Sports Burst – No Zlatan, No World Cup Party
Zlatan says no to World Cup as Madrid faces injury crisis
By Tim Stannard
Zlatan is officially a no-go for the World Cup
Philosophical question time. Can the World Cup be a World Cup without King Zlatan there?
There answer is a firm ‘no’ of course, because what He says cannot be questioned. Ever. But this is the reality the world is facing with the Swedish football federation announcing on Thursday that Zlatan will not be at the World Cup with the footballer himself reportedly saying that he does not want to come out of retirement. After all, there’s James Corden to do…Conan…Colbert…the View.
"I spoke to Zlatan on Tuesday,” said Lars Richt, head of national teams at the Swedish football federation, “he said he has not changed his decision regarding playing in the national team. It is still a no.”
So, did Zlatan lie to the world about being in Russia through the medium of a Jimmy Kimmel chat show? Did you Zlatan, did you?! (Sigh)
Real injury problems for Madrid for Bayern battle
Well, maybe the luck is eking away from Real Madrid just a little bit on Thursday?
Clearly not on Wednesday after a game that pretty much has the world scratching its head on how the Spanish side are on a clear path to winning the Champions League for a third time in a row without being all-that. That bad luck involved injuries, something that hit Bayern Munich pretty hard with five starters out of action either before the match – or even during the game.
Thursday’s Marca is reporting that Dani Carvajal is set to miss the next two to three weeks with a thigh injury, leaving Madrid very short in that department with Nacho also on the sidelines. And Coach Zizou revealed that Isco is also on the injury slab for an as yet unknown amount of time, having left Wednesday’s game at half-time with a shoulder problem. “We hope it is not too serious,” noted the Frenchman currently revolutionizes the fundamental principles of sport.
Still…there is some good news. Gareth Bale is ready for action should the Welshman be needed. And that’s a pretty big ‘should’. Thursday’s Guardian claims that Bale is disappointed with his lack of playing time but is not looking to move on anywhere next summer. And that’s not surprising considering he is at a club where literally turning up for the required number of games is good enough to win a Champions League trophy.
Sulk-a-thon as Arsenal face Atletico in Europa League final four
Yay! It’s Thursday! At last!
Because we know what that means! The Europa League is back in business and that means the semi-final, first-leg clash between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid from the Emirates stadium in London.
The vibe to this encounter is a dark one. It’s a clash between two teams who, in an ideal world, would be sunning themselves in the Champions League – or at least knocked out in the quarter-final stages. So, there may be sulks in the air. Arsene Wenger is clearly unhappy at having to leave his post after 325 years but has the chance to deliver one last disappointment to Arsenal fans by failing to win the Europa League and the Champions League spot it offers for next year.
Atletico are all high falutin these days and the Europa League is a huge step down for the club who have been accustomed to Champions League finals of late. However, a title is a title and it fits in with Diego Simeone’s Borg-like obsession with football assimilation – “it gives us the conviction and certainty that we are on the right path.”
The air of doom and gloom in London is in stark contrast with the fun-fest in Marseille, which sees two teams tickled pink to be at the final four stages. Marseille are on a path back to what the French side hopes will be Europe’s top table – or at least the buffet cart – while RB Salzburg from Austria are just delighted that people are aware of their existence. That goal-laden clash is live on beIN SPORTS CANADA from 3PM ET / 1PM PT.
And tune into the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT for the best action and analysis of the day’s top games.
LeBron keeps Cleveland stay a few days more
A few seconds left to wrap up the late-night goings on, on this side of the Pond. Toronto came remarkably close to winning the Concacaf Champions League having defeated Chivas 2-1 in regular time but then lost in a penalty shoot-out. Which has to hurt.
In the NBA, the Houston Rockets sealed the deal on their play-off series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Toronto Raptors took a 3-2 lead in their play-off series against the Washington Wizards while LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers squeaked a win against the Indiana Pacers to see King James remaining at Cleveland just a few days more.
Just one game on Thursday with the Boston Celtic looking to clinch their series against the Milwaukee Bucks. Oh! And it’s the NFL draft get underway on Thursday. Tune into the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT for a bit of a twist on the whole affair.
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The life philosophy of Sports Burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. Sports Burst is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. Hopefully at the same time.