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      Inter Milan vs Real Sociedad LIVE SCORE: Italian giants host Spanish stars in a big Champions League battle for top spot

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      INTER MILAN and Real Sociedad have both qualified for the Champions League knockout stages – but top spot is yet to be decided.The Italian giants would have been delighted to escape their last fixture against Benfica with a point having gone 3-0 down inside 30 minutes.
      While Sociedad’s stalemate with RB Salzburg meant that both teams go into matchday six level on points.

      Kick-off time: 8pm GMT
      Live stream: discovery+
      TV channel: TNT Sports 6

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      Pep Guardiola gives Jack Grealish death stare in Man City training as fans warn star about golden rule

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      FANS spotted Pep Guardiola giving Jack Grealish a ‘death stare’ after the midfielder rocked up late to training.Manchester City are in full prep as the reigning Champions League holders train ahead of their trip to Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday night.
      Jack Grealish rocked up late to training ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash
      Grealish was seen smiling and jogging onto the pitch
      Pep Guardiola gave the winger a long and hard stare after he turned up
      In a video shared by Hayters TV, Grealish was spotted smiling and jogging onto the pitch late for training.
      Moments later the boss walked behind and appeared to give the star a questionable stare.
      Fans were quick to warn the Birmingham-born star to “never” break one of Guardiola’s golden rules otherwise he could lose his spot on the team.
      One fan said: “Never be late under Pep👀.”
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      While another added: “Grealish playing with FIRE turning up late in front of Pep Guardiola😂👀.”
      A third then put: “His lucky he scored Saturday😂Pep was Going 2 Fume.”
      Lucky for Grealish he scored the winner against Luton on Saturday so he has some credit in the bank.
      That victory ended what has been a miserable few weeks for Man City having dropped points in four of their last five Premier League games.
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      Their unsuccessful performances means last year’s Treble winners now sit fourth in the Premier League four points behind front-runners Liverpool.
      This week the pressure is off the Spanish boss as his squad sit at the top of their Group G table with 15 points already securing qualification to the knockout stages in the Champions League.
      Guardiola however will still be eager for City to clinch a victory over Red Star on Wednesday. More

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      Why Dream Team will change dramatically once the European group stages finish

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      DREAM TEAM gaffers will be hopeful of plentiful points from their European players this week.Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle and Manchester City will fulfil their final Champions League group fixtures across Tuesday and Wednesday before West Ham, Brighton and Liverpool dot the i’s and cross t’s in the Europa League on Thursday.
      Aston Villa will also complete their Europa Conference League group stage campaign against Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday.
      But once this week’s European fixtures are over, the landscape of Dream Team will change dramatically.

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      Broaden your horizons this festive periodCredit: Dream Team
      The knockout stages of the three continental competitions are schedule to begin in mid-February.
      During this two month hiatus, gaffers should be more open to successful players who represent clubs without European commitments this season.
      A quick look at the rankings highlights the importance of the European games in the world of Dream Team to date.
      At the time of writing, Son Heung-min (£4.4m) is the only player in the top 20 who hasn’t been active in either the Champions League, Europa League or the Europa Conference League this term.
      More playing time equals it’s more points – the logic is simple.
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      However, with the European competitions essentially paused for two months, there’s nothing to perturb Dream Team bosses from shopping around the other 12 Premier League clubs.
      Tottenham’s captain is a prime example.
      Son averages 7.3 points-per-game this season compared to Ollie Watkins (£4.7m) and Julian Alvarez’s (£4.2m) shared average of 6.2 points-per-game.
      The only reason the South Korean superstar is below those two strikers in the overall rankings is because of Aston Villa and Man City’s European commitments.
      With that factor removed, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Son surged up the rankings – at least until he departs for the Asian Cup.
      124 points and countingCredit: Reuters
      Dream Team managers should now prioritise domestic form above all else, bringing teams like Everton and Bournemouth firmly into the conversation.
      Liverpool are the only team to have earned more points than the Toffees across their last six league games.
      In fact, Sean Dyche’s side have won three games on the bounce this month without conceding a goal.
      As for the Cherries, no team has generated more xG in the top flight across the last five games, with Dominic Solanke (£3.6m) leading the way for non-penalty xG among individuals in the same period.
      Bournemouth’s No9 has banked 39 points across the last four Gameweeks via four goals with Andoni Iraola’s men having suddenly clicked.
      Not to be underestimatedCredit: Getty
      Then there’s players like Hwang Hee-chan (£3.2m), who has scored more goals than the aforementioned Alvarez and Darwin Nunez (£4.3m) this season.
      There are value-for-money gems everywhere you look!

