MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola says his legacy as manager of Manchester City has been extraordinary with the defending Premier League champions now looking to extend their dominance on the European stage.

City will host visiting Real Madrid for Champions League semi-final second leg this Thursday morning with the two teams tied 1-1 on aggregate.

Victory over the Spanish giants would put Guardiola’s men on course to become just the second team to win the treble – the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in the same season.

City need just one win from their last three Premier League games to secure a fifth title in six seasons under Guardiola but they have never been crowned European champions.

They may not have a better chance with the winner of their clash against Real being favorites to beat either AC Milan or Inter Milan in next month’s final.

“My legacy, our legacy is extraordinary,” said Guardiola at a press conference ahead of the match against Real.

“We’re not stupid (not) knowing how important tomorrow’s game is. It’s one of the most important and that’s why we’re here.

“We cannot deny that, for the competition, for many things. I tell the players to take advantage of this opportunity and enjoy it.

“We’re very lucky to be here. It’s in our hands, it’s up to us, we don’t have to do anything extraordinary, just be ourselves and win one game to get to the final.”

City’s dreams were dashed by Real’s late comeback when the two teams met in the semi-finals last season.

However, Guardiola’s men this time have home advantage and have a good record at the Etihad Stadium.

City have not lost at home in the Champions League for five years and have won all 14 of their games at home in 2023.

LONDON: Manchester United star David de Gea has agreed to renew his contract with the club.

De Gea’s old contract expires in June and his future is uncertain after a series of mistakes this season.

According to The Telegraph, the goalkeeper and United have nevertheless reached an agreement to extend his 12-year contract at Old Trafford.

The £375,000 a week salary he was paid will be cut to £175,000 a week but the new deal is said to include incentives for his matches in addition to performance bonuses.

The Spanish international is now waiting for United to sign a deal before an official announcement is made.

The 32-year-old was criticized after his mistake on Sunday following West Ham’s 1-0 win at the London Stadium.

It comes after a poor performance against Sevilla in the Europa League quarter-finals last month saw the Red Devils knocked out of the tournament.

LONDON: Erik ten Hag has vowed that Manchester United will give everything to prevent Manchester City equaling the treble achieved by his club after beating Brighton to set up the final against their closest rivals.

United won 7-6 on penalties at Wembley last night after a goalless draw, with defender Victor Lindelof slotting home the winning penalty.

The win overcame their midweek Europa League disappointment which saw them lose 3-0 at the hands of Sevilla in the quarter-finals and lose 5-2 on aggregate.

However, the team must find more advantages in the FA Cup final scheduled to take place on June 3 if they want to beat City who are chasing the Champions League, English Premier League (EPL) and FA Cup treble.

City are favorites to win all three trophies this season after showing excellent form in recent weeks.

United were on course for a treble before losing in Spain on Thursday but they are still chasing a domestic double after winning the League Cup in February to end a six-year title drought.

United’s manager, Ten Hag clearly praised his team’s ability to show revival.

“First of all we have a physical, strong, strong mentality, so we show the character and personality needed… we are determined to win this match,” he said.

But the Dutchman says his squad will have to learn to change scripts when games get tough – they have lost a handful of games this season including losing 6-3 at City and 7-0 to Liverpool.

“What we have proven is that we can deal with disappointment, we can bounce back between games,” he said. “But now, what we need to improve is to bounce back in tough games, away stadiums – no matter what, we have to show personality.”

United remain the only English club to win the treble completing the feat under former manager Alex Ferguson in 1999.

They prevented Liverpool from winning all three trophies in 1977 by winning the FA Cup in the same year.

Meanwhile, Ten Hag jokingly said he would not reveal the ‘key’ to beating City, who lost 2-1 at Old Trafford in January.

“I won’t tell you,” he said. “I’ll keep it to myself.”

MUNICH: Thomas Tuchel confirmed Sadio Mane will be with the Bayern Munich squad for their European Champions League quarter-final tie against Manchester City on Wednesday.

The Senegal star was suspended for one match for punching team-mate Leroy Sane in the dressing room during the 3-0 defeat at the hands of City in the first leg.

Sane’s lips are swollen and bruised but Tuchel insists the issue is completely resolved.

“Sadio Mane will be in the squad on Wednesday. He has apologised. It is no longer an issue,” said Tuchel.

