Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal’s Champions League history is irrelevant and challenged his side to prove they belong at the tournament’s business end as they prepare to face Porto in the last 16.
The Gunners are back in Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in seven years but have failed to progress past this stage since 2010.
Arsenal will be firm favourites at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday night as Arteta looks to go further in the Champions League than he ever managed as a player at the club.
“They (the players) know that we have not been in the competition for seven years,” the Spaniard said.
“Obviously some of them were here and they know the story and they know that what happened in the past is irrelevant, it is the challenge and ambition that we have now to go through.”
Asked if he felt it was a mental block that caused Arsene Wenger’s side to fall at the last-16 hurdle so many times, Arteta replied: “Someone called (Lionel) Messi was another obstacle as well!
“And Bayern Munich that we faced twice. This competition is what it is. Individual quality is extremely important. It comes down to details and you need your players at your best when the occasion arises.”
Arteta’s young squad had very little Champions League experience heading into a group stage they dominated, winning four games and progressing as winners with a fixture to spare.
Now the knockout stages present another chance for both manager and team to prove they belong at this level.
“We don’t have the experience, that’s the reality – 95 per cent of these players haven’t played this competition, they haven’t played the last 16.
“I haven’t (managed at this stage). But they have so much energy and enthusiasm to play well and that’s our desire and how we’re going to play the game.
“It’s great. We have earned the right to be here. It’s been seven years since we’ve been at the top table for these kind of matches and 14 years since we were able to go to the next stage.
“That’s the challenge. We know what is ahead of us, but we are very excited to face it and to go for it with full belief, that’s for sure.”
An extra incentive for Arsenal to banish past ghosts is the prospect of going all the way to just their second Champions League final, with Wembley playing host to the showpiece event this year.
“It should be incredible to have that feeling to lift that cup, in London, the first of June. It is there,” added Arteta.
“It is in our minds. It is a dream, but there are a lot of things you have to earn the right to do before that and tomorrow we have a big obstacle ahead of us. We are really looking forward to it.”
Sheffield United have condemned the racist abuse received by Mason Holgate in the wake of Sunday’s game against Brighton.
Holgate was sent off in the 13th minute for a reckless thigh-high challenge on Kaoru Mitoma, with the VAR advising referee Stuart Attwell to upgrade an initial yellow card to red.
Brighton went on to win 5-0 at Bramall Lane and Holgate subsequently received racist abuse on social media which he has shared on his Instagram account.
“I can only apologise for letting my team-mates, club + fans down on the weekend & have done so this week personally,” Holgate wrote.
“However, the last 48 hours have been difficult to take… the constant racist abuse across my social media… here are some of the messages!
“As a sport + society we need to do more and there needs to be consequences for Racism!”
Holgate’s club said in a statement: “Sheffield United condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the racist abuse received by Mason Holgate following Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion.
“We will support Mason and applaud him bringing this to light on social media. The club will work with relevant bodies to investigate. There is no room for racism in our game.”
The Minnesota Timberwolves are top of the Western Conference but know they will have to "maintain that edge" as they return to action following the NBA All-Star break.
Minnesota have not been beyond the first round of the playoffs in 20 years, yet they are in position to earn the number one seed through 55 games, boasting a 39-16 record and a 1.5-game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The All-Star break has been a busy one for the T-Wolves, with Chris Finch coaching the West outfit, which included Anthony Edwards and team-mate Karl Anthony Towns, who scored 50 points.
The team have also agreed a two-year contract extension with guard Mike Conley Jr., according to reports. He had been set for free agency at the end of the season.
Finch is now hoping he will find a focused team in Minnesota as they seek to build on a superb start to the year.
"We've just got to try to pick up where we left off," he said. "We know the intensity in these games are going to ramp up more and more.
"We've got to make sure that we maintain that edge. We've done a good job of developing a good offensive rhythm in the past few weeks, so we've got to maintain that.
"Hold serve at home; we've got a lot of home games coming up here out of the break. There's lots of things we can do to keep furthering ourselves."
