Category World News

Barcelona vs Celta Vigo – LaLiga preview: Team news, how to follow, stream

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Who: Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona
What: Spanish LaLiga
Where: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain
When: Saturday at 4:15pm (14:15 GMT)

Follow Al Jazeera Sport’s live text and photo commentary stream.

When Celta Vigo hosts Barcelona on Saturday, they will try to increase their lead to seven points.

Real Madrid, the defending champion, is second in the table, but they won’t play until Sunday when they face Athletic Club.

The leaders of the league are not happy with the way their matches are scheduled in the top flight of Spain, which they have been chasing quadruple this year.

What causes Barcelona’s outrage?

Hansi Flick, the coach of Barcelona, demanded to meet with LaLiga officials over the “joke” schedule, alleging that Spanish football was neglecting its players.

After being changed from an afternoon start on May 4, the Catalan giants’ LaLiga game will begin at 9:00 PM (19:00 GMT) at Real Valladolid on May 3.

Even with that change, they still have less than three days to get ready for the crucial Champions League semifinal return match against Inter Milan on May 6.

“I want to see the person who is in charge of that.” It’s a joke, Flick said at a news conference on Friday.

The men who are in charge of that have no time to rest, and I want to talk with them because they have no idea how it is, are unbelievable and have no idea how it is.

What is it that Barcelona can still win this year?

One of the three competitions in which Barcelona are still competing is the Champions League, which Flick is familiar with after a trophy-filled spell at Bayern Munich, which raises issues related to fixture congestion.

The German manager, however, claimed he was speechless as a result of the team’s situation before a significant European game.

“This was the first time I had this.” When a champion league team plays, especially in the semifinals, he said, “every league protects its clubs.”

Bundesliga “take care of the clubs,” according to Premier League. But not here. Simply put, let them play.

In Saudi Arabia, Barcelona defeated fierce rivals Real 5-2 to win the Spanish Super Cup earlier this year.

What does Barcelona’s form book look like?

Barcelona are looking to rebound from their first defeat of 2025 following a 3-1 defeat at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday in the Champions League quarterfinals, despite being able to advance to the semi-finals 5-3 on aggregate.

In LaLiga, how are Celta Vigo fares?

Flick praised their 37-year-old coach Claudio Giraldez, who came in this year and helped the team that finished its previous three campaigns in the bottom half. Celta Vigo are seventh in the standings, chasing European football.

Flick claimed that he has the highest regard for his work because he has led a great team and that it is unrelated to his age.

“Celta are very brave in their build-up, and they have a clear idea of how they want to play.”

It’s crucial for us to show our strengths, perhaps in addition to what Dortmund showed us. We discussed the circumstances surrounding our meeting in Dortmund, and we must improve tomorrow. They enjoy playing away games as well.

Head-to-head

The clubs meet for their 58th meeting, with Celta winning 13 and Barcelona winning 28.

In their final three games, Barca have won all three of their matches, with the only other defeat coming in one of the last six.

When did Celta Vigo and Barcelona last meet?

With only six minutes left in normal time, Barca held a 2-0 lead over Celta in their LaLiga match in November.

Barca scored two goals with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, but Alfon Gonzalez and Hugo Alvarez scored for Celta, who were awarded a 2-2 draw after Marc Casado was sent off in the 82nd minute.

news from the Barcelona team

Due to injuries, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, and Alejandro Balde are all at Barca.

News from the Celta Vigo team

Trump says US may ‘pass’ on helping end war if Russia, Ukraine resist deal

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If Moscow or Kyiv makes it too difficult to put an end to the Russian-Ukraine conflict, according to President Donald Trump, the United States will “take a pass” on trying to end it.

Trump made the comment that, in response to discussions with European allies in Paris, Washington would “move on” if a truce did not appear “doable” within days.

The US president denied on Friday that Volodymyr Zelenskyy had ordered the full-scale invasion of pro-Western Ukraine in February 2022, nor that Vladimir Putin, the president of Ukraine. He argued, however, that both sides needed to advance.

We’re going to simply say, “You’re foolish, now, if one of the two parties makes it very difficult for some reason.” You are foolish. We’re going to take a pass on you, Trump said. You’re horrible people.

“But I’m hoping that’s not what we’ll have to do.”

Rubio added that Trump’s patience with the negotiations is waning.

The president is probably at a point where he will say, “Well, we’re done,” he said, “If it’s not possible, if we’re so far apart that this isn’t going to happen.”

Trump, however, stated to reporters on Friday that he did not want to declare his intention to leave the discussions. He continued to say that he still believes there is a good chance to put an end to the conflict.

He said, “It’s going to a head right now.”

While speaking during a trip to Rome, US Vice President JD Vance added that he thought a solution might be found.

