Jurgen Klopp se dit satisfait de la performance de son équipe de Liverpool alors qu’ils battent Fulham, ajoutant qu’ils “doivent juste continuer” dans leur candidature à la qualification en Ligue des champions.
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium Date: Thursday, 21 March Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds, BBC Sport website and app, plus live text
Highlights: Match of the Day Wales, BBC One Wales from 22:40 GMT and later on demand
Wales face Finland at Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday aiming to keep alive their dream of qualifying for a third successive European Championship.
So who makes your side for their play-off semi-final?
Aaron Ramsey returned from injury for Cardiff City in last Saturday’s south Wales derby, but would you risk his fitness in such a vital game?
Wales boss Robert Page has to choose between four goalkeepers not playing for their clubs this season – so who will be your number one?
Wes Burns has remained with his club Ipswich because of injury while Ben Cabango and Joe Low have both withdrawn from Page’s squad.
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The winners of Thursday’s game will face either Poland or Estonia five days later for the right to be in Germany this summer.
First, Wales must get it right against Finland.
So choose your formation and then the 11 players you think should start the semi-final – and remember to share your picks on social media using #bbcfootball.
Pick your team for Wales’ Euro 2024 play-off semi-final – and then share it with your friends
With six games left of the Women’s Super League season Chelsea and Manchester City are locked on 40 points at the top.
Chelsea are chasing their fifth successive league title in boss Emma Hayes’ final season in charge, while City are looking to triumph for the first time since 2016.
Arsenal are still in contention, but have it all to do sitting six points further back in third.
How are things shaping up for the remaining games? Who has the tougher run-in? What do the pundits and managers think?
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Current table
Team
Played
Points
GD
Form (past 5 games)
1. Chelsea
16
40
+34
WWLWW
2. Man City
16
40
+32
WWWWW
3. Arsenal
16
34
+17
WLWWL
City have recovered from early-season blips to win their past 10 WSL games, including a 1-0 success Chelsea in February, to move level on points at the top but with two goals to make up.
If goal difference is level at the end, the title outcome will be decided on goals scored – and Chelsea currently lead City 48-42 on that metric.
It is only the second time in WSL history that teams have been level on points after 16 games, with Manchester City and Manchester United both on 38 points at the same stage last season.
It was, though, Chelsea who went on to win the title, finishing two points clear of United.
What are the remaining fixtures?
March
West Ham (A)
Man Utd (H)
Aston Villa (H)
Liverpool (A)
April
Aston Villa (H)
West Ham (H)
Leicester City (H)
Liverpool (A)
Bristol City (A)
Everton (A)
May
Bristol City (H)
Arsenal (H)
Man City (A)
Man Utd (A)
Aston Villa (A)
Brighton (H)
Postponed to date tbc
Tottenham (A)
Bristol City (H)
Chelsea and Arsenal will both miss a Women’s Super League game across the weekend of 30-31 March as they face each other in the League Cup final at Molineux.
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That will allow Manchester City to potentially change the standings at the top, depending on their results in their next matches.
Gareth Taylor’s Blues have to play three of the current top five, but two of them are at home. Chelsea face two trips to top-five sides, while Arsenal have to visit City.
What does the Opta ‘supercomputer’ suggest?
Team
% chance of winning title
Current position & points
1. Chelsea
66.7
1st – 40 points
2. Man City
32.9
2nd – 40 points
3. Arsenal
0.4
3rd – 34 points
Opta’s ‘supercomputer’ prediction model estimates the probability of each match outcome (win, draw or loss) by using betting market odds and the Opta team rankings – based on historical and recent team performances.
These are simulated thousands of times to create the probabilities.
Chelsea ‘in driving seat’ but City ‘will push all the way’
Arsenal midfielder Kim Little told Sky Sports on Friday that Chelsea’s 3-1 win over the Gunners meant the title had “slipped away slightly”.
