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I Dig Sports
Exec Zaidi returns to Dodgers as special adviser
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have hired Farhan Zaidi, the former president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants, to their front office as a special adviser, ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reports.
Zaidi will also assist Dodgers owner and chairman Mark Walker in Walker's other sports ventures.
Zaidi was fired by the Giants last September. He took over in San Francisco in 2019 and during his tenure, the Giants didn't have a winning record in five of six seasons. The lone exception was 2021 when San Francisco won 107 games to finish first in the National League West but lost to the Dodgers in a five-game NL Division Series.
Zaidi was hired by the Giants after spending four years with the Dodgers as the team's general manager, working under L.A. president Andrew Friedman.
Before that, Zaidi worked for the Oakland Athletics as an assistant general manager.
CC to have Yanks logo in HOF; Astros for Wagner
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COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- CC Sabathia will have a New York Yankees logo on the cap of his Hall of Fame plaque and Billy Wagner will have the symbol of the Houston Astros.
The hall announced the decisions Monday for all five of this year's inductees. Ichiro Suzuki will have the cap of the Seattle Mariners, Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Dick Allen of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Players and their families give input on the choices to the hall, which makes the final decisions.
Inductees could make the pick through the 2001 induction, and the hall took over the decision ahead of the 2002 vote. The change followed reports in 1999 that Tampa Bay offered to compensate the newly retired Wade Boggs if his plaque bore a Devil Rays logo. Boggs was inducted in 2005 and his plaque has a Boston Red Sox logo.
Sabathia spent the last 11 seasons of a 19-year big league career with the Yankees (2009-19) after pitching for Cleveland (2001-08) and Milwaukee (2008).
Suzuki played for the Mariners in 14 of 19 seasons (2001-12, 2018-19) and also for the Yankees (2012-14) and Miami (2015-17).
Wagner pitched for Houston for his first nine seasons (1995-2003), then played for Philadelphia (2004-05), the New York Mets (2006-09), Boston (2009) and Atlanta (2010).
Parker spent his first 11 seasons with Pittsburgh (1973-83), then played for Cincinnati (1984-87), Oakland (1988-89), Milwaukee (1990), California (1991) and Toronto (1991).
Allen played for the Phillies in nine seasons (1963-69, 1975-76) while also spending time with St. Louis (1970), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1971), Chicago White Sox (1972-74) and Oakland (1977).
Inductions will take place July 27. Plaques include an image of the person and list of accomplishments in about 90 words, including each team a person played for or managed.
O'Mahony thanks Murrayfield for 'complimentary' boos
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Peter O'Mahony says being booed by Scottish fans was "one of the biggest compliments of my career" after he helped Ireland to a resounding Six Nations win at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Having been left out of the squad for Ireland's win over England, the Munster flanker returned to the Irish pack for a dominant victory in Edinburgh that keeps Simon Easterby's side on track for a third straight title.
And the 35-year-old was wholly unperturbed by the boos that greeted him as he exited the field while being replaced early in the second half.
"I don't know what it is," he told reporters on Sunday when asked why he relishes facing Scotland.
"It's competitive. Look, we've had the Glasgow thing [with Munster] for a long time. Every time it's a battle.
"I think someone said I got a fairly savage boo when I came off, potentially one of the biggest compliments of my career, in 111 Test matches, so thanks Murrayfield, I appreciate it."
When asked if he heard the boos at the time, O'Mahony - who also thanked Scottish fans in an Instagram post on Monday - added: "No, I didn't, but I'll take it."
O'Mahony has been one of the chief protagonists in Ireland and Scotland's rivalry in recent years and was at the centre of a fiery World Cup encounter in Paris in 2023.
He did not start any of Ireland's autumn Tests in November and said he "loved" his return to the team on Sunday as the Six Nations holders secured an 11th straight win over Scotland.
"I'm a broken record saying it's a huge honour to be picked for Ireland, but I loved that today I have to say, loved it," said the former Ireland captain.
