Nedum Onuoha has labelled Zlatan Ibrahimovic a "thug" and called on the Major League Soccer to punish the striker after the two players clashed during La Galaxy's 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Sunday.

Ibrahimovic threw the former Manchester City man to the ground sparking an angry reaction from the defender and the confrontation continued into the dressing room after the match.

Following the altercation, Onuoha said that he would refuse to accept an apology from the Swedish striker and now he has criticised Ibrahimovic's aggressive behaviour on the pitch.

"He didn't affect the way that I played, it just motivated me more really," he told Love Sport Radio. "But after the 60th minute, he got booked and he started saying 'right that's it then, keep watching that clock, I'm going to do you, just you wait.'

"These are words I've probably heard twice or three times in all my career, usually by people who are complete thugs. It's one thing to be competitive but it's another thing to be threatening harm against another professional.

Ibrahimovic is one of the biggest names in the league since joining from Manchester United last year and Onuoha believes that the authorities will not punish the striker due to his star status.

He added: "The sad thing about it is that based on who he is and the league that he's playing in, nine out of 10 people will happily just go and shake his hand and say 'no problem,' even though from start to finish it's been about him and the way he's been.

"He's not going to get anything done to him. It will get spun into a story about how he's really competitive and this is what gets him going, this is why he's one of the best of all-time. That's just the way that it works. I'm not the type of person to say that the better MLS players get preferential treatment but from what I've seen so far, it's a lot easier to be Zlatan than it is to be the striker for Real Salt Lake."

Two people have been arrested after an image of deceased footballer Emiliano Sala's body had been posted on social media.

Dorset police announced on Saturday an investigation would be launched following the discovery of the image online.

- Borden: In search of Emiliano Sala

"On Feb. 7 2019, a post mortem examination of Emiliano Sala was conducted at Holly Tree Lodge Mortuary in Dorset," a police statement read. "On Feb. 13, Dorset Police became aware of an image on Twitter purporting to show the post mortem of Emiliano, and an investigation was launched.

"The image had been swiftly removed by Twitter, but unfortunately it had been circulated extensively on various social media sites by this time. As part of the enquiries by Dorset Police, a warrant was obtained for an address in Wiltshire and, on Feb. 18, this warrant was executed by officers from the Digital Investigations & Intelligence Unit within Wiltshire Police.

"A 48-year-old woman from Corsham was arrested at the scene on suspicion of unauthorised access to computer material [an offence under the Computer Misuse Act] and malicious communications, and is currently released on conditional bail.

"As the police investigation continued, a 62-year-old man from Calne was also arrested on suspicion of unauthorised access to computer material, and is currently released under investigation."

The single-engined Piper Malibu aircraft carrying Sala, 28, disappeared over the English Channel when flying him from previous club Nantes to Cardiff on Jan. 21.

Wreckage was found on Feb. 3 following a privately-funded underwater search and a body was recovered three days later. Later that month Sala's body was flown back to Argentina for his funeral.

It has been a very difficult period for the Sala family with Emiliano's father Horacio passing away following a sudden heart attack on Friday.

Cardiff and Nantes remain in a dispute over Sala's transfer after the Premier League side refused to make the first scheduled payment for the Argentine.

The Bluebirds argue the agreement struck with Nantes regarding Sala's purchase was not legal as the French club failed to fulfill conditions they set.

FIFA has granted Cardiff City and Nantes extra time to submit full details of the transfer of Sala as the clubs look to schedule face-to-face talks.

Paul Pogba will be forced to take a pay cut if he leaves Manchester United for Real Madrid this summer, as sources have told ESPN FC that the Spanish club are not prepared to match his £290,000-a-week Old Trafford wages.

Sources at United have repeatedly said Pogba, 26, will not be sold at the end of the season, despite persistent speculation linking the midfielder with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Both Pogba and Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane have spoken recently about the prospect of the France international playing in the Spanish capital, but United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that he expects the £89 million signing from Juventus to be a part of his squad next season.

