Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz fell 3-0 to powerhouse France in an international friendly contest that demonstrated their tenacity as much as it did the defensive lapses at the Stade Auguste-Bonal on Friday.
Facing a French team ranked 10th in the world, the Reggae Girlz showed early cohesion and confidence that hinted at the prospect of another brave performance similar to when they held the same opponents to goalless stalemate at last year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup.
But as the game wore on, France’s unrelenting pressure found cracks in Jamaica’s defence, resulting in two costly errors in the first half that set the tone for a challenging evening.
Clara Mateo (22nd), captain Wendie Renard (39th) and Sandy Baltimore (48th) got on the scoresheet for France, who in all honesty, could have won by a much wider margin.
Despite the result, Reggae Girlz Head coach Hubert Busby emphasized the value of facing elite teams like France.
“Coming up against a really good French team in a really competitive environment was always going to be tough, but I thought overall, as the game went on, the team got better. Again, I think these are the games that we want to play and we have to just keep on building on what we want to do as we head into the next window,” Busby said in a post-game interview.
“When you bring in new players into the group, you can see that they are a little bit disjointed, so the more that we can continue to be together and keep building as a group, the better we'll be. So as of right now, we kind of turn the page and get ready for the next window in Jamaica when we host South Africa. And then we look to build on the, the principles that we've laid this week and look to correct some of the things that we didn't do as well in tonight's match,” he added.
The Girlz showed no signs of being intimidated in the opening minutes, as they moved the ball effectively and kept France’s backline engaged at times.
But as France settled and pressed deeper into Jamaica’s territory, the Girlz’s defence began to struggle under the mounting pressure. The French breakthrough came when Chantelle Swaby attempted to clear, but the ball went astray and into the path of Mateo, who swiftly fired past Rebecca Spencer in goal for Jamaica.
France continued to apply pressure and consistently found gaps in Jamaica’s defence as they created numerous chances which required Spencer to be on her toes. On one of those occasions, the Tottenham Hotspur goaltender got down well in time to parry an effort from Kenza Dali.
However, minutes later Renard eluded Allyson Swaby and Vyan Sampson deep in Jamaica’s 18-yard box and used the full length of her lanky figure to soar high head home Mateo’s weighted corner kick to put France 2-0 up at the break.
Busby, seeing the need for adjustments, made tactical changes in the second half, particularly in the middle of the park, with hopes of getting in behind France’s high defensive line.
Still, the Girlz struggled to contain the French attackers and another defensive mishap saw them fall further behind. This, as Baltimore rifled a left-footer past Spencer after Delphine Cascarino’s cross eluded Tiffany Cameron, who attempted to head clear.
Though three goals down, the Girlz tried to play their game and Jody Brown skipped a defender on a break in the 63rd minute, but her shot was charged down by a second defender.
Five minutes later Kayla McKenna had a grand opportunity to pull one back for the Girlz, but her first touch to get around France’s goalkeeper Constance Picaud in a one-on-one situation was too heavy and the opportunity went begging.
France thought they had another when Renard again headed home from close range, but the goal was called back by VAR for an offside in the build up play.
John Mousinho was left upset and disappointed by his Portsmouth side as they remained bottom of the Championship following a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on Friday.
Connor Ogilvie handed Portsmouth a deserved lead a minute before half-time after a corner kick found the defender unmarked at the back post to fire home.
But Wednesday responded strongly after the break, levelling through Josh Windass who finished from close range after Michael Smith's clever knock-down.
Smith then sealed the win in stunning fashion in the 70th minute, rifling a sweet first-time strike from outside the box into the top corner against his former club.
Portsmouth are still without a win at Fratton Park since their return to the Championship, and have now lost 12 points from winning positions in the second tier this season, more than any other team.
"I’m disappointed, especially with the nature of losing after going a goal up into half-time," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.
"It was a contrasting performance, from Tuesday night at Cardiff, but ultimately, we haven’t done enough to win the game and weren’t quite good enough to do it.
