It is the fourth year running in which the sides have been drawn against each other in a knockout tie, with Real emerging victorious in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals last season.
City, who scraped through after finishing 22nd in the league phase in this first season of the new format for Europe’s elite club competition, knew they faced a tough draw with Bayern Munich their other possible opponents.
Pep Guardiola’s team will be at home in the first leg on February 11 before going to Spain for the return on February 19.
“It feels like a derby already,” Guardiola said at a press conference on Friday.
Real Madrid CF and Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal on April 9, 2024. Picture: Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFPSource: AFP
“Four years in a row facing Real Madrid. But Bayern or Madrid — both was really tough. Hopefully we can arrive in the first leg here, and then at Madrid, as best as possible.” Real won a dramatic semi-final tie on the way to lifting the trophy in 2022, but City gained revenge at the same stage in 2023 as they went on to become champions.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side then came out on top last season, while Real won a semi-final tie between the sides in 2016 and City won in the last 16 in 2020.
“We know each other very well,” said Emilio Butragueno, Real’s director of institutional relations, to Spanish media.
“They are a really great team who have the experience and are used to these types of games, so they will be very difficult opponents.
“But this competition is very special for us and we will play the second leg at home, at the Bernabeu.”
Elsewhere, Celtic will face six-time European champions Bayern, after the Scottish champions reached the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years — Celtic will be at home in the first leg on February 12 and go to Germany six days later.
Paris Saint-Germain will play surprise package Brest in an all-French tie, while Juventus play PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord take on AC Milan in two ties between former winners of the competition.
Tension eases as Spurs advance in Europa | 01:57
Last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta, who finished one place outside the top eight which offered a direct path to the last 16, will face Club Brugge of Belgium.
Sporting of Portugal were drawn against last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund, while Monaco will take on Benfica having lost at home to the Portuguese club in the league phase.
The playoff ties will take place next month, with the eight winners going through to the last 16 along with the eight highest-placed sides from the league phase.
Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa are the sides already through to the last 16.
Those teams finished in the top eight in the standings in the 36-team league phase — the first season of the new format for the competition saw all competing clubs placed together in one giant pool, each playing eight games against eight different opponents.
The draw for the remainder of the competition is partly pre-determined, meaning that whoever emerges triumphant in the tie between City and Real knows they will play either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16.
Jovial Ange jokes before crucial goal | 00:57
The draw for the last 16 onwards will take place on February 21, and it remains to be seen if Liverpool derive any advantage from having come first in the league phase.
Arne Slot’s team will play either PSG or Brest, or Monaco or Benfica, in the last 16 in March.
This season’s Champions League final will be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Saturday, May 31.
DRAW FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE KNOCKOUT PHASE PLAY-OFFS
Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham earned themselves some much needed a respite with a 3-0 win at home against Swedish side IF Elfsborg enough to finish in the top eight of the Europa League.
It was a night to remember for the youth in Tottenham’s squad with three academy players scoring the three second half goals, all of which were their first for the club.
Dane Scarlett broke the deadlock in the 70th minute as he got on the end of a lovely ball from Dejan Kulusevski to head it home, only a week after the 20-year-old was recalled from his loan spell at Championship club Oxford United.
Debutant Damola Ajayi then endeared himself to the Tottenham faithful with the 18-year-old scoring the second goal with a lovely low finish after a one-two on the edge of the box in the 84th minute.
Fellow teenager Mikey Moore put the exclamation mark on the night with the winger dribbling at the Elfsborg defenders before firing into the bottom corner in added time for what was arguably the best goal of the three.
“Yeah made in Tottenham tonight,” Postecoglou told TNT Sports post-game.
“Super pleased for the young boys. We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact we had another couple of 18-year-olds out there as well.
“It’s great. It’s great for the club. I’m sure those boys won’t sleep tonight.
“We needed that. We needed some energy. We kind of designed the game to protect some of our players – we’ve got a big week coming up – and we were going to need the young boys today and they stood up.”
The performance allowed Postecoglou to breath a huge sigh of relief as his side finished fourth in the league phase with five wins, two draws and a loss.
Spurs finished one place behind English rivals Manchester United, who 2-0 away in Romania against FCSB, but they have gained automatic passage to the Round of 16, crucially avoiding a two-leg playoff next month which would have been an added strain on their injury hit squad.
The Australian manager even poked fun at the club’s injury issues with him jokingly acting as if he had pulled a hamstring when the ball came his way, but slipped by him, on the touch line.
Jovial Ange jokes before crucial goal | 00:57
There was some reprieve from the medical team with centre back Micky van de Ven making his return to the starting line-up from a hamstring injury that had kept him out since their 4-3 home Premier League loss to Chelsea in early December.
