Arsenal can sustain a Europa League challenge but a top-four finish in the Premier League would be the best way to reach next season's Champions League, manager Arsene Wenger has said.
Tottenham Hotspur beat Arsenal 2-1 in a typically frantic North London derby at White Hart Lane on Sunday to move into third place in the Premier League and open up a seven-point gap on their arch-rivals in the hunt for a Champions League spot.
The money-spinning Indian Premier League has mulled a closed-door edition in a desperate bid to avoid cancellation as the deadly COVID-19 sent Indian sports into quarantine after a government directive for fans to be kept away from all action to prevent the pandemic from spreading.
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
The teams clash at the Etihad stadium on Sunday (1700 IST) with United three points clear of champions City.
Atletico Madrid were again put firmly in their place by Real Madrid in the city derby last weekend but they have not lost their sense of humour as the fallout from the game continues to make headlines in Spain.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho will confront the home fans who whistled him at their midweek King's Cup match by walking out alone onto the Bernabeu pitch 40 minutes before Saturday's La Liga match with Atletico Madrid.
Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is relishing his time at the Premier League club and is in talks to extend his contract, saying he "never leaves a job unfinished".
Akshay Kumar and director Neeraj Pandey talk about their new film Special Chabbis.
West Bromwich Albion right back Steven Reid played the second half of their 2-0 defeat at Arsenal in early December with a fractured fibula, manager Steve Clarke said on Thursday.
In a change of stance, AIFF has lifted the three-year suspension on Mohun Bagan but have imposed a Rs 2 crore fine, it has been reported.
This time Liverpool are at home, and victory would put them nine points clear.
La Liga champions Barcelona's domestic struggles continued as they dropped points for the third game in a row, drawing 1-1 at home to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday after Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets had begun the match on the substitutes' bench.
Pritesh Mistry looks back on the weekend's action in the English Premier League.
The IPL derby between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings might have been reduced to a dead-rubber even before its start but both the teams were desperate to win the match for pride, said Mumbai stumper Dinesh Karthik.
Images from the English Premier League London derby played between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates on Wednesday
The one-man committee, appointed by the All India Football Federation to look into the legality of Mohun Bagan's actions in their I-League derby against East Bengal early this month, submitted its report today and the AIFF Emergency Committee will take a decision on Saturday.
Chelsea's Brazil playmaker Oscar was taken to hospital after being clattered by Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina during the 0-0 Premier League draw at the Emirates on Sunday.
Vincent Kompany's powerful header sealed a 1-0 win for Manchester City over title rivals Manchester United on Monday to put Roberto Mancini's side within two victories of Premier League glory.
Strikes by train drivers and passport officials threaten major disruptions to the London Olympics, prompting the government to warn unions on Thursday that they risked public anger if the industrial action went ahead.
Three Australian badminton players were confined to bed on Wednesday after suffering food poisoning while preparing for the London Olympics at their training base in the central English city of Derby.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Atletico Madrid extended their dominance over neighbours Real with a 1-0 derby win on Saturday that leaves the Bernabeu team virtually out of the Liga title race.
Manchester United and Arsenal moved into the top four of the Premier League after emphatic home wins over Wigan Athletic and Southampton on Saturday.
Tottenham Hotspur's Emmanuel Adebayor, sent off after 17 minutes of the north London derby on Saturday, has apologised for the red card that turned the match Arsenal's way but says there was no malice in his challenge on Santi Cazorla.
The injury to the Chile forward, who was left out of the squad for Tuesday's Champions League victory over Young Boys, "will require further investigation to confirm its severity", the club added.
Images from football matches played across Europe over the weekend.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Wednesday.
Juventus's Serie A unbeaten run came to an end after 49 matches on Saturday when Diego Milito's double helped Inter Milan win 3-1 in a pulsating 'Derby of Italy' clash in Turin.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Jose Mourinho's United side have 62 points and lead the Merseyside club by two with nine game remaining.
Sunderland drew with Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light while Queens Park Rangers and Everton also drew at Loftus Road.
Lionel Messi notched a 20th assist of the season to help a lacklustre Barcelona secure a 1-0 win away to Real Valladolid on Saturday, maintaining the pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo converted two penalties, both awarded for handballs and the second in the last minute, as Serie A leader Juventus twice hit back to draw 2-2 with Atalanta to move closer to a ninth successive Serie A title on Saturday.
Already out of the semi-final race, IPL heavyweights Chennai Super Kings would look to redeem some pride and end their campaign on a high when they take on a less-formidable Yorkshire in their final Group B match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Durban on Monday.
Leicester City said on Tuesday that Claudio Ranieri would be given the opportunity to turn things around at the relegation-threatened Premier League champions.
The India football captain said others players in the side are very much capable of outperforming him.
Fenerbahce striker Robin van Persie, who suffered a horrific eye injury in his side's latest win against Akhisar Belediyespor in the Turkish Super Lig, calmed fears of his eyesight saying his eye is 'undamaged'.
To prevent Manchester City from replacing arch rivals United as the dominant force in the English Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson is all set to spend 100 million pounds to get new players this summer.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has said Ajax have an unfair advantage because the whole of the Dutch league programme was postponed to help Erik ten Hag's side prepare.
On a good night for English clubs in the Europa League, Manchester United hammered AZ Alkmaar 4-0, while Wolverhampton Wanderers also thrashed Besiktas 4-0 in Group K, and Arsenal came from two goals down to draw 2-2 away to Standard Liege and finish first in their pool. The upset of the night came in Group J as Crivelli scored a 90th-minute winner against Borussia Moenchengladbach to send Basaksehir through and knock the Germans out, with AS Roma grabbing the runner-up spot thanks to a 2-2 home draw with Wolfsberger as the Europa League group stage concluded on Thursday.
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