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      Luis Suarez reveals Arsenal ‘had Karim Benzema transfer all done’, before his bite on Chiellini changed everything

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      LUIS SUAREZ has claimed his infamous bite on Giorgio Chiellini caused Arsenal to lose out on signing Karim Benzema. The year was 2014 and Suarez was looking to leave Liverpool with both Real Madrid and Barcelona interested.
      Luis Suarez infamously bit Giorgio Chiellini in the 2014 World CupCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Karim Benzema was close to joining ArsenalCredit: Rex
      And Madrid already had Benzema on the way out and Suarez lined up for a replacement during the World Cup.
      But after the Uruguayan was caught biting Chiellini, he claimed Madrid lost interest.
      He instead decided to join Barca, meaning Madrid kept Benzema and Arsenal were left empty handed.
      He told La Mesa: “Before the 2014 World Cup, Real Madrid wanted to sign me and everything was on track.
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      “They were planning to sell Benzema to Arsenal, it was all done. “When the World Cup started, Barca joined the race, and obviously I preferred Barca.
      “With the bite situation, Madrid lowered their interest, and Barca became more interested.
      “In the end I had both options and I chose Barcelona because it was my dream.”
      Suarez was caught on camera biting into Chiellini’s arm during a group stage match between Uruguay and Italy.
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      It came just a year after he did the same to Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.
      Suarez was banned for nine international games by Fifa but his move to Barca still went through.
      Watch moment star gets booked for throwing Luis Suarez’s boot off the pitch as former Liverpool star rolls around
      He would go onto win four league titles and lift the Champions League during his time at the Nou Camp.
      And now Suarez is back with team-mates Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets at Inter Miami.
      But Suarez did reveal plans to retire, saying: “Yes, I cannot be more sincere and the family already knows. The date is not yet set, but this is the last step.
      “I am prepared for this last challenge but it is also exhausting and I have to think about having a quality of life afterwards.
      Suarez opened up on retirement after signing for Inter MiamiCredit: Reuters More

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      Arsenal fans notice spooky trend set to deny Harry Kane first ever trophy as they say ‘Wenger’s done it again’

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      ARSENAL fans have spotted an unlikely trend that looks set to stop Harry Kane from winning a trophy at Bayern Munich. The former Tottenham star is still waiting to get his hands on silverware for the first time in his career.
      Harry Kane is at risk of failing to end his trophy droughtCredit: AP
      Fans have joked Arsene Wenger has cursed KaneCredit: Getty
      And after his summer move to Bayern, many expected him to end his trophy drought with ease as the German giants have won the Bundesliga ten times in a row.
      However, they have already crashed out the DFB Pokal, lost in the Supercup final and trail Lazio 1-0 after the first leg of their Champions League clash.
      Bayern are also eight points behind Bundesliga table-toppers Bayer Leverkusen.
      A disaster week for the club has seen them suffer three defeats in a row.
      READ MORE ON HARRY KANE
      And an Arsenal connection has played a part in all those losses.
      Their 3-0 defeat to Leverkusen saw ex-Gunner Granit Xhaka boss the midfield.
      Former Arsenal star Matteo Guendouzi then took home the man of the match award for his display in a Lazio shirt as they added to Kane’s woes in the Champions League.
      And the nightmare week ended with a 3-2 defeat to Bochum today as ex-Arsenal wonderkid Takuma Asano scored in the win.
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      Fans could not believe the spooky connection to Kane’s old rivals.
      One said: “Asano making sure Kane doesn’t win a trophy. Wenger’s done it again.”
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      Another added: “Arsene signed Takuma Asano just so that he could sell him on and watch him develop, eventually becoming the player that might end Harry Kane’s title hopes.”
      A third laughed: “Asano helping Xhaka win the league.” More

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      Porto vs Arsenal – Champions League last-16: Gunners look to continue good form as they face Portuguese giants

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      ARSENAL travel to Portuguese giants Porto for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.The Gunners have been in superb form of late, winning their last five games and scoring 21 goals in the process.
      Arsenal have scored 11 goals in their last two gamesCredit: ALAMY
      Porto beat Estrela Amadora 2-0 last time outCredit: GETTY
      Arsenal are flying high in the Premier League and are two points off Liverpool at the top of the tree.
      Mikel Arteta’s men booked their spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League after finishing 1st in Group B with 13 points from a possible 18.
      Elsewhere, Porto finished runner-up to Barcelona in Group H to secure their place in the last-16.
      However, the Portuguese giants have had an underwhelming season domestically and are currently 3rd in Liga Portugal.
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      When is Porto vs Arsenal?

