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Angleterre – Ukraine : “Tout le pays rêve d’une victoire à Wembley”

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équipe nationale ukrainienne
L’Ukraine a raté la qualification pour la Coupe du monde pour le Qatar après avoir perdu contre le Pays de Galles en finale des barrages
Lieu: Wembley Date: dimanche 26 mars Démarrer: 17h00 BST
Couverture: En direct sur BBC Radio 5 Live, le site Web et l’application BBC Sport; commentaire textuel en direct sur le site Web et l’application BBC Sport

Alors que nous approchons des 400 jours depuis l’invasion de l’Ukraine par la Russie le 24 février de l’année dernière, le football est devenu l’une des rares choses qui peuvent déconnecter la nation de l’horreur et du désespoir.

Dimanche, à Wembley, l’Ukraine affrontera l’Angleterre pour entamer sa campagne de qualification à l’Euro 2024, après avoir raté de peu la Coupe du monde au Qatar avec une défaite finale en barrage contre le Pays de Galles.

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Dire que l’importance de ce match va au-delà du résultat lui-même est un euphémisme massif, car le peuple ukrainien et ceux en guerre cherchent à suspendre leurs pensées les plus sombres pendant deux heures d’espoir footballistique.

“Le football est toujours le sport numéro un en Ukraine et il aide les gens à faire face à ce qu’ils vivent”, a déclaré l’ancien attaquant et entraîneur ukrainien Andriy Shevchenko à BBC Sport. “La ligue a été maintenue en vie, quelques équipes ont réussi en Europe, cela a beaucoup aidé.”

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Plus de 1 000 billets seront remis aux Ukrainiens et aux familles britanniques qui les ont accueillis pour assister aux qualifications à Wembley, avec environ 4 200 fans ukrainiens ayant acheté des billets standard dans ce qui sera plus de 85 000 spectateurs à guichets fermés.

Par des déclarations publiques, de nombreux joueurs ukrainiens et le manager par intérim de l’équipe nationale, Ruslan Rotan, ont montré leur gratitude pour le soutien qu’ils ont reçu du Royaume-Uni.

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Shevchenko, vainqueur du Ballon d’Or qui a marqué 48 buts en 111 apparitions pour son pays, a contribué à l’effort d’aide humanitaire depuis son domicile londonien et a toujours une famille proche vivant en Ukraine.

“L’Angleterre a été d’un soutien extraordinaire au cours de l’année écoulée. Ils ont fait preuve de solidarité et de gentillesse”, a-t-il déclaré. “Je pense que l’atmosphère sera très émotionnelle et chaleureuse envers les fans ukrainiens et l’équipe. Du gouvernement britannique à la société civile, nous avons reçu un grand soutien depuis le début de la guerre.

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“Je vais au match, ce sera sûrement un grand jour pour nos nations. J’ai eu un choc le premier jour de la guerre, il m’était impossible de croire que cela se produisait réellement. Après le départ des troupes russes de Bucha, J’étais aussi sous le choc, en voyant les horreurs de la guerre, les crimes. Nous avons traversé tellement de moments terribles depuis février de l’année dernière.

“L’Angleterre est forte, mais notre équipe est prête à montrer de quoi elle est faite. Ce sera sûrement une journée spéciale. Il n’y a pas de bon ou de mauvais moment pour affronter l’Angleterre, car ils sont très forts quoi qu’il arrive. Mais nos joueurs ne le font pas.” “pas besoin de motivation supplémentaire. Ils savent pourquoi ils seront sur le terrain.”

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“Nous voulons offrir des émotions positives”

L’ancien coéquipier de Shevchenko en Ukraine, Oleksandr Kucher, est le manager de Dnipro-1 dans l’élite nationale, qui, avec leur ville servant actuellement de centre humanitaire et d’aide pour les personnes touchées par la guerre, sont désormais basés dans la capitale Kiev.

