Liverpool's Quadruple Bid at Stake in FA Cup Final against Chelsea

Liverpool's Sadio Mane (L) celebrates after scoring against Manchester City Glyn KIRK AFP
Liverpool's Sadio Mane (L) celebrates after scoring against Manchester City Glyn KIRK AFP
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Liverpool's Quadruple Bid at Stake in FA Cup Final against Chelsea

Liverpool's Sadio Mane (L) celebrates after scoring against Manchester City Glyn KIRK AFP
Liverpool's Sadio Mane (L) celebrates after scoring against Manchester City Glyn KIRK AFP

Liverpool will bid to keep their quadruple chase alive in Saturday's FA Cup final against a Chelsea side hoping to welcome incoming owner Todd Boehly with victory at Wembley.

Jurgen Klopp's men have four matches left in their historic attempt to become the first English team to win all four major trophies in one season, AFP said.

They beat Chelsea to lift the League Cup in February and have reached the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League, where they face Real Madrid on May 28.

No English club has come this close to such an incredible clean sweep, but Liverpool know their hopes of winning the Premier League are starting to fade.

Manchester City moved three points clear of the second-placed Reds with a 5-1 win at Wolves on Wednesday and need four points from their last two games against West Ham and Aston Villa to retain the crown.

If a second English title in three seasons proves beyond Liverpool despite their blistering form in the second half of the season, then winning two more cup competitions would be a memorable consolation.

First up is a rematch with Chelsea, who fought gamely in an intense League Cup final in February before Liverpool prevailed 11-10 in the shoot-out that followed a 0-0 draw.

Liverpool and Chelsea are the first English teams to meet in both domestic finals in the same year since Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday in 1993.

Klopp's side will hope they emulate Arsenal, who did the cup double against Wednesday that season.

But, in their 60th game this season, fatigue could be a threat to Liverpool's hopes of a first FA Cup triumph since 2006.

In a bid to keep his stars fresh, Klopp made several changes in Tuesday's win at Villa, yet still lost Brazil midfielder Fabinho to an injury that rules him out of the final.

- 'Important and intense' -
The history chasers will be back on league duty at Southampton on Tuesday and, aware of the strain on the squad, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson called for one last push, starting at Wembley.

"The more it goes on, the more important and intense the games are. We are using all the squad and I thought the boys that came in were brilliant (against Villa)," Henderson said.

"That's football and there's going to be ups and downs in a game. You've got to react in the right way. To be honest, the boys have done that for a long period of time.

"The boys have been incredible. Stay together in important moments and you get your rewards in the end. Let's prepare now for a big game on Saturday."

Like Liverpool, Chelsea's season will conclude with 63 games played, but it has been Thomas Tuchel's side who have looked more drained in recent weeks.

Before Wednesday's 3-0 victory at Leeds consolidated their grip on third place, the Blues had won just once in five league games as they struggled to recover from their painful Champions League quarter-final exit at Real Madrid.

Uncertainty over the future of the both the club and several key players has also been a factor since Roman Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale just before he was sanctioned by the government after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

With LA Dodgers co-owner Boehly and his consortium agreeing a £4.25 billion ($5.2 billion) takeover last weekend, subject to approval from the Premier League, Chelsea can finally plan for next season.

Before that, Tuchel has the chance to end the Abramovich era with one last prize, in the process winning his first English domestic trophy after leading Chelsea to Champions League and Club World Cup glory over the last year.

Tuchel is sweating on the fitness of Mateo Kovacic after the Croatia midfielder was injured at Leeds.

"He has a swollen ankle and is in a lot of pain. If he misses it I'm very disappointed because he was a clear starter," Tuchel said.



Saudi Arabia: RCU Partners with ASICS to Support Sports Development

The MoU was signed at the Cultural Oasis in AlUla. SPA
The MoU was signed at the Cultural Oasis in AlUla. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: RCU Partners with ASICS to Support Sports Development

The MoU was signed at the Cultural Oasis in AlUla. SPA
The MoU was signed at the Cultural Oasis in AlUla. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ASICS, aimed at strengthening strategic cooperation to support the development of AlUla’s sports ecosystem and enhance talent pathways, in line with RCU’s long-term vision and future ambitions.

The MoU, signed at the Cultural Oasis in AlUla, establishes a framework for future collaboration through which RCU will explore opportunities to leverage ASICS’ technical, operational, and specialized advisory expertise across sports development and performance services, including assessment and analysis, to enhance the quality of sporting experiences in AlUla.

The cooperation includes joint efforts to support a more integrated sports ecosystem through initiatives that strengthen training environments, enhance athletic performance, and advance athlete development pathways and talent programs. RCU and ASICS will also explore opportunities to develop distinctive events and initiatives and attract regional and international competitions that contribute to AlUla’s growing profile on global sporting calendars.

