Antony has placed himself among the continent's best with his performances in Europe for Real Betis since leaving Manchester United a year ago. After being deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford by ex-head coach Ruben Amorim, the winger joined Betis on an initial loan - making an immediate impact to earn a permanent transfer in the summer. The Brazilian is continuing to impress in 2025-26.
Nottingham Forest and Celtic have been handed demanding routes to the last 16 of the Europa League following the knockout round play-off draw. Martin O'Neill’s Celtic side must overcome Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart, while Forest face an intimidating two-legged clash against Turkish giants Fenerbahce. Both British sides face crucial tests in February as they bid to join Aston Villa in the next stage of the competition.
Robin van Persie was left heartbroken after watching his son Shaqueel suffer a serious knee injury during Feyenoord's Europa League defeat to Real Betis. The 19-year-old was stretchered off in Seville just eight minutes after coming off the bench, leaving his father and manager devastated on the touchline as he admitted the "first signs are not looking good" regarding the severity of the blow.
Aston Villa’s Premier League title charge has been dealt a potential hammer blow after star striker Ollie Watkins limped off with a hamstring injury during Thursday's Europa League tie. Manager Unai Emery is facing intense scrutiny for risking his talisman in a 'dead rubber' against RB Salzburg, with pundits questioning why the England international was not rested ahead of a crucial run of domestic fixtures.
Jadon Sancho has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at his former Manchester United bosses after finally opening his account for Aston Villa. The winger, who scored the winner against Fenerbahce on Thursday night, heaped praise on Unai Emery for giving him a manager who finally "believes" in him. It comes after a turbulent conclusion to his Old Trafford career where he was frozen out by both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.
Unai Emery raised eyebrows after becoming embroiled in a heated clash with Youri Tielemans in Aston Villa’s Europa League win over Fenerbahce, with the Spaniard shoving the midfielder after he was substituted on Thursday. The pair were involved in the bizarre incident as the Villans sealed their place in the last 16 of the competition thanks to a 1-0 victory in Turkey.
Former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has opened up on his feud with Andre Onana after infamously calling the Cameroonian one of the Red Devils' "worst-ever goalkeepers". The two traded barbs in the lead-up to United's Europa League quarter-final clash with Lyon last season, before the Premier League side won a dramatic knockout tie. Now, the ex-Chelsea ace has revisited that thorny issue.
Manchester United have finally put Ruben Amorim out of his misery. On Monday morning, the 20-time champions of England announced that the Portuguese had "departed his role as head coach" and that the decision had been "reluctantly" made to "give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish". Of course, the table doesn't make for particularly poor reading for United.
Micky van de Ven claims that Ange Postecoglou’s sacking at Tottenham came as something of a surprise as he still believes in the much-maligned “system” that saw the Australian coach attract plenty of criticism. Postecoglou did end Spurs’ 17-year wait for major silverware when landing the Europa League trophy, but was still relieved of his duties.
Stuttgart star Angelo Stiller has received an apology after his appearance was mocked by a Go Ahead Eagles player in their Europa League game on Thursday. Second-half substitute Victor Edvardsen was booked shortly after gesturing at the German international's nose during the 4-0 defeat. The Swede was heavily criticised on social media and, after the Dutch club also handed him a fine, he issued an apology.
Robin van Persie has spoken about the decision to give son Shaqueel a senior debut in Feyenoord's 3-1 defeat to Celtic on Thursday night. The 19-year-old replaced Jordan Lotomba for the final 10 minutes of the midweek Europa League tie, a decision that was criticised by some. Head coach Van Persie has explained his reasoning to hand the teenager his maiden appearance against the Bhoys.
Eight Young Boys fans have been arrested for their part in crowd trouble during the Swiss side's 2-1 Europa League defeat at Aston Villa on Thrusday. West Midlands Police released a statement on Friday morning, saying that two of the supporters had been arrested "on suspicion of affray and assaulting a police officer", a further six men were detained at Birmingham airport on suspicion of the same offence.
Real Betis midfielder and former Real Madrid star Isco has been ruled out of Sunday's Sevilla derby after requiring seven stitches following a bizarre collision with team-mate Sofyan Amrabat during their Europa League match against Utrecht. Manager Manuel Pellegrini confirmed that Amrabat is also a major doubt for the crucial clash due to the incident.
A dominant 4-0 win for Stuttgart in the Europa League was overshadowed by controversy after Go Ahead Eagles forward Victor Edvardsen mocked Angelo Stiller with an offensive gesture, sparking backlash and a brief on-field scuffle. While Wesley Sneijder condemned the act as “absolutely unacceptable,” Stuttgart downplayed the incident and strengthened their push for a top-eight finish.
Antony was back in the headlines again, for all the wrong reasons, as the Real Betis star headbutted FC Utrecht's Souffian El Karouani - but somehow escaped a red card. The former Manchester United winger was sent off just a few days ago after accidentally kicking a Girona player in the head from an attempted overhead kick. Now he has been branded a "madman" after luckily escaping another dismissal.
Aston Villa's Europa League clash with Young Boys was disrupted by ugly scenes on Thursday night at Villa Park. Donyell Malen was hit on the head by an object thrown from the crowd after scoring his side's opening goal of the match, while the game had to be halted for several minutes just before half-time after violence broke out in the stands among the away supporters.
Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis continue their unbeaten Europa League run, powered by the resurgence of former Manchester United winger Antony. The Brazilian has been in exceptional form, scoring crucial goals and earning his manager’s full trust after their 2-0 win over Lyon. Pellegrini now sees Antony as undroppable, insisting his consistency and impact make rotation impossible as Betis eye the knockout stages.
Jadon Sancho endured a difficult night on a rare start for Aston Villa as former player Stiliyan Petrov criticised the Manchester United loanee for failing to take his chance in Thursday's 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv. Sancho's subdued display left the former club captain "disappointed" with renewed doubts over his long-term Premier League future.
Feyenoord’s rising star Givairo Read has responded to growing Bayern Munich rumours, revealing that even his teammates have started joking about the links. The 19-year-old Dutch right-back admitted that his colleagues now “speak German” around him for fun, but insists he remains focused on his development at De Kuip under Robin van Persie, amid interest from Germany and England.
Sean Dyche had to pull out of a community event which had named him as their guest of honour following his appointment as Nottingham Forest manager. The 54-year-old was scheduled to make a special appearance in his home town of Kettering but was forced to cancel after making an emotional return to the City Ground following Ange Postecoglou’s sacking.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
