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talk SPORT has you covered for all the latest Premier League news following a thrilling week of European round of 16 action. After the FA Cup and UEFA competitions took centre-stage, the Premier League is back this weekend. High-flying Nottingham Forest host Manchester City, while Liverpool welcome Southampton. Elsewhere, Arsenal travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. Saturday, March 8 Sunday, March 9 Monday, March 10 Liverpool manager Arne Slot has praised the impact of his substitutes and the attitude of those in his squad who don't play as much ahead of facing Southampton. The Reds were rescued in midweek by Harvey Elliott, who came off the bench against Paris Saint-Germain to score a late winner. Elliott's game time has been reduced this season due to injury and the form of those ahead of him. But Slot spent time picking him out during his pre-match press conference. He said: "I see the advantages of playing with the same team, but I am aware you cannot play the same XI every week, so I have rotated. "Others don't get the time they deserve, Elliott is a good example, but he is in competition with [Mohamed] Salah and [Dominik] Szoboszlai. Mo was not happy I took him off, and he can score for us whenever it's not his best game, that is why I hardly take him off. "Dom is a machine, runs the most every time, that is what makes it hard for Harvey, that is why I liked what he did so much. "Some players are frustrated if they only get five mins, but it has hardly ever happened. " Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has revealed that Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are now very close to returning from injury. Spurs' first-choice centre-back duo have been out for months with various problems, but they could be involved this weekend against Bournemouth. They had a chance of facing AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League, but Postecoglou revealed after seeing the pitch, he elected not to risk either of them. Meanwhile, it is too early to tell if Dominic Solanke's injury is bad. The striker limped off during the 1-0 defeat to the Dutch team and is being assessed. On Solanke, he said: "It's too early to tell. Dom got a knee in the backside - it's sore. " And on his centre-back duo: "Yeah, they're a chance. "When I saw the pitch the night before [Wednesday] I made up my mind that I wasn't going to risk them. It wasn't a great pitch, and it wasn't steady underfoot. It wasn't the sort of game I thought I needed to expose them. "A couple of extra days training and recovery and hopefully both are in line to feature. " It had looked unlikely that Newcastle United would appeal Anthony Gordon's red card, but that news has been confirmed by Eddie Howe this morning. The England international was sent off during the Toon's 2-1 defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup last weekend for shoving Jan Paul van Hecke in the face. That results in a three-game domestic ban, meaning he misses out against West Ham and the Carabao Cup final. The England international didn't get to play in the last one Newcastle made in 2023 because he was cup-tied, and he won't be involved in this one either despite scoring twice in the semi-final victory over Arsenal. Speaking ahead of facing West Ham, Howe said: "We discussed it as a club, with the respected people that we need to discuss it with, lawyers. We just felt that there probably wasn't sufficient grounds. "There's no intention from him to hurt anybody. But you have to look at it and go 'does this have a chance of being successful? ' - if there's no chance of being successful, what's the point of appealing? So Anthony understands. " Liverpool manager Arne Slot has been speaking to the media ahead of their game against Southampton this weekend. The Reds are flying high at the top of the Premier League and are also edging towards the next round of the Champions League after a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain. Slot largely has a fit squad to choose from but was without Cody Gakpo in midweek. The Dutchman travelled with the team to Paris but watched on from the sidelines, and he is doubtful to be involved this weekend as well. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Slot said: He didn't train yesterday yet, let's see if he can train today. "A close call, not a long-term one but had some pain yesterday. Let's see where he is today. " Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has provided an update on Sven Botman and Alexander Isak ahead of facing West Ham on Monday, and the Carabao Cup final. Botman has already been ruled out of the Wembley showpiece with knee surgery required, but Howe has now revealed the Dutchman is set to miss eight weeks. That would see him miss the majority of the season. However, after some unverified rumours earlier in the week regarding Alexander Isak, the Toon boss has confirmed that his star striker is fine and has trained all week. On Botman, he said: "Sven, we have been trying to get him back to full fitness, he was very close to the Brighton game but the day before he felt something again in his knee. "This week he has had the same discomfort so it looks like he will have to have an operation. He needs a small operation to clear out some fluid and then he should be fine again. "We hope he should be back in about eight weeks. " And on Isak: "He's fine. He came off (on Sunday) feeling fatigued, a tightness in his body. But he's trained every day this week. " The Premier League is back this weekend, which means we have a load of managerial press conferences. The league leaders Liverpool host basement-boys Southampton on Saturday ahead of their second leg tie against Paris Saint-Germain and the League Cup final against Newcastle United. Arne Slot will be speaking to the media at 10am, where Alisson Becker will n