There was an unfamiliar feeling for Finch in the All-Star Game, seeing his team handily beaten by the East in an encounter that drew criticism for its lack of competitive play.
The format may no longer be widely popular, but Finch certainly enjoyed the rare opportunity to coach players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
"Looking around the locker room, there's probably 12 first-ballot Hall of Famers in there," he said. "It's something I'll remember forever."
The Timberwolves return against the Milwaukee Bucks at Target Center on Friday.
Penrith head coach Ivan Cleary is eager to see his all-conquering NRL giants belatedly join the roll call of world club champions with victory over Wigan at the DW Stadium on Saturday.
The Panthers fell short against Wigan and Bradford in 1991 and 2004 respectively before suffering an agonising golden point defeat to St Helens on home territory in February last year.
Despite being one of the NRL’s greatest sides by common consensus after three-straight title wins, Cleary knows an asterisk will remain beside his side’s achievements until they have ascended to the global crown.
“It’s the one thing we haven’t been able to do – only 12 teams have managed to win this thing and we’ve had three goes and missed out on it,” said Cleary.
“You look through the list of winners and only the big clubs have done it, so for us to be on that list would be big.
“I’ve watched these games for many years from growing up as a kid and it’s a big game – you don’t play for a world championship every day and I think both teams will show what it means on the night.”
Both sides have been hit by injury setbacks ahead of the fixture with Cleary confirming Penrith will hand 20-year-old Jack Cole only his second senior start at stand-off in place of absent star Jarome Luai.
Wigan meanwhile will draft youngster Harvie Hill into their front row after losing new signing Luke Thompson to concussion in Saturday’s Super League season-opener at Castleford, with another new boy Sam Walters already sidelined.
But Wigan head coach Matt Peet admitted he breathed a huge sigh of relief when half-back Harry Smith escaped a ban following a yellow card for a tip-tackle in the same fixture, meaning he can line up at the sold-out DW Stadium.
Peet admitted he had been concerned but was “chuffed” by the news and added: “I think both teams want to come up against the best of one another.
“We want to see Harry on that stage, particularly because of the journey he’s been on, coming through that pathway.
“Harvie is another home-grown lad which is brilliant and it is an exciting opportunity for him.”
Jack Catterall insisted he would knock out Josh Taylor when the bitter rivals faced each other for a second time in April.
Catterall controversially lost a split decision for the undisputed super-lightweight championship two years ago and there were many inside and outside the sport who thought he had every right to feel aggrieved.
The British Boxing Board of Control launched an investigation into the scoring of the bout and subsequently downgraded judge Ian John-Lewis, who had scored it 114-111 in favour of Taylor.
The Scot vacated three of his titles before losing his WBO championship to Teofimo Lopez last June in his only bout since facing Catterall, whom he will meet again in a non-title fight on April 27 at the First Direct Arena in Leeds.
“It’s an exciting fight, it gets the juices flowing,” Catterall told a press conference in Manchester.
“It’s been talked about for the last two years, everybody asking when this rematch is so it’s good to finally have the date locked in and I’m ready to settle it.
“They’ve said it’s the England v Scotland narrative but it’s more of me just fighting a p***k. He’s just not a nice person.
“I know what lies ahead of me. I’m preparing for the best version of Josh Taylor, so when I beat him – and I beat him convincingly – I can move on with my career.”
Asked if he believed he would win the fight within the distance, Catterall added: “One hundred per cent.
“I think he’s there to be beat, I think I’ve got his number. I know I’ve got his number and it’s only a matter of time before he touches the canvas again.”
Taylor’s microphone did not work properly during the press conference, although his words were also drowned out by boos from fans of local favourite Catterall.
Scotland are hopeful that talismanic wing Darcy Graham will be fit enough to play a part in the Guinness Six Nations even though he will stay on the sidelines for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup showdown with England.
The 26-year-old – who is second on the national team’s all-time try-scoring list – missed the opening two matches of the championship against Wales and France with a quad problem.
Graham was scheduled to return to the fold for this weekend’s Murrayfield clash with England, but it emerged on Monday that he had suffered a new groin issue while training with Edinburgh last week, which has ruled him out of contention.
