Arsenal manager Unai Emery has hit out at criticism of under-fire defender Shkodran Mustafi, telling fans that he "doesn't agree" with personal insults towards the German international or any of his players.

Mustafi was at fault for two Crystal Palace goals as Arsenal fell to a 3-2 home defeat last Sunday, first losing striker Christian Benteke at a free-kick before allowing Wilfried Zaha to race through to score Palace's second, and has been questioned for his performances in recent weeks.

The defeat was a missed opportunity for Arsenal to boost their hopes of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League, while Mustafi found himself on the receiving end of some of the Arsenal fans' frustrations.

Emery's side can take back fourth place if they win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday and ahead of the game the Arsenal coach launched a public defence of the defender, urging fans to get behind the team during their crucial run-in.

"I know it is not easy and they are going to criticise when they are in the stadium and also when they are watching on TV," Emery said. "But personal insults I don't agree with. Insults I don't want. I think it is not necessary to be insulting.

"If I protect the players, first it is for the confidence. I do criticise them -- but only inside when I am working and we are speaking. I use my conversations with them individually and collectively and sometimes I criticise them. But outside I want to protect them. I prefer that as I think we need to be together."

He added: "I protect Mustafi because I believe in him.

"He is a very good centre back, he has the habit of doing the sliding tackle and using anticipation against the opposition. He can win one, win two, win three, win four -- but if he loses one he is in the picture and if he concedes a goal he is the big picture. Sunday was like that.

"I have spoken to him. I told him 'You are young, you can improve and you need to work hard because you have a big quality for a centre back.'"

Malcom wants to leave Barcelona at the end of the season with the club prepared to sell if they can recoup what they spent on him last summer, multiple sources have confirmed to ESPN FC.

The Brazilian forward was set to join Serie A side Roma from Bordeaux until Barca swooped in with an eleventh-hour bid to take him to Camp Nou in a deal worth €40 million.

However, coach Ernesto Valverde appeared to suggest he didn't want the player by labelling him "a signing made by the club."

Since then, Valverde has offered Malcom very few opportunities to prove himself at Barcelona. Despite impressing with goals against Real Madrid and Inter Milan, he has started just eight games in all competitions. In total, he has made 19 appearances, scoring four goals.

The 21-year-old has remained positive throughout the season, insisting he will keep working hard to fight for a place in the team, but he has grown frustrated at his lack of game time.

Sources have confirmed to ESPN FC that he will look to move on in the summer, with his agents already offering him across Europe.

Roma, Inter and AC Milan have all shown an interest in the past, while Premier League sides Everton, Tottenham and Arsenal have also been linked. A move to China has not been ruled out, either.

Barca have no qualms with his attitude but acknowledge his situation is unlikely to change. He is competing for a place with Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.

Therefore, the club are willing to let him go if a club is prepared to pay close to what they paid for him last July.

"He is a good footballer and has a good reputation," a club source told ESPN FC. "He's had the option to leave now for a while and we have to respect his decision. But Barca aren't going to give him away."

Meanwhile, former Barca president Sandro Rosell has been cleared of money laundering by a Spanish court.

Rosell, 54, spent 21 months in prison after being arrested in 2017 on charges of money laundering involving the sale of television rights for Brazil matches, while a sponsorship contract signed between Nike and Brazil was also under investigation.

However, he was released in February pending the conclusion of the trial, with prosecutors pushing for an 11-year prison term and a fine of nearly €60m.

A Spanish court ruled on Wednesday, though, that there was insufficient evidence to carry on with the case and acquitted Rosell, along with his business partner, Joan Besoli.

Newcastle United midfielder Miguel Almiron will miss the last three games of the season due to a hamstring injury, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.

Almiron signed from Major League Soccer champions Atlanta United in January for a club record £20 million. The Paraguay international has made 10 league appearances for Newcastle so far and sustained the injury in the second half of their victory over Southampton on Saturday.

"Miguel Almiron will miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in Saturday's 3-1 win over Southampton," Newcastle said in a statement.

"The 25-year-old was withdrawn in the 64th minute against the Saints and having been assessed by the club's medical staff, it has been confirmed that he will not be fit for the Magpies' final three matches of the campaign."

Newcastle said they were in touch with the Paraguayan Football Association's medical staff and that Almiron might still be able to represent his country at Copa America, which starts on June 14.

