分类： sports

Twelve months ago, when Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool shared a Champions League pitch at Anfield, the English side was steamrolling its way to a Premier League trophy, earning high praise from PSG manager Luis Enrique, who called Jurgen Klopp’s outfit “an almost perfect team”. A lot can change in a year in top-flight European football, and as the two historic clubs prepare to lock horns once again in the 2025-26 Champions League quarter-finals, the tables have turned dramatically. The opening leg of the tie, set to kick off in Paris on Wednesday, sees a red-hot PSG enter the matchup as overwhelming favorites, their trajectories having diverged sharply from the pair’s last encounter.

That 2024 Champions League last-16 clash proved to be a pivotal moment for PSG, as they held their nerve in a penalty shootout at Anfield to knock Liverpool out, a win that propelled them to their first-ever Champions League title. That result came after the French giants dominated the first leg in Paris but fell to a 1-0 defeat, forcing them to claw back the deficit on enemy soil to force penalties. In the year since that night, both clubs have followed wildly different paths.

For Liverpool, Arne Slot’s side managed to grind out the 2024-25 Premier League title despite a late-season slump that followed their exit from Europe. This campaign, however, has been nothing short of a massive disappointment for the Merseyside club. Heading into Wednesday’s clash at Parc des Princes, Liverpool is reeling from a demoralizing 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals, leaving the squad in a deeply downbeat mood.

After the humbling defeat to City, Slot publicly called out his side for a lack of fighting spirit, while captain Virgil van Dijk admitted the team had given up and acknowledged the challenge of lifting their form against PSG would be enormous. “But we have a responsibility, not only to ourselves but especially to the fans and, if we want to make something out of this season, we have to try and do something special in the next three games,” van Dijk told reporters, noting the Champions League tie falls between a tricky league fixture against Fulham. “The matter of fact is now, PSG are waiting for us. It will be so tough again. So we have to be ready mentally as soon as possible.”

Liverpool’s recent form backs up the collective pessimism: the side has only claimed one win in its last five outings, and has suffered a staggering 15 defeats across all competitions this season. Currently sitting fifth in the Premier League table, the club’s most realistic top target for the remainder of the campaign is now securing a spot in next season’s Champions League, rather than challenging for domestic or European silverware.

In stark contrast, PSG, despite a season interrupted by frequent injury setbacks, appears to be hitting their peak form at exactly the right time. A 3-1 victory over Toulouse last Friday, headlined by a sensational solo goal from reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, stretched PSG’s lead at the top of Ligue 1 to four points over second-place Lens, with a game in hand still to play. For the French giants, however, the Champions League remains the ultimate priority – so much so that the Ligue de Football Professionnel granted PSG’s request to postpone this weekend’s crucial away trip to Lens to allow the squad to focus entirely on preparing for Liverpool.

“I think we have shown for a long time that we are ready, regardless of the competition, but there are obviously things we can improve,” Luis Enrique told reporters ahead of the tie. Dembele, who scored against Liverpool at Anfield last season, is fully fit and in scintillating form, while Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia proved the difference-maker in the previous round, where PSG dismantled Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate. It’s worth noting that Wednesday’s clash will be PSG’s 14th match against a Premier League opponent since January 2025, giving the side extensive experience against English opposition’s physical and tactical style.

PSG does carry one clear weakness into the tie, however: the club has yet to adequately replace star goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, the hero of last season’s penalty shootout who made a high-profile move to Manchester City over the summer. Lucas Chevalier was signed as Donnarumma’s replacement, but he has since lost his starting spot to Russian keeper Matvey Safonov, who made two costly, glaring errors that led to goals against Toulouse at the weekend. Luis Enrique was quick to defend his keeper, telling reporters: “A goalkeeper is like any other player. They can make mistakes, because that is normal in football.”