Les séances d’entraînement de Kucher sont souvent suspendues par l’alarme de frappe aérienne, mais l’ancien défenseur du Shakhtar pense que le football est crucial pour aider son pays à traverser les cauchemars de la guerre.

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“Le pays tout entier regardera l’Angleterre contre l’Ukraine dimanche”, a-t-il déclaré. “Nous avons continué à jouer parce que nous voulons offrir aux gens des émotions positives. Si nous pouvons les distraire de ce qu’ils vivent, alors notre mission est accomplie. C’est pourquoi je suis heureux que nous jouions à nouveau dans notre ligue.

“Mon pire moment a été au début de la guerre. Mes proches étaient à Kharkiv et j’étais encore dans un camp d’entraînement en Turquie. Je voulais rentrer chez moi immédiatement, mais tous les vols avaient été annulés. Ma famille était là et des bombes ont été volant au-dessus de leurs têtes.”

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Sélectionné à 56 reprises pour l’Ukraine, Vyacheslav Shevchuk, qui portait également le brassard de capitaine, supporte mal la vie en Ukraine.

“C’est vraiment difficile en Ukraine ces jours-ci”, a déclaré le joueur de 43 ans. “Le monde entier sait que nous sommes attaqués, que des missiles arrivent de partout. Le football est une façon de montrer que nous avons encore de la vie à l’intérieur, que nous méritons de vivre et d’avoir une vie paisible.

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“Je suis très stressé, je m’inquiète pour ma famille, pour mes enfants. Ma femme et mes enfants sont loin de moi, ils vivent en Europe. Ce sont des réfugiés ukrainiens comme les quelques millions d’autres. Nous espérer vaincre l’ennemi afin que notre peuple puisse rentrer chez lui.

“Les équipes s’entraînent comme elles peuvent. Les joueurs doivent se cacher dans des tranchées, dans des tunnels, quand les alarmes aériennes peuvent être entendues. Les matchs sont suspendus. Le stress est immense, nous ne voulons pas que cela continue. Nous espérons que nous reviendra à la normale après avoir vaincu l’ennemi.

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“Il est difficile de développer notre football en ces temps, mais nous continuons, nous voulons toujours affronter les meilleurs. Nous avons beaucoup de jeunes dans notre équipe et le Shakhtar a même atteint les stades avancés de la Ligue Europa cette année.”

Supporters ukrainiens
L’Ukraine a fait match nul 0-0 avec l’Ecosse dans la Ligue des Nations en septembre à Cracovie lors de son précédent match international

“Une religion qui unit l’Ukraine”

L’Ukraine est arrivée à Londres mardi et s’est entraînée au centre de performance de Brentford, y compris un match amical à huis clos contre les Bees jeudi.

Le pays avait initialement rejoint la candidature de l’Espagne et du Portugal pour accueillir la Coupe du monde 2030, mais on ne sait pas ce qu’il adviendra de leur rôle après l’annonce du Maroc. maintenant rejoint une offre à trois.

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Il a été signalé qu’il y avait des inquiétudes en raison de la guerre en cours et des problèmes de gouvernance à l’Association ukrainienne de football.

Malgré l’incertitude, Igor Belanov, qui est devenu le premier Ukrainien à remporter le Ballon d’Or en 1986, est très optimiste quant à l’issue du match contre l’Angleterre.

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“Des millions d’Ukrainiens attendent une victoire. Je m’excuse auprès des supporters anglais, mais nous avons plus besoin de cette victoire qu’eux”, a-t-il déclaré. “Le football est une religion qui unit l’Ukraine. C’est difficile pour les Européens de comprendre cela, mais même pendant la guerre, les soldats, le personnel médical, les volontaires – ils veulent sentir le goût d’une vie paisible au moins pour un moment.

“Le match contre l’Angleterre est l’une des rares occasions de passer de la guerre au sport pendant au moins deux heures. J’attends la victoire, bien sûr. Quelles autres options peut-il y avoir ? Les soldats dans leurs tranchées attendent la victoire. Et leurs enfants, parents, ou des frères le veulent aussi.Tout le pays rêve d’une victoire à Wembley.

