Arsenal's interest in Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Mykhaylo Mudryk is well known, having pursued him in the last transfer window.

The 22-year-old Ukraine winger has scored 10 goals in 18 appearances for Shakhtar this term, enhancing his value.

Mudryk has also had interest from Sevilla and Chelsea, with the Gunners having reportedly previously made two bids for his services.

TOP STORY - GUNNERS CLOSE IN ON AGREEMENT FOR MUDRYK DEAL

Arsenal have tabled a fresh third bid worth €70m (£62m) plus add-ons for key target Mykhaylo Mudryk of Shakhtar Donetsk, claims Fabrizio Romano.

Talks are ongoing with no breakthrough but the two parties are getting closer to agreement, while Mudryk posted a praying emoji on Instagram in a sign he wants to make the move.

The Daily Express claims that the two clubs have come to an agreement on the fee, with negotiations entering the "final stage".

ROUND-UP

- Al Hilal, rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo's new Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, are plotting a €275m move for World Cup winner Lionel Messi from Paris Saint-Germain, reports Mundo Deportivo. The Sun has reported Messi's father Jorge has been spotted in Saudi Arabia too.

- Arsenal are also again interested in Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic, reports La Repubblica. According to the report, the Serbian is valued at €110m (£97.7m).

- Sport claims that Newcastle United have tabled an offer for Barcelona's Dutch forward Memphis Depay.

- PSG are set to offer Milan Skriniar a €12m-a-year contract, provided he agrees to leave Inter on a free transfer, reports La Repubblica. Skriniar's Inter deal concludes at the end of this season.

- AS reports that PSG have accepted a bid for Wolves for 30-year-old Spanish midfielder Pablo Sarabia.

- Besiktas are turning to Wolves' forward Raul Jimenez to replace Manchester United-bound Wout Weghorst, according to Fotospor.

Barcelona set up an El Clasico clash with Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final after beating Real Betis 4-2 on penalties following a 2-2 draw at the King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday.

Goals from Robert Lewandowski and Nabil Fekir sent the game to extra time in Riyadh, before a wonderstrike from Fati was cancelled out by Loren Moron's cheeky backheel equaliser to force a penalty shoot-out.

Juanmi and William Carvalho saw their spot-kicks saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, allowing Pedri to clinch progress to the final.

Barca will now face Madrid on Sunday for the first time since the competition moved to a four-team format in 2019-20.

Bayern Munich "have a duty to get another goalkeeper" in the current transfer window, according to head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

The German giants have been put in a tricky situation after Manuel Neuer suffered a broken leg during a skiing trip, leaving 34-year-old back-up Sven Ulreich as their only experienced option between the sticks.

Behind Ulreich is 19-year-old Johannes Schenk, and Nagelsmann made it clear he is looking for a more established veteran to challenge Ulreich for the number one spot in Neuer's absence.

However, he highlighted to reporters on Thursday why it is such a difficult proposition mid-season.

"In winter it is very, very difficult," he said. "The market situation is complex because other clubs are also looking for certain positions. 

"The goalkeeping market is generally complex – there aren't that many players out there. The situation is not easy.

"We're trying to do something. We have a duty to get another goalkeeper, regardless of whether he becomes number one or number two, because behind [Ulreich] we only have very young players. 

"If [Ulreich] were to get injured, it would be a complex situation for a young player with no professional experience to be between the posts. I'm a friend of always keeping your eyes and ears open."

When asked about Bayern's links to 34-year-old Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer, Nagelsmann suggested there has been little progress.

"It's like I said before, it's kind of normal the way things are going," he said. "There is no club that likes to give away their goalkeeper. 

"There are few goalkeepers on the market that make sense for us and improve us. Nothing new at the moment."

Jude Bellingham has got over the disappointment of England's World Cup quarter-final defeat to France but still wonders what might have been.

The 19-year-old midfielder had an impressive tournament in Qatar before England's 2-1 defeat at the hands of the eventual runners-up, with Three Lions captain Harry Kane both scoring and missing a penalty.

Ahead of his return to domestic action with Borussia Dortmund, Bellingham spoke to the Bundesliga club's media and opened up on his feelings following the World Cup.

"You come to terms with it pretty quickly, to be honest, but I still think about the game at times," he said. "There was an instance in training where I had a shot and I thought: 'That was just like the one that I had in the France game', and if I put it more to the left, would we have gone through?