Saturday's win over Southampton confirmed Rafa Benitez's side will avoid relegation and they face Brighton, Liverpool and Fulham in their final three matches of the season.

MANCHESTER, England -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Pep Guardiola were at the centre of a disagreement over tactical fouls on the eve of Wednesday's crucial Manchester derby.

The Manchester United manager held a news conference early on Tuesday and claimed that City deliberately foul high up the pitch to stop opponents from counter-attacking.

But Guardiola rubbished the claims at his own news conference in the afternoon, insisting he has never set up a team he has managed to foul tactically.

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"We have got to be ready for the press, for their pressing, they have got quality on the ball, so we have got to defend well," Solskjaer told a news conference.

"When we win it we have got to be ready for their aggression, because they will snap at your ankles and heels and kick you, they are not going to allow us easy counter-attacking because there will be fouls.

"I have absolutely no doubt about it because when you watch those games they commit so many players forward and they will be stopping us as high as they can I think."

Asked about making tackles high up the pitch, Solskjaer added: "You don't get the yellow cards, do you? But that's just because they commit so many players forward and you can clearly see that they've got them in that mould of trying to win the ball back, and they do make fouls.

"It's up to us to play through that press, be ready enough, play one and two-touch, don't give them time. If you spend two or three touches... it's not my decision."

Solskjaer's comments left some at City some baffled with one source sharing statistics with ESPN FC that don't reflect well on United.

City have committed 288 fouls to United's 381 this season, with 170 in the opposition half compared to 195 for their neighbours. Guardiola's side are also top of the Fair Play table with United in 19th.

Asked if the comments could influence the performance of the referee, the Catalan coach said: "That is the reason why, of course. I don't think [it could be successful] because we don't do that."

Guardiola said he wants his team to win the ball quickly, but insisted that he had never instructed his players to deliberately foul.

"I know exactly what I said to my players from day one to the last day," he said. "So when a player wants to attack, we have to be honest and of course there is contact, there are fouls, but when it happens and you arrive late and that is why there are referees, to make yellow cards or red cards or whatever they decide

"We want to do our game, sometimes it's not possible. Sometimes it's difficult to understand that, but the other teams play too. But I never said I'm going to do that to punish them or cancel them making having fouls. Never."

The 178th Manchester derby between United and City, on Wednesday at Old Trafford, will be crucial in deciding the outcome of this season's Premier League title race, but the result of this game will mean as much in Liverpool as it does in Manchester.

With United languishing in sixth position, it is all about whether City can claim the win that will put them on course for the title or if the home side can get the draw or victory that would tilt the balance in Liverpool's favour.

But with United able to decide the fate of their two biggest rivals, this derby is different from any other.

So why does this game matter so much?

This game was originally scheduled for mid-March, but the involvement of both clubs in the FA Cup quarterfinals forced it to be rescheduled for this crucial stage of the league season.

The added dimension is that United know that a win or draw will put traditional rivals Liverpool in pole position to win their first league title for 29 years. Nobody at Old Trafford wants to see Liverpool as champions, but if City win, they will have the title within their grasp instead. This game really is the nightmare scenario for United, who also need to win to boost their chances of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League.

What's the big deal about United winning to help Liverpool win the title?

Historically, United and Liverpool are, by some distance, the biggest and most successful clubs in England. United have won 20 titles, Liverpool have won 18. Their rivalry is more than a century old and has often been marred by bitterness and hostility on and off the pitch. Liverpool dominated during the 1970s and 1980s before Sir Alex Ferguson's United became the superpower during the 1990s and 2000s, with United winning 13 titles between 1993 and 2013 to eclipse Liverpool's previous record of 18 titles.

They are two of the biggest clubs in the world, each with a huge global fan base, and their rivalry is as deep-rooted as they come.

Why don't United fans view City as bigger rivals than Liverpool?

The rivalry between United and City has intensified since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan began to plough his vast fortune into City in 2008 -- prompting Sir Alex Ferguson to describe them as "noisy neighbours" in 2009 -- but United have traditionally regarded their rivalries with Liverpool, Arsenal and Leeds United as bigger and more important.

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Aside from a brief spell of success in the 1960s, City rarely challenged until the arrival of Sheikh Mansour, so United supporters have barely regarded them as true rivals. That has now changed but Liverpool are the only club who can come close to matching United's all-time trophy haul and history matters more than the success of their neighbours -- at least for now.

Are United capable of beating City?

