Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, two clubs with proud European pedigrees, meet in the Europa League semifinals Thursday just one step away from their first continental final in decades.

English clubs dominated the European Cup, now known as the Champions League, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with two triumphs for Forest and one for Villa.

But the clubs – just 80 kilometres (50 miles) apart in the English Midlands – have had contrasting seasons as they prepare for the first leg Thursday.

Unai Emery’s Villa are on course for a return to Europe’s top club competition after a strong Premier League campaign.

Forest, by contrast, remain at risk of relegation, though the club have turned a corner under Vitor Pereira, who is their fourth manager during a chaotic campaign.

The club are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions, reaching a first European semifinal in 42 years.

A 5-0 demolition of Sunderland last week followed a 4-1 victory over Burnley, with goals suddenly flowing for a side that had been blunt under Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche.

“Everyone is scoring, which makes us happy,” said Pereira. “It’s a good feeling. We’re eight games unbeaten now, and it’s important to keep this mentality.”

Forest’s heyday came under Brian Clough, who masterminded back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, while Villa were continental champions two years later.

But both teams have been starved of success in the decades since, which have included spells in the lower tiers of English football.

Emery pedigree

Villa have flourished since Emery joined the club in 2022 and are favorites to end their 30-year wait for a major trophy, with Freiburg or Braga awaiting the winners in next month’s final in Istanbul.

Two years ago, Villa reached the semifinals of the UEFA Conference League in their first taste of European competition for 13 years.

Last season, they gave Paris Saint-Germain a scare before bowing out 5-4 on aggregate to the eventual winners in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

And Emery is no stranger to Europa League glory, having won the second-tier competition four times during his spells at Sevilla and Villarreal.

“I know how difficult it is to win a European trophy. European competition is very important to us and it’s given me so much in my career as a coach,” said the Spaniard.

“Now I’m trying to experience that with the players and supporters at Aston Villa.”

“Forest have a history in Europe as well, because they won the European Cup like Aston Villa, so it is something special for us and for them.”

Winning the Europa League would give Forest access to the Champions League for the first time since 1980, when they were the holders.

The dreams of a clutch of other Premier League clubs could depend on the performance of Emery’s men.

Should Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth, the sixth-placed team in the Premier League would qualify for the Champions League.

Forest host Villa in the first leg of the semifinal Thursday, with the second leg taking place a week later.

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Paris Saint-Germain may have won on paper, but the game of football was the real winner Tuesday when the defending champions and German giants Bayern Munich played out a 9-goal Champions League epic.

The Parisians clinched a 5-4 victory in the pulsating semifinal that had a record number of goals at this stage of ⁠the competition. They came from a goal down to lead 5-2 with two goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele before Bayern struck twice in three minutes just before the ​hour to improve their chances for next week’s return leg in Munich.

The match ​pitted ⁠the most attacking Champions League teams of the season against each other and it quickly lived up to its billing with a relentless pace and with Bayern coach Vincent Kompany in the stands, serving out a suspension and his assistant Aaron Danks in the dugout.

“We’re really happy, and I think we deserved to win, but we also deserved a draw, and we would have even deserved to lose, because this game was that incredible,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique.

“I’ve never seen a game with that rhythm before. You have to congratulate the opponents, the players. When you hold a 5-2 lead like that, the opponents take so many risks – they’re a top-level side. It was difficult, and the second leg will be too.”

Harry Kane ⁠converted ⁠a 17th-minute penalty to beat PSG goalkeeper Matvei Safonov and become the first English player to net in six successive Champions League fixtures. The England captain then delivered a well-timed pass for Michael Olise, but his close-range shot was cleared off the line.

The hosts should have levelled when Dembele broke through, but his finish flew well wide in the 23rd, but Kvaratskhelia did find the net with a trademark move and a low shot after cutting into the box.

Bayern hit the post following a solo run by Olise and his deflected pass, but it was PSG who scored again in the 33rd with Joao Neves’ ⁠glancing header.

There was plenty of drama left in the first half with Olise making amends for his earlier miss and drawing Bayern level with a 41st-minute shot after being given far too much space around the box.

PSG were then awarded a stoppage-time ​penalty and Dembele powered his spot kick past Manuel Neuer to put them back in front.

Double strike

PSG picked ​up where they left off after halftime and carved out a two-goal lead when Kvaratskhelia drilled in a 56th-minute effort and the French side struck again before Bayern had any time to ⁠recover, this time ‌Dembele beating ‌Neuer once more with a low drive that went in off the ⁠post two minutes later.

The hosts looked to be running away with ‌the game, but Bayern refused to buckle and fought back with two goals of their own in a three-minute span from Dayot ​Upamecano and Luis Diaz.