"I thought we had a really good first half, first 10-15 minutes we spoke about our start. After the second half we felt like we were all over them so I enjoyed that."
A battle-hardened Test centurion with five Six Nations titles to his name, O'Mahony also knew better than to big up Ireland's chances with three games still remaining.
After visiting Wales on 22 February, Ireland host pre-tournament favourites France in Dublin on 8 March before finishing the campaign away to Italy a week later.
"Of course we know what's at stake," he said.
"As I spoke about [earlier], you get ahead of things and something goes wrong.
"We'll have an evening off and a few days off, then back in the camp and we've a big lead into another big game against Wales."
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NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. Cory Hall led all 35 laps of Sundays super late model feature that headlined competition during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway.
Hall beat Derek Griffith to the checkered flag by .648 seconds to earn his first victory of the week at the half-mile race track.
Cole Butcher finished third, with Gavan Boschele and Carson Brown completing the top five.
Hunter Wright earned his second pro late model victory of the week, while Nickolas Hovey topped the 602 modified main event.
Cody Strickler won the Florida modified feature.
The finish:
Cory Hall, Derek Griffith, Cole Butcher, Gavan Boschele, Carson Brown, Conner Jones, Michael Hinde, George Phillips, Jake Finch, Paul Shafer Jr., Billy VanMeter, Max Reaves, Nicholas Naugle, Brad May, Derek Kraus, Bobby Kendall, Mike Hopkins, Austin Teras, Austin Nason, Kyle Steckly, Jeremy Davis, Chas Pinssoneault, Ty Fredrickson, Derrick Kelley, Dawson Sutton, Kasey Kleyn, Steve Weaver Jr., Gabe Sommers, Bubba Pollard, William Sawalich.
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DETROIT The 2025 Blazer EV SS will pace the 67th Daytona at Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway on Feb. 16, Chevrolet announced Monday.
The Blazer EV SS, set to go on sale later this quarter, is equipped with Wide Open Watts (WOW), which propels the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and produces 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft torque. The pace car set for the Daytona 500 is a production vehicle with no performance upgrades and features custom graphics and embedded strobe lighting.
Chevrolet has a long history with racing its in our DNA and the Blazer EV SS is a testament to that, said Scott Bell, vice president of Chevrolet. Were excited for customers to watch the Blazer EV SS the quickest SS weve ever produced pace such an iconic race this weekend.
Were honored to have Chevrolet as a founding partner of Daytona International Speedway, and that the iconic brand chose to feature the all-new Blazer EV SS at the Daytona 500, said DIS track president Frank Kelleher. The Blazer EV SS is surely going to set the pace for another exciting race.
This marks the first time a Blazer has paced The Great American Race, the first time an EV has paced the race and the 16th time Chevrolet has led the Daytona 500 field to green.
Chevrolet will also debut its Blazer EV.R NASCAR Prototype ahead of the Daytona 500. The prototype represents a joint effort between NASCAR and OEM partners, with the intent of exploring new and emerging automotive technologies.
Our Chevrolet V8 engines continue to be an important part of NASCAR. Racing has always been an important platform for Chevrolet to test, learn and explore new technologies, said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president GM Performance & Motorsports.
Chevrolet will also pace the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck races at DIS that weekend.
- Corvette Stingray will be the pace car for the Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 on Feb. 15.
- Chevrolet Silverado RST will be the pace vehicle for the Craftsman Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 on Feb. 14.
Chevrolet is extremely proud to be a part of NASCARs season openers by pacing all of the events this year at the famed World Center of Racing, said Campbell. We are privileged to continue our relationship with Daytona International Speedway again in 2025.
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MOORESVILLE, N.C. After another stellar season full of wins and championships, TRD, U.S.A. has unveiled this years Toyota Driver Development (TD2) lineup.