The free-scoring back – who missed the entirety of last year’s Six Nations with a knee injury – is due to be assessed this week and Scotland are hoping he will be able to return for the championship-concluding fixtures away to Italy and Ireland next month.
“Darcy had started back with Edinburgh and we were very happy about that,” said scrum coach Pieter De Villiers at a media briefing on Tuesday.
“But he’s picked up a bit of a groin niggle at the moment so he’s just nursing that. We’ll see how that goes.”
Asked if Graham was expected back before the end of the tournament, De Villiers said: “We’ve got another fallow week (after England) so that will hopefully give him enough time and then we’ll just assess things from there.”
Despite Graham’s ongoing absence, Scotland will welcome back two senior members of their back three this weekend, with Glasgow wing Kyle Steyn returning after missing the France game for the birth of his child and Toulouse full-back Blair Kinghorn available after sitting out the first two games with a knee injury.
“Blair has been training really well and we’re excited to see him back in the squad again,” reported De Villiers.
Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash will be Scotland’s first outing since their agonising defeat at home to France, when the officials controversially decided not to award them what would have been a match-winning try after Sam Skinner appeared to ground the ball on the whitewash in the last action of a tightly-contested affair.
De Villiers admitted that having last weekend off was beneficial in helping the Scots banish any lingering frustration at having their hopes of a Grand Slam dashed in such galling fashion.
“Yes, it almost feels long ago,” he said of the extra time out of camp to regroup. “A bit of time off was good for the team.
“There’s obviously been frustration and disappointment. I thought we’d done enough to win that game but that’s the way rugby goes. Sometimes things don’t go your way.
“It’s the best thing for us to move on and prepare for England which is a fantastic game to look forward to. It’s all behind us.”
De Villiers has no concerns about any hangover from the France game plaguing Scotland this weekend as he feels recovering from such setbacks is “part of what we do”.
“It’s important to be able to move on,” he said. “It’s important to be able to be frustrated as well.
“As much as there were things we could have done better, it’s good to know that we did enough (to potentially win the game) as well.
“That’s important for our psyche and for moving on. It’s not the first decision to go against us and it won’t be the last decision to go against us.”
Ilkay Gundogan believes Barcelona face a “harder” test against Napoli following the Italian club’s change of manager.
The Serie A champions sacked Walter Mazzarri on Monday and immediately brought in former coach Francesco Calzona until the end of the season.
His debut in the dugout comes at home to Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash on Wednesday night.
Speaking to La Vanguardia, Gundogan said: “This is what the Champions League is all about, making big demands.
“I love this kind of pressure. Every game starts from zero. The fact they have just changed managers won’t make it any easier for us. If anything, it makes it even harder.
“There are other teams in the competition with more of a chance and better experience, but if we can reach the quarter finals, we are entering special territory. I am a realist, but I also know it’s difficult for everybody.”
Barcelona will see their boss Xavi leave the club at the end of the season.
The 44-year-old confirmed the news last month, with Barca falling behind rivals Real Madrid and Girona at the top of the LaLiga table.
Gundogan, who joined the club from Manchester City last summer after completing the treble, admitted he “didn’t expect” Xavi to leave.
He said: “Xavi played a huge role in me coming to Barcelona. If our conversations had gone another way, I wouldn’t be here.
“He made the difference and I’m grateful for that. I didn’t expect him to announce he was leaving at the end of the season, but I respect his decision.
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“He should get a lot of credit. He thinks about his family, the players and the club before himself. Xavi loves Barca.”
Despite their struggles in the league, Xavi steered Barcelona to top spot in Champions League Group H.
Napoli finished second to Madrid in Group C and are also having a far from happy time of things domestically.
They lie ninth in Serie A and have won just twice in their last eight league games.
Barcelona have Joao Felix and Sergi Roberto fit again after spells on the sidelines.
Andy Murray snapped a six-match losing streak as he beat Alexandre Muller 6-1 7-6 (5) in the first round of the Qatar Open.
