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Isak, Alisson Unlikely for Liverpool’s Clash Against Villa 

Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Manchester United - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 19, 2025 Liverpool's Alexander Isak reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Manchester United - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 19, 2025 Liverpool's Alexander Isak reacts. (Reuters)
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Isak, Alisson Unlikely for Liverpool’s Clash Against Villa 

Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Manchester United - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 19, 2025 Liverpool's Alexander Isak reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Manchester United - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 19, 2025 Liverpool's Alexander Isak reacts. (Reuters)

Liverpool head into Saturday's Premier League clash with Aston Villa desperate to halt a miserable run of six defeats in their last seven outings across all competitions, but manager Arne Slot faces a selection headache.

Injured striker Alexander Isak and goalkeeper Alisson have yet to return to training, and Slot told reporters on Friday he was "99.9% sure (they are) not in the squad on Saturday".

Midfielder Ryan Gravenberch could feature after training on Thursday in a bit of good news for Slot's reigning champions whose slump has them seven points behind league leaders Arsenal in seventh in the standings and facing a string of tough games.

"In the end phase of the injury, things can slow down a bit or things can go faster but Ryan trained with us yesterday and he will train with us today and then we will make the call whether he is able to start," Slot said.

Villa have won their last four league matches and are one place behind Slot's team in the table, but level on points.

Liverpool then host LaLiga leaders Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday before travelling to fifth-place Manchester City on November 9.

The Merseyside team's troublesome start, which included an ugly fourth-round League Cup exit on Wednesday in a 3-0 defeat by Crystal Palace, comes despite the club spending 446 million pounds ($599 million) on new recruits in the close season.

However, Slot said he was pleased with his squad.

"We miss nothing," he said. "I am completely happy with the team and with all the quality that we have and I am also completely convinced by the strategy and the policy that we have, but not all of them have had a proper pre-season or have been injured.

"When three or four are injured you go back to 16 players," Slot added. "You have to keep them fit as we did last season... A few others have missed out on pre-season or had injuries during pre-season.

"It has been more difficult than last season to keep them all available. Maybe last season we were more lucky and now we are more unlucky. But, no excuses for our results before people say this."

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Sports

French Open Boss: Prize Money Will Not Change Despite Players' Complaints

A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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French Open Boss: Prize Money Will Not Change Despite Players' Complaints

A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The French Open prize money will not change this year despite players complaining they deserve a bigger share, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said on Thursday.

Top players have criticized the Open organizers for reducing the players’ share of revenue to an alleged 14.3% — compared to 22% at standard ATP and WTA events.

To show their discontent, many competing at Roland Garros, where play begins on Sunday, are planning to limit their interaction with reporters to 15 minutes during Friday’s traditional pre-tournament media day.

Mauresmo, a former Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, said she remained open to dialogue and was confident of a solution. A meeting is expected on Friday between tournament organizers and the players and their representatives.

But asked whether there was a chance the prize money would change this year, Mauresmo said: "No, we are not going to change anything. We are going to initiate discussions and that is what everyone wants.”

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and No. 4 Coco Gauff were among leading players this month who supported a boycott of the Grand Slams if they don’t start receiving more compensation.

Roland Garros organizers increased the prize money by about 10%, after the US Open last year raised their's by 20% and this year's Australian Open by 16%.

The entire French Open pot was 61.7 million euros ($72 million), up 5.3 million euros from last year. But the players claimed their share of Roland Garros revenue declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026. They say the event generated 395 million euros in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4%, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3%.

The singles champions at Roland Garros will each receive 2.8 million euros, an increase of 250,000 euros compared with 2025.

“I’m not going to tell you that everything will be resolved with the snap of a finger," Mauresmo said. “But the discussions will continue, probably after the tournament.”

Sports

Sinner, Djokovic Kept Apart in French Open Draw

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo
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Sinner, Djokovic Kept Apart in French Open Draw

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic will not be able to meet until the French Open final after the pair were placed in opposite halves of the draw on Thursday.

Sinner, the red-hot title favourite in the absence of injured rival Carlos Alcaraz, will start his bid for a maiden Roland Garros crown against French wildcard Clement Tabur, the world number 165.

World number one Sinner is slated to meet big-hitting American fifth seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals.

Daniil Medvedev is a possible semi-final opponent for the Italian, AFP reported.

The Russian gave Sinner a rare scare in the Italian Open semis earlier this month before eventually succumbing in three sets.

Djokovic will kick off his latest tilt at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title against home player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Second seed Alexander Zverev is a potential semi-final opponent for Djokovic.

The German has played Djokovic twice before at Roland Garros, suffering quarter-final defeats against the Serb in 2019 and last year.

The stand-out first-round tie sees in-form French number one Arthur Fils take on former champion Stan Wawrinka, featuring at the tournament for the last time before retirement.

 

 

 

 

Sports

Saudi Arabia Tops AFC Club Rankings for Sixth Consecutive Year

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia Tops AFC Club Rankings for Sixth Consecutive Year

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia has retained its top position in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club rankings, according to the latest update for the 2025–2026 season.

The Kingdom leads the standings with 132.545 points, followed by Japan in second place with 120.410 points, and South Korea in third with 87.334 points.

This marks the sixth consecutive year Saudi Arabia has topped the AFC rankings, reflecting the strong performances of Saudi clubs in continental competitions and their consistent competitiveness in Asian tournaments.