      The domestic cups will still create a certain degree of schedule variance but, historically, this hasn’t had as much impact on Dream Team as the European competitions.
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      This is because most Premier League managers opt to rotate their squad in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.
      Gaffers won’t want to be caught out by the return of the European competitions in February and so they will need to plan ahead at some stage but for the next few Gameweeks at least, domestic form is everything.

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      Fans are only just realising the Champions League will never look the same again after this week

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      FANS of the Champions League are only just realising that after this week’s round of fixtures the competition will never look the same again.That’s because starting from next season, there will be no group stage in the competition.
      The group stage will be scrapped next season in favour of the Swiss modelCredit: Rex
      A change in the Champions League’s format will see it expand from 32 to 36 teams next season.
      And that’s because Uefa bigwigs approved to change the format to a “Swiss league”.
      That will mean that the competition’s group stage will be replaced by a 36 team league with teams playing eight times rather than the current six.
      These eight games will be played against eight different teams.
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      The games will be against seeded opposition and not at random, with a focus being on creating a balanced and fair fixture list for clubs in the competition.
      The top eight from the final league table will progress to the knockout stage automatically.
      They will then be joined by the eight winners of the play-offs between sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.
      The bottom eight teams will then be knocked out of the competition.
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      The expansion of the competition means in theory the Premier League’s top five teams could all qualify for next season’s Champions League.
      Currently, four teams can qualify for the Champions League but five clubs will qualify next season if English teams perform well in Europe.
      With Manchester City winning the Champions League and West Ham winning the Europa Conference, England would have had five places in this season’s Champions League if the system was implemented last year.
      In fact, in five of the past six seasons – or seven of the last 11 – England would have been handed an extra spot for being among the best two performing nations.
      But things are looking less secure this year.
      The Premier League needs as many teams as possible to go deep in Europe and Manchester United and Newcastle are both on the brink of crashing out of the Champions League. More

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      Mikel Arteta hails Arsenal wonderkid as ‘next Jack Wilshere’ ahead of PSV Champions League clash

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      ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta has praised academy wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri by comparing him to club hero Jack Wilshere.Nwaneri, 16, has travelled with the Gunners to the Netherlands and is expected to take part in tonight’s Champions League dead rubber against PSV Eindhoven at the Philips Stadion.
      Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised academy wonderkid Ethan NwaneriCredit: Getty
      Arteta even compared Nwaneri to Arsenal hero Jack WilshereCredit: Getty
      Arteta is very impressed with the playmaker, who already left his mark in English football last year by becoming the youngest ever player to compete in the Premier League at 15 years and 181 days old.
      In fact, the Spanish tactician is so dazzled by the England Under-17 international that he sees similarities to former team-mate Wilshere because of the way he handles the ball in tight areas.
      And that is no coincidence as Nwaneri could make even more history in Eindhoven by also becoming the youngest Arsenal player to play in the Champions League at 16 years and 265 days, beating none other than Wilshere’s 2008 record by 64 days.
      Arteta said: “There’s something unique that he’s got that I really liked from the beginning, his ability to take the ball in tight areas and to escape a little bit like Jack Wilshere used to do.
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      “The personality he has, he trains with us like he trains with the Under-18s or Under-16s and I love that in a player.
      “He’s got that bit between his teeth as well that he wants to show every single day how good he is and to impress people.
      “When you have someone like that, you have to give him hope and as well it was a really important moment for us.
      “We really wanted to keep him and I think it was a strange sign for him that this is his place for him to develop. It is early days, but we need to get the machine going because we want more of those and we have to produce more of those.
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      “There’s a lot of work going into the academy and that’s big credit to all of them every single day for the amount of work that they’re putting in. They do a lot, they’ve planted the seeds and now we need to bring them up.”
      Nwaneri isn’t the only youngster expected to make his Champions League debut at Eindhoven.
      The versatile forward has also been joined by fellow Arsenal academy talents Lino Sousa, 18, and Reuell Walters, 18.
      Arteta added: “Three big prospects. We want to bring a lot of players from a system and they deserve to be here.
      “They’re still really really young but we want to get them the experience because they have the talent hopefully to be very close to us. We’ll try to give them the opportunity if we can in the right moment.
      “Obviously it gets harder and harder, so the talent has to be really good and and you have to find and build the space in the squad to give that talent an opportunity.
      “We should not forget that because it’s a big part of what we want to do in the future. And especially when you have it, you cannot let it go. I think we have some good space and good talent to develop in the environment.
      “I think on TV, it looks easier. If one day we give them a chance to train with the boys, they will probably realise that the level is really, really high.
      “The competition is huge, because we can pick players from anywhere in the world and we have the ability to do that.”
      Arteta is expected to hand Nwaneri a historic Champions League debutCredit: Getty More