"I was involved in the first penalty where I flicked it to Bukayo [Saka], and the second one, when I put the pass behind to Mason [Mount] and I always think: 'What if I'd just put it on Mason's toe and he went and scored?' And then there would have been no second penalty.

"You overthink things, but I think you come to terms with it quickly because you can't change it, whether you like it or not. Then you're on the plane home and think: 'We gave everything.'

"We had a tournament that the country can be proud of. We put up a really strong fight against one of the best teams in the world. We went out narrowly and you learn to kind of use it as ammunition for the next ones, and I think that's how I've taken it."

Despite ultimate disappointment at the last-eight stage, Bellingham was pleased with his first World Cup experience, which helped secure his inclusion in the 14-man shortlist for 2022's The Best FIFA Men's Player award.

"I think it was really good. I was really proud of it," he added.

"But you can't be satisfied because you go with the intention of winning it, and I really did feel like we had the chance to, especially after we got through against Senegal [in the last 16] and you realise there's only three more games. Had we beaten France and gone through, who knows what can happen?

"I personally enjoyed the kind of pressure of the games and the responsibility that the manager [Gareth Southgate] gave me... I think you create the pressure yourself through lack of preparation and confidence.

"Luckily, I don't lack confidence and I always try and stay prepared. I'm always quite confident that I can achieve the things I want to achieve."

Dortmund's season does not resume until January 22, over a month after the World Cup ended, and Bellingham is grateful for the rest.

"After the World Cup I was just drained physically, and I said to myself: 'I want to have a nice long rest'," he said. "But then about two weeks into it, I thought: 'Nah, nah, I need to go back in and get to work and finally be back,' and I can't wait to get going again."

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are among the leading candidates for The Best FIFA Men's Player award after unsurprisingly being named on the 14-strong list of nominees on Thursday.

FIFA's awards ceremony will take place on February 27 and recognise the sport's high achievers from 2022 across several categories, with The Best FIFA Men's Player prize being the headline attraction.

Messi, who won the 2019 award and came a close second to Robert Lewandowski for 2021, will be the firm favourite after inspiring Argentina to World Cup success.

It was the Albiceleste's first such title since 1986, and Messi played a crucial role in the triumph as Argentina beat France on penalties after a 3-3 draw last month.

Messi scored five goals and set up another three to win himself the Golden Ball, and he nearly took home the Golden Boot as well.

Of course, his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe won the latter prize thanks to his hat-trick against Argentina in the dramatic final, and he will likely be Messi's closest rival.

Had it not been a World Cup year, Manchester City's Erling Haaland might have fancied his chances of staking a claim after a sensational start to life in the Premier League.

Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema is among the nominees and may be expecting a top-three finish after carrying Real Madrid to another Champions League crown, though his lack of World Cup involvement could prove detrimental.

Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is in the running for The Best FIFA Men's Coach gong, though Argentina's Lionel Scaloni will likely be the favourite of the five-man shortlist.

Argentina are also represented in The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper category by Emiliano Martinez among the five nominees.

For the women's prizes, Euro 2022 champions England have several nominations.

Beth Mead, Keira Walsh and Leah Williamson are all up for the players' award; Sarina Wiegman will be the favourite for the coaches' accolade; and Mary Earps is in contention to be named The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper.

The voting process will involve international captains and coaches, journalists, and fans selecting their winners in the various categories.

Voting closes on February 3 and FIFA will announce three finalists from each section thereafter.

NOMINATIONS

The Best FIFA Men's Player
Julian Alvarez (Argentina/River Plate/Manchester City)
Jude Bellingham (England/Borussia Dortmund) 
Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid) 
Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City)
Erling Haaland (Norway/ Borussia Dortmund/Manchester City)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain) 
Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich/Barcelona)
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool/Bayern Munich)
Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain)
Luka Modric (Croatia/Real Madrid)
Neymar (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool) 
Vinicius Junior (Brazil/Real Madrid)

The Best FIFA Men's Coach
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Real Madrid)
Didier Deschamps (France/French National Team)
Pep Guardiola (Spain/Manchester City) 
Walid Regragui (Morocco/Wydad AC/Moroccan National Team)
Lionel Scaloni (Argentina/Argentinian National Team) 

The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper
Alisson Becker (Brazil/Liverpool) 
Yassine Bounou (Morocco/Sevilla)
Thibaut Courtois (Belgium/Real Madrid)
Ederson (Brazil/Manchester City)
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina/Aston Villa) 

