Arsenal Aim to Banish Title Jitters in Spurs Showdown 

Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - February 18, 2026 Arsenal's William Saliba and Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes react after Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tom Edozie scored their second goal. (Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra)
Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - February 18, 2026 Arsenal's William Saliba and Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes react after Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tom Edozie scored their second goal. (Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra)
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Arsenal Aim to Banish Title Jitters in Spurs Showdown 

Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - February 18, 2026 Arsenal's William Saliba and Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes react after Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tom Edozie scored their second goal. (Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra)
Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - February 18, 2026 Arsenal's William Saliba and Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes react after Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tom Edozie scored their second goal. (Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra)

Arsenal must banish their untimely bout of title race anxiety as the wobbling Premier League leaders head to Tottenham for the north London derby.

Manchester City can pile pressure on the Gunners with a win against Newcastle, while Michael Carrick heads to Everton aiming to bolster his bid to become Manchester United's permanent manager.

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

Saka expects Arsenal to hit back

Defiant Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka is adamant his side will eventually "get over the line" and end their trophy drought.

Mikel Arteta's men are in danger of blowing a commanding position in the title race after successive draws against Brentford and Wolves left them with just two wins in their last seven league matches.

The Gunners squandered the lead in both matches, with Wednesday's 2-2 draw at bottom of the table Wolves especially galling as they conceded a stoppage-time equalizer having led 2-0.

Arsenal are five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola's team have a game in hand and will host the leaders in April.

After allowing City to overhaul them in the 2023 and 2024 title races, the north Londoners, who haven't won silverware since the 2020 FA Cup, face pointed questions about their ability to handle the mounting tension.

Saka knows Arsenal must silence the doubters by getting back on track at arch rivals Tottenham on Sunday.

"I believe the next few years are going to be the years that we get over the line, and we're able to win trophies and make history for this club," Saka said.

"We're back where we belong, fighting for everything."

Man City 'on the hunt'

Tijjani Reijnders has warned Arsenal that Manchester City are primed to pounce after the leaders allowed them back into the title race.

Victories over Liverpool and Fulham have put City in position to capitalize on Arsenal's slump.

Pep Guardiola's side will move two points behind Arsenal if they beat Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, putting extra heat on the leaders before the north London derby 24 hours later.

"The mood's been good, but it was also good before. Of course we've dropped some points as well, but it's good and we are on the hunt and we keep going," Reijnders said.

"We have to see of course, but if we keep going like this, who knows?"

Carrick has Man Utd on the rise

Wayne Rooney has backed Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick to take the job on a permanent basis.

Former United midfielder Carrick was appointed until the end of the season after Ruben Amorim's sacking in January.

He made a dream start as United beat Manchester City 2-0 in his first game in charge and followed up with a 3-2 win at Arsenal.

Four wins and a draw in his first five games at the helm have lifted United into fourth place ahead of their trip to Everton on Monday.

Rooney, United's all-time leading goalscorer, believes his former team-mate could be the one to finally stabilize a troubled club that hasn't won the title since 2013.

"We've been there and tried different managers - (Jose) Mourinho, (Louis) van Gaal, (Erik) ten Hag and (Ruben) Amorim - and for me Carrick makes sense," Rooney told The Overlap.

"Having someone there who knows the club and cares for the club makes a big difference. Michael is managing the whole squad and managing them well."



Konate Opens Up on Depression after Deaths of Jota and Father

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Liverpool v Paris St Germain - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 14, 2026 Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate reacts Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Liverpool v Paris St Germain - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 14, 2026 Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate reacts Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo/File Photo
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Konate Opens Up on Depression after Deaths of Jota and Father

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Liverpool v Paris St Germain - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 14, 2026 Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate reacts Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Liverpool v Paris St Germain - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 14, 2026 Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate reacts Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo/File Photo

France defender Ibrahima Konate said on Wednesday he battled depression following the deaths of Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota and his father while continuing to fulfil his football duties.

Portugal forward Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash last July, while Konate's father, Hamady, passed away in January after a long illness.

"There are low points, there's depression. You can suffer from depression in football too; there's no need to be ashamed to say so," Konate told France Inter radio.

"It's true that I've often heard players say they were suffering from depression and that fans or people on the outside didn't understand because ⁠they were earning ⁠a lot of money. But that's rubbish and you shouldn't say that."

The 27-year-old, who confirmed earlier this week he will leave Liverpool this summer, said Jota's death had taken a heavy toll on him.

"It devastated me. I didn't have any interest in anything else at that point," Reuters quoted him as saying.

"You go back to football because you ⁠have no choice. We're employees at a club that pays us every month, so we have duties.

"We had no choice but to go back on the field and play for him and his family – as well as ourselves. There's no way of getting over it, but you learn to live with it."

At the same time, Konate was coping with his father's illness, leaving him unsure how to balance personal grief with professional commitments.

"I didn't know what to do. I didn't know whether I should go home and stop ⁠playing, because ⁠the team needed me too," he said.

"I didn't know who to talk to about it, so I kept it all to myself."

He lost his father in January and returned early from compassionate leave to help Liverpool through an injury crisis but admitted he did not feel fully recovered.

"There was never a moment when I felt like I was on the mend. All of these tragic events happened so quickly and as soon as I felt like I was getting my head above water, something else happened," he said.

Konate, who has 27 caps for France, is a part of Didier Deschamps' 26-man squad for the World Cup.


