Man City must win to deny Liverpool the title for another week
Man City's reign as Premier League champions may have been extended by a few more days but a loss against Burnley will give Liverpool the chance to clinch the title on Wednesday against Crystal Palace.
Man City’s reign as Premier League champions may have been extended by a few more days, but defeat to Burnley will give Liverpool the chance to clinch the title on Wednesday against Crystal Palace.
Pep Guardiola’s side come into the match off the back of a comfortable win over Arsenal, defeating the Gunners 3-0 on Wednesday night at the Etihad.
It wasn’t quite the perfect evening for Pep, however, with 19-year old Eric Garcia leaving the pitch on a stretcher after an accidental collision with City goalkeeper Ederson.
Initially there were fears that Garcia had suffered a serious injury but after a trip to the hospital, where precautionary tests were completed, he was quickly released.
Great to start again with a win against Arsenal. Thanks for all the messages I’ve received. Now it’s time to rest and recover and hopefully I’ll be back soon??. Gracias a todos por los mensajes. Hora de descansar y recuperarse? pic.twitter.com/LarElDhLpq
Fellow defender John Stones and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo are also unlikely to be available after picking up niggles ahead of the Arsenal game.
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It is unclear what role Leroy Sane will play in the squad, and indeed for the rest of season, after Pep confirmed that the German player had rejected numerous contract offers and would leave the club “this summer or at the end of his contract.”
The City manager admitted he was “disappointed” with Sane’s decision but said he had “nothing against him” and would “help him until the last day he is here”.
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Man City’s Monday night opponents Burnley have yet to play in the rebooted season and it couldn’t be a more difficult start for the Clarets, who currently sit 11th in the table.
Sean Dyche’s side have only beaten City once in the last 23 meetings between the clubs in all competitions and their last league away win to the blues was back in 1963.
The Clarets will have some confidence coming into the game though. They are seven games unbeaten in the league (W4, D3), which is their longest run in over a year.
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They may have trouble keeping that run going without forwards Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood, however, with the injured duo responsible for 18 of Burnley’s 34 goals in the league this season.
Dyche’s side will also be without winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson who has picked up a calf injury during training.
Man City v Burnley will kick off at 8pm on Monday the 22nd and will be shown on Sky Sports.
Sport
Keely Hodgkinson is setting up her own running event next year as she prepares for a world record attempt
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester’s middle-distance running maverick, Keely Hodgkinson, has just been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and we couldn’t be prouder, but she’s already eyeing up her next accolade: the 800m world record – and she’s hoping to do it at her own brand-new running event.
The Atherton-born athlete was one of Team GB’s shining lights at Paris 2024, storming ahead of the pack to win her first Olympic gold medal in just her second summer games but it’s been an unbelievable calendar year for her as a whole.
She already held the British women’s record before going on to not just defend her title but actually better her time at the European Athletics Championships back in June, with only five people in history having ever run it faster than her.
However, the Tyldesley-schooled track star believes she isn’t too far away from achieving another dream and one which would forever cement her amongst the sporting greats. She’s even creating the perfect opportunity for herself early in the new year.
Hodgkinson is launching an all-new running event of her own called the ‘Keely Klassic’, which is set to take place in Birmingham and will effectively serve as her first real attempt at smashing the 800m record.
Being registered as an official Bronze meeting on the World Athletics Indoor Tour, the day of racing will feature around nine heats involving top athletes, live music and entertainment, as well as celebrity appearances and more.
With the BBC themselves already in talks to broadcast the very first edition of what her teams hopes will be an annual event, it is rumoured to be an hour-long televised show and the headliner will be Keely’s attempt at breaking a 800m record – or two…
As well as aiming to smash Jolanda Ceplak’s all-time best (1:55.82) set on 15 Februrary 2002 – which just so happens to be the day Keely was born and when the Klassic will be taking place – she’s also going to try and surpass the outdoor record of 1:53.28 set by Czech runner Jarmila Kratochvilova back in 1983.
Speaking to the BBC after lifting the 2024 Sports Personality Award, the 22-year-old runner and Olympian said: “I’m pretty close [to the world record], I would like to think. I have seen this year what my body is capable of and I’m excited to push on.
“That world record is something I will always have in the back of my head. But I have so many years to get stronger so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.”
She also said she has no fear in making her goals public as it only serves as motivation to push for them under the public eye, having done exactly the same in the lead-up to her first Olympics back in Tokyo.
Hodgkinson made a point of thanking her coach Trevor Painter on the stage after he name was revealed too, stating, “I wouldn’t be where I am without his guidance that I’ve had since I was 17.”