It was an ideal comeback for the speedy Dutchman, who was subbed off at half time, with Tottenham’s undermanned defence, who have been majorly under the pump in recent times, enjoying an easier night as the ball was almost exclusively entrenched in Elfsborg’s half for the opening 45 minutes.
Spurs were greeted by a yellow wall however, as their visitors defended strongly, clogging up the penalty area to prevent the hosts from taking advantage of any of their 12 shots on goal, or the 83% possession they had in the opening half.
The final matchday of the league phase was just Elfsborg’s fourth competitive outing since the Swedish season wrapped up in November.
In comparison, this was Tottenham 18th match in that time.
Elfsborg needed a draw to book their place in the knockout playoff for a chance to make the Round of 16, so they were content to channel their energy into sitting back and defending to try claim the point they desired.
Van de Ven was not the only big name Postecoglou opted to only give a half with captain Son Heung-min producing a brilliant first half, looking a class above, before making way for Kulusevski, who strongly backed his manager during the week, at the break.
Rodrigo Bentancur joined Son and van de Ven on the bench for the second half with Yves Bissouma replacing him in midfield.
Although, van de Ven’s replacement Radu Dragusin went down with a knee injury in the second half to add further to the casualty ward.
Tottenham face an away trip to Brentford on Sunday before heading north to Anfield for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool, which they lead 1-0.
In the Europa League Round of 16, they will face one of Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar or Midtjylland.
Manchester City gave their fans an almighty scare but ultimately got the job done to advance to the knockout stage, while Premier League outfits Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa all booked a top eight spot and automatic passage to the Champions League’s Round of 16.
Eighteen matches kicked off simultaneously across Europe on an eventful Wednesday evening but all eyes were on Manchester with the 2023 champions needing a win at home against Belgian side Club Brugge in the final matchday of the league phase to keep their campaign alive.
Entering the night in lowly 26th place with just eight points from seven games, City needed all three points to jump into the top 24 who reach the next phase, and they earned them with a come-from-behind 3-1 victory.
It was far from smooth sailing for City, who will next face reigning champions Real Madrid or German giants Bayern Munich in a mouth-watering playoff for a place in the Round of 16, as despite having 70% possession, they trailed 1-0 at half time.
Raphael Onyedika slammed home the opener in the 45th minute after a brilliant cut back from Ferran Jutgla as Pep Guardiola’s side failed to register a single shot on target in the first half.
Perhaps the fact a merchandise store outside the Etihad Stadium went up in flames shortly before the teams arrived at the ground was a sign that the night was not going to go to plan for City, just as their Premier League campaign has not with the four-time defending champions sitting in fourth place 12 points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
But they managed to click into gear after the break with Mateo Kovacic levelling the scores with a low shot from the top of the box that beat former Liverpool shot stopper Simon Mignolet.
City then received a stroke of good fortune with an own goal putting them in front.
Erling Haaland was waiting for a tap-in on the end of Josko Gvardiol’s low cross at the back post, but Brugge defender Joel Ordonez turned it into his own net as he slid in to try stop the ball from reaching Haaland.
City could finally breath a sigh of relief in the 76th minute when substitute Savinho played the ball down beautifully off his chest from a pass over the top by Jon Stones and smashed it into the net at the near post to add a third.
“We were on the verge, 45 minutes from being out. It is an incredible lesson for me, the club that nothing is (taken) for granted,” Guardiola said.
“In the second half we lifted our soul and our hearts were free.”
Guardiola also suggested that with City’s new signings Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis becoming available, and the potential returns from injury for defensive duo Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias, his side will be raring to go for their clash with either Real or Bayern.
“In two weeks will be better than we are (now),” he said. “Against these two giants, one of them we are going to play, we’ll see how we arrive.”
LIVERPOOL TOPS TABLE
City’s English rivals all progressed meanwhile, with Liverpool hanging onto first place despite losing 3-2 away to Dutch outfit PSV.
Arne Slot made a whopping nine changes to the starting line-up from the Reds’ 4-1 win at Anfield against Ipswich Town with only Andrew Robertson and Cody Gapko backing up mid-week.
Superstars including Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson were among a host of first-choice players who were not even in the squad for the trip to Eindhoven.
Dutchman Gapko scored a penalty against his former club in enthralling five-goal first half that included two goals from the home side in stoppage time to take the lead at the break.
It was an engrossing contest but with Liverpool’s place in the top eight secure and PSV holding firmly onto their lead to ensure their place in the knockouts, a bit of the sting went out of the game in the second half despite Reds 18-year-old debutant Amara Nallo being shown a straight red card for a clumsy challenge after coming off the bench.