On current form, United are huge outsiders even at home. City have won their past 10 Premier League games and on their past two league visits to Old Trafford, while United go into the match having lost six of their past eight games in all competitions. Pep Guardiola's City are the definition of relentless consistency and United, who lost 4-0 at Everton on Sunday, are the polar opposite. But United fought back from 2-0 down at half-time to win 3-2 at City last season and only last month stunned Paris Saint-Germain with a 3-1 Champions League victory at the Parc des Princes.

United have the players to beat City, but recent performances suggest that they won't.

Has this scenario ever happened before?

In 1995, Liverpool found themselves in a similar situation that United face against City. Liverpool knew that a win against Blackburn Rovers, managed by Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish, on the final day of the season would help United win the title and deny Dalglish a historic success with his new club. Liverpool ended up scoring a last-minute goal to win 2-1 but United failed to take advantage, with Ferguson's men only able to draw 1-1 at West Ham.

Had United won their game, Liverpool's win would have been crucial in handing them the title.

United were hammered 4-0 at Everton on Sunday. How will they respond?

First of all, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has his own problems to deal with. United need a win to keep alive any realistic hopes of qualifying for the Champions League with a top-four finish, so the Norwegian cannot afford to make wholesale changes and turn to inexperienced youngsters. Rather than making wholesale changes, he's likely to rely on his players wanting to restore personal pride by producing a winning performance against City.

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There's also the issue of upholding United's name and the integrity of the Premier League by pushing City all the way for the points, regardless of what it may mean for Liverpool.

Is the title all over for Liverpool if City win?

No, but Jurgen Klopp's team know that this game is their best hope of City dropping points. United have lost just once at home in the league this season -- against Tottenham last August -- so this is a tough fixture for City. If City come through this one with a win, Liverpool will need them to drop points against Burnley (a), Leicester (h) or Brighton (a) to have any hope of ending their 29-year title drought.

The race will still be on if City win, but Guardiola's men will be in the final straight with the finishing line in sight.

Who are the key men for both teams?

David de Gea and Paul Pogba have both been well below their best in recent weeks, but if they rediscover their form against City, United can win the game. Yet if they perform as poorly as they have been doing, City will cruise to victory.

For City, the form of Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva has been crucial during their 10-game winning run in the league and United need to stop all three to take anything from the game.

What's going to happen?

Despite United's woeful performance at Everton, the clash against City really is too close to call because Solskjaer's men will be expected to show their true colours. In many ways, United's hammering at the weekend was a bad result for City because the pressure is on them to bounce back on Wednesday.

City have the greater depth and quality but United are a wounded animal on their own turf, so expect fireworks and a night of unbearable tension in Liverpool.

Big picture

Only a few weeks ago, there was a big gap between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals on the points table. While Knight Riders were riding on one big knock after another from Andre Russell, Royals were losing one match after the other. All that has changed. They are now placed alongside each other on the table, with Knight Riders placed sixth and Royals seventh, with eight and six points respectively.

Knight Riders' journey has been very disappointing, chiefly because of their initial tempo. They have lost five consecutive matches now - they have failed to take early wickets, they are dropping catches, and they have leaked runs at the worst rate for any team this season (9.10). As for the reliance on Russell, his knocks of 65 off 25 balls, 45 off 21, and 50 not out off 44 have also resulted in losses, and there is a lot of back and forth about his batting position, especially after the loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Knight Riders know they have to get their act together before the qualification train leaves them behind.

Time is running out for Royals too, as it's a must-win for them. To add to that, they have learnt that individual centuries don't necessarily win you T20s, and their foreign contingent is shrinking rapidly, not to mention Ashton Turner's three ducks in a row in the IPL (and five in all T20s). Royals were already without Jos Buttler, who left early because of the birth of his child, and will lose Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer too after Thursday. How they will balance the XI for their last three games is another headache, but for now they need to ensure they at least beat Knight Riders with a near full-strength squad.

Royals also need to up their batting game in the death overs; they have the third-lowest scoring rate in the period this IPL and need their big hitters to step up.

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Stokes has been far from impressive this season, but Buttler is Royals' second-highest scorer so far and Archer is their second-highest wicket-taker as well as their most economical bowler among those who have bowled more than five overs. Royals' best hope will be if Stokes and Archer fire together before they are forced to change the combination.

