Sports
EPL: Guardiola confirms two key Man City players to miss Tottenham clash
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Dias will miss their Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Friday, Guardiola revealed that Kovacic is sidelined with an injury that could keep him out for “a few weeks or one month,” while Dias is expected to return soon.
“Kovacic is injured. It will be a while, a few weeks or one month,” Guardiola said.
The City boss also provided updates on other players, noting that John Stones and Manuel Akanji trained well and are fit, while Nathan Aké is making his way back into contention.
“John trained good yesterday, Manu trained good yesterday, and Nathan is coming back. Just Ruben is out, but hopefully, he will be back soon. We didn’t have central defenders, and now we have three,” he added.
Guardiola’s comments come a day after he signed a new contract with Manchester City, extending his tenure at the club.
Sports
Anthony Joshua discharged from hospital
Gbenga Omotoso, Lagos Commissioner of Information, and Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Information and Strategy, confirmed the discharge of the boxing champion.
British-Nigerian heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua, has been discharged from Duchess International Hospital in Ikeja, Lagos.
Joshua, who survived an accident that led to the loss of the lives of two of his friends, was involved in the accident on Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
In a statement on Thursday, Gbenga Omotoso, Lagos Commissioner of Information, and Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Information and Strategy, confirmed the discharge of the boxing champion.
The governments of Lagos and Ogun states once again, commiserate with the families of the two young men Lateef Ayodele and Gami Cina who tragically and unfortunately lost their lives in the road accident involving Anthony Joshua.”
Sports
AFCON 2025: Super Eagles to battle Mozambique January 5
Nigeria cruised through the group stage with maximum points, winning all three matches, scoring eight goals and conceding four.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will clash with Mozambique in one of the Round of 16 fixtures at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
The 35,000-capacity Complexe Sportif de Fès, Nigeria’s home ground throughout their Group C matches, will host the encounter, which kicks off at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, January 5.
Nigeria cruised through the group stage with maximum points, winning all three matches, scoring eight goals and conceding four.
Ademola Lookman and Raphael Onyedika have each scored twice, while Semi Ajayi, Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Paul Onuachu have also found the net.
Mozambique, on the other hand, began their campaign with a loss to defending champions Côte d’Ivoire, bounced back with a hard-fought victory over Gabon, and then fell 2–1 to Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions on Wednesday evening.
Historically, Nigeria have dominated this fixture, winning four of their five previous meetings. This includes their only AFCON clash, a 3–0 victory in Lubango, Angola, in January 2010.
Sports
Nwabali: I almost quit football when my parents died
On January 1, Nwabali took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the passing of his mother, describing 2025 as “the worst year of my life.
•Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali
Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has shared the emotional struggles he has faced after he lost both of his parents within a short span
Nwabali , in an interview with ACL Sports while in camp with the Super Eagles in Morocco, as the team prepares for their Round of 16 tie after qualifying top of Group C with an untainted nine points from three matches, reflected on his journey through grief.
He revealed that the loss of his parents last year was particularly painful and at one point made him consider quitting football.
With the support of his teammates, he found the strength to continue playing despite the immense grief.
“My mom passed away on this day last year around 12 pm. I try to move on and be strong, but sometimes I feel like quitting.
At one point, I even told my captain that I wanted to quit football. But with the support of some of my teammates, I was able to carry on.
My mom and dad were so dear to me. Losing them has been incredibly painful. It’s not something any footballer—or any human—should have to experience: losing both parents.”
Nwabali’s father passed away in November 2025, only hours after he played in the Super Eagles’ 1-1 draw against Benin Republic in the 2025 Nations Cup qualifiers.
On January 1, Nwabali took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the passing of his mother, describing 2025 as “the worst year of my life.”
He wrote: “RIP mom, worst year of my life already,” alongside heartbreak and tear emojis. Before the announcement, he had posted: “A very very crazy world indeed.”
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