne Slot vowed to “keep fighting” on Thursday, saying his conversations with Liverpool’s owners have not changed.
PSV Eindhoven, the Premier League champions, suffered a 4-1 defeat on Wednesday at Anfield, making it their ninth defeat in all competitions.
In the final moments of the match, angry fans poured into the stands in droves to leave.
The 20-time English champions’ run of form is their worst in more than 70 years.
Liverpool are desperate to move up to 12th place in the Premier League table and travel to revitalized West Ham on Sunday.
In his first season in charge, Slot, who helped Liverpool win the Premier League title last year, expressed confidence in his job following Wednesday’s defeat.
He gave a press conference on Thursday to discuss West Ham’s game against the Lions, who look a different side under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
At the start of the press conference, the Liverpool manager was asked if he had spoken to the club’s owners since the PSV game.
He claimed that, “we’ve been having the same conversations since I’ve been here.”
We continue to fight. We all try to improve, and that’s what we all do. However, the conversations remain the same as they have for the past two and a half years.
The Dutchman reaffirmed that Liverpool’s standards had fallen, but he vowed to keep his players in good spirits.
READ ALSO: Slot Feels “Safe” Despite Liverpool’s resentment toward PSV.
He claimed, “We believe we can play better than we can.” However, when we did really well last season, there was a lot of attention on some particular individuals, and I always said that the team should be involved, and that they did just that.
We should also consider the team rather than the individuals, if the opposite is happening.
After their second Champions League defeat, former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard issued a damning verdict about Slot’s situation.
With each defeat, Gerald said to TNT Sports, “It gets closer to becoming a crisis.”
At this football club, there are no justifications for a performance like that. You can’t deny the team’s massive difficulties.
After Wednesday’s humiliating defeat, Slot claimed it was difficult to come up with solutions and that his sleep was “not the best.”
He claimed that his team’s mistakes were frequently being punished, making the most of their chances.
He said, “We get knock after knock, which is difficult. I keep saying that we must keep fighting, especially when that occurs.
“And that’s what we did so well last year, and this is what this club has been about for a long time. And we anticipate that.
After the goalkeeper missed the PSV game with illness, Slot predicted Alisson Becker’s availability to face West Ham, and he also anticipated Florian Wirtz’s potential return to training on Saturday.
Despite struggling Liverpool’s humiliating 4-1 defeat against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, Arne Slot insisted he was confident he would not face the sack.
Slots’ side lost ninth of their previous 12 games, putting the Dutchman under growing pressure.
In a Champions League defeat that sparked outrage as angry fans heckled Slot and his players at the end, Liverpool’s numerous flaws were brutally exposed by PSV.
A shocking verdict on Liverpool’s astonishing fall from grace this season was delivered by the unusual sight of empty red seats all around Anfield before full-time.
Liverpool have lost three straight games, conceding ten goals, after being defeated by Nottingham Forest at Anfield last weekend.
Since 1953-54, they have had their worst run, and Slot faces difficult choices regarding how to turn things around.
Steven Gerrard, the former captain of Liverpool, put pressure on Slot by rendering a gloomy verdict regarding their situation.
With each defeat, Gerrard said to TNT Sport, “it gets closer to becoming a crisis.”
At this football team, there are no justifications for a performance like that. The team is struggling a lot, you can’t deny that.
They are “on a terrible run,” they claim, and they are incredibly confident. This situation will continue unless the manager finds solutions and stability for his team. ”
However, Slot insists that despite facing Liverpool’s second-highest European defeat, Fenway Sports Group, a US company, still has faith in him.
I feel secure and alright. He claimed that the highest power has supported him.
It would be nice to turn things around and win, of course, but questions are frequently asked if you are not doing well.
I like my current position. Although this is not my first difficult situation, it was about time we turned things around.
I’m not concerned, she said. My focus is on other things besides my own position, that is what I mean by. I must do better, and I’m making an effort to do that every day. ”
INCLUDE PSV Rout’s Dismal Deepens Liverpool Misery
Ivan Perisic’s early penalty gave Liverpool a lead, but Dominik Szoboszlai’s equalizer failed to turn them around.
The woeful Premier League champions were just as humiliated by their latest humiliation thanks to goals from Guus Til and Couhaib Driouech, who both scored twice.
After claiming the title last season with a summer spending spree, the Reds, who have lost six of their last seven Premier League games, were expected to dominate on all fronts this term.
However, Liverpool travel to West Ham on Sunday, where they are currently in 12th place in the Premier League, their first position since more than a decade.
After falling back to their second defeat in five games, Liverpool can’t be certain of making it to the Champions League last 16. With their title hopes in jeopardy, they can’t be certain of making it to the last 16.
In the Champions League’s opening match of the season, they lost for the first time in five years.
The top eight teams automatically advance to the last 16 of the league, which is currently in 13th place.
Slot called on the coaches and players to take responsibility for the astonishing collapse and tried to keep a group together.
I believe the team is always at play, and I believe we can all do better. People you are referring to, but that includes myself, too,” he said.
I don’t believe this is the time to emphasize individual errors. ”
However, Curtis Jones’ blunt assessment of their unanticipated struggles was much harsher.
I lack the solutions, I suppose. I don’t, in all sincerity. Simply put, it’s unacceptable. Jones told RTE, “I’m past being angry inside.”
We will work hard to get this team back where it is needed, and we will explain to everyone what this club is all about and why it is currently considered the world’s best team. ”