PSG’s Senny Mayulu rattled ⁠the woodwork in the 86th minute as both sides kept up the frenetic ⁠pace until the final whistle.

“Although we lost the game, we showed what kind of team we are ⁠and that we can deal ​with setbacks,” said Bayern defender Jonathan Tah.

“We know we can win by two goals at home. We’re confident and we’ll give everything next week to reach the final.”

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Atletico Madrid and Arsenal meet on Wednesday in a heavyweight UEFA Champions League semifinal that pits Diego Simeone’s “coraje y corazon” against a resurgent Premier League leader chasing the greatest season in club history.

The first leg in Madrid sets the tone for a tie loaded with tactical intrigue, injury doubts and psychological baggage on both sides.

Arsenal arrive in the Spanish capital with the chance to turn years of “almost” into a defining breakthrough. Mikel Arteta’s side have been branded English football’s nearly men after three successive runners-up finishes in the Premier League and near-misses in Europe, including a 3-1 aggregate defeat to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s semifinals and a quarterfinal exit to Bayern Munich in 2024.

Now, just seven games separate them from what could be the club’s greatest ever campaign. They sit three points clear of Manchester City in the league, with four games left for Arsenal and five for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Meanwhile, three more wins in Europe would deliver a first-ever Champions League crown, with a potential final in Budapest against PSG or Bayern on May 30.

Captain Declan Rice insists the squad is ready for the moment. “We’ve played in tough games in the last three or four years at the highest level, so we know what to expect and what’s to come,” he said, urging teammates to embrace the pressure: “‘Bring it on.’”

However, Arteta’s preparation has been complicated by fitness issues. Mikel Merino (foot) and Jurrien Timber (ankle) remain sidelined, while the game may come too soon for Riccardo Calafiori (knock). Kai Havertz and Eberechi Eze (both muscle), along with Martin Zubimendi (illness), will be assessed after being withdrawn against Newcastle.

Eze has “insisted that he is ‘fine’ and came off as a ‘precaution’ last time out,” but Arteta could still opt for rotation on the left, with Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard in contention, while Viktor Gyökeres is poised to replace Havertz up front if needed. Bukayo Saka made a strong impact off the bench against Newcastle after his own return from injury and “may be handed his first start in over a month” on the right wing.

Arsenal’s recent record against Spanish clubs offers confidence: They have won each of their last seven Champions League games against La Liga opposition and have lost just one of their last 11 away matches in the competition (W9 D1). However, they will remember that Atletico edged them 2-1 on aggregate in the 2017-18 Europa League semifinals.

Metropolitano Factor

If Arsenal bring form and ambition, Atletico bring edge, experience and one of Europe’s most intimidating home atmospheres. Simeone’s side have long since moved beyond the stereotype of dour, defense‑only football, but some principles remain non‑negotiable: intensity, work rate, competitiveness and a “capacity to suffer when they need to against superior opponents.”

“We’ve reached this point by competing the way we have – nothing has stopped us so far,” Simeone said, emphasizing their identity. The team’s motto, “Coraje y corazon” — courage and heart — captures their approach and even star man Antoine Griezmann “works his socks off” in addition to providing quality.

At the Metropolitano, when conditions are right, Atletico have shown they can dismantle anyone. They “blitzed Barcelona 4-0 in the Copa del Rey semifinal first leg” and “romped to a 5-2 derby victory over Real Madrid there earlier this season.”

Local newspaper AS framed the stakes bluntly: “Congratulations Atletico – if you beat Arsenal, then the (anniversary) celebration will be perfect.”

Simeone has called on the famously loud home support: “We’ve built this success through hard work and the support of our fans. We need them now more than ever, and hopefully, we can give them what they want on the pitch.”

Atletico must cope without energetic midfielder Pablo Barrios (hamstring) and defender Jose Gimenez (muscle), while Ademola Lookman (muscle) and David Hancko (ankle) are doubts and will be assessed. Even so, there is optimism in attack. Julian Alvarez, who struck the woodwork twice in a 4-0 group‑stage loss to Arsenal, said he is “100%.”

Marcos Llorente believes both sides have evolved significantly since that heavy defeat to Arsenal in October: “Both teams have evolved a lot since then.”

Griezmann, Atletico’s all‑time top scorer and MLS‑bound at season’s end, says the renewed form has given them belief: “It’s good to win again after a negative run. It will be a very important match (against Arsenal), we have to be calm, relaxed, knowing that we can do it… I’m enjoying these last few games here. I hope I can gift something incredible to the fans.”

Simeone’s warning to his own players – “If you don’t run, you’re coming off tomorrow” – underlines the intensity Arsenal can expect.

