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Laurens’ weekend preview: Liverpool’s Salah drama, Tyne-Wear derby returns, more

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Laurens’ weekend preview: Liverpool’s Salah drama, Tyne-Wear derby returns, more


Every Friday, starting this week, I will pick for you the best or most exciting games not to be missed in the world of football each weekend. From derbies to top of the table clashes, relegation six-pointers to world class players facing each other or other interesting tactical battles, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

This week, we take you to England, Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands for a final, big derbies, managers under pressure, Salah-gate and maybe even a first win of the season!


Premier League, Matchday 16
Kickoff: Saturday, 10 a.m. ET / 3 p.m. GMT

The eyes of the whole world will be on Mohamed Salah. Whether he is on the bench, in the stands or on the pitch, it won’t matter. He will go to meet up with the Egypt national team for the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, but before that, there is a big game for Liverpool — one that could potentially be his last-ever game in a Liverpool shirt.

The big question is around how better (or not) are the current Premier League champions without their king? You could argue that the team has functioned better, is more balanced and clearly, the players like it as it is. After their embarrassing 3-3 draw at Leeds in which they let leads of 2-0 and 3-2 slip, the Reds have to bounce back and redeem themselves. They started to do it in the Champions League in Milan against Inter (1-0), and now they have to start building on wins like this one.

Meanwhile, Brighton have endured a weird first half of the season. They are capable of doing great things, like beating Chelsea away (3-1) or Manchester City at home (2-1), but they’ve also dropped points against Wolves (1-1) and West Ham (1-1). They are winless in their last two, but their ability to play in transition could be a problem for Liverpool’s vulnerable defense.

MY PREDICTION: Liverpool 2, Brighton 0. Liverpool are improving as we saw against Inter Milan on Tuesday night. They will use the same tactical system as in Italy and get a comfortable win.


Feyenoord logoDe Klassieker still matters
Ajax vs. Feyenoord

Dutch Eredivisie, Matchday 16
Kickoff: Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. GMT

It might not be, on paper, the best De Klassieker ever. Ajax have been in crisis all season long and are fourth in the table, some 14 points behind the leaders, PSV Eindhoven. Feyenoord just lost 4-3 in the Europe league in the dying minutes away at FCSB despite being 3-1 up after 51 minute, and are also six points behind PSV. But don’t let form fool you: even when these teams aren’t at their best, this remains the fiercest rivalry in Dutch football.

For Fred Grim, the Ajax manager who replaced Johnny Heitinga on the bench six weeks ago, this is a huge chance to make his mark. He lost his first three game in charge and then won his next three, including in the Champions League at Qarabag (4-2) after being twice behind. Oscar Gloukh changed the game after coming on, and big forward Kasper Dolberg also scored. Ajax are still a bit of a mess, but at least they are showing character and fight amid all the turbulence.

For Robin van Persie and his Feyenoord side, it is a great opportunity to pour more misery on their oldest enemies. Their form has been sub-par — three wins and six defeats in their last nine — and RVP, who will coach his first De Klassieker, has been criticized at times for playing his 19-year-old son, Shaqueel. They need a win badly, like Ajax, which should make for a great game!

MY PREDICTION: Ajax 2, Feyenoord 3. It will be open, frantic, intense and probably a bit crazy. There will be goals, but Feyenoord are the better team here and should prevail.


Alaves logoReal Madrid logoAll eyes on Xabi Alonso
Alaves vs. Real Madrid

Spanish LaLiga, Matchday 17
Kickoff: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. GMT

The only reason this game is interesting — let’s be honest — is because of the delicate position Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso finds himself in. His star-studded team has only won two of their last eight games in all competitions, and this is simply not good enough at a club of this stature. The manager is under huge pressure, and anything but a win on Saturday could see him dismissed.

Their midweek loss against Manchester City in the Champions League wasn’t a bad one in terms of performance, but it still showed the current limits of this team. There are so many injuries (Trent Alexander-Arnold, Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy, David Alaba), suspensions (Endrick, Fran García, Álvaro Carreras) and fitness doubts (Kylian Mbappé, Eduardo Camavinga, Dean Huijsen), all of which is making Alonso’s task more difficult. But then if you are not capable, as Real Madrid manager, to beat Alaves after the bad run you have been on, then you don’t deserve to sit on that bench.

Alaves are 11th in the table, have been decent at home this season (four wins, two draws and only two defeats). They also don’t play in Europe which should give them an advantage physically. They are a solid team that defends well. They have conceded as many goals as Real Madrid for example this season (15), but they’ve also only scored 13 in the mean time; expect them to sit deep and try to make life difficult for the Merengues around their captain and holding midfielder Andre Guevara.

