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.



Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
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Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)

The Portugal football team is making a change to how the No. 7 is written to honor the recently-retired Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, who wore the number and went on to make it his own as “CR7,” retired from international soccer last week, ending a remarkable career that spanned six World Cups, a European title, and the men’s all-time international scoring record.

“Time to debut a new 7. Because there’s one that will be eternal,” the Portuguese national team wrote on social media on Saturday. The post included a goat emoji to signify “Greatest Of All Time.”

It also included a video that showed a horizontal crossed line through the No. 7 as it’s commonly written in Europe, suggesting that Ronaldo’s successors will all have that cross to bear when they wear the number.

Portugal, already assured of reaching the quarterfinals, was hosting Denmark in the Nations League later Saturday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo quit on Nov. 5 after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus. His last appearance with Portugal was Sept. 24 in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.

Jesus kept him on the bench for the following match and said he didn’t plan to start him in the next one, so the superstar forward decided to leave the team’s training camp.

Jesus later said Ronaldo would be welcome back and the decision to return was up to him.


Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)

Ronaldinho will roll back the years this weekend when the 46-year-old Brazilian starts his first competitive match in over a decade, and in the unlikely setting of an Italian third-tier derby the World Cup winner may realize his dream of scoring one last time.

The Brazil great and Ballon d'Or winner signed for Ravenna in June, also taking a stake in the club, but because he had not played since his final appearance for Fluminense in 2015, doubts remained over whether fans would ever see him in action.

Ravenna revealed ‌three weeks ago ‌that the former Barcelona and AC Milan player ‌would ⁠make his return ⁠in Sunday's home clash with local rivals Forli, and on Friday, manager Andrea Mandorlini told reporters that Ronaldinho would start the match.

"He will play from the start, there's no doubt," Mandorlini said.

"Then together we will decide how long he plays. He is one of the greatest players of the modern era. And we have to get a ⁠result. We always play with three forwards. He will ‌be one of the three."

Ronaldinho was ‌welcomed by the Ravenna fans in August, without committing to a return ‌to the pitch. He returned to Italy on Friday afternoon and ‌will have just one training session with his teammates on Saturday before making his club debut.

A temporary stand has been erected at the Stadio Bruno Benelli to cater for the crowd, and if this does turn out ‌to be one last hurrah for Ronaldinho, he may well get the chance to score his 300th ⁠professional goal.

"I ⁠scored my first Italian goal in the derby," Ronaldinho told Corriere della Sera, referring to his first official goal for AC Milan, which came against Inter Milan.

"It was a special evening that will remain in the memory of all AC Milan fans. It was September 28, 2008. I scored with a header, which is not my specialty. Who knows if I'll be able to repeat that feat tomorrow."

"... Returning to the pitch at 46 is the best move of my career."

Simone Rabbi will play alongside the Brazilian up front for Ravenna, and in Friday's press conference he said that if his side are awarded a penalty on Sunday, Ronaldinho will take the spot kick.


Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Mirra Andreeva said she has learned to recover more quickly from setbacks after the Russian teenager completed an unbeaten run through the WTA Finals round-robin stage on Friday.

Andreeva won her third group-stage match in straight sets after a late opponent change, having already secured a semi-final berth. The 19-year-old said the match against tournament alternate Diana Shnaider presented a new mental challenge because her progression was guaranteed, but she still wanted to preserve her momentum.

"Before the tournament started I was afraid ‌that I ‌wouldn't win a match in the group," ‌Andreeva ⁠told reporters. "Now you ⁠see how it turned out."

The victory set up a first career meeting with American Jessica Pegula on Saturday. Andreeva described Pegula as one of the calmest players on tour and said coach Conchita Martinez would help prepare a detailed tactical plan.

Andreeva's poise in the desert marked a contrast with her emotional ⁠exit from Indian Wells in March, when ‌she lost her title defense ‌to Katerina Siniakova. Frustrated by the defeat, Andreeva launched into a profanity-laced ‌tirade toward spectators and was booed as she left ‌the court.

The French Open champion said her response to losses has changed significantly over the course of the season.

"Before it was super bad. I was very dramatic," Andreeva said. "It would take me a ‌good two, three days. I wouldn't talk to anybody. I would just sit in the ⁠room locked ⁠up, not wanting to practice."

Now, she said, disappointment generally lasts a day at most before the demands of the tour force her attention back to training or the next match.

Andreeva said the Indian Wells setback came while she was trying to incorporate changes made in practice into her match play, which produced inconsistency and frustration. She said continued work on court, along with sessions with psychologists, helped her make progress.

The results have followed. Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this year and arrived at the WTA Finals for her singles debut after a 50-win season.