For Liverpool, the X-factor could well be forward Hugo Ekitike, the club’s leading goalscorer this season with 17 goals across all competitions, who is set to face his old club for the first time since leaving PSG. The 23-year-old Frenchman joined PSG from Reims in 2022, but managed just four goals in 18 months in Paris, struggling to break into a star-studded attacking line that featured Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar. After moving to Eintracht Frankfurt, then to Liverpool, Ekitike has revitalized his career, and now returns to France as a serious contender for a starting spot in France’s 2026 World Cup squad. Dembele, Ekitike’s France international teammate, was full of praise for the forward ahead of the clash: “Hugo is a great player. He is really in form so we are just hoping he won’t be against us.”

Since debuting in Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL), the Melbourne Storm have built a legacy of iconic, record-breaking achievements. But as the 2024 season hits its early stretch, the club faces an unprecedented challenge: overcoming a historic statistical curse that has blocked every team from claiming the premiership title after conceding 50 points in a single regular season game.

Last Friday, the red-hot, unbeaten Penrith Panthers delivered a humiliating 50-10 defeat to the Storm, marking the first time in 23 years under head coach Craig Bellamy that an opponent has put half a century of points on the board. The lopsided result extended Melbourne’s losing streak to three consecutive matches, and immediately sparked widespread skepticism across social media and rugby league circles, with pundits pointing to the long-standing stat that no NRL side has ever gone on to win the grand final after allowing 50 points in a single season game.

But Melbourne superstar five-eighth Cameron Munster is refusing to write off the Storm’s 2024 title hopes, saying the club has the power to rewrite the history books on their own terms.

Addressing the media after the defeat, Munster acknowledged the team’s underperformance over the past three weeks, saying individual players need to take accountability for their poor form. “We’ve probably been below par the past three weeks. Individually, we probably have to look in the mirror,” Munster said. “To the Panthers’ credit, they probably played the perfect game and put a lot of pressure on us. There were some points that we could have stopped and scrambled, but they showed us where we need to be and what bar we need to set.”

Far from seeing the blowout as a terminal blow to the season, Munster framed the loss as a critical wake-up call for the side, noting that the defeat came as early as round five, leaving plenty of time to course-correct. “It was a good learning for us and (showed) we still have a lot of improvement in us, but it’s only round five. There’s all doom and gloom and I know there’s a lot of history and stats around that if you have 50 points put on you then you can’t (win the comp). It’s up to us as a group to change that.”

Bellamy, who is famous for fiery post-loss dressing room outbursts, surprised the squad with a surprisingly measured reaction after the Panthers defeat, in contrast to his anger following Melbourne’s previous two losses, where the side blew double-digit leads to fall against the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys.

Statistically, the Storm’s attack held up well against the premiership favorites: the side completed 94% of their attacking sets, a strong result against one of the league’s toughest defensive units. The critical failing was on the other side of the ball, with the Storm missing a staggering 48 tackles in the match.

Munster said the defensive lapse was not a problem of talent, but one of attitude – a flaw the side can fix with a mental reset. “I don’t think it’s too much of a personnel thing, I think it’s more about attitude. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or anyone to be able to tackle. Everyone is in this team for a reason because they’re talented, they can run the ball and they can defend. It’s just a matter of an attitude thing, and we need to switch that,” he said. “There are always two sides to a game of rugby league. You can attack as much as you want, but the defensive side is what wins grand finals.”

The Storm get an immediate chance to bounce back this Saturday night, when they host the New Zealand Warriors at their home ground. The Warriors come into the match off back-to-back losses and will be missing several key starting players due to injury, giving Melbourne a clear opportunity to reverse their losing form.

Munster warned against underestimating the Warriors, noting that the match is the first of two tough consecutive fixtures against top 2023 sides, with the Canberra Raiders up next. “They probably haven’t gone as great as they would have liked the past couple of weeks,” Munster said. “But they’re a good quality team and then we’ve got a tough couple of weeks with them and the Raiders so what a great opportunity to go up against some of the teams that were at the top last year to see where we’re at.”

