WATCH: Alessia Russo is hoping for Champions League glory with Arsenal
"We wanna go that one step further" 🏆
Source: x.com
"We wanna go that one step further" 🏆
Now clear at the top of Serie A with only four rounds remaining, Scudetto-seeking Napoli will target maximum points when they visit Lecce on Saturday evening.
Inter Milan must shift their focus back to Serie A, as they have some catching up to do with Napoli as they host Hellas Verona at the San Siro.
Heading into the final-day fixtures, the title, two play-off places and realistically one relegation spot are yet to be decided with 12 teams still having a lot to play for in The Championship.
The Championship has once again delivered a season of incredible drama and entertainment, with the pendulum swinging one way then the other - and back again. And again. And again.
The Liverpool head coach gave his players two days off as reward for clinching a record-equalling 20th league title on Sunday, when a party was held at Anfield after the 5-1 rout of Tottenham. Slot’s celebrations continued with his wife’s birthday meal on Monday before his focus switched back to business on Tuesday.
Guardiola signed a new deal at the Etihad Stadium in November, tying himself to the club for two more seasons, which would take his total time at the club to 11 years.
Midfielder De Bruyne announced last month he will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, and his first-time finish from Jeremy Doku's low cross helped City move four points clear of sixth-placed Nottingham Forest in the race to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Recently acquired by one of the richest families in France in collaboration with Red Bull, Paris FC tonight secured promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time in their history. Whilst they drew to a combative Martigues in the south of France on Friday evening, Metz’s 3-3 draw with Rodez has meant Paris FC will join Paris Saint-Germain next season in the elite.
After reaching a third straight FA Cup final, resurgent Manchester City aim to continue their Premier League uptick when hosting Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday.
Still seeking a top-five finish, City have also won three league games on the spin; meanwhile, win-hungry Wolves have claimed maximum points from their last six, continuing a superb end to the season.
Four supporter groups wrote an open letter to the manager this week, asking him to speak to the chief executive, Ferran Soriano, on the matter, as they prepare to hold a protest before Friday’s match at home to Wolves.
The Portuguese coach said that proof of that was provided by the opening spell in which they had been under pressure and urged his players to focus on that. Asked if that was United’s best performance since taking charge in November, the United head coach said: “No, I think it is the best result because nobody expected this result.”
The roar was deafening and the emotion was genuine. The only problem, though, was that Chelsea were already four goals to the good by the time Isak Alemayehu Mulugeta got the underdogs on the scoresheet in Stockholm.
It was one of Spurs' best performances of a wretched season domestically and leaves them two games away from a first trophy since 2008.
Athletic made a strong start to proceedings in Bilbao, and they should have scored early. Alex Berenguer crossed straight on to the head of Inaki Williams, who could not keep his effort down, much to the frustration of the home supporters. And they were made to pay for this miss soon after Man United scored the opener courtesy of former Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro.
Manuel Pellegrini raised eyebrows with his decision to start Ez Abde ahead of Jesus Rodriguez, but it was one that paid off inside six minutes. The Moroccan winger collected the ball from Cedric Bakambu before finding the back of the net, sparking jubilant scenes early on among the home supporters.
Just four days on from losing against Manchester City in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, Forest lacked the creativity required to break down a well-disciplined Brentford.
Aiming to reach a Europa League final hosted at their own headquarters, Athletic Bilbao have one last hurdle to clear, as they take on Manchester United in the semi-finals.
Tottenham‘s only hope of saving a miserable campaign remains the UEFA Europa League, in which they host Bodø/Glimt on Thursday for the first leg of their semi-final.
Real Betis and Fiorentina are set to clash on Thursday evening at the Estadio Benito Villamarin in the first leg of their Conference League semi-final.
Chelsea will eye a strong first leg performance against Djurgarden in the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday in Sweden.
Alexander Straus’s team are on a high going into the final, having beaten Freiburg 3-1 at the FC Bayern Campus last weekend to retain the Bundesliga title for the third year in a row. Now they can make more history with a first domestic double for the club. (Source: fcbayern.com)
Bayern are into the final for the second year in a row and looking to win the DFB Cup for the second time, after 2012’s success. They have so far eliminated Sand (6-0), Freiburg (2-1), Eintracht Frankfurt (4-1 a.e.t.) and Hoffenheim, coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 thanks to a Pernille Harder hat-trick, on their road to Cologne.
United face Athletic Club in the semifinal first leg on Thursday with a place in next month's final – also being held in Bilbao – on the line.
The FA had so far refused to bow to criticism from ministers and protesters, allowing trans women to play on women's teams on an individual basis.
Spurs are 16th in the Premier League table after a dismal domestic campaign and pressure is mounting on Postecoglou despite their contrasting fortunes in Europe.
Negotiating a surface that has attracted plenty of criticism in recent weeks will be a key challenge for Maresca’s team when they face their Swedish hosts on Thursday.
