Dani Carvajal won’t be available for the first leg of Real Madrid’s Round of 16 encounter after UEFA banned the full-back one match for an intentional yellow card he picked up against APOEL last month.
He was initially issued a two-match ban, but Carvajal will only be unavailable for one game after missing Real Madrid’s Champions League encounter with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Carvajal was found guilty of manipulating the match official into producing a yellow card in order to serve a suspension during Real Madrid’s final group-stage match rather than in the knockout phase.
The tactic, which occurred in the final minutes of Real Madrid’s 6-0 win, was a violation of Article 15 in UEFA’s disciplinary code, hence the two-match ban rather than the customary one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Achraf Hakimi, 18, could be in line to replace Carvajal after filling in for the Spanish defender earlier this season.
Real Madrid will discover its Round of 16 opponent at the draw on Dec. 11.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady opened his Saturday news conference by apologizing for lashing out at offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels on the sideline last Sunday, saying it had been bothering him all week.
“I want to apologize to Josh for last week in Buffalo. I know our coaches work really hard, and they are responsible for putting us in a great position to succeed. I just want to get that off my chest,” Brady said in opening remarks, before he answered any questions.
Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels talk on the sidelines during Super Bowl LI in February. Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports
When Brady was asked if those types of outbursts were part of the emotion of football, he replied, “Yeah, but a lot of people see it and they think the nature of our relationship might be something like that, but it’s really the exact opposite of that. I’ve been feeling bad all week and haven’t had a chance to say it. He knows how much I love him.”
The exchange between the two had occurred after the Patriots’ first drive in their 23-3 win over the Bills. Brady had fired an incomplete pass on third-and-11, and as he came to the sideline, McDaniels said something to him that led to a pointed reaction.
The situation simmered quickly, and soon enough, the two were sitting side-by-side going over pictures from the game.
Earlier this week, McDaniels had said, “It’s a very competitive game and emotional game, and things like that can happen. Being in the game a long time, and understanding that Tommy’s a very emotional person and emotional player, it’s part of what makes him great. You understand that those things happen, and it’s never personal. You move on quickly from it, and we did, and we have. I love Tom, and all those things he stands for and all the things he does for our team. That’s just a situation where you understand it and move on quickly from it, and you focus on your job.”
Brady didn’t hold his weekly news conference until Saturday this week, as the team has a Monday night game on the road against the Miami Dolphins. Brady has been moving his news conferences to the end of the week recently so he can receive extra treatment for an Achilles injury.
Asked about those maintenance days, Brady said, “I can certainly go out there, but you have a couple of nicks, and we take it week to week. You love to be out there physically every week feeling as best you can, and sometimes you have to pay a little bit more attention to some things so you can be at the best you can be on game day. … Just trying to be smart. We have four games left, they’re all important, and you have to be at your best for those days.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, together again.
Real Madrid’s Portuguese scoring sensation moved level with his perennial Argentine counterpart on Thursday, winning the fifth Ballon d’Or of his illustrious career to equal Messi for the all-time lead.
?? BALLON D’OR 2017 ?? @CRISTIANO RONALDO pic.twitter.com/2w1lm3nHSj
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) December 7, 2017
Ronaldo, 32, captured the honour after a wildly successful 2016-17 campaign saw him lead Real Madrid to a second consecutive Champions League crown, while also spearheading the club’s march to the La Liga title, and subsequently captaining Portugal to 2018 World Cup qualification. He was presented with the award in Paris.
Félicitations @Cristiano pour ce cinquième #BallondOr ! ??? #tourEiffel pic.twitter.com/JAJXEYrzZp
— La tour Eiffel (@LaTourEiffel) December 7, 2017
Having gotten his hands on the hardware once again, Ronaldo has now claimed football’s top individual honour in four of the last five years, with Messi last winning the award in 2015. The last time the award was not given to either of those players was Kaka’s 2007 victory.
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is officially questionable for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a bruised right hand.
Stafford practiced on a limited basis all week with tape on his right ring and pinkie fingers. Each day in front of the media, Stafford’s throwing amount and velocity improved — from none Wednesday to light throwing Thursday and then more complete throws Friday.
Matt Stafford has started 108 games for Detroit, including every game since the start of the 2011 season. Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
On Friday, Lions coach Jim Caldwell said Stafford was “progressing” and that the quarterback threw the ball “decently” Thursday. He did not give any indication there would be a determination point of how much they needed to see from Stafford — or by when — in order to play him against the Buccaneers, but Stafford said Wednesday that feeling had come back to his hand. On Sunday, he said his hand had briefly gone numb with nerve pain.
“It’ll be important to take a look at it and see how it’s feeling,” Stafford said Wednesday. “And hopefully get it progressing throughout the week.”
Stafford has started 108 games for Detroit, including every game since the start of the 2011 season — the third-longest starting streak among quarterbacks in the NFL.
While Stafford is questionable to play, he’ll be without his right tackle. Rick Wagner was ruled out with an ankle injury suffered when Stafford landed on him during a play against the Ravens. Besides Stafford, the Lions have seven starters or key contributors listed as questionable, including punter Sam Martin, running back Ameer Abdullah, center Travis Swanson, right guard T.J. Lang, defensive end Ezekiel Ansah and returner Jamal Agnew.