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      Mikel Arteta is ready to hand three Arsenal academy stars their Champions League debuts – making history in the process

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      SAT on a bunk bed in the La Masia academy as a 15-year-old, Mikel Arteta gazed around at his roommates – all of them dreaming of one day playing for Barcelona.Those teenagers, who would soon become good friends, were Pepe Reina, Victor Valdes, Andreas Iniesta, Thiago Motta and Carlos Puyol.
      Mikel Arteta failed to make the grade at Barcelona but found his feet at RangersCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      Gunners academy stars Lino Sousa, Ethan Nwaneri and Reuell Walters could make their European debuts tonightCredit: Getty
      Only Arteta failed to realise his dream, instead heading off to France and then Scotland to kickstart his career.
      Regardless, it was a room dripping with competitive edge and immense desire – something that Arteta is now referring back to with Arsenal’s latest crop of exciting academy prospects.
      With injuries mounting up ahead of tonight’s dead rubber Champions League group stage finale at PSV, the Gunners boss has brought three of his brightest talents along for the ride.
      Right-back Reuell Walters, 18, left-back Lino Sousa, 18, and, most notably, 16-year-old midfielder Ethan Nwaneri – the Golden Boy who broke records and made headlines after Arteta handed him his Premier League debut last September at the age of 15 years and 181 days.
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      European debuts await them, but all eyes will be on Nwaneri – who could become the youngest Arsenal player to feature competitively on the continent at 16 years and 265 days, beating Jack Wilshere’s 2008 record by 64 days.
      With nothing riding on tonight’s clash in Holland, Arteta is considering creating more history, having made Nwaneri Arsenal’s youngest ever Prem player and the youngest to ever feature in the English top flight last season against Brentford.
      Arteta said: “They are still really, really, really young but we want to start giving them some experience because they have the talent, hopefully to be very close to us.
      “There is something about it, when they are in a meeting or you talk to them, there is that energy and their eyes are open. There is something fresh, something new.
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      “I have been there so you feel a sympathy for them. Everybody wants to help them, and I really want to help them to fulfil that dream and hopefully we can achieve that.”
      Speaking of his experience at Barca’s famed La Masia academy, Arteta added: “It was really difficult. The culture was very different. I was in a room with bunk beds.
      “It was huge competition within that room already. We were all little brothers living with each other but the competition was fearless and that’s what made us.
      “We had to compete with those players who were ready. It is always really tough to put them in the environment to see what they will need in the future.”
      Nwaneri made his Prem debut as a 15-year-old last September at BrentfordCredit: Reuters
      Arteta cannot help but smile when talking about Nwaneri – a player born after the Emirates Stadium was built in March 2007 and is scoring goals for fun in the club’s academy teams.
      Criticism came the Spanish coach’s way when he chucked on the fresh-faced kid against the Bees in second half stoppage time over a year ago, but there remain no regrets – especially after recently fighting off interest from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United to agree in principle a first professional contract.
      Arteta explained: “[Nwaneri] has something unique that I really liked from the beginning. His ability to take the ball in tight areas, escaping a bit like Jack Wilshere used to do.
      “The personality he has to train with us, I love that in a player. He has got that thing between his teeth that he wants to show every day how good he is and impress people.
      “When you have someone like that you have to give him hope. We really wanted to keep him and it was a strong sign that this was his place to keep developing.”
      Bukayo Saka, 22 – a young star who also made his Arsenal debut in Europe back in November 2018 – and Gabriel Martinelli did not train at London Colney yesterday morning.
      Read more on The Sun
      Martinelli has been left in the capital with illness, but Saka has made the trip despite nursing a foot knock.
      Emile Smith Rowe has also travelled and is set to feature having appeared to overcome a knee injury that has ravaged his season since October and limited him to just four Prem appearances so far. More