"I’m still really upset with the fact we lost it, but there was a very different message to the players in the dressing room compared to Tuesday.
"That being said, we still have to be a lot better."
But for Sheffield Wednesday and Danny Rohl, they are now unbeaten in their last three away games, and moved into the top half of the table ahead of this weekend's action.
The Owls face Premier League side Brentford in the last 16 of the EFL Cup next Tuesday, and Rohl believes the comeback win can only be a positive moving forward.
"It was a strong comeback after being 1-0 down," Rohl told BBC Radio Sheffield.
"First half we were okay but we changed things at half-time. Coming from behind at Coventry and now here shows a step forward in our development.
"It's just three points, we climb the table eight places with a win but if you lose you drop down.
"But for me it's more important to improve and there is still room for that."
Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood is not aiming to rival the "formidable" Erling Haaland for the Premier League's Golden Boot after netting a brace against Leicester City.
Wood took his tally to seven for the season with two second-half goals in Forest's 3-1 win over rivals Leicester, after Ryan Yates saw his opener cancelled out by Jamie Vardy.
The 32-year-old's double saw him move level with Stan Collymore on 22 Premier League goals for Forest, with only Bryan Roy (24) scoring more for the club in the competition.
Only Manchester City's Haaland (10) has scored more times than Wood this term, though the New Zealander was not getting carried away with his fine start to the campaign.
"I just want to keep scoring as many as I can. He's [Haaland] a very formidable man, and he's probably going to score 30 goals this season," Wood said.
"He's a very formidable man to chase. He's {Nuno Espirito Santo] come in and put an emphasis on putting the ball in the box. He's worked on that in the training pitch."
It's been a remarkable turnaround for Wood, who has flourished under Nuno Espirito Santo since his arrival at the City Ground.
Since Nuno's first game in charge of Forest in December 2023, only Haaland (18) has scored more non-penalty goals in the Premier League than Wood (17).
"It's consistency with what Nuno's been working on. We got better and better last season but we also conceded poor goals at times," Wood continued.
"I think consistency is the biggest thing. I wouldn't say it fuelled us, we conceded a lot of set-piece goals and we worked at that and we've got to keep going."
Nuno also sung the praises of his in-form forward, saying Wood deserves all the praise he is receiving at the moment.
"He's done an amazing job. He's very honest and he gives everything on the pitch for us. We are delighted and we want to continue. Chris deserves his plaudits," Nuno said.
For Leicester, meanwhile, it marked a tough encounter for Steve Cooper, who was facing his former side for the first time since leaving the club almost a year ago.
Coming into the game on the back of consecutive wins, the Foxes' defensive lapses were ruthlessly punished by Forest.
James Justin's poor clearance allowed Yates to open the scoring, before Harry Winks' poor pass and Wout Faes' mistimed header were gobbled up by Wood.
“It's self-inflicted, no doubt about that, and it's on us. We all have to take responsibility for how the game panned out," Cooper said.
"We made poor mistakes for the goals, no doubt about it, and we were punished for it but I just think conceding so early on in the second half was obviously not a good thing.
"We have to take responsibility for it. It's a setback after winning a few games coming into this.
"We have to accept it, completely on us and me and we’ve got punished for the poor giveaways on the goals."
Sweden put one foot in the second round of the Women's Euro 2025 qualification play-offs by beating Luxembourg 4-0, while Czechia routed Belarus 8-1.
Sweden, semi-finalists at the last European Championships in 2022, were comfortable winners in the first leg of their tie, with Arsenal's Stine Blackstenius and Chelsea's Johanna Rytting Kaneryd joining Filippa Angeldahl and Evelyn Ijeh on the scoresheet.
They were not the most convincing victors of the day, though, as Czechia ran riot in Velika Gorica despite going down to 10 players when Eliska Sonntagova was sent off in the 55th minute.
Katerina Svitkova and Kamila Dubcova both scored twice for Czechia, who had six different goalscorers in their win.
