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Manchester City: Pep Guardiola’s unbalanced team clinging to faint title hopes

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“We changed to make the players more dynamic, with Rayan, Jeremy [Doku] and Phil [Foden],” Guardiola told his post-match news conference. “But we could not win the game.

“We could be more aggressive in the first half maybe, but with the creativity, the crosses and dribbles this season, we are struggling. The team, they did everything, but they need to be better in the final third, and it has happened in many games this season.”

Asked about picking Semenyo over Cherki as number 10, he said: “Absolutely, for that role there is no-one better than [Cherki]. That is bad selection, you can criticise me, I deserve it.

“Sometimes for the balance, we are learning. We played Cherki and Haaland – incredible, but we do not have the stability teams in the Premier League must have. I try to handle that, and the team is still growing.

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“Rayan’s impact off the bench is unbelievable, but sometimes he does not have the pace so we play Semenyo. I am still finding the best way to have stability and to balance the team.”

Haaland’s form is thrown into sharp focus by the fact he struggled against West Ham, a team against who he has scored 11 Premier League goals – more than any other side.

“It’s not about the lack of goals,” Guardiola said of the Norway striker. “We need to create more. He will be back.”

City cannot win well, and they struggle to win ugly too.

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They have only lost once in their past 18 league matches, but during that period they have given up 10 points from winning positions – enough to cost them first place in the current standings.

In games where they were winning, they have drawn with Chelsea, Brighton, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and now West Ham.

Given the latter came a couple of hours after Arsenal, starring Max Dowman, spectacularly dug out victory over Everton, this one will sting.

Guardiola laughed it off afterwards, saying he had been having a beer pre-match rather than following the Arsenal match with his team, as he served a touchline ban.

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He also joked he would look to get more yellow cards as he preferred the view from the stands – and light-heartedly batted away a question on whether Haaland was limping.

It felt like if Guardiola didn’t laugh, he would cry.

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Lookman Features as Atlético Madrid Edge Getafe in Narrow La Liga Win

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Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman came off the bench as Atlético Madrid secured a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Getafe CF in their La Liga match on Saturday.

Lookman started the game among the substitutes after playing an important role in Atlético’s impressive 5–2 win over Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the week in the UEFA Champions League. Head coach Diego Simeone decided to manage the Nigerian’s minutes with another big European match coming up.

Atlético took the lead early in the match when defender Nahuel Molina scored in the eighth minute with a powerful long-range strike that flew into the top corner.

  • Victor OsimhenVictor Osimhen

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Lookman was introduced in the second half and quickly became involved in the attack. One of his first actions was a smart pass inside the box to Julián Álvarez, but a Getafe defender cleared the ball off the goal line to prevent a second goal.

The Nigerian also had a chance of his own when he fired a shot from outside the box, but the effort went wide.

During his time on the pitch, Lookman completed 11 passes, with nine of them accurate. He also registered one shot and created a clear chance for his teammates.

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Getafe were reduced to ten men in the 55th minute after defender Abdel Abqar was sent off following a VAR review for a foul on Alexander Sørloth.

Despite the numerical advantage, Atlético could not add another goal, but they held on to claim an important victory which marked their 17th league win of the season.

The result moves Atlético two points ahead of Villarreal CF in the table.

Lookman and his teammates will now turn their attention back to the Champions League, where they face Tottenham again in the second leg of their round-of-16 tie next week.

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Indian Wells 2026 final: Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev preview, head-to-head, odds, betting tips, and prediction

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Match Details

Fixture: (2) Jannik Sinner vs (11) Daniil Medvedev

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Date: March 15, 2026

Tournament: BNP Paribas Open 2026

Round: Final

Category: Masters 1000

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Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Indian Wells, California, USA

Surface: Hard (outdoor)

Prize Money: $9,415,725

Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSN, TVA Sports, DAZN

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Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev preview

Jannik Sinner- Indian Wells - Source: GettyJannik Sinner- Indian Wells - Source: Getty
Jannik Sinner- Indian Wells – Source: Getty

Second seed Jannik Sinner will face 11th seed Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells final. Whoever wins will be the first male singles champion from their respective countries at the Masters 1000 event.

Sinner has won 12 out of 14 matches so far this season, currently enjoying his first final run at a tournament in 2026. The Italian previously competed at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, reaching the semifinals and quarterfinals, respectively. Sinner is yet to drop a set in Indian Wells, beating the likes of Dalibor Svrcina, Denis Shapovalov, Joao Fonseca, and Alexander Zverev en route to the final.

Apart from his fourth-round match against Fonseca that ended 7-6(6), 7-6(4), Sinner wasn’t really pushed in any of his other fixtures. The Italian has dropped 28 games so far in Indian Wells.

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Medvedev’s win-loss record a day before last year’s Indian Wells final was 12-6. Fast forward a year, and the Russian has won 18 out of 21 matches so far in 2026 and is competing in the final of the Masters 1000 event. He has had an incredible start to the season and has already won two titles in Brisbane and Dubai.

Like Sinner, Medvedev is also yet to drop a single set in Indian Wells and has dropped just 25 games so far. The Russian reached the semifinals after defeating Alejandro Tabilo, Sebastian Baez, Alex Michelsen, and defending champion Jack Draper. Here, he beat Carlos Alcaraz for the first time since the 2023 US Open to reach his third Indian Wells final.

Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev head-to-head

Sinner had a narrow 8-7 head-to-head lead between the two, winning eight of their last nine fixtures. Their most recent encounter came in the round robin of the 2024 ATP Finals, with the Italian winning 6-3, 6-4.

Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev odds

Player Moneyline Handicap Bets Total Games (Over and Under)
Jannik Sinner -425 -1.5 (-165) Over 21.5 (-115)
Daniil Medvedev +333 +1.5 (+115) Under 21.5 (-125)

All odds sourced from BETMGM.

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Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev prediction

Sinner will enter the match as the favorite to win but Medvedev will be high on confidence after defeating Alcaraz, and there is a very good chance of him giving the Italian a run for his money.

Sinner has won 136 out of 162 points (~83.9%) on his first serve so far in Indian Wells, serving 41 aces. The Italian has amassed 110 winners compared to just 32 unforced errors, and has won 33 out of 39 points (~84.6%) at the net. Sinner’s enormous amount of success over the past couple of years has been attributed to his tennis as well as his mentality, so Medvedev will have to be at his best.

The Russian’s first-serve numbers in Indian Wells have been decent but not as good as Sinner’s, winning 132 out of 174 points (~75.9%) and amassing 28 aces. He has produced 90 winners and 88 unforced errors while winning 22 out of 28 (~78.6%) points at the net.

Medvedev’s style has always centered around efficiency, and that is probably what his plans will be in the final. That said, he has to be careful not to serve too many unforced errors.

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While Medvedev is in impressive form. Sinner’s composure seems tough to break, and the Italian should manage to come out on top and become only the second Indian Wells singles champion from his country, the first being Flavia Pennetta.

Pick: Sinner to win in three sets.

Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev betting tips

Tip 1: Both players to serve over ten aces each.

Tip 2: Two sets to go to tiebreaks.

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