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      Why Arsenal clash with Man City is on at same time as Champions League despite Premier League rules banning it

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      THE Premier League fixture between Arsenal and Manchester City will be played at the same time as Champions League ties despite rules banning it. The top of the table clash is all set for Wednesday 15, at the same time Club Brugge face Benfica and Borussia Dortmund welcome Chelsea.
      Man City will play Arsenal at the same time Chelsea play in the Champions LeagueCredit: AP
      Rules prohibit top division domestic matches occurring at the same time as European matches to not give fans across the world a headache with what to watch.
      However, the biggest game of the season has been allowed to happen this Wednesday due to Uefa doing a huge favour in return after the Premier League helped them.
      City’s trip to Arsenal was originally scheduled for the weekend after Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8 and it was therefore postponed.
      The Gunners’ fixture in the Europa League with PSV Eindhoven was also cancelled as a result.
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      The City match was hastily put in the calendar for October 19 but this handed Uefa a major scheduling nightmare.
      It gave the governing body no time to finish the Europa League group stages before the World Cup pause as there was no other available midweek remaining.
      The Prem gave way and further delayed the highly anticipated match until after the tournament in Qatar to accommodate PSV’s trip to the Emirates Stadium, which ended in a 1-0 win to the Gunners.
      This favour has clearly been appreciated by those in charge of the Champions League as there has been zero pushback from them regarding the setting of the game for this Wednesday.
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      Uefa normally frown upon league’s trying to get matches played while their elite competition takes place.
      Arsenal against City kicks-off at 7:30pm and the European clashes begin half an hour later.
      Despite much interest in the Round of 16 matches, many eyes will be on Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta’s sides.
      A win for the current champions would take them above their closest challengers on goal difference, with just three points separating them. More

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      Tottenham dealt huge blow with Rodrigo Bentancur set to miss SIX MONTHS with ACL tear after horror Leicester injury

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      RODRIGO BENTANCUR will miss the rest of the season after suffering an ACL tear against Leicester.An MRI scan has confirmed that the Uruguayan will be out for at least six months.
      Rodrigo Bentancur suffered a serious injury against LeicesterCredit: Getty
      The Uruguayan was able to gingerly limp off but will be out for six monthsCredit: Rex
      Bentancur, 25, suffered the injury while challenging Leicester’s Nampalys Mendy during his side’s 4-1 defeat at the King Power.
      The midfielder won the ball before planting his leg awkwardly in the turf.
      After receiving treatment he was able to walk off the pitch without the need of a stretcher.
      But now the club have confirmed the severity of the damage.
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      A statement from Spurs today read: “We can confirm that Rodrigo Bentancur has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will be out of action for the remainder of the campaign.
      “He will undergo surgery before beginning his rehabilitation with our medical staff. We’re all behind you, Rodrigo.”
      The new comes just days after Yves Bissouma was ruled out indefinitely after undergoing ankle surgery.
      With Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg suspended for the Champions League trip to AC Milan on Tuesday night, Antonio Conte will be left with just Oliver Skipp and Pape Matar Sarr to choose from in the midfield.
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      Bentancur had given Spurs the lead early on at the King Power.
      He prodded home from close range following a set piece, but his side’s lead would last just nine minutes.
      Mendy levelled for the Foxes on 23 minutes, with James Maddison completing the turnaround just moments later.
      Kelechi Iheanacho made it 3-1 on the stroke of half-time, before Bentancur was forced off on 63 minutes.
      Harvey Barnes completed the rout late on to cap off a miserable Saturday for Spurs.
      Bentancur previously suffered an adductor injury during the World Cup.
      The issue ruled him out of four Prem matches upon the league’s resumption, before he returned in the 4-2 defeat at Manchester City last month.
      He has made 26 appearances in all competitions this term, scoring six times.
      Bentancur had given Spurs an early lead at LeicesterCredit: Reuters More

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      Arsenal fears with VAR official who made clanger for Brighton game with Crystal Palace handed huge Man City title clash

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      VAR referee John Brooks, who wrongly disallowed a Pervis Estupinan goal for Brighton against Crystal Palace, has been handed Arsenal’s HUGE Premier League title clash with Manchester City.Estupinan’s first-half goal was ruled out after a VAR review for offside.
      VAR referee John Brooks will man the screens for Arsenal’s crunch clash with Man City DESPITE wrongly disallowed a Pervis Estupinan goal for Brighton against Crystal PalaceCredit: Reuters
      However, the PGMOL have since issued a statement admitting to “significant errors” that denied Brighton the goal in the 1-1 draw with rivals Palace at Selhurst Park.
      Howard Webb, the head of the Prem referees, apologised for last weekend’s mistakes.
      Another ref clanger happened in North London in the 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Brentford.
      Arsenal were unhappy at the error by video assistant referee Lee Mason in awarding Brentford’s equaliser on Saturday.
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      Mason FORGOT to draw offside lines when reviewing Ivan Toney’s goal for Brentford.
      And with the Gunners already furious following the decision that saw them drop two points to rivals Man City in the title race, VAR ref Brooks will be the man reviewing decisions for Wednesday’s crucial match, The Athletic writes.
      One Arsenal fan fumed: “The premier league is the only place you can make such a mistake and then be rewarded with one of the biggest games of the season days later…”
      Another said: “Surely this can’t be allowed…. pending investigation he should be suspended.”
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      Defeat on home soil to City this week would see the defending champions take top spot on goal difference.
      However, Arsenal do still have a game in hand and the two sides will meet again later on in the season. More

