Sports

Analysis: Three things to look for in Spain’s Matchday 17

Published

1 year ago

13/01/2023

MADRID, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — FC Barcelona or Real Madrid are absent from La Liga matches this weekend as they compete in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of action as Spain’s top flight moves onto its 17th round of matches. Here are some things to look out for in the coming days.

1. A big Basque derby

This season’s first Basque derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao sees the two sides challenging for a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, with Real Sociedad also looking like the only team able to get near Barca and Madrid in the race for the league’s title.

Imanol Alguacil’s team go into the match in excellent form, with six wins in all competitions, and the connection between Brais Mendez and Alexander Sorloth in attack working to perfection.

The return of Mikel Oyarzabal also gives further options to Imanol in attack.

Athletic have played well in both of their matches since the FIFA World Cup, but have been let down by the lack of a finishing touch. However, a defense led by Daniel Vivian and Yeray Alvarez is incredibly hard to break down, while the Williams brothers, Inaki and Nico, have the pace to cause problems to any defense in La Liga.

Add to that is a packed stadium and a big game atmosphere, and this match is just as tense as anything Madrid or Barca can offer.

2. Big absences for Atletico Madrid

The big news for Atletico this week was the loan deal for Joao Felix to join Chelsea until the end of the season, with the 23-year-old signing a contract extension before his departure. The new contract is slightly misleading as it redistributes his earnings over a longer period to help the club deal with financial fair-play regulations and so doesn’t necessarily mean Atletico are desperate to keep him.

Felix’s departure could help ease tensions as his relationship with coach Diego Simeone wasn’t good, but it does leave Simeone lacking options ahead of his side’s visit to play Almeria.

Antoine Griezmann has been excellent since the World Cup, but Simeone only has Alvaro Morata and Angel Correa in support. With Atletico still involved in the Copa del Rey, any injuries would stretch his attack very thinly indeed.

Almeria will be their first test without both Felix and suspended defender Stefan Savic.

3. Big weekend in relegation battle

This is a good weekend to focus on the battle to avoid relegation, where several sides are within a cluster of points.

Third-from-bottom Cadiz will hope to beat Elche, who are rock bottom with just four points, to climb out of the bottom three and confirm their improvement in recent matches.

Espanyol are obliged to get something from their visit to Getafe, who are too close to the bottom three for comfort. Espanyol have just two wins all season and rely too heavily on striker Joselu.

Sevilla, who got out of the bottom three last weekend, travel to Girona needing to build on their victory at home to Getafe.

It’s a weekend that could see some changes in the relegation zone, and perhaps in some dugouts.

Source(s): Xinhua

Sports

The table tennis star Dheema, first Maldivian athlete to qualify for Olympics

Published

4 hours ago

18/05/2024

The table tennis star, Fathimath Dheema Ali, who will be partaking in the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, has received a warm welcome upon returning to Male’ City. Dheema showcased her exemplary skills amidst stiff competition from the finest table tennis players in South Asia and emerged victorious in the South Asia Regional Olympic Qualifications. Her triumph signifies a momentous milestone for the Maldives in the realm of international sports.

Upon arrival back to the Maldives, the Minister of Sports, Fitness and Recreation Abdulla Rafiu and senior officials of the ministry along with the President of Maldives Olympic Committee (MOC) Mohamed Abdul Sattar and key figures from the Table Tennis Association of the Maldives extended their heartfelt and warm welcomes to Dheema. The minister organised a special ceremony held in the Youth Centre, commemorating the groundbreaking achievement of Dheema.

Speaking at the ceremony, President of the table Tennis Association Ali Rasheed rejoiced, stating that Dheema’s historic performance marked a significant milestone in the history of the Maldives. Highlighting that this remarkable victory was a result of 10 years of her unwavering commitment and dedication, Ali affirmed that the administration and countries in which she received training played a pivotal role for her success. On this stance, he expressed heartfelt gratitude towards all who were engaged in assisting to ensure this significant opportunity was secured.

While Dheema successfully qualified for the Olympic Games, previously Maldivian athletes competed in the games in invitational (tripartite) opportunities provided. As such, Maldivian athletes have been actively participating and competing in athletics, badminton and swimming since 1988.

Source(s): PsmNews

Sports

Minister announces survey for 20-year sports development plan

Published

3 days ago

15/05/2024

Minister of Sports, Fitness, and Recreation Abdulla Rafiu has announced a special survey for the Maldives’ 20-year sports development plan.

The draft plan was developed in February and focuses on cultivating top athletes by training coaches in schools, hosting major tournaments in the Maldives, and expanding sports associations’ activities in the atolls.

At a press conference, Minister Rafiu highlighted ongoing collaboration with sports associations. He said that detailed work on the long-term policy is available on the ministry’s website. He also said that the survey is a critical part of the process and spans 22 pages and requires time for completion by each association.

Additionally, Minister Rafiu mentioned agreements with Malaysia for training athletes and administrators. He also said that discussions about the plan have taken place with France, and talks are ongoing with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Source(s): PsmNews

Sports

Mbappe announces PSG departure at end of season

Published

1 week ago

11/05/2024

MARSEILLE, May 10 (Xinhua) — Kylian Mbappe confirmed on Friday that he will leave French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, without revealing his next destination.

But according to multiple media reports, he will join the La Liga powerhouses Real Madrid after the season ends.

“I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks,” Mbappe said in a video posted on social media.

“I will play my last game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.”

The French international joined PSG on loan from Monaco in 2017 and officially signed with the capital-based side after the season ended for a transfer fee of 180 million euros.

During his seven years with the team, Mbappe helped the club claim six league titles and three French Cup victories, making 306 appearances and scoring 255 goals, becoming the top scorer in the team’s history.

“It’s a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honor to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world,” said the 26-year-old.

“It allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure, to grow as a player of course, by being alongside some of the best in history, some of the greatest champions,” he added.

“It’s hard and I never thought it would be this difficult to announce that… but I think I needed this, a new challenge, after seven years.”

PSG have already secured the Ligue 1 title of this season and reached the French Cup final, where they will compete for the championship against Lyon on May 25th.

However, in the Champions League where the team most aspired to make a mark, they suffered another disappointing exit as they were eliminated in the semifinals after being defeated in both legs by Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

Source(s): Xinhua