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Former England midfielders Karen Carney and Izzy Christiansen agreed, with the latter adding: “It’s going to be Manchester City pushing Chelsea all the way.”
Ex-Arsenal, Chelsea and Wales striker Helen Ward told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra she cannot see Chelsea and City dropping enough points for the Gunners to be involved, saying “trying to overhaul a six-point deficit on one team is difficult enough”.
Little believes Chelsea “are in the driving seat”, while Hayes, who will become USA coach in the summer, said: “We’re top, that’s clear. We’re three points in the direction we want to go and that’s it.”
City will keep fighting, though, and winger Lauren Hemp hopes their 4-1 win at Brighton was “a statement” of their intent.
“We want to win it and we will try our best to do that,” she added.
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City boss Gareth Taylor said: “All we do is try to attack the next game that’s in front of us. It was seven, one down now. Six to go. We move onto the next one.
“We try to keep it as simple as possible, that’s the way to be. We just try to control what we can control.”
But, who will win it? BBC pundits Anita Asante and Fern Whelan made their predictions after City’s success at Brighton.
“Chelsea arguably have the better run-in and probably it’s their title to lose,” said Asante, who won the Quadruple with Arsenal in 2007.
Whelan, who played for Everton and Liverpool, added: “I’d probably have to agree in terms of the run-in. Anyone can take points off anyone in the league but the way Chelsea are, and they have done it, they have been there before. They are the team to beat.”
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Le PSG attend d’affronter un marché des transferts estival très chargé. Il y aura une guerre pour plusieurs joueurs avec le Real Madrid.
Le Real Madrid et le PSG seront les deux grands protagonistes du marché des transferts. De nombreux mouvements entre entités sont attendus, en vue du marché qui est sur le point d’arriver cet été, et en même temps, les projecteurs sont également tournés vers le Bayern Munich pour un cas spécifique.
Il s’agit d’Alphonso Davies et son départ crée un triangle qui va tout marquer. Le Canadien ne souhaite pas renouveler avec le Bayern Munich et compte deux grands prétendants : le Real Madrid et le PSG. Au vu de la parole du joueur, oui, les Parisiens doivent être exclus de cette équation.
Davies n’a d’yeux que pour le Real Madrid. Il est convaincu de vouloir signer avec l’équipe blanche pour l’année prochaine et a déjà dit “oui” à ce changement de l’Allianz Arena au Santiago Bernabéu. Le Canadien envisage de se retirer du PSG, pour cette raison, et cela provoquera une réaction en chaîne.
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Mendy est sur le marché
Le plan B de Davies est Theo Hernández, selon Mundo Deportivo. Le PSG sait aussi, comme Davies, que ce n’est pas la priorité du joueur. Le Bayern Munich a posé des questions sur le Français, sachant qu’il va perdre Davies et qu’il est très avancé.
Cela les relègue au plan C, celui du Real Madrid, une revanche sur Davies qui éliminerait Ferland Mendy. L’arrière latéral français est « l’invité surprise » qu’ils avaient déjà tenté de recruter il y a plusieurs années. Al-Khelaïfi pourrait accélérer sa signature cet été. A Madrid, on attend les négociations avec impatience.
From one of Europe’s most-wanted managers to the first coach sacked by Germany – Hansi Flick’s career has been a rollercoaster over the past few years.
Following a spectacularly successful spell with Bayern Munich, on 10 September he made history when he was dismissed by his country after a 4-1 friendly defeat by Japan made it three losses in a row.
For the German federation it was the last straw of Flick’s two-year reign, coming after their elimination from the 2022 World Cup group stage, where they lost their opening game against Japan.
When he left Bayern to take over as national team coach, he did so having achieved one of the greatest runs in the club’s history, winning two Bundesliga titles, the Champions League, the German Cup, the German Super Cup, the Uefa Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
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When Flick’s Bayern won the Champions League in 2020 they were the first team to do so with a 100% record.
He coached Bayern to the Treble, the second in the club’s history, and won 83% of his matches in charge, managing an average of three goals per game.