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      Mason Greenwood is ‘wanted by European giants as club boss plans to sign striker permanently from Man Utd in just WEEKS’

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      AN ICONIC Italian team is reportedly looking to sign former Manchester United player Mason Greenwood in a bombshell transfer.The owner of Champions League team Lazio is “obsessed” with the English striker and a January bid can’t be ruled out, Italian media have reported.
      Mason Greenwood’s transfer future is promising after positive performancesCredit: Getty
      La Lazio Siamo Noi, a Lazio news website, has reported the boss of the Serie A side still has feelings for Greenwood after a summer deal fell through.
      Lazio president Claudio Lotito is reported to be hellbent on having a second go at signing Greenwood as the team currently sits in 10th, with the sale potentially happening as soon as January.
      The Romans are struggling with their attack and have only scored nine goals in 10 games, with three coming from the spot.
      Greenwood has scored four goals in 13 games for Getafe FC since moving to the Madrid team in September.
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      “The talent of 2001 is enormous, impossible to argue with, he can play as a winger and also as a pure striker,” writes the Lazio press.
      “Greenwood remains an obsession of Lotito, it cannot be ruled out that the president could make an attempt in January.”
      Lazio would need to nab Greenwood from Manchester United as Greenwood is being loaned from them to Getafe.
      La Lazio Siamo Noi reports that Lazio could lure Greenwood with the possibility of Champions League football, but the Italians are currently five places outside of playing European football.
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      The 22-year-old’s contract with the Red Devils ends in 2025 and the Bradford player has impressed in Spain since returning to football.
      Greenwood was arrested in January last year following charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive control.
      He denied all the charges and they were later dropped by the CPS.
      Manchester United then started their own internal investigation with the plan to bring Greenwood back into the team.
      That investigation ended in August, but after huge fan pressure and internal backlash, Greenwood was sent to the La Liga side on a season-long loan.
      His last appearance for United came in a 1-0 win over West Ham on January 22, 2022.
      The former England star was farmed out to the Spaniards on transfer deadline day to try to rebuild his career away from the spotlight.
      It comes as The Sun also reported Valencia and Real Sociedad are understood to both be “monitoring” the England striker and could be poised to make a move in the summer.
      Greenwood runs with the ball against Valencia CFCredit: Getty More

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      Man Utd’s ‘Sunday League’ rondo goes viral as furious fans say ‘end the season already’

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      MANCHESTER UNITED’S training ground rondo went viral and left fans pleading to “end the season already.” United welcome Bayern Munich to Old Trafford tonight needing a win and results elsewhere to go their way in order to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages.
      Man Utd’s training ground rondo went viral for all the wrong reasons
      Erik ten Hag’s struggling side can barely string a couple of passes together

      But supporters have not been filled with confidence after a video of their rondo taken by journalist Andy Mitten went viral.
      Erik ten Hag’s struggling side can barely string a couple of passes together before losing possession.
      One fan fumed: “United fans have been arguing about Rondo’s all day, end the season already…”
      Another said: “They can’t even complete 3 passes??
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      “That’s a shockingly poor clip. 13-year-olds can do a better rondo than this and I’m not even overreacting.”
      One added: “Hand on heart I’ve seen Sunday league teams hit rondo’s with more intensity and accuracy. Goodness gracious.”
      Another raged: “There’s probably £5m per week salaries in that clip – and they’re worse than my old Sunday league team.”
      Ten Hag was renowned for playing possession-based football at Ajax, where he won three league titles.
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      But in October, the Dutchman confessed that his current United squad are not capable of playing with the same style.
      Ten Hag said: “We will never play the football we played at Ajax here. I now have other players, that’s not why I came here.
      “The player material you have determines how you will play. That’s why we play here in a different way than I did at Ajax. 
      “That will have to be the case, because I can’t play the same way here. That is not in the DNA of Manchester United at all.
      “The football at Ajax is very typical, here we will play much more directly. We also have the players for that, especially at the forefront.”
      United twice threw away a lead to draw 3-3 with Galatasaray in Turkey to leave them on the brink of being dumped out of Europe.
      They now must beat Bayern – who have already qualified – while Copenhagen and Galatasaray would need to draw.
      Erik ten Hag addresses his squad in trainingCredit: AFP More