Earlier on Friday, Norway all-but secured their spot in the next phase with a resounding 5-0 victory in Albania.
Arsenal's Frida Maanum opened the scoring, driving home after latching onto Caroline Hansen's flick, before centre-back Guro Bergsvand added a first-half brace to take the game away from the hosts.
Lyon great Ada Hegerberg came off the bench on the hour mark and scored with her first touch – a sumptuous volley – just 45 seconds later, then Mathilde Harviken round off the scoring in the 74th minute.
Portugal also recorded a dominant success, winning 4-1 in Azerbaijan after racing into a three-goal lead within the first 26 minutes.
Early goals from Ana Capeta, Tatiana Pinto and Diana Gomes put the visitors in command, with Diana Silva restoring their three-goal advantage late on after Nazlican Parlak had pulled one back for Azerbaijan.
There were also victories for the Republic of Ireland, who triumphed 4-0 in Georgia, and Scotland, who edged out Hungary 1-0 on their travels.
The return fixtures take place on Tuesday, with 14 ties taking place in total to decide who advances to the second round, set to take place in November and December.
Seven more places are up for grabs at the tournament, which will begin in Switzerland on July 2 and finish on July 27.
Sarina Wiegman believes England's 4-3 defeat to Germany was exactly the preparations needed in order to defend their European Championship crown next year.
In a repeat of their 2022 Euros final, Germany exacted their revenge at Wembley, helped by an impressive first 30 minutes.
The visitors were awarded a penalty when Millie Bright tangled with Linda Dallmann, with Giulia Gwinn firing home before notching her second seven minutes later.
Klara Buhl added Germany's third in the 29th minute, but the Lionesses responded with a penalty of their own when Gwinn was penalised for handling the ball in the area.
Georgia Stanway tucked away the spot-kick and grabbed her second soon after, flashing the ball into the top corner from close range after being picked out by Beth Mead.
But after the break, Germany were awarded another penalty when Alessia Russo was penalised for fouling Pia-Sophie Wolter, with Sara Dabritz scoring from 12 yards.
However, Lucy Bronze handed England a lifeline 10 minutes from time after pouncing on an error by visiting goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, but Germany held on for the win.
"That is why we play those games. Top level games where you get challenged and if you don't get the things right then you get exploited," Wiegman said.
"That is what we want; to see where we are at, get as much information as possible and get players minutes to build connections.
"That is what we want to build preparations for the Euros."
But there were concerns about England's defence at Wembley, with several errors allowing Germany to capitalise at Wembley.
Captain Leah Williamson's misplaced pass ended up in Bright bringing down Dallmann, before Jess Carter failed to track Gwinn as she raced through unmarked to fire a second past Hannah Hampton.
Hampton was then beaten at her near post by Buhl's strike, with the Lionesses giving Wiegman plenty of food for thought at full-time.
"Losing the ball at moments that we should not lose the ball. Germany challenged us but if we had taken out more of those unforced errors then they can't counter attack," Wiegman said.
"There were moments that they challenged us tactically - we wanted to press higher but we needed to find out the triggers.
"When do we stay compact and wait, versus when do we go?"
With the disappointment of back-to-back losses hanging heavy in the air, the West Indies will enter Saturday’s final One Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka, hoping to avoid a 3-0 sweep at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
In fact, West Indies captain Shai Hope was not shy to admit that this last contest in the three-match series is about more than just pride, it is about learning from mistakes and building resilience for the future.
The West Indies struggled with both bat and ball in the first two encounters, which they lost by five wickets. Hope acknowledges that those matches have exposed key areas that his side must improve upon, particularly their handling of spin and situational awareness under pressure.
“There are several factors we can point out, but I just think not adapting to the conditions fast enough was our main problem. Obviously, we didn't win the crucial stages of the game, and obviously, the spin department has been the only thing we have going right now for us. But yeah, the thing is, there are a lot of lessons that we need to take from the series. We can't change the past right now; we have to learn from it, and it's very important we do so quickly,” Hope said in a pre-game interview.
