Category: Football (Soccer)

Goalkeeper struggled at Newcastle but heroics in Nottingham has set up a chase for Europe on two fronts

Matz Sels might have thought his FA Cup story had ended with a humiliating defeat at League One Oxford United, in what turned out to be his final game of a forgettable spell at Newcastle. The Belgian, 33, was bought to be the club’s No 1 in 2016 but managed only 14 appearances in a turbulent period at St James’ Park before departing for the serenity of Strasbourg two years later.

In five and a half seasons in France, Sels rebuilt his career. He won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2019 and was named Ligue 1’s best goalkeeper of the 2021-22 season. His consistency alerted teams to him but he was a long way down Nottingham Forest’s shortlist when they were looking for a goalkeeper in January 2024. The £5m punt they took on him has paid off spectacularly though and Sels has an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City to look forward to on Sunday. His saves in three shootouts have helped Forest to get there.

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• Manchester City failed to sell full allocation at Wembley
• ‘I understand it’s not easy, I understand they don’t come’

Pep Guardiola has called on the Football Association to reconsider playing FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley and move the fixtures to more convenient locations to help fans. Thousands of seats will be empty on Sunday after Manchester City failed to sell out their allocation of 36,230 tickets amid travel and cost concerns.

When City face Nottingham Forest, it will be the 28th time the club have played at the new Wembley as a neutral venue since it opened 18 years ago. The allure has diminished while the price of attending a semi-final has increased, with tickets costing £150, £120 and £90 still available on Friday morning.

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Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr scored the goals as Palace routed Villa to reach their third FA Cup final

4 min: Other than that one progressive Kamara pass, nobody’s showing their hand as of yet. A thoughtful start as both teams gently probe.

2 min: Kamara tries to release Cash down the right with a clever first-time pass. Lacroix is on point to usher both opponent and ball out of play for a goal kick. We can just about make this out. A lot of smoke down this end of the pitch, thanks to the tail end of a pre-match pyro party.

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With Oliver Glasner and top players attracting interest, south London club know they must seize FA Cup opportunity

For Crystal Palace supporters of a certain vintage, Malcolm Allison and his famous fedora is where it all began. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the club’s first FA Cup semi-final appearance, under the maverick former Manchester City manager, when they were in the old Third Division.

Allison had already changed Palace’s nickname from the Glaziers to the Eagles and their colours to red and blue within a few months of his arrival from City in March 1973. It was after their third-round victory over non-league Scarborough that he decided to keep wearing the lucky hat that had bizarrely been inspired by the “spats” – fabric shoe covers – worn by Portsmouth’s 1939 Cup-winning manager, Jack Tinn.

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Manager’s changeable lineups have pushed striker to usurp Ollie Watkins and likely lead the attack at Wembley

Unai Emery keeps his Aston Villa players on their toes. Sometimes he tells his squad the lineup the day before a game, on other occasions half an hour before they depart the team hotel for the stadium on a match day. Training tends to offer some clues but of late there have been surprises. Emery, a hugely emotional character, has been known to make impulsive, snap calls. Morgan Rogers, a rare mainstay and one of Villa’s trio of undroppables, recently described how his manager’s decision‑making can feel like flip‑of-the-coin stuff.

When the teamsheets are released an hour before kick-off at Wembley on Saturday, the eyeballs will jump towards the most intriguing selection dilemma: will Emery favour Marcus Rashford or Ollie Watkins?

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Chelsea to give youth a chance, Ipswich look to prolong the inevitable and Jamie Vardy begins his swansong

Tyrique George has caught the eye since breaking into Chelsea’s first team. A homegrown talent, the 19-year-old winger has done well in his Conference League outings and is in contention for his first start in the league when Enzo Maresca’s side host Everton in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off. Fast, direct and sharp on the ball, George has quickly become a favourite with supporters and he lifted some of the pressure off Maresca after coming off the bench to score an excellent equaliser in Chelsea’s comeback win at Fulham last weekend. Thrown on as a striker, George made it 1-1 with a fine shot from the edge of the area. It was the latest in a series of positive contributions from the teenager. His enthusiasm could make a difference against Everton. Jacob Steinberg

Chelsea v Everton, Premier League, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)

Brighton v West Ham, Premier League, Saturday 3pm

Newcastle v Ipswich, Premier League, Saturday 3pm

Southampton v Fulham, Premier League, Saturday 3pm

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Crystal Palace defender on dreaming of FA Cup glory, Oliver Glasner and the importance of faith to the team

Maxence Lacroix is treating Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley as just another game but the same can’t be said of his mother. “She’s more stressed than me right now,” the Crystal Palace defender says. “But I think it’s really good for a mother or father to see their son running his dream and playing this type of game because she knew it was difficult before and now she sees her son growing, having a family and doing what he wants. So I think she’s proud, a little bit stressed but it’s all right.”

Growing up in Ajat, a village in the Dordogne, Lacroix knew he was never going to follow in his mother Corrine’s footsteps by becoming a doctor. Having moved to Germany from the French side Sochaux as a 20-year-old after coming through the prestigious Clairefontaine academy, he reunited with Oliver Glasner – his former manager at Wolfsburg – in south London last summer. The elegant defender is the heartbeat of the Palace side that will face Aston Villa for a place in the final and has been tipped to win his first senior cap sooner rather than later after representing France at every youth level.

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