Everyone at Toyota and TRD continues to see the value in investing in young drivers and helping them have incredible opportunities to showcase their talent with our partner teams across many different racing disciplines, said Trent Rodriguez, Manager, Driver Development, TRD. We are exceptionally proud of the current group of drivers we are supporting through the TD2 program and are very confident they will continue to deliver on track this season.
The accomplished program continues to spotlight up-and-coming talented drivers. Last year, graduate Christopher Bell finished in the top five of the NASCAR Cup Series point standings for the third straight season. Corey Heim delivered his second straight Championship 4 performance in the Truck Series, while also scoring impressive performances in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. On the dirt track, Cannon McIntosh became the second driver in midget racing history to claim two national midget titles POWRi and Xtreme Midget while coming up just short of the USAC title as well.
This seasons talented TD2 lineup is focused across three motorsports disciplines. Drivers representing Toyota include Jade Avedisian, Brent Crews, Jacob Denney, Tyler Gonzalez, Taylor Gray, Corey Heim, Buddy Kofoid, Cannon McIntosh, Kiko Porto, Isabella Robusto, Gio Ruggiero, William Sawalich, Gresham Wagner and Westin Workman.
Stock Car
Gray, 19, will compete for Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing. The New Mexico native made 13 starts for the team in 2024, with several strong performances including a third place run in his debut at Richmond Raceway and an additional top five at Pocono Raceway in July. Gray also competed full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series with Tricon Garage. In his first full-time season, Gray qualified for the Playoffs and closed the season with four consecutive top 10 finishes, including a runner-up result at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
Sawalich, 18, earned his second straight ARCA Menards Series East championship last season with a clutch performance at Bristol Motor Speedway in September. The Minnesota native won his first Truck Series pole at Talladega in October and picked up his first Xfinity Series pole one month later at the season finale in Phoenix. Sawalich will have a busy 2025 as he competes for Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JGR, while running in select Truck Series races with Tricon and several ARCA Menards Series starts with JGR.
Crews, 16, continued to excel on the track with victories in ARCA, CARS Tour, Super Late Model and Trans Am in 2024. The youngest TA2 champion in series history will continue to have a busy schedule in 2025. Crews joins JGR for a part-time run in the ARCA Menards Series, while also making his Truck Series debut for Tricon. He will also pursue a TA Class championship in Trans Am competition for Nitro Motorsports.
Heim, 22, will return full time to Tricon after back-to-back Championship 4 runs. The Georgia native led the Truck series in wins with six and set the record for the youngest driver in series history with 10 victories. Heim was also impressive in multiple starts for Sam Hunt Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, matching the teams best-ever finish of third at Iowa, while also setting the teams best-ever starting position and single race laps led. He will be back behind the wheel of the No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, with additional starts in other NASCAR divisions to be announced at a later date.
Ruggiero, 18, was impressive in his starts across many divisions last season. He picked up a victory at Five Flags Speedway in ARCA East competition, while finishing second on three different occasions in the national ARCA tour. He also had several wins in Super Late Model competition. For 2025, the Massachusetts native is making the jump to full-time competition in the NASCAR Truck Series for Tricon as he looks to claim Rookie of the Year honors.
Robusto, 20, will look to make history as she competes full-time for Venturini Motorsports (VMS) for the 20-race national ARCA Menards Series schedule. Last year, the South Carolina native tied the all-time best finish for a female on the national tour with a runner-up result at Illinois State Fairgrounds before adding a pole at Kansas Speedway in September.
Avedisian, 18, the first female national dirt midget champion, will continue her transition to pavement racing as she competes in the late model ranks for Wilson Motorsports (WMS). In just her second late model start last season, she captured a victory on the final feature night at Hickory Motor Speedway. The California native will also compete in several TA2 races throughout the season as she continues to gain experience on road courses.
Grassroots Dirt
Kofoid, 23, returns to Roth Motorsports for a second consecutive full-time run in World of Outlaws. Powered by Toyotas 410 engine, Kofoid had one of the most impressive runs for a rookie in series history as he captured seven wins, 27 podiums and 53 top-10s on his way to a fourth-place finish in the final point standings.
