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GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, Feb. 3 - Cristiano Ronaldo refuses to play for Al Nassr in protest, Arsenal’s Premier League projections skyrocket, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURE
English League Cup semi-final: Arsenal vs. Chelsea, Agg 3-2, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. Chelsea’s new manager Liam Rosenior has won six of his first seven games, with his only loss coming in the first leg of this fixture. However, Chelsea haven’t beaten Arsenal in their last 10 meetings, and have lost their last three matches at the Emirates. Meanwhile, Arsenal have a one-goal lead on aggregate going into this fixture and are still competing on all four fronts this season.
Results…
Premier League: Sunderland 3-0 Burnley (Table)
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TOP TALKING POINTS
Ronaldo’s Saudi Protest
Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly refused to play in Al Nassr’s match against Al Riyadh on Monday in protest against how the club is run. Specifically, reports from Portugal suggest that Ronaldo is unhappy with how Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, PIF, is managing the club. According to Ronaldo, the PIF is not investing in Al Nassr at the same level as it does in its other clubs.
Saudi media initially reported that Ronaldo’s absence was so that he could rest for the upcoming fixtures. However, those reports were dismissed by journalist Fabrizio Romano, who stated that Ronaldo’s “absence is not related to any physical issue nor to workload or fitness management.” The match against Al Riyadh was important for Al Nassr, and despite Ronaldo’s absence, Sadio Mane scored in their 1-0 win to go just one point off the Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal–see the table here.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner also rejected PIF’s proposal to swap former teammate Karim Benzema to title rivals Al Hilal from Al Ittihad. However, Benzema’s transfer has gone through despite Ronaldo’s protests as the Frenchman has signed for the league leaders.
Infantino Apologises
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has apologised for comments he made about British football supporters. At last month’s World Economic Forum, Infantino said it was “really special” that no British nationals were arrested during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Football Supporters' Association responded by saying Infantino should "concentrate on making cheap tickets" as opposed to "making cheap jokes about our fans". On Monday, however, Infantino said in an interview to Sky Sports that his comments were "meant to be more of a light-hearted remark" to highlight how the Qatar tournament "was a celebration" and "a peaceful event". The Swiss-Italian added that he didn’t mean to cause offence with his comments.
In the same interview, Infantino said Fifa will "definitely" consider lifting a ban on Russia even though the war in Ukraine was still ongoing. He said it was important because the suspension of Russian football clubs and national teams from Fifa and Uefa events since 2022 “has not achieved anything” and that it “has just created more frustration and hatred.”
Read Infantino’s full interview here.
Premier League Projections
Arsenal are now 91.4% favourites to win the Premier League, according to Opta’s prediction model. Meanwhile, Manchester City have a 5.7% chance, while Aston Villa just a 2.6% chance. The updated projections follow Arsenal’s 4-0 away win at Leeds in Matchday 23, as well as Man City’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham and Villa’s 1-0 home loss to Brentford.
In terms of relegation, West Ham sit six points from safety after recent wins over Tottenham and Sunderland, with Opta giving them a 17% chance of survival, compared to Burnley’s 3.5% and Wolves’ 0.02%. However, only nine teams in Premier League history have recovered from being six points adrift after 23 games to avoid relegation.
Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham are also being pulled into the fight by poor form, leaving seven clubs realistically involved in the relegation battle. In the 30 Premier League seasons that have had 38 games a season for each club, 36 points would have ensured survival 60% of the time. The rate of survival increases to 80% for 38 points, 90% for 40 points and 100% for 43 or more points. See the Premier League table here.
POLL
Rodri claims referees are failing to be 'neutral' because Man City have 'won too much.' Do you think there is any truth in this?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Crystal Palace completed a club-record £48m signing of Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen on the final day of the transfer window (More); see all the deals done on Deadline Day in one place (More)
> Defender Cristian Romero has labelled the current situation at Spurs as 'unbelievable' and 'disgraceful' in a post on Instagram (More)
> Xabi Alonso is expected to feature on a three-man shortlist of potential successors to Pep Guardiola amid growing belief this will be his final season in charge of Manchester City (More)
> Real Madrid are waiting to discover if midfielder Jude Bellingham faces a spell out after he suffered a hamstring injury during the 2-1 win against Rayo Vallecano (More)
> Pisa fired coach Alberto Gilardino after just one win in 23 games in Serie A (More)
Americas
> Corinthians defeated Flamengo 2-0 to win the Brazilian Super Cup; watch the highlights (More)
> The 2026 Copa Libertadores qualifying phase kicks off on Tuesday (Feb 3) with opening matches; everything you need to know (More)
> USL Championship’s Orange County announced plans to expand capacity at Championship Soccer Stadium ahead of the 2026 USL Championship season (More)
Rest of the World
> FanCode wins the broadcasting rights for the Indian Super League 2025–26 season, edging six other competitors (More)
> The Newcastle Jets are at the top of the men’s A-League table after a 4-1 win over Brisbane Roar (More)
Would you be interested in premium hospitality for the World Cup for you or your company?
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Should a manager be booked for leaving the technical area to celebrate a goal?
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (22%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (76%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 D.W: “Yes, if they encroach on the pitch, otherwise, before you know it, the whole management, support teams and reserves will be running on the pitch celebrating. I like David Moyes, but he knows the rules, and who wants to see Dad dancing to this extreme anyway?”
🙅♂️ A.C: “Why are we legislating joy out of the game? Nothing feels better as a fan than to score a perfectly-timed equaliser or winning goal. Imagine what that feels like to a manager?”
🙅♂️ T.H: “Jeez, lighten up. Let the old guys dance around a bit, spreading a little joy. Heck, most of them would crack their faces if they tried to smile, so let them have their fun. And it makes good viewing. But please, set limits on them running around, ripping off various bits of their clothing and waving it over their heads (suggest an automatic red card and two-year ban for that)!”
EXTRA TIME
Every transfer in Europe’s top five leagues.
New York City FC unveils new mascot ‘Sky Scraper’.
How second halves are ruining Man City’s title chances.
What's gone wrong for Chelsea in the WSL this season?
Wales release 150th anniversary jersey.
Every angle of Solanke’s scorpion kick goal.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Which is the only team in English Premier League history to finish a season unbeaten at home, lose only one game all season (away), and still not win the title?
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
It’s now fair to say, the football hasn’t left him… he is within his rights to say to me ‘leave the punditry before the punditry leaves you.’
Answer
Liverpool FC (2018–19 Season).
