The Guardian

⚽ Europa League updates; kick-off 8pm BST ( first leg: 1-1 ) ⚽ Aston Villa v Bologna – updates | Live scores | Mail Scott Six months ago this happened … … which has got to augur well for Nottingham Forest (even if it didn’t serve as much of a promising harbinger for poor old Sean Dyche). Throw in the fact that Porto have played 24 competitive matches in England and have yet to win one (D3 L21) an…

⚽ Europa League updates; kick-off 8pm BST ( first leg: 3-1 ) ⚽ Nottingham Forest v Porto – latest | Live scores | Mail Niall Much like one of those old-timey “choose your own adventure” stories, Aston Villa have two clear paths to the Champions League. Unlike said books, there appears to be little immediate peril on either route. Villa are seven points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea in the Premier…

BlueCo ownership can point to commitment of Caicedo Jan Paul van Hecke and Alex Scott are players of interest Moisés Caicedo has handed Chelsea a major boost after verbally agreeing a new deal with the club. The midfielder has been a star performer since his £115m move from Brighton in 2023 and his decision to extend his current deal represents a show of faith in the Chelsea project after a turbu…

Manager’s grounded attitude has helped the free-scoring German giants set up a tantalising Champions League showdown and de facto final If you thought that was good, wait until you have done it at Ewood Park. While everyone else struggled to compose themselves after watching a modern classic unfold between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, it was Vincent Kompany who supplied the cooling balm. He had…

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Archie Rhind-Tutt and Jonathan Liew to discuss Wednesday’s Champions League action On today’s pod: a Champions League classic in Munich. Bayern beat Real Madrid 4-3 on the night, 6-4 on aggregate, in a game that had just about everything . The panel try to unpack it, from Manuel Neuer’s early mistake to Arda Güler’s brilliance, Harry Kane reaching 50 go…

Mikie Sherrill says taxpayers should not carry burden Costs at World Cup have come under increased scrutiny New Jersey’s governor, Mikie Sherrill, has hit out at Fifa after reports her state’s transport system will charge $100 for a return ticket to World Cup matches this summer. New Jersey Transit lists the price for a round-trip ticket from New York’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium, which will…

Austrian was capped 33 times for his national team Manninger won Premier League during Arsenal spell The former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger has been killed in a road accident, his first club Red Bull Salzburg have announced. The Austrian Bundesliga club said on Thursday that the 48-year-old had died, in a post on its official X account. It said: “We mourn our former goalkeeper Alexander Man…

The semi-finals are set after a dazzling meeting between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. But there was plenty more to talk about in the last eight Bayern Munich ’s thrilling 4-3 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday, which gave them a 6-4 victory on aggregate and set up a semi-final meeting with PSG, was a stone-cold classic. If either of the semis is as good as Real and Bayern’s quarter-final, this s…

‘Etihad is the ultimate test – bring it on,’ says midfielder ‘We have six games to go and we know how big it is’ Declan Rice has insisted Arsenal must be better at Manchester City on Sunday if they are to press their Premier League title claims. The midfielder is conscious of his club’s curious situation: six points clear of City at the top of the table, albeit having played an extra game, and th…

31-year-old has been at club for nine years Portuguese says he will be ‘a City supporter for life’ Bernardo Silva has confirmed his departure from Manchester City in May, with the captain saying he will cherish the legacy he helped build in nine years at the club where he won the 2022-23 treble and a record four consecutive titles. Silva joined City from Monaco in July 2017 for £43.5m and has bee…

The Grand National, Masters, Paris-Roubaix and Champions League put it ahead of even July’s mighty trifecta The thought struck me on the last rattler back from the Grand National , as Avanti’s wifi faltered somewhere outside Crewe and the Masters stream on my phone froze yet again. I was watching the world’s best golf tournament, on a train journey back from the world’s greatest steeplechase, hav…

Our cartoonist on the Gunners’ latest wobble and who could be brought in to get final push back on track Buy this cartoon here | His favourites from 2025 And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now Continue reading...

Marie-Louise Eta has been tasked with saving Union Berlin from Bundesliga relegation in a groundbreaking appointment For Marie-Louise Eta, it may feel like another day at the office. The wider significance will be greater, though, when she oversees Union Berlin in their crunch Bundesliga match against Wolfsburg this weekend. History will be made and another barrier broken: it will be the first ti…

Prof Stacey Pope’s showcase highlights how women have always been required to defend and justify their fandom “You can be the thickest bloke and you still think you know more about football than a woman,” reads a line from Newcastle fan named Jo around halfway into a new exhibition on women in football culture. “[They] say, ‘you don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Oh, I could wipe the floor wi…

Scott O’Neil sends rallying cry to staff after reports McGinley says PGA Tour could now ‘play hardball’ LIV Golf has insisted the tour intends to continue “uninterrupted and at full throttle” this season amid claims its Saudi Arabian backers will imminently withdraw having funded the breakaway league to the tune of $5bn (£3.68bn). The future of the rebel tour was mired in confusion on Wednesday f…