She only doubled down on her gratitude after the fact as well, adding: “I trust in Trevor and Jenny [Meadows] a lot. I know what shape I’m in before I step on the start line.
“[A world record break] all depends if it comes together and that can depend on many things in athletics”, she insists, but it’s clear that if she does manage to go and smash another feat – be that the indoor/outdoor record in 2025 or another time in the near future – their wisdom will no doubt play a part.
Is Marcus Rashford really gearing up to leave Manchester United in January?
Danny Jones
Marcus Rashford has been one of the best homegrown talents at Manchester United in recent years and a fan favourite ever since he broke onto the scene back in 2016, but things haven’t been going sosmoothly of late and it now looks like he could be leaving the club after nearly two decades.
Despite hitting the heights of 30 goals during the 2022/23 campaign, Rashford‘s output over the past couple of seasons has dipped and he has been known as more of a ‘purple-patch’ player throughout most of his time as a senior player at Old Trafford.
There is nothing United fans want more than to see the Wythenshawe winger rediscover his form and go on another one of those streaks as a fresh chapter begins under the new head coach, Rúben Amorim, but it looks as though Rashford could be gearing up to call it a day in the iconic red shirt.
Now 27 years old and entering what would be traditionally seen as his peak for most footballers, the number 10 told journalist Henry Winter that he is “ready for a new challenge”, which could very well signal a move away from Man United in the upcoming transfer window.
Having spent a day off with the veteran sports writer this week, the pair visited his old primary school Button Lane to hand out hundreds of Christmas presents, watching kids play on the football pitch he helped fund and once again tackle the issue of food poverty in Greater Manchester and beyond.
As Winter goes on to explain in his lengthy post on X, Rashford woke up to headlines speculating that his boyhood club have now put him “up for sale” and are reportedly willing to listen to offers in January.
Although the Manc footballer didn’t categorically outline a desire to leave, nor to stay necessarily, he did say that he feels “next steps” are due but that “when I leave it’s going to be no hard feelings. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.
“If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse”, he continued. “I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person. When I leave I’ll make a statement and it will be from me”, adding that he’ll always be a Red, “100%”.
So how likely is it that Rashford will leave the club in January? Well, being left out of the Manchester derby – a decision he made no bones about being disappointed over – clearly signals that Amorim wasn’t totally happy with his overall preparation but the Portuguese manager did respond in a shrewd manner:
Agreeing with the United star, who at one time was considered one of England’s hottest prospects and is still unplayable at times when operating at his very best, the 39-year-old was mindful not to respond defensively to his comments but turn them into what he hopes will be shared motivation.
It’s also worth noting that Rashford wasn’t the only one dropped from the derby-winning team: Alejandro Garnacho, undoubtedly one of the club’s most promising talents who already delivers game-changing performances as his teammate has done so many times, was also left out for one reason or another.
Amorim reiterated that each week can be a clean slate and that he intends to observe everything from how players train and eat to how they dress and carry themselves around Carrington, especially when it comes to “engaging with the [rest of the] squad”, so this seemingly wasn’t an effort target the two.
The 39-year-old also assured that his decision wasn’t a disciplinary issue in any way, as Rashford hasn’t been left out of matchday squads or at the very least benched by former boss, Erik ten Hag, for turning up late to a team meeting and a rogue night-out in Belfast.
All that being said, while it appears there is no personal issue with Rashford, another element that will no doubt factor into whether he decides to leave United will be his increasingly fractious relationship with sections of the fan base, having shared more “despicable” direct messages with Winter too.
Lastly, it’s also important to consider whether or not he is the right fit for Amorim’s unwavering 3-4-3 system that he is starting to implement on the current collection players.
Rashford has pace, skill, finishing ability and a great passing range, but his best position has always been cutting in off the flanks and unless he can nail down that spot as the left-sided number 10 (a position where there is already plenty of competition), the only other option is as a striker or a left wing-back.
Now, with lots of other attacking and creative midfielders in contention for those players sat just behind and on either side of the number nine, and two big-money forwards rotating up front, it will likely be a scrap every week to get in that starting XI.
Moreover, with Amad Diallo already showcasing exactly the kind of energy levels and persistent pressing that Amorim wants from his two 10s and his wing-backs, in particular – not to mention reaping the rewards for his efforts against Man City and in previous matches – it’s might be a case of can/will Rashford match that amount of running when asked.
Perhaps the better question is, do you think it’s time for Rashford to take on that new challenge away from Manchester United and do you expect to see him leaving in the January transfer window?
Kate Jackson -
22nd June 2020 