In Australian Football League (AFL) lore, few rivalries burn as consistently close and competitive as the one between Hawthorn and Geelong, even when both sides are navigating shifting fortunes on the league ladder. For the 2026 Easter Monday clash, that rivalry carried an extra edge of personal payback for the Hawks, who entered the MCG contest desperate to erase the bitter memory of a 2025 preliminary final exit at the hands of the Cats. What unfolded was a back-and-forth thriller that ended with a one-point Hawthorn victory sealed in the final seconds before the final siren, capping a stunning late comeback that delivered the club its first win over Geelong in two years. A year ago, Patrick Dangerfield’s Geelong side blew Hawthorn apart in the second half of the preliminary final, ending the Hawks’ 2025 premiership dream before they could even earn a spot in the league’s decider. That pain lingered in the Hawthorn locker room through the off-season, and head coach Sam Mitchell leaned into that unfinished business heading into the Easter Monday blockbuster, according to Hawks defender Jack Scrimshaw. “Mitchell touched on the occasion a fair bit, but the core of his message was all about what Geelong took from us last September,” Scrimshaw told reporters after the match. “They stole our chance to play in a grand final in that prelim, so we carried that extra hunger to go after them from the first bounce. We talked about it all through pre-game, it added another layer of motivation, and we were dead keen to get payback.” Scrimshaw added that the result marked a critical milestone for a Hawks squad that had dropped back-to-back matches to both Geelong and the Brisbane Lions in 2025. “Beating top-tier opposition like this is the next step for our group, and today we pulled off a really big scalp,” he said. The game looked headed for another Geelong win deep into the final quarter, when Cats forward Shannon Neale kicked a goal that put his side up by six points, with less than two minutes left on the clock. With the clock ticking down and their season still young, Hawthorn dug in, focusing first on winning individual matchups to turn the tide. Even Scrimshaw admitted he was bracing for another heartbreaking loss in the closing seconds. “Oh mate, I was worried to be honest, it really could have gone either way,” he said. “We just stuck to our process, every guy focused on getting their own job done, and in the end the boys pulled off something special.” It was veteran Hawks forward Jack Gunston who delivered the match-winning moment, pouncing on a loose ball and slotting a precision kick that nudged Hawthorn ahead by a single point just moments before the final siren sounded. Gunston’s red-hot early season form has been earning praise from both fans and teammates alike this year, and Scrimshaw said his experience and poise under pressure was the difference in the tense finale. “I’ve got no words for him, he’s unbelievable,” Scrimshaw said of the veteran. The result ends Hawthorn’s two-game losing streak against Geelong, and lives up to the long history of tight, hard-fought contests between the two powerhouse clubs. “There’s such a rich history between these two clubs, no matter where either of us sit on the ladder, these games always tend to be close,” Scrimshaw added. “It’s just so good to get one back over Geelong, we haven’t beaten them in so long, it feels great to finally get it done.”

As the 90th edition of the Masters — golf’s first major championship of the 2025 season — prepares to kick off this week at Augusta National Golf Club, the world’s best players have already taken to the iconic course for opening practice rounds, with firm, fast playing conditions shaping up as a defining challenge for the entire tournament.

World number one Scottie Scheffler and defending Masters champion Rory McIlroy were among the first big names to test their shots on Monday, joining dozens of top competitors in fine-tuning their games ahead of Thursday’s opening round. Forecasters are calling for zero rain across the tournament week, leaving the venue’s famous undulating greens primed to stay rock-hard and lightning-quick for all four rounds.

Cam Smith, the 2022 British Open champion from Australia, got an early look at the course during practice and shared his take on the playing conditions. “The course is in great shape, and it’s already pretty firm,” Smith explained. “It seems like there’s just a little bit more grass. It’s a little bit fuller… It will be firm and fast, I would assume.”

Practice unfolded under soft cloudy skies with only a light breeze drifting through the historic Georgia pines, as hundreds of spectators turned out to catch a glimpse of golf’s biggest names ahead of the competition. Two-time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain offered a key early prediction for how the week will play out: “You will see long hitters doing well here,” the Spaniard said.

McIlroy, who captured his first career Masters title last year to complete a career Grand Slam and become one of only six players in golf history to achieve the feat, started his practice rounds over the weekend to acclimate to the course. The 36-year-old Northern Irish world number two acknowledged that the early days of tournament week are about settling in, with the intensity ramping up as the first round approaches. “The first few days it’s all about enjoying the perks,” McIlroy said. “But once Tuesday night is over, the serious business begins. There’s a mental change where I’m focused on the play and hopefully winning another Masters.”