Hope emphasized that players need to improve individually and as a whole to support one another and create a solid, cohesive unit. He noted that achieving that level of synergy would take time but remained optimistic about the direction the team is headed.
“We have to keep trying. We have to keep finding ways to get better. I think it's more mental than anything at this point in time because skill work is skill work, yes, but we have to make sure we find ways to adapt as quickly as we can. One day of practice is not going to make us into the greatest batter or the greatest bowler ever. So there's more mental prep that we need to do right now at this stage and plan well,” Hope argued.
With the series outcome already decided, Saturday’s match will serve as a final test of character for the West Indies team, with fans and players alike hoping for a redeeming performance. However, to achieve that feat, the top order of the batting lineup will need to counter Sri Lanka's challenging spin attack, while the bowling unit will also have to be on point.
“Yeah, for sure, it has not been good enough. We asked the openers and the top-order batters to set the platform for the guys in the middle, and it's clear to see we didn't do that in this series, and we had to depend a lot on the lower order, which they played really well, in my opinion. But if we get those good starts or if we get that good start in this last game here, I think it would be a whole change to the context of the game,” Hope noted.
That said, the skipper singled out middle-order batsman Sherfane Rutherford, who scored 74 and 80 in the first two games, including sharing in an historic 119-run nine-wicket partnership with Gudakesh Motie in the second contest.
“He's been playing really well. He's been putting a lot of work off the field, and a lot of people won't see that, but the way he's progressed and matured for his career so far, I think, is tremendous. I think there's a lot that he can take from these few performances that he's had so far,” Hope said.
“He's shown that he's capable of batting and adapting to those conditions that we speak about in the team room. But, yeah, I think he's got a lot more to offer, and it's great to see he's getting those big scores now and all that hard work he's putting in is coming to fruition,” he ended.
Chris Wood continued his fine form for Nottingham Forest as his two goals helped them to a 3-1 East Midlands derby win over former boss Steve Cooper and Leicester City.
Ryan Yates profited from Leicester’s failure to clear their lines for the opening goal, curling an effort beyond Mads Hermansen for only his second Premier League strike.
The Foxes drew level through talisman Jamie Vardy soon afterwards, though, with the veteran forward rounding off a fine move with a neat finish at the near post.
But two goals in 13 second-half minutes from Wood sealed Forest's win, the striker finishing brilliantly on the turn before heading home to make it a brace against his former club.
The result moves Forest to within a point of the top four ahead of this weekend's action, while Leicester remain in 14th.
Data Debrief: Wood hands Leicester an early Halloween scare
Having scored 20 goals in 62 appearances in all competitions for Leicester, Wood has found a new home in the East Midlands with Forest.
The New Zealander's brace moved him level with Stan Collymore on 22 Premier League goals for Forest. Only Bryan Roy (24) has scored more for the club in the competition.
This season, only Erling Haaland (10) has scored more goals than Wood (seven), while since Nuno Espirito Santo's first game in charge of Forest, only Haaland (18) has netted more non-penalty goals in the Premier League than Wood (17).
Forest have now won back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since December 2023. The Tricky Trees have won four of their nine league games this season (D4 L1), as many as their final 18 of last term (W4 D4 L10).
Erik ten Hag is sure that Manchester United's ongoing injury woes are holding them back in their quest for continuity on all fronts.
Ten Hag watched on as Antony was forced off during their 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday, despite no one being near the Brazilian.
The Red Devils were already without 10 first-team players for their trip to Turkiye, nine because of injury, as their struggles from last season begin to resurface once again.
Last campaign, United suffered 45 injuries, more than any other team in the top flight, and they have again endured a stuttering start to the season as a result.
Ten Hag's side have won four of their 13 matches in all competitions (drawn five, lost four), while also ranking in the bottom 10 for expected goals against (xGA) with 12.4 in the Premier League.
The likes of Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro and Tyrell Malacia are all yet to make an appearance this term, and Ten Hag believes it has become a problem at Old Trafford.