It was Liverpool’s first European loss of the season, having won all seven previous matches but Barcelona’s 2-2 draw at home to Italian side Atalanta kept them on top.
Gunners climb to third in UCL with win | 00:45
‘IMPRESSIVE’ TEEN INSPIRES ARSENAL
Meanwhile in Spain, Arsenal also made nine changes to their starting XI from their 1-0 win away at Wolves on the weekend.
The Gunners started the final matchday in third place with their spot in the top eight confirmed, so they too took the chance to rest and rotate as they picked up a 2-1 win at Girona.
The hosts scored the opener through Arnaut Danjuma in the 28th minute, but Mikel Arteta’s side responded with a Jorginho penalty in the 38th minute and 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri put them in front four minutes later.
“I’m really impressed, making his debut as a Champions League starter today and scoring the goal that he scored, especially in a very important moment,” Arteta said.
“His influence, his composure on the ball and how aggressive he is when he gets it, it’s impressive.”
In the 77th minute, Arsenal suffered a scare as the ball ended up in the back of their net, but it was ruled out for offside and they held onto third position on the table, winning four straight European matches.
Awaiting them in the Round of 16 will be one of Juventus, AC Milan, Feyenoord or PSV, and with a massive Premier League clash with Manchester City and the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Newcastle to come in the next week, Arteta is hopeful that his team will have the confidence to take down anyone
“Winning in this competition is very demanding but overall the team has been very consistent, regardless of all the issues they have had to face,” he said.
“(Hopefully it breeds) more belief in that dressing room that we are a good team and we can face anyone and still perform and win games.”
VILLA CLINCH TOP EIGHT BERTH
The wildest match of the night came arguably at Villa Park with Aston Villa prevailing 4-2 in a topsy turvy clash with Scottish giants Celtic.
Morgan Rogers scored twice in the opening five minutes for the hosts and it was party time for Villa fans as they needed a win to book their place in the top eight.
The visitors then threatened a boil over with Adam Idah scoring twice in the space of three minutes later in the first half to level the scores at the break.
Villa down Celtic despite pen blunder | 00:29
Ollie Watkins, who reportedly received a bid from Arsenal earlier in the day that was rejected by Villa, scored in the 60th minute to put the home side back in front but he could have had a brace shortly after when he won a penalty, and slipped when taking it to launch the ball high into the stands.
But Rogers made it four in stoppage time to ensure that he took home the match ball as Villa finished in eighth place to automatically progress to the Round of 16 after chalking up five wins and a draw from eight games in an impressive league phase.
Across the 18 matches, there 62 goals scored with Real Madrid winning 3-0 away at Brest, Bayern Munich defeating Slovan Bratislava 3-1 at home and PSG picking up a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart to register a third straight victory and ensure that they progressed.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TOP 8
Liverpool 21
Barcelona 19
Arsenal 19
Inter Milan 19
Atletico Madrid 18
Leverkusen 16
LOSC 16
Aston Villa 16
KNOCKOUT PLAYOFF ROUND TIES
Monaco or Brest will play PSG or Benfica
Feeding into a RO16 tie against >> Liverpool or Barcelona
Sporting or Club Brugge will play Atalanta or Dortmund
Feeding into a RO16 tie against >> Lille or Aston Villa
Celtic or Man City will play Real Madrid or Bayern
Feeding into a RO16 tie against >> Atletico or Leverkusen
Feyenoord or Juventus will play Milan or PSV
Feeding into a RO16 tie against >> Arsenal or Inter
Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski is convinced Ange Postecoglou is the “right man” to salvage their troubled season despite a disastrous run of results.
Spurs slipped to a sixth loss from their last seven Premier League games against relegation-threatened Leicester on Sunday and are languishing in 15th place in the table.
Postecoglou said after the dismal 2-1 home defeat he was uncertain over his future as pressure mounts on the former Celtic boss.
The Australian has battled a severe injury crisis over the past two months and will be without 12 players for Thursday’s Europa League match against Swedish side Elfsborg.
But he has repeatedly stated his belief that Tottenham — who are still in three cup competitions — can enjoy a “special” season.
“Yeah, I agree with him,” said 24-year-old Kulusevski, who has scored nine goals in 35 games in the current campaign.
“It’s easy to focus on the league, but we’re doing really well in the cups.
“This is an important game (against Elfsborg) and if we win we go to the next round. I think we can do big things in these last four months.”
Spurs to be patient before ‘Ange call’ | 01:38
A win against Elfsborg in their final Europa League group fixture would guarantee Tottenham a place in the last 16.
They won the first leg of their League Cup semi-final against Liverpool 1-0 and are through to the FA Cup fourth round.
