Author: cimi

Arsenal host record eight-time Women’s Champions League winners Lyon in the first leg of their semi-final on Saturday lunchtime.

The Gunners are aiming to win the competition for the first time since 2007 – having not even reached the final since then – but face an almighty hurdle as they seek to secure their place in the showpiece event.

Renee Slegers has excelled since taking charge of the north London outfit and helped them complete an impressive turnaround to reach the final four. Having lost the first leg of their quarter-final 2-0 to Real Madrid, Alessio Russo inspired the Gunners to a 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium in the return fixture.

Arsenal will want to channel such a mentality when they host Lyon on Saturday, with the French giants having already clinched the Premiere Ligue title. Last year’s runners-up haven’t lost in regulation time in any competition all season and the Gunners will need to produce the performances of their lives across two legs to reach the final against either Barcelona or London rivals Chelsea.

Here is 90min’s guide to the first leg.

Arsenal vs Lyon H2H record (last five games)

Current form (all competitions)

Arsenal will welcome key forward duo Russo and Chloe Kelly back into the fold after the pair missed the midweek thrashing of Leicester City in the Women’s Super League. “They will be fully available, so that’s great,” Slegers beamed during her Friday press conference.

First-choice stopper Daphne van Domselaar also missed the win over Leicester having sustained an injury on international duty but won’t be available for the first leg. Manuela Zinsberger is expected to continue between the sticks.

Lotte Wubben-Moy is a major doubt for the clash, too, while Lina Hurtig and Laia Codina are expected to miss out.

Arsenal predicted lineup vs Lyon (4-3-3): Zinsberger; Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe; Little, Maanum; Caldentey; Kelly, Russo, Foord.

Former Arsenal coach Joe Montemurro will be able to name an incredibly strong starting XI to face Arsenal and should welcome Melchie Dumornay back into the fold. The 21-year-old, who scored twice in quarter-final victories over Bayern Munich, missed last weekend’s draw with Paris FC but should be available.

Dumornay is just one of an array of world-class attacking threats, with Kadidiatou Diani leading the competition for goals and assists – boasting nine in total this term. Eugenie Le Sommer, Ada Hegerberg and Tabita Chawinga are others Arsenal must stop at the Emirates.

Wendie Renard missed the clash with Paris FC following a foot injury and will be assessed on the morning of the game.

Lyon predicted lineup vs Arsenal (4-3-3): Endler; Carpenter, Gilles, Renard, Bacha; Marozsan, Heaps, Egurrola; Diani, Dumornay, Chawinga.

Both sides enter the first leg in tremendous form and will be confident of their chances in a gargantuan encounter. Arsenal must avoid defeat to realistically progress but Lyon could prove a challenge too great.

The French side have lost just once all campaign – that coming on penalties – and have been utterly dominant in the Champions League. Arsenal may find the attacking firepower of their visitors too ferocious.

Prediction: Arsenal 1-2 Lyon

READ THE LATEST WOMEN’S FOOTBALL NEWS, FEATURES & ANALYSIS

Chelsea are one of a handful of clubs who could take advantage of a unique release clause in the contract of Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy, it has emerged.

The Blues are among the many top sides on the hunt for a new goalscorer this summer and will rival Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and a whole host of other clubs when the transfer market opens. The likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen, Benjamin Sesko, Hugo Ekitike and Liam Delap are all under consideration.

With competition so high, all clubs are drawing up long lists of potential targets and, according to SPORT BILD, Guirassy is on the radars of many – which is hardly surprising for a striker who has 28 goals in 40 games and recently netted three against Barcelona.

It is claimed Guirassy dreams of playing in the Premier League and so, when he joined Dortmund last summer, his entourage negotiated a release clause which is specific to “half a dozen” top sides across Europe, one of which is Chelsea.

Chelsea have been strongly linked to Guirassy in the past. He rejected a move to Stamford Bridge in 2020 due to concerns over his playing time and was back on the radar in 2023. The Blues were also tentatively linked with the Guinea international before he joined Dortmund for €18m (£15.4m) last summer.

If they choose to finally act on their longstanding interest in Guirassy, Chelsea are one of just a few sides who can trigger a release clause which is thought to sit around the €70m (£60m) mark and will only be active after the Club World Cup this summer.

As it stands, Guirassy is in no rush to leave Dortmund and club officials are not rushing to agree to a sale either, although the club’s disappointing campaign is likely to see them miss out on Champions League football, which could force them to entertain sales to compensate for the drop in income.

Guirassy is thought to be ambitious and keen to remain in Europe’s top competition, potentially opening the door to a move away, although Chelsea’s involvement in the Champions League next season is far from certain either.

Enzo Maresca’s side currently sit sixth in the Premier League standings, one point behind Manchester City in fifth. England’s top five will qualify for the competition.

READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP

Manchester United have not made a “firm decision” on Rasmus Hojlund’s future and are considering various different scenarios, a report has claimed.

Hojlund has endured a desperately underwhelming campaign in front of goal for United. After suffering through an interminable wait for his first Premier League strike, the Denmark international finished his debut season with 16 goals across all competitions.

With less than two months of the current campaign remaining, Hojlund boasts half that tally and has only netted three top-flight goals. United’s No 9 isn’t so much guilty of missing chances as not getting any to begin with. The former Atalanta forward averages 1.3 shots per 90 minutes played – which is a lower rate than defensive midfielder Casemiro or the club’s raw wing-back Patrick Dorgu.