Bayern left Mane out of the squad for Saturday’s Bundesliga clash with Hoffenheim, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Bayern face a difficult task when they host City at the Allianz Arena after the Premier League club dominated the first leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland found the target to provide a comfortable supply for City ahead of action in Munich.

LONDON: Manchester United are plagued by the problem of injuries to key players ahead of the first quarter-final of the Europa League against Sevilla, early this Friday morning.

United will visit the Spanish club most likely without the services of their top scorer Marcus Rashford who has a groin injury.

Rashford was at the peak of his form scoring 28 goals in all competitions but he had to be taken off as the team cruised to a 2-0 win over Everton yesterday.

Manchester United manager, Erik Ten Hag, when asked about the injury status of his hamstring, admitted that the initial assessment found that it was not very good for Rashford.

“We have to wait but it doesn’t look good. Again, it’s due to the tight (match) schedule.

“It can’t be just you playing for three games in six days. We have to protect our players,” said Ten Hag.

If Rashford is ruled out, Ten Hag is expected to risk ex-Sevilla loanee Anthony Martial to take over the striker’s place.

Martial spent six months with Sevilla in the second half of the 2021/2022 season, scoring just one goal in 12 appearances.

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: England’s quest to win a major championship since 1966 began early this Friday morning as the Three Lions squad began their Euro 2024 qualification campaign against the defending champions, Italy.

After taking time out to consider his future following a World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of France in December, Gareth Southgate will remain as England boss and try for a fourth time at glory.

Southgate is already seeing a transformation that is changing his country’s fortunes on the international stage.

But after reaching the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals in the last three major tournaments, as well as ending a 58-year drought in Germany next year will be seen as a disappointment.

Southgate may have sounded a warning this week about the lack of regular England players in the Premier League (EPL) but he admitted it was a long-term concern with the talent at his disposal.

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham are proving they are two young talents in football in Qatar.

Harry Kane’s goals for his country will make him England’s record holder while Marcus Rashford’s potential has finally been realized under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

Injury to Rashford means he will miss this week’s openers against Italy and Ukraine but Southgate has no shortage of substitutes with Manchester City pair Phil Foden and Jack Grealish expected to battle it out for places.

Of all the successes under Southgate, the win over Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020 remains the only knockout stage win against a major nation in international football.

“This is a game we have to show we can win,” Southgate said of the clash with Italy in the atmosphere at the Estadio Diego Armanda Maradona near Naples.

“That’s the next level for us as a team.”

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe headed to Munich after breaking Paris Saint-Germain’s record and determined to lead the French giants past Bayern to the quarter-finals of the European Champions League.

PSG trailed 1-0 after losing in the first leg of the last 16, where the injured Mbappe was only briefly included in the match last month.

But the 24-year-old France star made the most of the short spell by scoring but having it ruled out for offside, signaling that he can turn their fortunes around in Munich.

Since that defeat, the Ligue 1 leaders have bounced back to record three domestic wins, scoring 11 goals in total.

Mbappe hit five of them, including one in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Nantes which saw him surpass Edinson Cavani’s record as PSG’s top scorer – five years after he joined the club from Monaco in 2017.

Mbappe, who last December became the first player to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966, has now collected 201 goals in 247 games for PSG.

“All players play to make a name in the history of football, so that they will be remembered. I think with this record people will remember me here,” said Mbappe.

Mbappe scored 30 goals in 30 games for the club this season and is arguably the best player in the world at the moment, although he was pipped by teammate Lionel Messi for the FIFA Player of the Year award.

Messi, with 18 goals for PSG this season, has played the mastermind behind Mbappe’s finishing moves in Cristhope Galtier’s squad – which is missing Neymar ahead of the trip to Munich with an ankle injury.

The Brazilian forward will be out until the end of the season following surgery on his ankle days away.

Should they be eliminated again in the first round of the Champions League knockout stages, it would be PSG’s fifth in seven seasons.

They lost to Bayern in Lisbon in the 2020 final, but Mbappe’s best performance came the following year in Munich.

Mbappe exploded twice in the first quarter-final to win 3-2 at the Allianz Arena.

LONDON: Gabriel Martinelli performed brilliantly as Arsenal created a five-point gap at the top of the English Premier League (EPL) with a 4-0 win over Everton early this morning.