Asked why Postecoglou is the right man, Kulusevski told reporters on Wednesday: “Because we had games when we showed perfect football — football that not many teams can play in the world.
“We played beautiful games against (Manchester) United (wins in the Premier League and the League Cup), against (Manchester) City 4-0, so I think he is the right man.
Even Cup wins won’t save Ange? | 06:57
“We play for him. We want to win for him and to be honest we have similar ideas.
“I am very positive as a guy and I always want to play the football he wants. I have to fight for him because I believe in that football too. Yes, I think he’s the right man.”
Bosnich ‘Ange only has self to blame’ | 01:06
Kulusevski admitted Spurs had made mistakes but said they were suffering. “We are 10 to 11 fit players in four competitions and that’s not OK and that’s why the team is paying that price in the league especially,” he said.
“You can look at the manager and the players but it’s bigger than that, it’s everything involved.”
Reports out of the British press suggest that Tottenham are sticking with the Australian as they focus their energies on signing “at least one player” before the January transfer window is shut.
It appeared as if Postecoglou’s time may have been up after their 2-1 home defeat to relegation-threatened Leicester City, who had lost seven straight matches coming in, on Sunday.
Spurs sit a lowly 15th on the Premier League table, winless in their last seven matches and picking up just four points in their last ten league fixtures.
The faithful are growing restless with Postecoglou stopping to express his displeasure at one fan who repeatedly shouted “we’re going down with you” as he headed down the race with boos echoing after the full-time whistle.
Postecoglou then responded to a question about whether he thinks he will still be at the helm when Spurs’ plethora of injured stars return to the park, with “who knows”.
It was the first time the former Socceroos and Celtic boss and publicly showed the writing may be on the wall, especially given Tottenham’s history of discarding managers.
Chairman Daniel Levy has had 16 managers in his 24 years in charge.
But with Tottenham’s injury crisis showing few signs of improving, Levy is reportedly changing tack and giving Postecoglou more time than he afforded the likes of Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte when things went pear shaped.
Tottenham’s injury list has been in double digits for several weeks with Postecoglou unable to fill his entire bench against Leicester as James Maddison joined the casualty ward.
Goal scorer Richarlison also should have come off at half time with a groin issue, while the manager admitted Pape Sarr should not have played after picking up an injury in their mid-week Europa League victory against German outfit Hoffenheim.
With the medical team working over time, the lack of activity in the current transfer window has been perplexing.
Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky arrived from Slavia Prague for £12.5 million to cover for first-choice shot stopper Guglielmo Vicario who fractured his right ankle in Spurs’ 4-0 win at Manchester City in November.
But Kinsky is the only January signing so far, despite Postecoglou crying out for more outfield talent, especially in defence.
The most frustrating thing for Tottenham fans is that they have the money to chase new signings.
The Mirror’s Conor Mummery wrote that “Spurs have one of the lowest wages to turnover ratio in the league at 42 per cent. They have the biggest PSR [profit and sustainability rules] headroom in the league.
“And Daniel Levy and Co have sat on their hands all month and watched their club slide down the league table, picking up more injuries along the way with Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie and Yves Bissouma joining the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario on the sidelines.”
Ange Postecoglou’s fiery fan interaction | 00:20
Those figures are why the fans have turned on Levy, and it appears he believes he would do further damage to his reputation by sacking another manager at this point in time.
Football.London’s Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold shed light on how strained the relationship has become between the owner and the fan base.
“It’s embarrassing no doubt for Levy to hear the loudest chants yet in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – his crowning glory – from thousands of supporters for him to leave his position at the helm of the club. The post-match music was cranked up loudly – Spurs fans have heard that before – but it could not drown out the chants during the match,” Gold wrote.
“It’s embarrassing that the club are currently in danger of repeating those two critical transfer-less windows that sucked the life out of the club and the manager in Mauricio Pochettino’s final full season, seemingly learning not a single lesson from a period that ended their hopes of building on what the Argentine had created and they’ve been flailing since. Recent reports detailing the far lower percentage Spurs spend on salaries compared to revenue in relation to all of their rivals, which will only have dropped further this season, have not exactly screamed ambition from the owners to the fanbase.
“It’s embarrassing for the club to see those couple of banners in the south stand. One read: “24 years, 16 managers, one trophy – time for change”. Another proclaimed: “Our game is about glory, Levy’s game is about greed”. That video footage appeared to show stewards trying to take down the first banner is equally embarrassing.”
In an attempt to ease some of the tension, Tottenham are reportedly showing heavy interest in a highly touted 18-year-old who has burst on the Premier League scene this season, and a 24-year-old Manchester United academy product who has found his way in France.
But neither deal may be done until the summer.