‘Trying to assist’

Russia has accused Ukraine of stalling on a deal to gain a better negotiating position and has acceded to a full, temporary ceasefire.

The Kremlin has made a truce in the Black Sea conditional on the West lifting some restrictions, while Putin last month rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for a full and unconditional pause in the conflict.

Trump, who had direct conversations with the Russian leader in February, responded, “I hope not… I’ll let you know soon. “

Trump also refrained from accusing the former KGB agent of “playing” him because he had been told that Russia was going to “invade” him right up until the day of the attack.

Trump said, “Nobody is playing me; I’m trying to help.”

It’s “not easy” to agree on “key components” of a peace deal, according to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper on Monday.

He did acknowledge, however, that the Trump administration is attempting to understand the “root cause” of the conflict, which he claimed was brought on by “the actions of Washington and Brussels” to bring “the current regime to power in Ukraine.”

Fighting is still occurring.

On Friday, during ceasefire negotiations, a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, and a separate drone attack in Sumy, in which another person was killed.

According to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov and emergency services, at least five children were among the dozens of people who were hurt in the attack on Kharkiv on Friday morning, which left 15 residential buildings, a business, and an educational facility.

According to Zein Basravi, a reporter from Kyiv, Russia also targeted Kyiv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, and Lviv.

Around 5 a.m. local time, when curfews come to an end and people begin their daily lives, “we saw numerous missile, drone, artillery, and rocket attacks in cities across the country,” he said.

One person died and 74 were hurt in Kharkiv’s civil infrastructure. Five of the 74 were children, according to Basravi.

The volume of missile and drone attacks overall has not changed, according to President Zelenskyy, who stated on Thursday that despite Russia’s apparent reduction of its targeting of energy infrastructure. Instead, he continued, it is attacking Ukraine’s civilian sites.

Russian military airfields and “key drone production sites” have been hit by Russia, according to reports.

If Germany develops plans to send Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine, Moscow also issued a warning on Friday about potential escalation. Vassily Nebenzia, the ambassador of Russia, stated at the UN on Thursday that this action would signal Germany’s entry into the conflict.

‘How do I live like this?’ asks Gaza boy who lost arms in Israeli attack

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A Palestinian child who was seriously injured last year when an Israeli drone attacked Gaza and was featured in an image that won the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year award claims to be struggling to adjust to life after losing both of his arms in the explosion.

Nine-year-old Mahmoud Ajjour recalls the bomb’s detonation, which happened in March 2024, at his home in Doha, Qatar, where he has been receiving treatment.

Ajjour, who is originally from the old town of Gaza City, claimed at first that he had no idea he was hurt.

“I believed I had fallen entirely,” he said. But I was exhausted, and I was left wondering what had happened, he told Al Jazeera.

In reality, he said, “one arm flew off, and one flew and fell right beside me.”

Ajjour claimed he looked around and saw his arms, unaware that he had sustained serious injuries that had mutilated his entire body. His brain was still processing the fact that they had been blown off, despite how familiar they appeared.

Ajjour recalls that “my mother then informed me that I lost my arms.” I began crying. My mental state and I were very depressed.

Due to a severe lack of medical supplies, he and many others in Gaza had to undergo surgery without anaesthetics, which further deteriorated his mental health. Israeli forces have largely blocked entry to desperately needed medical supplies, food, and other aid, including fuel, throughout the war, largely keeping crucial border crossings closed.

Ajjour said, “They performed surgery on me while I was awake,” and his voice is still sapping.

“I was screaming loudly because I couldn’t bear the pain.” The hallways were filled with my voice.

Everything is challenging, according to the saying.

One of the tens of thousands of Gaza children is injured constantly and arbitrarily by Israeli bombardment.

Since Israel began its ongoing genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023, more than 10 children have lost one or both of their legs, according to the UN Children’s Fund.

More than 1, 000 children, that is.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated in December that Gaza currently has the highest per capita rate of children amputees in the world, with many losing limbs and having surgeries performed without even anesthesia.

Ajjour still requires special assistance for the majority of his daily tasks, despite the fact that he is now learning to write, play games on his phone, and dress himself using his feet.

In Doha, Qatar, Ajjour drinks water while getting ready for class [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters]

He now longs for those days when his arms were still present.

Ajjour claimed that he once used to go to the market to buy his mother food and vegetables before the attack.

He said, “I try my best, but now everything is challenging, including taking my own food and using the restroom.” I take care of this way of living. I get things to work.

Ajjour has dreams about returning to Gaza in the hopes of helping to rebuild the devastated enclave.

He envisions a “wonderful end to the war on Gaza” in the world.

On our land, we want to live. He said, “We don’t want the Israelis to take it.”

In Gaza, “people are dying there.” And I was killed inside my home. How could I possibly exist in this manner?”