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“Le football est le jeu de millions de personnes – il les ramène à des temps paisibles. Pour les gens normaux, qui ont un jour été chauffeurs, managers, sportifs ou informaticiens, tout a changé. Ils avaient une vie, des projets et des passe-temps. Tout cela a soudainement pris fin et ils ont dû s’entraîner dans l’armée et sont allés à la guerre.

“Nos joueurs passent plus de temps à se cacher des missiles qu’à s’entraîner, les séances sont tout le temps interrompues en Ukraine. Chaque jour, l’ennemi détruit des infrastructures, nous tire des missiles et tue des gens. Cela atteint votre cerveau, votre âme et cela ne part pas vite.

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“Je veux regarder un beau match, plein d’émotions et d’événements. Cela se termine par notre victoire, bien sûr.”

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Xabi Alonso: Liverpool eye other candidates with Bayer Leverkusen set to keep Spanish boss

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Liverpool expect Xabi Alonso to stay at Bayer Leverkusen this summer and are to consider other candidates to replace manager Jurgen Klopp.

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Leverkusen are on the brink of a first Bundesliga title and are unbeaten in all competitions this season.

Bayern Munich’s honorary president Uli Hoeness said a move for Alonso this summer is “probably impossible”.

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Alonso was also seen as a candidate to take over at the Bavarian giants, whose manager Thomas Tuchel will depart at the end of the campaign.

“[Alonso] is more inclined to stay at Bayer Leverkusen in view of their current successes, because he would not want to leave them behind,” Hoeness said.

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Alonso, a stylish midfielder, played 210 times for Liverpool from 2004 to 2009.

He left to join Real Madrid – another club he has recently been linked with – and later moved to Bayern where he spent three years before retiring from playing.

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Alonso moved into coaching with Real Madrid’s under-14s in 2018 and then had three years in charge of Real Sociedad’s B team.

In October 2022, Leverkusen gave him his first role in first-team football and, having taken over with the club second-bottom, he led them to a sixth-placed finish in the Bundesliga.

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This season, Alonso’s first full term in charge, Leverkusen are 10 points clear of champions Bayern with eight games remaining.

Xabi Alonso on touchline duty
Leverkusen have won 33 and drawn five of their matches this season

They are also in the semi-finals of the German Cup and the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

“Let’s say if he had two or three more years of success, it would probably be easier to bring him out of there,” Hoeness said.

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Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim and Brighton’s Roberto de Zerbi have also been linkedexternal-link with the Liverpool job.

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Friday’s gossip: Dani Olmo, Joselu, Todibo, Marmoush, Lukaku, Raphinha, Bremer

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Dani Olmo

Manchester United have entered the race to sign Spain international Dani Olmo, who has a £52m release clause to leave RB Leipzig this summer. The 25-year-old winger is also interesting Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham. (Daily Mail)external-link

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Manchester United representatives have been to Spain to identify potential transfer targets and 34-year-old Spain striker Joselu, who is on loan at Real Madrid from Espanyol, is one of the names on their list. (Relevo – in Spanish)external-link

United will have to pay at least 60m euros (£51.3m) for Brazil international Gleison Bremer, 27, who plays for Juventus, and the Red Devils’ striker Mason Greenwood, 22, could be included in the deal. (Gazetta dello Sport – in Italian) external-link

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Manchester City and Newcastle United will rival Manchester United for the signing of Everton and England Under-21 centre-back Jarrad Brathwaite, 21. (Football Transfers)external-link

Italian club Genoa are expecting to receive bids in the summer for 26-year-old Iceland forward Albert Gudmundsson, who has been linked with Tottenham and West Ham. (Fabrizio Romano)external-link

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Newcastle United ran the rule over several Brazil players during their friendly against England last week, with Barcelona winger Raphinha, 27, and Juventus defender Gleison Bremer, 27, thought to be on their radar. (Newcastle Chronicle)external-link