“Southampton winger Tyler Dibling and Lille midfielder Angel Gomes are two players Spurs have held talks over as they attempt to set up deals for the summer window, and they are also trying to secure at least one new outfield signing this month,” Matt Law, football news correspondent for The Telegraph, wrote.
“While Postecoglou has been relatively calm about Tottenham’s lack of business so far, it is understood there is frustration from staff behind the scenes that outfield players have not been brought in earlier to try to alleviate some of the Australian’s problems.
“Tottenham have been desperate to avoid rushing into a decision on Postecoglou’s future and the focus has been trying to support him, but pressure is growing following successive defeats by Everton and Leicester, and with his team stuck in 15th place, eight points above the relegation zone.
“It is understood that Spurs are understanding of the injury crisis Postecoglou has faced and believe that changing the manager again would leave the club in a difficult position as they attempt to build something lasting.
“Furthermore, the prospect of having to finish a third season with Ryan Mason in caretaker charge would be hugely embarrassing and provoke more criticism towards Levy.”
The allure of some much-needed silverware is seemingly also keeping Postecoglou safe in the short-term.
Mid-week fixtures are undeniably hurting Tottenham’s depleted squad’s ability to back up time and time again for league encounters, but they remain alive in the League Cup, FA Cup and Europa League.
In fact, they lead Liverpool 1-0 after the first leg of their League Cup semi-final with the second leg to be played at Anfield next month.
They are sixth on the Europa League with a win at home against Swedish side IF Elsborg on Friday morning Australian time in their final league phase match guaranteeing them automatic passage to the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, an FA Cup fourth round tie away at Aston Villa also awaits next week.
Three opportunities remain for Postecoglou to fulfill his proclamation that he always wins a trophy in his second year in charge of a team.
He did it in the A-League. He did it with the Socceroos. He did it in Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos. He did with Scottish giants Celtic and despite things looking so bleak in North London, he remains optimistic that he can do it again.
Around the world, he has trophies in the bank and is not interested in trying to assure others that he can manage a football team
“It doesn’t really come into my consciousness about trying to convince people. I have been around long enough to know that some will just judge on where we are at at the moment and rightly so in some respects. It’s not good enough,” Postecoglou explained after the loss to Leicester.
“If people want to put context to that, they can. If not, so be it. From my point of view, I’m still very much stuck on the fact that the players are just giving everything they can.
“Even one more player coming in, just in the short term, will give us an opportunity at least to navigate these last 10 days to two weeks of what’s been a really hard slog for this group of players.
“They did on Thursday night (against Hoffenheim), they did today. There are probably at least two who shouldn’t have been out there. They were just desperate to try to turn our fortunes around.
“Hopefully over the next 10 days to two weeks we should get some significant players back which I think will help this group a lot. It will give them the boost they need.
“We have still got some fantastic opportunities this year to make an impact in the second half of this year and I’m sure that will happen.”
Whenever Postecoglou’s time is up at Tottenham, things may look brighter.
The Mirror’s football writers identified Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Fulham’s Marco Silva as potential replacements for Postecoglou at Spurs, but they would just be getting themselves onto the same merry-go-round.
Moving on from Spurs has reaped rewards for previous managers with The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson writing that Postecoglou may have more success elsewhere to look forward to.
“The good news for Ange Postecoglou is that it seems relatively straightforward to recover from being Tottenham manager: his two immediate predecessors, Antonio Conte and Nuno Espírito Santo, are top of Serie A with Napoli and third in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest respectively,” Wilson wrote.
“As the banner unveiled on Sunday by Spurs fans during the defeat by Leicester read: “24 years, 16 managers, one trophy”. Nobody really looks at Tottenham any more and thinks the problem is the manager.
Waddingham, who only completed his transfer to Portsmouth from the Brisbane Roar last week, came off the bench in the 57th minute and slammed one home from close range in the third minute of added time as Pompey slumped to a 5-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
“I’m really pleased for him,” Portsmouth coach John Mousinho said after the game.
“For him to come on and make an impact so quickly, I think he’ll be absolutely thrilled.
“To get a taste of the level as well is probably a really, really important thing.
“He probably could’ve had a couple and, yeah, he took his goal well.”
The goal continues the 19-year-old’s incredible rise after he found the back of the net 15 times in 40 appearances for the Roar across the A-League and Australia Cup before Portsmouth came calling. Waddingham, a product of the Roar’s NPL program, only made his debut for Brisbane in August of 2023.
While it’s still early days for Waddingham in England, the fact the forward was not only included in a matchday squad so soon after his arrival but also got on the field for just over half an hour, speaks volumes about the regard in which he is held at Fratton Park.
The speed with which the Cairns born product has been thrown into the first team, while still a teenager, is slightly unusual for Australian players making their way to the second-tier Championship.
