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• Luke Shaw 'devastated' by yet another injury setback

  Manchester United and England defender Luke Shaw has said that he is devastated after suffering the latest in a long line of injury issues.

  Shaw made his first appearance of the season coming off the bench in the 1-1 draw away to Ipswich on 24 November, which was Ruben Amorim's first game in charge.

  He has since come off the bench against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League last week and on Sunday in the 4-0 home win over Everton.

  Now a new injury, which is not thought to be related to his original calf issue, will keep him out for a few weeks.

  "It's hurting a lot having to write this as I really thought I had got through my recent struggles and was on a positive path going forwards, but unfortunately I've had a small setback," Shaw wrote in an emotional statement on his Instagram account.

  "I've been through a lot and had a lot of ups and downs but this has definitely been my toughest period. I'm absolutely devastated and it's extremely tough to come to terms with reality at this moment in time.

  "I understand there is gunna [sic] be people frustrated, angry, disappointed and I understand all that. There is no one feeling that more than me at this moment in time.

  "But what I can promise is I will do everything I can to come back better soon to help this club achieve its ambitions this season. Thank you to everyone for the support. It really doesn't go unnoticed and I really do appreciate it."

  Prior to his appearance at Ipswich, Shaw had not played since England's 2-1 defeat in the Euro 2024 final.

  That was his only start of the tournament, while his last start for Manchester United came in a 2-1 victory away to Luton in February.

• Neuer accepts blame as Bayern exit cup to Leverkusen

  Manuel Neuer accepts he made a costly mistake after being sent off as Bayern Munich exited the DFB-Pokal at the last-16 stage with a 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen.

  The experienced goalkeeper was shown a straight red card in the 17th minute with the game goalless for fouling Jeremie Frimpong outside his box.

  It marked the first time Neuer has been dismissed in his illustrious career and Leverkusen took full advantage thanks to Nathan Tella's 69th-minute winner.

  Speaking after Tuesday's contest at the Allianz Arena, Neuer said: "I tried to get to the ball but didn't get there in time.

  "I was hoping he would be in an offside position. I can't change it now. It was a mistake and I have to accept it."

  Bayern have won the competition a record 20 times but have failed to get past the quarter-final stage since they last lifted the cup in 2020.

  The Bavarians are four points clear at the top of Bundesliga and are 13th in the Champions League group phase in Vincent Kompany's first season in charge.

  Despite the loss, which came in the absence of injured top scorer Harry Kane, head coach Kompany remains upbeat for the remainder of the season.

  "The fact is we lost and we won't win the cup this season," he said. "But with experience we know this was also a special performance from us.

  "If this feeling remains we will win many games but this cup we cannot win it any more.

  "It is bitter for us. We won't have a good evening. But if this energy remains then we will win many more games. This team can grow further and we will get our moments."

• Bournemouth v Tottenham: Postecoglou says City win cannot be 'millstone' for visitors

  Ange Postecoglou says Tottenham's positive displays cannot be placed as a "millstone" around their necks as they bid to return to winning ways at Bournemouth on Thursday.

  Spurs made headlines by tearing Premier League champions Manchester City apart in a 4-0 away win on matchday 12, but they were subsequently held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham on matchday 13.

  They have not played out the same result in any of their last eight Premier League games, flitting between wins and defeats across seven straight matchdays before Sunday's draw.

  With Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Guglielmo Vicario among their current injury absentees, Postecoglou says pundits and fans cannot reasonably expect total consistency.

  "I know people use City as a reference point, but I was able to put on [Brennan] Johnson and [Timo] Werner, and I had Vicario in goal," Postecoglou said.

  "I know people are looking for easy targets, but what the players are having to deal with is self-evident. We are going to have to protect our players. 

  "We don't have many options, so we will manage them the best we can. We can't play like we did against City in every game.

  "With this club, everything we do well is used as a millstone to bring us down at every opportunity. We can't react to any of that.

  "I just feel that the players we have at the moment are working hard to get us where we want to be, and we are still in decent shape and a decent position in the league."

   

  Bournemouth are just two points below Spurs in the table after beating Wolves 4-2 at Molineux in a thriller last week, with Justin Kluivert becoming the first player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick of penalties.

  All three spot-kicks were won by recent arrival Evanilson, leading coach Andoni Iraola to shower the Brazilian with praise.

  "Evanilson has made the difference. He has been fighting with the centre-backs and the keeper. He was phenomenal," Iraola said.

  "Evanilson didn't score, but he is why we won. He has won five penalties this season and we have scored four.

  "It is very difficult to score three penalties in one game. Justin is someone who gives us a lot, also without the ball. He is someone who understands we need his work rate. He is giving the team a lot."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Bournemouth – Evanilson

  Evanilson has won more fouls than any other Bournemouth player in the Premier League this season (23). At Wolves, he became the first player in Premier League history to win three penalties in a single match.

  Only Kluivert (five), meanwhile, has netted more league goals for the Cherries than his four this campaign.

   

  Tottenham – Brennan Johnson

  Johnson was on target for Spurs against Fulham last time out, netting his 10th goal across all competitions this campaign. 

  Only Erling Haaland (17), Mohamed Salah (12) and Christopher Nkunku (11) have netted more among all Premier League players.

  MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

  Tottenham have won 10 of their 14 Premier League games against Bournemouth (71%), drawing two and losing two. Of all sides they have faced at least 10 times in the competition, only against Swansea City (79%) do they have a higher win rate.

  They did the double over the Cherries in 2023-24, winning 3-1 at home last December after triumphing 2-0 at the Vitality in August.

   

  Spurs average 2.5 goals per game in the Premier League against Bournemouth (35 goals in 14 matches), their highest rate against any side they have faced at least 10 times in the competition.

  However, they have only won twice in six away matches in the top flight this campaign, drawing one and losing three. 

  Each of Tottenham's last five Premier League away wins have been to nil, including a 4-0 victory at City last time out on their travels. They have not won any of their last 14 when conceding on the road (five draws, nine defeats), since a 2-1 triumph at Crystal Palace in October 2023.

  Bournemouth have three wins in their last four at home so should be expected to provide a stern test. An entertaining draw could be on the cards.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Bournemouth – 36.5%

  Tottenham – 39.1%

  Draw – 24.4%