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Liverpool Poised for Premier League Coronation, Leicester, Ipswich for Relegation

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk extended his contract on Thursday. Paul ELLIS / AFP/File
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk extended his contract on Thursday. Paul ELLIS / AFP/File
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Liverpool Poised for Premier League Coronation, Leicester, Ipswich for Relegation

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk extended his contract on Thursday. Paul ELLIS / AFP/File
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk extended his contract on Thursday. Paul ELLIS / AFP/File

Liverpool could seal the Premier League on Sunday should the runaway leaders condemn Leicester to relegation and Arsenal suffer a Champions League hangover by losing at Ipswich.
Victory for the Gunners at Portman Road could also see Ipswich mathematically relegated should West Ham and Wolves win.

Unlike the battles for the league title and to avoid the drop, the race for a place in next season's Champions League is set to go down to the wire.

Just five points separate Newcastle in third from seventh-placed Aston Villa ahead of their clash at Villa Park.

AFP Sports looks at the major talking points ahead of this weekend's action.

Liverpool's Super Sunday?

Thirteen points clear at the top of the table with six games to go, it is only a question of when not if Liverpool will move level with Manchester United on a record 20 English top-flight titles.

Two more wins will finish the job for Arne Slot's men and they could not ask for more obliging fixtures as a trip to beleaguered Leicester is followed by struggling Tottenham's trip to Anfield.

However, the title race may not even go beyond Easter Sunday should Ipswich inflict Arsenal's first league defeat since February.

The focus of attention for Mikel Arteta's men has been switched to Champions League glory after an emphatic 5-1 aggregate win over holders Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.

Three up, three down concern
Southampton's return to the Championship at the first time of asking was confirmed in record time with seven games remaining.

Leicester and Ipswich have not fared much better to spark concerns over the growing chasm between the Premier League and the second tier.

For the second consecutive season all three promoted clubs are set to be relegated.

Leicester, who shocked the world to win the title less than a decade ago, have endured a miserable campaign, especially since Ruud van Nistelrooy was installed as manager.

The Foxes have taken just four points from their last 17 matches to fall 17 points adrift of safety.

Ipswich's approach has earned more admirers but they have also won only four league games all season to sit just three points better off than Leicester.

Villa crave Champions League return
Both Villa and Newcastle are hungry for more after having a taste of the Champions League for the first time in decades over the past two seasons.

Villa's first foray into European football's elite level for the first time since 1983 finally came to an end in a thrilling 5-4 aggregate defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Unai Emery, who also led the Birmingham club to the Europa Conference League semi-finals last season, is determined to take the 1982 European champions even further.

Four consecutive Premier League wins have propelled Emery's men back into contention for a top-five finish, that will be enough for Champions League qualification.

"The more demanding objective we can have is to get again Champions League," said Emery.

"The challenge we have now is for the last six matches we are going to play, try to get Europe and try to get Champions League."

Villa face a daunting run in with their next four games against competitors for the European places in Newcastle, Manchester City, Bournemouth and Fulham.

Newcastle are flying as five consecutive league wins either side of lifting the League Cup has taken the Magpies into third.

Eddie Howe is set to miss a third match due to pneumonia, but Newcastle showed little sign of missing their manager in scoring nine goals in dominant wins over Manchester United and Crystal Palace in the past week.

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Sudan Dream of AFCON Glory as Conflict Rages at Home

Sudan's players pose for the team picture before the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)
Sudan's players pose for the team picture before the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)
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Sudan Dream of AFCON Glory as Conflict Rages at Home

Sudan's players pose for the team picture before the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)
Sudan's players pose for the team picture before the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)

When war broke out in Sudan in April 2023, Ammar Taifour was in a training camp with his club Al Merrikh in Khartoum.

"I just remember the surprise, the shock of the first gunshots. It was very surprising," the 28-year-old midfielder with the Sudan team at the Africa Cup of Nations tells AFP.

"Then in the days after that there were power cuts and constant gunshots. It was just unbelievable.

"I just pray for peace and for everyone who's in this situation to be safe and make it out."

Taifour, who was born in the United States, is among the lucky ones. He says he is "grateful and blessed" that family members in Sudan were able to leave the country.

Goalkeeper Mohamed Al Nour, meanwhile, had to deal with the anguish of his brother being taken prisoner by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

"Luckily I have not lost any members of my family but my brother was taken prisoner for nine months by the RSF before being released," says Al Nour.

"We have experienced terror, people being killed. We just hope things improve."

The war that erupted close to three years ago between the country's army and its former allies the RSF has had a devastating impact on the population.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and 11 million driven from their homes in what the UN has declared "the world's worst humanitarian disaster".