McIntosh, 22, had an incredibly impressive season becoming the second driver to win two national midget titles POWRI and Xtreme Midget in the same season. McIntosh nearly won all three as he finished second in the final USAC standings, on the strength of three victories, including his first BC39 win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For 2025, McIntosh returns to Keith Kunz Motorsports for national midget competition.
Denney, 20, will be McIntoshs full-time teammate at KKM after achieving a notable victory at Port City Raceway last October with the team on a select schedule. The new Toyota Development Driver is a three-time winner on the national USAC tour and earned his best points finish fifth last season.
Sports Car
Gonzalez, 20, who won the inaugural Toyota GR Cup Series title in 2023, followed that with an impressive run of victories in 2024, including a GT4 win at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For 2025, he joins RAFA Racing Club (RAFA) competing in the GR Supra GT4 in SRO competition in the GT4 class.
Wagner, 27, joins the TD2 program after clinching his first Toyota GR Cup title in 2024 with Copeland Motorsports after an impressive ten-win season. Wagner will be Gonzalezs co-driver in SRO GT4 competition with RAFA in 2025.
Porto, 21, also is a new member to TD2 and will compete in GT4 action in the IMSA series for RAFA this season. Porto, who is a native of Brazil, has previous experience in Formula 4, Indy NXT and the USF Pro 2000 Championship.
Workman, 20, continues with Toyota for the second consecutive season as he will represent TRD partner Endava in the GR Cup for BSI Racing. The North Carolina native finished third in his rookie season of competition on the strength of several podium finishes.
How Beanpot final could impact NCAA men's hockey bubble watch
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While the biggest prize in college hockey clearly is the national championship trophy, in one corner of the sport's landscape, that accolade has a rival: the Beanpot.
The 72nd tournament, which features Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern and Harvard, concludes Monday at TD Garden with BC facing BU in the championship game (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+).
Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the country (BC is No. 1, BU is No. 8 in the most recent polls), but even in years when the event doesn't have national implications of that magnitude, the energy, desire and hatred boils over for the schools and their fans.
This year's final has a different twist, however. Nine of the players -- six from BC, three from BU -- were teammates at the IIHF World Junior Championship, where they won the gold medal for Team USA in January. At least one member of the Eagles or Terriers scored or assisted on all but one of the 37 goals the U.S. scored in the tournament.
Any friendships will be on hold Monday night.
"It's just understanding that you can't have any friends out there," BC freshman James Hagens told the Boston Globe last month. "You might play with them for a while. They might be your best buddies, but you just have to understand it's a hockey game, and you have to go out there and win."
BU's Cole Eiserman expressed similar sentiments. "You battle with those guys, get close to those guys, but I think we're all competitive guys," he told the Globe. "We want to win for our own school."
The teams met in a home-and-home series in January, with BC sweeping by scores of 6-2 and 2-0. But BU will gladly accept those results in exchange for a trophy-lifting win Monday night. The Terriers last won the Beanpot in 2022, while BC's most recent championship was in 2016. Northeastern has won five of the last six tournaments.
While Monday's game will not count in the Hockey East standings, conference races are heating up around the country as the selection of the NCAA tournament field nears.
The NCAA field includes the winners of the six conference tournaments -- Atlantic, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East and NCHC -- and 10 at-large teams based on the PairWise rankings.
Conference tournament championship games are scheduled for March 22, with the NCAA tournament selections to be announced March 23. Regionals will be held March 27-30, with the Frozen Four on April 10 and 12 in St. Louis. Every NCAA tournament game, including the selection show, will be on ESPN networks and streamed on ESPN+.
Here's a look at where the NCAA field stands, with teams listed in order of the PairWise rankings as of Feb. 9.
Dozens of men's and women's college hockey games, including games from Hockey East and the ECAC plus full coverage of the NCAA tournaments, are available to stream on . Subscribe here.
