Month: February 2026

Arsenal legend, Ray Parlour has issued a warning to the Gunners ahead of their upcoming Premier League tie with Chelsea on Sunday at Emirates Stadium, highlighting four ‘quality’ players to watch out for.

The players in question are Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer, and Joao Pedro, all of whom can pose some threats against Mikel Arteta’s side on the pitch.

Speaking to Metro, Parlour also pointed out the potential impact of Chelsea’s midfield prowess.

He said, “Arsenal had a really good result against Tottenham Hotspur in their last match, but you’ve to be wary of Chelsea because they’ve quality players.

“Chelsea’s midfield have Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer who can be so dangerous and Joao Pedro is in really good form in the attack.

“But Arsenal will be at home. The place will be buzzing and if they score first against Chelsea, they [Chelsea] can crumble.”

EPL: They’ve quality – Ray Parlour warns Arsenal about four Chelsea players

Wrexham goalkeeper, Arthur Okonkwo has not been cleared to play for the Super Eagles, according to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.

The 24-year-old was born in London to Nigerian parents.

Okonkwo has indicated interest in playing for the Super Eagles after previously representing England at the age grade level.

There were reports that the Arsenal graduate’s switch of allegiance was approved by FIFA in December 2025.

The shot stopper is also rumored to be on the Super Eagles list for the four-nation invitational tournament billed to hold in Amman, Jordan next month.

NFF’s Head of International Competitions, Dayo Enebi Achor, however, said the switch of allegiance is not yet finalised.

“The process is still ongoing and has not been completed yet,” Enebi told Footy-Africa.

“Okonkwo is one we are looking at, but as of today, his international switch has not been concluded.”

Okonkwo’s international switch not yet finalised – NFF

The Opta SuperComputer has predicted the teams that has the best chances of winning the Champions League this season.

This follows the conclusion of the last-16 draw on Friday.

Manchester City will play Real Madrid again, while Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea in the standout ties.

Arsenal have been draw against Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle will take on Barcelona.

Opta has given Arsenal a 27.4% chance of winning the trophy. Bayern Munich, who will face Atalanta, has a 14.3% chance.

Liverpool has been given a 12.8% probability and Manchester City has a 10.8% chance.

Chances of winning the Champions League according to Opta Probability:

Arsenal – 27.4%
Bayern Munich – 14.3%
Liverpool – 12.8%
Man City – 10.8%
Barcelona – 7.7%
Chelsea – 6.9%

Champions League: SuperComputer predicts four teams to win trophy after last-16 draw

The draw for this season’s UEFA Europa League Round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draw was completed on Friday.

According to UEFA, Ferencváros will take on Braga in the Round of 16, while Celta will clash with Lyon.

Also, the winner between Ferencváros and Braga will tackle the winner between Panathinaikos and Real Betis in the quarter-final.

The Europa League Round of 16 will take place on 12 and 19 March 2026, while the quarter-finals will take place on 9 and 16 April 2026.

The Europa League semi-finals will take place on 30 April and 7 May 2026, and the final is slated for 20 May 2026 in Istanbul.

Europa League round of 16 draw:
Ferencváros (HUN) vs Braga (POR)
Panathinaikos (GRE) vs Real Betis (ESP)
Genk (BEL) vs Freiburg (GER)
Celta (ESP) vs Lyon (FRA)
Stuttgart (GER) vs Porto (POR)
Nottingham Forest (ENG) vs Midtjylland (DEN)
Bologna (ITA) vs Roma (ITA)
Lille (FRA) vs Aston Villa (ENG)

Europa League quarter-final draw:
Ferencváros / Braga vs Panathinaikos / Real Betis
Genk / Freiburg vs Celta / Lyon
Stuttgart / Porto vs Nottingham Forest / Midtjylland
Bologna / Roma vs Lille / Aston Villa

Europa League semi-final draw:
Ferencváros/Braga/Panathinaikos/Real Betis vs Genk/Freiburg/Celta/Lyon
Stuttgart/Porto/Nottingham Forest/Midtjylland vs Bologna/Roma/Lille/Aston Villa

Europa League: Round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final draw confirmed [Full fixtures]

The draw for this season’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final and semi-final draw was completed on Friday.

This follows the conclusion of the Round of 16 draw also conducted on Friday also.

According to UEFA, the winner between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16, and the winner between Galatasaray and Liverpool in the Round of 16, will meet in the last-8.

The quarter-finals fixtures will take place on 7/8 and 14/15 April 2026, while the semi-finals will take place on 28/29 and 5/6 May 2026.

The Champions League final will take place in May 2026 in Budapest.

Champions League quarter-final draw:

Paris/Chelsea vs Galatasaray/Liverpool
Real Madrid/Man City vs Atalanta/Bayern
Newcastle/Barcelona vs Atleti/Tottenham
Bodø/Glimt/Sporting CP vs Leverkusen/Arsenal

Champions League semi-final draw:
Paris/Chelsea/Galatasaray/Liverpool vs Real Madrid/Man City/Atalanta/Bayern
Newcastle/Barcelona/Atleti/Tottenham vs Bodø/Glimt/Sporting CP/Leverkusen/Arsenal

Champions League: Quarter-final, semi-final draw confirmed [Full fixtures]

Wolves striker, Tolu Arokodare has been cleared to face Aston Villa in tonight’s Premier League encounter, DAILY POST reports.

The Nigeria international was subjected to online racial abuse after missing a penalty in Wolves’ 1-0 away defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend.

Arokodare has now received psychological clearance from his club to face Villa at the Molineux.

The entire coaching staff, and his teammates offered the striker individual words of sympathy and collectively supported him as a team during the week, according to head coach, Rob Edwards.

The 25-year-old joined Wolves from Belgian Pro League outfit, KRC Genk last summer.

He has scored twice in 18 appearances for the Old Gold.

EPL: Arokodare cleared to face Aston Villa after racist attack