      Porto vs Arsenal will take place on Wednesday, February 21.
      Kick off will be at 8pm.
      The Estadio do Dragao will host.

      What TV channel is Porto vs Arsenal on and can it be live streamed?

      Porto vs Arsenal will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1.
      TNT Sports customers can live stream the match on discovery+.
      Alternatively, you can keep up to date with all the action by following SunSport’s live blog.

      Team news
      The hosts will be without centre-back Zaidu Sanusi after he sustained a serious injury in his first game back from Afcon.
      Striker Mehdi Taremi could return to the starting line-up after being left on the bench against Estrela da Amadora.
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      The 31-year-old has reportedly agreed to join Inter Milan on a free transfer in the summer.
      For Arsenal, Fabio Vieira could return to action after having surgery to face his former side in his home country.
      Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu could all play a part in Porto following their respective injury layoffs.
      Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe and Jurrien Timber remain all remain out.
      What are the odds?
      Match result

      Porto – 21/5
      Draw – 27/10
      Arsenal – 4/6

      *Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes and are correct at the time of publication. More

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      Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal sent off after moment of madness as defender gets two yellow cards within two minutes

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      DANI CARVAJAL was sent off for two yellow cards in just two minutes.The Real Madrid star saw red in the LaLiga clash against Rayo Vallecano.

      Dani Carvajal was sent off for Real Madrid
      Los Blancos raced into the lead in the match as former Newcastle and Stoke City flop Joselu netted the opener inside four minutes.
      However, the hosts fired themselves level as Raul de Tomas converted from the spot in the 27th minute.
      Carvajal, 32, was sent on as a substitute in the 76th minute to replace Lucas Vazquez as manager Carlo Ancelotti freshened up his team.
      The defender did not have the desired impact as he received his marching orders in the 95th minute.
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      The Spaniard was first booked in the 93rd minute before he then lashed out.
      While trying to win the ball back from Kike, the defender threw his elbow backwards catching his opponent.
      Referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz was left with no choice but to give Carvajal his marching orders.
      The game ended in a 1-1 draw as Madrid dropped two points in the title race.
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      Madrid are six points clear of 2nd placed Girona and eight clear of Barcelona.
      Girona can cut the gap to just three should they win their game in hand.
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      Carvajal will now miss Madrid’s clash against Sevilla along with Eduardo Camavinga who has also been suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
      After the game, Ancelotti claimed that his team got “nervous” after conceding the penalty in the first half.
      He said: “We’re not happy after this draw. We were good until the penalty, our game changed after it and we got nervous.
      “Playing here is always difficult. There were a lot of duels and fights. Rayo were good.
      “We got a point, we’re not satisfied. But maybe in the future this could be a good point.” More

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      Petr Cech’s spooky ‘mind-reading’ powers revealed by ex-Bayern ace who faced Chelsea in Champions League final