The Best FIFA Women's Player: 
Aitana Bonmatí (Spain/Barcelona)
Debinha (Brazil/North Carolina Courage)
Jessie Fleming (Canada/Chelsea)
Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon)
Sam Kerr (Australia/Chelsea)
Beth Mead (England/Arsenal)
Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal)
Alex Morgan (United States/Orlando Pride/San Diego Wave)
Lena Oberdorf (Germany/Wolfsburg)
Alexandra Popp (Germany/Wolfsburg)
Alexia Putellas (Spain/Barcelona)
Wendie Renard (France/Lyon)
Keira Walsh (England/Manchester City/Barcelona)
Leah Williamson (England/Arsenal)

The Best FIFA Women's Coach
Sonia Bompastor (France/Lyon) 
Emma Hayes (England/Chelsea)
Bev Priestman (England/Canadian National Team)
Pia Sundhage (Sweden/Brazilian National Team)
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (Germany/German National Team)
Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands / English National Team)

The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper
Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany/Chelsea Women)
Mary Earps (England/Manchester United) 
Christiane Endler (Chile/Lyon)
Merle Frohms (Germany/Eintracht Frankfurt /Wolfsburg)
Alyssa Naeher (United States/Chicago Red Stars)
Sandra Panos Garca-Villamil (Spain/Barcelona)

Liverpool defender and Women's Super League (WSL) record appearance maker Gilly Flaherty has announced her retirement from playing at the age of 31 for family reasons.

Flaherty made 177 WSL appearances with Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham and Liverpool, whom she joined last July.

She brings down the curtain on a career that saw her win four WSL titles, seven Women's FA Cups and the Women's Champions League in 2007.

London-born Flaherty, who also won nine caps for England, took the decision to hang up her boots following the recent death of her father.
 

"It isn't a decision I've taken lightly but one I've reached after speaking with those closest to me," she said in a statement published on Liverpool's official website on Thursday.

"Losing my dad just before Christmas has left me heartbroken – for 22 years we shared our love of football and playing-wise I don't want to carry on without him by my side.

"Playing-wise, I know the right decision is for me to call it a day. The time is right for me to be around my family and to be nearest to those closest to me."

Former West Ham captain Flaherty's final WSL appearance came against the Hammers in a 2-0 win for Liverpool last month.

Luciano Spalletti responded to Massimiliano Allegri's claims that Napoli are Scudetto favourites by insisting the pressure is on second-place Juventus ahead of Friday's contest.

Juve are on a remarkable run of eight straight Serie A wins without conceding – their best such run since March 2018 – heading into the game at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Napoli remain seven points clear of their opponents, however, having lost just once all season – a 1-0 defeat to Inter last week that they responded to with victory over Sampdoria.

Allegri has constantly stressed finishing in the top four is Juve's main objective for the season and said on Thursday that the title is still Napoli's to lose.

However, Spalletti does not believe that is the case and joked it is impossible for Allegri to disguise the fact his side have more to lose than Napoli.

"I understand that for Allegri it is convenient to play as supporting actor," Spalletti said at his pre-match press conference. 

"But for a Juve side that is always stuffed with champions it is impossible to hide from the role of favourites.

"Certain investments pay off only by playing for the Scudetto and winning the Champions League. It's useless putting on a hat or a fake beard. Fourth place doesn't satisfy Juve."

Spalletti is one win shy of equalling Carlo Ancelotti (275) for the most victories in Serie A since the 1983-84 season, with Allegri just behind on 273.

Napoli boast the best attack in the Italian top flight, with 39 goals in 17 matches, but they come up against the strongest defence as Juve have shipped only seven goals all term.

Asked if it will be a case of style over substance in the top-of-the-table clash, Spalletti said: "Sometimes you leave a mark more with the visible than what you bring home.

"We will do what we like and what the fans like. We had [Maurizio] Sarri here before, who won nothing but people talk only about his football and his values.

"There was also [Rafael] Benitez, who won a couple of titles and was well-spoken of but didn't impress in the same way as Sarri, so you have to be careful.

"Juventus are good at dropping down in front of the penalty area. Then there's the will of the football you want to play and the skills you think your players have.

"Then you consider whether you can like it as a spectacle beyond the wins."

Napoli are unbeaten in their past two Serie A games against Juve (W1 D1), though not since 2011 under Walter Mazzarri have they gone on a longer unbeaten run in this fixture.