"Yes, it holds us back in our levels and also in our position in the league," said Ten Hag. "When you don’t have the players available, you can't line up the best team."
Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount are other notable absentees, but defender Jonny Evans is expected to return to the fold ahead of United's fixture with West Ham on Sunday.
The Red Devils hoped they would solve their problems through the hiring of Gary O'Driscoll from Arsenal as their new head of medicine 12 months ago.
However, that has failed to transpire, and Ten Hag knows his side will struggle to fulfil their potential until an answer can be found.
"We need more players available often," he said. "We all have to work together on this point - the players, the coaching staff and all the other staff.
"We have to do better at that because we know when we have them we are a really tough team to play and we can be really successful."
Lorenzo Musetti described his triumph over Alexander Zverev as "a pretty big win" as the Italian battled from the brink to advance to the Erste Bank Open semi-finals.
Musetti, who will now face Jack Draper in the final four, found himself 3-0 down in a second-set tie-break before roaring back to claim a 2-6, 6-5 (7-5) 6-4 victory.
In an absorbing clash with Zverev, who was the top seed in Vienna, Musetti showcased his class in the decider, ending the almost three-hour clash with a love service game.
The 22-year-old struck 35 winners and saved eight out of 12 break points he faced en route to earning the biggest hard-court win of his career against the 2021 Vienna champion.
“It didn’t start how we planned, I was struggling to find the right balance with my forehand and the variation of my backhand,” said Musetti.
“But I stayed there, even when he came back in the second, I saved a lot of break points at 5-5. It’s definitely a match that means a lot to me.
“It’s a pretty big win [in my career], because Sascha really loves to play here, on this court, in these conditions.
"But, after the first round, I was feeling in good shape and today I showed that.”
Enzo Maresca is unfazed by a daunting set of fixtures that pits Chelsea against Newcastle United, Manchester United and Arsenal within a fortnight, taking confidence from the Blues' performance at Anfield last week.
Chelsea suffered just their second defeat of the Premier League season last Sunday, going down by a 2-1 scoreline against early pacesetters Liverpool.
However, Maresca said there were plenty of positives for Chelsea to take from a game that saw Reece James and Romeo Lavia return from injury, and his much-changed side then crushed Panathinaikos 4-1 in the Europa League on Thursday.
On Sunday, they welcome Newcastle to Stamford Bridge, before going to Tyneside for a swift rematch in the EFL Cup's last 16 on Wednesday.
League games at Old Trafford and at home to Arsenal then follow before November 10, a run that could provide the sternest examination of Maresca's credentials to date.
"The Liverpool game was very good. We were good with the ball and without the ball," Maresca told reporters at Friday's pre-match press conference.
"For sure there are many things we could do better. We could attack better in the final third. But the guys were brave, trying to press man-to-man.
"We need to play against all of them. We have met Liverpool and now have three games in a row against Newcastle, Manchester United and Arsenal. But the Premier League is tough."
Nicolas Jackson was on target on Merseyside last time out, and he has now recorded 13 goal involvements in his last 13 Premier League appearances (nine goals, four assists).
The Senegal striker also netted Chelsea's opener when they last faced Newcastle, in a 3-2 victory in March, but he faces competition from Christopher Nkunku after the Frenchman scored in Greece on Thursday.
"We know Nicolas Jackson is very important for us," Maresca continued. "On the ball, he's scoring, assisting and linking with his team-mates. Off the ball, he's working hard, pressing the way we want to press. He's doing fantastic.
"We have Christopher Nkunku also who is going to help us because the season is very long, we have so many games, and also the gameplan can be more for Christopher than Nico. We can choose."
Stuart Pearce would not be surprised if this is Pep Guardiola's final season at Manchester City.
Guardiola joined City in 2016 and has since won six Premier League titles, including each of the last four, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
The Spaniard has taken charge of 485 matches in all competitions, winning 352 of those games to boast a 72.6% win rate.
