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Chelsea will get a full week to prepare for the Carabao Cup final while Liverpool have to play Luton on Wednesday due to fixture rearrangements.

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Chelsea set for more preparation time than Liverpool Broadcasting issues force Liverpool to play Luton on WednesdayWembley showdown set for February 25 Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Reds secured their spot in the Carabao Cup final, beating Fulham in the last four, which will mark their first Wembley trip of the campaign. Initially, Liverpool had the week leading up to the final clear for preparation. However, a recent change in the fixture list has disrupted their plans.

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Liverpool's encounter against Luton Town, originally scheduled for the weekend of the final, has been rescheduled to Wednesday, February 21. The tight turnaround necessitates recovery on Thursday, training on Friday, and travel to London on Saturday, offering minimal preparation time for Jurgen Klopp and his squad. In contrast, Chelsea benefits from an uninterrupted week leading up to the final. Their home clash against Tottenham, initially slated for February 23, remains unchanged.

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The fixture changes stem from broadcasting agreements and the selection of televised matches. Chelsea's fixture against Tottenham has already been chosen by Sky Sports, preventing any rescheduling due to conflicting Champions League ties. On the other hand, Liverpool's match against Luton was not selected for TV broadcast in the UK, leaving room for potential midweek rescheduling.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

While Chelsea and Tottenham mostly enjoy the luxury of free midweeks, Liverpool face a challenging schedule, thanks to their Europa League commitments. However, with Mohamed Salah having returned to full fitness, Jurgen Klopp will be confident to lift their first silverware of the season and keep alive their quadruple hopes.

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Championship leaders Leeds United host second-placed Norwich City at Elland Road on Saturday evening, and Whites fans on Twitter are expecting manager Marcelo Bielsa to leave Jack Clarke out of the starting XI.

The 18-year-old only made his league debut for the Yorkshire outfit back at the start of October against Brentford, but he has come on leaps and bounds since then and having made a significant impact from the substitutes’ bench, has even been included in the team from the start on occasions in recent weeks.

That included last weekend’s 2-1 win over local rivals Rotherham United at the New York Stadium, although the in-form teenager, who has two goals and one assist in his previous seven Championship outings, as per Transfermarkt, was taken off at half-time against the Millers.

In addition, with Pontus Jansson back from suspension and Barry Douglas set to be available, as per the Yorkshire Post, after injury having featured for the U23s earlier this week, Bielsa has some big selection decisions to make, with the potential return of the latter potentially leading to Ezgjan Alioski moving back to his preferred role on the wing.

With Tyler Roberts and Jack Harrison also impressing recently, not to mention Pablo Hernandez, there is certainly fierce competition for places in the attacking positions right now.

Leeds supporters have taken to social media to have their say on who they think could drop out of the side, and these individuals think it will be the youngster with one saying they “think Clarke will get dropped”.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

Cesc Fabregas's wife Daniella Semaan has slammed reports that claimed Lionel Messi had an affair with an Argentine journalist.

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Fabregas' wife denies Messi's alleged affairThe Argentine reportedly cheated on wife AntonellaReported in Brazilian mediaWHAT HAPPENED?

According to the Brazilian media outlet , the Inter Miami star is apparently facing a crisis in his married life and is on the verge of splitting up with his wife Antonella Roccuzzo after he allegedly had an affair with Argentine journalist Sofia Martinez.

But Cesc Fabregas' wife Daniella Semaan, who is extremely close to the Messi family, has denied the rumours and slammed the media report

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Replying to an Instagram post, Semaan wrote, "What publication is this that has no meaning.. and has nothing right."

Messi and Roccuzzo have known each other since childhood and have been in a relationship for 15 years. The couple got married in 2017 and has three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.

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The claims that there have been reports in Argentina as well that claim that the 36-year-old star is allegedly in love with a woman and it is not his wife Antonella.

Journalist Sofia Martinez came into the limelight during the World Cup for her famous and passionate speech addressing the Argentina skipper after he guided his team to the final beating Croatia in the semis. She thanked the Barcelona legend on behalf of all Argentines.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LIONEL MESSI?

Messi is currently enjoying the off-season after Inter Miami's MLS campaign ended last month. He was recently seen in action for La Albiceleste who played World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Brazil.

Chelsea have been advised on how to make their transfer business “easier” following a £1 billion ($1.2bn) spend by Todd Boehly and the Blues board.

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Huge money spent in west LondonLittle return seen as yetUrged to build around 'core'WHAT HAPPENED?

The Premier League giants have splashed the cash on a regular basis across the last three windows. They parted with £600m ($748m) during the 2022-23 campaign and refused to tighten the purse strings during the last recruitment market.

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Little value has been found despite investing big money, with former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill using his time at the club as an example of how less can be more. He has told : “When you’re in transition and the team’s evolving and changing, when we were successful here we had the core of the team and then we added one or two players to that and that’s a lot easier to adapt those players into the system and the football club. When you have so many changes, it does take time. The ability is there, first and foremost, but it takes time to learn this league and get experience. You get experience good and bad, football’s not all roses. They’ve had a few sticky results and that will give them some experience. In contrast to that, the manager has obviously got bundles of experience in this league, so I think he’s a great person to guide them through this.”

