Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold was dropped from the squad for Sunday’s Madrid derby against Atletico after reportedly arriving late to training.
The former Liverpool full-back was a surprise omission from the starting line-up as Dani Carvajal took his place on the right flank.
Manager Alvaro Arbeloa made the decision to exclude the 27-year-old to maintain dressing room discipline.
Arbeloa enforces strict standards
Spanish outlet Marca reported that the defender failed to arrive on time for one of the final sessions of the week.
The decision was described as a clear message focused on respecting the team’s code of conduct.
Prior to this incident, the English international had started all of Real’s last four Champions League fixtures.
He had also appeared in five consecutive La Liga matches before last week’s victory over Elche.
Double blow follows England omission
It has been a challenging week for the academy graduate, who was also excluded from Thomas Tuchel’s expanded 35-man England squad.
“I know it’s a tough decision for Trent as it is for Ollie Watkins and Luke Shaw. These tough decisions come from the job.”
Thomas Tuchel
The national team boss explained that his choice was purely sporting, opting to retain Tino Livramento, Djed Spence, and Jarell Quansah.
“It’s a tough one, it’s a big name, a huge talent and a big career, but I know what Trent can give us and have decided to stick with the players we have.”
Thomas Tuchel
A mixed debut season in Spain
Since departing Anfield last summer, the right-back has endured a varied first season at the Bernabeu.
His campaign has been interrupted by two separate injury spells, though he has still managed 25 appearances across all competitions.
He recently drew praise for his performances in the Champions League double-header against Manchester City.
There is also the potential for a reunion with his childhood club later in the season.
If Real overcome Bayern Munich and Liverpool defeat Paris Saint-Germain, the two sides will meet in the Champions League semi-finals.
Nineteen-year-old junior flyweight Isis Sio has been placed in a medically induced coma after suffering a severe first-round knockout during a bout in California on Saturday night.
The teenage fighter was knocked unconscious following a series of heavy head shots in her fight against Jocelyn Camarillo in San Bernardino.
Medical personnel attended to the stricken boxer immediately after the bout ended at the National Orange Show Event Center.
She was seen convulsing while being stretchered from the arena and was rushed to the Loma Linda University Health medical center.
ProBoxTV offer prayers for speedy recovery
The weekend bout served as the opening event on a card organised by streaming platform ProBoxTV.
“On behalf of CEO Garry Jonas and the entire ProBox family we are praying for a speedy recovery for Isis Sio,” a statement from the promoter read.
“Ms. Sio is currently in a medically induced coma. Our thoughts are with her and her family at this very difficult time.”
Second consecutive stoppage defeat
Saturday’s distressing incident marks the young competitor’s second consecutive knockout loss.
She had previously been stopped by body punches in January before stepping into the ring against the unbeaten Camarillo.
Her opponent held a flawless six-fight winning streak but had never previously scored a stoppage victory.
The referee waved off the contest just over a minute into the first round.
The junior flyweight recently turned professional and holds a record of one victory alongside three defeats in her brief career.
Manchester City have ended Arsenal’s quadruple hopes by securing a 2-0 victory in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, courtesy of a Nico O’Reilly double.
The defeat brings a depressingly familiar disappointment for Mikel Arteta’s side on the grandest stage.
Having dominated the Premier League this season with a nine-point advantage, the London club were heavily fancied to secure the first major silverware of the domestic calendar.
Goalkeeping error shifts momentum
After an evenly contested first half, the dynamic of the match completely altered following a glaring mistake by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The Spanish goalkeeper, selected ahead of first-choice David Raya, failed to collect a cross from Rayan Cherki and gifted the opposition a crucial opening goal.
Unfortunately it happened in a crucial moment.
Mikel Arteta
Prior to that breakthrough, the league leaders had created the better opportunities but were thwarted by a spectacular triple save from James Trafford.
Midfield absences expose vulnerabilities
Once ahead, the Manchester club smothered the game with relentless quality and intensity.
The Gunners struggled to break through a suffocating press and were frequently forced into playing long, unstructured passes.
Their inability to control possession was severely compounded by the injury-enforced absences of midfield technicians Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze.
Statistics show a worrying trend for the capital club, who have now committed seven individual errors leading to goals in their past 22 fixtures.
Focus turns to remaining silverware
Despite the bitter setback at Wembley, a highly successful campaign remains a distinct possibility for the Premier League pacesetters.
Favourable quarter-final draws in both the Champions League and FA Cup mean multiple avenues for redemption are still open.
I want the players to have some perspective.
Mikel Arteta
Paris St-Germain manager Luis Enrique insists there is no clear favourite for their upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool.
The Reds secured their place in the last eight with a commanding 4-0 second-leg victory over Galatasaray on Wednesday.
Arne Slot’s side will travel to the French capital for the first leg on 8 April before welcoming the European holders to Anfield six days later.
Domestic struggles contrast with European progress
Liverpool have endured a difficult domestic campaign and currently sit fifth in the Premier League table.
A sequence of four league fixtures without a win was compounded by a 2-1 defeat at Brighton last Saturday.
Winning Europe’s premier club competition could provide an alternative route into next season’s tournament should the defending English champions fail to secure a top-four finish.
Enrique expects stern test
The two clubs met at the last-16 stage of the competition last season, with the Parisian outfit eventually progressing via a penalty shootout.
Despite the Merseyside club’s recent league struggles, the former Spain manager is anticipating a difficult two-legged affair.
“Liverpool holds good memories for us, of course,” Enrique said.
“I remember last year. Liverpool were the best team in Europe at that stage; they were playing incredible football.”
“I’m fortunate to have an incredible team and intelligent players. They know that in this type of game, there are no favourites.”
Searching for momentum
Before their European commitments resume, the Anfield club face a crucial FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City.
Attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz believes building momentum is essential if the squad is to salvage their season.
“It will be very important for us, also for our mind and also for the spirit in the team that we just create momentum and also an energy that we can win all the games now,” the 22-year-old told club media.
“It’s always better to win and of course we need the points as well so we will be ready for the game and try to take the three points home.”
Italy’s Marco Bezzecchi has taken the lead in the championship standings after winning a heat-shortened Brazil MotoGP ahead of Aprilia team-mate Jorge Martin.
The 27-year-old followed up his season-opening victory in Thailand to secure another top-of-the-podium finish at the Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Goiania.
Defending champion Marc Marquez could only manage fourth place behind Ducati’s Fabio di Giannantonio, who had started the race on pole position.
The highly anticipated event marked the premier motorcycle racing class’s first return to the South American nation in more than two decades.
Extreme temperatures force late adjustments
Organisers were forced to slash the race distance from 31 to 23 laps shortly before the start due to severe weather conditions.
Unprecedented track heat caused significant tyre degradation during the earlier sessions, prompting immediate safety concerns for the competitors.
The eventual race winner admitted his garage had to dig incredibly deep after struggling during a frustrating, rain-hit practice on Friday.
“It was a tough weekend, it was super tough on Friday, we started in a bad way and it was difficult to keep the motivation super high.”
“But the guys did a wonderful job and I pushed myself over the limit to try to compensate everything I could and at the end we found the way to make the bike in a fantastic way.”
Championship standings shake-up
The Italian rider adjusted his approach during the morning warm-ups before deciding he was ready to fight for the win.
“I adjusted some details on my riding and from this morning I felt better, so I said, ‘OK, maybe I can try to fight.’ It was an amazing race, I’m super happy.”
This crucial victory elevates the Aprilia star to the summit of the championship table with 56 points after just two rounds.
Previous leader Pedro Acosta has dropped down the rankings after the KTM rider crossed the finish line in a disappointing seventh place.
The premier class paddock will now travel to the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, which takes place between 27 and 29 March.
Alex Ovechkin scored his 1,000th career National Hockey League goal on Sunday, but the Washington Capitals suffered a 3-2 overtime defeat to the Colorado Avalanche.
The veteran winger fired home his 26th goal of the current campaign from his trademark position on the power play, tying the game with just under six minutes remaining in regulation.
Despite the historic milestone, the league-leading Avalanche ultimately secured victory beyond the 60-minute mark to spoil the celebrations in the US capital.
Joining an elite club
The Russian forward becomes only the second player in the history of the sport to reach a combined 1,000 goals across both regular-season and playoff fixtures.
He joins legendary Canadian Wayne Gretzky, who finished his illustrious career with a staggering combined total of 1,016.
While Gretzky still holds the postseason record with 122 strikes, the Capitals captain continues to extend his own remarkable regular-season tally.
Cementing a historic legacy
It has been nearly a year since the talismanic forward surpassed Gretzky’s previously untouchable regular-season record of 894 goals.
His latest achievement pushes his unprecedented regular-season haul to 923, further establishing him as the most prolific goalscorer the game has ever seen.
Two-time major champion Jon Rahm has effectively ended his hopes of competing in the Ryder Cup by withdrawing his appeal against DP World Tour fines linked to his move to LIV Golf.
The Spaniard had been fined an estimated £2.25m for competing in breakaway events without prior permission from the European-based circuit.
He was presented with a pathway to return, provided he paid his financial penalties and agreed to participate in a minimum number of regular tour events.
Stalemate over tournament requirements
Negotiations between the 2023 Masters champion and the tour broke down over the specific number of mandatory appearances required.
The former world number one insisted he was only willing to commit to four European tournaments, while tour officials demanded further participation.
By formally dropping his appeal against the sanctions, the major winner will now remain ineligible for the prestigious biennial transatlantic contest.
Refusal to compromise
Speaking about the ongoing negotiations, the reigning Masters champion expressed his deep frustration with the proposed terms.
“They offered us a deal that I don’t think was right,” Rahm stated.
“I don’t think it’s right that they’re requiring people to play more golf than is already required for the agreement they have with them.”
The lucrative Saudi-backed league already demands a rigorous 14-event global schedule from its contracted athletes.
“Apparently me playing those two extra events is where they’re drawing the line, and I told them I’m not willing to play,” he added.
Impact on European team
The loss of the talismanic European will be a significant blow for captain Luke Donald ahead of next year’s clash against the United States at Bethpage Black.
The ruling also explicitly rules the golfer out of the 2027 edition, which is scheduled to be held at Adare Manor in Ireland.
Despite the bitter impasse, the defiant star confirmed he still intends to play his home national open in Spain.
“If they just reduce it to four events, a lot of this gets cleared up,” he concluded.
Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes is set to be called up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad to replace the injured Eberechi Eze for upcoming friendlies.
The Arsenal playmaker missed Sunday’s Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City after sustaining a lower leg issue.
His absence opens the door for the in-form Newcastle forward, who has already netted 14 goals across all competitions this season.
The 28-year-old previously earned a single senior cap during a friendly victory over Wales in October 2020.
Scotland approach rejected
Recent weeks saw the Scottish national team attempt to convince the prolific attacker to switch his international allegiances ahead of the summer World Cup.
However, he firmly rejected those advances from Steve Clarke’s side to remain eligible for the Three Lions.
He will now join Tuchel’s camp as the manager looks to evaluate fringe players before finalising his tournament selection.
Quansah joins injury list
England are scheduled to host Uruguay on 27 March before facing Japan four days later, with both fixtures taking place at Wembley Stadium.
In a further setback for the national team, Bayer Leverkusen confirmed that Jarell Quansah will also miss the upcoming international break.
The young centre-back has been officially ruled out of contention after suffering a thigh injury.