However, he is currently in the final year of his contract and has hinted in recent months that he is closer to the end of his time at City than the start of it.
When asked if he thought Guardiola was in his final season, Pearce, who managed City between 2005 and 2007, told Stats Perform: "Yeah, I do.
"I thought that maybe last year as well. The intensity that he works at is quite incredible.
"You know, I think Jurgen Klopp stepped away from it because of the intensity he was working at. I think the same could apply with Pep as well.
"I mean how he drives, and you've only got to look at his body language game by game. The way he turns it out is quite incredible.
"But it wouldn't surprise me if this was his last season, and I think City have got to be guarded and ready for that because there could be a big drop-off when he walks out.
"You've only got to look across the city in Manchester and see the Alex Ferguson scenario when he left, the drop-off from there.
"But listen, Man City fans have got to look and say we've had a brilliant decade or so. They've been unbelievable, but they've got to replace him, and it'll be really important that they get the right replacement when the time's right.
"I personally hope that he stays in English football for another decade because, watching his teams and the brand of football that he's played at Man City, this is a football that I've never seen before in my lifetime."
City won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title last season and are tipped as the favourites to win the competition once more, with the Opta computer giving them a 73.6% chance of getting their hands on the trophy.
They have been pushed closely by Arsenal in the last two years though, edging the Gunners to the crown by just two points last season, snatching it on the final day.
The two sides faced off earlier this season, playing out an intriguing 2-2 draw, with the Gunners unable to hold out for a win with 10 men due to John Stones' late equaliser.
"I think the head-to-head between them has been absolutely brilliant," Pearce added. "You've got two heavyweights slugging it out there.
"Manchester City have set the pace over the last decade to be honest, and they're the team to chase in the main. Arsenal have arrived and to have a manager that's worked inside Manchester City adds a little bit more spice to the situation as well. And there's very little to choose between both of them.
"I was asked who I thought would win the league this summer and I said Arsenal. I think what Arsenal have got to do to close the gap maybe, to get their hands on the trophy, is probably make sure that they don't drop points like they did at home to Brighton.
"I think they can go toe-to-toe with Manchester City now, I really do. But Man City are magnificent. The manager in charge of the football club just drives them continually, which is incredible.
"Arsenal have closed the gap to, listen, it's such thin margins now, it's incredible. And on top of that, Liverpool had a change of manager that I thought, well, this might take them a little while to get over. It has galvanised them for some brilliant, brilliant results this season."
Manchester City did not anticipate the meteoric rise of Cole Palmer, who has become the best player in the Premier League since leaving for Chelsea.
That is the view of former City defender and manager Stuart Pearce, who believes Palmer's form could even lead to Phil Foden or Jude Bellingham being omitted from the England team.
Palmer left City for Chelsea in a £40million deal last year after struggling for regular minutes at the Etihad Stadium, and he has wasted no time in establishing himself as the Blues' star man.
He has 44 direct goal involvements (28 goals, 16 assists) in the Premier League for Chelsea, more than any other player has managed since the start of last season.
He became the first player to score four goals in the first half of a Premier League game against Brighton and Hove Albion last month, and only City striker Erling Haaland (10) has bettered his tally of six top-flight goals this term.
While Pep Guardiola has said Palmer's sale was not a mistake, citing the fierce competition for places at City, Pearce believes his form will have surprised his former club.
"I watched Cole Palmer in the last internationals and he's so aware, before he gets the ball, of what is around him and he just manipulates that ball brilliantly as challenges come in," Pearce told Stats Perform.
"Now for what he's done, I don't think Manchester City envisaged how well he was going to do when he left the football club.
"With Cole Palmer, it will be difficult to turn around and say he's not the best player in the Premier League at this moment in time, or certainly last season.
"His goals tally and his assists tally are there for all to see. He's quite incredible. With his understanding of where to be on a football pitch, you almost want him to be the central figure."
Palmer has also made an impact on the international stage, coming off the bench to score for England in their 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.
