MADRID: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti still has doubts about how to set up his defense for the return match against Leipzig in the round of 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday.
Madrid will enter the game at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium defending a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Germany three weeks ago.
Ancelotti didn’t say whether he will improvise again with midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni playing as a central defender or would promote Nacho Fernández to the position.
Tchouaméni has been one of the players who has pitched in defensively because of injuries to the team’s regular defenders.
“I’ve thought about it but I don’t want to give away any hints, I still have some doubts,” Ancelotti said Tuesday. “We played with Tchouaméni and (Antonio) Rüdiger because Nacho hadn’t practiced, he had a small ailment. Now he is available and has the same opportunity to start as the others.”
Madrid chose not to add any central defenders in the winter transfer window, with Ancelotti saying that the players he had were enough despite the many injuries affecting the club.
Nacho is a defender but isn’t a usual starter for Ancelotti. The coach also had to use right back Dani Carvajal as a central defender.
Madrid defender Éder Militão has been out since the season opener because of a serious knee injury and David Alaba tore his ACL in December. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also has been out since before the season started with a knee ligament injury.
Leipzig’s attack is led by Loïs Openda, a Belgium international who has scored 21 goals — including four in the Champions League — this season.
Madrid are coming off a 2-2 draw at Valencia in the Spanish league. They have a seven-point lead over Girona in the competition.
“Tomorrow we have to show the best version of ourselves,” Ancelotti said. “The tie is not over yet. Talking about the season today is complicated. So far we have done very well but we still have a long way to go.”
Madrid have advanced past the round of 16 the last three seasons, reaching at least the semifinals every time and winning the title in 2022.
Ancelotti has doubts on defense for Real Madrid’s return game against Leipzig in Champions League
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Ancelotti has doubts on defense for Real Madrid’s return game against Leipzig in Champions League
- Tchouaméni has been one of the players who has pitched in defensively because of injuries to the team’s regular defenders
- “I’ve thought about it but I don’t want to give away any hints, I still have some doubts,” Ancelotti said Tuesday
Saudi winger Al-Saad eyes PSG upset in French Cup semifinal
- The USL Dunkerque player spoke to Arab News about his time at Al-Ettifaq, the move to France and playing for his country
LONDON: Muhanad Al-Saad knows what it is like to make history. In February, he became the first player from Saudi Arabia to score in the French league when he headed in USL Dunkerque’s second goal in their Ligue 2 victory over Clermont Foot 63. It was a surreal moment for Al-Saad, one few — himself included — could have predicted.
Now Al-Saad faces another momentous occasion, as second-tier Dunkerque face the might of Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France semifinals on Tuesday.
Al-Saad and his team-mates are aiming to become the first club outside Ligue 1 to reach the final since Les Herbiers in 2018; only once has the 107-year-old competition been won by a side from outside the top flight, and that was Le Havre back in 1959.
“It’s definitely a tough match,” Al-Saad told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “You’re talking about one of the biggest clubs in France and Europe. But we’re excited and confident — we’ll give it everything we have (to) try to secure a spot in the final and make history.”
It is the first time since 1929 that Dunkerque have reached the last four of the Coupe de France and a spot in the final would break new ground for the club.
The match has been moved from Dunkerque’s 5,000-capacity Stade Marcel-Tribut to Lille’s 50,000-seater Stade Pierre Mauroy. The “hosts” are targeting a major cup upset but PSG have already shown they will not cave to romantic footballing dreams; in the quarterfinals, Luis Enrique’s side thrashed fourth-tier Stade Briochin 7-0.
That 21-year-old Al-Saad will line up against the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola is a remarkable turn of events. The Mecca-born winger initially played for the Al-Ahli academy but was released at the age of 15.
He was picked up by Al-Ettifaq much later — in 2023 — and found himself promoted to the first-team squad by then-coach Steven Gerrard.
