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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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FIFA Says it Has Stepped Up Efforts Against Online Abuse

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the International Friendly match between Colombia and New Zealand at Chase Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images/AFP
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the International Friendly match between Colombia and New Zealand at Chase Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images/AFP
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FIFA Says it Has Stepped Up Efforts Against Online Abuse

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the International Friendly match between Colombia and New Zealand at Chase Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images/AFP
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the International Friendly match between Colombia and New Zealand at Chase Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images/AFP

FIFA said on Sunday it had stepped up efforts to tackle online abuse directed at players and officials, reporting a surge in harmful content and referring more offenders to police.

Marking the International Day for Tolerance, FIFA said its Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) had flagged more than 30,000 abusive posts to platforms since the start of the year, part of more than 65,000 escalated since the tool was launched in 2022.

Eleven individuals in Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, Britain and the United States have been reported to law-enforcement authorities in 2025 for abuse during FIFA competitions, with one case referred to Interpol.

The relevant national associations were alerted to allow follow-up action at local level.

FIFA said it was also blacklisting people identified as responsible for "highly abusive behavior", preventing them from purchasing tickets for future FIFA tournaments or events.

The SMPS has been deployed at several competitions this year, including the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup in the United States.

During that tournament, the service monitored 2,401 active accounts across five platforms, analyzed 5.9 million posts, flagged 179,517 for review and reported 20,587 to the platforms.

"Football must be a safe and inclusive space – on the pitch, in the stands and online,” Reuters quoted FIFA president Gianni Infantino as saying.

"Our message is clear: abuse has no place in our game, and we will continue to work with our Member Associations, the confederations and law-enforcement authorities to hold offenders accountable."

The SMPS uses a mix of technology and human moderation to detect, filter and block racist, discriminatory or threatening messages, while protecting players' followers from exposure to abusive content.

Sports

Kane: Trophies, Not Goals, the Key to Fulfilling Ballon d'Or Ambition

England's forward #09 Harry Kane speaks during a press press conference on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K European qualification football match between Albania and England, at the Air Albania stadium in Tirana, on November 15, 2025. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)
England's forward #09 Harry Kane speaks during a press press conference on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K European qualification football match between Albania and England, at the Air Albania stadium in Tirana, on November 15, 2025. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)
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Kane: Trophies, Not Goals, the Key to Fulfilling Ballon d'Or Ambition

England's forward #09 Harry Kane speaks during a press press conference on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K European qualification football match between Albania and England, at the Air Albania stadium in Tirana, on November 15, 2025. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)
England's forward #09 Harry Kane speaks during a press press conference on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K European qualification football match between Albania and England, at the Air Albania stadium in Tirana, on November 15, 2025. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)

Harry Kane is banging in goals at a breathtaking pace this season but the England and Bayern Munich striker is keenly aware that his hopes of winning the next Ballon d'Or hinge on how much silverware he can collect this season.

The 32-year-old is enjoying arguably the best campaign of his career with 23 goals in 17 appearances for Bayern, who are unbeaten and are top of both the Bundesliga and Champions League group stage standings.

He has also netted three goals in four appearances for England, scoring twice in October's 5-0 thrashing of Latvia, which sealed their place in next year's World Cup finals.

Asked about being a contender for soccer's top individual award, Kane told reporters on Saturday: "I could score 100 goals this season, but if I don't win the Champions League or the World Cup, you're probably not going to win the Ballon d'Or.

"It's the same with (Erling) Haaland, it's the same with any player. You have to be winning those major trophies," he added, speaking ahead of England's World Cup qualifier against Albania later on Sunday.

"We're in great shape at Bayern Munich so that maybe makes the odds a little bit more in my favour. Same with England.

"Hopefully, if things go my way for club and country then I'm definitely going to be in the conversation for a trophy like the Ballon d'Or."

Although England have already qualified for the World Cup, this week's matches against Serbia and Albania are a crucial part of their preparations for the tournament.

The importance of the matches was highlighted by the presence of defender Marc Guehi, who was part of the camp despite being injured and attended meetings leading up to Thursday's 2-0 win over Serbia.

"Representing your country is the biggest honor and, when you're trying to build a culture and a winning mentality, you need the players there as much as possible. Every moment is important," Reuters quoted Kane as saying.

"We're trending in the right direction on the pitch and off it. You can see with this camp ... Marc had a little injury, but still wanted to be around the group and the meetings and learn from what we're trying to do.

Sports

Car Ploughs into Crowd at Australia Race, 9 Injured

The moon rises between buildings in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
The moon rises between buildings in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
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Car Ploughs into Crowd at Australia Race, 9 Injured

The moon rises between buildings in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
The moon rises between buildings in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Nine people have been injured, with one in critical condition, after a car ploughed into a crowd at a racing event in southeastern Australia, police said.

The car was taking part in a race on Saturday evening when it flew through a fence and into a crowd of bystanders in Walcha, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Sydney.

A 54-year-old man suffered "critical injuries", New South Wales police said, while three others were seriously hurt.

The injured are aged between 20 and 75, police said.

Dramatic footage shared by local media showed the car flying through a fence at top speed into the crowd.

Police said the driver had been involved in an "on-track collision" in the moments before the crash.