Lee Carsley, who remains in interim charge of England until Thomas Tuchel takes the reins in January, has fielded Palmer from the right wing, but Pearce thinks he must be allowed positional freedom to show his best form.
"Last game [a 3-1 Nations League win in Finland] he played wide on the right, I think his instructions were to stay on the right because [Jack] Grealish comes off the flank a little bit more," Pearce said.
"It's about where best to play Cole Palmer to get the best out of him. I think it's tucked inside, inside right, number 10, wherever.
"It's about getting that balance right and you might have to leave Foden or Bellingham out to accommodate him on any given day. Now that is a tough call for any manager, but he's been incredible for Chelsea."
Saturday's game between Bologna and Milan has been postponed due to heavy rain and flooding in the area, Serie A confirmed.
The clubs and the league organisers met on Friday in an attempt to find alternative arrangements, after Bologna mayor Matteo Lepore had earlier announced that he had ordered the suspension of the match.
An agreement could not be reached, with solutions such as playing the game in Bologna behind closed doors or at a neutral stadium rejected, and the game has been postponed with a rescheduled date yet to be announced.
"The match is postponed because, with a decision that in my opinion is incomprehensible, the mayor has prohibited the match from being played even behind closed doors," Milan chairman Paolo Scaroni told reporters after the meeting.
The municipality of Bologna said in a statement that the match would bring around 35,000 people near the most critical area of the city, causing problems due to the presence of fans and traffic closure in the surrounding area.
With both clubs involved in the Champions League, finding a new date for the postponed game will prove difficult, and Milan will now be without Theo Hernandez and Tijjani Reijnders for Tuesday's match against leaders Napoli.
Both players were set to be suspended for the Bologna game, but will now serve their suspension in the next match instead.
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are not "feeling sorry" for themselves ahead of welcoming Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium, despite their depleted squad.
Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, who went off in their Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, are all injury doubts for this match, while Martin Odegaard is also unavailable.
Arteta also has to contend with a suspension, with William Saliba out after being sent off against Bournemouth in Arsenal's 2-0 defeat last weekend.
The Gunners have a worrying record without the Frenchman in their starting line-up; he has missed just 11 games since his debut in 2022, with Arsenal boasting a 74%-win rate with him in the side compared to just 45.5% without him.
Arsenal are, however, in good form against Liverpool at home, winning their last two such Premier League matches, and Arteta is upbeat ahead of their latest clash against the Reds.
"This is the game. We obviously don't want to be in this situation, but we are lucky to have the squad we have and the attitude to react to difficult situations," Arteta said.
"We don't feel sorry for ourselves, we face it, and we know how good we are.
"We have different options [in defence]. That partnership [between William Saliba and Gabriel] has been very stable but we have to find a solution.
"[There's] so much going on with the backline, but we have had to adapt to that and the versatile players have been really useful.
"We had a day off after the Champions League and two days to prepare the game. This is a big match, a big opportunity, and we love these kind of matches at the Emirates. The team is really looking forward to it.
"We have to maintain playing with dominance and belief. Our belief, energy and commitment is needed in a big match like this."
Liverpool sit top of the table going into the weekend's fixtures having lost just one of their 12 matches under Arne Slot so far. Arsenal are currently four points adrift of the pacesetters, who could sit second by kick-off if Manchester City beat Southampton.
Arteta was full of praise for the work Slot has done since moving to Merseyside, but brushed off the idea that this game was his biggest test as Arsenal boss so far.
"Arne Slot's start has been very good. They are in a really great moment and run. They're a team who, for nine years, have been competing at the highest level.
"We have had very difficult and challenging moments, but I don't think this is one of them. We are so energised; the atmosphere will be tremendous, and we are really looking forward to the game.
"I never think about losing. I don't spend one second on the preparation thinking about if we lose it. It is just very bad luck [with the injuries].
"They are difficult issues and traumatic injuries. International ones are difficult to control. It can happen, but it is about how we can react to it and change it. The team have to mentally adapt to that and maintain the belief that even with the team like this, we are still a great team."
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