The 36-year-old held his nerve in a tight second set tie-break to secure his first win since October 2023 and renew hopes of a late career swansong.
Victory over the world number 75 seemed imperative if Murray was to continue to quell retirement talk and progress in a tournament in which he reached the final last year.
He eased into a 3-0 lead against the French qualifier and spurned two break points for a 4-0 advantage before a brief interruption as he sought treatment for an apparent knee injury.
Murray showed few ill effects as he completed a one-sided first set but Muller became more aggressive at the start of the second and sought to capitalise on his opponent’s restricted movement.
The Scot fought off a series of break points before grabbing a break of his own with his first opportunity in the seventh game, only to surrender his lead immediately and allow Muller to haul back level.
Muller held the advantage for much of the tie-break and looked set to level the match when he led 5-3, but Murray dug deep to reel off four points in a row and seal victory and set up a second-round clash with 18-year-old Jakub Mensik.
Murray said on court: “The last few months have been tough on court for me. I’ve clearly not won many matches and lost a lot of close ones as well.
“I’m proud I managed to get through the match and get another win, happy for my team who have been working hard trying to find solutions. Hopefully this is the start of a better run.”
England will get a break from Jasprit Bumrah in Ranchi as India rest their star paceman for the fourth Test which starts on Friday.
The world’s number one-ranked Test bowler did not travel with the India squad as the two teams moved from Rajkot to the Jharkhand capital on a charter flight on Tuesday afternoon.
Bumrah has been the only frontline fast bowler from either side to be an ever-present in the series so far and there is just a four-day turnaround between the end of the third Test and start of the fourth.
It was widely reported that Bumrah would miss out in Rajkot after his starring role earlier this month in Visakhapatnam, where a nine-wicket match haul helped India level the series.
Bumrah featured in the third Test but had a more understated role with just one wicket in each innings on a flat pitch as India claimed victory by a record 434-run margin to move 2-1 up with two to play.
Despite being without several regulars in this series, including Virat Kohli because of personal reasons and injuries sidelining Mohammed Shami and Rishabh Pant, India have opted to rest Bumrah this week where conditions are again unlikely to be in his favour.
Batter KL Rahul will sit out again having missed the third Test with a quad injury.
“Jasprit Bumrah has been released from the squad for the 4th IDFC First Bank Test against England in Ranchi. The decision was taken keeping in mind the duration of the series and amount of cricket he has played in recent times,” a Board of Control for Cricket in India statement read.
“Meanwhile, KL Rahul is ruled out of the fourth Test. His participation in the final Test match in Dharamsala is subject to fitness.
“Mukesh Kumar, who was released from the squad for the third Test in Rajkot, has joined the squad in Ranchi.”
Bumrah is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 17 dismissals at a stunning average of 13.64 and it is thought the more seam-friendly conditions in Dharamshala – the venue for the fifth Test – will be much more to his liking.
England head coach Brendon McCullum anticipates a wicket which will turn as they take a step into the unknown later this week at the JSCA International Stadium Complex.
The venue has played host to just two Tests, the most recent in October 2019 where India beat South Africa by an innings and 202 runs, while England’s only previous visit to Ranchi was 11 years ago in an ODI.
Joe Root is the only survivor from that match in the current England squad. The Yorkshireman has struggled with the bat in the past few weeks, yet to reach 30 in six attempts although he has had a more prominent bowling role, sending down 107 overs so far.
Asked if Root could shuffle down the batting order by a place or two to make allowances for his extra workload, McCullum insisted the idea has not been discussed between him and captain Ben Stokes.
“I haven’t thought about it,” McCullum said. “I think Joe wants to be in the game. He’s totally invested in where this team wants to go. You see him on the field: he’s constantly going up to Stokesy.
“He’s incredibly invested. He spent a lot of time with his team-mates working in the nets on stuff as well. He wants a bigger role that he’s obviously offering. Honestly, I think Joe will be absolutely fine.”
Rugby League Jamaica (RLJ) staged its annual New Year 9’s festival at the UWI Mona Bowl in Kingston last Saturday.