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      Tottenham fail in bid to get Ben Foster out of retirement as Prem refuse to give special permission after Lloris injury

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      TOTTENHAM’S plans to bring Ben Foster out of retirement and back to the Premier League have been scuppered.Spurs are on the lookout for a goalkeeper following Hugo Lloris’ injury.
      Tottenham’s hopes of signing Ben Foster have been scupperedCredit: Getty
      The Tottenham No1 is expected to be out for around two months after suffering knee ligament damage.
      Spurs can only sign free agents to replace the Frenchman after the transfer window closed last week.
      And one target they had in mind was former Manchester United keeper Foster.
      Foster, 39, retired and is a free agent after leaving Watford last summer.
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      However, Spurs would have needed special dispensation from the Premier League to sign him up.
      But the Daily Mail have claimed that will be denied by Prem chiefs under current rules.
      Former England international Foster turned his hand to Youtube in 2020 and regularly vlogged his experiences playing for Watford.
      He is known as the “cycling goalkeeper” on the platform and has 1.2million subscribers.
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      Foster has filmed behind-the-scenes footage on matchday and even filmed a charity match by attaching a camera to his gloves.
      Meanwhile, Spurs boss Antonio Conte has been left with just one senior goalie – Fraser Forster – to select in his captain’s absence.
      The 34-year-old former Southampton and Celtic ace made just his second top-flight start for the club since his arrival last summer at Leicester on Saturday but was unable to stop his side suffering a 4-1 thrashing.
      Rookie Brandon Austin, 24, was on the bench at the King Power Stadium but he is yet to make a senior appearance for the club. More

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      How referee blunders have cost Arsenal in EVERY Premier League match they’ve dropped points this season

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      ARSENAL have fallen victim to a referee error in each of the five Premier League games they have dropped points in.The Gunners were denied all three points against Brentford on Saturday because VAR failed to spot an offside.
      VAR failed to draw the lines to check if Christian Norgaard was offside
      Refereeing mistakes have cost Arsenal in each of the five Prem games they have dropped points inCredit: Getty
      Bees star Christian Norgaard was in an offside position when he crossed for Ivan Toney to equalise.
      The PGMOL contacted Arsenal over the incident to explain what led to the mistake – VAR Lee Mason had failed to draw the lines to check if Norgaard was offside.
      It is not the first time poor officiating has cost Mikel Arteta’s side this season, and they could be more than two points clear at the top of the league if correct decisions had been made.
      Here are the other notable incidents where a refereeing blunder cost the league leaders.
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      Arsenal vs Everton
      The Gunners suffered their second Prem defeat of the season at Goodison Park last week.
      But moments after James Tarkowski headed the hosts in front, which proved to be the winner, Arsenal felt they should have had a penalty.
      Gabriel appeared to have been tripped in the box by Neal Maupay but referee David Coote awarded Everton a free-kick instead, and his decision stood despite a VAR check.
      Former ref Peter Walton told BT Sport that the spot-kick may not have been awarded because Gabriel initiated the contact.
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      Gabriel appeared to be fouled by Neal Maupay
      Arsenal vs Newcastle
      Gabriel was also denied a penalty during January’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle.
      The centre-back was manhandled by Dan Burn in the penalty area and he felt the contact was significant enough to go to ground.
      But the ref and VAR ignored Arsenal’s penalty pleas, much to the annoyance of Gabriel who took to Twitter to vent his frustrations.
      The Sky Sports pundit were unanimous in their belief that a penalty should have been awarded, as was Arteta who slammed the “scandalous” decision.
      Gabriel tumbled over in the box under a challenge from Dan BurnCredit: Getty
      Arsenal vs Southampton
      Arsenal drew 1-1 with the Saints but could have had a 2-0 lead if Gabriel Jesus was awarded a penalty.
      The Brazilian was dragged back by Southampton’s Duje Caleta-Car and tumbled over, but referee Robert Jones seemingly felt there was not enough contact.
      Yet on the same weekend Armando Broja won a penalty for Chelsea after being fouled in similar fashion by Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay.
      Ex-Prem ref Mark Halsey told SunSport that Arsenal were “robbed” by the decision not to award a penalty.
      Gabriel Jesus was pulled to the ground by Duje Caleta-CarCredit: Getty
      Arsenal vs Manchester United
      United inflicted a first defeat of the season on Arsenal in September but the game could have had a very different outcome if Gabriel Martinelli’s opener had stood.
      The Brazilian raced through to score but after a VAR check the goal was chalked off with Martin Odegaard deemed to have fouled Christian Eriksen in the build-up.
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      There was minimal contact between the pair and Arsenal skipper Odegaard fumed about the decision.
      The Premier League later admitted the decision to disallow the goal was incorrect.
      The Premier League admitted they made a mistake in awarding Christian Eriksen a foulCredit: Rex More

