Real Madrid’s starting line-up for their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Arsenal has been revealed hours before kick-off on Tuesday night.

Mikel Arteta‘s side host the Champions League holders at the Emirates Stadium and will be looking to secure a positive result ahead of the return leg in Spain next Wednesday.

Madrid suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Valencia in La Liga on Saturday and Carlo Ancelotti is said to be making five changes from that side.

According to COPE, the most surprising of Ancelotti’s decisions is to play David Alaba at left-back against Arsenal.

Alaba has started just four games this season after he returned from a cruciate ligament injury in January. The Austria international then missed four games in February due to a thigh problem and has only played as a central defender so far this term.

‘It seems like a dangerous experiment in the Champions League quarterfinals,’ said COPE journalist Roberto Morales.

‘Physically, he’s not the player he used to be, and having Fran Garcia available, who isn’t doing badly, makes the decision difficult to understand.’

Elsewhere, Thibaut Courtois will return in goal after missing Madrid’s last three matches due to injury.

Antonio Rudiger will keep his place in central defence, while Raul Asencio will return to partner the former Chelsea centre-back with Aurulien Tchouameni suspended for the match.

Lucas Vazquez will keep his place on the right side of Madrid’s defence.

COPE report that Ancelotti will deploy a three-man midfield against Arsenal, with Luka Modric dropping to the bench after the defeat to Valencia at the weekend.

Eduardo Camavinga will return to Madrid’s startling-up alongside Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham.

In attack, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr will start, while Rodrygo will return to the side ahead of Brahim Diaz.

The race for Champions League football remains wide open with Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Brighton, Fulham, Aston Villa and even ninth placed Bournemouth still in the mix.

The technology then predicted a tighter battle for the top four.

“Manchester City, the defending champions, have had an uncharacteristically poor season,” it said. “However, with players like Erling Haaland and a history of late surges, they could climb back to third or fourth, likely ending with around 75-80 points.

“Chelsea, under Enzo Maresca, have shown a resurgence and could sneak into the top four, possibly third, with their attacking flair and a solid finish to the season so far.”

Grok also stated that Brighton are in with a chance for European football but face some serious competition in the remaining matches.

“Nottingham Forest have been a surprise package,” Grok said. “Their 7-0 thrashing of Brighton in February highlights their potential, but maintaining that form might see them settle in fifth or sixth rather than cracking the top four.

“Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Brighton are also in the mix for European spots, with Newcastle’s recent upturn and Villa’s Champions League distractions possibly influencing their final positions.”

Brighton and Hove Albion are still in the mix for Champions League football as the Premier League reaches the final stages.

The Seagulls, who along with the rest of the top flight have paused for the international break, are currently seventh in the table and just one point off qualification for Europe’s elite club competition.

There are nine Premier League fixtures remaining for Fabian Hurzeler’s team and they are also through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup where they face Nottingham Forest on March 29 at the Amex Stadium.

Albion’s next league clash is at home to Aston Villa on April 2, with their remaining matches Crystal Place (a), Leicester City (h), Brentford (a), West Ham (h), Brighton (h), Wolves (a), Liverpool (h) and Tottenham (a).

Hurzeler’s men are however on a good run of form. They have won five and drawn once of their last six and a strong finish could well see them in Europe once again.

The fixtures against Aston Villa, old rivals Palace and Graham Potter’s West Ham could be key to their chances.

It’s a tight race to predict, so Sussex World asked Grok AI, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, for a Premier League prediction.

Unsurprisingly Grok praised Liverpool and Arne Slot for an “outstanding season” so far and tipped “valiant” Arsenal to finish second.

Here’s Grok’s verdict
1 Liverpool – 94 points 2 Arsenal – 85 points 3 Chelsea – 78 points 4 Manchester City – 76 points 5 Nottingham Forest – 70 points 6 Newcastle United – 68 points.

7 Aston Villa – 65 points, 8 Brighton & Hove Albion – 62 points, 9 Tottenham Hotspur – 60 points, 10 Manchester United – 58 points, 11 Fulham – 54 points,12 Bournemouth – 52 points.

13 Crystal Palace – 50 points, 14 West Ham United – 48 points, 15 Everton – 45 points, 16 Wolverhampton Wanderers – 42 points, 17 Brentford – 40 points, 18 Leicester City – 34 points (Relegated) 19 Southampton – 30 points (Relegated), 20 Ipswich Town – 25 points (Relegated).

Source: sussexexpress

Lamine Yamal has quipped back at Rafael van der Vaart’s “pants down” jibe after helping Spain beat Netherlands in Sunday’s UEFA Nations League quarterfinal.

Yamal scored Spain’s third goal in a pulsating 3-3 draw at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, with La Roja going on to win on penalties and set up a semifinal against France in June.

The 17-year-old missed his penalty in the shootout, but he still took to social media after the game to respond to former Dutch international Van der Vaart, who had criticised him for his attitude and for wearing his shorts low before the game.

“Shorts down, a goal, a missed penalty and INTO THE SEMIFINAL, COME ON SPAIN!” the Barcelona winger wrote on Instagram.

Yamal’s post included a series of photos, one featuring Van der Vaart’s face alongside an image of him walking off the pitch after the win with his shorts pulled lower than normal.

“I see things that are starting to bother me a little,” Van der Vaart said about Yamal after the first leg, a 2-2 in Rotterdam last Thursday.

“Pants a little lower, not making much of an effort, slightly superficial gestures.

“That’s when I think: if you’re that young, you should be happy with every minute you play for Spain. No matter how good you are, at that age, you have to prove it every minute and in every game.”

Despite his age, Yamal has never shied away from responding to criticism from senior or retired players.

He told Adrien Rabiot to “speak now” and “checkmate” after knocking France out of the European Championship last summer following comments made by the midfielder pre-match.

Yamal experienced some nervous moment in the shootout against Netherlands after seeing his spot kick saved by Bart Verbruggen.

However, Unai Simón kept out Donyell Malen’s penalty and Pedri then scored the winning kick to send Spain into the semifinals.

“I said to him ‘What a s–t penalty,” Barça midfielder Pedri joked of his message to Yamal after his miss.

“But no, you learn from these situations. He is not affected by pressure and you have to take a penalty to miss one.

“His calmness has always surprised us. It’s as if pressure doesn’t exist for him when you see the ease with which he dribbles and how he plays. He’s someone we have to take care of and, above all, enjoy.”

Pedri and Yamal are part of a group of Barça players who now face a quick turnaround as they race back to their club for Thursday’s rearranged LaLiga fixture against Osasuna.

“We are a little tired, but we’re Barça, if they say we have to play Thursday we will, and we will give everything to win LaLiga,” Pedri added.

The game could be decisive in the title race. Barça are currently tied at the top of the table with Real Madrid, four points clear of Atlético Madrid, but have this game in hand.

However, they are likely to be without Ronald Araújo and Raphinha on Thursday, with both players in action on Tuesday in South America in World Cup qualifying games.

The club’s other international players should all be back in time, with Spain’s Under-21 side allowing Fermín López, Pablo Torre and Gerard Martín to return to their club early and miss Tuesday’s game against Germany.