After just 42 minutes, French defender Jules Kounde went down on the pitch feeling the back of his calf. He ended up having to come off, and Eric Garcia came on to replace him, doing a reasonably good job out of position at right-back. Kounde’s injury has sparked concern though ahead of a series of crucial fixtures.
When former manager Emma Hayes announced her departure from Chelsea, a seed of doubt was planted - was this the end of their dominance?
Inter raced to an unexpected 2-0 lead inside 21 minutes through goals from Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries but were pegged back before halftime by a Yamal-inspired Barça on the 17-year-old's 100th appearance for the club.
Inter stunned the hosts after just 30 seconds when Marcus Thuram turned in Denzel Dumfries' low cross with an audacious backheel flick to score the fastest goal in a last-four game in the competition's history.
Chelsea secured a sixth successive Women's Super League title as Lucy Bronze's goal wrapped up victory over Manchester United.
Fifteen years on from their last clash in the Champions League semi-finals, Barcelona and Inter Milan convene for another last-four tie, with Montjuic playing host to Wednesday's first leg.
Inter prevailed back in 2010, but Barca now aim to eliminate their Italian rivals and meet either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain in next month's decider.
Flick was highly complementary of Inter ahead of their tie, as was Lamine Yamal, with the Italian giants representing a tricky match-up for Barcelona.
After Barcelona crushed their European dreams, Chelsea will turn their focus back to their Women's Super League title bid when they travel to Leigh Sports Village for Wednesday's meeting with Manchester United.
The Blues are sitting six points clear at the top of the WSL table, while Man United are eight points adrift in third position. (Source: Sports Mole)
Chelsea's ultimate dream remains unfulfilled for another season, but they have to quickly put the disappointment of getting thoroughly outclassed by Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League semifinals, and refocus back on what they have to fight for this season.
The Nerazzurri have arrived in Catalonia and are preparing to face Barcelona at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Wednesday night, kicking off at 20.00 BST.
After securing their place in the Women's Champions League final, Arsenal will return to domestic action for Wednesday's league fixture against Aston Villa. (Source: Sports Mole)
Aston Villa boss Natalia Arroyo experienced a disappointing start to life as a WSL manager, losing her first five league games by a combined 13-1 scoreline.
Ousmane Dembele's early strike at the Emirates leaves the Gunners needing to overturn a one-goal deficit against Paris St-Germain in the second leg at the Parc des Princes next week.
Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor concedes Matildas captain Sam Kerr’s return date remains “unclear” nearly 16 months after she injured her ACL.
Dembélé got the only goal of the game against Arsenal, sweeping home a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cutback in the fourth minute. However, the France international, in excellent goal-scoring form this season with 33 goals, was then forced off in the 70th minute. It has since been confirmed that the PSG forward is suffering from a hamstring injury.
Dembele stunned Arsenal when he swept home a low finish from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's delivery only four minutes into the semi-final first leg.
For the first time in its history, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) commenced a regular season this spring with no draft.
Rudiger and Real team-mate Lucas Vazquez, who had both been substituted, were shown straight red cards in Seville for angrily reacting to a foul given against Kylian Mbappe shortly before the final whistle.
Former league-phase foes renew hostilities in the final four, as Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain engage in a blockbuster battle in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg at the Emirates, both dreaming of finally ending their excruciating waits for European stardom.
Mikel Arteta's men outwitted, outfought and out-classed Real Madrid in the quarter-finals to earn a two-legged tussle with the French champions, who ended Aston Villa's dreams of continental glory in the last eight.
The manager described the game as the biggest of his career and one of the most significant hosted by the Emirates Stadium, which opened for the 2006-07 season. It is Arsenal’s third appearance in the last four of Europe’s elite competition, after the victory against Villarreal in 2005-06 and the defeat by Manchester United in 2008-09.
PSG sealed their fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title earlier this month and have transformed themselves into one of Europe's most dangerous teams this season.
The Giallorossi have been working for months to find a boss for next season, knowing that Ranieri only came out of retirement in November to rescue the club and will leave in the summer.
Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal will be in the market for a striker at the end of the season and could also move for a winger with Athletic Club's Nico Williams among their leading targets.
Inter received more bad news on Monday, one day after a 1-0 loss against Roma in Serie A, their third defeat in a row across all competitions.
When Liverpool clinched their 19th league title five years ago, they did so in an empty stadium because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, after being confirmed as champions with a 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, head coach Arne Slot and players stayed on the pitch for almost an hour to soak up the ovation from a packed Anfield.
Arne Slot's seamless transition into what many regarded as the impossible task of succeeding Jurgen Klopp has not only resulted in a triumph achieved with relative comfort, it has been done without any serious strengthening of the squad he inherited.
The Reds defeated Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 at Anfield on Sunday to clinch a record-equalling 20th top-flight title, with Slot becoming the first Dutch coach to win the Premier League.