Nineteen teams turned up to contest four categories, including Wigan-Leigh College from England.
Tries from Kenneth Walker (2), Marvin Thompson, Jade Harrison and Akel Jenson led Duhaney Park Redsharks to a 24-12 win over Washington Blvd Bulls in the men’s final.
For the Bulls, Oshane Edie (2) and Linval Green replied with tries. Jamaica Defence Force shutout St Bess Sledgehammers 24-0 for third, while St Catherine OB Thundercats and Liguanea Dragons finished 5th and 7th respectively, topping West Kingston Hyenas and Spanish Town Vikings.
The Women’s final was a hotly contested affair between Redsharks and Sledgehammers. Shanique Smith and Allison Frazier rushed the winners to 8-0 lead before Sledgehammers came roaring back through scores from Yanique Days and Yianna Wilson. It needed sudden death extra time to settle the affair, and it was Smith who produced a brilliant solo break to settle the matters.
In Boy’s Academy U19 finals, Jamaica Hurricanes Academy A edged English outfit Wigan-Leigh College 12-8. Scorers for Jamaica were Damoy Palmer, Tyreke Hutchinson and Shevaugh Smith, the latter scoring in extra time. Both Wigan tries came from Toa Bayliss. The win marked the first ever by a Jamaican domestic team over an English team in any format of the game. Meanwhile, in the High School U19 Category, BB Coke High school got the better of The Cedar Grove Academy 12-8.
Director of Romeo Monteith commented, "RLJ is extremely pleased with the execution of the tournament, we had competitive games all round and Wigan-Leigh added an excellent international flair to this staging."
Mark Allen made three consecutive centuries, including a tournament record 146, on his way to an impressive 6-3 win over Mark Williams in the Players Championship.
Allen followed his 146 in the opening frame with breaks of 112 and 102, restricting Williams to a solitary point in the process, and also made breaks of 94, 70 and 68 to ease into the second round in Telford.
“Any win against Mark is a good win but to play like that and score like that, that’s what I needed because I haven’t been doing that much,” Allen told ITV4.
“I’m not going to go into it, but I am trying something a bit different this week so we’ll see if it works. It is a timing issue that I feel like I’ve had in recent months so the technical change I’ve made I’m hoping will correct that.
“I started the match as good as you could with three centuries and disappointed not to make four, but that’s the way you need to play.
“I lost a few (against Mark) early on when I first turned pro and I think that’s nine of the last 10 I’ve won now so maybe that’s in his head a little bit as well.”
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has been fined £11,500 by the Football Association for his biting remarks about a sandwich-eating assistant referee.
Wilder was offended when he spotted one of referee Tony Harrington’s assistants chowing down when the Blades manager went to see him after their 3-2 defeat at Crystal Palace last month.
Wilder, who has accepted the charge, branded the sight as a “complete lack of respect” and also called Harrington’s performance “ridiculous” in an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield after the game.
An FA statement read: “Chris Wilder has been fined £11,500 for media comments that came after Sheffield United’s game against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Tuesday 30 January.
“It was alleged that the manager’s comments constitute improper conduct in that they imply bias and/or attack the integrity of the referee, or referees generally, and/or bring the game into disrepute.
“Chris Wilder accepted this charge, and an independent Regulatory Commission imposed his fine following a hearing.”
Wilder’s fine follows a charge issued to him on Valentine’s Day over the rant, in which he said: “It’s yet again another ridiculous performance from the referee.
“Every 50/50 or tight decision goes against us and if that’s what we’re going to have to deal with between now and the end of the season, we’re going to deal with it.
“But I’m not just going to go under the radar and not say anything. I’ve been to see the referee and I’ve told him that.
“One of his assistants was eating a sandwich at the time, which I thought was a complete lack of respect. Hopefully he enjoyed his sandwich while he was talking to a Premier League manager.”
Officials at Aintree believe they are better prepared to deal with any protests that may occur at this season’s Randox Grand National, after last year’s race was delayed by around 15 minutes.
More than 100 protesters from animal rights group Animal Rising were arrested after some managed to get onto the course.