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Chelsea have, with Mauricio Pochettino now at the helm, picked up just four points from as many Premier League games in 2023-24. Cahill added on an ambitious rebuild in west London: “Obviously it’s quite disappointing in terms of the results but the average age of the squad is very, very young and it’s a new squad that’s been put together. A lot of them have not got huge experience in football just yet and certainly not in the Premier League so that will take time, it’s a very hard league. But there’s bundles of talent. I was away on pre-season with them and saw the training, and I was very impressed. But this will obviously take time. Time and patience and let these young players develop.”

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Cahill took in 290 appearances for Chelsea across eight years, with the Blues winning two Premier League titles, a couple of FA Cups, the League Cup, Champions League and the Europa League on two occasions during that time – with shrewd investment making them fiercely competitive at home and abroad.

Bayern Munich are eyeing a move for AC Milan's Mike Maignan who could replace Manuel Neuer as the first choice goalkeeper in the long run.

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Bayern prepare shortlist to replace NeuerGoalkeeper signed new one-year contractBayern want Milan's MaignanWHAT HAPPENED?

Despite signing a new one-year contract that will keep him at Bayern Munich until 2026, the Bundesliga champions have reportedly prepared a shortlist that has three names who could replace the veteran German international as the club's first-choice goalkeeper in the future, according to .

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Earlier, manager Thomas Tuchel had mentioned that Neuer can continue to play for as long as he wants to and that the club would want him as their number one. During a press conference, the German said: "As long as he feels as good and keeps it as he is. We're not giving it any limits. Then he can stand in goal for as long as he wants."

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The report suggests that AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan's name is there in the shortlist along with Dortmund's Gregor Kobel and Stuttgart's Alexander Nubel. The French custodian has appeared in 10 Serie A matches in the ongoing season where he managed to keep four clean sheets.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN MUNICH?

The defending champions, who are two points behind league Bayer Leverkusen, will aim to take home all three points as they take on Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Alisha Lehmann whipped out a hilarious fishing celebration when she netted Switzerland's fourth goal in 4-1 friendly win over Poland.

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Lehmann scored against PolandSwitzerland star pulled out novel celebrationSet for her 50th international capWHAT HAPPENED?

With Switzerland already 3-1 up, Lehmann went through on goal after being played in by team-mate Geraldine Reuteler, cleverly evading the challenge of a defender before finishing into the bottom far corner with a slightly unconventional outside of the foot shot. The Aston Villa star then pulled out an imaginary fishing rod to reel in her catch.

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This was Lehmann's eighth international goal in her 49th senior appearance for Switzerland. With another warm weather friendly to follow against Poland on Tuesday, the 25-year-old is set to reach her half century of caps for her country in that game.

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Lehmann's Aston Villa have had a poor WSL season by the standards they set in 2022-23, when they finished fifth. Both Everton and Tottenham have suffered alarming drop-offs after finishing fifth in recent years and Carla Ward's side are hoping to break that trend. Villa are currently eighth out of 12 and at this stage just finishing in the top half would be a significant achievement. But upcoming league games against Liverpool and Everton after the international break present a good opportunity for wins.

Timothy Weah has been ruled out of Juventus' clash with Napoli on Friday as the USMNT star's return to action has been delayed again.

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Weah got injured against Hellas VeronaContinues to recover from a thigh issueWould miss the clash against Napoli WHAT HAPPENED?

The Bianconeri will have to take the pitch against the reigning Serie A champions without Weah in their matchday squad. The 23-year-old is still nursing a thigh injury which he had picked up against Hellas Verona in late October.

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Speaking to reporters, Juventus manager, Massimiliano Allegri informed: "Everyone has recovered except Weah. I'll decide between Danilo and Alex Sandro tomorrow."

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Medical reports revealed that Weah had suffered an injury on the semitendinosus of his right thigh. Although it was referred to as a “low-grade” setback and was expected that the player would be fit to resume action after the November international break, that has not been the case.

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Weah has missed the last four Serie A games due to the injury. Allegri might continue to use Weston McKennie in his absence as he did against Inter and Monza. Whereas, Andrea Cambiaso is another option who can also be deployed on the right side of midfield.

Megan Rapinoe will not be heading into retirement just yet, with the USWNT icon helping to fire OL Reign into the NWSL play-offs.

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All-time great preparing to hang up her bootsNot ready to call it a day just yetWill face Angel City FC in the post-seasonWHAT HAPPENED?

The 38-year-old forward, who earned 203 caps and scored 63 goals for her country, will be hanging up her boots when the 2023 season comes to a close. She has not reached that point just yet, with a well-taken brace against the Chicago Red Stars ensuring that OL Reign are heading into the post-season.

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Two-time World Cup winner Rapinoe was never going to bring the curtain down on her remarkable career without making a few more headlines, and a fitting finale remains on the cards after delivering more moments of magic against the Red Stars.