MY PREDICTION: Alaves 1, Real Madrid 3. Real Madrid have been inconsistent lately, but they will find the resources to win this game and ease the pressure on manager Xabi Alonso.

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Sunderland logoNewcastle logoThe return of the Tyne-Wear Derby
Sunderland vs. Newcastle

Premier League, Matchday 16
Kickoff: Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. GMT

This is one of the biggest derbies and rivalries in England, and fans of both clubs — even neutrals — have been waiting for far too long for a Premier League clash between Sunderland and Newcastle. It’s been eight years since they clashed in England’s top flight, and not much separates these two cities on and off the pitch.

Regis Le Bris is doing a amazing and obsessive job at Sunderland. He works so hard and has made them so much better. They are ninth in the table, beyond everyone’s expectations for this point in the season, and are just three points behind 4th place. They are a great surprise that no one saw coming as one of the newly promoted sides. They are unbeaten at home in the league too.

It will be tough for the visitors, especially after fighting hard in midweek for a 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen. The main problem is that their away form is bad in the Premier league. It has been all season: they’ve only won one game outside of St James’ Park! They are expecting a massive fight and it will be exactly like that so they better prepare themselves for it.

MY PREDICTION: Sunderland 1, Newcastle 0. Newcastle’s away form has been poor all season, while Sunderland have made the Stadium of Light a fortress. It will stay this way on Sunday.


Fiorentina logoHellas Verona logoCan the Viola finally get a win this season?
Fiorentina vs. Hellas Verona

Serie A, Matchday 15
Kickoff: Sunday, 9 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. GMT

Fiorentina are only the second team in Europe’s big five leagues without a league win this season, alongside Wolves in England! After 14 games, they have six draws and eight defeats! They finished sixth last season, but are now bottom of Serie A approaching Christmas. They’re faring a bit better in Europe with three wins, including on Thursday against Dynamo Kiev (2-1), and two losses, but it’s just not happening for them domestically.

Fiorentina have changed managers (Paolo Vanoli replaced Stefano Pioli on Nov. 7) and still have a good squad with the likes of Moise Kean, Edin Dzeko, Nicolò Fagioli and Albert Gudmundsson, but nothing has gone their way. However, this is their chance. At home, against Verona, the team 19th in the table. Even if the ultras are not happy and the atmosphere will be tense, the win against Kiev was convincing.

Verona actually got their first win of the season last weekend — unexpectedly, to be fair — against Atalanta (3-1). They will travel to Florence having had the whole week to prepare for this massive six-pointer, and with the confidence of their first victory of the campaign. Expect them to let Fiorentina have the bulk of possession and play on the counter like they did last weekend with the likes of Giovane, Daniel Mosquera and Antoine Bernede.

MY PREDICTION: Fiorentina 2, Verona 1. Finally, it will happen! Fiorentina will win their first league game of the season and start their quest to stay up! It won’t be easy but they will get it done.


Marseille logoMonaco logoAnother rivalry game in France
Marseille vs. Monaco

French Ligue 1
Kickoff: Friday, 2:45 p.m. ET / 7.45 p.m. GMT

This is more than a local rivalry and a derby. Marseille against Monaco is the working class against the billionnaires, the docks against the French Riviera, an American owner against a Russian one, in-form Mason Greenwood against Maghnes Akliouche.

It’s also a game loaded with history. Back in the 1990s, the Bernard Tapie and Arsène Wenger era was the peak of the rivalry between the two clubs. A dominant Marseille, under their very powerful president, against a Monaco side revolutionised by a young, talented manager who was clearly going places. At the time, they were the two best teams in the country; this time, they are third and seventh respectively, but only six points separate them in the table.

Both of them won in midweek in the Champions League, Marseille at Union Saint-Gilloise (3-2) and Monaco against Galatasaray (1-0). They both need another victory in their last league game of 2025: Roberto De Zerbi and his Marseillais are trying to stay in range of PSG and Lens at the top, while Sebastien Pocognoli and his Monégasques need to bridge the gap to the top four.

When it comes to players, Greenwood has been on fire for Marseille while Folarin Balogun, the U.S. international at Monaco, is in top form too. It will be intense and the pressure will be high because neither can afford to drop more points.

MY PREDICTION: Marseille 2, Monaco 2. Monaco are too inconsistent at the moment, and have been since Pocognoli took over from Adi Hutter in mid-October. Marseille have been wobbly at home lately, drawing against Angers and Toulouse. It will be a draw again.



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Tiger Woods released from jail after DUI arrest; eyes appear bloodshot in booking photo

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Tiger Woods released from jail after DUI arrest; eyes appear bloodshot in booking photo


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Tiger Woods was released from jail Friday night after he was arrested earlier in the day on a DUI charge following a car crash in Florida.