The MoU further supports collaboration on community engagement through grassroots programs and social impact initiatives that encourage participation and wellbeing. It also enables exploration of digital enhancements that improve event delivery and participant engagement, including smarter registration, data management, and participant tracking for the AlUla Trail Race and other events across AlUla’s calendar.

This step is part of RCU’s ongoing efforts to develop the sports ecosystem in AlUla and increase community participation in sporting activities, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to advance the sports sector and enhance the quality of life.


Hospital: Vonn Had Surgery on Broken Leg from Olympics Crash

This handout video grab from IOC/OBS shows US Lindsey Vonn crashing during the women's downhill event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 8, 2026. (Photo by Handout / various sources / AFP)
This handout video grab from IOC/OBS shows US Lindsey Vonn crashing during the women's downhill event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 8, 2026. (Photo by Handout / various sources / AFP)
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Hospital: Vonn Had Surgery on Broken Leg from Olympics Crash

This handout video grab from IOC/OBS shows US Lindsey Vonn crashing during the women's downhill event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 8, 2026. (Photo by Handout / various sources / AFP)
This handout video grab from IOC/OBS shows US Lindsey Vonn crashing during the women's downhill event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 8, 2026. (Photo by Handout / various sources / AFP)

Lindsey Vonn had surgery on a fracture of her left leg following the American's heavy fall in the Winter Olympics downhill, the hospital said in a statement given to Italian media on Sunday.

"In the afternoon, (Vonn) underwent orthopedic surgery to stabilize a fracture of the left leg," the Ca' Foncello hospital in Treviso said.

Vonn, 41, was flown to Treviso after she was strapped into a medical stretcher and winched off the sunlit Olimpia delle Tofane piste in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Vonn, whose battle to reach the start line despite the serious injury to her left knee dominated the opening days of the Milano Cortina Olympics, saw her unlikely quest halted in screaming agony on the snow.

Wearing bib number 13 and with a brace on the left knee she ⁠injured in a crash at Crans Montana on January 30, Vonn looked pumped up at the start gate.

She tapped her ski poles before setting off in typically aggressive fashion down one of her favorite pistes on a mountain that has rewarded her in the past.

The 2010 gold medalist, the second most successful female World Cup skier of all time with 84 wins, appeared to clip the fourth gate with her shoulder, losing control and being launched into the air.

She then barreled off the course at high speed before coming to rest in a crumpled heap.

Vonn could be heard screaming on television coverage as fans and teammates gasped in horror before a shocked hush fell on the packed finish area.

She was quickly surrounded by several medics and officials before a yellow Falco 2 ⁠Alpine rescue helicopter arrived and winched her away on an orange stretcher.


Meloni Condemns 'Enemies of Italy' after Clashes in Olympics Host City Milan

Demonstrators hold smoke flares during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
Demonstrators hold smoke flares during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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Meloni Condemns 'Enemies of Italy' after Clashes in Olympics Host City Milan

Demonstrators hold smoke flares during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
Demonstrators hold smoke flares during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned anti-Olympics protesters as "enemies of Italy" after violence on the fringes of a demonstration in Milan on Saturday night and sabotage attacks on the national rail network.

The incidents happened on the first full day of competition in the Winter Games that Milan, Italy's financial capital, is hosting with the Alpine town of Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Meloni praised the thousands of Italians who she said were working to make the Games run smoothly and present a positive face of Italy.

"Then ⁠there are those who are enemies of Italy and Italians, demonstrating 'against the Olympics' and ensuring that these images are broadcast on television screens around the world. After others cut the railway cables to prevent trains from departing," she wrote on Instagram on Sunday.

A group of around 100 protesters ⁠threw firecrackers, smoke bombs and bottles at police after breaking away from the main body of a demonstration in Milan.

An estimated 10,000 people had taken to the city's streets in a protest over housing costs and environmental concerns linked to the Games.

Police used water cannon to restore order and detained six people.

Also on Saturday, authorities said saboteurs had damaged rail infrastructure near the northern Italian city of Bologna, disrupting train journeys.

Police reported three separate ⁠incidents at different locations, which caused delays of up to 2-1/2 hours for high-speed, Intercity and regional services.

No one has claimed responsibility for the damage.

"Once again, solidarity with the police, the city of Milan, and all those who will see their work undermined by these gangs of criminals," added Meloni, who heads a right-wing coalition.

The Italian police have been given new arrest powers after violence last weekend at a protest by the hard-left in the city of Turin, in which more than 100 police officers were injured.