● Ancelotti in selection pickle for who gonna stand with Rudiger against City
Real Madrid's biggest game thus far this season will be the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City on Wednesday. After the scoreless draw on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu, the match in Manchester will be decided by the victor.
Despite concerns over Eduardo Camavinga following Saturday's victory over Getafe, Carlo Ancelotti anticipates having his entire roster at his disposal. Following that game, Ancelotti announced (through Relevo) that he will start Antonio Rudiger against Manchester City.
He was worn out today. He's been given rest, so he should be OK on Wednesday. He's going to get the game going."
Ancelotti will be hoping that Rudiger can neutralize Erling Haaland's threat at the Etihad Stadium just as he did in the first leg. His admittance presents a problem, though, as it means that neither David Alaba nor Eder Militao, who were suspended for the first leg, will start the match against Man City.
Although both of them are thought of as Real Madrid's top center defenders, one might wind up on the sidelines. Ancelotti will need to select a player for Rudiger's teammate. Alaba, on the other hand, might be moved to the left back position, especially if Camavinga is unable to start.
It could be one of the better choices Ancelotti has made this season and will undoubtedly cause him selection headaches. Real Madrid might play in the Champions League final once more if he makes the correct choices.
● Arteta on Gabriel Martinelli's injury
Martinelli failed to recover from a Moises Caicedo challenge and was replaced after the first 20 minutes.
According to Mikel Arteta, manager of Arsenal, it is still too early to determine the extent of Gabriel Martinelli's injury.
In order to continue, the 21-year-old's ankle appeared to get caught underneath the midfielder from Ecuador's sliding leg. Leandro Trossard was thus substituted in place of the player against his previous team. After being substituted out, Martinelli walked right down the tunnel. Later, wearing a protective boot, he was seen roaming about the Emirates pitch.
With only two games left against Nottingham Forest and Wolves, respectively, the Brazilian must now struggle to avoid missing the rest of the season. After the game, Arteta provided a brief update on Martinelli's condition but declined to speculate on how long he would be off.
We are unsure, Arteta replied. "He is currently wearing a boot. He was unable to continue playing because of his extreme discomfort. He has to be scanned to determine the severity of the injuries.
Martinelli's injury was just the beginning of a terrible afternoon for Arsenal, as their chances of winning the title were all but destroyed by the loss to the Seagulls. After defeating Everton 3-0 earlier in the day, Manchester City now just needs one victory out of their final three games.
●Pep Guardiola hits out at Yerry Mina
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, was not pleased with Yerry Mina, an Everton defender, for what he saw to be dishonest and unsporting behavior during their 3-0 victory at Goodison Park.
The City center-back hit his opponent in the stomach after an altercation, and Mina tumbled to the ground. The Colombian international was involved in one noticeable dispute with Aymeric Laporte at a corner in the first half.
But after the final whistle, Guardiola argued with the Everton defender and followed him off the field. The entire City team also declined to shake Mina's hand.
Guardiola would not discuss what Mina had really done, but it was clear that the Colombian's approach to opponents was the source of his displeasure.
'Mina? What he does is not required. It is not necessary to play the way he does outside of football, according to Guardiola.
"You are a good enough player to avoid these kinds of things," I informed him. "
When prompted to expound on his criticisms, the City manager said, "He knows. Query him. This is neither physical nor mental.
There are some things he does that are unnecessary. This time around, including Jack (Grealish) and Aymeric. Query him. To the press conference, please invite him.
The argument overshadowed City's ease in handling Everton, where Ilkay Gundogan scored twice for the second game in a succession on each side of Haaland's mandatory goal, his 52nd of the season.
Gundogan's contract expires in the summer, and he has been rumored to be moving to Barcelona, but Guardiola is more than happy to have him lead the team as captain, just as he did at Goodison, where he set the tone with two outstanding goals.
Guardiola, who wants the Germany international to stay longer, said of the player: "He can show again and again and again the quality and importance and his commitment, to all of us, to the club, not just scoring goals, now he has his momentum."
He doesn't speak much, but when he does, everyone pays attention, which is a leader's strength. He displays his leadership qualities by being on time, doing his job full-time, and acting like he is in every training session.
"He is a player with an incredible sense of goal when he gets close to the box." He demonstrated this many years ago when Fernandinho was injured. He played in matches like Burnley, when long balls are hit and you might assume you need a strong player, but he is so cunning and he is a person who manages pressure well.
The player had not brought forward any claims to Everton manager Sean Dyche, who claimed to be unaware of them.
Since Mina hasn't been on the field in weeks, he remarked, "If he did it constantly, I wouldn't know where he had seen it."
The difficulty would have increased from 0-0 to 2-0. I told him to stop when I stated, "Dom, you are coming off."
The player continued, "A lot of the performance was right against a top side, but you get punished if you make the slightest mistake." He was speaking about his team's performance, in which they did not trouble City.
With Mason Holgate (who missed a challenging close-range opportunity at 0-0), we may have had the best chance.
There were other spectacular efforts, including those by Dwight McNeil, Doucs (Abdoulaye Doucoure), and Conor Coady, who entered the game and changed the formation (to a 5-4-1).
● Frenkie de Jong reveals in remaining at Bar
In the upcoming weeks, Frenkie de Jong is anticipated to be the focus of renewed interest after being heavily connected with a move to the Premier League in the summer.
De Jong has made 29 appearances for Barcelona; his contract expires in 2026. From midfield, De Jong has directly assisted five goals. His outstanding performances enabled Blaugrana to defeat Real Madrid and win the La Liga championship, and they have just been acknowledged.
Araujo interrupted De Jong's interview with the club's official TV station and said, "Here is the best midfielder in the world, Frenkie De Jong. "A crack, a crack!"
The midfielder appears up for the task. De Jong expressed his desire to stay at Barcelona for "many years" in an interview with TV3 prior to the El Clasico in March.
"I'm hoping to play in the brand-new Camp Nou. I've always considered Barcelona to be my ideal club, and I intend to stay here for a very long time," he stated. "In my opinion, Camp Nou is the world's most beautiful stadium.
"The stadium's plans are excellent. to stay here for a long time. The team of my dreams is Barca. It's incredibly challenging to describe what it feels like to play in a Clasico.
"I used to imagine doing it with Barca when I was younger, and now I can. It's a crucial game that might decide a league, both for the players and the fans.
●Chelsea is ready to sing up with Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku may or may not return to Inter Milan, but Chelsea will make an effort to sign a new center-forward. According to Italian transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, Lukaku will have to make a comeback to face up against a fresh center-forward. Mauricio Pochettino, the incoming manager of the Blues, wants to sign a new striker this summer. The Argentinean, though, also wants to speak with Lukaku about his position on the team.
●Smalling agrees new contract
Arrangements have been made thanks to Smalling's agent's recent visit to Rome. James Featherstone met with Tiago Pinto, the sports director, on Friday at Trigoria.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Smalling is expected to agree to a new two-year deal through 2025 with a €3.5 million salary. Everything has been resolved, and the defender will sign the document soon.
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