Football/Soccer 24-Hour Briefing
×Champions League Updates
Harry Kane espn.com trained following a calf injury and is traveling with the Bayern Munich squad to Italy ahead of Tuesday's Champions League game at Atalanta. Liverpool's Alisson bbc.com is ruled out of the first leg of their Champions League tie against Galatasaray through injury but could return to face Tottenham at the weekend. Liverpool's Alisson espn.com has not traveled to Istanbul for the Champions League last-16 first leg against Galatasaray after sustaining a problem in training.
Transfer News
Real Madrid espn.com have Mauricio Pochettino on the shortlist of candidates to replace Álvaro Arbeloa ahead of next season, different sources told ESPN. Fulham and USMNT left back Antonee Robinson espn.com favors a move to Liverpool over Manchester United, according to Transfer Talk. Benfica coach Jose Mourinho espn.com accused FC Porto assistant manager Luis 'Lucho' Gonzalez of calling him "a traitor" 50 times during Sunday's 2-2 draw.
Managerial Changes
Northampton Town bbc.com sacked manager Kevin Nolan after a run of one win in 16 games with the club in the League One relegation places. Michael McArdle bbc.com, the Scottish FA's head of elite women's football and former interim head coach of Scotland, is appointed Northern Ireland manager.
International Football
United States President Donald Trump espn.com has urged Australia to grant asylum to the Iranian women's football team and said the U.S. would do so if Australia did not. Graham Arnold espn.com is asking FIFA to come to Iraq's aid as the conflict between neighboring Iran and the United States threatens to derail his plans to help his team to its first World Cup in 40 years. FIFPRO espn.com says it expects FIFA, the AFC, and the Australian government to exert the leverage it has to ensure the safety of Iran's women's national team players.
Player Performances
Wayne Rooney espn.com has urged Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to ignore "very unfair" criticism of the Premier League leaders' playing style. Sergiño Dest espn.com insists his season isn't over after suffering a hamstring injury, but if it is, that's a headache the U.S. doesn't need for the World Cup. João Pedro espn.com has hailed his "special" first season at Chelsea after firing himself into contention to lead the line for Brazil at this summer's World Cup.
Disciplinary Issues
Millwall bbc.com are fined £45,000 by the FA for abusive chanting with a reference to disability during their Carabao Cup tie with Crystal Palace. Cruzeiro's 1-0 win espn.com over Atlético-MG in Sunday's Mineiro Championship final was overshadowed by a mass brawl that erupted seconds before the final whistle and resulted in 23 red cards issued. A masked fan bbc.com unplugged a VAR monitor in a German second division match as the referee went to the pitchside screen to check a penalty award.
Club Competitions
Bradford City bbc.com plant 154 trees - one for each goal scored by its men's and women's teams last season - at its training ground as part of its commitment to sustainability. Watford Women bbc.com are to play their final two home games of the season at Vicarage Road after a 14-0 win put them in pole position to win promotion to WSL. St Mirren skysports.com beat Partick Thistle 2-1 to book their place in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
Historical Moments
Adidas espn.com is going back to the '90s by releasing a replica of the iconic denim-look jersey worn by the USMNT when the World Cup came to the U.S. in 1994. Former Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández espn.com says Joan Laporta blocked Lionel Messi's return to the club because he feared a war and a power struggle.
Domestic Leagues
Three games in espn.com and the Vancouver Whitecaps are absolutely purring. All that and more in this week's edition of ESPN's MLS Power Rankings. Wolves bbc.com are bottom of the Premier League, 12 points off safety. But two wins in a row have raised faint hopes that they could survive relegation. Manchester City midfielder Rodri skysports.com has escaped a ban for hitting out at officials following his side's 2-2 draw at Tottenham last month.
Women's Football
The first woman to take charge skysports.com of a men's team in Germany's top three divisions, Sabrina Wittmann, was appointed head coach of Ingolstadt. Ellie Scotney skysports.com is on the edge of greatness, says boxing legend Barry McGuigan.