If McIlroy defends his title this week, he will join an elite group that only includes Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to claim back-to-back Masters championships.

For Scheffler, this week marks his return to competitive golf for the first time since he tied for 22nd at the Players Championship three weeks ago. The top-ranked American and his wife Meredith welcomed their second child, son Remy, on March 27, and the entire family has traveled to Augusta to join him for the tournament. “It has been fun,” Scheffler said of the new addition to his family ahead of his run at the green jacket.

Scheffler, a 29-year-old two-time Masters champion, has already posted an impressive season in 2025: he claimed his first win of the year at the American Express in January, and has stretched a remarkable run of 18 consecutive top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. Fresh off wins at last year’s British Open and PGA Championship, Scheffler is already on track to complete his own career Grand Slam if he claims the US Open title in June.

This year’s 91-player Masters field features 46 competitors from outside the United States, but two of the sport’s most iconic names will be absent from the tournament line-up: five-time winner Tiger Woods and three-time champion Phil Mickelson. It is the first time both players have missed the event since 1994: Mickelson is sidelined by unspecified family health issues, while Woods is taking a break from competition to receive treatment following his arrest on a DUI charge last month.

Two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson opened up about Woods’ absence, saying he is rooting for the 15-time major champion off the course. “I’m pulling for him as a human being, forget his golf,” Watson said. “Anybody that’s struggling with anything, I feel for him because I’ve went through a lot of mental stuff. Nothing but love for him and hopefully he can come back stronger.”

Among the other top contenders vying for the green jacket this year is Bryson DeChambeau, the two-time US Open champion who claimed back-to-back LIV Golf titles in Singapore and South Africa last month. DeChambeau, who notched a sixth-place finish at the Masters in 2024 and a fifth-place finish in 2023, is making his 10th career start at Augusta this year, and said he has been working toward his first Masters win for more than a decade. “There’s always passion out here. I’ve been trying to win this event for a lot of years,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve learned a lot of lessons and hopefully my game is in the place where I can finally win it this year. My swing is in a great place. Putting is in a great place. Chipping is in a great place. I just want that iron play to be stellar this week.”

Another top LIV Golf contender in the field is Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters champion and 2021 US Open winner who claimed the 2024 and 2025 LIV Golf season titles. The 31-year-old Spaniard picked up his third LIV victory last month in Hong Kong, and has already notched three runner-up finishes this season in South Africa, Adelaide, and Riyadh. Rahm said he is eager to reconnect with the unique energy of Augusta National this week. “I have to get that ‘back to Augusta’ feeling. It’s important,” Rahm said. “I’m really happy with all areas of my game… I can be happy without being satisfied.”

The fight for Italy’s most prestigious domestic football trophy, the Serie A Scudetto, delivered another pivotal twist this week, as defending champions Napoli secured a critical 1-0 victory over title rival AC Milan on Monday that reignited their hopes of retaining their crown. The match, played out at the packed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, remained tight and disjointed for most of 79 minutes, until substitute Matteo Politano stepped off the bench to rifle home the only goal of the night, sending the home crowd into raptures.

Politano’s finish, his second league goal of the entire season, capped a dominant performance from Antonio Conte’s side and stretched their winning streak to five consecutive matches. The result was enough to push Napoli past Milan in the league table, lifting the reigning champions into second place. However, Inter Milan still hold a commanding position at the top of the standings, holding a seven-point lead over Napoli with just seven matches left to play in the campaign. Conte acknowledged the uphill battle his side faces, particularly after a season marred by repeated injury setbacks that could have derailed their title bid entirely.

“It’s a happy moment for us because we’re back in second place,” Conte told reporters after the win. “I thanked the boys for what they’ve done this season as it could have finished badly. We’ve got back to what we were like last season, we’ve got to keep going without getting ahead of ourselves.”