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Rapinoe’s first goal in a 3-0 win for OL Reign saw her drift inside from the left before curling a dipping strike into the bottom corner. She repeated that trick a matter of minutes later when whipping another effort into the back of the net via the inside of the post.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

A comfortable victory on the final day of the NWSL regular season has seen OL Reign wrap up a fifth-place finish. Rapinoe will now take in at least one more game before calling it a day, with Angel City FC next on the agenda for her.

Barcelona's Inigo Martinez feels that Ilkay Gundogan did not intend for his criticism of the team to spark controversy after the Clasico defeat.

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Gundogan spoke out against team-matesReceived criticism for commentsInigo Martinez defends Germany internationalGetty WHAT HAPPENED?

Last month, the Catalan side lost 2-1 to Real Madrid after blowing a lead, which prompted a heated comment from Gundogan following the match in which he criticised the Barcelona team's response to the setback. Gundogan's remarks have caused some uproar as he called for greater fervour and cautioned his team that they were losing ground. Martinez has now claimed that Gundogan was just overcome by the passion of his first Clasico in an attempt to defuse the situation.

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"It was just after the game, in the heat of the moment, we had just lost against Real Madrid and when you are in the heat of the moment, you say things you don't mean," he told Sport. "Whenever you're like this, things usually don't come out well and often contribute little.

"We all knew what he wanted to say and none of us felt singled out. The next day, we talked about it. It was in the heat of the moment because you lose against Madrid and you say things that you don't really mean and you don't want to say. Everything is solved, there are good vibes. There is no problem between us."

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The midfielder's future in Barcelona has already come under scrutiny. His wife Sara has previously refuted reports that Gundogan was unhappy with Barcelona's attempts to help the family settle into life at the club, while his agent has hit back at claims the midfielder wants to move to Galatasaray.

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WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

Barcelona are third in the league, four points behind surprise leaders Girona, and will be in action when they take on Rayo Vallecano on November 25.

GOAL takes a look at the USYNT players to keep an eye on in Indonesia

A quick glimpse at the U.S. men's national team's 2022 World Cup roster shows one thing: this whole process began long before Qatar. It started at the youth level, where many of American soccer's top stars earned their first real tastes of the international game at youth World Cups.

Half of the team's roster for the 2022 tournament in Qatar had previously played in a youth World Cup of some sort. Ten of those players had done so at the Under-17 level. So, as this year's U17 World Cup gets set to kick off, it's safe to assume that we'll be watching a few future USMNT stars.

There may or may not be a Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna or Tyler Adams in this bunch. However, that can all change very quickly. Reyna, Joe Scally and Ricardo Pepi all played at the U17 level just four years ago, and all three are key USMNT players in the here and now.

The U.S. faces a tough road, as they'll take on South Korea, Burkina Faso and France in the group stage. A difficult group, for sure, one that Gonzalo Segares' side may struggle with. For them to survive that group, they'll need some stars to step up, and GOAL has you covered with a look at several of the USMNT's big prospects set to play in Indonesia this fall..

Getty ImagesKeyrol Figueroa

No doubt here: Figueroa is the player to watch with this group.

The striker is already making waves at Liverpool and he's a player that already has Premier League pedigree. His father, Honduras legend Maynor, played in England for years before ending his career in MLS, paving the way for his son to rise through the ranks of the U.S. system.

Figueroa is this team's leading scorer and most promising player, a true No.9 that has those over at Anfield salivating already. He had seven goals in as many games in CONCACAF qualifying, but has dealt with injuries to start this season.

If he's healthy, Figueroa is a legit matchwinner at this level, but he may need to find a bit of confidence quickly, having not scored since April due to those injury issues.

AdvertisementTyler Hall

The U.S. captain for this tournament, Hall has been a consistent face of this team throughout this cycle.

An Inter Miami product, the defender has been a regular for Inter Miami II in MLS NEXT Pro, making 20 appearances this past season. He signed a pro contact with the club in March.

On the international side, he captained the team during the CONCACAF tournament and will retain the role as a defensive leader for this group.

If all goes well, perhaps Hall can use this tournament as springboard toward some minutes alongside Lionel Messi someday soon.

Nimfasha Berchimas

The youngest player in the squad, and the youngest player we've seen in a team like this for a long time.

Just 15 years old, the Charlotte FC homegrown is the youngest American player to head to a U17 World Cup since Freddy Adu. It's quite an achievement for a player that, despite his age, has already been a professional for nearly a year. He signed with Charlotte FC last November at just 14 and has previously trained with Bayern Munich.

For his club, he spent this past season with Crown Legacy FC in MLS NEXT Pro, scoring his first goal in September in a 1-0 win over New England Revolution II.

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David Vazquez

Don't look now, but Vazquez may just be next up on the Phialdelphia Union's seemingly never-ending conveyor belt of homegrown stars.

The young forward is a player that has made things happen at this U17 level, racking up four assists in seven matches in the CONCACAF tournament.

Vazquez had previously drawn interest from the likes of Chivas in Mexico, but the LA-born star opted to begin his career with the Philadelphia Union. He has since become a key player for the club in MLS Next, scoring a tying goal in the final en route to a title in the 2022 season.