Sources have told ESPN FC, however, that some of Pogba's club teammates expect him to push for a move this summer if United fail to qualify for the Champions League -- an outcome which is now increasingly likely following Sunday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Old Trafford which has left United three points adrift of the top four with only two games left to play.

United's determination to keep Pogba, rooted as much in the player's commercial value as his contribution to the team, may yet prompt the club to discuss a new contract with his advisors in an effort to put an end to Madrid's efforts.

But while sources have told ESPN FC that Madrid's interest in Pogba is strong and long-standing, the club are unwilling to add further strain to their huge wage bill by offering him a contract worth more than his United deal.

Madrid are also in the hunt for Chelsea forward Eden Hazard, with the club aware of the need to strengthen all departments of the team and reduce the average age of Zidane's squad.

With high earners Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Isco all facing uncertain futures, Madrid need to create space on their wage bill to accommodate the likes of Hazard and Pogba, who would both likely cost in excess of £100m each should transfers be negotiated with Chelsea and United respectively.

And if Pogba is able to force through a move from United, he will have to accept a reduced salary in order to make it happen this summer.

The Champions League returns and with just four teams left, the path to glory is wide open. Any of the remaining sides has a chance but equally, question marks surrounding their challenge. Can Liverpool crack Lionel Messi & Co. to deny their Treble push? And which of the "underdogs" will prevail in the other semifinal?

Here's everything you need to know, from the superheroes and the sidekicks who can decide the ties to the keys for victory.

Jump to: Tottenham-Ajax | Liverpool-Barcelona

Tottenham vs. Ajax

WHEN: Tuesday, April 30, 3 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. BST

BACKSTORY: Ajax are doing their glorious past proud, having eliminated perennial Serie A champs Juventus and Champions League holders Real Madrid to get into the semifinals. The quality, freshness and fearlessness displayed in those matches have made them the neutrals' favorites. They are tied at the top of the Dutch league and in the Dutch Cup final, so they, too, have Treble aspirations.

Tottenham have lost more than half the games they have played since Valentine's Day, but they are still hanging on to third place in the Premier League and knocked out mighty Manchester City to get this far. That they're in the final four is remarkable given the rash of injuries they've suffered -- most notably to captain Harry Kane, who is out of both legs -- and their limited resources. Limited relative to most, but not Ajax: in any other season, Spurs would be the Cinderella team at this stage.

HOW THEY MATCH UP: Tottenham are at times perhaps more pragmatic, but there's a lot of common ground between the way these two sides play, and with the Spurs trio of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen having combined to spend nearly three decades at Ajax at youth and senior levels, there will be few surprises.

Given Kane's absence and the fact that Ajax's approach changes little home and away (regardless of the opposition's pedigree), you can imagine Spurs exploiting the counterattack, particularly with the fleet-footed Lucas Moura.

TOTTENHAM'S STAR TO WATCH: Eriksen. He's at a crossroads in many ways. He has yet to extend his contract, which expires in June 2020, suggesting he's open to a summer move. Wouldn't a decisive turn in the Champions League semifinal be the ultimate shop window? He's facing his past, but he's also the man who can create out of nothing for Tottenham and who may have to carry them, as he's done so many times before.

AJAX'S STAR TO WATCH: Frenkie De Jong. He epitomizes the modern two-way midfielder, with the added wrinkle that he carries himself with a charisma and a personality far beyond his years. He's making the jump to Barcelona in the summer but very few 21-year-olds have seemed this ready for that kind of quantum leap.

X-FACTOR, TOTTENHAM: Dele Alli. He hasn't put up the gaudy numbers of past seasons (he had 22 goals from midfield in 2016-17 compared to seven this year), partly because he missed seven weeks due to injury and partly because he has had to reinvent himself as a hole-plugging jack of all trades given Spurs' many injuries, particularly in the middle. But he has the dynamism and selflessness to match Ajax, and if he can keep Ajax from bossing the midfield, he can turn this Tottenham's way.