Spain Coach Confident Lamine Yamal Will Be Fit for World Cup Opener

Spanish national soccer player Lamine Yamal attends the training session of the team in Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
Spanish national soccer player Lamine Yamal attends the training session of the team in Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
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Spain Coach Confident Lamine Yamal Will Be Fit for World Cup Opener

Spanish national soccer player Lamine Yamal attends the training session of the team in Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
Spanish national soccer player Lamine Yamal attends the training session of the team in Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain, 31 May 2026. (EPA)

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente expects Lamine Yamal to be fit to play in the team's World Cup opener.

De la Fuente said Wednesday that Yamal will not play in Thursday's warmup match against Iraq in A Coruña, but all signs point to him being available to face Cape Verde in the team's opener in Atlanta on June 15.

“If nothing changes, he could be ready to play on June 15,” De la Fuente said. “It doesn't mean that for sure he will play, we'll see. Maybe a few minutes, maybe just practice so he can improve his condition for the second match. We will have to evaluate.”

Yamal injured his left hamstring while converting a penalty kick for Barcelona in a Spanish league match on April 22. He said this week he was scared of missing the World Cup and prayed that he could recover in time for the tournament that begins on June 11 in North America.

The 18-year-old Yamal is expected to lead the Spain squad that will try to win its second world title.

De la Fuente said the two other injured players in the squad — Nico Williams and Víctor Muñoz — also won't play on Wednesday, nor will the ones who took part in the Champions League final.

Spain's final warmup match will be against Peru in Mexico on Monday. De la Fuente did not say who is expected to play in that match.

After opening against Cape Verde in Group H, Spain will face Saudi Arabia on June 21 in Atlanta and Uruguay on June 26 in Guadalajara.

Spain has never gone past the round of 16 at the World Cup since it won its lone title in 2010.

“We are all excited to get started and try to do well at the tournament,” De la Fuente said.


Sabalenka Implodes as Shnaider Books French Open Semi with Chwalinska

 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus walks off the court after the quarterfinal tennis match against Russia's Diana Shnaider at the French Open in Paris, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus walks off the court after the quarterfinal tennis match against Russia's Diana Shnaider at the French Open in Paris, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)
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Sabalenka Implodes as Shnaider Books French Open Semi with Chwalinska

 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus walks off the court after the quarterfinal tennis match against Russia's Diana Shnaider at the French Open in Paris, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus walks off the court after the quarterfinal tennis match against Russia's Diana Shnaider at the French Open in Paris, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)

Aryna Sabalenka saw her golden opportunity to claim a maiden French Open title go by on Wednesday as the world number one fell into a "deep, dark hole" against Diana Shnaider to crash out of the tournament in the quarter-finals.

After battling back from a set down and being led by a double break of serve in the second by the world number one, Shnaider prevailed to set up a last-four meeting with Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.

"I screw up, and then she stepped in and she played great. I feel like mentally I couldn't really recover after the second set," Sabalenka said after her 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss.

"I don't know when was the last time that happened to me that I lost 10 games in a row. I don't know. I guess mentally I got into very deep, deep, dark hole over there, and I just couldn't get back mentally on track."

Sabalenka's collapse on Court Philippe Chatrier was reminiscent of last year's final when Coco Gauff battled back to beat the four-time major winner in three sets.

But this year's defeat to 25th seed Shnaider will sting just as much as Sabalenka had entered the last eight as the overwhelming favorite to win Roland Garros, following the early exits of principal challengers Gauff, Iga Swiatek and world number two Elena Rybakina.

"I don't like easy wins, you know. I guess for me it's about suffer, overcome, and get it done," Sabalenka said tongue-in-cheek.

Shnaider's best previous performance in a major was a fourth-round run at the US Open in 2024.

But now the 22-year-old finds herself the favorite to reach the final at Roland Garros.

"Definitely super happy I managed to finish on a good note rather than start on a good note," Shnaider said of her battling comeback.

"(It's) definitely a special tournament for me here.

"It's going be a lefty battle so I'm looking forward (to the semi-final)."

- 'What's going on' -

Earlier, world number 114 Chwalinska continued her stunning Roland Garros run by becoming just the second women's qualifier to reach the last four at Roland Garros in the Open era.

The 24-year-old Pole again defied the odds to down Russian 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.

"I honestly don't know what's going on. I know I repeat myself but every single match here is kind of crazy for me so I'm very grateful," Chwalinska said on court.

It was her eighth win at the tournament after she battled through three qualifying rounds to reach the main draw of a major for just the third time in her career.

Prior to her run in Paris, Chwalinska had only ever won two tour-level matches on clay in her career, now she stands one victory away from competing for the biggest title the surface has to offer.

"I feel like I just, for some reason, I don't process it, you know," Chwalinska said.

"I'm just focusing on every single match. I honestly don't feel like it's, like, a huge, huge moment for me.

"But definitely after the tournament finishes, I will kind of have time to, I guess, be grateful for what happened and process it as well."

If the women's tournament is now set to produce a first-time Grand Slam winner, that has been the case for the men's since last week.

World number six Felix Auger-Aliassime is the highest-ranked player left in the top half of the draw following Jannik Sinner's shock second-round departure, as well as Ben Shelton's departure.

Not only is the Canadian the only sole non-Italian left at the top of the draw, he also finds himself in uncharted territory having never before progressed beyond the last 16 at the French Open.

Auger-Aliassime will later take on 10th seed Flavio Cobolli in the quarter-finals.

The winner of that match will then meet one of Matteo Berrettini or Matteo Arnaldi, who headline the night session, in Friday's semi-finals.

Of that quartet, only 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Berrettini has previously reached a major final.