Manchester United and Tottenham target Jean-Clair Todibo, the 24-year-old France international centre-back, could be available for £40m from Nice this summer. (Talksport)external-link

Crystal Palace want to sign 19-year-old Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera in the summer but face competition for the Spain Under-21 international from Atletico Madrid. (Evening Standard)external-link

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Chelsea will replace Todd Boehly as chairman in 2027. (Mail)external-link

There is a strong temptation for Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, 30, currently on loan at Roma from Chelsea, to move to Saudi Arabia. (Calcio Mercato – in Italian)external-link

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Barcelona 3-1 Brann (agg 5-2): Barca set up Champions League semi-final against Chelsea

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Aitana Bonmati celebrates after scoring against Brann
Two-time winners Barcelona have reached the Women’s Champions League semi-finals in six consecutive seasons

Holders Barcelona beat Brann to set up a Women’s Champions League semi-final against Chelsea.

Barcelona won the first leg 2-1 and extended their aggregate lead when Aitana Bonmati hooked an effort past Aurora Mikalsen in the 23rd minute.

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They netted again through Fridolina Rolfo, who bundled home when Mikalsen failed to clear a goalmouth scramble.

Tomine Svendheim pulled one back for Brann, but Patri Guijarro scored an 88th-minute tap-in to seal Barca’s win.

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With England internationals Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh in their line-up, Barcelona dominated the second leg at Estadi Johan Cruyff and prevented the visitors from Norway scoring again as they managed 26 shots to Brann’s seven.

Beating Brann sets up a repeat of last year’s semi-final, when Barcelona beat Chelsea 2-1 on aggregate before going on to win the competition.

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They will host the first leg in Barcelona on 20-21 April, with the second leg being played at Stamford Bridge on 27-28 April.

The Catalan giants also thrashed Chelsea 4-0 in the 2020-21 final when they won the competition for the first time.

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Scott Brown: Former Celtic captain on hair, Ayr & choosing ‘to be horrible’

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Venue: Somerset Park, Ayr Date: Friday, 29 March Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
Coverage: Watch on the BBC Scotland channel and follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app

“It was my identity – what I needed to be the best I could be.”

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Normally a player has hair and then loses it when he becomes a manager. Scott Brown did it the other way round.

For the best part of two decades, this shaven-skulled enforcer dominated the Scottish football landscape on a journey during which he would become one of the game’s most decorated players.

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These days, he can be spotted in the Somerset Park dugout with a thick thatch.

Turns out being bald was all part of the plan for the former Celtic and Scotland captain.

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“I made a decision when I retired I would grow my hair for the kids and I do look like a more approachable person,” the Ayr United head coach tells BBC Scotland.

At 38, the boots have been hung up for a while and Brown’s focus is all about navigating the notoriously choppy waters of the “tightest division in the world”.

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‘I did it to intimidate players’

Being bald was just part of Brown. It fed into the psychology of a player who would adopt an uncompromising attitude whenever he crossed that white line. A mindset suit of armour to improve the chance of victory.

“[I did it] just to intimidate people,” he says. “I made that decision just to be horrible. Not really speaking to anybody on the park. If players tried, I would refuse to speak to them.

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“Not being big time but just to make sure my head was focused and I was ready and organised, because if I had a laugh and a joke about stuff on the park, I probably would not have played as well as I could have.

“You can be whoever you want for 90 minutes on that pitch. You can be a winner, want to dictate games, be passionate, be louder than you normally are in the changing room. It worked really well for me.”

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It sure did. A deluge of silverware followed, including 10 Scottish Premiership titles, six Scottish Cups, seven League Cups, not to mention 55 Scotland caps.

“After the 90 minutes, I could go back to being Scott – sit down, chill and relax,” Brown adds.

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‘It’s about getting the balance right’

But age brings many gifts. Maybe a softening of attitudes in some aspects of life. And family has an impact too.

