Spurs Sweat over Premier League Survival as Salah, Guardiola Say Goodbye

25 April 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds the fans as he is substituted during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa
25 April 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds the fans as he is substituted during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa
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Spurs Sweat over Premier League Survival as Salah, Guardiola Say Goodbye

25 April 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds the fans as he is substituted during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa
25 April 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds the fans as he is substituted during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa

Tottenham must avoid defeat against Everton on Sunday to guarantee their place in the Premier League next season as Pep Guardiola and Mohamed Salah prepare for emotional farewells.

Liverpool and Bournemouth could both secure places in the Champions League, while European football is also on the line for Brighton, Brentford, Chelsea and Sunderland.

Spurs 'dignity' at stake

According to AFP, this time last year Tottenham fans were basking in the glow of a first trophy for 17 years after beating Manchester United to lift the Europa League.

Head coach Roberto De Zerbi believes the visit of Everton dwarfs the importance of that victory, with Premier League survival at stake.

"There is something more important than the trophy and the bonus," he said. "There is the future of the club, there is the history of the club, there is the pride of the players, there is the pride of the families of the players.

"There is the dignity of every one of us."

A point will be enough to secure survival and relegate West Ham due to Tottenham's vastly superior goal difference.

But Spurs have already lost 10 of their 18 home league games this season and another defeat would open the door to Nuno Espirito Santo's Hammers, if they can beat Leeds.

Battle for Europe

Liverpool should ensure a terrible season does not end on a fresh low note by securing a top-five finish in Mohamed Salah's farewell to Anfield.

Finishing in the top five would ensure Champions League football next season -- a consolation prize after a shocking title defence.

Egypt international Salah criticised Liverpool's performances under Arne Slot this season after last week's 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa.

"I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies," he said in a social media post, pointedly referring to the football played under Slot's predecessor Jurgen Klopp.

"Qualifying to next season's Champions League is the bare minimum and I will do everything I can to make that happen," he added.

Liverpool, who host Brentford, have a three-point lead and a six-goal cushion on goal difference over sixth-placed Bournemouth.

Sixth could be enough to qualify for the Champions League if Liverpool win and leapfrog Aston Villa, who travel to Manchester City, into fifth spot.

As it stands, the sixth and seventh-placed teams would go into the Europa League and the eighth would qualify for the Conference League, AFP reported.

Brighton would be guaranteed at least Europa League football with victory over Manchester United.

Sunderland host Chelsea with a chance of qualifying for continental competition for the first time in more than half a century.

Premier League greats depart

Mohamed Salah's outburst gives Arne Slot a tough decision to make on whether to start the 33-year-old, who has only recently returned from a hamstring injury.

The already unpopular coach risks infuriating the Liverpool fans even further if he does not give the man they christened "The Egyptian King" one last run out in front of the Kop.

With increasing speculation over his future, Slot can ill afford to let any personal issues with Salah get in the way of finishing the season on a high.

Liverpool have failed to win any of the nine league games that Salah has not started in 2026.

At the Etihad, Guardiola is set for a rousing send-off after amassing 20 trophies in his decade in charge, including six Premier League titles and City's only Champions League.

"It's been the experience of my life," said the Catalan after announcing his departure on Friday.



Top-ranked Jannik Sinner Withdraws from the US Open with a Knee Injury

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, celebrates a point against Alexander Zverev, of Germany, in the men's singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 12, 2026. (AP)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, celebrates a point against Alexander Zverev, of Germany, in the men's singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 12, 2026. (AP)
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Top-ranked Jannik Sinner Withdraws from the US Open with a Knee Injury

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, celebrates a point against Alexander Zverev, of Germany, in the men's singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 12, 2026. (AP)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, celebrates a point against Alexander Zverev, of Germany, in the men's singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 12, 2026. (AP)

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner withdrew from the US Open on Friday, unable to recover from a right knee injury that has sidelined him since winning the Wimbledon title.

Sinner beat Alexander Zverev last month for his second straight title at the All England Club, but then pulled out of the hard-court tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati that serve as a warmup for the US Open.

The 25-year-old Italian wrote Friday that he won't be ready when the main draw begins on Aug. 30.

“Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year,” Sinner wrote in a post on X.

“We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realized that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue. I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart. I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there.”

Sinner was the 2024 US Open champion and lost to Carlos Alcaraz in last year's final.

Alcaraz posted on social media on Thursday that he would be ready to play in New York after he has been out of action since April because of a right wrist injury.

The rivalry between those two has dominated men's tennis in recent years, and they met in the last three Grand Slam finals in 2025. Alcaraz took the most recent one with his four-set victory in New York.

That ended Sinner's title reign after he beat Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the 2024 final.

Sinner is 44-3 with six titles this year. He had a stunning collapse at the French Open, blowing a two-set lead while struggling in the heat in his second-round match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo. He then sat out until Wimbledon, where his victory gave him five Grand Slam titles.

It will be the first time Sinner has missed a Grand Slam tournament since making his major debut at the US Open in 2019.


Man City Boss Maresca Hit with Doku Injury Blow

Soccer Football - FA Community Shield - Arsenal v Manchester City - Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, Britain - August 16, 2026 Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
Soccer Football - FA Community Shield - Arsenal v Manchester City - Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, Britain - August 16, 2026 Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
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Man City Boss Maresca Hit with Doku Injury Blow

Soccer Football - FA Community Shield - Arsenal v Manchester City - Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, Britain - August 16, 2026 Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
Soccer Football - FA Community Shield - Arsenal v Manchester City - Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, Britain - August 16, 2026 Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has suffered a blow on the eve of the Premier League season after Belgium winger Jeremy Doku was ruled out for several weeks.

Doku will miss City's Premier League opener against Bournemouth with a calf injury and is unlikely to return for up to three weeks.

The 24-year-old suffered the problem during the first half of City's 3-0 defeat against Arsenal in the Community Shield in Cardiff last weekend, AFP reported.

Doku's absence is a significant setback for former Chelsea boss Maresca as he starts his first season in charge at City after replacing Pep Guardiola in the close-season.

"At the moment the only one out is Jeremy Doku," Maresca told reporters on Friday.

"Unfortunately in the last game, at half-time, he was complaining about a little bit of pain in his calf.

"The idea with him was to play 45 minutes anyway, so the change was planned, but at the moment it looks like two or three weeks, no more than that."

After hosting Bournemouth, Maresca's side travel to Crystal Palace, then face Coventry before the derby at Manchester United.

 

 

 

 


Real Madrid Star Players Are Compatible, Says Mourinho

Real Madrid's head coach Jose Mourinho attends a press conference prior to the training session of the team in Madrid, Spain, 21 August 2026. (EPA)
Real Madrid's head coach Jose Mourinho attends a press conference prior to the training session of the team in Madrid, Spain, 21 August 2026. (EPA)
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Real Madrid Star Players Are Compatible, Says Mourinho

Real Madrid's head coach Jose Mourinho attends a press conference prior to the training session of the team in Madrid, Spain, 21 August 2026. (EPA)
Real Madrid's head coach Jose Mourinho attends a press conference prior to the training session of the team in Madrid, Spain, 21 August 2026. (EPA)

New Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho on Friday insisted his team's star players could fit together ahead of Los Blancos' opening La Liga game at Espanyol.

Mourinho's predecessors Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa struggled to strike a balance between attack and defense while lining up with Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.

Madrid won the Champions League in 2024 with England international Bellingham and Brazilian winger Vinicius playing key roles, but since French superstar Mbappe arrived that summer, the club have not lifted a major trophy.

"They are incredible players and incredible players want to play with incredible players," Mourinho told reporters.

"Tactically, it could be tricky. Ancelotti has found a set-up with Brazil perfect for Vini, (Didier) Deschamps has found one with France perfect for Kylian, (Thomas) Tuchel one perfect for Jude, it's harder for Mourinho to do it for the three of them.

"We're on it. I want the three, when all three play, to feel comfortable on the pitch... they are three players of great quality.

"They don't play in incompatible positions. We will have a great season with them."

However, Madrid's stars can consider themselves warned -- they must contribute in defense this season.

"We have to defend with 11 players," said Mourinho.

"If a team is pushing us back and giving us problems in our final third, we all have to defend."