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      PETR CECH was able to read Mario Gomez’s mind in the 2012 Champions League final, claims the former Bayern Munich star.The star came head-to-head in a famous penalty shoot-out Chelsea won to seal their first Champions League title.
      Mario Gomez revealed Petr Cech read his mind the the 2012 Champions League finalCredit: Amazin Prime Video
      Cech faced Gomez in the penalty shoot-outCredit: Getty
      The match ended 1-1 after extra-time and after Juan Mata missed Chelsea’s first penalty, Gomez had the chance to put Bayern 2-0 up in the shoot-out, as Philip Lahmn had already found the net from 12 yards.
      Reflecting on his spot-kick, the striker revealed he changed his mind on which corner he would aim for.
      It ended up working as he fired past Cech, but later discovered the goalkeeper knew his entire thought process leading up to the penalty, including the fact he changed his mind.
      Gomez told Prime Video: “I put the ball down and look at Petr Cech, who’s standing there, he was a monster.
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      “I put the ball down and it was clear to me, I’m going to hit it into one corner, powerfully. I have to hit powerfully otherwise he will get to it.
      “I walk back, turn around and think ‘no, he’ll save it’.
      “On the way to the ball I changed my mind and went for the other corner.
      “The mad thing about this story is afterwards I have doping control. Petr Cech is sitting with me in doping control.
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      “He’s completely shy, reserved, and eventually he says to me ‘Hey, what was with the penalty?’
      “I look at him and say ‘eh?’ Then he says to me ‘you wanted to shoot towards the other corner first. You totally confused me. I knew you were going for the other corner.’
      “He pretty much said what happened in me. That’s brutal. That made me realise again what a great goalkeeper he is, who also read the players and the players’ body language.”
      Cech, 41, appeared on Sky Sports Monday Night Football club this week where he claimed Chelsea will have to wait at least two years until becoming title contenders again.
      He also spoke about Jose Mournho’s media nous and his ability to keep his team focused on winning trophies by misleading the press and making them focus on the issues he wanted.
      Chelsea fans beg Petr Cech to return to club after spotting what he did in Sky Sports studio during Crystal Palace clash More

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      Harry Kane unhappy at Bayern Munich as fuming boss Thomas Tuchel blames England captain’s team-mates

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      HARRY KANE is unhappy at ­Bayern Munich — and boss Thomas Tuchel says his team-mates are to blame.England captain Kane’s dream of winning team silverware is threatening to turn into a nightmare.
      Harry Kane joined Bayern Munich from Tottenham to get his hands on silverwareCredit: AFP
      The England skipper has bagged a whopping 28 goals for the Bavarians so farCredit: GETTY
      But Bayern are in danger of ending the season without a trophyCredit: GETTY
      Bayern are being eclipsed in the Bundesliga by Bayer Leverkusen and also in danger of being turfed out of the Champions League.
      Kane’s personal contributions have also diminished rapidly.
      At the start of the month, he celebrated his 28th Bayern goal since leaving Tottenham last summer.
      But he failed to register a single shot on target in his last two games.
      READ MORE ON HARRY KANE
      Tuchel said: “Harry takes care of himself. He doesn’t need me.
      “He’s not happy with the connection in games.
      “Neither are we. I’ve rarely seen such a discrepancy between training and matches.
      “The way he scores in training, the way he puts his chances away — it’s incredible.
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      Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel is under mounting pressure at the Allianz ArenaCredit: GETTY
      “It’s world class. But then we rarely find him in matches.”
      A 3-0 league loss at Leverkusen and a 1-0 first-leg reverse in the Champions League against Lazio have put Tuchel in danger of the sack.
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      And Leverkusen’s 2-1 win at Heidenheim yesterday moved Xabi Alonso’s side eight points clear at the top.
      “Tuchel cannot afford another setback at struggling Bochum tomorrow.
      The former Chelsea boss added: “Maybe the current state of things will give us that decisive kick.
      “The atmosphere is obviously a little gloomy. That being said, we aren’t out of the Champions League just yet. We’re all committed to turning things around.
      “We’ll give it our all to muster up the energy we need to reverse our fortunes.
      “At Bayern it’s about always getting back up and putting your neck on the line.
      “We’re still in second place. We don’t need to be ashamed of that. We don’t need any sympathy.
      “I’m not expecting a walk in the park in Bochum. It’ll be a tough pitch, tough opponent, who’s got good results lately.
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      “We’ve also adapted our training but that’s normal.
      “After two defeats in a week it doesn’t make sense to just keep trotting along.” More

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      Micah Richards reveals he lied to CBS bosses after wild Super Bowl night out ‘like never, ever before’

