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Saturday, February 24, 2018
EXTRATIME
Raheem Sterling
Raheem doubtful for Sunday’s match
R
aheem Sterling is struggling to be fit for Manchester City’s English League Cup final against Arsenal on Sunday but Gabriel Jesus could return, club manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday. “He had a muscular problem. I don’t know if he will be ready for Sunday,” Guardiola said of forward Sterling as he looked ahead to his first final match as Manchester City manager. There was better news on Brazilian forward Jesus who has not played since the final day of 2017, having suffered a knee injury, with Guardiola saying he is improving every day. “Having Gabriel Jesus back (soon) is such a big boost to us. You need all the players, like the full backs, to be fit and available,” he said. Guardiola is bidding to win his first trophy for Manchester City. But, in spite of the importance of the occasion, he said he has not been tempted to reverse his policy of playing second-choice goalkeeper Claudio Bravo in Cup games. The Colombian will start in goal at Wembley on Sunday with Brazil’s Ederson on the bench. “Every fan has his own opinion, but I am the manager and we are here for Claudio. Without him, we are not here,” Guardiola said. Manchester City will be without Fabian Delph for the final match after he was red-carded against Wigan Athletic, where they were surprisingly beaten in the FA Cup fifth round on Monday. That result, Guardiola said, will need to be put out of their minds against Arsenal. “I always say I prefer to play a final match having won a game,” said the Spaniard, who won 11 of his 12 Cup final matches during his spells as manager of FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich. “I would love to have not dropped out of the English FA Cup but we have to stand up, recover and focus on the next game.”
Sam Eggington beats Dale Evans to retain welterweight titles
Evans announces retirement from boxing W
elshman Dale Evans, who was involved in a fatal fight with Mike Towell in 2016, has announced his retirement from boxing, saying he has lost his hunger for the sport. Scottish fighter Towell suffered a brain injury in a bout with Evans in Glasgow 17 months ago. The 25-year-old Towell was knocked out in the fifth round of the scheduled 12-round
fight and died in hospital the following day.“After some time out and questioning if I would fight again, a big fight was offered,” Evans, 26, said after being offered a European title opportunity. “As always I jumped at it. But the spark, the hunger and the determination wasn’t there. “Just worry and fear, I’ll openly admit. “That’s why I have made the decision I have.”
Evans, from Carmarthenshire, turned professional in 2011 and was trained by former WBU middleweight champion Gary Lockett. He suffered a British welterweight title loss to Bradley Skeete last July and retires with a record of 13 wins, four defeats and two draws. Evans fought just twice after the Towell tragedy, beating Kevin McCauley on points before losing a unanimous deci-
sion to Skeete. After Towell’s death he had vowed to win a British title in the Scot’s honour. “Maybe I set the bar a bit high for myself or maybe I wasn’t as good as I thought I was, I don’t know,” he posted on his personal Twitter account. “Boxing has been a big part of my life – it was my life. “I haven’t achieved what I’d have like to, but I done alright I guess.”
Wawrinka forced to retire in Marseille
S
Stan Wawrinka retired from active lawn tennis game due to another head injury
tan Wawrinka suffered another injury setback as a knee problem forced him to retire against qualifier Ilya Ivashka at the Open 13 Provence in France. Three-time grand slam champion Wawrinka’s previous campaign was cut short by a knee injury and an issue surfaced again in Marseille, where he called it a day after two games of the second set. Wawrinka had a problem in the seventh game of the
first set, which he lost 6-4, and the second seed decided he could not continue in the second when it was tied at 1-1. Nicolas Mahut and Tomas Berdych each came from a set down to respectively beat sixth seed Gilles Muller and Stefano Travaglia. Filip Krajinovic beat Gilles Simon in straight sets while Karen Khachanov only dropped three games in progressing past Mischa Zverev.