For Knight Riders, Joe Denly, a part of England's World Cup squad, has flown back home early. He even played a one-day match after reaching England, scoring a half-century for Kent on Tuesday.

Previous meeting

These two teams met just over two weeks ago in Jaipur, and Knight Riders thrashed Royals - without Russell having to bat. Hosts this time, Knight Riders will draw confidence from that match as they look to notch up the wins again.

Likely XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Chris Lynn, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Shubman Gill, 6 Dinesh Karthik (capt & wk), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Harry Gurney, 11 Prasidh Krishna

Rajasthan Royals: 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Ashton Turner, 6 Stuart Binny, 7 Riyan Parag, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Shreyas Gopal, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Dhawal Kulkarni

Strategy Punt

• Royals could think of getting Ish Sodhi back in the XI. In all T20s, he has conceded only 30 runs off 29 balls against Lynn, and 17 off 23 against Karthik (including a dismissal).

• Make Sunil Narine open the bowling, not just the batting. He has dismissed Rahane thrice in 52 balls in T20s, while conceding only 69 runs.

• Despite being an occasional wristspinner himself, Steven Smith doesn't have a great record against the breed in the IPL since 2015. He has managed only 214 runs against them off 191 balls, and been dismissed four times.

• Royals should look to bowl Archer to Shubman Gill as soon as the batsman comes out to bat. Four of Gill's five dismissals this season have come against fast bowlers and he has scored only 74 runs off 73 balls against them, with a dot-ball percentage of 37.

Stats that matter

• The last time Royals beat Knight Riders was way back in 2015. Of course, Royals didn't play in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, but they have lost their last four clashes against Knight Riders. Worse, they have won only one of their eight matches in Kolkata in all these years of the IPL.

• Karthik's average of 16.70 is his second-worst in any IPL season and his worst since IPL 2016. It's a steep fall after averaging nearly 50 in 2018.

• Rahane is 87 runs away from the 5000 mark in T20s and Stokes needs two sixes to reach 100 in the format.

• Gurney needs one more wicket and Sodhi needs three more to reach 150 in T20s.

• Steven Smith needs two more runs to get to 2000 in the IPL.

• Knight Riders' next win will be their 100th in T20s.

• Knight Riders and Royals have leaked runs at the same rate during the middle phase (overs seven to 15) this IPL: 8.8.

Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das, both talked up as among the most talented top-order batsmen in Bangladesh, have been frustratingly inconsistent in their international careers so far. With the World Cup coming up, Tamim Iqbal, the senior opening batsman, is hoping the two youngsters grab their chances as best as they can, first in the tri-series in Ireland and then at the showpiece event.

The only time Liton has really shown his ability was at last year's Asia Cup final, in which he dominated India's bowling to make 121 as Bangladesh went down off the last ball. Soumya made a sound start in 2015 but has had to mostly fight for his place in the ODI team since 2016. Earlier this year, he made a maiden Test hundred, against New Zealand in Hamilton, and yesterday, he became the first Bangladeshi to score a List A double-hundred.

Tamim said that a score like the unbeaten 208, which came in a crucial Dhaka Premier League game for Abahani Limited on Tuesday, was bound to give Soumya confidence ahead of the bigger challenges. The batsman was having an ordinary time in the league, having scored just 197 runs in 11 innings, but hit 106 and then the record double-ton in Abahani's last two matches.

"Liton and Soumya have enough chances, and I am sure this is the right time to show the world how good they are" TAMIM IQBAL

"It is a great achievement to become the first Bangladeshi to score a (List A) double-hundred," Tamim said on Wednesday. "Although we will play in completely different conditions and against vastly different bowling attacks (when on tour), scoring runs is still a positive. It will give him confidence, regardless of where he has scored these runs. If he had made 10 and 5 in his last two innings, it would have left a percentage of doubt in his mind.

"But now he knows he has scored the runs, and how he has done it. When you are in bad form, you forget how to score runs. Therefore, it is very positive for him that he has two big knocks before going to Ireland."

Since the 2015 World Cup, Tamim has had five different opening partners in ODIs: Soumya, Liton, Imrul Kayes, Anamul Haque and Mohammad Mithun. When Tamim was out with injuries occasionally in the last two years, Bangladesh used five different opening pairs. There is currently no word on who should open with Tamim in a best-case scenario, but it will be one of Soumya and Liton, the only other openers in the World Cup squad.