In a Q&A with The Athletic subscribers, David Ornstein claimed that no concrete decision has been made regarding Hojlund’s future and cast doubt over the club taking serious steps towards selling the misfiring Dane.

Ornstein also pointed out that United would likely take a significant financial hit if they were to offload the £72m recruit this summer, given the far inferior sum they could realistically command for a player with fewer Premier League goals than Paul Onuachu, the talisman for a historically dreadful Southampton side.

Hojlund, after all, was one of the five players Sir Jim Ratcliffe named when describing members of United’s squad as “not good enough” and “overpaid”.

While United may be unable to sell Hojlund, the report claims that the club are “definitely” pushing to sign another striker this summer.

Amorim’s Premier League outfit have been linked with a glut of forwards, ranging from a surprise punt on Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta to the universally admired Viktor Gyokeres at Sporting CP. Given the club’s financial restrictions, which will be even stricter if they fail to win the Europa League and thereby miss out on a back-door entrance to the lucrative Champions League, big-money acquisitions may remain in the realm of rumour rather than reality.

Ipswich Town’s buccaneering young forward Liam Delap represents an intriguing prospect. Thought to be available for £30m in the likely event of relegation for the listing Tractor Boys, the 22-year-old is one of the few relatively affordable figures with a proven Premier League track record.

Delap’s tally of 12 Premier League goals is more than Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho have mustered between them this season.

READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP

Ryan Gravenberch has no interest in leaving Liverpool for Real Madrid despite his agent’s recent claims to the contrary, a report has claimed.

After enjoying arguably the best campaign of his burgeoning career, starting all 32 Premier League games at the base of midfield for a Liverpool side romping to the top-flight title, Gravenberch’s agent felt compelled to speak out.

Jose Fortes not only claimed that his client was “good enough” to play for Real Madrid, but added: “We would love for him to play for them.” Mail Sport now insist that Fortes’ comments have been misconstrued.

The Spanish representative was said to be speaking from his own point of view regarding Real Madrid’s status as a dream destination. The report goes on to claim that Gravenberch “is going nowhere” – which is a significant boost for a Liverpool side trying to build from a position of strength.

Gravenberch’s midfielder partner Alexis Mac Allister also found himself in the transfer crosshairs of a rumoured move to Real Madrid. Mac Allister’s father Carlos – who should be well aware of football’s transfer intricacies after a 12-year professional playing career (some of which overlapped with Diego Maradona) – fuelled the speculation with an open-ended interview.

The former Argentine international was forced to hurriedly row back on his previous comments, stressing: “Alexis has a contract with Liverpool until 2028 and is happy at the club and we hope he will continue there.”

Liverpool also have Gravenberch tied down to a deal which stretches until 2028 and there has been little suggestion that the Dutchman would want to leave a winning setup. The former Ajax and Bayern Munich midfielder has also struck up a strong relationship with his manager Arne Slot. “The coach gives me confidence and sets me up,” he told ESPN earlier this season.

“I have a good bond with him and I’m very happy he’s here. We think in the same way. He likes football and building up from the back. That suits me super well too.”

READ THE LATEST TRANSFER NEWS & GOSSIP FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Manchester United’s Champions League qualification hopes are still alive after a dramatic 5-4 win over Lyon at Old Trafford handed them a 7-6 aggregate win in their Europa League quarter-final tie.

The Red Devils were 2-0 up and cruising thanks to first-half goals from Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot, but Ruben Amorim’s side, whose preparation for the second leg was less than ideal following a miserable 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United at the weekend, contrived to a throwaway their advantage within the space of six second-half minutes.

A close-range header from Lyon captain Corentin Tolisso was followed up a scrappy Nicolas Tagliafico goal, before the former was sent off before full-time for a second bookable offence.

United failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage and Old Trafford was stunned when a breakaway led by substitute Malick Fofana saw Rayan Cherki, who scored the equaliser to earn Lyon a 2-2 draw in the pair’s first leg meeting last Thursday, fire a scorching low effort past a motionless Andre Onana.

Fofana was then hauled down in the penalty area via a combination of Luke Shaw and Leny Yoro, and former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette sent Onana the wrong way to make it 4-2 on the night with just ten minutes left to play.

All in attendance were understandably shellshocked by what they had seen, but they didn’t have time to draw breath as Bruno Fernandes reduced the arrears after converting a penalty awarded for a foul on Casemiro.

Unbelievably, substitute Kobbie Mainoo fired United level on the night, bending a terrific effort into the far corner, before Harry Maguire, playing as a makeshift striker, got on the end of Casemiro’s floated cross to bury a header past the statuesque Lucas Perri in goal.

The goal sparked pandemonium in the stands, with the final whistle moments later sealing a famous win for United while providing a real shot in the arm for Amorim and his players.

*Ratings provided by FotMob

Subs not used: Altay Bayindir (GK), Tom Heaton (GK), Ayden Heaven, Godwill Kukonki, Jaydan Kamason, Victor Lindelof, Jack Moorhouse.

*Ratings provided by FotMob

Subs not used: Lassine Diarra (GK), Remy Descamps (GK), Sael Kumbedi, Warmed Omari, Nemanja Matic.

Player of the Match: Casemiro (Man Utd)

READ THE LATEST EUROPA LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS & RATINGS HERE