Arsenal have been charged by the Football Association (FA) for the second time in the space of a week following their FA Cup third-round win at Oxford United.

The Premier League leaders saw off third-tier Oxford 3-0 at the Kassam Stadium on Monday through a Mohamed Elneny strike and Eddie Nketiah's double.

Arsenal were largely frustrated in a goalless first half, though, and were unhappy a penalty was not given in the 34th minute when Nketiah's shot struck Elliott Moore on the arm.

Referee David Coote dismissed the appeals of the visiting players and the incident was not revisited due to VAR not being in operation.

The FA announced on Thursday that Arsenal have been charged as a result of the conduct of their players.

"Arsenal have been charged with breaching FA Rule E20.1 during their tie against Oxford United in the FA Cup on Monday 9 January 2023," a statement read.

"It's alleged Arsenal failed to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 34th minute, and the club has until Monday 16 January 2023 to respond."

Arsenal were hit with a separate FA charge on January 6 for failing to control their players in the aftermath of a late penalty appeal in their goalless draw with Newcastle United.

Several players surrounded referee Andy Madley when he failed to award a spot-kick for an alleged handball by Jacob Murphy in stoppage time of the Premier League match.

Mikel Arteta has also come under criticism for his behaviour on the touchline during that game.

Meanwhile, the FA is also looking into allegations of suspicious betting patterns during Arsenal's win at Oxford.

The claims centre around the booking of an Oxford player during the second half of the tie.

Arsenal, who will face Manchester City in the fourth round, are back in league action on Sunday with a north London derby showdown against Tottenham.

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri put the pressure on Napoli by insisting they are favourites to clinch the Serie A title.

Napoli are seven points clear of Juve at the summit of Serie A, and that gap would grow to 10 should Luciano Spalletti's side come out on top in Friday's clash between the top two.

While the Bianconeri have overcome a slow start to put themselves firmly in the driving seat to secure a Champions League place, Allegri looked to dispel any idea of putting up a serious Scudetto challenge against Napoli, who last won Serie A in 1990.

He said in a press conference: "Napoli are the favourites to win the title, they have 44 points and only lost a game.

"They are technically strong and coached very well. Luciano is the best when it comes to coaching and teaching and he is proving so at Napoli.

"I respect Spalletti so much, he is so funny that sometimes we clash as we did last season.

"I am also a coach, but I do this job by chance. Luciano is so, so good, he's the best when it comes to teaching football."

The trip to Naples on Friday also represents the last game of the Andrea Agnelli era at Juve.

Agnelli and the rest of Juve's directors officially resigned back in November but will only be replaced on January 18.

"There isn't much to say about Agnelli," Allegri said.

"The results and the work that Andrea Agnelli has done over the years speak for themselves.

"I thank him for giving me the opportunity to coach Juventus, for being close to me and for working with him." 

This is only the fourth time in Serie A history that Napoli face Juve while holding a lead of at least seven points, with the last such occasion coming in 2011.

Napoli have won their last three home league matches against Juve, though only once in their history have they managed to win four in a row.

Julian Nagelsmann expects to be without Sadio Mane for the first leg of Bayern Munich's Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain but says there is a chance he could feature in the second.

Mane was ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar after suffering a fibula injury in November.

The Senegal forward, who joined Bundesliga champions Bayern from Liverpool last June, underwent surgery and is on the road to recovery.

Bayern head coach Nagelsmann does not envisage Mane playing a part in the clash against PSG at the Parc des Princes on February 14.

However, if Mane does not suffer any setbacks, Nagelsmann hopes he may be able to call upon the 30-year-old for the showdown with the Ligue 1 champions at the Allianz Arena on March 8.

Nagelsmann said during a press conference in Doha on Thursday: "He's [Mane] an important player. If everything goes well, then it could be the case that he returns in time for PSG.

"We will see how he reacts to the workload. Personally, I'm not yet considering him for the first leg."

Bayern will face Salzburg on Friday in a friendly before resuming the Bundesliga season with a trip to RB Leipzig next Friday.

Matthijs de Ligt will not face the Austrian side due to an ankle injury, but new signing Daley Blind will be included after joining the Bavarian giants following his release by Ajax.

Nagelsmann said of the Netherlands full-back: "He will play tomorrow. He still needs some time, because the intensity in training is a bit higher.

"You can tell that he has a lot of experience and he looks confident on the ball. He will be the player that we imagined he'd be."