Bukayo Saka broke Everton’s stubborn barrier late in the first half before Brazilian striker Martinelli doubled Arsenal’s lead at the Emirates Stadium.

Martin Odegaard scored the third and Martinelli completed Arsenal’s biggest win since October in what could be another sign of a resurgent title chase.

It is important for Mikel Arteta’s side to win this match to create a gap over second-placed Manchester City as the title race draws to a close.

With 13 games to go, victory keeps Arsenal in pole position to win the title for the first time since Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ in 2003-04.

“After we scored the first goal, the game opened up. We needed a moment of magic and Bukayo gave it. After that we played better and deserved to win this game,” said Arteta.

“It’s an indication we’re already here and we want to continue.”

After a three-match winless run that saw them relegated after City’s 3-1 win at the Emirates, Arsenal have bounced back nicely.

A run of three wins since defeat at the hands of City has given the Gunners 60 points, their joint-highest tally after 25 EPL games compared to the 2003-04 and 2007-08 campaigns.

“I’m happy to see the team play the way we want. This league gives a different story,” said Arteta.

“We already proved something big after what happened at Goodison. I’m happy with the maturity and quality we showed.”

Sean Dyche started his Everton career by scoring in a shock 1-0 win over Arsenal at Goodison Park on 4 February.

LONDON: Jurgen Klopp wants Liverpool to continue their resurgence this season by taking revenge against Real Madrid in the European Champions League.

Klopp’s squad finally showed improvement in a campaign that was almost completely destroyed.

Liverpool recorded back-to-back wins – over Everton and Newcastle – to rekindle their chances of a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Saturday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle put them just six points behind their opponents who are fourth in the league, with Liverpool one game less.

Liverpool will host Real at Anfield tomorrow for the first leg of the last 16 round of the European Champions League.

It will be decisive in Klopp’s ability to lead Liverpool to a second Champions League title under his management.

Liverpool, six-time champions of Europe’s elite competition, should have enjoyed more Champions League success under Klopp’s guidance, but Real were the main obstacle.

The Spanish giants beat Liverpool in the 2018 final, knocked them out in the quarter-finals in 2021 and won the title last season with a 1-0 victory in the final in Paris thanks to a goal from Vinicius Junior.

Liverpool have failed to beat Real since winning in the last 16 of the 2009 Champions League.

Last year’s defeat ended their failure to chase a quadruple title, a mission that only yielded success in the FA Cup and League Cup.

With this year’s Champions League final set to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, he is sure to invoke fond memories for Liverpool where they beat AC Milan for the 2005 edition of the championship.

The Reds are definitely looking forward to returning to Ataturk Stadium, but they first need to overcome Carlo Ancelotti’s men

BARCELONA: Barcelona will await the arrival of Manchester United early this Friday morning in a clash that has twice graced the final of the Champions League but this week is somewhat embarrassing in the play-off round of the Europa League.

The Catalan side were knocked out of Europe’s premier competition at the first hurdle as Manchester United finished as runners-up in their Europa League group stage, pitting the two against each other.

Despite the high status of both teams who once held the title of giant, they are among the most improved teams and are at the best level of performance in the continent.

Barcelona and Manchester United are both being built by great coaches Erik ten Hag and Xavi Hernandez who aim to quickly return to Europe’s elite stage.

The teams last met in 2019 as United slumped after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson while Barcelona’s decline began again.

Five-time Champions League winners Barca won the quarter-final 4-0 on aggregate, but the only player United will likely face near Camp Nou is goalkeeper Andre ter Stegen.

Barcelona have since overhauled their entire squad at their expense last summer, sparking criticism after being knocked out of the Europa League.

Robert Lewandowski is a dangerous striker signed by the Catalan squad while Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen have already confirmed their status as key defenders among the best in Europe.

Barcelona have conceded just seven goals in La Liga this season, keeping 16 clean sheets in 21 games and Xavi’s side are unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions.

Xavi took over the team in November last year and led the team from mid-table to second place in the league.

“It’s been over a year since Xavi came and a lot of things have changed, maybe even the mentality and the way we defend,” Ter Stegen said this week.

“(Xavi) has a plan, maybe it takes longer than expected, but you see the results step by step. We have a better idea to do it on the pitch and this is the key to success.”