The Jockey Club, which owns Aintree, was able to put more stringent plans in place by the time of the Derby at Epsom in June, when it secured an injunction which made it illegal for anyone to attempt to get on the track.
Aintree clerk of the course Sulekha Varma said: “We’re lucky that we’ve got a very good relationship with the police and we will take guidance from them.
“We learned a lot last year, and we saw that at Epsom, so we are going into this year with a different outlook.”
Dickon White, Aintree and North West regional director of the Jockey Club, said: “We’ve had nothing at all (threat of protests).
“We’re still reviewing last year’s incidents, as we would through the normal planning process with Merseyside Police and our security advisers. But there’s nothing at this stage which tells us there is going to be anything different to previous years. At this stage we’re not planning to do anything different.”
Nicholas Wrigley, outgoing chairman at Aintree, felt the incident emphasised just what place the race still holds in the public consciousness.
“What last year showed was how important the Grand National is, not just to racing but to the general public. It triggered a National debate which went on for days,” he said.
“It showed what the future is and what the future may hold for jumps racing. What was clear was the one thing that was at the front of everything was the safety of the horse.
“It’s why we’ve spent so long discussing everything, making everything safer for the horse because that is vital for the future of the race.
“What Sulekha and Dickon and the team have done is so important going forwards and we need all the people to support the changes and what Lucinda (Russell) and Peter (Scudamore) said in the aftermath of last year’s race which they won (with Corach Rmabler) was very helpful.
“We need people to focus on the horse rather than looking back in time at what has gone before so we’ll be asking people to get behind the changes.”
Those changes involve a new start time of 4pm, moving the first fence nearer to the starting tape and perhaps more significantly reducing the field to 34 from 40 runners.
“The changes were made on the back of the review, which happens every year, and my thought is always how do we keep the race moving forwards,” said Varma.
“The biggest change is the reduction to 34 runners and that is down to the way the race is run. Since the changes to the fences 10 years ago as it has altered the speed of the race.
“We couldn’t move the start so we’ve moved the first fence 60 yards closer and that worked in the Becher and Grand Sefton. The change in race time is also helpful as it stops some of the build up of pressure.”
Kevin Sinfield insists Ollie Lawrence and Manu Tuilagi are “ready to kick the door down” if England beef up their backline for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland.
The hard running centres are available for the first time in the 2024 Guinness Six Nations having recovered from the respective groin and hip injuries that forced them to miss the opening two rounds.
Head coach Steve Borthwick must decide whether to break up the midfield partnership of Fraser Dingwall and Henry Slade that started the wins against Italy and Wales or add more ball-carrying clout to the backline.
“Ollie and Manu bring power,” assistant coach Sinfield said ahead of the trip to Murrayfield.
“Fraser and Henry offer a bit more ball movement and a bit more finesse at the line but what Manu and Ollie bring is they will kick the door down.
“It’s about trying to find the right balance for us this weekend. Ollie and Manu haven’t been in with us that long but we know them pretty well from the World Cup and what they’ve done previously.
“Then there’s the experience of Henry and Fraser’s ball skills and games management in and around that midfield, so we’ve got a real healthy competition there.”
Borthwick will make at least one enforced change when he names his team on Thursday after scrum-half Alex Mitchell was ruled out by a knee injury sustained in training.
Mitchell was due to see a specialist on Tuesday when a date for his return will be set.
It clears the path for 37-year-old veteran Danny Care to win his 99th cap as a starter in Edinburgh on Saturday, if he holds off the challenge of Ben Spencer who is likely to feature on the bench.
“Danny’s had a great career and I’ve loved working with him. He looks after himself really well and to still be playing at 37, you’ve got to be doing that early in your career,” Sinfield said.
“We all know the type of professional that he is and the experience he has. You can’t measure how valuable experience is because it gives confidence, belief and trust to those around him.
“He’s really good around the group because of his personality. He’s always got a smile on his face.
“He understands people really well and he gets the best out of those around him. It would be awesome if he can get to 100 caps.”
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