Former Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang only returned to London in September to join Chelsea, but his time at Stamford Bridge could soon be up.

The Gabon international has scored three goals in 16 games but has only started four times in the Premier League under Blues boss Graham Potter.

Chelsea have been active in the January transfer window, already bringing in Joao Felix, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile and David Datro Fofana.

TOP STORY – AUBA COULD EXIT CHELSEA FOR BARCELONA RETURN

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is eager to leave Chelsea and wants to return to Barcelona, reports Spanish newspaper Sport.

Aubameyang reportedly had interest from Atletico Madrid too, but FIFA rules state a player can only be registered for a maximum of three clubs in a season, but only play for two.

Any move for the Gabon international, who played for the Blaugrana earlier this season, could hinge on Atletico's interest in Barca's Memphis Depay. 

ROUND-UP

– Atletico Madrid are weighing up a move for Leicester City's Turkish defender Caglar Soyuncu, reports Italian journalist Matteo Moretto. Wolves are pushing to sign Brazilian centre-back Felipe from the Spanish club, according to the Daily Mail.

– Southampton full-back Kyle Walker-Peters has interest from Manchester United and Chelsea, reports Talksport.

– The Sun reports Manchester United are also interested in World Cup stars Goncalo Ramos and Mohammed Kudus from Benfica and Ajax respectively.

– Foot Mercato reports Fiorentina's Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat would prefer to join Atletico Madrid instead of Liverpool or Tottenham. Fiorentina appear set to sell him for more than €50million after impressing at the World Cup.

– The Daily Mail says Marseille could receive a bid from Aston Villa for ex-Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi. New Villa boss Unai Emery worked with Guendouzi at Emirates Stadium.

– Leeds United have agreed a deal that could be worth up to £35.5million (€40m) to sign Hoffenheim forward Georginio Rutter, claims Sky in Germany.

Stefano Pioli believes Milan struggled to cope with the psychological demands of facing 10 men in Wednesday's shock Coppa Italia defeat to Torino.

Milan's wait to lift their sixth Coppa Italia will extend to at least 21 years after they failed to take advantage of Koffi Djidji's red card, with Michel Adopo firing Torino through in extra time.

The Rossoneri were unable to beat impressive visiting goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic despite introducing big names including Rafael Leao, Olivier Giroud and Theo Hernandez, before Adopo capped a rapid break with a penalty shoot-out looming.

After Djidji was shown his second yellow card for a mistimed challenge on Junior Messias with 20 minutes of normal time remaining, Pioli acknowledged Milan lost their way.

"We thought the match had become easy and when you think like this you lose your lucidity, you play frenetically," he said at a post-match press conference.

"We certainly made many mistakes in the offensive phase, without dribbling speed, without having patience to move the defence, which became very dense and physical.

"We have faced the numerical superiority badly, mentally."

Wednesday's defeat followed a dramatic 2-2 Serie A draw with Roma in which Milan threw away a two-goal lead late on, but Pioli feels the pair of results represent something of an anomaly. 

"These are just episodes. The results are penalising us beyond our performances," the Milan boss added.

"But if tonight we were eliminated by a team with a numerical inferiority, it means that there is something to improve.

"It's a big disappointment, it was our aim to go forward in the Coppa Italia and we did not succeed. We all have to do better because this is not the level of the team."

Torino also dealt Milan just their second Serie A defeat of the season in October, meaning they have beaten the Rossoneri twice in a single campaign for the first time since doing so in 1984-85.

Christophe Galtier was grateful to have Lionel Messi back as the World Cup winner scored in Paris Saint-Germain's 2-0 win against Angers on Wednesday.

The Argentina captain made his first appearance back for his club since lifting the trophy last month, and with PSG only leading 1-0 against Ligue 1's bottom club after Hugo Ekitike's early goal, Messi made the game safe in the 72nd minute as he ran onto a pass from Nordi Mukiele before finishing into the bottom left corner of the net.

Speaking after the win, Galtier thanked the fans for their celebration of Messi's achievement in Qatar, despite Argentina beating France in the World Cup final.

"Thank you to our supporters for welcoming him in the way that they did. That means a lot to him. Our fans also got behind him when the game was difficult," the PSG head coach said.

"Messi has recovered well. He has had quite a few training sessions back with us now. He seemed lighter and in very good physical shape.