The clubs share top spot for most league titles in England.
The title race was transformed in the space of eight days, as while last week they caught Inter in top spot, here they knew the Nerazzurri had already lost 1-0 to Roma this afternoon.
Rescuing a point from 10-man Bournemouth might have arrested some of the helpless, listless doom but probably not for too long.
The UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final first-legs served up some incredible goals and drama. And the task for both English sides is simple – they will have to forge comebacks if they are to reach the final. (Source: The Analyst)
Lyon, aiming for a 12th final in this 24-year-old competition, won 2-1 at Arsenal last Saturday as although Mariona Caldentey's penalty cancelled out Kadidiatou Diani's opener, the outstanding Melchie Dumornay dinked in with eight minutes to go.
Liverpool need just a point to be crowned Premier League champions when Tottenham Hotspur visit Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
If Spurs are to delay the Reds' title celebrations, they'll have to do something they haven't achieved since 2011. The Lilywhites have forgettable memories of their modern visits to Anfield, and Ange Postecoglou's side recently succumbed to a 4-0 defeat in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup. (Source: 90min.com)
The destination of the Premier League title is close to being confirmed. It has been a relative procession for Liverpool, who are 12 points clear at the summit and know just one more point will be enough against Tottenham Hotspur to get the job done following Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Gunners and Netherlands goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar at one stage looked most likely for a career in volleyball, but eventually fell in love with the beautiful game and is now regarded as one of the best in her position in the world.
Avoiding a shocking 16th loss of the Premier League season will be the goal for Manchester United when they head south to face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Devils are 11 points adrift of the Cherries in the top-flight standings as Andoni Iraola's men fight for European qualification, and here Sports Mole rounds up the team news for both clubs. (Source: Sports Mole)
Bournemouth still have something to fight for in the Premier League this season, with a European place within reach, as they welcome Manchester United to the Vitality Stadium.
Barcelona are going for a record-equalling fifth straight final, and third title in a row, but Chelsea can take heart from their quarter-final comeback against Manchester City when they scored three times in a breathless Stamford Bridge first half to overturn their 2-0 away defeat.
Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor, who oversaw Lyon's 3-1 defeat of Barcelona in the 2022 final, is without Lauren James due to a hamstring injury in addition to longer-term absentees including Sam Kerr. Nathalie Björn was also forced off in the first leg, meaning a Champions League debut for January signing Naomi Girma is possible. (Source: Uefa.com)
A thrilling FA Cup semi-final is in store on Sunday afternoon as seven-time winners Manchester City take on Nottingham Forest.
It's been a special campaign for Nuno Espirito Santo's Forest, one which could be capped off by FA Cup glory and a place in next season's Champions League. A 1-0 victory over City in March proved significant and they'll hope to do another number on Pep Guardiola's side this weekend. (Source: 90min.com)
For the third year in a row, Chelsea and Barcelona are matched in a semi-final second leg falling on 27 April. Two years ago they drew 1-1 at Camp Nou and last season Barcelona won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, each time progressing 2-1 on aggregate. Chelsea will not lose by that scoreline overall this time but have a massive task if they are to reach their second final following Barcelona's 4-1 first-leg win.
Nottingham Forest and Manchester City will put their Champions League qualification hopes aside as they meet in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.
A hotel room overlooking London's Kensington Gardens, alive with picnics and impromptu football games, is the setting for an interview with Chelsea star Aggie Beever-Jones.
Barcelona has launched its bid for a treble after it beat Real Madrid 3-2 in a thrilling Copa del Rey final with Jules Koundé scoring an extra-time winner on Saturday.
Lyon will defend a 2-1 lead at home to Arsenal on Sunday, and with the Gunners boasting offensive options of the quality of Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, Mariona Caldentey, Caitlin Foord, Frida Maanum, Chloe Kelly and Stina Blackstenius, defend is a key word.
Rudiger and Real team-mate Lucas Vazquez, who had both been substituted, were shown straight red cards for angrily reacting to a foul given against Kylian Mbappe shortly before the final whistle.
The win moves the Blues up to fourth in the Premier League, level on points with Nottingham Forest and a point ahead of Newcastle, who play Ipswich later on Saturday.
The striker scored one and made goals for Jorgen Strand Larsen and Rodrigo Gomes as Wolves made it six straight top-flight wins for the first time since 1970.
Successive promotions from League One to the Premier League ended their 22-year exile from the top flight last summer, but they have been unable to stave off an immediate return to the Championship.
Eze and Sarr were the headline double act as Palace continued their quest for that elusive first FA Cup triumph – but this was a consummate team effort from back to front.
The Parkhead club clinched a fourth successive top-flight crown by thrashing Dundee United 5-0 at Tannadice, and a win in next month's Scottish Cup final would ensure a sixth domestic treble in nine campaigns.