The 59-year-old is now looking to get his managerial career back on track with a number of top clubs from around Europe interested – including Barcelona and from the Premier League.
He will return a changed man. A hip replacement has left him pain-free following years of discomfort and lack of sleep.
His renewed fitness has allowed him to touch base again with his oldest friends including Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and his former colleague Danny Rohl, currently looking to turn things around at Sheffield Wednesday, plus Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton.
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Would Barcelona be a good fit for him?
One place many are saying could be his next port of call is Barcelona – and he is very much on the shortlist to replace Xavi who will be leaving at the end of the season.
It wouldn’t be a problem for him to settle in Spain because he has, for the past 15 or so years, enjoyed holidaying on the small Spanish island Formentera. While he is not currently fluent in Spanish, it would not take him too long to master the language.
What he will be looking for wherever he goes is a place to start a new project, where he can enjoy the support of everyone at the club or at the very least the top man, which at Barcelona would be Joan Laporta.
At Bayern he enjoyed a wonderful relationship as a friend and colleague with former player and board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Bearing in mind that Barcelona is a football club replete with politics which seems to be permanently living through a messy civil war, it is not an ideal scenario for him, although not necessarily a deal breaker.
The reason for that is he is no stranger to internal conflict and, despite his successes with Bayern, it wasn’t all plain sailing at the German club.
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He decided to not renew his contract with them and opted instead for the post of Germany head coach because of his differences with then sporting director at the club, Hasan Salihamidzic, who was sacked in May 2023.
In a perfect world Flick would love to join a club where peace and harmony reign.
What he would find if he joined Barcelona is a club where just about everyone – from supporters to directors, to a totally demanding media – expects the new person at the helm will finally be the new ‘Pep’ they have been looking for since Guardiola left the club in 2012.
They will then proceed to analyse and scrutinize every single comment he ever makes, and the style he plays. Flick offers modern, high-tempo, offensive, pressure-high football, and collective quality. But he will never be Pep Guardiola. Nobody will.
If he does end up in the Barcelona hot seat, he will look to reassure everyone at the club that it is a family, but as we all know, families fight.
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This one more than most, and Flick would be most concerned to ensure that when the inevitable arguments ensue, he enjoys the confidence and backing of those that make up the winning side.
How would Flick settle in Premier League?
Flick is a big admirer of the Premier League and has huge respect for the level of coaching, which he believes is astonishingly good.
The Premier League would be a great fit for him and the media would love his transparency and honesty.
Wherever he has worked as a coach he has been respected by the media, not just because of the respect he shows everyone, but because in addition to being seen as a good coach, he is generally seen as a good, fair interviewee.
Unlike many other managers, including present incumbent at Bayern, Thomas Tuchel, Flick will always look to boost his players, not talk them down. Flick can be tough but will always present a united front to reinforce his players.
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He can do all that in perfect English.
What kind of coach is Flick?
Flick is very much a product of the school of footballing obsessives.
While Guardiola and De Zerbi are fixated with possession of the ball and controlling the game, his ideas are more concerned with mixing a direct approach with possession.
Despite the importance of organisation and working to set plans, he is also keen to ensure his players can play to their full potential and not be hamstrung by too many rules and regulations. He understands how important it is that all players should be allowed to express themselves on the pitch.
In that philosophy he probably allies himself more closely to the ideologies of someone like Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
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He is as comfortable dealing with the top personalities in the game as he is bringing in youngsters, and believes in a philosophy that demands honesty from all parties.
Flick believes every player needs to know what they have to work on if they want to improve. It was him and his team that spotted the raw talent of Jamal Musiala, who looks on his way to becoming one of the top world talents and who Flick drafted into his Bayern squad when just 17 years old.
And while his work with Germany was far from an unqualified success, he can be proud of some of the young players he brought into his squad, including Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw and Brentford forward Kevin Schade.
