Arsenal are preparing for their most important run of fixtures in over 20 years – but Mikel Arteta is facing a growing injury list as a host of his star players have withdrawn from international duty over the last week.
The Gunners may have lost the Carabao Cup final to title rivals Manchester City but they remain alive in their three most important trophies this season, with a nine-point lead over City in the Premier League and through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and FA Cup.
But Arteta is potentially facing a selection crisis ahead of the start of a pivotal week, kicking off with the FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton and the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Sporting Lisbon, while a potential title decider against Pep Guardiola’s side looms large as well.
What was said: The midfielder missed the Carabao Cup final due to a calf injury and is reportedly facing several weeks out. England only said that Eze had been ruled from the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan “through injury”. Arteta said before the final that Arsenal had “tried everything” to get the midfielder ready.
William Saliba – France
Withdraw date – Monday 23 March
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What was said: France confirmed Saliba had withdrawn from their squad to play Brazil and Colombia due to a “left ankle injury”. The centre-back had played 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
Gabriel Magalhaes – Brazil
Withdraw date – Monday 23 March
What was said: Saliba’s centre-back partner also played 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup final defeat at Wembley. “After the game… [Gabriel] complained of pain in his right knee,” a statement from Brazil said ahead of the games against France and Croatia in the United States. “Imaging tests have confirmed he is not fit to play.”
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Jurrien Timber – Netherlands
Withdraw date – Monday 23 March
What was said: With the right back forced off during the first half of the win against Everton and missing both the Bayer Leverkusen second leg and the Carabao Cup final, the Netherlands confirmed Timber “has not yet sufficiently recovered from an injury” ahead of the friendlies against Norway and Ecuador.
Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber are among the Arsenal players to have withdrawn from international duty (Getty Images)
Leandro Trossard – Belgium
Withdraw date – Monday 23 March
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What was said: Trossard played 82 minutes of Arsenal’s defeat in the Carabao Cup final but Belgium said the winger was not fit enough for the friendlies against the United States and Mexico. “This decision will allow [Trossard] to continue [his] rehabilitation under optimal conditions,” Belgium said.
Declan Rice – England
Withdraw date – Saturday 28 March
What was said: Rice was given a rest from England’s friendly against Uruguay and only joined up with Thomas Tuchel’s squad on Friday. However, a statement from England a day later confirmed he had returned to Arsenal for “medical assessment”.
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Bukayo Saka – England
Withdraw date – Saturday 28 March
What was said: The winger, like Rice, had been offered a break during the first week of the international break. But he also withdrew from England’s squad a day after reporting to the camp. England said he had also returned for “medical assessment”.
Noni Madueke – England
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Withdraw date – Saturday 28 March
What was said: Madueke was forced off during the first half of England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay, and was later seen walking out of Wembley with his left knee in a brace. “I’m worried, of course, because I think he was a difference-maker today,” Tuchel said. “[I’m] very sad and upset and hopefully it’s not a big injury.”
Piero Hincapie – Ecuador
Withdraw date – Sunday 29 March
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What was said: The defender played 72 minutes of Ecuador’s friendly against Morocco in Madrid, before pulling out of the squad to face the Netherlands on Tuesday. A statement from Ecuador reported that Hincapie “underwent medical and imaging tests” and “based on the evaluation” was sent back to Arsenal to “begin the recovery process”.
Martin Zubimendi – Spain
Withdraw date – Sunday 29 March
What was said: The midfielder came off the bench to replace Manchester City’s Rodri for the final 13 minutes of Spain’s 3-0 win over Serbia on Friday, but it was announced by Spain that he had withdrawn “due to discomfort in his right knee”. The statement added: “To avoid any risk and to protect the player’s health, he has been removed from the squad.”
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Did anyone still play this week?
Sweden’s Viktor Gyokeres, Italy’s Riccardo Calafiori and Denmark’s Christian Norgaard all featured in decisive World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday, with the latter two left heartbroken in penalty shootout defeats to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Czech Republic respectively – but Graham Potter’s Sweden saw off Poland.