X-FACTOR, AJAX: David Neres. At 22, he's still very raw, but his dribbling ability and unpredictability make him a real handful. Within a philosophy that carefully balances the team versus the individual, he can lean toward the latter at times (which may be why he had a bumpy start to the campaign), but that makes him no less valuable over 180 minutes.

TOTTENHAM NEED TO... find a makeshift midfield combination that can see them through (which will not be easy, given the likely absences of Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks) without leaving the initiative to Ajax, while getting Eriksen into positions where he can create.

AJAX NEED TO... not let the intensity and fearlessness drop simply because Tottenham's pedigree isn't equal to that of their previous Champions League opponents (Juventus, Real Madrid and Bayern), while ensuring the center-back duo of Daley Blind and Matthijs de Ligt need to do as little open-field defending against Lucas Moura as possible.

PREDICTION: Tottenham 2-1 Ajax. Momentum isn't with Tottenham and the midfield is a mystery but they otherwise don't match up badly against Ajax.

Barcelona vs. Liverpool

WHEN: Wednesday, May 1, 3 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. BST

BACKSTORY: Barcelona won La Liga on Saturday and will play Valencia in the Spanish Cup final later this month, which means they're still on track for the Treble. It would be their third since 2008, which is some achievement when you consider that it had only been achieved three times in the first 40 years of European football.

Liverpool reached the Champions League final last year, of course, but unlike then -- when they went out of domestic contention early -- they are now neck-and-neck with Manchester City for the Premier League title. They've won 10 games in a row in all competitions and look stronger and more complete than last year.

HOW THEY MATCH UP: It used to be a rarity for a team to score 100 goals in all competitions, but Liverpool passed that mark on Saturday and Barcelona did it back in February. Yet though both can (and do) score plenty, there's a more patient, defensive dimension to what they do as well. Jurgen Klopp only wheels out his "heavy metal" all-out press intermittently, and compared to prior incarnations, this Barca side are more safety-oriented in the middle of the park. That fact that both have outstanding goalkeepers in Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Alisson adds another layer of solidity.

BARCELONA'S STAR TO WATCH: Lionel Messi. He's averaging more than a goal a game (again) while playing an even bigger role than before in terms of dropping deep and creating chances for others. You can find your own superlatives here.

LIVERPOOL'S STAR TO WATCH: LIVERPOOL'S STAR TO WATCH: Virgil van Dijk. Few signings have been as transformative in recent years as the Dutchman's arrival at Anfield in January 2018. A colossus in the air, his work in reading the game and marshalling a back four in which both fullbacks are often attacking at the same time is second to none.

X-FACTOR, BARCELONA: Jordi Alba. He has 16 assists in all competitions this year from left back and a nearly supernatural understanding with Messi, who often cuts in from the opposite flank. He'll be up against Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, which means Liverpool will need to get a midfielder helping out when he advances. Except they can't overcommit to him, because Messi is on the opposite side...

X-FACTOR, LIVERPOOL: Roberto Firmino. He's a center-forward who doesn't score that much (he has broken the 20-goal mark just twice in his career) but his prodigious movement and off-the-ball work rate more than make up for it. Between Sergio Busquets in midfield and Gerard Pique at the back, Barcelona won't want to lose sight of him.

BARCELONA NEED TO... Dictate the game in midfield and pin back Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson, Liverpool's full-backs, while denying service to Salah and Sadio Mane, particularly in transition.

LIVERPOOL NEED TO... Be aware of Messi at all times, but particularly when he drops back to create. Ensure the front three don't get isolated, while also maintaining their shape.

PREDICTION: Liverpool 1-2 Barcelona. Two evenly matched sides but one of them has Messi, the other does not.

Though Royal Challengers Bangalore are at the bottom of the table with just eight points, there are still a couple of ways by which they can reach the playoffs.

The first condition, of course, is that they win their remaining two games, which gives them 12 points. That would obviously mean a loss each for Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, which will mean Royals reach a maximum of 12 points, that if they beat Delhi Capitals.

The second condition is that Sunrisers must lose to Mumbai Indians on May 2, and stay on 12 points.