“During Covid, the kids asked if I had hair,” he explains. “I wasn’t 100% sure if I actually did.”

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It will be there for all to see on Friday night as BBC Scotland broadcasts Ayr’s home game with high-flying Airdrieonians.

Rhys McCabe’s SPFL Trust Trophy winners occupy fourth – the last of the promotion play-off places – while the hosts are eighth, just three points above the relegation play-off spot.

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However, a win for Ayr would take them to just one point off Friday’s visitors, such is the congested nature of the Championship.

“Two good weeks and you could be challenging for the top four – two bad weeks you could be challenging for the relegation zone,” Brown admits.

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When an Anton Dowds-inspired Ayr triumphed against Airdrie five games ago, it lifted them to fifth. Now, they’re back looking over the shoulder.

However, Brown believes he has the players capable of the primary objective this season, which is staying in the division, and aims to harness the local passion for the club.

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“[Former head coach] Lee [Bullen] brought in a good squad and I have got the benefit of the lads now,” he says.

“We have a couple of experienced pros, but we are a very young team. It’s about getting the balance right.

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“There are young players coming through who have never been anywhere else, so we are lucky enough they understand the club and what it means to them.

“When Fraser Bryden, a lifelong Ayr fan, scored against Inverness Caledonian Thistle the other week, his mates were all in the crowd singing, cheering and chanting his name. When he does score those goals, it’s emotional for everyone.”

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That emotional rollercoaster is full steam ahead as the campaign nears its end.

Brown knows what it takes at this stage of the season and, while the shaven head is no more, that driven, uncompromising attitude is going nowhere.

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Premier League fantasy football tips: Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Son Heung-min

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Alistair Bruce-Ball

The fixture calendar for the rest of the Premier League season is pretty much set so now it’s up to you to decide on your strategy depending on what chips you have left in the game.

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We know there are seven teams with a double gameweek 34 – Arsenal, Liverpool, Wolves, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Everton and Sheffield United.

Tottenham don’t have a fixture in gameweek 34, which makes things slightly trickier if you don’t have a Free Hit chip, because they will then have two double gameweeks before the end of the season.

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Chelsea will also double twice in the last four gameweeks of the season, while Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle and Brighton will all have a double gameweek, which is almost certainly going to be in gameweek 37.

Managers who still have their second wildcard available will rightly be debating whether to play it now, either in gameweek 30 or 31, or in gameweek 35 to really attack the last four weeks of the season with a potential Bench Boost in mind for gameweek 37.

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If you’ve still got that Free Hit chip then the earlier wildcard could be tempting because you can bring in as many Tottenham and Chelsea players as you like without having to worry about gameweek, 34 when Tottenham blank and Chelsea are away to Arsenal.

I like that strategy because the fixtures look good for both Tottenham and Chelsea in the next few weeks – but if you’ve already used your Free Hit then you might want to hold on to the wildcard until gameweek 35 and focus your transfers on Liverpool and Arsenal in the short-term as we start to build up towards gameweek 34.

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Captaincy

Those managers who can get Mohamed Salah into their squads this week will certainly want to consider him for Liverpool’s game against Brighton at Anfield on Sunday as his ownership is relatively low.

Many will be taking a points hit to get him because they can’t afford him in a straight swap or they may decide to wait until next week, which will give those of you who get him on the wildcard a nice little edge.

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If you don’t own Salah then I would suggest a Tottenham attacker for their game at home to Luton, preferably Son Heung-Min, or the man I’m looking to as a slightly differential captaincy pick this week in Cole Palmer, who has a home game against Burnley.

Fixtures to target

This is one of those gameweeks when two of the best teams in the Premier League go head-to-head and we own four or five of their players, in this case Manchester City and Arsenal, who face each other at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

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I would be very happy to field my attackers in this game, the likes of Bukayo Saka and Erling Haaland, but I would try to bench my defenders if I could.