Ben White, ironically, is left as the only Arsenal player in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, after the right back ended his four-year absence from the national team. He scored, gave away a penalty, and was booed in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay, and played for 59 minutes in the 1-0 loss to Japan, while teenager Max Dowman and Myles Lewis-Skelly were involved for England’s Under-19s and Under-21s, respectively.
Defender Cristhian Mosquera made his Spain debut last week, and he and goalkeeper David Raya started against Egypt, while Kai Havertz played in Germany’s friendly against Ghana on Monday night. Gabriel Martinelli was the last one back as he scored a late third in Brazil’s 3-1 friendly win over Croatia on Wednesday.
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Arsenal were already without Norway’s Martin Odegaard, who has been sidelined since the win over Tottenham on February 22, and Spain’s Mikel Merino, with knee and foot problems respectively.
Arsenal’s upcoming games
Arsenal will return from the international break for their FA Cup quarter-final away to Championship side Southampton on Saturday 4 April, kick-off 8pm. It will be followed by the away trip to Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday 7 April.
The Gunners will then return to Premier League duty and will kick off the title race run-in with a home test against Bournemouth on Saturday 11 April, kick-off 12:30, followed by the return leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Sporting on Wednesday 15 April.
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Then, it’s the blockbuster trip to Manchester City on Sunday 19 April, kick-off 4:30pm.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer continued his incredible chasing record during his side’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday. In a high-pressure match-up, with KL Rahul having already made a record-breaking 152*, Iyer exhibited calm in one of the scariest situations, making full use of the platform laid down earlier by openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya. He made 71* off 36 balls, with three fours and seven sixes, at a strike rate of over 197.
Since 2024-a season where his stocks as a captain went several notches higher after a title win with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)-Iyer has been sensational in successful run chases, having scored 692 runs in 15 matches and innings at an average of 138.40 and a strike rate of 175.68, including eight fifties.
Only RCB icon Virat Kohli’s 699 runs in 12 innings at an average of 99.85 and a strike rate of 151.95, with nine fifties, are better than Iyer’s record during this period.
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Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan hailed Iyer’s chasing after the match, posting on X that after Kohli, it is Iyer who deserves the chasemaster tag.
“After Virat Kohli, if anyone deserves the “chase master” tag, it’s Shreyas Iyer. Calm, composed, and clutch under pressure every single time,” he posted.
After Virat Kohli, if anyone deserves the “chase master” tag, it’s Shreyas Iyer. Calm, composed, and clutch under pressure every single time.
An awed Mohammed Kaid also posted, “Shreyas Iyer, the Sarpanch Leads from the front, keeps compiling match-winning knocks – match after match, year after year.”
Shreyas Iyer, the Sarpanch Leads from the front, keeps compiling match-winning knocks – match after match, year after year.
With this win, PBKS remain unbeaten with six wins and a no result, giving them 13 points. DC are placed sixth, with three wins and four losses, giving them six points. PBKS broke their own record of chasing down 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2024 season.
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Coming to the match, after DC opted to bat first, an entertaining 220-run second-wicket stand between KL Rahul (152* off 67 balls, with 16 fours and nine sixes) and Nitish Rana (91 off 44 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes) took DC to 264/2.
PBKS responded in style as Priyansh Arya (43 off 17 balls, with two fours and five sixes) and Prabhsimran Singh (76 off 26 balls, with nine fours and five sixes) shaved off 116 runs in the powerplay. Later, Shreyas Iyer (71* off 36 balls, with three fours and seven sixes) stitched partnerships with Nehal Wadhera (25) and Shashank Singh (19*), completing the chase in 18.5 overs with six wickets in hand.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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IPL 2026 News | RCB Outplay CSK For 2nd Win On Trot, Ruturaj Gaikwad & Co Suffer 3rd Loss
The third and final day of the 2026 NFL Draft has arrived. Although it seems like the event may be drawing to a close, more than half of the picks are yet to be made. Contributors are there to be excavated in the fourth round, just as wide receiver Chimere Dike, defensive tackle Deone Walker and cornerback Quincy Riley had been a year ago.
