West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui insists he has not been distracted by speculation he is facing a must-win match on Monday, instead saying his focus is simply on beating Wolves, rather than worrying about his job. West Ham board members met this week to discuss the future of their head coach after the midweek 3-1 loss at relegation-threatened Leicester which followed on from the 5-2 defeat at home to Arsenal.
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Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will face Egyptian club Al Ahly in the opening game of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup while Premier League champions Manchester City will face Juventus in the opening group stage of FIFA’s controversial restructuring of the tournament. Chelsea will take on Brazil giants Flamengo in the United States next summer.
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Manchester City put their recent disastrous spell behind them as they ended a seven-game winless streak by beating Nottingham Forest. First-half goals from Bernardo Silva and star man Kevin de Bruyne put Pep Guardiola’s side in command by the break, with Jeremy Doku adding a third 12 minutes after the interval. After six defeats and a 3-3 draw with Feyenoord that must have felt like a loss the delight at successfully reaching the finish line on this occasion was obvious.
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Arsenal will host Manchester United in a mouth-watering FA Cup third-round tie next month. The competition’s two most successful teams – the Gunners have won it 14 times compared to United’s 13 – will clash at the Emirates Stadium on the weekend of 11-12 January. Ruben Amorim’s team are the current champions while Arsenal last lifted the trophy in 2020.
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Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points and heaped more misery on fading champions Manchester City with a fully deserved victory at Anfield. Cody Gakpo broke the deadlock after 12 minutes and a second half penalty from Mohamed Salah condemned City to another defeat as Pep Guardiola’s side continue to slip.
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