Sissoko and Son fire Spurs into League Cup final

The showpiece match will be held at Wembley on April 25, after the Football League moved the date back from February to increase the chances of fans being able to attend. United host City in the other semi-final at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

* United States international and twice World Cup winner Alex Morgan said on Tuesday she and her family tested positive for COVID-19 over the Christmas holiday and are all recovering well.

* Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman revealed on Tuesday that he has made a list of players he wants to add and let go in the January transfer window, whilst acknowledging the club’s frail financial situation may not allow him to get the personnel he wants. While Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane likes to repeat that his squad is the best and needs no additions or departures, Koeman made it clear he would like some new arrivals to help his side recover from their worst La Liga start since 1987-88.

* Former England and Manchester City midfielder Colin Bell, widely regarded as one of the club’s finest players, has died aged 74 following a short illness, the Premier League side said on Tuesday.

* Formula E will start its new season with a floodlit double-header in Saudi Arabia next month, the all-electric championship said on Tuesday. The two Saudi races in Diriyah on Feb. 26 and 27 will be the first Formula E has staged at night.

* The Williams Formula One team announced on Tuesday a switch to gearboxes and hydraulic components provided by engine supplier Mercedes from 2022 in a significant step for the struggling former champions who changed hands last year.

* Ibiza, the Spanish third division side from the island which attracts revellers from the around the world, staged a party of their own on Tuesday as they routed La Liga side Celta Vigo 5-2 in a Copa del Rey second round tie. Elsewhere, top-flight side Getafe were also beaten by third division opposition as they went down 1-0 at Cordoba.

* Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said he has a depleted squad for Wednesday’s League Cup semi-final at Manchester United because of the impact of a COVID-19 outbreak at the Etihad club. Teams can name nine substitutes on bench in the League Cup semis and final after the EFL approved five substitutions per game. However, City had six players unavailable due to positive tests in their 3-1 Premier League win at Chelsea last weekend.

* Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo said on Tuesday he is relishing what will be a special clash with AC Milan, the side he made more than 400 appearances for as a player, as he looks to revitalise the champions’ hopes of making it 10 Serie A titles in a row. Juventus travel to league leaders Milan on Wednesday, with Pirlo’s side sitting fifth in the standings, 10 points behind leaders Milan, having played a game fewer.

* New Paris St Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino said on Tuesday that he fulfilled a dream to return and manage the French club he played for and captained during his career as a defender in the early 2000s. Pochettino had been out of a job since being dismissed by Tottenham Hotspur in November 2019 and took over the reins at PSG after Thomas Tuchel was sacked last month.

* Juventus confirmed on Tuesday that Juan Cuadrado has tested positive for COVID-19, the second player from the Serie A champions to test positive this week. Brazilian defender Alex Sandro is already in isolation after testing positive on Monday, with Cuadrado confirmed as having contracted COVID-19 after the latest round of testing.

* Barcelona’s first team players have all tested negative for COVID-19 following a new round of tests after two cases among staff members were announced the day before, the club said on Tuesday. The staff members’ infections led the team to reschedule their morning training session and news conference ahead of Wednesday’s La Liga trip to Athletic Bilbao.

* McLaren driver Lando Norris has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now self-isolating, his Formula One team said on Tuesday. McLaren said in a statement that Norris had returned a positive result on Monday in Dubai, where he is on a holiday before the team’s training camp.

* Manchester United are playing confidently and should be able to win the League Cup, and there will be no excuses if they fail to beat Manchester City in Wednesday’s semi-final, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Tuesday. United crashed out at the semi-final stage of the League Cup, FA Cup and Europa League last season, but Solskjaer believes that they have made big improvements in the current campaign.

* Australian Toby Price won the third stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as American Skyler Howes took the overall lead in the motorbike category.

* Australian Open organisers have been forced to tear up a quarantine accommodation plan for international players a month before the Grand Slam following a threat of legal action from apartment owners at a luxury hotel in Melbourne. Tennis Australia and government authorities had arranged for players to serve a 14-day mandatory quarantine at the Westin Melbourne ahead of the Feb. 8-21 Australian Open.

Source: Nhan Dan Online