The picks, and the grades, will be coming in fast and furiously Saturday. Follow along to learn whether or not your favorite team achieved value and if Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy finally comes off the board.
Be sure to refresh this page throughout the weekend to get all the latest grades. If you want to do all that plus track the best available prospects and get access to every pick in the draft on one page, you can in our draft tracker. And follow along with each pick and every trade in our live blog.
McCoy is one of the 10 best prospects in this draft class, but the medicals caused him to slide. The Raiders determined that the fourth round was the point where they were comfortable taking the risk.
102. Bills: Jude Bowry, OT, Boston College
Grade: A
Bowry is a big, powerful offensive lineman who brings versatility to Buffalo’s offensive line after the team lost David Edwards in free agency. His best tape may have been in 2024.
Jackson’s final season in Tallahassee did not live up to the hype, but there could be some untapped potential for Aaron Glenn and Co. Jackson can get upfield quickly as the team rebuilds its defense.
Proctor has some serious potential as an interior rusher, but he’s a bit undersized and can get washed out of run fits. Arizona will be able to get after teams with Walter Nolen and Proctor on the field together on passing downs.
Naoya Inoue has been offered another career-defining challenge before even stepping into the ring against Junto Nakatani.
First and foremost, ‘The Monster’ must defend his undisputed super-bantamweight crown against Nakatani on May 2, headlining a blockbuster Japanese event at the Tokyo Dome.
This represents Inoue’s seventh defence of his four major titles at 122lbs, with the hard-hitting sensation having become recognised as a top two pound-for-pound star.
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The 33-year-old’s most notable victories have come against the likes of Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas, who both floored the two-division undisputed champion but were ultimately stopped in rounds six and eight, respectively.
But this, in fairness, was his first outing at 122lbs, with many expecting the 28-year-old to raise his level against Inoue.
In a world where Inoue emerges triumphant, though, it has become increasingly likely that he will explore a potential fight with Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.
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The unified super-flyweight champion will move up to 118lbs for his next outing, taking on WBA titlist Antonio Vargas on June 13.
If this next assignment proves successful, then Rodriguez has told Ring Magazine that he would jump up a further weight class to face Inoue.
“I’m ready whenever. If that fight was presented to me right now, I’d definitely go ahead and take it.”
Erling Haaland and Manchester City take on Southampton in the FA Cup semifinals on Saturday. Live coverage on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ begins at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT.
After the Kansas race, the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season heads to Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, for the Jack Link’s 500. The 10th race of the season will go live on FOX and FOX One at 3 pm ET on Sunday, April 26.
The Talladega spring race will be contested on a 2.66-mile-long superspeedway. Forty drivers will compete over 188 laps to drive down Victory Lane. FOX Sports motorsports reporter Bob Pockrass shared the starting lineup for the 2026 Jack Link’s 500.
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Who is on pole for 2026 Jack Link’s 500?
Last week’s Kansas race winner, Tyler Reddick, was awarded the pole for Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 after qualifying was canceled due to rain. It marked his fifth pole of the season and 15th career Cup Series pole.
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Reddick will be joined by the defending series champion Kyle Larson on the front row.
NASCAR set the starting lineup by the rulebook’s qualifying metric, meaning Reddick will lead the field to the green flag due to his performance at Kansas last weekend. The rulebook for 2026 has changed a bit, as now it’s just an average of the car’s place in the Cup owner standings (30%) and the entry’s finish in the most recent race (70%).
The pair will be followed by Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, and Chase Briscoe in the top-five. Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and Chris Buescher completed the top 10.
The defending winner of the event, Austin Cindric, will start 13th on Sunday.