Clash of styles

On one side stand Premier League leaders desperate to prove their mental steel and finally lift European silverware; on the other, a scarred-but-dangerous Atletico who thrive on adversity and emotion in big European nights. Arsenal’s away form and attacking fluency face off against Atletico’s pressing, power and a crowd, Simeone says they “need now more than ever.”

With both clubs eyeing history, Arsenal a first Champions League title, Atletico a chance to crown Simeone’s second era with silverware, the first leg in Madrid promises to be a ferocious, finely balanced encounter.

Possible Starting Lineups:

Arsenal: David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel, Piero Hincapie; Martin Odegaard, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyökeres, Gabriel Martinelli.

Atletico Madrid: Jan Oblak; Nahuel Molina, Robin Le Normand, Clement Lenglet, Matteo Ruggeri; Giuliano Simeone, Koke, Marcos Llorente, Nicolas Gonzalez; Antonio Griezmann, Julian Alvarez.

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Fenerbahçe have plunged into fresh turmoil after a disastrous run of results – capped by a heavy defeat to title rivals Galatasaray on Sunday – triggered the sacking of the manager and a shock decision by club president Sadettin Saran to call early elections and announce he will not run again.

Saran announced in an address to the community that an extraordinary elective general assembly has been scheduled for June 6-7, adding that he will not be a candidate.

“We knew this community no longer needed to wait, but to stand up,” he said, noting they had worked day and night toward the championship target but had not reached the desired level.

He added that the decision not to postpone the elections was deliberate: “Throughout the season, we postponed some decisions so as not to harm our title challenge. But it is clear that we cannot delay this process any further.”

Saran stressed that the presidency is not a personal power struggle and said: “The presidency of Fenerbahçe is not a field where every means is permissible in order to win,” he said, underlining that the office “requires responsibility” and that “leaving the seat when the time comes is as much a virtue as taking it.”

He also called for unity in the club during this difficult period. “Fenerbahçe is not the property of individuals, but the common value of the entire community,” he said, warning that internal disputes damage the club. “Fighting for this chair has no benefit to Fenerbahçe. What matters is Fenerbahçe itself.”

Saran concluded by promising to support the club even after handing over his duties, ending his statement with: “Long live Fenerbahçe.”

‘Chain Reaction’

Saran’s decision comes against the backdrop of a brutal week on the pitch. Fenerbahçe were convincingly beaten 3-0 by Galatasaray at RAMS Park Sunday, a result that effectively killed their title hopes and handed their fiercest rivals a near‑decisive advantage in the Süper Lig race.

Galatasaray’s win pushed them seven points clear with three matches remaining, leaving Fenerbahçe needing a miracle to stay in contention. The manner of the defeat – a flat performance in a must‑win derby, following a season of inconsistency – provoked fury among supporters and intensified pressure on the technical staff.

Within 24 hours, Fenerbahçe’s head coach was dismissed, with club insiders and local media linking the sacking directly to the Galatasaray collapse and the broader failure to meet championship expectations. The derby loss crystallized a sense that the project had stalled, despite heavy investment and public promises.

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Türkiye are facing a nervous wait over the fitness of two of its most important players, with Inter Milan playmaker Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Real Madrid prodigy Arda Güler both sidelined by muscle injuries just weeks before key club finals and the 2026 World Cup buildup.

Inter confirmed Monday that Çalhanoğlu has picked up a fresh muscle problem and is now in serious doubt for the Coppa Italia final against Lazio on May 13.

“Hakan Çalhanoğlu underwent medical examinations this morning at the Humanitas Clinical Institute in Rozzano,” the club said in a statement.

“The tests revealed a muscular strain in the soleus of his left leg. His condition will be assessed in the coming days,” it added.

Italian outlets, including Sky Sport Italia and Gazzetta, reported that the strain could keep the 32-year-old out of action long enough to miss the Rome showpiece entirely.

The Turkish international has endured a stop‑start second half of the season, repeatedly disrupted by physical issues, yet he has still produced 12 goals and seven assists in 30 games across all competitions.

Those numbers underline how central he has been to Inter’s attacking structure, especially with his evolution into a deep‑lying playmaker and set‑piece specialist.

He has already missed 13 matches this term through injury and, on Sunday, he remained an unused substitute in Inter’s 2–2 draw against Torino, with coach Cristian Chivu admitting afterward that Çalhanoğlu was not fully fit.

The latest diagnosis is more worrying. A soleus strain can easily linger if rushed and Inter must now balance their desire to have him available for the final against the risk of aggravating the injury ahead of Türkiye’s summer program and the longer‑term 2026 World Cup cycle.

Güler blow

Real Madrid suffered their own setback when Arda Güler limped off in the 58th minute of a 2-0 win over Alaves on April 21, shortly after assisting Kylian Mbappe on the opener. On April 23, the club confirmed the worst.