Frozen Four or bust
The head of the class this season, these teams are odds-on favorites to make it to St. Louis.
No. 1 Boston College
Record: 21-4-1, 13-3-1 Hockey East
Last week's results: Beat Northeastern 8-2; won at New Hampshire 4-2
Key games: Feb. 10 vs. BU (Beanpot championship)
No. 2 Michigan State
Record: 22-5-3, 13-4-3 Big Ten
Last week's results: Lost to Michigan 2-1; beat Michigan 6-1
Key games: Feb. 21-22 vs. Penn State
No. 3 Minnesota
Record: 21-6-3, 12-4-2 Big Ten
Last week's results: Did not play
Key games: Feb. 14-15 at Michigan; Feb. 21-22 vs. Ohio State
Safe and sound
These teams are all but assured a spot in the NCAA field as either a conference champion or via an at-large spot.
No. 4 Maine
Record: 18-5-4, 10-3-4 Hockey East
Last week's results: Tied at Providence 3-3; won at Providence 1-0 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 21 at UConn; March 7-8 at UMass
No. 5 Western Michigan
Record: 20-5-1, 13-2-1 NCHC
Last week's results: Beat St. Cloud State 4-0 and 6-1
Key games: Feb. 14-15 vs. Omaha; Feb. 21-22 at Arizona State
No. 6 Providence
Record: 16-7-5, 6-6-5 Hockey East
Last week's results: Tied Maine 3-3; lost to Maine 1-0 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 14-15 home-and-home vs. BU; Feb. 22 vs. UMass-Lowell
No. 7 Ohio State
Record: 18-8-2, 11-6-1 Big Ten
Last week's results: Won at Notre Dame 5-1 and 5-1
Key games: Feb. 21-22 at Minnesota; Feb. 27-28 vs. Michigan
No. 8 UConn
Record: 15-10-3, 8-8-3 Hockey East
Last week's results: Lost to UMass 5-4; beat UMass-Lowell 5-4 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 21 vs. Maine; Feb. 25 vs. BU
No. 9 Denver
Record: 20-7-1, 9-6-1 NCHC
Last week's results: Won at Arizona State 5-4 (OT); lost at Arizona State 6-5 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 14-15 vs. North Dakota; March 7-8 home-and-home vs. Colorado College
No. 10 Boston University
Record: 15-10-1, 10-6-1 Hockey East
Last week's results: Beat Harvard 7-1; lost at Merrimack 2-1 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 10 vs. BC (Beanpot championship); Feb. 14-15 home-and-home vs. Providence
In the field -- for now
UMass-Lowell has slipped a few notches with three losses in four games, while Michigan and Arizona State improved their standing this past weekend with splits against Michigan State and Denver, respectively.
No. 11 UMass-Lowell
Record: 14-10-3, 7-8-2 Hockey East
Last week's results: Lost to Vermont 5-3; lost at UConn 5-4 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 22 at Providence; Feb. 27-March 1 home-and-home vs. UMass
No. 12 Michigan
Record: 16-12-2, 10-9-1 Big Ten
Last week's results: Won at Michigan State 2-1; lost to Michigan State 6-1
Key games: Feb. 14-15 vs. Minnesota; Feb. 27-28 at Ohio State
No. 13 Arizona State
Record: 17-10-1, 12-6-0 NCHC
Last week's results: Lost to Denver 5-4 (OT); beat Denver 6-5 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 21-22 vs. Western Michigan; Feb. 28-March 1 at Omaha
One-bid league champs
It's looking more and more likely we'll have three one-bid leagues -- the ECAC, CCHA and Atlantic. Quinnipiac and Minnesota State are on the fringes of the at-large bubble, but if they fail to win their conference tournaments, the losses along the way seem likely to dash their at-large hopes.