More than 51, 000 Palestinians have been killed and at least 116, 505 others have been injured as a result of Israel’s ongoing assault on the besieged and bombarded territory, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Russia jails 19-year old for condemning its war in Ukraine

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Daria Kozyreva, a young activist who used 19th-century poetry and graffiti to protest the Ukrainian war, received a nearly three-year prison sentence from a Russian court.

Kozyreva, 19, was found guilty of repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian army after she repeatedly displayed lines of Ukrainian verse on a public square and gave an interview to Sever, according to a witness from the court on Friday. Russian-language programming from Radio Free Europe’s Realii.

She received an eight-month prison sentence totaling two years and eight.

According to a trial transcript that Mediazona, an independent news outlet, Kozyreva entered a not-guilty plea on Friday, calling the case against her “one big fabrication.”

I don’t feel guilty. According to Mediazona’s transcript, she said, “My conscience is clear.”

“The truth is never guilty,” he says.

Kozyreva sprayed the phrase “Murderers, you bombed it” in December 2022 at the age of 17. Judases, a sculpture of two intertwined hearts depicting the city’s connections to Mariupol, a Ukrainian city that was largely destroyed during a siege earlier that year, was erected outside Saint Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum in black paint on a sculpture of the city.

Kozyreva was kicked out of Saint Petersburg State University’s medical school in early 2024 after being fined 30,000 roubles ($370) for online content about Ukraine.

She then taped a piece of paper containing a passage from Taras Shevchenko, the father of contemporary Ukrainian literature, to a statue of him in a Saint Petersburg park on the occasion of the second anniversary of the conflict:

“Oh bury me, rise up, and break your heavy chains with the blood of the tyrants,” you ask.

Before being released this February, Kozyreva was immediately detained and placed in pre-trial detention for almost a year.

Punished for quoting poetry

The verdict, according to Amnesty International’s director for Russia, “is yet another chilling reminder of how far the Russian authorities will go to silence peaceful opposition to their war in Ukraine.”

In a statement, she said, “Daria Kozyreva is being punished for quoting a classic of 19th-century Ukrainian poetry, for speaking out against an unjust war, and for refusing to remain silent.”

“We demand the immediate and unrestricted release of Daria Kozyreva and all others who are incarcerated under “war censorship laws.”

According to a report from Memorial, a Russian human rights organization that won the Nobel Prize, Kozyreva is one of an estimated 234 people currently imprisoned in Russia for their antiwar positions.

Since Russia began its massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it has also started to happen more frequently.

Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was detained last year on suspicion of attempting to obtain military secrets. He is currently awaiting trial in custody. He was “wrongfully detained” by the United States, and they want his release.

Man Utd career summed up by ‘Maddest game’ – Maguire

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After winning 5-4 over Lyon to send his team to the Europa League semifinals, Harry Maguire said the “maddest game” of his life was the epitome of a topsy-turvy Manchester United career.

United appeared to be cruising into the last four after drawing 2-2 in the first leg on Thursday, when they led 2-0 at half-time.

Corentin Tolisso was sent off just before the break when Lyon came back to level at 2-2.

With only six minutes left, the 10 men were up by 4-2.

Before Maguire headed in after being substituted as a makeshift striker, Bruno Fernandes’ penalty and Kobbie Mainoo’s cool finish levelled at a raucous Old Trafford.

In his time with the Red Devils, Maguire has frequently been a hot rod for criticism. He recently signed for United for a record-breaking fee for a defender in 2019.

Under Erik ten Hag, he went from being the club captain to leaving the team, and despite being reintegrated since Ruben Amorim took over, he has struggled to stay in top form.

I’ve been here for six years, and I’ve had a lot of fun. There have also been some bad times, Maguire said.

To be honest, I think that game pretty much sums up my time at this club.

The winner of such a significant game, in a one that was full of emotion and the strangest, madest game I’ve ever played in or witnessed, was an incredible feeling. ”

Harry Maguire and teammates celebrate scoring their side’s fifth goal [Phil Noble/Reuters].

In the semifinals, United have a chance to save their season against Athletic Bilbao.

If they don’t win the Europa League, Amorim’s men, who are 14th in the Premier League, will almost certainly miss out on European football altogether.

We are only in the semifinal, so we don’t want to lose hope in the end result, Maguire said.

Everyone involved, all the fans, all the players, and the staff have had a difficult time this season.

It hasn’t been anywhere near good enough, and I believe it’s crucial for fans to leave with smiles on their faces when they experience those kinds of memories. ”

This season, athletes have lost fewer LaLiga games than Real Madrid or Barcelona.

The Basques will also benefit from hosting the May 21 final at their own San Mames stadium.

And Maguire is aware that if United are to reach the final, they must significantly improve their displays against Lyon.

The England international argued that if we want to win this competition, we must do much better than that.

In that circumstance, “we can’t be doing that and leaving it to turn things around.”