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      MICAH RICHARDS has revealed he lied to CBS Sports bosses after a wild night out in Las Vegas earlier this month.Former Manchester City and England man Richards, 35, is a part of CBS Sports’ Champions League coverage alongside presenter Kate Abdo, Arsenal icon Thierry Henry and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher.
      Micah Richards kept his partying antics secret while in Las VegasCredit: Getty
      And the ex-full-back enjoyed a flying visit to Las Vegas earlier this month as he made the trip across the Atlantic with Abdo and Henry ahead of Super Bowl LVIII – which was won by the Kansas City Chiefs.
      While in the US, Richards was due to fulfil media obligations discussing both the Champions League and Super Bowl.
      But he ended up having to conduct those duties after getting in just a few hours earlier from “one of the best nights” of his life.
      Speaking to Gary Lineker on The Rest is Football, he said: “I am with [Thierry] Henry, [Kate] Abdo, the [CBS] producers, and everyone knows what Big Meeks is like. I like to get into a little bit of trouble every now and again.
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      “I just thought, ‘Do I keep it professional and stay in, or do I go for a little wander?’
      “So it’s about 1am in the morning, I go for a little wander down the strip. We’re staying in the Virgin Hotels. One of my old mates is staying at the Wynn. I go there and have a few drinks.
      “It’s then 4 or 5am in the morning, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘We’ve got media at 11am. What do I do here?’ It’s only light stuff, we’re talking about the Champions League, promoting that and then the Super Bowl.
      “Then we went to a place, I’m not naming no places but wowsers. Gary, do you want me to spell it out for you? The scenery was like never, ever before.”
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      Richards then went on to describe how he lied to his CBS bosses the following day to avoid getting in trouble.
      He added: “So I get there in the morning and everyone was like, ‘How was your night’, this that and the other, ‘good sleep?’
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      “I was like, ‘Yeah, I went to sleep really early, I couldn’t find anything to do, I went downstairs to get a drink’, and they all thought I stayed in.
      “But they don’t know I had one of the best nights of my life.
      “Everyone thought I had jet lag. It had nothing to do with jet lag, it’s because I was out until eight o’clock in the morning.
      “Oh my God. God bless America.” More

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      Kylian Mbappe set to take legend’s shirt at Real Madrid and be forced to give up No7 jersey because of Vinicius Jr

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      KYLIAN MBAPPE will be handed Real Madrid’s legendary No10 jersey if he completes a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.Mbappe, 25, has informed Paris Saint-Germain he won’t trigger an option to extend his contract by another year and will thus leave in June as a free agent.
      Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe will get Real Madrid’s No10 shirtCredit: Rex
      Vinicius Jr currently occupies Mbappe’s signature No7 shirt at Real MadridCredit: Rex
      Mbappe will take Luka Modric’s shirt number at Real MadridCredit: Rex
      Europe’s elite has taken notice with Premier League giants, such as Arsenal and Liverpool, monitoring the situation but the star striker is reportedly “leaning towards” Real.
      According to Mundo Deportivo, Los Blancos are trying to sweeten the deal by offering him the same shirt number wore by past legends, such as Ferenc Puskas, Luis Figo and Clarence Seedorf.
      That means the France international will have to give up his signature No7 shirt, which he currently wears at PSG.
      That is because Vinicius Jr has proven he can wear it with the same class as legendary predecessors, like Raul, Emilio Butragueno and of course Cristiano Ronaldo.
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      Luka Modric currently occupies the No10 shirt but is expected to put an end to his glittering 12-year career in Madrid once his contract expires in the summer.
      The same report claims Real are planning to officially announce Mbappe’s arrival before he links up with France for Euro 2024.
      However, there are still several formalities that need to be ironed out before the ex-Monaco star puts pen to paper.
      One major issue that stands in the way is the Frenchman’s staggering wages.
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      However, reports suggest Mbappe is willing to accept a huge pay cut to finally move to Real.
      The La Liga giants are hoping to pay the forward less than his £42.8million – around £827,000 a week – starting point.
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      However, he is still expected to become the club’s highest-paid player, surpassing England star Jude Bellingham by a significant margin. More