Monday’s defeat leaves AC Milan with an almost insurmountable gap to close on league leaders Inter, who sit nine points clear of Stefano Allegri’s side. With their title hopes effectively extinguished, Allegri admitted his team will now shift their full focus to securing a top-four finish to qualify for next season’s Champions League. “I think we’re done with the Scudetto race. We’re nine behind Inter and Napoli are ahead of us now,” Allegri said. “We’ve got an advantage of a few points for the Champions League, let’s try to keep it that way by winning some matches.”

Napoli earned the vital win without two key attacking players: Romelu Lukaku, who angered club leadership by remaining in Belgium to receive treatment for a hip injury, and Rasmus Hojlund, who was sidelined by a stomach bug. Prior to Politano’s match-winning strike, the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock was a long-range stinging drive from Napoli winter signing Giovanni, which forced AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan into the match’s best save. Politano’s winner came when he pounced on a weak headed clearance from Koni De Winter, firing a powerful first-time finish past the outstretched Maignan to seal three points.

In another key match in the race for Champions League qualification, Juventus closed the gap on the top four to just a single point with a comfortable 2-0 home win over Genoa. Juventus took full advantage of fourth-placed Como dropping points in a 0-0 draw against Udinese earlier on the same matchday, opening the scoring through Gleison Bremer’s header just four minutes into the match. American midfielder Weston McKennie doubled the lead 13 minutes later, a finish that pushed his season league goal tally to five—matching his best single-season return from his debut 2020-21 campaign with the club. McKennie brushed off the personal milestone after the match, telling DAZN that “the important thing is getting into the Champions League.”

Juventus had backup goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio to thank for preserving their clean sheet, after he pulled off a spectacular double save to deny a spirited Genoa side. Di Gregorio, who has endured a difficult second season with Juventus after being dropped from the first team in February following a string of costly mistakes, was only called into action on Monday after starting keeper Mattia Perin was pulled off at halftime with a calf injury. He first saved a penalty from Aaron Martin, then blocked a follow-up volley from Vitinha to keep Genoa off the scoresheet. Bremer defended his teammate’s performance after the match, saying: “He has some good moments and some tough moments, but we always knew that he was a quality goalkeeper. He knew that his moment would come.”

The three points moved Juventus five places within the Champions League race, opening up a three-point gap over sixth-placed Roma, who were beaten 5-2 by Inter on Sunday. Juventus also hold a four-point advantage over seventh-placed Atalanta, who secured a 3-0 away win over Lecce. The two sides will face off this coming Saturday in Bergamo in what is shaping up to be a critical match for Champions League positioning, while Como hosts league leaders Inter the following day.

For Genoa, the defeat did little to damage their bid to avoid relegation, as they remain six points clear of the relegation zone. The biggest loser of the matchday was Lecce, whose heavy 3-0 defeat to Atalanta left them stuck in the bottom three, level on 27 points with Cremonese. Cremonese sit just outside the drop zone thanks to a superior head-to-head record, leaving Lecce fans booing their side off the pitch at full time amid growing frustration over their drop in form.

Australia’s national women’s football team, the CommBank Matildas, have suffered a last-minute injury setback ahead of their opening 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification matches in Africa, with star left-back Steph Catley forced to withdraw from the squad due to a calf strain. The Arsenal defender will not be replaced for the team’s upcoming fixtures, which mark their first international outing since a devastating runner-up finish at the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

Catley, one of the Matildas’ most influential and experienced leaders, became a national hero in 2023 when she slotted the decisive penalty to secure Australia’s opening win against the Republic of Ireland at the home Women’s World Cup. Her standing in the global game was further cemented last season when she earned a nomination for the Ballon d’Or Feminin, finishing 29th in the rankings — making her just the third Australian player in history to receive a nomination for the sport’s most prestigious individual award. Most recently, she started in Australia’s narrow 1-0 Asian Cup final loss to Japan last month.

Catley is not the only high-profile name absent from the squad. Star attacking midfielder Mary Fowler, who recently made her long-awaited return to international football at the Asian Cup following a season-ending knee injury in 2025, was not included in the original roster for the African tour. The Matildas will kick off their qualification campaign with a clash against Malawi on Saturday 26 April, kicking off at 9pm AEST, before facing either India or Kenya in the second round of the series the following week.

