Liverpool Braced for Premier League Title Party

Liverpool Braced for Premier League Title Party
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Liverpool Braced for Premier League Title Party

Liverpool Braced for Premier League Title Party

Liverpool have one hand on the Premier League trophy as they seek the solitary point they need against struggling Tottenham on Sunday that would guarantee a record-equaling 20th English title.

A draw at an expectant Anfield would take Arne Slot's men 13 points clear of Arsenal with just four games remaining, meaning they could not be caught.

Below them, Chelsea and Newcastle have the chance to press their case for Champions League qualification with Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa all involved in the FA Cup semi-finals.

At the bottom of the table, Ipswich's fate could be sealed.

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

Liverpool on the brink

It is tough to see struggling Tottenham delaying Liverpool's title party at Anfield.

After Arsenal's home draw against Crystal Palace in midweek, Arne Slot's men just need a draw to seal the deal and pull level with bitter rivals Manchester United on 20 English titles.

Out-of-form Tottenham are 16th in the league table and have a miserable record at Anfield -- not winning there since 2011.

Liverpool won the reverse fixture this season 6-3 and were 4-1 winners on aggregate in their two-legged League Cup semi-final.

Captain Virgil van Dijk said it had been an "outstanding season" but that there was still work to do after Liverpool's 1-0 at Leicester last week.

"Now we have the chance to finish it off on the weekend against a very good Tottenham Hotspur, in my opinion," he said. "We played three times already against them this season and every game was very intense.

"To be in this position now, it's a good position but we're not there yet. We all have to realize that and we will. We'll make sure of that. It's a good week of preparation and then we have to be ready."

Champions League shootout

Just four points separate third-placed Manchester City from Aston Villa in seventh in the race for Champions League spots next season.

For the first time the Premier League's top five will all qualify for Europe's top club competition, due to strong performances in continental competition.

Liverpool are already guaranteed a spot and Arsenal, 10 points clear of Chelsea in sixth, are practically there, leaving three places open.

City stole a march this week in the mini-league with a last-gasp win against Villa after Nottingham Forest, now fourth, beat Tottenham on Monday.

Villa play Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday, with Forest taking on City the following day at Wembley.

It means Newcastle, who could have Eddie Howe back on the touchline after a bout of pneumonia, would leapfrog City if they beat lowly Ipswich.

Chelsea badly need to beat Everton at home with a tough run of games to come against Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United and Forest.

Southampton playing for pride, Ipswich on brink

Southampton's 1-1 draw at West Ham last week meant they drew level with Derby's record-low points tally of 11 from the 2007/08 season, with five games to go to better the Rams' total.

But it will be of limited comfort after a miserable season for Saints, who were relegated earlier this month.

Leicester are already down and Ipswich appear certain to follow them barring a miracle -- a draw for West Ham at Brighton on Saturday would seal their fate.

It would be the second successive season in which all three promoted clubs had been relegated straight back to the Championship.

Prior to the 2023/24 campaign, this had last occurred in 1997/98.

All the evidence points to a worrying and widening chasm between English football's top two tiers as the season nears its end.

Fixtures

Saturday (1400 GMT unless stated)

Chelsea v Everton (1130), Brighton v West Ham, Newcastle v Ipswich, Southampton v Fulham, Wolves v Leicester

Sunday

Bournemouth v Manchester United (1300), Liverpool v Tottenham (1530)



Klopp Dismisses Real Madrid Speculation as 'Nonsense' and Denies Any Contact

23 March 2026, Bavaria, Ismaning: German football coach Jurgen Klopp  on stage at the Telekom press conference to present the concept for the World Cup. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa
23 March 2026, Bavaria, Ismaning: German football coach Jurgen Klopp on stage at the Telekom press conference to present the concept for the World Cup. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa
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Klopp Dismisses Real Madrid Speculation as 'Nonsense' and Denies Any Contact

23 March 2026, Bavaria, Ismaning: German football coach Jurgen Klopp  on stage at the Telekom press conference to present the concept for the World Cup. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa
23 March 2026, Bavaria, Ismaning: German football coach Jurgen Klopp on stage at the Telekom press conference to present the concept for the World Cup. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa

Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has dismissed as “nonsense” a suggestion he could take over as Real Madrid coach next season and said he hasn't heard from the Spanish club.

Klopp hasn't coached since his shock departure from Liverpool in 2024, when he said he was “running out of energy." He's stayed in the game as the Red Bull group's head of global soccer, overseeing clubs like Leipzig, Salzburg and the New York Red Bulls.

“It's all just nonsense. They haven't even called once, not one single time. And my agent is over there, you can ask him too, they haven't called him either,” Klopp said in televised comments about speculation linking him to Real Madrid.

He was speaking at an event on Monday in his role as a TV pundit for the World Cup.

Klopp didn't rule out a return to coaching someday but said he wasn't thinking about the Germany job in case Julian Nagelsmann were to leave after the World Cup.

“At the moment I'm obviously not thinking about that at all and luckily there isn't any reason to do that,” he said in comments reported by German agency dpa.

Last month, Red Bull said it was “extremely satisfied” with Klopp's work after a report in an Austrian newspaper claimed his role was in question because the drinks giant's clubs hadn't made enough progress in the year since he took charge.


