No Kylian Mbappe, no chance? Real Madrid on ropes against Man City
The Straits Times
The star striker, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes are set to miss the game injured. Read more at straitstimes.com.
MADRID – Rarely do record 15-time winners Real Madrid enter a Champions League clash as underdogs, but this is the situation when Manchester City visit the Santiago Bernabeu on March 11.
With key attackers Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes set to miss the game injured and Alvaro Arbeloa’s team in inconsistent form, Pep Guardiola’s City are firm favourites in the last 16 tie.
City beat Real in the league phase in the Spanish capital and have strengthened their squad since then, with Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi arriving, while midfielder Rodri is fit after missing that match during a long-term injury absence.
Xabi Alonso was at Real’s helm then. But his successor Arbeloa has not got the team playing with more quality or consistency.
Perhaps his biggest success has been helping winger Vinicius Junior back to form, and the Brazilian represents Real’s best hope of success against City.
Vinicius was key in Real’s triumph over Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the play-off round, despite allegedly being racially abused in the first leg by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who denies it.
March 15 - Toko Koga scored twice as Japan stayed on course for a third Women's Asian Cup title with a 7-0 win over the Philippines in Sydney on Sunday, setting up a semi-final against South Korea. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 15 - The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reprimanded Pakistan batter Salman Agha for his reaction to a controversial run-out in the second One-Day International against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Friday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
INDIAN WELLS, California, March 15 - Daniil Medvedev said his Indian Wells semi-final win over Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday would prove nothing more than a temporary setback for the Spaniard, and that he and Jannik Sinner were playing at a totally different level from the rest of the tour. Read more at straitstimes.com.
PARIS, March 15 - France head coach Fabien Galthie hailed Louis Bielle-Biarrey as a “lethal weapon” following in the footsteps of Antoine Dupont after the winger’s four-try masterclass helped secure a dramatic Six Nations title-clinching victory over England on Saturday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - All who wander up and down the leaderboard are not lost. Read more at straitstimes.com.
People feared for the safety of seven delegation members after they refused to sing Iran's national anthem. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The fourth-placed Lakers are currently on a four-game winning streak. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 14 - The U.S. and Israel's conflict with Iran has led to sporting events being postponed in the region, while competitions elsewhere have been hit by travel disruption, with thousands of flights cancelled in some of the world's busiest transit hubs. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The 52-year-old sits atop the leaderboard with Joaquin Niemann heading into the final round. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 14 - World number one Aryna Sabalenka said players must halt points straightaway to seek a video review for hindrance and not wait to decide, after Daniil Medvedev's dispute with Jack Draper sparked controversy at Indian Wells. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Victory also ensured their direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 13 - Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina moved into the Indian Wells final with straight-sets victories over Linda Noskova and Elina Svitolina on Friday, setting up a rematch of their Australian Open Grand Slam title clash. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 14 - Australia coach Joe Montemurro said Friday's 2-1 victory over North Korea had given them the belief to go on and win the Women's Asian Cup for the first time in 16 years after securing their place at next year's World Cup. Read more at straitstimes.com.