“After tests conducted on our player Arda Güler today by Real Madrid’s Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in the femoral biceps of the right leg,” Madrid said, adding that his recovery time would be “dependent on evaluation.”

Reports in Türkiye indicate the 21‑year‑old is expected to miss around four weeks, effectively ending his La Liga season. That is a major blow for Real Madrid, who are nine points off leaders Barcelona with six matches left and had been clinging to slim title hopes.

Güler had emerged as one of Madrid’s brightest sparks in recent weeks, scoring twice in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Bayern Munich and earning consistent minutes.

However, the prognosis is far more encouraging for the national team. A four‑week layoff would still put Güler back in time for Türkiye’s pre‑tournament friendlies and their June 13 World Cup opener against Australia, as well as the June 25 group finale against the United States in Southern California.

Türkiye, the second‑highest ranked side in the group behind the U.S. and fresh off playoff wins over Romania and Kosovo, will lean heavily on Güler’s creativity; he set up the winner against Romania and is widely viewed as the team’s most inventive attacking talent.

For coach Vincenzo Montella, the timing is frustrating – Güler is in the best form of his young career – but the wider picture is positive: barring setbacks, he should arrive at the World Cup rested and recovered rather than exhausted from a full club campaign.

National‑Team Stakes

Taken together, the injuries pose different kinds of headaches. Inter are sweating on Çalhanoğlu’s availability for a domestic trophy decider, while Real Madrid are likely to be without Güler for the run‑in.

For Türkiye, the real concern is not whether both players will feature in May, but whether they will be fully fit and sharp by mid‑June.

Early indications suggest Güler will be; Çalhanoğlu’s situation is less clear and will depend on how quickly his soleus responds to treatment. What is certain is that Türkiye’s hopes of a deep World Cup run rest heavily on both being on the field – and close to their best – when the summer’s biggest stage kicks off.

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The Houston Rockets stayed alive in the NBA playoffs with a 115-96 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday, while San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama made a triumphant return to push the Spurs to the brink of advancing.

Amen Thompson scored 23 points to fuel the Rockets, who bounced back from a crushing overtime loss Friday to cut the deficit in their best-of-seven Western Conference series to 3-1.

The Spurs and the Boston Celtics took commanding 3-1 leads in their series, San Antonio rallying from 19 points down to beat the Trail Blazers 114-93 in Portland and Boston thrashing the 76ers 128-96 in Philadelphia.

In Toronto, the Raptors edged the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89 to level their series at two games apiece.

Denied a sweep in Houston, the Lakers can still finish off the Rockets when they host game five Wednesday.

The Rockets, still without star Kevin Durant, harried the Lakers into 24 turnovers, yielding 30 Houston points.

Four-time NBA champion LeBron James made just two of nine attempts from the floor on the way to 10 points. He handed out nine assists but made eight turnovers.

With Los Angeles still missing their top scorers in injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, center DeAndre Ayton led the Lakers with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

But Los Angeles were already down by 19 when he was ejected in the third quarter after catching Rockets center Alperen Sengun in the head with his forearm.

Tari Eason added 20 points and Sengun scored 19 for Houston, who are trying to become the first NBA team to rally from a 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series.

In Portland, Wembanyama returned after missing one game because of a concussion and scored 27 points with 11 rebounds, three assists, four steals and a whopping seven blocked shots.

“I had lots of emotions in me before the game, obviously,” said Wembanyama, named the 2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and in the running for Most Valuable Player.

“Excitement, frustration, so I let it all out tonight,” he said.

The 22-year-old Frenchman praised the doctors who oversaw his path through the NBA concussion protocol, but voiced dissatisfaction with the process that requires a gradual return to physical activity under medical supervision.

“The way the situation was handled was very disappointing,” Wembanyama said, declining to elaborate.

Celtics spoil Embiid return

San Antonio’s De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 28 points, and the Spurs out-scored the Trail Blazers 73-35 in the second half.

They’ll try to clinch the series when they host game five Tuesday.

The Celtics spoiled the return of 76ers star Joel Embiid, who played his first game since having an emergency appendectomy on April 9.

Payton Pritchard scored 32 points off the bench and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points with seven rebounds and 11 assists for the Celtics, who led by 16 points after one quarter and by double digits the rest of the way.

Embiid led the 76ers with 26 points and 10 rebounds, but Philadelphia couldn’t counter the Celtics’ rain of 24 3-pointers.

In Toronto, Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram scored 23 points apiece as the Raptors held off the Cavaliers despite making just four of 30 from 3-point range.

The Raptors trailed by five with 2:10 left to play, but powered to the lead with a 9-0 scoring burst and held on.

Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points to lead the Cavs and James Harden added 19, but Mitchell missed two attempts in the final 30 seconds as Barnes made six free throws down the stretch to seal it.

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