Pressure on Italy as Play-off Hopefuls Eye 2026 World Cup

 Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the Italian team press conference in Florence, Italy, Monday, March 23, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)
Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the Italian team press conference in Florence, Italy, Monday, March 23, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)
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Pressure on Italy as Play-off Hopefuls Eye 2026 World Cup

 Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the Italian team press conference in Florence, Italy, Monday, March 23, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)
Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the Italian team press conference in Florence, Italy, Monday, March 23, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)

The final line-up for the 2026 World Cup will be decided over the next week, with 16 teams competing for the last four places allocated to European countries.

Twelve runners-up from the qualifying groups and four teams that earned spots through their UEFA Nations League results have a second chance to punch their ticket to football's global showpiece.

AFP Sport looks at the four play-off routes that will determine the remaining qualifiers for the first 48-team World Cup:

Path A

Four-time World Cup winners Italy face immense pressure as they attempt to qualify for a first appearance at the tournament since 2014.

After lifting the trophy in 2006, Italy's record at the World Cup has been dire. They suffered two successive group-stage exits before missing out entirely on the 2018 and 2022 editions.

In order to avoid another qualifying failure Italy must overcome Northern Ireland in Bergamo on Thursday, before a potential final against Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31.

"It's only normal that there's pressure - only if you had no blood in your veins would you not feel it," said Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso, who played in the 2006 final which the Azzurri won on penalties against France.

Northern Ireland are big underdogs against Italy but hope to end a 40-year absence from the World Cup.

Wales host Bosnia in Cardiff in the other semi-final.

Manager Craig Bellamy told AFP earlier this month that he "feels a responsibility" to lead Wales to a second straight finals. Their appearance in Qatar was the country's first at the World Cup in 64 years.

Path B

Ukraine's footballers will hope to lift the morale of a war-torn country by competing at a first World Cup in 20 years. To get there, they need to beat Sweden on neutral ground in Valencia and then Poland or Albania.

Sweden picked up just two points in a dismal qualifying campaign, but a team now coached by former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter will get another shot on the strength of their Nations League performances.

However, Sweden will be without key man Alexander Isak as the Liverpool forward is not yet ready to return from a broken leg suffered in December.

Poland can count on Robert Lewandowski who is eyeing a third World Cup, but Albania -- led by former Arsenal and Barcelona defender Sylvinho -- believe they have what it takes to qualify for the first time.

Path C

Kosovo stand two wins away from a first major tournament a decade on from their admission to UEFA and FIFA. They came second in their qualifying group after two wins over Sweden and a victory in Slovenia.

"It's a massive opportunity for us. The whole country is buzzing with excitement. Everyone's over the moon," Kosovo captain Vedat Muriqi told FIFA.com.

Mallorca striker Muriqi sits second only to Kylian Mbappe in La Liga this season with 18 goals. The 31-year-old is also Kosovo's all-time record scorer.

Slovakia, who last featured at the World Cup in 2010, host Kosovo in Bratislava while Türkiye and Romania square off in Istanbul.

Türkiye have not played at the World Cup since a surprise third-place finish in 2002. Romania's most recent appearance was in 1998.

Path D

Troy Parrott's heroics snatched the Republic of Ireland a play-off berth, but there is much still to be done if the Irish are to return to the World Cup stage.

Ireland, who haven't featured at the tournament since 2002, head to Prague to take on the Czech Republic in the semi-finals. The winner of that tie will host the final against Denmark or North Macedonia.

"There's a quiet confidence in the group growing together, it's great to see but we know there's a lot of hard work to come," said Ireland assistant John O'Shea.

Denmark missed out on automatic qualification after a dramatic defeat in Scotland but will be expected to see off North Macedonia, whose lone tournament appearance came at Euro 2020.

Kasper Schmeichel is absent for Denmark after revealing last week that he may have played his final game, with two surgeries required to repair his damaged shoulder.


Madrid’s Mbappe Fit and Ready to Play Every Game Before World Cup

Soccer Football - International Friendly - International Friendly - France Training - INF Clairefontaine, Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France - March 23, 2026 France's Kylian Mbappe arrives before training. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - International Friendly - International Friendly - France Training - INF Clairefontaine, Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France - March 23, 2026 France's Kylian Mbappe arrives before training. (Reuters)
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Madrid’s Mbappe Fit and Ready to Play Every Game Before World Cup

Soccer Football - International Friendly - International Friendly - France Training - INF Clairefontaine, Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France - March 23, 2026 France's Kylian Mbappe arrives before training. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - International Friendly - International Friendly - France Training - INF Clairefontaine, Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France - March 23, 2026 France's Kylian Mbappe arrives before training. (Reuters)

France striker ‌Kylian Mbappe says he has fully recovered from a knee injury and wants to play all of Real Madrid's remaining matches in the season run-in as he builds toward the World Cup.

The 27-year-old missed four league games in 2026 due to a ‌lingering knee issue ‌from last season ‌but ⁠featured off the bench ⁠in the 64th minute of Madrid’s 3-2 win over Atletico on Sunday.

Mbappe has been named in France’s squad for friendlies against Brazil on March 26 ⁠and Colombia three days later ‌in the ‌United States, which is co-hosting the ‌June 11-July 19 World Cup ‌with Canada and Mexico.

"I have made a 100% recovery," Mbappe told AS.

"I prepared for the last two World ‌Cups in the best way possible, which is to play, ⁠score ⁠goals, win titles, and fight until the last minute for my club, and this year I am going to do the same to arrive in top form."

France will play in Group I at the World Cup with Norway, Senegal and the winner of an intercontinental playoff.