GM football fans. It’s Friday, Mar. 14 - a penalty rule change is being considered, the League Cup final, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
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KEY FIXTURES
Premier League MW29: Manchester City vs. Brighton, Sat 15, 15:00 / 11:00. Manchester City have never lost a home league match against Brighton, winning each of the last 10 in a row. Arsenal vs. Chelsea, Sun 16, 13:30 / 09:30. Arsenal are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games against Chelsea, while the Blues have lost each of their last three league away games. See every Premier League fixture here and the league table here.
La Liga: Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona, Sun 16, 20:00 / 16:00. Barcelona are just one point above Atletico and level on points with Real, with one less game played than both sides. The Catalan side have won their last six matches in the league, while Atletico have been less consistent, with three wins, two draws and a loss in as many games. See every La Liga fixture here and the league table here.
Results…
Europa League, Last 16: Athletic 3-1 Roma (Agg 4-3) | Frankfurt 4-1 Ajax (Agg 6-2) | Lazio 1-1 Plzen (Agg 3-2) | Man Utd 4-1 Sociedad (Agg 5-2) | Lyon 4-0 FCSB (Agg 7-1) | Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahce (Agg 3-3) (Rangers win on pens 3-2) | Spurs 3-1 AZ (Agg 3-2) (Bracket)
Conference League, Last 16: Chelsea 1-0 Kobenhavn (Agg 3-1) (Full Europa League results)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Penalty Rule Review
Uefa, European football’s governing body, is reviewing the law that saw Julian Alvarez’s penalty ruled out against Real Madrid in their Champions League last 16 shootout. Uefa will meet with IFAB and Fifa to determine whether the rule should be reviewed where a double touch is “clearly unintentional.”
Though initially deemed a goal, Alvarez’s penalty was overturned after VAR reviewed that the ball touched his standing foot as he kicked it. Under the current rule–published here by IFAB–a penalty taker cannot kick the ball twice before it has touched another player, the ball stops moving, or goes out of play. The law is designed to stop players from dribbling towards goal from a penalty kick. See Alvarez’s penalty here and a frame-by-frame version here.
Uefa confirmed that no in-ball technology was used to determine whether Alvarez touched the ball twice; the decision was made solely using stadium cameras.
While two penalties in the Premier League have been disallowed for the same reason–Riyad Mahrez in 2017 and Aleksandar Mitrovic in 2023–there have been instances where these penalties were given. In 2023, Bojan Miovski seemed to double touch a penalty for Aberdeen against St Mirren and VAR allowed the goal to stand.
League Cup Final
The English League Cup final between Liverpool and Newcastle United takes place on Sunday, March 16. Both Arne Slot and Eddie Howe are aiming to win their first trophies at their respective clubs.
Liverpool, who are 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League, will look to make it two League Cup wins in a row, having beaten Chelsea 1-0 in last year's final. The Reds are the most successful team in League Cup history, having won it ten times before. They will play without Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez–all three are out injured.
For Newcastle, it’s their third League Cup final appearance—their last being in 2023, where they lost 2-0 to Manchester United. Antony Gordon is unavailable for selection due to suspension, while Lewis Hall, Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are out due to knee injuries.
Kick-off is at 16:30 GMT (12:30 ET). The match will be available on Sky Sports and ITV in the UK and Paramount+ in the United States.
Club World Cup Turfwar
Clubs are already competing to secure the best training facilities ahead of this summer’s expanded Club World Cup in the United States. With Fifa offering a limited pool of approved sites, several teams have moved early to strike independent deals and avoid being left behind.
Inter Milan secured UCLA’s in-demand base by agreeing to fund a $300,000 pitch resurface, beating rivals Atletico Madrid and Monterrey to the location. Chelsea are in talks to do the same at Philadelphia Union’s facility, while Manchester City, PSG, Porto and others are also acting independently to lock in preferred locations.
FIFA is offering up to $15,000 per day for training sites but has faced resistance from US colleges over pitch access restrictions, sponsor removal requirements, and security costs. Harvard and Princeton have opted out, and some clubs are already making arrangements for the final stages in New York and New Jersey.
The tournament begins on June 14 and ends on July 13. See all the clubs competing here.
