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Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp will be speaking today as the Premier League returns this weekend
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The Premier League returns this weekend with one of the biggest games of the season as Manchester City host title rivals Arsenal at the Etihad.
Mikel Arteta’s side return from the international break at the top of the table as they look to win a first Premier League title in 20 years, but an immediate visit to champions City will be the ultimate test of their ambitions.
Arsenal have not won at the Etihad in nine years, as both teams await crucial injury updates ahead of the match. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have yet to train after the international break, while John Stones and Kyle Walker have been ruled out after both picked up injuries while on England duty.
Liverpool will have the chance to return to the Premier League summit when they host Brighton on Sunday, but the Reds have been dealt a blow after Xabi Alonso, their leading candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp, was ruled out of contention for the Anfield job.
Alonso has since confirmed that he will remain with Bayer Leverkusen, with the Spaniard also turning down the chance to manage Bayern Munich. Follow all the latest Premier League team news and injury updates from today’s press conferences as the top-flight returns this weekend
The Premier League is heading for a classic title race, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal set for a three-way battle as we enter the run-in.
Manchester City, the defending champions, are aiming to win a fourth league title in a row under Pep Guardiola – a feat that has never been achieved in the history of English football. City blew Arsenal away in last year’s run-in, but the Gunners are back in the fight this campaign and have been joined by a resurgent Liverpool side – who are set for an emotional final months of Jurgen Klopp’s time on Merseyside.
The points were shared at Anfield following an epic clash between Klopp’s Liverpool and Guardiola’s City, as the managerial rivals met in the Premier League for the final time. It means Arsenal lead the way, but the Premier League now returns from March’s international break for another blockbuster fixture, as Mikel Arteta’s side visit the Etihad to take on the champions, having already beaten City earlier this season.
After that, as the Premier League title race enters April, the run-in can truly begin. But which team has the best fixtures and who has the hardest run of games to end the season? Here’s where the title could be won and lost.
Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal all have tricky tests to pass as the Premier League title race hots up, but who has the best run-in?
Xabi Alonso always played the game at his own speed. It was part of his strength as a footballer, a cool detachment, an ability to see the big picture and to identify the right move. Like many a Spanish midfielder, he did not always take the most direct route. When he did, though, a remarkable long passer could do so with great success.
The characteristics that made one of the most cerebral of players an obvious candidate for management seem apparent in his choices in his coaching career. Alonso could have been fast-tracked to two of his former clubs, and two of Europe’s super clubs. And he will take things at his own pace, staying at Bayer Leverkusen. He has been unhurried: in making a decision, in plotting his path.
“There has been a lot of speculation around my future, we have been busy and focused and I wanted the international break to reflect a bit better,” he said. “I had a very good meeting with the decision-makers, and I decided to stay at Bayer Leverkusen. I have to feel it, and right now I feel this is the right place.”
By Richard Jolly
The Spaniard is staying at Bayer Leverkusen after rejecting the chance to manage Liverpool or Bayern Munich – but there is sense to playing the long game, and it could be Real Madrid who benefit most
Liverpool’s manager search has been dealt a blow after the news that Xabi Alonso will not be on their shortlist to replace the outgoing Jurgen Klopp this summer.
Alonso was considered to be the favourite to step in for Klopp at Anfield, and was named by the German as the outstanding candidate, but he will remain at Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
Leverkusen are on the brink of winning a first Bundesliga title under Alonso this season but Alonso says his “job is not over”after confirming he wil remain at the club next year.
It means Liverpool will have to look elsewhere as they try to replace Klopp, who will be stepping down at the end of the season.
The picture is rather complicated by the fact that Bayern and Barcelona will also be looking for new managers this summer, and perhaps Manchester United too.
Bayer Leverkusen are confident Alonso will stay at the club this summer, forcing Liverpool to look elsewhere for Jurgen Klopp’s replacement
Mikel Arteta has revealed Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes have not trained ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday, but says there is a “chance” all three will be involved in the potential title decider.
Leaders Arsenal travel to City looking to end a nine-year winless run at the Etihad and claim a result that would go a long way to boosting their hopes of a first Premier League title in 20 years.
Arsenal lost both games to City last season, including a 4-1 defeat at the Etihad in the run-in, but Arteta’s side beat Guardiola’s team earlier this campaign and will take a two-point lead over City into the clash.
Forwards Saka and Martinelli and defender Gabriel were not involved over the international break, with Saka pulling out of England’s squad with a hamstring injury and Martinelli and Gabriel not involved with Brazil due to a foot problem and Achilles issue respectively.
Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes were not involved during the international break
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is confident Kobbie Mainoo can deal with the hype following his impressive full England debut.
“I thought it was very good, but we are not surprised,” the United boss said. “We have seen what he is capable of, that he can very quickly adapt to high levels. It looks very natural.
“We are very happy for him and of course a little bit proud. I would say very proud.
“It’s great for the academy of Manchester United that they bring up a player so young going into the national team. That is a big compliment for the whole club.
“I think definitely in the first place for himself because he did it.
“But also for all the ones who worked with him during his time in the academy, so it’s very good news for Manchester United.”
Asked if he has to manage the hype around Mainoo, Ten Hag said: “Yes, but we have discussed this before and so far he handles it very well.
“If he crosses the line, yeah, of course I as a manager, we as coaches, will interfere.
“But so far it’s not necessary because he enjoys football, he wants to win, he wants to give his best every day because he want to improve.
“As I say, he just wants to have fun on the pitch. For him, it’s fun to play dominant, to dictate the game and to win the game.”
Manchester United midfielder Mainoo continued an impressive campaign by making his international debut.
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has urged the Football Association not to “throw the book” at midfielder Sandro Tonali after charging him with further betting offences.
The 23-year-old, who is currently serving a 10-month worldwide ban imposed by the Italian Football Federation in October after he admitted breaking gambling rules, is alleged to have breached FA rule E8 50 times by betting on matches between August 12 and October 12 last year.
However, Howe, who has been without his £55million summer signing from AC Milan since October, is hoping English football’s governing body will not impose further stringent punishment on a player whose agent, Giuseppe Riso, has insisted is battling a “gambling addiction”.
Howe said: “The news that there was an FA charge, that illness didn’t stop when he moved from Italy to England, that illness was there and people should look at it that way, not ‘let’s throw the book at him and let’s punish him even further’ because I don’t think that gets to the root of the problem.
“We need to protect all our players because this is something that’s open to everybody and becoming a bigger problem in society, so this isn’t just a problem for Sandro.”
The 23-year-old is currently serving a 10-month ban after Tonali admitted breaking gambling rules in Italy
Joe Gomez’s stunning resurgence has been crucial to Liverpool keeping their head above water in this season’s title race – and this doesn’t look set to change as the club braces itself for an intense title climax.
A player who had been straddling on the club’s fringes for four years – perennially linked with a transfer away – Gomez has turned from an injury-prone liability to Jurgen Klopp’s ever-available utility man.
Filling in and excelling across the Reds’ back-line as injuries mounted, the 26-year-old’s dependability hasn’t gone unnoticed – earning a first England call-up since 2020 for a pair of friendlies in late March.
And as the Premier League title race prepares to enter its final stretch, Gomez looks set to remain a regular fixture in Liverpool’s side after the club suffered yet another untimely fitness blow.
By Will Castle
Gomez could be called upon as a regular starter for Liverpool after Andy Robertson’s latest injury
Steph Houghton’s announcement of her decision to retire from football might have been low-key, but the impact she has left on the game was not.
The Manchester City centre-back and former England captain deserved the plaudits from all areas of the game for her two-decade long career spanning the course of the growth of women’s football.
She was the sole survivor from City’s first professional team which launched a decade ago and her 20-year career not only spanned four clubs, Sunderland, Leeds, Arsenal and Manchester City, but also the rapid professionalisation of the sport.
By Sonia Twigg
Steph Houghton announced her decision to retire at the end of the season
Manchester City will be without Kyle Walker and John Stones for their crucial clash against Arsenal as the champions were hit with a double injury blow to leave both in a race against time to be fit to face Real Madrid.
Pep Guardiola expects his captain Walker to be sidelined for longer than Stones after each was hurt playing for England, but is waiting to discover how long each will spend on the sidelines.
But Manuel Akanji, who missed training on Thursday, should be fit to take one of the spots in defence and Ederson is set to return in goal after suffering a thigh injury in the draw against Liverpool.
Both Stones and Walker limped off while playing for England this week, but Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne are set to be available for the title clash
Four years ago, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise hadn’t seen the light of top-tier football in close to 50 years. They’re now clear favourites to claim championship glory this season.
You’d be forgiven if you weren’t overtly familiar with the goings on of the Belgian Jupiler Pro League.
However, as this term’s title picture becomes ever clearer, a fascinating redemption story could be about to reach its fairytale conclusion.
By Will Castle
Les Unionistes look to win their first Belgian title since 1935 with a unique set-up, aided by Brighton in the Premier League
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