Whoever wins the Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders match must then lose their final game. Kings XI play theirs at home against Chennai Super Kings, while Knight Riders play theirs away, in Mumbai.

The winners of the Kings XI v Knight Riders game will then have 12 points, while the losers will have either 10 or 12 points depending on the result of their final game.

So, basically, if Royal Challengers win their final two games, Sunrisers lose theirs, Royals beat Capitals, the Kings XI v Knight Riders winners lose their final game and the losers win theirs, then five teams - Royals, Royal Challengers, Kings XI, Sunrisers and Knight Riders - will be on 12 points, leaving net run-rate to decide who qualify for the playoffs.

The best-case scenario for Royal Challengers is (a) Royals lose to Capitals, and (b) Kings XI and Knight Riders both lose their final games. That will leave just three teams on 12 points: Sunrisers, Royal Challengers and the winners of Kings XI v Knight Riders, while the other two teams will be on 10.

The other part, though, is that Royal Challengers need to get their net run-rate up. It's currently the lowest (-0.694), so they need to win their remaining two games by big margins and hope the teams around them lose by big margins too. Sunrisers' net run-rate of +0.709 is a big problem for them. They not only have to beat Sunrisers by a big margin but hope Mumbai do too, so that net run-rate slides. Knight Riders also have a positive net run-rate (+0.1), so ideally Royal Challengers would want Kings XI to beat them and stop them getting to 12 points. If Royal Challengers, Kings XI and Sunrisers are the teams to finish on 12 points, then there's some hope for Royal Challengers, but again, only if Sunrisers lose their last two emphatically.

South Africa's anxious wait for an update on Dale Steyn's injured right shoulder continues, but the fast bowler has seen a specialist in Cape Town since his early return from the IPL. In two weeks, the Proteas will meet for a pre-World Cup camp, and the selectors have until May 23 to name a potential replacement - if Steyn is not fully fit by then.

"As it stands, we are aware that Dale Steyn has seen the shoulder specialist since he got back from India," National Selection Panel convener Linda Zondi told ESPNcricinfo. "But at the moment we're just waiting for our medical team to keep us updated in terms of his progress. He's still due to meet up with the team for camp on the 12th, and as the selection panel, we'll be guided by the medical team, and then we'll take it from there."

Zondi said the coach Ottis Gibson will be part of the decision making as well. "Ottis is also a specialist from the bowling point of view, so he will definitely take Dale for a run in the nets to see how he's doing with his shoulder and how far he might have to go. We still have enough time before the 23rd of May to decide whether we need to change the team or not. But for now that's where we are."

Steyn, 35, played two matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore before his right shoulder - which has previously been seriously injured - flared up. He had already been named in South Africa's World Cup squad, and had been expected to lead the attack alongside Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, with Anrich Nortje as back-up.

"Ottis will definitely take Dale for a run in the nets to see how he's doing with his shoulder and how far he might have to go" SA selection convener Linda Zondi

Nortje is himself recovering from injury and told ESPNcricinfo that he bowled six overs in a match against the touring Afghanistan Academy team last week and that he is "still busy with rehab and building and getting closer to bowling fitness. Really happy with how things have gone but still have a bit of work to do".

Ngidi, who has been recovering from a Grade II muscle strain in his side, also got some overs in his legs against the touring Afghanistan side. JP Duminy's rehabilitation from shoulder surgery continues, and he has returned to competitive action with the Cape Cobras at the tail end of the CSA T20 Challenge. Definitive news on Steyn, however, is yet to emerge, and in the meantime CSA have potential replacements on stand-by - though they don't want to say exactly who just yet.

Big picture

Both teams are already through to the playoffs, but places in the top two are still up for grabs, and any slip-ups in the closing stages of the league phase could land either Delhi Capitals or Chennai Super Kings in the Eliminator. It's not a situation either team wants to be in. Capitals have considerable momentum behind them, having won six of their last seven matches, but Super Kings come to this meeting with defeats in three of their last four games.

