Newcastle Face Chelsea in Top Five Showdown, Alexander-Arnold in Spotlight

Newcastle's Alexander Isak will be key to their bid to beat Chelsea. ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP
Newcastle's Alexander Isak will be key to their bid to beat Chelsea. ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP
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Newcastle Face Chelsea in Top Five Showdown, Alexander-Arnold in Spotlight

Newcastle's Alexander Isak will be key to their bid to beat Chelsea. ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP
Newcastle's Alexander Isak will be key to their bid to beat Chelsea. ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP

Newcastle and Chelsea meet in a crucial clash in the race to qualify for the Champions League on Sunday.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's reception from Liverpool fans will be closely watched after his decision to quit the Premier League champions.

AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the weekend's action:

Newcastle aims to seize top five chance

Newcastle, sitting fourth, face fifth-placed Chelsea at St James' Park in a match with huge ramifications in the fight for top five places.

Eddie Howe's team are above Chelsea on goals scored and victory on Sunday would be a massive boost in their bid to reach the Champions League for a second time in three seasons.

With two matches left for both teams after this weekend, Newcastle will be within touching distance of qualification if they win, while Chelsea would be left hoping that sixth-placed Nottingham Forest, currently two points behind the Blues, slip up against lowly Leicester.

After the Chelsea showdown, Newcastle travel to second-placed Arsenal and host Everton in their final two games.

"I've said many times, I think that's all you can ask for: that it's in your hands and you're not reliant on other teams and looking elsewhere," Howe said.

"We know what we need to do. We've got three really tough games. They're not going to be easy, but they're games to relish and enjoy."

Alexander-Arnold in Anfield spotlight

Trent Alexander-Arnold could face a mixed reception from Liverpool fans if he features in Sunday's game against Arsenal at Anfield.

It will be the champions' first match since Alexander-Arnold confirmed on Monday that he plans to leave Liverpool when his contract expires in June.

The England right-back had been widely expected to announce his exit after months of speculation over a likely move to Real Madrid.

As a Liverpool-born graduate of the club's youth academy, Alexander-Arnold had been a firm favorite of Reds supporters, who often chanted "the Scouser in our team" about him.

Alexander-Arnold said opting to leave Liverpool was "easily the hardest decision" he had made in his life.

But former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes the move will change how Alexander-Arnold is seen in the eye of the fanbase, with the potential for jeers if he plays in any of the club's three remaining matches this season.

"Players are loved even more when they genuinely mean it when they say they do not want to play for anyone else," Carragher said.

"If that image of the home-grown talent living the dream is an illusion, people feel let down.

"The unconditional support Alexander-Arnold enjoyed from the Kop when he was fully committed to Liverpool has gone."

Saints must go down with 'dignity’

Southampton interim manager Simon Rusk has urged his relegated side to end the season with as much "dignity" as they can muster.

Bottom of the table Southampton have just 11 points and still need one more from their last three matches to avoid matching the worst ever Premier League total, set by Derby in 2007-08.

That could be tricky for Rusk's team, with Manchester City visiting St Mary's on Saturday as they chase a place in the Champions League.

After that, Southampton face Everton in the last competitive fixture at Goodison Park before hosting second-placed Arsenal.

Even if Saints, beaten at second-bottom Leicester last weekend, are unable to avoid an unwanted share of the ignominious record low points total, Rusk wants them to go down with pride.

"It's important we don't move in to fear territory in these games and instead we put our best foot forward," he said.

"We want to finish the season on a high and build momentum. It's a chance to end the season with as much dignity as possible."