“In my first session with Steven Gerrard, he asked why I hadn’t joined the pre-season camp,” Al-Saad recalled. “He told me, ‘From today, you’re with the first team.’ Everyone knows what a great player and leader he was at Liverpool.”
However, after featuring for just 30 minutes across five games during the 2023-24 campaign, Al-Saad reassessed his options and decided to embark on a new challenge at NEOM.
“I don’t know the exact reason for my limited playing time but during pre-season in Spain, my agent spoke to me about a good offer from NEOM and I decided to make the move,” he said.
Al-Saad became a regular for the team in the first half of the 2024-25 season, scoring five goals in 15 games as NEOM laid down a marker for promotion from the Saudi First Division.
“It was a short stint, but a very special one,” Al-Saad said. “I got the chance to play with high-level players like Ahmed Hegazi, Salman Al-Faraj, Romarinho and many others. It was a great experience, and we did our part as a team.”
Despite helping NEOM into pole position for promotion to the Saudi Pro League next season, Al-Saad — who also impressed with two goals in four games for the Saudi U-21s in 2024 — opted to leave the Kingdom in January.
Dunkerque, who have former Chelsea and Newcastle United striker Demba Ba as their sporting director, were in the midst of their own bid for top-flight promotion. Both Ba and Portuguese coach Luis Castro saw great potential in Al-Saad and swooped to sign him on loan.
“I’m not sure if there were other clubs involved, but Dunkerque showed real interest and made it clear they wanted me,” Al Saad said. “I was excited about the opportunity and eager to play in Ligue 2.
“I’m so proud to have become the first Saudi player to score in the French league. It was a great feeling and a moment of pride for me and my country.”
Al-Saad has started six of Dunkerque’s past seven games and the team currently lies fifth in the Ligue 2 table; the clubs finishing in third, fourth and fifth qualify for the Ligue 1 promotion play-offs.
While the young Saudi is fully focused on facing PSG in the Coupe de France on Tuesday, he also admits he has been thinking carefully about his future — and is keen to stay in France to further his development.
“Yes, I’m on loan, but I’m really enjoying the experience and feel that it’s helping me grow. If you ask me, I’d say yes - I’d love to stay. Playing abroad at this stage of my career is teaching me a lot.”
The lessons Al-Saad has already learned, coupled with his stellar performances for Dunkerque, were recognized in March when he received his first call-up to the Saudi Arabia national team.
Although he didn’t feature in either of the Green Falcons’ FIFA World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan, Al-Saad relished the experience of working with coach Herve Renard and hopes he will continue to feature in the squad.
“It was my first call-up to the senior national team, and I was very proud to represent my country,” Al-Saad said.
“My relationship with Hervé Renard was great — he spoke to me often and showed genuine interest in both the local and international players. He’s a strong personality and a top-level coach.”
Serie A title race down to Inter and Napoli after Atalanta lose again
- It’s developing into a two-team title race after third-placed Atalanta lost their second straight game, falling 1-0 at Fiorentina to drop nine points back
- Cagliari beat last-placed Monza 3-0
ROME: Victor Osimhen left in September. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia departed in January.
Now it’s almost April and Antonio Conte’s Napoli — somehow — are still in contention for the Serie A title.
Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku scored first-half goals, Alex Meret saved a second-half penalty kick from Santiago Gimenez, and Napoli beat visiting AC Milan 2-1 on Sunday for a statement victory.
Luka Jovic pulled one back for Milan in the 84th to set up a tense finale during which Milan came close to equalizing.
The result kept Napoli within three points of Serie A leader Inter Milan, who edged Udinese 2-1 earlier.
It’s developing into a two-team title race after third-placed Atalanta lost their second straight game, falling 1-0 at Fiorentina to drop nine points back.
While Lukaku has filled the void left by Osimhen after the Nigeria striker left to sign a loan deal with Galatasaray, it has taken a group effort to replace Kvaratskhelia’s output after the winger signed with Paris Saint-Germain.