"Of course, the team is different with and without Messi. He also scored an important goal for us tonight and we all know that he loves scoring goals, he is the sort of player who needs goals.

"I spoke to him at half-time to see how he felt and he said he felt good... It is important to have Messi back at the heart of our game. The fact that he played 90 minutes is even better."

Galtier also explained why he opted for a 3-4-2-1 formation, emphasising the importance of his team being able to show flexibility as they extended their lead at the top of the table to six points following Lens' draw with Strasbourg.

"It was for this game, based on how we prepared," he said. "I felt it was not going to work in the way we had prepared. I also spoke to my players and my staff in terms of our options, and we took a different one.

"The team performed very well in this system at the start of the season in big games. That is how it went tonight. It is important for a team like Paris Saint-Germain, for my players, and also, for me and the staff to have options, as well as the ability to switch from one system to another."

Carlo Ancelotti conceded Real Madrid were far from their best against Valencia, though that did not stop Los Blancos from reaching the Supercopa de Espana final.

Karim Benzema's first-half penalty seemingly had Los Blancos on course for victory after a dominant opening 45 minutes, but Samuel Lino equalised immediately after the interval for a resurgent Valencia.

Giorgi Mamardashvili kept Gennaro Gattuso's side in the semi-final clash in Riyadh with a series of extra-time stops, though Madrid prevailed on penalties after Eray Comert and Jose Gaya failed to convert.

Ancelotti acknowledged Madrid's shortcomings after the 4-3 shoot-out victory following an underwhelming 1-1 draw, suggesting the World Cup break may have played its part in a lack of sharpness.

The Madrid head coach told reporters: "It hasn't been a physical problem because in extra time we've done better than them. We're not at the top but it's normal.

"There are players who started a little while after the World Cup. We've put players who were on the limit like [Ferland] Mendy and [Dani] Carvajal.

"We wanted to reach the final and that's what we've done. It's a different moment from last year but I think we're going to fight hard to win the Super Cup."

Benzema, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos all converted their spot-kicks, with Ancelotti preferring to go with experience for his first three takers before Marco Asensio found the net with Madrid's fourth penalty.

"I put the three players with the most experience, the best," he added. "The last one was Vinicius [Junior] and it is better that he did not shoot."

The victory did seemingly come at a cost, though, as Eduardo Camavinga, Eder Militao and Lucas Vazquez all sustained injuries.

"Camavinga has had a blow to the knee, Militao is dizzy and is fine," Ancelotti continued. "Lucas has a sprain, that is the most serious. I don't know if he will be in Sunday's game."

LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who Madrid trail by three points, or Real Betis await in Sunday's final after the second semi-final in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

Steve Cooper admitted Dean Henderson being ineligible for Nottingham Forest's EFL Cup semi-final tie against Manchester United "put a dampener" on Wednesday's quarter-final win against Wolves.

Henderson was the hero in a tense penalty shoot-out at the City Ground after Raul Jimenez cancelled out Willy Boly's opener in a 1-1 draw, denying Ruben Neves and Joe Hodge as Forest triumphed 4-3.

However, the on-loan goalkeeper will be unable to feature in the final four after Forest were drawn to face his parent club United, leaving Cooper frustrated.

Asked about Henderson's situation in his post-match press conference, Cooper said: "It is unfortunate. That has put a bit of a dampener on it."

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Cooper hailed the goalkeeper's performance, saying: "We felt ready [for the penalty shoot-out], we did plan and prepare for it with Dean and the outfield guys, but even with that, it was still a bit of the luck of the gods. 

"Dean was fantastic in the 90 minutes in keeping the ball out of the net, and he carried that over to the shoot-out."

Cooper was not overly enthusiastic about Forest's performance, however, adding: "I'm chuffed for the supporters and players. 

"The objective of the tie was to get through. I can't say I loved our performance, I shouldn't be too negative and I won't be, but we have to play a lot better than we did for large spells of the game."

Meanwhile, Wolves counterpart Julen Lopetegui was frustrated by Graham Scott's failure to award a penalty when Matheus Nunes appeared to be fouled by Emmanuel Dennis late on, with no VAR in place to overturn the decision.

"It was very clear. Matheus went to control the ball and he didn't allow him to do it. It is very clear, we have seen the image," he said.

"Maybe I will have to review my knowledge of the rules. Maybe they are different. We have to accept it. The referee is the one who has the power to say yes or no. They don't have VAR today, it was a pity for us."