Despite the double blow of key absences, head coach Joe Montemurro has retained a largely experienced core of players for the international window, led by the team’s talismanic goal-scoring forward Sam Kerr. Montemurro explained that his selection strategy focused on maintaining continuity as the team builds toward the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

“Continuity is the most important thing for us right now. We need to build on the systems and structures we’ve put in place against different styles of opposition,” Montemurro said. “For me, it was critical to lay a solid foundation for consistent performances moving forward. This window gives me the chance to test different combinations, make targeted adjustments, and put the work in to prepare properly for the World Cup. We’re working to the benchmark we’ve already set as a group.

“That’s why it was a strategic call to bring the bulk of the existing squad back together. It’s been great to see how eager the players are to return and keep building on the work we’ve started.”

The two African fixtures formally open the Matildas’ qualification journey for the 2027 World Cup, where the side will aim to replicate or even improve on their historic 2023 home World Cup run, when they reached the semi-finals, captured the attention of the entire nation, drew record-breaking crowds and delivered unprecedented TV viewing numbers for women’s sport in Australia. All matches will be broadcast live on Paramount+ Australia.

An NRL round clash between the Wests Tigers and Parramatta Eels has been overshadowed by a dangerous tackle that has left a star Eels winger facing a season-ending injury and sparked debate over on-field judiciary decisions. The thrilling golden-point 22-20 win for Wests Tigers has turned into a post-match controversy, with young winger Luke Laulilii slapped with a Grade 2 dangerous contact charge stemming from a mid-air tackle on Parramatta’s Bailey Simonsson that left Simonsson with a suspected dislocated ankle.

The incident occurred in the second half of the match, where Laulilii was immediately sin-binned for the contact. Wests Tigers head coach Benji Marshall has publicly rejected the penalty decision, opening the door for the club to challenge the charge at the NRL judiciary. If they opt to contest the charge and lose, they risk increasing Laulilii’s proposed one-match ban to a two-game suspension.

Marshall made his stance clear immediately after the game, saying: “Didn’t agree, simple as that. It must have been [because of the injury]. Because if he didn’t get injured would it have been the same result? I don’t agree, but whatever, we just have to deal with it.” Alongside Laulilii’s charge, Tigers skipper Api Koroisau received a $3000 fine for a separate hip-drop tackle in the match.

For the Eels, Simonsson’s injury marks the latest in a string of long-term absences caused by on-field foul play, devastating the club’s depth ahead of a critical stretch of the season. The club already lost forward J’maine Hopgood for the entire season to an injury suffered in a hip-drop tackle, while young fullback Isaiah Iongi is not expected to return to the side until Round 13 after sustaining a syndesmosis injury from another dangerous contact incident.

Eels head coach Jason Ryles acknowledged that such dangerous plays are rarely intentional, but argued that the string of injuries highlights exactly why these actions are banned from the competition. “Those contests happen every week, same with the hip drop. The players don’t actually mean to do it. We understand that, but there’s a reason those actions are outlawed because of what we’re going through now,” Ryles told reporters post-match. “As disappointing as it is, it’s another opportunity for our next player in.”

The injury crisis does not end for the Eels with Simonsson. Centre Sean Russell was ruled out of the match after a sickening accidental head clash with Tigers teenager Heamasi Makasini, and while Russell avoided a ban after receiving a Grade 1 dangerous contact charge, he will miss the club’s upcoming clash against the Gold Coast Titans. Five-eighth Jonah Pezet also picked up a low-grade hamstring injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for at least two weeks.

In a bright spot for the Eels, young debutant Apa Twidle turned heads with a standout performance off the bench, scoring a try with his first touch in the NRL before adding a second just moments later to drag Parramatta back into the contest. Though Twidle left the field with his right arm in a sling, the injury is believed to be a minor AC joint issue, and he is expected to be named in the club’s next round squad when teams are announced Tuesday.