Arsenal’s defence has been superb this season and we know all about their prowess at set-pieces so fielding one of Gabriel, William Saliba or Ben White isn’t really too much of a problem, but I wouldn’t want to have two of them in my starting line-up if I could avoid it.

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If you’re looking for a defender to bring into your squad this week then Statman Dave and Chris Sutton each had a suggestion in this week’s Fantasy 606 podcast – Dave has gone for Chelsea’s Malo Gusto, while Chris likes the look of Conor Bradley for Liverpool – and both come in at only £4.2 million.

Bradley has the advantage of the double gameweek 34 but if Trent Alexander-Arnold returns to fitness in the next few weeks then he is less likely to start every game. Gusto looks undroppable for Chelsea at the moment and we still don’t know when Reece James may return to action to provide competition for him.

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Differentials

Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz was one of the rare successes in gameweek 29, his two goals in Fulham’s 3-0 win against Tottenham taking his tally to seven goals in his past seven games and his next three matches are against Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle.

He only costs £4.6 million, which also makes him a great makeweight if you’re having to use two transfers to get to Salah this week.

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Gamble of the week

We run a listeners’ team on the Fantasy 606 podcast whereby a different listener comes on each week to manage the side. This week’s listener, Alex from Vancouver, has taken the gamble to remove Haaland from the squad to enable the signing of Salah.

Haaland obviously has the tougher fixture this week, he doesn’t have a double like Salah in gameweek 34 and it enables the listeners to have Salah, Son and Saka in their midfield.

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It comes down to your budget – if, like me, you can’t afford to have all four of Haaland, Salah, Son and Saka then which one makes way? It’s Son for me, who will be replaced by Salah next week, but I might then have to turn to a cheaper Tottenham attacker to try to fill Son’s boots.

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My Mate’s A Footballer: Patrick Bamford tests podcast co-host Joe Wilkinson’s free-kicks

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Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford meets up with his My Mate’s A Footballer podcast co-host, comedian Joe Wilkinson, for a free-kick challenge.

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Can Wilkinson finally prove himself to be the elite free-kick “specialist” that he claims he is?

Listen to episodes of ‘My Mate’s A Footballer’ here

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Chelsea expect to be in Women’s Champions League semi-finals, says boss Emma Hayes

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Chelsea celebrate
British record signing Mayra Ramirez scored as Chelsea drew 1-1 with Ajax on Wednesday night to progress 4-1 on aggregate

Emma Hayes says Chelsea “expect to be” in the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League after securing their spot for a second season running by dispatching Dutch side Ajax.

Chelsea were beaten in the semi-finals by champions Barcelona last season.

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“We expect to be here, I should say that,” said Hayes.

“If you look at our record in the Champions League, even in the last five years, it was only once we didn’t qualify from the group. We’ve made the latter stages every [other] year.

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“I don’t make any excuses, we should be at this level and we should be at the semi-finals. Of course we have a little bit more depth to be able to do things like make more changes [on Wednesday] than we’ve ever had.

“But we haven’t won anything, we’re in the place we want to be. I don’t know who the opponent will be – but we’re ready.”

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Chelsea could set up another meeting with Barcelona in the last four. The Spanish giants have a 2-1 aggregate lead going into the second leg of their quarter-final tie with Brann on Thursday.

Hayes, who leaves Chelsea in the summer to manage the United States women’s national team, hopes to guide her side to the quadruple this season but will need to rely on every member of the squad after being hit with long-term injuries.

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As well as chasing a first European crown, Chelsea are top of the Women’s Super League, face Arsenal in the Women’s League Cup final on Sunday and play Manchester United in the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals next month.

“We love winning. I always say this to the players. No-one cares who scores. Everyone has a role to play,” said Hayes.

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“We have to count on each other. Some will play more than others throughout the season. I trust the squad, I trust the players. We’re in the place we want top be.

“There were some that absolutely needed to recover [on Wednesday] so I’m really happy with the whole squad.”

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