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."



PSG's Dembele Has Treatment for Leg Issue Before Champions League Final

PSG's Ousmane Dembele runs with the ball during the French League One soccer match between Lens and Paris Saint Germain, in Lens, northern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP)
PSG's Ousmane Dembele runs with the ball during the French League One soccer match between Lens and Paris Saint Germain, in Lens, northern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP)
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PSG's Dembele Has Treatment for Leg Issue Before Champions League Final

PSG's Ousmane Dembele runs with the ball during the French League One soccer match between Lens and Paris Saint Germain, in Lens, northern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP)
PSG's Ousmane Dembele runs with the ball during the French League One soccer match between Lens and Paris Saint Germain, in Lens, northern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP)

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele needs treatment for a right calf issue, the French club said Monday, ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal later this month.

The Ballon d'Or winner was substituted after half an hour during Sunday's 2-1 Ligue 1 defeat against Paris FC "as a precaution after experiencing some discomfort in his right calf," PSG said in a statement.

"Dembele will be having treatment over the next few days," the club added.

The 29-year-old did not appear to be struggling when he left the field and boarded the team bus after the match without limping.

"I think it is just due to fatigue," coach Luis Enrique told the press on Sunday.

"It has been a tricky end to the season but now we have two weeks to prepare for the biggest match in our history."

The former Barcelona player has suffered numerous physical setbacks this season, particularly thigh and calf issues.

Meanwhile, Achraf Hakimi resumed individual training on Saturday after a thigh problem, as did Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, and Lucas Chevalier.

All three were unavailable for Sunday's match against Paris FC.

PSG clinched a fifth straight French title, and a record-extending 14th overall, with a 2-0 win over nearest challengers Lens last Wednesday.

Luis Enrique's side face Arsenal in Budapest on May 30, when they will attempt to retain the European crown they won for the first time in the club's history last season.


Iran Squad Arrives in Türkiye for Training amid World Cup Uncertainty 

Iran's players and staff pose ahead of a training session in Antalya in March © Adem ALTAN / AFP/File
Iran's players and staff pose ahead of a training session in Antalya in March © Adem ALTAN / AFP/File
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Iran Squad Arrives in Türkiye for Training amid World Cup Uncertainty 

Iran's players and staff pose ahead of a training session in Antalya in March © Adem ALTAN / AFP/File
Iran's players and staff pose ahead of a training session in Antalya in March © Adem ALTAN / AFP/File

Iran’s national soccer squad landed in Türkiye for a training camp on Monday ahead of their planned trip to the US for the World Cup, with uncertainty still hanging over the team's participation after the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February. FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom told Reuters on Saturday that he held a constructive and positive meeting with Iran's FA (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj, expressing confidence about the country's participation in the World Cup.

The players and officials filed out of Antalya Airport in black team outfits, many pulling black suitcases, before heading to waiting buses to travel to their hotel at the training base in the nearby resort of Belek, where several national teams have held camps in recent years.

Iran are scheduled to play all three group matches in the United States but the team's participation in the June 11 to July 19 tournament has been in question since the attacks by the US and Israel.

Iranian officials and FIFA have said US visa applications for the team would be handled in Türkiye. Uncertainty over the visas was fuelled after FFIRI's Taj was refused entry to Canada for the FIFA Congress in Vancouver this month because of his links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The US and Canada, who are co-hosting the World Cup with Mexico, classify the IRGC as a "terrorist entity" and have made clear they will not admit people with links to the elite military force.

Iran had asked for their World Cup matches to be switched to Mexico but FIFA President Gianni Infantino insists that all games must be played at the grounds originally scheduled.

Iran's squad is scheduled to move to their US base at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona in early June.

Iran are scheduled to get their World Cup campaign under way against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. They are also due to play Belgium and Egypt in Group G.


Fernandes ‘Proud’ to Match Premier League Assists Record

 Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes celebrates their victory at the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP)
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes celebrates their victory at the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP)
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Fernandes ‘Proud’ to Match Premier League Assists Record

 Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes celebrates their victory at the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP)
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes celebrates their victory at the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP)

Bruno Fernandes said he was proud to match the Premier League assists record jointly held by "main names" Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne and is now targeting top spot on the charts.

The 31-year-old helped Michael Carrick's men wrap up third place by setting up Bryan Mbeumo for United's third goal in their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

The Portuguese midfielder is just the third player to provide 20 assists in a Premier League season, joining Arsenal great Henry (2002/03) and Manchester City star De Bruyne (2019/20) in an elite bracket.

"Obviously I'm very proud," Fernandes said on the Old Trafford touchline.

"We're speaking about Thierry and Kevin, two of the main names of the Premier League, and for me I'm very grateful and I'm very happy to do it. It's a very proud moment."

Fernandes, named as United's player of the year for a record-breaking fifth time, now has the chance to reach 21 assists in Sunday's season finale at Brighton.

"Let's see," he said. "It doesn't change the way I play my game, so I will still have to create things for my team, and hopefully it can happen.

"But if it doesn't happen, I'm already very happy because I've never done 20 assists in the Premier League. I've never done 19 either, so even if I had finished with 19, I would be very happy."

The United captain was mobbed when Mbeumo converted his cross in the 76th minute, with goalkeeper Senne Lammens joining every United outfield player in celebrating a record he claims he only started thinking about when he collected his 19th assist.

"I'm very grateful to see their reaction more than mine because I wanted Bryan to celebrate his goal," Fernandes added.

"I didn't want to make it about myself because at the end of the day scoring the goal is the biggest thing in football and all credit to Bryan because if he doesn't put it in the back of the net, my record will not be there."