Facing the loss of multiple key playmakers to long-term injury, Ryles confirmed the Eels are considering seeking salary cap dispensation to bring in new reinforcement, calling for the league to apply common sense to the request. “I said it earlier in the week, that’s above my pay grade. I just need to deal with what’s in front of us right now,” Ryles said. “Surely I think it’d be something worth considering. Foul play, season-ending injury, there should possibly be something where common sense would prevail.”

With multiple key spots left empty by injury, Ryles admitted he has not yet finalized how his team’s right edge will line up for Sunday’s clash against the Titans, with only halfback Mitchell Moses confirmed in his usual spot. “The right edge, what would it look like? Moses will be the halfback. That’s a good question. Let me have a think about that,” Ryles said.

For Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, a season brimming with historic ambition has hit its first major bump in the road, and the club now faces a defining moment of truth as it travels to Portugal to take on Sporting CP in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Fresh off two devastating back-to-back defeats that have punctured the Gunners’ dream of an unprecedented domestic and European quadruple, Arteta has called on his shell-shocked squad to turn the pressure into an opportunity to prove their mental grit.

The crisis of confidence sparked on Saturday, when second-tier Southampton dumped Arsenal out of the FA Cup quarter-finals with a stunning 2-1 upset. That result came just a fortnight after Arteta’s side fell to a 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the League Cup final, wiping out Arsenal’s two remaining domestic cup hopes and ending their chase of a historic four-trophy haul. The pair of defeats mark the first time this season that Arsenal have dropped consecutive matches, with only four other losses recorded across all competitions to this point. For long-suffering Arsenal fans, who have waited 22 years for a Premier League title and not lifted a major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup, the slump has triggered widespread soul-searching, with renewed doubts over whether this squad can finally end the club’s long silverware drought.

Despite the sudden setback, Arteta remains steadfast in his belief that his side can navigate the mounting pressure. Arsenal still hold a comfortable nine-point lead over second-place Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, and enter the tie against Sporting as clear favorites to advance to the Champions League semi-finals. The Gunners also have prior form on their side, having routed Sporting 5-1 in the 2022-23 Champions League group stage, a result many in the camp are leaning on for confidence ahead of Tuesday’s clash.

“This is the first challenging period we’ve faced all season, but this is why we play the game,” Arteta told reporters ahead of the match. “You don’t get to win the biggest trophies without facing moments like this. Compared to what other clubs go through, this is nothing. It’s time to stand up and perform the way we have all season.”

Arteta has doubled down on his support for his players, rejecting any criticism of a squad that has delivered a historic nine months of consistent results. “I will defend these players more than anyone else,” he said. “They’ve put everything on the line for this club all season, and one defeat doesn’t change that. I take full responsibility for the result, and we have the most exciting phase of the season ahead of us.”

One bright spot for Arsenal in recent weeks has been the resurgence of Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres, who now looks set to be a key figure against his former club. After a slow start to his first season at the Emirates following his summer move from Sporting, Gyokeres has found his form in crucial moments: he scored Arsenal’s consolation equalizer against Southampton, bagged a brace in the win over Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby, and even netted the late winner that booked Sweden’s place in the upcoming World Cup.

The biggest cloud hanging over Arsenal heading into the tie is a growing injury crisis that threatens to derail their dual title push. Star winger Bukayo Saka and midfield enforcer Declan Rice both missed the Southampton defeat and England’s recent international friendlies, and both are racing against the clock to prove their fitness for Tuesday’s clash. Center-back Gabriel Magalhaes is also a major doubt after being forced off early against Southampton with a knee injury.

Despite the fitness concerns, midfielder Christian Norgaard has kept an upbeat tone, echoing Arteta’s call for the squad to embrace the challenge instead of dwelling on the recent upset. “It’s okay to be frustrated, and we need to learn from what went wrong against Southampton,” Norgaard said. “But this isn’t the time to walk around with our heads down. We’ve got massive games coming up, every one of them is a chance to get back on track, and we have to look forward.”

For a club that has come so far after years of near-misses, Tuesday’s clash in Lisbon is more than just a quarter-final tie. It is a test of whether this Arsenal side has the character to turn a rare setback into another step toward ending the club’s decades-long wait for major glory.