Quinnipiac leads a tight ECAC race, with the top five teams within five points of each other, while Minnesota State has a solid hold on first place in the CCHA. So we're penciling the Bobcats and Mavericks in the NCAA field for now.
In the Atlantic, Sacred Heart, Holy Cross and Bentley are within one point of each other in the league standings -- although Holy Cross and Bentley have played two fewer games than Sacred Heart -- and are bunched together in the PairWise. We gave the nod to the Crusaders, who are one spot ahead of Bentley in the PairWise, but as with the other three leagues in this group, it will all come down to the conference tournament.
Quinnipiac
Record: 17-9-2, 11-4-1 ECAC (No. 15 in PairWise)
Last week's results: Beat St. Lawrence 6-1; lost to Clarkson 3-2 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 14 at Union; Feb. 28 at Clarkson
Minnesota State
Record: 20-8-2, 15-5-2 CCHA (No. 17 in PairWise)
Last week's results: Beat Augustana 4-1 and 2-1
Key games: Feb. 21-22 at Lake Superior State
Holy Cross
Record: 17-11-2, 16-4-2 Atlantic (No. 30 in PairWise)
Last week's results: Won at RIT 9-2 and 3-0
Key games: Feb. 20 vs. Bentley; Feb. 24 vs. AIC
On the bubble
Assuming there will be three conference champions outside of the top 16 in PairWise, teams below No. 13 will be out of luck in terms of grabbing an at-large NCAA bid. But the standings in this range are very tight, with positions changing with almost every result. These teams will have opportunities for key wins to gain critical PairWise capital, but the margin for error is slim.
No. 14 UMass
Record: 15-11-2, 6-8-2 Hockey East
Last week's results: Won at UConn 5-4
Key games: Feb. 14-15 home-and-home vs. BC; Feb. 27-March 1 home-and-home vs. UMass-Lowell
No. 16 Penn State
Record: 14-11-3, 5-10-3 Big Ten
Last week's results: Won at Wisconsin 2-0 and 6-2
Key games: Feb. 21-22 at Michigan State; Feb. 28-March 1 vs. Minnesota
No. 18 New Hampshire
Record: 11-12-3, 3-11-2 Hockey East
Last week's results: Lost to BC 4-2; lost to Merrimack 5-4
Key games: Feb. 14-15 at Maine; Feb. 28-March 1 home-and-home vs. BC
Guardiola plays down Ballon d'Or rift with Madrid
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Pep Guardiola has said Manchester City have drawn a line under the Ballon d'Or controversy with Real Madrid ahead of their Champions League showdown.
The Spanish giants boycotted the ceremony in Paris in October in protest at City midfielder Rodri winning the award ahead of Vinícius Júnior.
The two teams face each other in the first leg of their Champions League play-off at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. And ahead of the game, Guardiola insisted there is no ill feeling between the clubs.
"Happy for Rodri," Guardiola said, when asked for his opinion on the fall-out. "Vinícius made an extraordinary year as well. He deserved it. Like in the past when [Lionel] Messi and Cristiano [Ronaldo] were fighting for that. The subject is over."
Rúben Dias, who travelled to Paris with Rodri for the ceremony, also attempted to play down the dispute. "Being very honest I didn't spend one second thinking if it was disrespectful or not," he said.
"I was there, I celebrated with him, I was very happy for him. I didn't spend my time thinking about it."
It's the fifth time in six seasons that City and Madrid have been drawn together in the Champions League. Carlo Ancelotti's side were victorious on penalties last season while City were comfortable winners in 2023 -- winning 4-0 at the Etihad -- on their way to the treble.
This time, Guardiola has the added complication of worrying about Kylian Mbappé, as well as Vinícius, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham. The France international has scored 23 times in his first season in Madrid, including a goal in the 1-1 draw with Atlético Madrid on Sunday.
"I think it's impossible for 90 minutes or 180 minutes to control these four players," Guardiola said. "They are exceptional. So how they combine, the runners, the ability one against one, how they keep the ball. So all four, they are exceptional. Everybody knows it. So we have to reduce their involvement as much as possible. Knowing that is going to happen, accept it."