But while Soumya has shown that he has some form on his side, Liton followed up his poor New Zealand tour with only two fifties in eight DPL outings for Mohammedan Sporting Club. Tamim, however, felt that both batsmen could fulfil their potential in the coming months.

"A regular opening partnership means that the two know each other's game quite well," he said. "For example, if I am hitting the fielder, he needs to take that extra chance. I can do the same if the other batsman is struggling.

"But if somebody is not settled at the crease or in the team, it's very unfair to go and tell him, 'brother, now you take the risks'. But I am confident that Liton and Soumya have enough chances, and I am sure this is the right time to show the world how good they are." Tamim agreed that Bangladesh were still waiting to identify their ideal opening pair, which every successful cricket team must possess.

"It happens in every profession where your colleague of 20 years, for example, will know how you operate, and what you like and dislike. There was always understanding between some of the best opening pairs in the world like Hayden-Gilchrist, Ganguly-Tendulkar or Sehwag-Tendulkar," Tamim said. "If you look back at those games, they seem to be having fun in the middle and they each knew what the other wants.

"We haven't had that opportunity yet but those two who have been picked in the World Cup squad, I am sure they can represent Bangladesh for the next 10-15 years. I feel this is the best time for them to perform."

Toss: Kings XI Punjab chose to bowl against Royal Challengers Bangalore

Kings XI Punjab have opted to field in Bengaluru after winning the toss against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Royal Challengers have been on an upswing with two wins on the bounce after just one in their first eight games, and need to continue that streak at their M Chinnaswamy Stadium home to keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying for the playoffs. Kings XI, meanwhile, have had an up-and-down season, and are split down the middle after ten games, sitting just outside the top four on net run-rate.

Both teams made two changes to their XIs. Royal Challengers have been set back by an injury to Dale Steyn, who has a shoulder niggle, and Tim Southee has taken his place. The other change has brought Washington Sundar into the side for his season debut at the expense of Pawan Negi.

Kings XI have replaced Sam Curran with Nicholas Pooran, while Ankit Rajpoot has come in for Harpreet Brar.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Akshdeep Nath, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Umesh Yadav, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Kings XI Punjab: 1 KL Rahul, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 David Miller, 5 Mandeep Singh, 6 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 7 R Ashwin (capt), 8 Ankit Rajpoot 9 Hardus Viljoen, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 M Ashwin

Former West Indies women captain Merissa Aguilleira has retired from international cricket. Aguilleira, 33, was one of the senior-most players in the West Indies team, having played 112 ODIs and 95 T20Is in an international career that started in 2008.

Aguilleira, a wicketkeeper-batsman, had been captain from 2009 to 2015, including in the final of the 2013 World Cup and the semi-finals of the World T20 in 2010, 2012 and 2014. She was also part of the West Indies team that won the World T20 in 2016 at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.

As a wicketkeeper, Aguilleira was involved in 104 dismissals in ODIs, the most for West Indies and fifth overall, and 72 in T20Is. She scored six half-centuries in ODIs in a total of 1752 runs at an average of 20.61. In T20Is, she scored 768 runs at an average of 14.49 with a best of 39 not out.

"I wish to thank all members of the team with which I worked and that worked with me to secure success in our endeavors to bring pleasure, pride, happiness and inspiration to West Indian people everywhere," Aguilleira said in a Cricket West Indies statement. "It is an absolute honor to have been of service to West Indies cricket. My continued goal is to assist CWI to build and develop women's cricket and help others like me to achieve their dreams."

Aguilleira's last international series was the T20I tour of Pakistan in February, in which she also led the side in regular captain Stafanie Taylor's absence. Her last ODI was in September last year against South Africa, a series in which she brought off her 100th ODI dismissal. Aguilleira, however, had been left out of the squad for the upcoming tour of Ireland and England in May-June.

"From my own experience this cannot be the easiest of times for Merissa," CWI's director of cricket Jimmy Adams said. "However, her dignity and candor in communicating this decision has been exceptional. The highest of accolades are due to her for a career spanning more than 10 years which included over 100 ODIs. Far exceeding the statistics, Merissa has been the epitome of professionalism throughout her career whilst consistently upholding the highest possible standards on and off the field.

"Personally I am very grateful to Merissa for all her help and assistance she gave me since I became Director of Cricket, and I have no doubt that she will continue to add value to the game in the region in the future. I wish her all the very best as she begins a new chapter in her life."