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Carlo Ancelotti To Rest 'Tired' Players Ahead Of Manchester City Showdown

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Friday he would rest "tired" players for Saturday's Liga encounter with strugglers Getafe as his team prepares for their crunch Champions League semi-final meeting with Manchester City. Madrid travel to England for next Wednesday's second leg after this week's first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu ended in a 1-1 draw. Ancelotti listed Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, Rodrygo Goes and David Alaba as walking wounded and doubtful starters against Getafe.

Newcastle United 'Excited' By Top-Four Challenge: Eddie Howe

Eddie Howe is confident his Newcastle players will not be daunted by the challenge of securing Champions League qualification as the Premier League season enters its final stretch. The Magpies have four games in which to cement a top-four finish as they, Manchester United, Liverpool, Brighton and outsiders Tottenham jockey for position behind top two Manchester City and Arsenal. A 2-0 home defeat by the Gunners last weekend slowed Newcastle's charge and prompted hopes among the chasing pack of a late-season wobble, but head coach Howe remains upbeat.

Premier League: Jurgen Klopp Recalls 'Miracles' As Liverpool Fight For Top Four

Jurgen Klopp recalled past "miracles" on Friday but admitted Liverpool's destiny was not in their own hands as his red-hot team hunt down a top-four finish in the Premier League. Last month the Reds were in eighth place, 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, but six successive victories have propelled them to fifth and only a point behind their fierce rivals, who have a match in hand. Klopp, whose team have three games left, starting at relegation-threatened Leicester on Monday, was reminded at his pre-match press conference of previous remarkable comebacks, including the overturning of a 3-0 first-leg deficit to beat Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.