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Saudi Arabia has formally informed FIFA of its wish to host the men’s World Cup in 2034 in a bidding contest that increasingly looks designed for the oil-rich kingdom to win

Public Enemy to commemorate 35th anniversary of second album 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back' by reissuing a new vinyl of the 1988 LP.

England captain Jos Buttler believes the “integrity of the game” could be compromised by the state of the outfield in Dharamshala for his team’s match against Bangladesh at the Cricket World Cup on Tuesday

Pep Guardiola lost back-to-back Premier League games for only the third time as Manchester City went down 1-0 to Arsenal on Sunday. It has happened only six times in all competitions for City under Guardiola and here, the PA news agency looks at the Spaniard’s overall managerial record. No points from six Gabriel Martinelli’s winner for Arsenal followed Hwang Hee-chan’s for Wolves against City last weekend. It was the first time City had taken no points from a pair of league games since losing to Crystal Palace and Leicester across Christmas 2018. Luka Milivojevic’s penalty proved decisive for Palace before Kevin De Bruyne cut the final margin to 3-2, and Leicester then overcame Bernardo Silva’s Boxing Day opener to win 2-1 through Marc Albrighton and Ricardo Pereira. The Foxes were also the team to inflict City’s second successive loss in December 2016, Jamie Vardy with a hat-trick as Claudio Ranieri’s side won 4-2. Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho were suspended after late red cards as City lost their previous game 3-1 to Chelsea. Long run at an end Before this weekend, City were out on their own in terms of time without back-to-back Premier League defeats. Ten teams had suffered that fate this season – Burnley, Sheffield United and Bournemouth most recently, plus West Ham, Brentford, Luton, Manchester United, Wolves, Newcastle and Everton. Eight more of the 20 current top-flight sides – Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Crystal Palace – lost back-to-back games earlier in 2023. The one other exception, Brighton, last did so in October of last year – almost four years more recently than City, whose run since Boxing Day 2018 stood at 178 games. City host Brighton in their next game after the international break. Three in a row Albion will be the team looking to inflict a first hat-trick of Premier League defeats on Guardiola, whose team are alone in losing no more than two in a row since his arrival in 2016. Arsenal and Spurs are closest with their longest run being three defeats. Fulham had the longest losing run overall, nine games, with eight for Sheffield United and Palace. Guardiola has twice lost three in a row across all competitions with City, first in April 2018 when a 3-2 league defeat to a Paul Pogba-inspired Manchester United was sandwiched between losses in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool. The other sequence spanned three competitions and two seasons – the 2021 Champions League final against Chelsea followed by the Community Shield against Leicester and the 2021-22 Premier League opener at Tottenham. The recent Wolves loss came on the back of a Carabao Cup exit against Newcastle, while the December 2018 Premier League defeats were uninterrupted by any other competition. The other pairs came in early 2020, to Manchester United in the League Cup and Tottenham in the league, and January of this year when Southampton knocked them out of the Carabao Cup – and denied them a shot at a quadruple – before the Red Devils beat them in the league. Long-term pattern for Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side lost back-to-back LaLiga games only twice in four seasons, both in 2009 – first to Espanyol and Atletico Madrid, then Mallorca and Osasuna. They also lost Champions League and league games consecutively twice, to Wisla Krakow and Numancia in his second and third games in charge in 2008 and to Chelsea and Real Madrid in April 2012. With Bayern Munich in May 2015, he suffered consecutive defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and Augsburg domestically and Barca in the Champions League. They won the return leg of that tie but Freiburg then made it three straight league defeats. His only other consecutive Bundesliga losses came in April 2014 against Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund. Read More Beating Manchester City will only boost Arsenal’s belief – Gabriel Martinelli John Eustace sacked amid reports Birmingham keen to make Wayne Rooney manager Ireland wings Mack Hansen and James Lowe on mend ahead of New Zealand showdown Jos Buttler concerned by ‘poor’ outfield ahead of England clash with Bangladesh Football rumours: Wayne Rooney in the running for Birmingham job Quarterback Brock Purdy stars as San Francisco 49ers thrash the Dallas Cowboys