doubt receive praise. Elsewhere, we'll hear from Mikel Arteta and Ruben Amorim ahead of Arsenal visiting Manchester United this weekend. Arsenal have been heavily linked to Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich over the last few days. However, the Gunners have now been dealt a major blow to their hopes, as Kimmich has now agreed a deal to stay at Bayern. The midfielder was out of contract in the summer, and he would have had plenty of suitors from around Europe - including PSG. But, according to Sky Germany, a total agreement has now been reached between him and the club. Kimmich will sign a new deal with the German giants until 2029, with final paperwork set to be completed this week. An announcement could be made before Bayern's Champions League last 16 second leg against Leverkusen next Tuesday. Ruben Amorim praised Joshua Zirkzee for his recent performances after he scored during Man United's draw this evening. Zirkzee netted his first European goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad in the Europa League. The Dutchman and Rasmus Hojlund have been misfiring this season, but they both started again in Spain. And manager Ruben Amorim spoke about the duo post-match. On Zirkzee, Amorim said: “He deserved it, he is working well and he is improving a lot of things in his game. "He deserves this moment and he was important for us today. " On Hojlund, the United boss continued: “He is trying really hard. "He made the runs, we know that Real Sociedad has a high line and he used his pace to win and fight. “He has to continue playing and not being anxious. ” Enzo Maresca has revealed that he believes Reece James is a midfielder and not a defender. James has spent his career as a right-back, right wing-back or a centre-back as part of a three-at-the-back system. But Maresca has started to play him further forward and in a midfield role, and that's where he played this evening. The Chelsea captain was alongside Moises Caicedo in front of the defence, scoring in a 2-1 win against Copenhagen. Speaking post-match about James' new role, the Blues boss said: "We know how important he is for us. "He's our captain, a fantastic player. We need him fit, so that is our duty, our target because for sure he is going to help us. "He can play in many positions because the good players can play in many positions. "You can ask Reece, when I signed for Chelsea, the day after I sent him a video about seeing him as a midfielder. "I see Reece as a midfielder. Since day one. I sent him a clip when he was on holiday about how he can be a midfielder. "He has played in full-back, central defender, so the main target for us is to keep him fit. " Maresca added: "First of all, when you watch a player you sometimes need to use imagination and imagining a player doing something. "I watched some of his games when he was on loan at Wigan where he scored a fantastic goal from 25 or 30 metres. "The best thing about Reece at the moment is he is helping the team with leadership. " Tottenham have potentially been dealt another injury blow as Dominic Solanke hobbled off against AZ. Spurs lost to their Dutch opposition in the Europa League and also lost Solanke again, in his first game back. The striker hadn't played a game since January 15 and now there's potential that he's going to be out again. However, Ange Postecoglou is hoping it's nothing serious, saying: "I think it was a knock, hopefully it's nothing too bad. " On the game itself, Postecoglou added: "Too many times we were just circulating the ball without any real intent to hurt them. "No fault for the goal, it happens. It's more about the collective tonight rather than the individuals. "Collectively, we were nowhere near the level we needed to be and that's the thing we need to address. " Scotland and Middlesbrough have suffered a major blow after on-loan Liverpool winger Ben Doak was ruled out for a further period following an operation. Doak has not played since January 25 because of a thigh injury and it has now emerged he has undergone surgery. Boro manager Michael Carrick told a media conference: "He's back at Liverpool doing a bit of rehab. We'll see how that goes and how long he's going to be out for. "It's unfortunate for us as a squad and Ben individually. He will be back stronger and he will be back soon enough. " When asked if he would return to the Championship club this season, Carrick said: "We will have to wait and see. It's hard to say either way. Liverpool are going to look after his rehab initially and see where it progresses from there. " Doak is set to miss Scotland's two-legged Nations League play-off against Greece later this month as Steve Clarke's side bid to stay in the top tier. The 19-year-old's performances were a key factor in Scotland improving to the extent they avoided bottom spot in their group and automatic relegation. The former Celtic player set up three of Scotland's final four goals of the competition. Doak has delivered three goals and seven assists in 24 Championship games this season and was named EFL Young Player of the Month for November. Ruben Amorim has made three changes for Man United's crunch Europa League clash with Real Sociedad tonight. Alejandro Garnacho starts alongside Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund with Christian Eriksen dropping out. Manuel Ugarte and Harry Maguire are injured, so Noussair Mazraoui is part of the back three and Casemiro starts. Ruben Amorim has only been able to name seven substitutes and only two of those are senior regulars. Kick-off is at 5. 