In a mugshot released hours after his arrest, Woods’ eyes appeared bloodshot, as he donned a blue polo inside the Martin County Jail in Florida.

Woods was seen leaving the jail in the passenger seat of a black SUV after his release on bail late Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek confirmed in a news conference that Woods was traveling at “a high rate of speed” when his vehicle collided with another car, resulting in his vehicle rolling over onto the driver’s side. 

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Tiger Woods was booked into Martin County, Florida, jail on March 27, 2026. (AP)

Authorities said Woods “exemplified signs of impairment.” He blew “triple-zeroes” for alcohol but refused a urine test.

“DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” Budensiek added. 

“We really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. … But when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused. And, so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”

Woods was spotted on the phone after the crash, wearing navy blue shorts.

Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a test, all misdemeanor charges. No one was injured, authorities said. Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.

Tiger woods leaves jail

Tiger Woods was driven from the Martin County Jail after being arrested for driving under the influence following a car crash on March 27, 2026, in Stuart, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

VANESSA, KAI TRUMP TAKE IN TIGER WOODS’ RETURN TO GOLF AT TGL FINALS

“This could’ve been a lot worse,” Budensiek noted. 

President Donald Trump commented on the arrest of his “very close friend.”

“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, an amazing man, but some difficulty.”

Woods has not commented on the arrest.

Tiger Woods mugshot

Tiger Woods was arrested on a DUI charge after getting into a car crash on Friday. (Associated Press)

Woods currently is dating Trump’s ex-daughter-in-law, Vanessa, whose daughter, Kai, is set to play college golf in Miami next week.

This is Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and being asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m. 

In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for the entire year.

Tiger Woods car flip accident aftermath

Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026.  (Jason Oteri/AP)

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Woods made his return to competitive golf earlier this week in the TGL championship after rupturing his Achilles just before last year’s Masters (this year’s tournament is in less than two weeks). Woods has not appeared on the links since the 2024 PGA Championship, in which he missed the cut.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter





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That time Liverpool’s Salah won Puskás Award with his ‘7th-best’ goal of the year

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That time Liverpool’s Salah won Puskás Award with his ‘7th-best’ goal of the year


Mohamed Salah formally broke the news on Tuesday that many Liverpool fans had felt was coming for several months: that he will be cutting his contract short and leaving Anfield on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Salah signed a new two-year deal with the Reds last summer. However, since then a dip in form, a slip down the pecking order, an explosive public outburst and a subsequent nosedive in his relationship with head coach Arne Slot, has seen the Egypt international fail to get as much game time as he feels he deserves.

However, since arriving in 2017, Salah has firmly established himself as one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever players and will undoubtedly depart a hero regardless of the current circumstances.

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The 33-year-old has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances for the club (putting him third on their all-time list) and been instrumental in two Premier League title triumphs, domestic cup successes and the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2018-19.

He has also collected a number of individual plaudits, including three PFA Players’ Player of the Year awards, two Premier League Player of the Season awards and four Premier League Golden Boots.

Salah was also bestowed with the illustrious Puskás Award as part of The Best FIFA Award gala night in 2018, which — unlike the majority of his vast array of prizes and trophies — raised more than a few quizzical eyebrows around the world.

The forward was handed world football’s Goal of the Year award via an online fan vote for his strike against Everton in December 2017, when he collected the ball on the edge of the box before darting between two defenders and curling an exquisite finish beyond the goalkeeper.

Of course, it was and remains a perfectly decent goal. Yet many at the time were baffled to see Salah’s effort deemed to be the most beautiful goal scored that year … when it wasn’t even his best goal of 2017-18, or anywhere close.

The sentiment was even echoed by teammate James Milner, who offered wry congratulations to his then-Liverpool teammate after the winner was announced, fending off competition from Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and a clutch of scorching golazos from the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

“Congrats Mo Salah on your 7th best goal from last season winning goal of the year,” Milner wrote in a social-media post which also featured “#oneofmanyworldies” among several hashtags and emojis.

But was Milner right? By our count there were at least six Salah strikes from his imperious 2017-18 season that deserved a place on the Puskás short list ahead of his goal in the Merseyside derby. But, whether you agree with this subjective list or not, it serves as a reminder of just what a player Salah has been for Liverpool.


Salah scored twice in a 3-0 victory against Southampton including a lovely effort from outside the box. The precise, angled finish was fairly similar to his strike against Everton but from a little further out.

2. Nov. 29, 2017 vs. Stoke City

Another rampant 3-0 win saw Salah score the goal of the game when he connected with a dinked cross from Sadio Mané to thump a vicious volley past the goalkeeper. The powerful finish was actually voted Goal of the Month by Liverpool fans.

