Thursday’s Recap: Manchester City Suffers In Paris While Cunha Transfer Rumors Continue

Manchester City’s Champions League destiny will be determined by an upcoming home match against Club Brugge next week, following their dramatic 4-2 defeat at Paris St Germain after leading 2-0.

Arsenal are all-but through to the last 16 after they beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 while Celtic assured themselves of at least a play-off round after getting the better of Young Boys.t

Manchester United are in action on Thursday in a ‘Battle of Britain’ against Rangers in the Europa League.

Manchester City in Champions League peril

Manchester City faces the threat of elimination from the Champions League after relinquishing a 2-0 advantage to succumb to a 4-2 defeat against Paris St Germain.

Jack Grealish looked to have put the 2023 winners on course for a crucial victory at the Parc des Princes after coming off the bench to score and set up another goal for Erling Haaland.

However, the home team swiftly equalized with goals from Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola. Joao Neves then headed PSG into the lead 12 minutes before the end, and Goncalo Ramos sealed the victory with a goal in stoppage time.

The defeat leaves City outside the top 24 in the league phase of the competition and needing to beat Club Brugge in their last game next week to reach the play-off round.

City boss Pep Guardiola said, “The best team won and we have one last chance at home against Brugge. Hopefully, we can qualify.”

Arsenal on the verge

Declan Rice found the net just 104 seconds into the match, leading Arsenal to a commanding 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb at the Emirates Stadium. This triumph brings Arsenal one step closer to securing automatic qualification for the Champions League’s last 16.

Kai Havertz doubled Arsenal’s tally after 66 minutes with his 14th goal of the season before Martin Odegaard added a third in stoppage time.

This result moved Arsenal back into third place in the 36-team table, with the top eight teams guaranteed to bypass the two-legged knockout stage to advance to the next phase

Wolves insist Matheus Cunha is not for sale

Wolves are not expected to sell star player Matheus Cunha during the January transfer window, despite reported interest from a host of Premier League clubs.

The 25-year-old has been a standout player for Wolves during a challenging season, netting 10 goals and providing four assists in 21 Premier League matches.

That has seen him attract interest from several Premier League clubs during the current transfer window, with Nottingham Forest and Arsenal said to be considering bids.

However, Wolves have not received any offers or official inquiries for Cunha. The PA news agency reports that he is not available for transfer, as the club is committed to retaining him at Molineux beyond the closing of the transfer window on February 3.

Ruben Amorim accepts ‘worst team’ comments were too strong

Ruben Amorim admitted frustration got the better of him when he described his Manchester United side as perhaps the worst in the club’s history in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s 3-1 home defeat by Brighton.

The 39-year-old’s frustration was such that he reportedly broke a television in the home dressing room.

Ahead of his side’s clash with Rangers, Amorim said, “I understand I gave you that headline, and I’m frustrated sometimes, and sometimes I should not say that in those terms. But it is what it is and that’s it. Sometimes it’s really hard to hide the frustration in some moments.

“But the good thing is that I said the same things differently in the dressing room five minutes before. The response was quite normal because I’m really blunt with my players.”

What’s on today?

A captivating ‘Battle of Britain’ is set to unfold at Old Trafford, where Manchester United will host Rangers in the Europa League. Both teams currently sit within the top eight of the league phase and are vying for automatic qualification to the last 16.

Manchester United’s troubles at Old Trafford have been laid bare in recent weeks and they will want to put a show on for their fans.

Tottenham is also in pursuit of automatic qualification; however, the team is still struggling with key absences ahead of their upcoming match against German club Hoffenheim.

Manager Ange Postecoglou finds himself under considerable pressure as the squad faces this crucial challenge.

And in League One there is the ‘Hollywood battle’ as Ryan Reynolds and Ryan McElhenney’s Wrexham travel to Birmingham, who have NFL great Tom Brady as a minority owner.