INJURY BLOW: FERRAN TORRES RULED OUT OF BARCELONA’S CRUCIAL TRIP TO SLAVIA PRAGUE
Hansi Flick faces an injury crisis as Ferran Torres is ruled out and Lamine Yamal is suspended for the Slavia Prague clash.
Hansi Flick just can’t catch a break. Right before Barcelona’s must-win Champions League trip to Slavia Prague, Ferran Torres picked up a hamstring injury. He’s out for the next 10 days. So, add him to the list with Lamine Yamal, who’s suspended. Suddenly, Barcelona look pretty thin up front. There’s some good news, though—Raphinha is back and ready to go, which gives the squad a much-needed lift as they scramble for a top-eight finish and try to avoid that dreaded play-off round.
Torres drops out at the worst possible time. He’s been dealing with a muscle issue in his right leg, so he won’t just miss the trip to the Czech Republic—he’s probably out for the weekend’s La Liga match too. Flick’s been trying to rotate his squad with games coming thick and fast, and Ferran’s been a real asset—sometimes starting, sometimes injecting energy off the bench. Now that flexibility is gone, and just as the Champions League heats up. Ferran, nicknamed “The Shark” by fans, will stay behind in Barcelona for physio while his teammates head off to Prague.
As if that wasn’t enough, Barcelona also have to make do without Lamine Yamal, who’s serving a one-match ban after picking up too many yellows. The kid’s been electric—one of the brightest young talents in the game and a real focal point in Flick’s attack. Replacing him isn’t easy, and with Ferran out too, Flick is really down to the bare bones in attack. The injury list doesn’t stop there either. Gavi and Andreas Christensen are still out long-term, so they were never in the running for this game. Flick pretty much has to lean on his senior players and hope some of the younger guys from La Masia can step up in a tough away match.
But Raphinha’s return comes at just the right moment. He missed the last match with a minor knock, and there were some worries he’d be out longer. But he’s trained fine and made the squad for Prague. That’s a big boost. He’ll likely slot right back into the starting lineup, probably out wide, looking to supply Robert Lewandowski. The squad looks strong enough on paper—Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Marcus Rashford are all travelling. Rashford, especially, will need to step up with Yamal out. There’s also some young blood in there, like Roony Bardghji and Marc Bernal, in case Flick needs an extra spark off the bench.
This match couldn’t be bigger. With the new Champions League format, you’ve got to finish in the top eight to skip that tricky play-off round in February. Barcelona are 15th right now, with 10 points, but they’ve still got a shot to climb up in these last two games. Flick called the match “crucial”—and he’s right. They can’t afford to drop points. Slavia Prague’s stadium is a tough place to go, and the home crowd will be all over them. The pressure’s on Raphinha and Lewandowski to deliver, and Barcelona just have to find a way to get the job done in Prague—no matter who’s missing.
ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION
Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.
Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.
Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.
From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.
That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.
By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.
They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.
Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.
It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.
Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.
PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.
Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.
JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL
Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.
Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.
Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”
On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”
Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”
At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a
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