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2026 Jack Link’s 500 starting line-up
Below is the complete starting lineup for the 40-car grid at the Talladega Superspeedway:
#45 Tvler Reddick
#5 Kvle Larson
#11 Denny Hamlin
#23 Bubba Wallace
#19 Chase Briscoe
#6 Brad Keselowski
#24 William Byron
#9 Chase Elliott
#54 Ty Gibbs
#17 Chris Buescher
#60 Rvan Preece
#77 Carson Hocevar
#2 Austin Cindric
#20 Christopher Bell
#12 Rvan Blanev
#7 Daniel Suarez
#35 – Rilev Herbst
#3 Austin Dillon
#34 Todd Gilliland
#48 Alex Bowman
#43 Erik Jones
#47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
#42 John Hunter Nemech
#1 Ross Chastain
#22 Joey Logano
#21 Josh Berry
#41 Cole Custer
#16 A.J Allmendinger
#4 Noah Gragson
#38 Zane Smith
#71 Michael McDowell
#88 Connor Zilisch
#97 Shane Van Gisbergen
#8 Kyle Busch
#10 Ty Dillon
#51 Cody Ware
#33 Jesse Lovelin
#66 Chad Finchum(i)
#44 – Joev Gaseli)
#78 – Daniel Dye(i)
Watch all NASCAR Cup Series teams and drivers at the Talladega Superspeedway for Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500.
When the Los Angeles Rams drafted quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, head coach Sean McVay didn’t look thrilled, and he admitted as much on Friday.
McVay, while recapping the second day of the Rams’ draft, opened his press conference acknowledging his demeanor after Simpson’s selection.
“I get my demeanor last night, but we’re excited about it. There are different things. I always want to be mindful of how things come off and things like that. I’m very excited about last night and very excited about today. Couldn’t be more excited about us continuing to lead together, but every decision that we make is collective and collaborative,” McVay said.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay walks on the field at Lumen Field after the 2026 NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle, Washington, on Jan. 25, 2026.(Kevin Ng/Imagn Images)
“For any of the questions or misunderstandings just based on my demeanor or disposition last night, I did want to get that out of the way. This is my buddy right here,” McVay said with a smile as he reached out to general manager Les Snead.
“That was brought to my attention because I got so many texts. That was never my intended way to be able to come off, but sometimes I can be a little grumpy.”
A reporter followed up and asked the 40-year-old coach why he was grumpy.
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“Well, there were other things that had nothing to do with that, which that’s normal life,” McVay said.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford reacts after throwing a touchdown pass during an NFL game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J., on Dec. 22, 2024.(Adam Hunger/AP)
“The main thing was, I couldn’t be more excited about being able to add him, but also understanding how much I love Matthew Stafford, how respectful you want to always be and to the way things can be interpreted. The demeanor would’ve been stoic by nature because you are excited, but by no means — it is Matthew’s football team.”
Stafford, in his 17th season, won his first MVP last year with the Rams. However, despite the success, Stafford has reportedly been mulling retirement after each season for the past couple of seasons.
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The 38-year-old quarterback only announced he was returning for another season when he capped his MVP speech with the news. With Stafford’s future seemingly uncertain after next season, the Rams got a jump on their heir apparent.
McVay said he is excited for Simpson to learn from Stafford.
Ty Simpson of Alabama celebrates after being selected as the 13th overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 23, 2026.(Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
“I’m excited to be able to add Ty. What a blessing it is for him to be able to learn from Matthew and to be able to come into this atmosphere and environment. Whenever that time comes for him to get an opportunity to be Matthew’s successor will be on Matthew’s terms. I think that’s really what the important thing was. I didn’t want that to ever be misunderstood while not minimizing the excitement for Ty and the buy-in,” McVay said.
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“Les and his group really liked him. As soon as we started really studying him, there was a body of work, like I talked about, that was a good, fun evaluation. A lot of the concepts that we would activate. The guy is a football junkie and plays with the timing and rhythm. You can see that he’s a coach’s son. His journey is a fun one that he’s been through.”
If Simpson one day becomes the quarterback that Stafford is, McVay won’t be feeling grumpy often.