If he’s able to continue to feature for Portsmouth it could provide a somewhat unlikely answer to one of the most pressing questions facing Socceroos coach Tony Popovic ahead of two crucial World Cup qualifiers in March against Indonesia and China.
Popovic lacks depth in the striking role with Kusini Yengi, who is also on the books of Portsmouth, not expected back from a knee injury until late February, 34-year-old Mitch Duke scoring just three-times in 20-games in green and gold since the start of 2023 and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos continuing to struggle with a calf injury after a rich run of form at Motherwell in Scotland. 31-year-old Adam Taggart is trying to make a late run with three goals in his last six games for Perth Glory.
Even if Yengi is integrated straight back in Portsmouth’s first team following the completion of his rehabilitation, he’ll still be a little short of match fitness ahead of the clash with Patrick Kluivert’s Indonesia in Sydney on March 20. It leaves the door ajar for a new name.
In an expansive interview with reporters last week Popovic laid bare what it would take for players like Waddingham to thrive after making the move to Europe.
“Physically the demands are extremely high and what you do one day in training; that’s expected every single day and if you can do that, well then you can make the jump,” Popovic said.
The Socceroos boss is currently keeping an eye on a talented crop of young strikers, including Archie Goodwin, Jed Drew and Noah Botic, who are turning in impressive performances in the A-League, but Waddingham could pull away from the trio in the pecking order with a big few weeks.
“Now the question is, in three or four years’ time, can we be watching one of them playing in the bigger leagues in Europe? That is the question,” Popovic said when asked about Goodwin, Drew and Botic.
“Can they take their game to another level? The level they are at now is not good enough to play in Europe. That’s just the reality.”
Waddingham has shown his level is good enough to play in Europe and if he can back it up then he would’ve formed a strong case for a call-up to the Socceroos.
Mikel Arteta urged the Football Association to overturn Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly’s controversial red card in Sunday’s 1-0 win at Wolves.
Lewis-Skelly, 18, became the third youngest player to be dismissed in Premier League history when he was shown a straight red by Michael Oliver in the first half for clipping Matt Doherty.
It was a hugely contentious decision as the offence took place deep inside Arsenal’s own half and was clearly not reckless.
Former England captain Alan Shearer called it “one of the worst decisions that I’ve seen in a long time”.
Furious Gunners boss Arteta wants the decision overturned in the same way Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes was let off following a red card against Tottenham earlier in the season.
“I am absolutely fuming but I leave it with you,” Arteta said. “I think it is that obvious that we don’t need any comment today and hopefully the right thing will happen.
“Hopefully we don’t need to (appeal the decision) and if we have to, there is a really good precedent, what happened with Bruno this season as well.
“OK, we were in a position that we shouldn’t be in, at least let’s be in a position that we should be in for the next few weeks and allow that player to continue to his job.” Arsenal overcame adversity to win the game through Riccardo Calafiori’s 74th-minute goal, four minutes after the hosts had also been reduced to 10 men when Joao Gomes was sent off.
That kept their title hopes alive as they cling on to Liverpool’s coat-tails, six points behind having played a game more.
“I’m extremely proud of the players,” Arteta added. “I mean, you can talk about our courage, you can talk about spirit, but as well about intelligence, the way they managed the game emotionally, it was unbelievable, especially with what we had to face and how they felt about it.
“All of them just faced the situation. We went to a second half and the only message was to go out there to win the game. That’s it.
“If somebody doesn’t feel it, don’t go and they certainly did it in a really convincing way.”
Referee Michael Oliver drops a yellow card before showing Myles Lewis-Skelly a red card after he fouled Matt Doherty. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
REDS ONE STEP CLOSER TO TITLE
Cody Gakpo scored twice as Liverpool took another step towards the Premier League title with a 4-1 demolition of Ipswich at Anfield on Sunday morning (AEDT).
Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah were also on target in a dominant performance from the Reds, who remain six points clear of Arsenal having played a game less.
Just a second league title in 35 years and a 20th overall to match Manchester United’s English record now seems just a matter of time in Arne Slot’s first season in charge.
The Dutchman was able to make five changes from Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Lille that also secured direct passage to the last 16 of the Champions League in a sparkling season for the six-time European champions.
By contrast, Ipswich are finding the step up to the Premier League a bridge too far after back-to-back promotions.
Kieran McKenna’s men were thrashed 6-0 at home by Manchester City last weekend and could easily have suffered the same margin or more on their first trip to Anfield since 2002.
Slot has been keen for Szoboszlai to up his scoring contribution from midfield and the Hungarian led the way with a fine low strike for his fourth goal of the campaign after just 11 minutes.