But as much as Flick loves to work with young players, he is also very aware that a mix of ages is important. He knows that not everyone can play like Musiala and that some players need guidance and parameters to be able to be the best they can be.
He likes to play a pressing game, with and without the ball, and is happiest when having possession in the opponent’s half.
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As a coach, despite living through an era that is becoming more and more driven by data, Flick strongly believes in trusting his instincts, something that shone when his Bayern Munich side won the Champions League in 2020.
It was a brave decision for him to drop Ivan Perisic from his starting line-up before the final against Paris St-Germain and bring in Kingsley Coman, especially after the Croatian had performed so well for him in previous rounds.
But Flick felt Coman’s desire against his former club would make the difference and, as much as his decision hurt Perisic, even the Croatian said after the game that it was the right one.
Defender Liam Scales and striker Troy Parrott have been ruled out of the Republic of Ireland’s friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland.
Scales missed Celtic’s weekend win over St Johnstone because of injury and has withdrawn from the Republic squad.
Parrott is ruled out after missing his Dutch club Excelsior’s past two games.
Under-21s players Joe Hodge and Andy Moran will join the squad of interim coach John O’Shea after Friday’s European qualifier against San Marino.
However, O’Shea has not opted to call up any further replacements.
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Derry City goalkeeper Brian Maher has been invited to train alongside the squad’s keepers Gavin Bazunu, Caoimhin Kelleher and Mark Travers in the build-up to the friendlies in Dublin.
The Republic face Belgium on Saturday before next Tuesday’s contest with Switzerland.
Forwards: Ferguson (Brighton), Idah (Celtic, on loan from Norwich), Obafemi (Millwall, on loan from Burnley), Szmodics (Blackburn), Ogbene (Luton Town).
Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert said “it’s hard not to dream a little bit” as Emma Hayes’ side bid to win the Champions League for the first time.
The Blues face Ajax on Tuesday in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.
Last season’s semi-finalists are aiming to win the European title for the first time in Hayes’ final season with the club.
“Of course it would mean everything to get to the final and to go on and win it,” said Cuthbert.
“But I’ve been at this club so long, it’s all about a process. We’re in the quarter-finals now and it’s two ties that lie ahead, two tough games against a really tough team who have more than proved themselves at this level.
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“We’re under no illusions, it’s going to be a tough game tomorrow, but of course it’s hard not to dream a little bit.
“You are a football player, but at the same time I’ve been so well-drilled under Emma that it is very process-oriented.”
Ajax have already made history by reaching the last eight for the last time, becoming only the second team from the Netherlands, after Saestum in 2006-07, to reach this stage.
“As a player, I certainly know that if I was in the competition for the first time, I’d be playing without fear,” Cuthbert added.
“I think we need to be wary of that. They’ve got nothing to lose and we’ve got everything so we’ll be giving it everything to try and bring a result back to Stamford Bridge that we’re happy with.”
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Hayes’ side head into the tie at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff Arena full of confidence after a 3-1 Women’s Super League win over Arsenal on Friday.
They lost to eventual winners Barcelona in last season’s semi-final and there has been plenty of talk around Hayes winning the trophy that eludes her at Chelsea in her final season.
“Every game means a lot to me,” she said. I really don’t apportion any more emotional response to one competition over another. I would like to be part of a team that wins as much as possible.
“I’m just happy to be at this stage of the competition.”
Klaidi Lolos scored for the third successive game as Crawley clinched a home draw to deny promotion-chasing Stockport the chance to cut the gap on League Two leaders Mansfield to just two points.
Antoni Sarcevic headed the Hatters in front in the 61st minute but Lolos’ leveller seven minutes from time gave Crawley only their second home draw in nearly 11 months.
Stockport, with only two wins from their previous nine away league games, had an early escape when recalled defender Laurence Maguire put a free header wide from a cross by Kellan Gordon.
Maguire had earlier set up Harry Forster but his shot was blocked by Stockport goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe.
The visitors threatened when Callum Camps broke through and and his powerful shot struck the outside of the post.
