Everton: While the club’s future ownership remains shrouded in uncertainty Sean Dyche’s side will play their final home game of the season tomorrow, safe in the knowledge that they will be playing top flight football next season. Having survived no end of tribulations in the current campaign, the highlight of which was a win over Liverpool that ended the title hopes of their Merseyside rivals, the club’s players are likely to get a warm reception before, during and particularly after their game against Sheffield United, when they will do a lap of appreciation in front of the Goodison Park faithful.
“We want to reward all of us really: the players, the staff and the fans for what ends up being a positive season, after some very tricky times,” said Sean Dyche. “We want to give a performance; we want to win. You just have to focus on the players and remind them of the pride and consistency we have in our values as a group to go and perform.
“Afterwards, it’ll be the first time in a number of years we can have a walk around in a fashion that is rewarding for the players and the fans. I think that’s a nice sign-off. It’s been a really strange season for many reasons, yet we end up with a positive feel to it. Certainly I do but I think the players do and I think the fans do.”
Unai Emery: “Recover, reset and move on”
Aston Villa: Speaking after his side’s defeat in Athens last night, Unai EMery outlined his short and longterm plans for his team, who will book their place in next season’s Champions League if they beat Liverpool on Monday night.
“Firstly get back to Birmingham,” he said. “Then rest and focus on the match against Liverpool. We are motivated and excited for it. We are disappointed but only one team can win, so for us to continue with the frustration doesn’t make sense.
“And we have to try and finish the season doing an amazing season, particularly if we manage to achieve the last objective. Even without [Champions League] football we are in Europe in the Europa League.
“We will go over what we have done in the last two legs against Olympiakos and try to learn and take positives from it, take the information from it. Take the experience. Recover, reset and move on.”
Europa Conference League: Ayoub El Kaabi scored his fourth and fifth goals of the tie to earn Olympiakos a 6-2 aggregate win and end Aston Villa’s hopes of winning European silverware since 1982. Ben Fisher reports from the Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens …
Friday football blog
With its end now in sight and no longer a speck in the distance, the Premier League rumbles on this weekend with Manchester City in second place but still firm favourites to win their sixth title in seven years due to the game in hand they have over Arsenal. Pep Guardiola’s side travel to Fulham tomorrow, while Mikel Arteta face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
At the other end of the table, a home win for Nottingham Forest over Chelsea at the City Ground tomorrow will all but consign Luton and Burnley to the drop along with Sheffield United, and even a point should be enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side if their fellow strugglers fail to win their games against West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
Tottenham’s women will play in their first ever FA Cup final this weekend at Wembley, where they’ll play Manchester United in front of a sell-out crowd. We’ll bring you news from both managers ahead of this showpiece event in which both teams are hoping to get their name on the trophy for the very first time.
Axel Disasi is considering leaving Chelsea as early as January, with German champions Bayer Leverkusen joining the race for the defender according to reports.Di
Former France international Diarra, now 39, has been mired in a series of legal battles since his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow was terminated by the club in 2
The Cherries are currently fifth in the Premier League table.
Bournemouth’s 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United indicated that they are on the course of som