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“First time here in Jaipur and I’ve got to say, it’s been a magnificent day. And as you do in Jaipur, what happened? Hot, hot and hotter. So when I come to this part of the world, the pink is everywhere, but the green is here too. And I think about the dimensions first on this superb stadium. I’m bowling from the northern end. And so to my right, it is 65. To my left, it is also 65 because we’re smack right in the middle of the square here. And downtown, a lovely straight hit of 76 meters. So lots of pink, very dry, but also quite green. It’s like a Garden of Eden. WV Raman, our pitch doctor – I like what I see. What about you? Yeah, I like it too because traditionally what has happened at this venue is that the pitches have always been good for batting, and this is no different. This looks fresh, but the curator told me that he’s been working on this surface for about a week now. And that’s the reason why this looks so good, because it’s well rolled. And I’m sure that the tradition of this pitch being good for the batters is going to continue as well. I like it. We all like it. I’ll tell you what – would you bat first night game, or would you prefer to bowl? That depends on what kind of dew you get here tonight because this is the first game they’re playing at this venue. So that’s something that we’ll have to wait and see. And as far as the local intel is concerned, I don’t think there’s going to be much of dew. So I think they would look to put runs on the board first – the captain winning the toss.”
Floyd Mayweather‘s last knockout win against a legitimate opponent came against Victor Ortiz back in 2011, but despite suffering the stoppage defeat, the man known as ‘Vicious’ says he once fought a much better rival.
Ortiz was throwing combinations against Mayweather on the ropes, but then got reckless and led with the head, prompting the referee to deduct a point.
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With Ortiz not paying attention as the bout was set to resume, Mayweather landed a big shot that knocked down and subsequently knocked out his rival, adding to the old adage of protecting yourself at all times.
Mayweather is undoubtedly the biggest name that Ortiz ever took on, but while the boxing legend may be regarded as one of the best of all time, Ortiz has told TalkSport that Andre Berto was better.
“He (Mayweather) is not the best opponent I’ve faced. Hands down not. The best opponent that I faced was Andre Berto; he was much better. Andre Berto is a top pound-for-pound king. He put me down, I put him down, he got up, he put me down again.
“This man showed everything: quality, heart, skill. You name it, he’s got it. Someone like Floyd, he’s got what? a counter, running? That year, I bought him some sprinting strikes at the press conference. My brother got him a box of tampons, too.
“But Andre Berto is special. I have the utmost respect for him. He’s got power in both hands; he’s the whole package. Someone with Floyd can’t compete with that.”
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Ortiz had beaten Berto to win the WBC welterweight title in the fight prior to his clash with Mayweather, in what would be the first defeat of Berto’s professional career.
Berto’s final record stood at 32 wins and 6 defeats, and he suffered a one-sided defeat to Mayweather himself when they met in September 2015.
Mayweather competed just once more after the fight with Berto, when he knocked out MMA fighter Conor McGregor in August 2017, though he is set to return to action against former foe Manny Pacquiao in September provided that current issues can be resolved.
MANCHESTER, England — Aston Villa missed a chance to move into the top three of the Premier League after a 1-0 loss at Fulham on Saturday.
Fourth-placed Villa could have leapfrogged Manchester United in third with a point at Craven Cottage. But Ryan Sessegnon’s 43rd-minute goal sealed the win for Fulham.
Villa could drop to fifth by the end of the day if Liverpool wins at home against Crystal Palace.
The top five teams qualify for next season’s Champions League.
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Sessegnon scored from close range after goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had saved Sasa Lukic’s header.
Arsenal plays Newcastle later Saturday with the chance to move back to the top ahead of Manchester City.
City plays in the semifinals of the FA Cup against second division Southampton at Wembley Stadium.
Delhi Capitals XI vs PBKS: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar.
It’ll be interesting to see who comes in as the Impact Player. Ashutosh Sharma could come in as a middle-order enforcer, while Vipraj Nigam could enter as a bowling option later.
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