SOCCER

BARCELONA'S £1.25BN NOU CAMP RENOVATION FACES FURTHER DELAYS

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Barcelona's ambitious £1.25 billion Nou Camp renovation project faces significant delays, with reports suggesting the 105,000-capacity stadium might not be ready until next season. Initially planned to reopen as part of the club's 125th-anniversary celebrations on November 29, the timeline has already been pushed back to March, and even that date now appears increasingly unlikely.

INEXPERIENCED CHELSEA SURVIVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES TO DOWN ASTANA IN CONFERENCE LEAGUE

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Chelsea continued their 100% record in this season’s UEFA Conference League (UECL) as they defeated Kazakhstani champions Astana 3-1 away from home. Any Chelsea fan that thought a trip to Azerbaijan’s capital Baku – even for such an event like the 2019 UEFA Europa League final – was too far to travel will unlikely have relished flying out to Eastern Kazakhstan.

AMORIM SAYS MAN UTD IS STRONGER WITH RASHFORD

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Following Marcus Rashford's suggestion he might leave Manchester United, manager Ruben Amorim stated the club is stronger with the 27-year-old forward. Rashford's comments on Tuesday about seeking a "new challenge" came after being benched for the Manchester derby.

HOJLUND AT THE DOUBLE AS MANCHESTER UNITED BATTLE PAST VIKTORIA PLZEN

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Manchester United were made to come from behind to snatch a 2-1 win at Viktoria Plzeň - their third in succession in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) - marking their first away win in Europe in 20 months, and the first time they’ve opened a European campaign by going six games unbeaten since 2013/14.

VINI JR WINS FIFA BEST MEN'S PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

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Real Madrid and Brazil winger Vinicius Jr has been crowned the FIFA Best Men's Player of the Year, marking his first win of this prestigious award. The 24-year-old received the honor during the FIFA Best Awards ceremony in Doha, Qatar. This comes shortly after he and Real Madrid boycotted the Ballon d'Or ceremony, where he lost to Manchester City's Rodri.

ARSENAL'S SET-PIECE PROWESS CONTINUES IN CRUCIAL VICTORY OVER MANCHESTER UNITED

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Manchester United didn't earn a single corner against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night while giving the hosts 13 attempts. That was too big a risk. The apprentices of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover have already scored 22 goals since the start of the last Premier League season - with the most recent two coming against United's Andre Onana.

CHELSEA STAR MYKHAILO MUDRYK SUSPENDED FROM FOOTBALL AFTER POSITIVE DRIG TEST

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Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended following a positive drugs test, as confirmed by the Football Association (FA). The 23-year-old has not featured for Chelsea since their Europa Conference League match on November 28, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing his absence to illness.

FIVE-STAR BARCELONA HIT BACK FROM WEEKEND LOSS WITH MALLORCA THRASHING

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Barcelona opened up a four-point lead at the top of LaLiga as Raphinha’s second-half brace helped secure an impressive 5-1 victory over Mallorca - a first win in four league matches for the Blaugrana.