Despite that backdrop, Sudan's national football team qualified for the ongoing AFCON in Morocco and on Sunday they beat Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in Casablanca.

It was just their second win at the Cup of Nations in 18 matches across six tournament appearances since they lifted the trophy in 1970.

They play Burkina Faso in their final group game on Wednesday and do so with the pressure off because they are already assured of progressing to the last 16.

That is a remarkable achievement regardless of the current off-field context, given Sudan have only once made the knockout stages at an AFCON since 1970 -- they reached the quarter-finals in 2012.

- 'Big responsibility' -

"It's a big honor," says Taifour. "But also we have big expectations and we want to make it as far as possible and even to win the tournament, make our country happy."

"Obviously it's a big responsibility. I think each one of us as individuals, we know the situation that's going on, we all can relate to it, we all have someone involved.

"So whatever we can do to help, whatever we can do to bring some happiness, we try our best to do so."

Al Nour, also known by his nickname Abooja, adds: "Of course the team has been impacted. Everyone has just tried to get through this period but it has been difficult with the tension all over Sudan."

"In the end our results on the pitch are what make the people happy and boost their morale."

The impact of the conflict on Sudanese football has been enormous, leading to the domestic championship being halted and the country's two biggest clubs going into exile.

Al Hilal and Al Merrikh of Omdurman played in the Mauritanian league last season. A domestic elite league did make its return in July, but now the two rivals are playing in Rwanda.

Some players have moved to different countries like Taifour, who departed Al Merrikh for Libya and is now plying his trade in Tunisia.

Despite that the national team has flourished under Ghanaian coach Kwesi Appiah.

They qualified for the competition at the expense of Ghana and put in some good showings in their World Cup qualifying group, beating the Democratic Republic of Congo and drawing with Senegal en route to finishing third.

In August they got to the semi-finals of the African Nations Championship -- a competition for locally-based players -- and they also appeared at the recent FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar.

"We have tried to use every match as preparation and to build chemistry within the group," says Taifour.

Al Nour, meanwhile, describes Appiah as "an exceptional person. We have learned a lot thanks to him."

It has all led to this, with Sudan now building towards a Cup of Nations knockout tie this weekend and hoping to put smiles on the faces of supporters back home.

Sports

Prince Abdul Mohsin Airport Receives First Dakar Rally 2026 Arrivals

This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA
This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA
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Prince Abdul Mohsin Airport Receives First Dakar Rally 2026 Arrivals

This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA
This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA

Prince Abdul Mohsin bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Yanbu has received the first arrivals of competitors participating in the Dakar Rally 2026, as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event.

Cluster2 Airports, the operator of Prince Abdul Mohsin bin Abdulaziz International Airport, stated that arrivals will continue from December 28 to December 31, with approximately 17 flights, both private and commercial, designated for the arrival of competitors and participating teams, SPA reported.

The process is being handled with a high level of operational readiness and full coordination among the relevant authorities.

Cluster2 Airports affirmed that operational and service preparations at the airports have been completed to ensure smooth passenger movement and the provision of high-quality services to participating delegations, reflecting the efficiency of the affiliated airports and their ability to accommodate major international events.

Sports

Knee Injury for Shaheen Shah Afridi Forces Early Exit from Big Bash League

Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
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Knee Injury for Shaheen Shah Afridi Forces Early Exit from Big Bash League

Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)

A knee injury has forced fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi to return home after playing four games for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.

“Due to an unexpected injury; I have been called back by the PCB and will have to take a rehab. Hopefully, I will be back in the fields soon,” Afridi wrote on X on Tuesday.

Afridi limped off the field when he picked up the injury on his right knee while bowling against Adelaide Strikers last Saturday, The AP news reported.

Apparently the Pakistan Cricket Board has called back Afridi as a precautionary step with T20 World Cup due to start from February 7.

“I’m massively thankful to the Brisbane Heat team and fans for showering me with immense love and support,” Aridi said, while adding: “Meanwhile, I will be cheering for the amazing team.”

Afridi had a challenging short stint at Brisbane Heat where he picked up just two wickets in four matches at an expensive economy rate of 11.19. In his first game of the season he was removed from the attack in the 18th over when he bowled to waist-high full tosses to Melbourne Renegades’ batters Tim Seifert and Oliver Peake.

It is not the first time that Afridi has hurt his right knee. He sustained an injury on that knee while fielding during a test match in Sri Lanka in 2022 that also ruled him out from the early stages of the T20 World Cup in Australia.

He returned at the later stages of the tournament, but again picked up injury on the same knee during the death overs of the final against England that let the title match slip away from Pakistan.

Pakistan didn’t name Afridi for next month’s three-match T20 series in Sri Lanka as a rotation policy, but he remains one of the key players for the T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and India.