45pm with the match live on talk SPORT. You can stay up to date with all of the action in our dedicated matchday blog HERE. FIFA are considering increasing the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams to mark the centenary of the event. The biggest tournament in world football currently hosts 48 teams after being recently increased from the traditional 32 for the 2026 competition. The 2030 World Cup will be held in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, where the inaugural edition was staged, set to host three games. "A proposal to analyze a 64-team FIFA World Cup to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup in 2030 was spontaneously raised by a FIFA Council member in the 'miscellaneous' agenda item near the end of the FIFA Council meeting held on March 5, 2025, " a FIFA spokesperson told Reuters. "The idea was acknowledged as FIFA has a duty to analyze any proposal from one of its Council members. " The report stated that the suggestion was greeted with 'stunned silence'. Simon Jordan believes that Ange Postecoglou's future as Tottenham boss hinges on the club winning the Europa League. Speaking on White and Jordan, he said: “Ange Postecoglou needs it to save his job because Tottenham are built upon playing in Europe. “I can’t see how it’s not the case. He has the built in and legitimate excuse of having massive injuries and I like Ange and want Tottenham to do well, but in the games that they’ve lost they’ve had full teams out against teams at the bottom of the league and the players on the pitch should have been enough to overcome the adversity. “If you finish 12th in the league and don’t get anywhere in the cup competitions, how is that success? “It’s a disaster economically. People look at Tottenham and think it’s a good club to be involved with and most managers would bite your hand off to be with a club like that. “They’ll find a replacement a replacement for Ange Postecoglou – whether it’s the right one or they’ll go in the right direction, who knows. But if they finish 12th or 13th in the league and don’t get anywhere in the club, I’ll be surprised if he’s still in the job. ” Virgil van Dijk has warned Liverpool's Champions League suffering is not yet over after coming through a gruelling examination against Paris St Germain in the Parc des Princes. "It should be a great game and we have to be ready to suffer as they are a very good team who were unbeaten for a very long time, " said Van Dijk of the second leg. "A team that has blown sides away this season and we have managed to keep a clean sheet (PSG failed to score at home for the first time this season), get a 1-0 win and put ourselves in a good position. "I think you could see, it was not the usual game we like to play. "We don't want to be playing this way because everyone who plays football wants to have the ball a lot and wants to be dominating opponents. "But we played against a team with a lot of quality, world-class quality, and they made it very difficult for everyone in the world so far and they made it difficult for us but we found a way and we have to try to finish it off next week. " Newcastle defender Lewis Hall has admitted he is finding it hard to accept his season is over due to a broken bone in his foot. Hall sustained the injury in his side's Premier League defeat by Liverpool at the end of last month and is set to undergo surgery. The 20-year-old has established himself as the Magpies' first-choice left-back this season after his loan move from Chelsea was made permanent in a summer deal which could rise to £35million including add-ons. Hall told Newcastle's official website: "It's quite hard to accept at the minute, but I'm still young and there are many opportunities ahead, I'm very confident in that. "I haven't had it before in my career, but watching us train every day and watching the team play is something that I'm really not looking forward to, but I've got so much faith in the boys to get us over the line and do what we need to do. " Michael Carrick has confirmed that Ben Doak has returned to Liverpool to undergo rehabiliatation. The on-loan Liverpool starlet - who was the subject of significant Premier League interest in January - has undergone surgery on a problem that has ruled him out since January. Explaining the situation, Middlesbrough boss Carrick said: "Ben's back at Liverpool doing a bit of rehab which is can be quite normal so he's back with Liverpool and we'll see how that goes and how long he'll be out for. "For now we'll have to wait and see. "It was quite recent, he was doing his rehab and then it came about (that he needed surgery) so it's unfortunate for all of us but it's part of the game and he'll be back stronger and soon enough. " Asked if it means he's played his last game for Middlesbrough, Carrick said: "It's hard to say either way, to be honest. " Doak has scored three goals and provided seven assists in 24 matches for the EFL side. Alvaro Negredo has announced his retirement from football. The 39-year-old striker enjoyed one glorious season with Manchester City in which he scored 24 goals in 49 games to help City to the Premier League title in 2014. He also helped them to League Cup glory. Three years later he scored 10 goals and provided four assists for Middlesbrough as they battled to avoid relegation, while he also shone for Sevilla, Valencia, Besiktas and others. He also scored 10 goals in 21 appearances for Spain, helping them to become European champions in 2012. A Rangers supporter has died in a road traffic accident in Istanbul ahead of the team's Europa League last-16 showdown with Fenerbahce at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium. The Ibrox club announced the news in a statement on Thursday morning. It read: "We are devastated to have learned of the passing of one of our supporters in a road traffic accident overnight in Istanbul. "The immediate thoughts of everyone at the club are with their family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. "We are remaining in constant contact with both the Turkish and British authorities over this tragic incident. " More than 2, 000 Gers fans have made the journey to Turkey to watch their team take on Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce side this evening. Fenerbahce expressed their "condolences to Rangers FC and the community". A statement from the Gers' hosts, translated from Turkish, read: "We have learned with deep sorrow that a Rangers FC fan who came to Istanbul to support his team in the first match of the UEFA Europa League last 16 round, where Fenerbahce will host Scottish representative Rangers FC, passed away as a result of a traffic accident. "We would like to express our condolences to the family of the deceased fan, the Rangers club and the community. " A Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: "We are aware of the death of a British man in Turkey and are in touch with the local authorities. " Rio Ferdinand has proven so committed to his verbal feud with Liverpool fans - by conceding one of his most historic Arsenal battles. The Manchester United legend riled up Reds supporters during his live TV commentary of the club's 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain. Ferdinand called for a red card against Ibrahima Konaté for his shove on Bradley Barcola that went unpunished by the referee and VAR. The former England defender boldly stated: “That is a foul. The push is in the back, so it's a foul. If that's not a red card I'll be amazed. ” Ferdinand later doubled down on his comments in a post on social media, by writing on X: "Just to clarify for all the Liverpool fans who are still tweeting me… Konate should’ve been sent off last night! " In response, a clip of the 46-year-old's similar challenge on Freddie Ljungberg during the 'Battle of the Buffet', also known as 'Pizzagate', was shared in the comments. Ferdinand wrote alongside a laughing emoji: "Foul, straight red. Got away with it. " Man United famously beat Arsenal 2-0 at Old Trafford in October 2004 which ended the latter's record-breaking 49-match unbeaten run. It sparked a melee between the two sets of players in the tunnel afterwards - in which Cesc Fabregas infamously hit Sir Alex Ferguson with a slice of pizza. Alan Brazil has claimed that Red Bull is looking to invest in Celtic. He told talk SPORT Breakfast: “The big news, of course, Rangers, if that goes through, that will be interesting, with the San Francisco 49ers putting money in. They are part of Leeds as well. “I was told this a few weeks ago, but I was told it was advanced talks. “I thought, interesting. I also heard Celtic and Red Bull were interested in taking a piece of Celtic. But I don’t know if that is true or not. You get so many things sent to you, don’t you? !” Simon Jordan believes that Arne Slot deserves huge credit for the job he's doing at Liverpool this season. Asked if a treble for Slot would surpass Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola’s similar success, Simon Jordan said: “Of course because they built teams and he inherited one and had to stamp his personality onto it. “He’d be setting himself a bugger of a task to emulate that because he’d have set the highest standard that he can – the only thing he can do is go and win four trophies. “Slot was given a beautiful set of cards and people didn’t forecast that he could do this – he hasn’t added to it and so he’s defied the myth that you need to surround yourself with your own people. “If you’re an effective manager and you point people in the right direction then you can achieve outcomes. “There’s a whole number of defining factors: Salah is at the highest level he’s been, they’ve seen the decline of other sides in the league but that’s not to diminish Liverpool. “They romped through the Champions League group – the only competition they didn’t turn up to was the FA Cup and that’s because they chose not to, they’ve got a League Cup to look forward to. “This isn’t a Liverpool side that has been irreplaceable or the rock and roll era of Jurgen Klopp, but they dug in, bit down on the gum shield and ground out result against a formidable PSG side who are very difficult to play against. ” Following Alisson Becker's masterclass for Liverpool, he's been tipped as the greatest goalkeeper in the world. But how does his record compare to football's other top men between the sticks? As it turns out, the Brazilian's record is only bettered by one man. .. Granit Xhaka did not hold back with his comments after Bayer Leverkusen were thrashed by Bayern Munich. The German champions slipped to a 3-0 first leg defeat away to their Bundesliga rivals on Wednesday night. Leverkusen were also reduced to 10-men as their hopes of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals were all but ended. With Bayern two goals up, Nordi Mukiele was shown a second yellow card for a challenge on Kingsley Coman. The sending off meant Leverkusen were forced to play the final 28 minutes with 10-men, with Xhaka slamming his team-mate after the match. He told DAZN: "Despite going behind, we were well into the game. And then we got a stupid red card, which was totally unnecessary. "It shouldn't happen to us. It was so far from the goal. But I think there are other stories to tell today. " Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker is 'the best goalkeeper of the Premier League era'. That's the view of the Daily Mail's Dom King who waxed lyrical about the Brazilian goalkeeper following his heroics in Paris. Speaking to talk SPORT Breakfast, King said: "He’s the best goalkeeper to ever play for Liverpool. He’s the best of the Premier League era. “Last night was spectacular but Alisson doesn’t really make saves for the cameras, he’s so fast at getting into position that he makes things look routine. “He’s absolutely fabulous and he’s every bit as important to this team as Salah and Van Dijk. He’s off-the-scale brilliant. “I’m fully respectful of Peter Schmeichel, David Seaman and all the great goalkeepers that we’ve seen but this fella is a different level above. ” © 2025 talk SPORT Limited
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