Dias, meanwhile, said Madrid should be wary of City's stars, including Erling Haaland.
"I think since I have been there the most difficult season but I am a firm believer, even in the most difficult situations, you can achieve something beautiful," the City defender said.
"We know how difficult it will be. But we have loads of guns in the dressing room and we just have to use them the right way."
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Espanyol have condemned Barcelona's Mapi León for touching Daniela Caracas in the crotch area during Sunday's Catalan derby in Liga F.
León and Caracas clashed in the 15th minute of the game as they lined up at a set piece, with the Barça centre-back saying something to her opponent while briefly touching her inappropriately.
"Espanyol wish to express total condemnation at events which took place during the game which we consider unacceptable and should not pass unnoticed," a statement from the club said on Monday.
"During the match, Barça player León, in a struggle with our player, Caracas, made a gesture which violated the privacy of said player.
"At the time, Caracas did not react because of the impact caused by the situation. Later, after assimilating what happened, she became aware of the seriousness of the gesture, but chose not to react angrily to avoid a disciplinary sanction and harming the team."
Espanyol added that the incident has led to Caracas receiving insults on social media and that they are "concerned that, instead of focusing on the act itself, the media attention has been diverted to other issues unrelated to the seriousness of the action."
The club also say they have offered Caracas the club's legal team should she wish to take any action against León.
ESPN reached out to the Spanish Football Federation for comment but have yet to receive a response. Liga F said any disciplinary action corresponds completely to the federation.
The game was goalless at the time of the clash, with league leaders Barça going on to win 2-0 through late goals from Caroline Graham Hansen and Salma Paralluelo.
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Spain women's coach Montse Tomé told a judge Monday she was not trying to punish Jenni Hermoso by omitting her from the national team in the fallout of the kiss by former football federation president Luis Rubiales.
Rubiales is accused of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso at the 2023 Women's World Cup final presentation ceremony, as well as of coercion for allegedly trying to convince the player to support his version of the kiss. Hermoso says she did not consent to the kiss while Rubiales denies wrongdoing and says it was consensual.
Three other former federation members are also on trial for coercion for allegedly trying to get Hermoso to downplay the kiss.
Hermoso's brother had testified last week that former team coach Jorge Vilda, one of the accused of coercion, tried to threaten Hermoso by saying that her future could be in danger if she refused to record a video together with Rubiales to make light of the incident.
Tomé, a former assistant to Vilda who took over the main coaching job shortly after the World Cup, decided not to include Hermoso in her first squad. She said at the time that the decision was made to protect the player from the media circus surrounding the case.
"It wasn't a punishment," Tomé said a couple of times while testifying at the start of the second week of the trial in Madrid. "I did not include her in the first call-up because of sporting reasons. What I said about protecting her, because of the exceptional situation that we were going through, was also part of the sporting reasons."
Tomé claimed that the attention being given by the media to the case at the time could've affected Hermoso's performance.
"Everything affects the sporting performance," Tomé said.
The other two federation officials on trial for coercion are former sports director of the Spain men's team, Albert Luque, and former head of marketing Rubén Rivera.
Rubiales is expected to testify on Tuesday. He resigned under pressure three weeks after the scandal surfaced and was banned by FIFA for three years. Rubiales had said he was the victim of a "witch hunt" by "false feminists."
Hermoso testified on the first day of the trial last week and said she "felt disrespected" by Rubiales after winning the Women's World Cup final. She said that the kiss "stained one of the happiest days of my life."
The kiss prompted outrage in Spain about the prevalence of sexism in sports and beyond.
Prosecutors, Hermoso and the Spain players' association want Rubiales jailed for two and a half years, fined 50,000 ($51,800) for damages, and banned from working as a sports official. They want the other three defendants sentenced to one and a half years in prison.