Veteran Brazilian Defender Thiago Silva Signs for Porto

(FILES) Fluminense's Brazilian defender #03 Thiago Silva participates in a training session at the Harrison Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 7, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between Brazil's Fluminense and England's Chelsea. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
(FILES) Fluminense's Brazilian defender #03 Thiago Silva participates in a training session at the Harrison Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 7, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between Brazil's Fluminense and England's Chelsea. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
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Veteran Brazilian Defender Thiago Silva Signs for Porto

(FILES) Fluminense's Brazilian defender #03 Thiago Silva participates in a training session at the Harrison Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 7, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between Brazil's Fluminense and England's Chelsea. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
(FILES) Fluminense's Brazilian defender #03 Thiago Silva participates in a training session at the Harrison Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 7, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between Brazil's Fluminense and England's Chelsea. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)

Former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva has signed for Porto at the age of 41, the Portuguese club announced on Saturday.

One of the finest center-backs of his generation, Silva arrives in Porto after a two-season spell with Fluminense in his native Brazil.

"Thiago Silva is a Dragon,” AFP quoted a club statement as saying in reference to the side's nickname.

The move completes something of a circle in his career as he played for Porto's B side in the 2004-05 season.

He then moved on to Dynamo Moscow, before a stint with Fluminense's senior team and then AC Milan where he won a Serie A title, before a 2012 switch to Paris.

He left PSG in 2020 with seven French league crowns and signed for Chelsea, winning the Champions League with the Blues at Porto's Estadio do Dragao stadium.

In all Silva has a total of 32 trophies in his decorated career, and could well add another as Porto are leading the Primeira Liga by five points.


Africa Cup of Nations Moved to Every Four Years

Soccer Football - Africa Cup of Nations - Final - Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Soccer Football - Africa Cup of Nations - Final - Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Africa Cup of Nations Moved to Every Four Years

Soccer Football - Africa Cup of Nations - Final - Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Soccer Football - Africa Cup of Nations - Final - Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

The Africa Cup of Nations will ​in future be held every four years instead of every two years, the Confederation of ‌African Football ‌said on ‌Saturday.

The ⁠surprise ​decision ‌was made at the organization’s executive committee meeting in the Moroccan capital and announced ⁠at a press conference ‌by CAF ‍President ‍Patrice Motsepe, Reuters reported.

The tournament, ‍which brings in an estimated 80% of CAF’s revenue, has ​traditionally been held every two years since ⁠its inception in 1957.

Sunday marks the start of the 35th edition, hosted in Morocco with the home team taking on Comoros.


Mohamed Salah Apologized to His Liverpool Teammates over Contentious Comments

 Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) sits on the bench during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 13, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) sits on the bench during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 13, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
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Mohamed Salah Apologized to His Liverpool Teammates over Contentious Comments

 Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) sits on the bench during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 13, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) sits on the bench during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 13, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

Mohamed Salah apologized to his Liverpool teammates after complaining of being “ thrown under the bus ” by the Premier League champion, midfielder Curtis Jones said.

Jones told broadcaster Sky Sports on Saturday that Salah took the time to address the issue with them, The AP news reported.

“Mo is his own man and he can say his own stuff. He apologized to us and was like, 'If I've affected anybody or made you feel any sort of way, I apologize.' That's the man that he is," Jones told Sky. “He was the exact same Mo, he had a big smile on his face and everybody was exactly the same with him. I guess it’s just part of wanting to be a winner.”

Dropped by Slot The 33-year-old Egypt star has scored 250 goals for Liverpool overall but has only netted five times this season in 20 games.

Last season was one of his best with 34 goals in 52 outings for Liverpool, and he clinched the player of the year award from the Professional Footballers’ Association for the third time.

Salah, who is now at the Africa Cup of Nations, made his explosive comments about feeling unfairly treated at Liverpool after being dropped for a third game in succession.

In the wake of those comments, Liverpool coach Arne Slot left Salah out of the squad for a Champions League game at Inter Milan. But following subsequent talks with Slot, Salah returned to the team against Brighton last Saturday.

Unbeaten run Since losing 4-1 at home to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in late November, Liverpool was unbeaten in five matches heading into a Premier League game at Tottenham later Saturday.

“We’re past that now and we’re gelling well as a team," Jones added. “Playing well and starting to win games.”