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Stockport were indebted to Hinchliffe shortly before the break when Jeremy Kelly played in Danilo Orsi and the keeper beat away his goalbound shot.
At the other end, Corey Addai came to Crawley’s rescue shortly after the interval by producing fine saves to deny Kyle Wootton and Isaac Olaofe.
But Stockport broke the deadlock just after the hour when Sarcevic struck with a free header at the far post from Todd Kane’s corner.
However, Crawley equalised seven minutes from time when Greece-born Lolos burst through and fired past Hinchliffe, meaning Stockport have won only one of their last seven games.
Second Half ends, Crawley Town 1, Stockport County 1.
Attempt missed. Laurence Maguire (Crawley Town) left footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left.
Attempt saved. Kyle Wootton (Stockport County) header from very close range is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Neill Byrne (Stockport County) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Connor Lemonheigh-Evans with a cross following a corner.
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Corner, Stockport County. Conceded by Jay Williams.
Foul by Klaidi Lolos (Crawley Town).
Ethan Pye (Stockport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Crawley Town. Nicholas Tsaroulla replaces Harry Forster.
Attempt saved. Kyle Wootton (Stockport County) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Antoni Sarcevic with a headed pass.
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Goal! Crawley Town 1, Stockport County 1. Klaidi Lolos (Crawley Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Danilo Orsi.
Joy Mukena (Crawley Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Kyle Wootton (Stockport County).
Foul by Laurence Maguire (Crawley Town).
Ethan Pye (Stockport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Substitution, Stockport County. Lewis Cass replaces Todd Kane.
Substitution, Stockport County. Connor Lemonheigh-Evans replaces Isaac Olaofe.
Corner, Crawley Town. Conceded by Antoni Sarcevic.
Non-black players were 50% more likely to get into management than black players over a 30-year period, according to research commissioned by the Black Footballers Partnership (BFP).
The report by three academics looked at off-the-pitch careers of around 3,500 former footballers who played in the Premier League or Championship between 1990 and 2010.
It found that despite black players making up 25% of Uefa-issued coaching qualifications, in 2022 and 2023, they only accounted for 4% of all managerial roles.
Delroy Corinaldi, executive director of BFP, said: “A career in football management often looks like a game of Snakes and Ladders; but for black former players, it’s pretty much all snakes and no ladders”.
The BFP is an organisation of black present and former players.
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The report summarised that black former players get fewer chances at management, get promoted more slowly, their progress stalls sooner and they get fired quicker than their non-black counterparts – none of which is related to performance.
It also made a number of points, including:
The average black player does not accumulate much more than half the managerial experience that all other former players do
A black manager is 41% more likely to be fired than a white manager – when factors such as performance are equal
Across all management roles, a black person is 17% more likely to be fired
Of the 3,500 players in the research, 73% of the black players played in the Premier League with an average 62 appearances per player, while 62% of the non-black players appeared in the top-flight, with an average of 49 appearances.
“The findings are unbelievably stark,” Corinaldi told the PA news agency.
“The footballers have become the lost generation off the pitch, having become the stars on it.”
The report was published shortly after it was confirmed the UK government will establish an independent football regulator when the Football Governance Bill is introduced in Parliament on Tuesday.
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Former professionals including Les Ferdinand, Chris Ramsey, Michael Johnson, Ricky Hill, Paul Davis and Sol Campbell have joined Corinaldi’s calls to include diversity and inclusivity objectives in the Football Governance Bill.
They have also called for football stakeholders to work with BFP to understand the lived experiences of discrimination in the game and for black footballers to receive the support they need to progress through every tier of the game unhindered by prejudice and racial discrimination.
“The game must do better and the independent regulator offers an opportunity for that but if that independent regulator doesn’t address racial equity in the game based on the data we’re showing then it is a missed opportunity,” added Corinaldi.
“This report is an opportunity for the game to reset, to re-engage with the BFP so we can work towards sustainable solutions.”