Gabriel Martinelli says Arsenal’s inherent belief will only be boosted by beating champions Manchester City as Mikel Arteta’s men look to go one step further than last season. The Gunners captured the imagination during a strong 2022-23 campaign, only to ultimately finish second as Pep Guardiola’s side scooped a third straight title in a storming end to the season. Arsenal’s inability to take a point off them was key in them finishing second and Sunday saw them finally beat City in the league for the first time since 2015, building on their Community Shield shoot-out triumph against the treble winners. The half-time introduction of Martinelli after three weeks out with a hamstring injury proved inspired, adding extra impetus to the attack before eventually hitting a late winner that deflected in off Nathan Ake to seal a 1-0 victory. “We know how hard it is to play against them,” the Brazil international said. “It was a great performance from the team and a great win. “Of course (it gives us more belief we can win this season’s title). We are Arsenal and we are always believing about the title. “To win against a big side like them is great and we just need to carry on. “A special day for me. I tried my best, really hard, to be back with the team and it was a great moment for me. “It’s always good to win against the big teams and we did it today. I’m so happy.” Arsenal remain unbeaten eight league matches into the season and are level in terms of points and goal difference with leaders Tottenham, with their bitter rivals only ahead on goals scored. “When you play for Arsenal you have to always believe and this is what we do,” Martinelli said as they look to bring the Premier League title back to north London for the first time since 2004. “We play for Arsenal and we always believe we can win the titles. “It’s another year. We’re going to try to improve things and try to do better than last year. “Yeah, I think (there is more depth). We have a great team and it’s important to have a lot of options.” Sunday’s victory win was made all the more impressive by the fact Arsenal’s star man Bukayo Saka was missing, with a muscle injury ending his run of 87 successive Premier League appearances. “We know our potential,” Martinelli said. “We know his potential and how important he is for us. “Today we did our best, tried to win the game for our fans, for us and for B as well.” Arsenal return to action at Chelsea after the international break, while wounded City look to get their title defence back on track at home to Brighton. Guardiola’s men have lost three of their last four matches in all competitions, including back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time since December 2018. City midfielder Bernardo Silva said: “It’s a setback but it’s still the beginning. We’re far away from the end of the season. “It was not the result we wanted. Against a tough opponent it is never easy to play. “We felt the game was tough for both teams. Both are tough and organised and tense. We had a few chances in the beginning. “In the end it was a deflection. In my opinion we gave them too much time to think at that moment. We have to be more intense in the pressing. “It is what it is. It’s part of football and we move onto the next one.” City struggled to lay a glove on an Arsenal side that they had beaten in 12 consecutive Premier League meetings before Sunday. Guardiola’s men mustered a mere four shots at the Emirates Stadium, but Silva is not getting carried away with the loss or the recent drop off. “Some of these results we were not expecting and we didn’t want them to happen,” he told club media. “Last season we won the treble but there was a point that nothing was going our way. “How you overcome these moments is what defines the team and we will keep fighting for all the games. We’re going for it again.”

Birmingham have sacked head coach John Eustace despite a bright start to the season, increasing rumours of former England captain Wayne Rooney taking charge at the club. Eustace led Birmingham to safety last season, while a come-from-behind 3-1 derby win over West Brom on Friday left Blues sixth in the Sky Bet Championship after 11 fixtures heading into the international break. While Birmingham recognised in a statement Eustace had “helped to stabilise and strengthen the club” in his 15 months at the helm, they have decided to part company with the ex-Republic of Ireland assistant. “It is essential that the board of directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire football club,” the statement on Birmingham’s official website said. “With this in mind, Birmingham City has parted company with head coach John Eustace. “A new first-team manager will be announced in the coming days who will be responsible for creating an identity and clear ‘no fear’ playing style that all Birmingham City teams will adopt and embrace.” Eustace succeeded Lee Bowyer in July 2022 and helped Birmingham finish nine points above the drop zone in the second tier amid off-field issues surrounding the ownership of the club. Despite just three defeats so far this season, it was reported over the weekend Eustace’s position was under threat as the club’s new American owners sought a big-name appointment. Former Manchester United striker Rooney would seemingly fit the bill after he announced on Sunday he would be leaving DC United following their failure to qualify for the Major League Soccer play-offs. “It’s just the right time,” he said in quotes reported by the Washington Post. “I have really enjoyed my time here. But I just feel it’s the right time to go back to England. What lies ahead, I don’t know.” Read More Ireland wings Mack Hansen and James Lowe on mend ahead of New Zealand showdown Jos Buttler concerned by ‘poor’ outfield ahead of England clash with Bangladesh Football rumours: Wayne Rooney in the running for Birmingham job

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