By Tony Odu
• Michael Carrick is not discounting the chance that Manchester United could overtake Arsenal at the top of the Premier League standings. United’s victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday put them in third place, behind Manchester City in second and Mikel Arteta’s team in third.
• Kylian Mbappé’s left knee sprain has been confirmed by Real Madrid, who said tests indicated that the forward’s current “conservative treatment” is the best course of action. Mbappé has been dealing with knee pain since December, missing multiple games before Madrid decided the France international needed a lengthy, indefinite period of rest. Coach Álvaro Arbeloa stated last week that Mbappé’s absence won’t be a matter of days.
• Three candidates have been selected to be the next president of Barcelona, and Marc Ciria and Víctor Font are vying for the position against Joan Laporta. Only three of the six contenders, Laporta, Font, and Ciria, were able to win over the club’s socis, who will now cast their votes for Barça’s next president on March 15.
• Al Nassr, his Saudi Pro League team, announced on Tuesday that Cristiano Ronaldo has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury. The Portugal forward hobbled off the field during Saturday’s 3-1 league victory over Al Fayha. Al Nassr did not give a precise timeframe for his recuperation.
• Nuno Espirito Santo, the manager of West Ham, has prohibited winger Adama Traoré from lifting weights. After West Ham colleague Crysencio Summerville shared a video on social media last week asking the Spaniard, “Why are you lying?” the 52-year-old coach, who joined the London club in September of last year, warned that Traoré “carries enough weight.” “I don’t do weights in the gym,” I said to the crowd.
• Wolves defeated Liverpool 2-1 with a last-minute goal from Andre, earning back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time since April 2024. The Premier League’s bottom team followed up their victory over Aston Villa with all three points in stoppage time, thanks to the Brazilian’s season-opening goal four minutes into extra time.
• While Bruno Fernandes has not shown a desire to quit the team, Casemiro has instructed Manchester United to sign Bruno Guimarães, a teammate from Brazil. • Barcelona narrowly missed overcoming a four-goal deficit in the first leg and was eliminated in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals after defeating Atletico Madrid 3-0 on Tuesday night.
• According to Anfield great Steven Gerrard, Liverpool needs to start Rio Ngumoha in order to exact quick retribution on Wolves this week.
• On Tuesday night, during the first of two quick-fire trips to Molineux, the teenage winger made another brilliant cameo off the bench. With 25 minutes left, he replaced Cody Gakpo and nearly scored his second goal of the season, but Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa made an incredible save.
• Due to concerns over two injuries, Fulham coach Marco Silva benched Harry Wilson and Joachim Andersen.
• Rugby News: As England attempts to save their Six Nations campaign against Italy, Steve Borthwick makes adjustments.
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