Sports
Chelsea, Arsenal Set For Baku Showdown In Europa League Final Today
By Augustine Akhilomen
The stage is set for two of English Premier League rivals as Arsenal and Chelsea face off in the 2019 Europa League final at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan on Wednesday evening.
The two teams will be hoping to end the season on a title note after falling out in the domestic cups in England. The Gunners fell well short in both domestic cup competitions this term, being knocked out of the EFL Cup by Tottenham in the quarter-finals and by Man United in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
However, may not be considered a poor campaign by any means for Chelsea as the team finished third in the Premier League, guaranteeing them a place in the Champions League next season – a luxury Arsenal do not have – while also coming runners-up in the EFL Cup.
Interestingly, while Arsenal manager, Unai Emery remains confident of retaining his job for next season, the Blues manager, Maurizio Sarri, a potential Juventus manager all things being equal next season, has come under pressure all season long and face a possible sack if he doesn’t win the Europa League.
Victory for Arsenal on Wednesday would make Emery only the fourth manager to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League with two different teams, after Giovanni Trapattoni (with Juventus and Inter Milan), Jose Mourinho (Porto and Man United) and Benitez (Valencia and Chelsea).
There is no doubt that Sarri will be counting on the services of Willian, Pedro, Olivier Giroud and Eden Hazard, who is set to play his last game for Chelsea before leaving for Real Madrid in the summer, to shoulder the goal scoring responsibilities.
On the other hand, Emery will be relying on his twin strikers, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, Metsuit Ozil to cause havoc to the Chelsea defence in Baku.
Injury News
Chelsea have been dealt some major blow with the news that Midfield marshal, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Antonio Rudiger and forward Callum Hudson-Odo have been ruled out of the encounter due to injuries.
Also, Arsenal will not be without Aaron Ramsey, Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Barcelona loanee Denis Suarez as a result of injuries. while Henrikh Mkhitaryan was left out of the squad for political reasons between Armenian and Azerbaijan.
Head To Head
Arsenal versus Chelsea will become the first fixture to played in the FA Cup final, EFL Cup final and a major European final.
Wednesday’s clash will mark the third time that two teams from the same nation have faced off in the Europa League final, after Porto vs. Braga in 2011 and Atletico Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao in 2012.
This is the 198th meeting between the sides in all competitions but only the third in Europe – they also met in the 2003-04 Champions League quarter-finals, with the Blues progressing 3-2 on aggregate.
Arsenal eased to a 2-0 win when the sides met in a Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium in January, while Chelsea carved out a 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture at the start of the campaign.
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Sports
Jude Bellingham agrees huge new Real Madrid contract
Jude Bellingham has reportedly reached an agreement with Real Madrid over a new contract at the club.
Still only 23, Bellingham has been a remarkable success at Real Madrid, with 49 goals and 34 assists in his 150 games for the club.
According to Spanish outlet AS, Bellingham and Madrid have finalized an agreement to extend his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu until the summer of 2031.
The midfielder initially joined the club from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2023 on a deal running through to 2029.
It’s understood that Bellingham will be handed a much improved salary, reflecting his importance on the pitch for the side.
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Sports
Manchester United Have ‘Moved On’ From Martinez Outburst — Carrick
Michael Carrick said that Manchester United had “moved on” from Lisandro Martinez’s outburst aimed at the club’s hierarchy, stressing it was “really not a drama for us as a group”.
Argentina defender Martinez criticised the United hierarchy following their 2-0 Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, saying Carrick had been left with an under-strength squad.
The centre-back criticised technical director Jason Wilcox, saying he had “100 percent” expected more investment during the summer transfer window after United finished third in the Premier League last season.
It is understood Martinez, who issued an apology on Thursday, has been fined for his outburst.
United manager Carrick confirmed during a pre-match press conference on Friday that Martinez would be in his squad for their Premier League match at bitter rivals Leeds on Sunday.
Carrick, under intense pressure after a terrible start to the season, was asked by reporters about Martinez’s comments and subsequent developments.
“We’ve moved on from that; it was one of those things,” he said. “I think Licha (Martinez) has come out and acknowledged the situation, and as a group we’ve moved on.
“It’s really not a drama for us as a group; I think the boys have trained really well. This morning there was a really good feeling around the squad.”
Martinez, 28, said in a statement he had held positive talks with the club’s leadership and Carrick.
“Everyone knows that I am a passionate person and that I live football with great intensity,” he said in a post on Instagram.
“The frustration of the defeat led me to express how I felt at a time and place that perhaps were not the right ones, and for that I want to apologise.”
Former United captain Roy Keane has branded the situation at his former club “a bit of a circus”.
Carrick was pressed by reporters on the nature of the apology from Martinez, which did not mention Wilcox by name.
“I think he (Martinez) has released his statement and he’s realised he’s made a mistake,” said the United boss. “I think that’s enough for all of us to move on with.”
“I understand the emotion at times. We ask for passion, we ask for emotion, we ask for fire, and we ask for players to care.
“There’s a way of doing that, and that’s already been acknowledged. We need to carry that. We need to carry that intensity and that willingness and that togetherness and that spirit and everything,” he added.
United have made their worst start to a league season in 40 years.
They are 13th in the Premier League, with just one win from six matches, but Carrick, a former United and England midfielder, deflected a question about the pressure on him personally.
“I don’t need results; we all need results,” he said. “It’s not about me. Manchester United is a lot bigger than any individual, bigger than me.
“Bigger than any player, anyone else who works at this football club. It always has been, and it’s not about me.”
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Sports
PSG prepare ambitious swoop for Barcelona’s Eric García
Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly identified Barcelona defender Eric Garcia as their top transfer target for summer 2027.
According to Le Parisien, Luis Enrique is eager to reunite with the versatile Spaniard, who can operate centrally or in wide defensive positions.
The French champions are reportedly considering a €70 million offer to persuade Blaugrana to sell the 25-year-old.
García, whose contract runs until 2031, has become an important figure under Hansi Flick, making 51 appearances across all competitions last season, including 47 starts.
The 2026 World Cup winner has maintained his impressive form this term, starting all eight matches in which he has featured.
A Barcelona academy graduate, Garcia joined Manchester City in 2017 before returning to the Catalan giants four years later.
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