Liverpool inflicted a first Premier League defeat of 2017-18 on Manchester City with a frantic 4-3 victory over the leaders at Anfield that went down as the game of the season. The score went from 1-1 to 4-1 in the space of just nine hectic minutes with Salah scoring what proved to be the decisive goal with an audacious 35-yard lob.

Liverpool and Spurs contested another dramatic thriller that saw the two sides trade stoppage-time goals in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Anfield. Salah opened the scoring for the home side before Victor Wanyama pegged them back with an absolutely monstrous hit from distance. The Egypt international then looked to have snatched a 91st-minute win when he wriggled through a cluster of four defenders and belted it past Hugo Lloris. However, a 96-minute penalty from Harry Kane spoiled the party somewhat.

5. March 17, 2018 vs. Watford

Salah scored four goals (and assisted the other) in a 5-0 rout at Anfield on what proved to be one of many virtuoso displays for the nimble forward this season. His first was good, the second was slick and the third was nigh-on ingenious as the Reds star somehow fended off an entire pack of defenders before prodding an improvised finish past the goalkeeper.

6. April 24, 2018 vs. AS Roma

If you’ll forgive the obvious pun, Salah filed another five-star performance in Liverpool’s 5-2 thrashing of his former club in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal. He opened the scoring with his best goal of the night, curling an immaculate shot beyond the outstretched arm of future teammate Alisson Becker. He then dinked home a second before laying on assists for the Reds’ third and fourth goals of the evening.



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Tiger Woods arrested, charged with DUI after Florida crash: police

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Tiger Woods arrested, charged with DUI after Florida crash: police


Tiger Woods reacts after holing his bogey putt on the 17th green during the second round at Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia, US, April 8, 2023. — Reuters

Tiger Woods’ turbulent career veered into fresh turmoil on Friday when the golf icon was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after a rollover crash near his Florida home, authorities said.

Woods, 50, escaped injury but was detained after his vehicle clipped a truck while attempting to overtake on a residential road on Jupiter Island, flipping onto its side before sliding to a stop.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods — who was arrested for driving under the influence in 2017 — showed signs of “impairment”, although he passed a breathalyser test. 

“When it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused, and so he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test in the crash,” Budensiek said.

The 15-time major champion was released later on Friday, with Florida law requiring him to remain in jail for at least eight hours before he could post bail.

Budensiek said drug recognition experts who examined Woods at the scene found the golfer “lethargic” and believed he was impaired with “some kind of medication or drug.”

No drugs or medication were found in his vehicle and since Woods refused the urine test, his right under Florida law, authorities “will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash,” Budensiek said.

‘Could have been worse’

While neither Woods nor the driver of the other vehicle was injured, Budensiek said the incident on the two-lane road “could have been a lot worse.”

“Had somebody been moving in the opposite direction, we would not be having a conversation saying there was no injuries,” he said.

Budensiek said he didn’t know how fast Woods was driving in the moments before the crash.

He said the driver of the truck had slowed to make a turn, then tried to move to the side of the road when he saw Woods’s fast-moving vehicle attempting to overtake him.

“When I show you the photos, they kind of speak for themselves … you can see that [Woods] slid for a decent space before he came to a stop,” said the sheriff, who said that after the crash Woods climbed out of the passenger-side window of his Land Rover.

President Donald Trump expressed sympathy for Woods in remarks to reporters in Miami following the incident.

“He’s got some difficulty, there was an accident, and that’s all I know,” Trump said. “Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, amazing man, but, uh, some difficulty.”

Woods was arrested in Jupiter in 2017 after police found him asleep at the wheel of his damaged car. Woods eventually pleaded guilty to reckless driving and said he had taken a mix of painkillers.

Five years ago, Woods was involved in a serious car crash in California that left him with severe right leg injuries that required pins inserted in his foot and ankle and a rod in his tibia as well as a follow-up surgery in 2023.

Woods returned from that crash at the 2022 Masters, where he struggled to walk all four rounds on the way to a 47th-place finish.

Woods, whose clean-cut image was left in tatters after a 2009 sex scandal that upended his career, has been working to return from an Achilles tendon rupture last March and back surgery last October.

He competed earlier this week in the TGL simulator indoor golf league finals and had not ruled out playing in next month’s Masters, where his five victories include his first major title in 1997 and his most recent in 2019.

“This body … it doesn’t recover like it did when it was 24, 25. It doesn´t mean I’m not trying,” Woods said. “I keep trying.”

Woods, whose 82 PGA Tour career victories are level with Sam Snead for the all-time record, has not competed on tour since missing the cut at the British Open in July 2024.

He last made the cut at the 2024 Masters, where he finished 60th.





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