One player picking up playing time in Kvaratskhelia’s absence has been Politano. He seized upon a ball over the top from Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and evaded three defenders to blast in a long-range shot 63 seconds in at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Then Billy Gilmour set up Lukaku all alone in front of the goal to double the advantage after less than 20 minutes – helped by poor positioning from Milan defender Kyle Walker.
It was Lukaku’s 400th goal for club and country.
Milan remained ninth.
Sommer’s saves help Inter preserve a victory
Goalkeeper Yann Sommer made two clutch saves in Inter’s win.
Marko Arnautovic took advantage of a rare start at center forward, opening the scoring early in the first half by redirecting in a cross from Federico Dimarco with one touch.
Davide Frattesi quickly doubled the lead with a nearly identical goal.
Center back Oumar Solet pulled one back for Udinese midway through the second half with a long, curling shot for his first Serie A goal.
Sommer then palmed away a dangerous effort from Lorenzo Lucca to preserve the lead.
Sommer also made a save on a close-range effort from Solet in stoppage time, after which vehement protests from Simone Inzaghi resulted in the Inter coach being sent off.
Arnautovic replaced Lautaro Martinez, who picked up a knock with Argentina.
Inter, which faces Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, also sorely missed injured center back Alessandro Bastoni.
Atalanta’s fading title hopes take another hit
Atalanta were also beatwn 2-0 by Inter before the international break.
Fiorentina striker Moise Kean scored his 16th goal of the season at the end of the first half with a solo action.
“In terms of the title race, I would say we’re done,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said. “It was an impossible dream that I think had already faded away during the match with Inter.”
Also, Cagliari beat last-placed Monza 3-0.
Lewandowski leads the way as Barcelona regains 3-point lead over Real Madrid
- Lewandowski has scored nine goals in his last nine league games and has 25 goals in total in the competition, three more than Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé
MADRID: Barcelona reestablished its three-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the Spanish league after beating Catalan rival Girona 4-1 on Sunday.
Robert Lewandowski added to his league-leading tally with two second-half goals.
Lewandowski has scored nine goals in his last nine league games and has 25 goals in total in the competition, three more than Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé.
“For me the most important thing is what I can do to help the team,” Lewandowski said. “I know that if I score two goals, I’ll be helping my team. As a striker it’s important to have confidence for when the ball comes to me.”
Barcelona went in front with an own-goal by Girona defender Ladislav Krejci in the first half. Ferran Torres added the fourth goal for Barcelona in the final minutes at Montjuic stadium.
On Saturday, Madrid had moved level on points with Barcelona with a 3-2 victory over Leganes at home and third-placed Atletico Madrid dropped nine points off the lead following a 1-1 draw at Espanyol.
It was Barcelona’s sixth win in a row in all competitions, and 11th in its last 12 matches. Hansi Flick’s team is yet to lose in 20 games this year, with its last loss coming against Atletico in December.
“We are in great form at the moment and we are creating a lot of chances when we have the ball. What I take from today is our ability to react after the break,” Flick said. “The great thing about my team is that we always want to score goals and everyone likes to see that.”
Barcelona has scored four or more goals in 20 of its 45 matches in all competitions this season.
“When you score four times it means you played a great match,” Lewandowski said. “We’ve been scoring a lot, and it’s important that when we can’t score early we have been patient and not changing our game plan.”
Flick praised the “special” Poland striker.
“Lewandowski is really important,” Flick said. “I don’t like to pick out individuals but he is special inside the box.”
Arnaut Danjuma scored early in the second half for Girona, which is winless in seven consecutive matches and stayed in 13th place.
Barcelona forward Raphinha stayed on the bench to get some rest following his matches with Brazil in South American World Cup qualifying.
Barcelona visits Atletico in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on Wednesday. The first match ended 4-4.