POLL
Should the penalty rules be changed to allow goals when a double touch is clearly unintentional?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Kylian Mbappe has been recalled to France's squad after being omitted by manager Didier Deschamps for the past two international breaks (More)
> The 2025 Subway Women’s League final between Chelsea and Manchester City takes place on Saturday (Mar. 15) (More) | A congested schedule sees Chelsea Women face Manchester City Women four times in the space of 12 days (More)
> Thomas Tuchel will announce his first England squad on Friday (Mar. 14) (More); Here’s what to look out for in the announcement (More) | Brentford captain Christian Norgaard said he feared becoming addicted to sleeping pills after taking the medication to prepare for away games (More)
> Joshua Kimmich has signed new long-term deal at Bayern Munich until June 2029 (More) | Adidas has struck a four-year deal to supply the DFL with match balls for the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 (More)
Americas
> The National Women’s Soccer League returns on Friday (Mar. 14) as Orlando Pride host Chicago Red Stars (Full Fixture List); read predictions for the upcoming season (More)
> CONCACAF Champions Cup last 16 is over as eight teams move into the quarter-finals (see bracket)
> Argentine retirees and fans of several football teams clashed with police during a protest in front of Congress in the capital, against austerity measures (More)
Rest of the World
> Brighton owner-chairman Tony Bloom has bought a 19.1% stake in Australian A-League club Melbourne Victory (More)
> Chinese clubs in the AFC Champions League Elite all exited the second round stage, while all three Saudi Arabian clubs progressed to the quarter-finals (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Whose your favourite to win the Champions League?
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ 🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain (20%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🇮🇹 Inter Milan (5%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🇩🇪 Bayern Munich (12%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 🇪🇸 Barcelona (17%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🏴 Arsenal (12%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🏴 Aston Villa (7%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🇪🇸 Real Madrid (25%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🇩🇪 Borussia Dortmund (1%)
Your punditry takes:
🇪🇸 S.E for Real Madrid: “It's hard to argue with Madrid's past Champions league wins. They seem to do just enough to win year after year.”
🇫🇷 T.S for PSG: “PSG are building insane momentum and I think they’ll have hit their absolute peak by the UCL final. I can’t see another team that’ll be able to beat them–maybe other than Real Madrid.”
🇪🇸 P.F for Barcelona: “FC Barcelona has a very strong lineup… Yamal and Raphinha are two of the main contenders for the Ballon d’Or… The final will be between Barcelona and Arsenal, Barcelona will win 3-2 in an extremely tight match with Lamine Yamal scoring twice and Raphinha will score an 88th-minute winner, with a long ball by Balde, Raphinha will go one on one with Raya and slot the ball past him, to win Barcelona their first UCL since 2015!”
🇮🇹 D.M for Inter: “Warriors. Measured and well-organised. The competition is won first with defense and tenacity, then you count all the rest of the factors… This team is all veterans who know what it takes to get to the dance and I think this is their last chance before retooling in some areas to win the title… Good luck to everyone, except RM who don’t need luck, they have it and other strange forces on their side already.”
🏴 G.B for Aston Villa: “Aston Villa has a packed squad of ballers; Asensio, Rashford, Watkins, Rodgers, Martinez. Emery in charge of this lot can beat anyone on their day, two legs won’t be a problem, Villa park second leg all the way to the final! UTV.”
🇩🇪 D.M for Dortmund: “OK not the favourite, but a bloke can dream.”
EXTRA TIME
Ed Sheeran’s limited edition Ipswich sticker.
The legend who played for three countries but never at a World Cup.
How seven Premier League clubs could qualify for UCL.
Ranking every NWSL squad.
… and the best kits in the league.
Opta’s latest Champions League predictions.
When Mourinho went undercover to watch an Old Firm game. (via X)
Raphinha’s Case for the Ballon d’Or.
The Premier League’s sleeping pill problem.
Does Alex Song have the best shirt collection? (via X)
Why gaming is a problem for players.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Despite a disappointing 10th-place finish in the Premier League, which team completed the FA Cup and League Cup double in the 1992-93 season?
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
Women’s Super League
Everton vs Arsenal (19:00)
Liverpool vs Manchester United (19:15)
La Liga
Las Palmas vs Alaves (20:00)
Bundesliga
St. Pauli vs Hoffenheim (19:30)
Serie A
Genoa vs Lecce (19:45)
*All time in UK. ET -4. CST -5. PDT -7. MDT -6. CET +1.
Answer
Arsenal. They defeated Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in the League Cup and 2-1 again after extra-time in an FA Cup Final replay.
When I told Endrick to take the fifth, he didn't seem very happy. I saw his face and said 'Wait, wait'. So we went for Rudiger.