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      Man Utd, Liverpool & Newcastle ‘in straight fight for Ruben Neves transfer as Barcelona pull out of race for Wolves ace’

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      MANCHESTER UNITED, Liverpool and Newcastle are reportedly “in a straight fight” to sign Ruben Neves this summer.Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Portuguese midfielder, 25, has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona over recent months.
      Barcelona have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Ruben NevesCredit: Reuters
      However, a fresh report has now claimed that the LaLiga giants have pulled out of the transfer race.
      And now that has left the Premier League trio of United, Liverpool and Newcastle battling it out for his signature.
      Spanish publication Sport reports that Neves’ agent Jorge Mendes met with Barcelona officials last week.
      But he was allegedly informed during the talks that Xavi’s side are prioritising strengthening in other positions.
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      They want to secure the future of veteran Sergio Busquets, who is out of contract, also.
      And even if they fail to do that, the publication claims that Xavi “prefers the profile of another type of midfielder” rather than Neves.
      The ace arrived at Molineux from Porto back in 2017 and has helped the club to consolidate in the Premier League after winning the Championship in his first season there.
      He now has less than 18 months remaining on his contract, and rather than risk losing him for nothing in 2024, Wolves look set to sell this summer.
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      United boss Erik ten Hag has long-been rumoured to be an admirer of the player, as is Kop manager Jurgen Klopp.
      But high-flying Newcastle are the latest team to join the scramble to sign Neves. More

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      Southampton eye Ivan Juric three months after deeming Torino manager too expensive and hiring Nathan Jones

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      SOUTHAMPTON are reportedly open to appointing a manager from overseas to replace the axed Nathan Jones.The club have renewed their interest in Torino boss Ivan Juric, according to the Daily Mail.
      Southampton are interested in appointing Ivan JuricCredit: EPA
      The Croatian manager was believed to be on the Saints’ list before they appointed Jones as the successor for Ralph Hasenhüttl.
      However, the boss of the Serie A side was “deemed to be too expensive” back in November, as per the report.
      Juric’s Torino currently sit seventh in the top flight of Italian football, as they look to improve on their tenth-placed finish last season.
      The 47-year-old would have plenty of work to do should he opt to move to the Premier League with Southampton.
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      The club are currently at rock bottom of the league table after Jones’ 14-game run as manager.
      SunSport revealed last week that the former Luton manager had lost the faith of many members of his squad.
      This came shortly after he infuriated his players by saying they were part of the reason he did not change his preferred playing style.
      Southampton have also been linked with a move for recently sacked Leeds manager Jesse Marsch.
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      The American was axed after failing to win seven consecutive games.
      And according to The Athletic, Marsch is on the shortlist of potential candidates.
      Marsch’s experience working in the Red Bull system, like former boss Hasenhuttl, appeals to Southampton.
      Steven Gerrard, Marcelo Gallardo, Arne Slot, Mauricio Pochettino, Nuno Espirito Santo and Rafa Benitez have also been linked with the job.
      Southampton are set to face Chelsea in the Premier League next Sunday. More

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      Chris Hughton hired as Ghana manager as ex-Tottenham boss brings in Premier League legend as assistant

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      CHRIS HUGHTON has returned to management as Ghana boss 17 months after his last team Nottingham Forest sacked him.The former Newcastle and Brighton chief, 64, has been technical advisor for the Black Stars since February last year.
      Chris Hughton has been named as Ghana manager after working for them at the World Cup in Qatar as technical advisorCredit: Getty
      Hughton was sacked by his last team Forest after a year in chargeCredit: Getty
      Now the ex-Tottenham defender replaces Otto Addo, who stepped down after a poor World Cup 2022.
      Addo, a German-born Ghanaian, has resumed his position as talent-spotter for Borussia Dortmund.
      Former Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Holland midfielder George Boateng, who was born in Ghana, remains as assistant coach for his home country.
      So does Ghanaian Mas-Ud Didi Dramani.
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      The main task for Hughton, whose dad was born in Ghana, is to qualify for the next Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast in 2024.
      The Black Stars share the Group E lead with Angola on four points from two games, three above the Central African Republic and Madagascar.
      It was the ex-Birmingham and Norwich manager who led Brighton into the Premier League.
      And fans on social media warmly welcomed the one-time Ireland star’s comeback.
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      One posted: “Definitely should have been considered for the Leeds or Southampton jobs.”
      But another joked: “Smart way to distance himself from the Leeds and Southampton jobs.”
      A Newcastle supporter tweeted: “Congratulations Chris. Great bloke.”
      And the consensus was Ghana have made a sensible choice with popular, well-respected Hughton.
      An international football fan wrote: “I think he’ll do well. There is a lot of talent in that squad. Hopefully the GFA give him time, and don’t put restrictions on him.” More