Other results
Fifth-placed Villarreal won 2-1 at Getafe to gain ground on fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao, which couldn’t manage more than a 0-0 home draw with 14th-placed Osasuna. Villarreal trails Athletic by six points with a game in hand.
Valencia moved to 15th place by beating eighth-placed Mallorca 1-0 with Diego López scoring the winner in the 50th. Valencia has won twice in its last six league matches. It was Mallorca’s first loss after six matches.
Rashford double fires Villa into FA Cup semifinals
- Club have an outside chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League
PRESTON: Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa inspired a 3-0 win against Preston that sent his side into the FA Cup semifinals for the first time in 10 years on Sunday.
Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four.
Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that made him one of England’s brightest stars prior to his steep decline over the last two years.
Amid concerns over his attitude and off-field behavior, Rashford was deemed expendable by United manager Ruben Amorim, after also clashing with former Old Trafford boss Erik ten Hag.
The 27-year-old hadn’t scored since netting for United against Everton on Dec. 1.
Deployed in the central striker’s role that often seemed to dent his confidence at United, Rashford was too dynamic for second-tier Preston to handle in the latest sign that his career might not be destined to end in disappointment after all.
While struggling United have been mired in turmoil, Rashford has benefited from moving to upwardly mobile Villa.
Emery’s side have enjoyed a memorable run to the Champions League quarterfinals, where they face Paris Saint-Germain in April.
They also have an outside chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Rashford could be part of a memorable climax to the campaign for Villa, who haven’t won the FA Cup since 1957, with their last final ending in defeat against Arsenal in 2015. Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace booked their places in the Wembley semifinals on Saturday.
Sitting 14th in the Championship, Preston were playing in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1966.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side were unbeaten in their previous 15 home games in all competitions, but the 1889 and 1938 FA Cup winners were no match for ruthless Villa.
Rashford’s free kick forced Preston goalkeeper David Cornell into action before Ezri Konsa’s glancing header whistled just wide from Marco Asensio’s cross.
Stefan Thordarson wasted a golden opportunity to give Preston a shock lead when he poked wide.
Rashford was equally profligate after half time, shooting straight at Cornell from inside the area.
But Villa broke the deadlock in the 58th minute as Rashford timed his run perfectly to meet Lucas Digne’s low cross with a clinical finish from 12 yards.
Morgan Rogers was denied by Cornell moments later as Villa went for the kill.
And it was Rogers who earned Villa’s penalty in the 63rd minute when the England midfielder was tripped by Andrew Hughes.
Rashford stepped up to send Cornell the wrong way with a nerveless spot kick.
Ramsey put the result beyond doubt eight minutes later, surging toward the Preston area and drilling a powerful strike past Cornell for his fourth goal this season.
Arsenal confirm Andrea Berta to replace Edu as sporting director at Premier League club
- Edu left the post in November, with his deputy Jason Ayto appointed interim sporting director
LONDON: Arsenal confirmed the appointment of Andrea Berta as the club’s new sporting director on Sunday.
The 53-year-old Italian, who spent 12 years with Atletico Madrid before leaving in January, succeeds former Arsenal midfielder Edu in the role.
Edu left the post in November, with his deputy Jason Ayto appointed interim sporting director.
Berta, who has a background in banking, held roles with Italian sides Parma and Genoa before joining Spanish team Atletico, initially as technical director, in 2013.
During his time with the Diego Simeone-managed club, the team won two LaLiga titles, the Copa del Rey and Europa League, as well as the UEFA Super Cup.
“I am delighted to be joining Arsenal in what is a hugely exciting period for the club,” said Berta. “I have watched with great interest the way Arsenal has evolved in recent years and I have admired the hard work that has gone in to re-establishing the club as a major force in European football with a passionate following around the world.”
Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke added: “Anyone who knows football knows Andrea is an impressive figure. He has vast knowledge of the game, a great track record, a strong network and an insatiable desire to build winning teams.”
