BEB Weekend Sports: Juicy News!

Title race is over, says Guardiola

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola conceded the Premier League title race is over after the reigning champions lost 3-2 at Wolves on Friday.

City are third in the Premier League, 14 points behind leaders Liverpool and a point below Leicester City.

Asked if the title race is over, Guardiola told BBC Radio 5 Live: "The advantage is too big, yes."
City have lost five Premier League games this season, one more than in the whole of the 2018-19 campaign.
They have also played a game more than Liverpool, who have dropped only two points this season, are on a run - stretching back to March - of 26 wins from 27 league games and are two matches away from going a full year unbeaten in the top flight.

"It's unrealistic to think about Liverpool, we think about Leicester," Guardiola added. "We have the chance to recover second place. I know the quality of my team but that's the situation."

They face League Two side Port Vale in the third round of the FA Cup on 4 January, before taking on rivals Manchester United in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on 7 January.

But Guardiola insists City will not prioritise these competitions, as they have to secure a European spot for next season.

Ibrahimovic rejoins AC Milan at 38

Former Sweden and Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has rejoined AC Milan on a six-month deal, with the option for another season.
The 38-year-old was a free agent after leaving LA Galaxy at the end of the Major League Soccer season.

The Serie A side said Ibrahimovic "will be in Milan on 2 January, 2020 to take his medical" and join his team-mates.

"I'm coming back to a club I hugely respect and to the city of Milan I love," Ibrahimovic said.

Ibrahimovic was at Serie A side Milan from 2010 to 2012, scoring 42 goals in 61 league games for the club.

He joined LA Galaxy in March 2018 and scored 53 goals during his time in the United States as well as being named in the MLS best XI teams of 2018 and 2019.

Milan are without a major trophy since their 18th Italian title in 2011.

The seven-time European champions are enduring a miserable season, sitting 11th in Serie A, with 21 points from 17 games.

Fury v Wilder II set for 22 February

Tyson Fury's rematch with WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will take place in Las Vegas on 22 February, both fighters have confirmed.

Briton Fury, 31, drew with undefeated American Wilder, 34, in December 2018.

Wilder, whose WBC belt will be on the line when they meet at the MGM Grand, tweeted "there will be no more unanswered questions" and "I will finish what I started".

Fury told fans on Instagram to "watch me knock out Deontay Wilder".

Wilder said as long ago as June that an agreement had been signed for a rematch, but that it would take place after his fight with Cuba's Luis Ortiz, who he went on to defeat at the MGM Grand in November.

Fury survived two knockdowns by the American to earn a draw when they last met, in Los Angeles.

The Briton defeated Germany's Tom Schwarz in June, but suffered a cut eye in beating Sweden's Otto Wallin in September, which led to concerns a rematch with Wilder could be delayed.

Fury has said he would "love" to take up an offer to spar before the fight with fellow Briton Anthony Joshua, who holds the other three world heavyweight belts - the IBF, WBO and WBA titles.

Joshua made the offer because he felt Fury would be more likely than Wilder to agree to meet him for a unification bout if he won the WBC belt.

No fighter has ever held all four major world titles in the heavyweight division.

Murray to miss Australian Open after injury setback

Andy Murray has pulled out of next month's Australian Open because of a pelvic injury.

The three-time Grand Slam champion, 32, was aiming to play in his first Grand Slam singles event since Melbourne 12 months ago, when he announced that his career might be over because of injury.

He will also not play for Great Britain in next month's inaugural ATP Cup.

"Unfortunately I've had a setback and as a precaution need to work through that before competing," the Scot said.

"I've worked so hard to get myself into a situation where I can play at the top level and I'm gutted I'm not going to be able to play."

Murray has not been in action since Britain's opening tie at the Davis Cup finals last month because of the pelvic issue.

The former world number one, who underwent hip surgery 11 months ago, did not travel to Miami for his scheduled December training block.

Murray has been on court over the past week, but the injury has not cleared up as quickly as the world number 125 had hoped.

Murray and his team - consisting of coach Jamie Delgado, fitness coach Matt Little and physio Shane Annun - decided he should not rush back for the start of the 2020 season next month.

from Bola Esho's Blog