RASMUS HOJLUND REVEALS HIS EMOTIONAL PLAN FOR COPENHAGEN RETURN IN UCL CLASH
Rasmus Hojlund returns to Copenhagen! Discover why Napoli’s star forward is confident despite Politano and Neres being sidelined.
Napoli’s coach, Antonio Conte, is dealing with injuries left and right before their Champions League game against FC Copenhagen. Still, he’s not letting anyone feel sorry for themselves. “We’re not going out there with our heads down. We’ll hold them high and fight for our shot,” he said.
Conte’s message to his players was pretty clear. “We play with whoever we’ve got. That’s it. We’ve been working on new solutions for two days—now it’s time to bring them onto the pitch.” The squad’s missing a bunch of key guys, but Conte’s not making excuses.
“You have to change things up,” he said. “We’ve lost Matteo Politano and Amir Rrahmani, and David Neres is still out with that ankle. So, we focus on what we can do, not what we can’t. There’s no point worrying about stuff we can’t control. I actually feel good about tomorrow.”
Conte kept going. “This group knows how to respond, especially when things get tough. I hoped the injuries would let up, but they’re only getting worse. Still, the team knows I trust them. We’ve studied Copenhagen, we’ve got a plan, and we’re going for something big. If they play better, we’ll give them credit—but we’re not showing up to lose. We’ll walk out there proud, and we’ll play to win.”
Hojlund’s coming home for this one. “It’s special to be back here,” he said, thinking about all the memories in that stadium, with the fans and the energy. “But we’re here to win.”
Hojlund knows what’s at stake. “We need the win tomorrow. We’re even on points with Copenhagen, and we’ve got another home game against Chelsea. A win puts us in a better spot. Yeah, we’ve had some bad luck with injuries, but we’re still strong, and we’ve got the mentality to push up the table.”
He also talked about Romelu Lukaku possibly coming back soon. “He’s a great player, a real goal scorer. I used to watch him play here in Copenhagen, and I hope I get the chance to play with him now. He’s a big presence. We can work together; he’s proven that. I grew up playing with two strikers, so that suits me.”
MARTIN ODEGAARD AND KAI HAVERTZ MISS FINAL TRAINING; CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES FADING
Arsenal's Champions League hopes are in doubt as Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz miss final training ahead of the Atletico tie.
Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz didn’t show up for Arsenal’s open training on Monday, just a day before the crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Both missed Saturday’s comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham because of injuries: Odegaard with his knee and Havertz with a muscular problem.
Odegaard hurt his knee in last week’s draw with Atletico, while Havertz hasn’t played since picking up an issue against Newcastle. After beating Fulham, Mikel Arteta sounded confident they’d be ready for Atletico, but on Monday neither player was seen with the first team. That’s a big hint they won’t be involved at the Emirates.
Arteta is set to speak to the media soon, though don’t expect him to spill much; he’s known for keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to team news.
There were a couple more missing faces at London Colney. Jurrien Timber (groin) and Mikel Merino (foot) were also absent. Timber hasn’t featured since before the international break, and it’s unclear when he’ll return, but Arsenal hope it’s before the end of the season. Merino’s been out nearly three months since foot surgery. He might not play again this month.
On the upside, Bukayo Saka was back in training after getting subbed at halftime against Fulham, where he started his first Premier League game since mid-March.
Now, Arsenal really have a headache. Odegaard, who scored 15 goals last season, just hasn’t looked the same. Staff are increasingly worried about him; he’s missed 25 games in all competitions this year, thanks to a pileup of injuries: two freak shoulder issues, two muscular injuries, and the recurring knee problem. When he’s fit, Odegaard can still make magic happen; just look at his four assists across six games in January, but right now, his body keeps letting him down.
Havertz’s story isn’t much brighter. He’s managed only 20 appearances this season, mostly because of a serious knee injury in the summer and more muscle problems afterward. He’s Arsenal’s top earner at £280,000 a week, while Odegaard sits fourth at £240,000. Having two high-paid players sidelined so often is not ideal, and Arsenal need answers.
To try to sort out this ongoing injury crisis, Arteta has reportedly brought in a trusted expert from the medical field to lead an investigation. Arsenal hope this move finally sheds some light on their troubled injury record.
DECLAN RICE ACCUSES REFEREE OF CRUMBLING UNDER PRESSURE IN MADRID PENALTY DRAMA
Arsenal head to the Emirates with a 1-1 draw, but Declan Rice is fuming over the officiating standards in the Champions League.
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Declan Rice didn’t hold back after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw in Madrid, backing Mikel Arteta’s outrage and insisting the team deserved a “clear” penalty. He even went so far as to say that Atlético Madrid’s fans pushed the referee, Danny Makkelie, into changing his mind.
Arteta was livid. Late in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, Makkelie first pointed to the spot for Arsenal after Eberechi Eze went down. But surrounded by Diego Simeone’s wild sideline antics and the roar of 70,000 Atleti supporters, Makkelie stared at the replay 13 times, then flipped his call and waved play on.
Looking back on it, Rice couldn’t believe it. “It’s a clear penalty,” he said. “I don't know how that's not been given. I think the fans got to him and changed his mind. UEFA is just a different world. In both boxes, you have to be so careful because referees call everything.”
Arsenal ran into trouble with VAR twice. First, the ref ruled Ben White handled a Llorente volley, and Julián Álvarez buried the resulting penalty, cancelling out Viktor Gyökeres’ earlier spot-kick. Rice felt for White. Talking with Stan Sport, he said, “If that happens in the Premier League, it doesn’t get given. The ball’s hardly off the ground, and it’s not even on target. But in the Champions League, the refs make these snap calls and whistle for everything. It’s just more strict. But whatever, we move on. We want to beat them next week.”
Despite the drama, Arsenal is still in a solid spot. They’ll head back to London, hoping the home crowd can push them into their first Champions League final since 2006. Bukayo Saka, freshly back from an Achilles injury, is counting on it. “We’d have liked to win, but we’ll take the draw. It’s halftime, and we’re full of confidence going back to the Emirates,” he said. “I’m sure the atmosphere will be even bigger, and that will give us a real boost.”
Before that return leg, Arsenal face Fulham at home on Saturday. They could put more heat on Manchester City by stretching their Premier League lead, though City still has games in hand and plays Everton next. The race is on.
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