Salah had been made to wait to usurp Thierry Henry as the Premier League’s seventh highest goalscorer of all time after blanking away at Nottingham Forest and Brentford.
The Egyptian made sure normal service was resumed by firing in high from Gakpo’s cross for his 176th Premier League goal and 19th of the season to move two clear of Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak in the race for the golden boot.
Szoboszlai’s forward runs were a constant threat for the Ipswich defence and the source of the third goal as Gakpo turned home the rebound after Christian Walton saved the midfielder’s initial effort.
Liverpool unsurprisingly eased off in the second half amid a gruelling schedule as they remain in the hunt for four competitions.
Gakpo headed in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s inviting cross for his 14th goal of the season.
Ipswich did at least get a consolation in the final minute when Jacob Greaves headed in from Julio Enciso’s corner.
However, the real test of their survival hopes comes next weekend when bottom-of-the-table Southampton visit Portman Road in a must-win clash for the Tractor Boys.
Ipswich remain in the relegation zone but only on goal difference behind Wolves, who blew a man advantage for half an hour of their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.
Ange speaks on Tottenham’s progression | 01:03
CITY OVERCOMES SLOW START TO DOWN BLUES
Erling Haaland inspired a Manchester City fightback from 1-0 down to beat Chelsea 3-1 and move into the Premier League top four at the Blues’ expense on Saturday.
City recovered from a nightmare start to Abdukodir Khusanov’s debut as he gifted the visitors the opening goal, scored by Noni Madueke.
Josko Gvardiol levelled for Pep Guardiola’s men before Haaland showed his blend of strength and skill to chip in 22 minutes from time.
The Norwegian then turned provider for the in-form Phil Foden to secure City’s fourth win in five league games after just one in their previous nine.
Chelsea have won just once in their last seven Premier League games to fall to sixth and will once again reflect on the need to upgrade on goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after his positioning led to Haaland’s crucial goal.
City’s victory puts them back in pole position to qualify for next season’s Champions League, just days before they try to save themselves in this season’s competition.
The English champions must beat Club Brugge on Wednesday to reach the playoff round after collapsing from 2-0 up to lose 4-2 at Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.
Guardiola reacted by throwing in new signings Khusanov and Omar Marmoush for their debuts.
But that decision backfired spectacularly in the case of Khusanov inside three minutes.
The first ever Uzbek to play in the Premier League did not properly connect with an attempted header back towards his own goal and Nicolas Jackson pounced to tee up Madueke for a tap in.
Moments later Khusanov was fortunate to get away with only a yellow card for chopping down Cole Palmer.
By contrast, Marmoush was showing why only Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane had scored more Bundesliga goals than him this season prior to a £59 million ($72.6 million) move from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Egyptian thought he had equalised when he pounced to fire home the rebound after Sanchez parried Ilkay Gundogan’s effort, but was flagged offside.
Gvardiol’s marauding runs from left-back were causing City’s biggest threat. Chelsea did not heed a warning as the Croatian prodded inches wide with his left foot after storming into the box.
Just before half-time, Gvardiol had a simple task for his fifth Premier League goal of the season.
Matheus Nunes this time made the break from full-back and after he was denied by Sanchez, the ball fell for Gvardiol to roll into an empty net.
Guardiola cut his losses with Khusanov at the start of the second period. He was replaced by John Stones and City were rarely troubled thereafter at the back.
Marmoush was close to a perfect start to his City career when he blasted wide from Haaland’s pass after the Norwegian was picked out by a long ball from Ederson.
But again Chelsea did not learn their lesson. Moments later from another Ederson clearance, Haaland outmuscled Trevoh Chalobah and then chipped Sanchez, who had charged out of his goal and ended up in no man’s land.
Despite City’s struggles, Haaland has remained a reliable source of goals as he took his tally for the season to 24, six of which have come in the last six games.
And he created he third goal as his layoff sent Foden clear to slot home his sixth goal in his last four league games.
Ange Postecoglou has admitted that it is unlikely Tottenham will sign any more players in the January transfer window, despite Spurs’ glaring injury crisis.
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The Australian manager is under immense pressure, with Tottenham currently sitting in 15th after winning only one of their last 10 games.
Ahead of Spurs’ next fixture, a Europe League tie against Hoffenheim, Postecoglou is set to be without more than 10 players, with stars Christian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Rodrigo Bentancur all injured.
Tottenham have recruited 19-year-old Min-hyeok Yang and Czech goalkeeper Antonín Kinský, but it looms unlikely any other reinforcements will arrive in North London.
“Yeah, potentially (we won’t sign any players). The club is working hard to try to get some help for the players,” he said.
Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, shows dejection after defeat in the Premier League match between Everton FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Goodison Park on January 19, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“But as far as I know, there’s nothing imminent. But things happen quickly in the last week of the window, so still hopeful.”
While they’ve fallen down the Premier League ladder, a win over Hoffenheim could see Spurs automatically qualify for the Europa League play-offs.
Meanwhile, they’re also still alive in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, and Postecoglou refuted suggestions his players were focusing on Cup competitions.
“Nah mate. The players are giving everything every game. This has been a good solid two months of us relying on a small group of players,” he said.
“We’re in every competition which is a great thing but it adds a toll. We’ve been playing two games a week for this whole period. That’s why we’re picking up some injuries now.
“The players are giving everything every game. They’re trying their utmost in every fixture we have.
Late goal unable to separate top clash | 01:09
“We’re still in three cup competitions so there’s a fantastic opportunity there for us in the next couple of months.”
He also explained that it’s commonplace for teams that feature in European competitions to be hit with a raft of injuries.
“We’ve been hit the hardest but it is becoming more prevalent. If you look at the teams in Europe, even last year, Newcastle really suffered, and Villa to a certain extent this year,” he explained.
“You really need a strong squad of players and keep them healthy to cope with playing in Europe if you do well in the cup competitions like we have because it’s not manageable when you’ve got three games a week for the length of time we have.
“Some of it is because we’ve done well in the Carabao Cup and that’s added extra games to our fixturing, and in Europe this year two extra games… so all these things are taking its toll.”
Manchester City on Thursday announced the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush for a reported initial fee of around £59 million ($116 million AUD).
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The 25-year-old, whose contract is understood to include a potential further £4.2 ($8.3m AUD) million in add-ons, has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League champions.
Marmoush is City’s third signing of the January transfer window following the arrivals of defenders Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.
“This is a day I will never forget. To sign for Manchester City — one of the best teams in the world — is an amazing feeling,” he said.
“I am delighted, my family are so proud, and we are all very happy to be here in Manchester.”
Director of football Txiki Begiristain said Marmoush was an “accomplished and exciting forward”.
Omar Marmoush of Eintracht Frankfurt reacts during the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Sport-Club Freiburg at Deutsche Bank Park on January 14, 2025 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“He’s had an outstanding season, and every time we have watched him, he has influenced matches,” he said.
“He has all the attributes a top-class attacker requires. He has outstanding pace and awareness, and he is exceptional in front of goal. He can also play a number of different positions, which is a really valuable asset.”
His arrival at the Etihad Stadium comes during a frustrating season for City. City, champions for the past four seasons, are currently fifth in the Premier League, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more.
Defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday has also left Pep Guardiola’s side in danger of missing out on the Champions League knockout stages.
Manchester City are embroiled in a new transfer controversy with Spanish club Real Valladolid accusing the reigning English Premier League champions of trying to unfairly pinch one of their young stars.
Teenage defender Juma Bah has been accused of breaching his contract by Real Valladolid, and they believe City are behind the saga.
The 18-year-old, who was born in Sierra Leone, and his agent told the club on Tuesday that they intended to unilaterally break the contract between player and club.
The following day, Juma did not attend at training and he subsequently lodged his release clause with the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
Real Valladolid then released a scathing statement which alleged that City had attempted to screw them over, and said they were willing to take legal action.
“The club holds the player responsible for the breach of his contractual commitments and has asked its legal department to initiate disciplinary action,” the club statement said.
“The club considers that Manchester City, belonging to the City Football Group (CFG), is behind the decision. It seems they have advised the player to take this route, which leaves Valladolid defenceless.”
Juma has made a dozen first team appearances for the La Liga side after initially joining them on loan from AIK Freetong in Sierra Leone.
Real Valladolid then made the move permanent on January 1.
He remains registered with their youth team, but refused to be registered with the senior side as that would have pushed up the price of his release clause.
“The player’s intention, allegedly supported and guided by Manchester City and his agent, has caused great disappointment and indignation within Real Valladolid, who welcomed Juma with open arms and gave him the opportunity of a lifetime,” the statement added.
“The RFEF has confirmed that the player has deposited the necessary amount for the unilateral termination of the contract.
“In this regard, Real Valladolid informs that it reserves the right to take the appropriate legal and sporting jurisdictions to exercise its rights and defend its interests.”
City, as well as Inter Milan, are among several teams who reportedly showed interest in Juma during the current January transfer window.
City Football Group is the parent company for Manchester City and owns many other clubs around the world, and Juma could continue his career at any of those clubs, or be sent out on loan.
Pep Guardiola’s side have been active so far in the transfer period, signing Uzbek Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens and Brazilian youth international Vitor Reis from Palmeiras to bolster their defensive stocks.
