BARCELONA: Barcelona suffered an early blow ahead of the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid when they lost two key left wingers, Marcus Rashford and Raphinha.

Raphinha is still sidelined with a thigh injury, while Rashford did not train today after suffering a knee problem following a tackle during the 3-0 win over Real Mallorca in La Liga last Saturday.

Barca manager Hansi Flick confirmed that the England striker is not fit to play at the Metropolitano Stadium.

“Marcus can’t play yet, he took a knock and it hurts. We need to take care of him.

“This is not good news, but I always believe in my team.

“In a situation like this it’s not easy, but we have to improve and that’s also important for tomorrow’s match,” said Flick.

Flick also stressed that a cautious approach was being taken towards Raphinha’s recovery process.

“He’s a player who always gives everything with high intensity. If he starts to feel something, we have to take care of him and maybe take a step back.

“That’s the situation right now. Of course I’m not happy because we need it,” he said.

The absence of both players opens up space for Ferran Torres or Dani Olmo to be moved to the left wing position, even though it is not their original position.

In addition, the Catalan giants continue to be plagued by long-term injury problems involving Pedri, Gavi and Andreas Christensen.

In another development, Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo, who previously took a month-long break due to mental health issues at the end of 2025, revealed that he has been struggling with anxiety and depression for the past 18 months.

Flick described Araujo as a strong individual, but stressed the coach’s responsibility in looking after the players’ welfare.

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Manchester City midfielder Rodri has called on referees to “be neutral” after anger boiled over as the club’s title bid was threatened by a 2-2 draw at Tottenham.

City came close to winning in north London when they led 2-0 but the momentum swung back in Spurs’ favour after Dominic Solanke’s goal was disallowed despite the striker appearing to foul Marc Guehi before touching the ball.

Solanke then created a scorpion kick to equalise, leaving City six points behind leaders Arsenal.

“I know we won too many and people don’t want us to win, but the referee should be neutral and for me to be honest, it’s not fair,” Rodri told Australian broadcaster Stan Sport.

“In the end, when it was all over, we were disappointed because the foul was so obvious. He kicked and of course, with that pressure on the ball, it went in.

“We have to pay attention to the little things like this, otherwise it will be difficult for everyone because this league is like that – it’s about the little things, everything counts, so I think in that aspect, it was a very challenging day for us.”

LONDON: Manchester United star Matheus Cunha is at risk of a match suspension following abusive language uttered while celebrating the winning goal against Arsenal in the English Premier League at the Emirates Stadium.

The Brazilian striker scored a stunning goal to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory for United, but while celebrating the goal, Cunha was filmed facing the camera and heard making obscene remarks.

The incident forced Sky Sports commentator Peter Drury to make a direct apology to viewers for the inappropriate language heard during the broadcast.

The English Football Association (FA) is known to be strict against players who utter explicit abusive language towards the camera.

In 2011, United legend Wayne Rooney was banned for two matches for the same offence against West Ham.

According to the IFAB Laws of the Game, players are prohibited from using offensive, insulting or abusive language or actions.

If the referee hears it, a red card can be issued, while the FA has the right to take retrospective action if the incident is caught on camera and broadcast to the public.

The FA considers the act of swearing openly towards the camera to be a deliberate act that tarnishes the image of the game.

So far, there has been no confirmation whether the FA will take action against Cunha or what form of punishment will be imposed.

United are scheduled to face Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford this Saturday, before travelling to West Ham on February 10.

As United have already been eliminated from the FA Cup and League Cup, any suspension will only apply in the Premier League.

The win over Arsenal also lifted United to fourth in the league on 38 points, one point ahead of Chelsea, while Liverpool are in sixth place on 36 points.

If suspended, it would not be the first time Cunha has faced disciplinary issues with the FA.

Last season while with Wolverhampton Wanderers, he was suspended for an additional one match and fined 50,000 pounds after being shown a red card for attacking Bournemouth player Milos Kerkez in an FA Cup match.

MUNICH: Harry Kane ended his goal drought by scoring twice in three minutes to help Bayern Munich beat Union Saint-Gilloise 2-0 in the Champions League, confirming their place in the knockout stages with one match remaining.

The England striker scored the opening goal with a header from Michael Olise’s corner in the 52nd minute, before adding a second goal from a penalty kick three minutes later after being brought down in the penalty area.

Kane, who was named man of the match, now leads the tournament’s top scorers with seven goals. He came close to completing a hat-trick in the 80th minute but his second penalty just went over the bar.

Bayern were forced to play with 10 men starting in the 64th minute when defender Kim Min-jae was shown a second yellow card.

The victory placed Bayern in second place in the league phase with 18 points and ensured a top eight position, thus automatically qualifying for the round of 16.

The top eight teams advance directly to the knockout round, while the remaining 16 compete in the play-off round.

“This is the Champions League, it’s not always easy. The first half was a bit slow, but we also had chances.

“In the second half we played very well despite being one player short. The team’s response was very strong,” said Bayern manager Vincent Kompany.

The match took place in an unusual atmosphere as the seats of Bayern’s diehard fans, Suedkurve, at the Allianz Arena were empty following UEFA’s punishment regarding the use of flares in the previous match.

Bayern controlled the game from the start and almost opened the scoring early through Kane.

However, Union almost stole the goal in the 29th minute but was saved by Manuel Neuer who denied Promise David’s close-range header.

Union, who are 31st overall, tried to fight back after Bayern played with 10 men, but the home team remained dominant and came close to adding to the score through Kane and Oliseh, but the score remained 2-0 until the end of the match.

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot has welcomed Mohamed Salah’s return to Anfield despite his team having ’15 strikers’, as the Egyptian star nears his return from Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty.

Salah is scheduled to play in Egypt’s third-place match against Nigeria in Morocco tomorrow night.

His return has been in the spotlight following a controversial interview earlier this month, when Salah claimed the club had ‘sacrificed’ him after being rested for three consecutive games and claimed to have no relationship with Slot.

However, Salah was brought on as a substitute in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Brighton on December 13, where he provided an assist, before Slot insisted the club had put the controversy behind them.

“First of all, he has to play another big match with Egypt this Saturday,” said Slot.

“Then he will come back to us and I am happy with his return. Mo is very important for this club and also for me, so I am happy he is back.

“Even if I had 15 strikers, I would still be happy if he came back, but that’s not our situation right now. So I’m happy he’ll be back after another important game that he needs to play.”

Salah scored 29 league goals last season to win the Premier League Golden Boot, but has only scored four goals so far in the current campaign.

Liverpool will face Marseille, managed by Roberto De Zerbi, in the Champions League early Thursday morning before traveling to Bournemouth next weekend.