This slump in form can be read as a season-long weakness finally beginning to reflect in their results. Of all teams in the competition, Super Kings have been the slowest-scoring team in the Powerplay, with a run rate of 6.4 in that phase, and in the middle overs (7-15), where they have gone at 6.9. Two of their key batsmen, Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav, are this season's slowest scorers among all batsmen with a minimum of 100 runs to their name, with strike rates of 89.49 and 96.42 respectively. In third place, at 110.49, is another Super King - Faf du Plessis.

MS Dhoni's form (his 314 runs this season have come at an average of 104.66 and a strike rate of 137.11) could only cover these cracks for so long. It wasn't surprising that Super Kings, minus Dhoni, slumped to 109 all out, and their first home defeat of the season, in their last match against Mumbai Indians.

Apart from the fever that kept him out of the game against Mumbai, Dhoni has also had to deal with back trouble this season. Will he be back on Tuesday? We don't know yet.

"Dhoni is progressing," Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said on the eve of the match. "He's been pretty sick during the week. We'll make a call on him tomorrow but he's progressing, which is good."

Whether Dhoni plays or not, Capitals will know it's never an easy task to play Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Their away record - five wins in six games this season - should give them confidence, but if they haven't been quite as good at home - three wins in six games - it's because they haven't enjoyed batting on the slow, grippy surface at Feroz Shah Kotla. Only one surface this season has been slower and grippier this season - the one they'll play on tomorrow.

Previous meeting

Dwayne Bravo picked up three wickets at the death, and Capitals only managed 29 in their last five overs, leaving Super Kings a not-hugely-challenging 147 to chase. Shane Watson's 26-ball 44 gave them the early impetus, but the win took until the last over to arrive, thanks to a leisurely stand of 48 in 53 balls between Dhoni and Jadhav.

In the news

Like Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and du Plessis were also absent ill from the match against Mumbai. Unlike Dhoni, both have recovered fully. "Faf's been fine. Jadeja's also training well," Fleming said. "Definitely in consideration for tomorrow."

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Faf du Plessis/M Vijay, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni/Dhruv Shorey, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Ravindra Jadeja/Mitchell Santner, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Harbhajan Singh, 11 Imran Tahir

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Colin Ingram, 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Sandeep Lamichhane, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Ishant Sharma

Strategy punt

• Kagiso Rabada has played 18 games for Capitals/Daredevils in the IPL, and he's picked up two or more wickets in 11 of those matches. Of those 11 games, his team has won eight and lost three. When he's picked up less than two wickets, however, they've only won two out of five. These numbers suggest that teams are unable to go after the other Capitals bowlers if they suffer too much damage at the hands of their main strike weapon; perhaps there is a case for Super Kings to play Rabada out watchfully.

• Colin Ingram has had an excellent IPL season against spin, scoring 91 off 64 balls while only being dismissed once. He's not been great against pace, though, scoring 80 off 62 while being dismissed six times. Rishabh Pant has been pretty good against spin - 152 off 108 balls, four dismissals - but devastating against pace - 191 off 105 balls, six dismissals. Spinners always bowl plenty of overs in Chennai, and which of these two left-handers bats at No. 4 and which one is held back to No. 5 could well depend on the phase of the innings and which bowlers are operating.

• Jadeja has bowled 165 balls to right-hand batsmen in IPL 2019, conceding 161 runs and taking nine wickets. Against left-hand batsmen, he has bowled 75 balls, conceding 104 runs and taking no wickets. Mitchell Santner, on the other hand, has been excellent against left-hand batsmen (14 balls, nine runs, two wickets), albeit from a small sample size. Given the number of left-handers in Delhi's top order, however, Super Kings might be tempted to retain Santner even though Jadeja should be available, even if they aren't able to bring back du Plessis as a result.

Stats that matter

• Super Kings have won 13 and lost six of their matches against Capitals.

• If du Plessis features, he will be playing his 200th T20 match.

• Dwayne Bravo is one short of 300 T20 sixes, and also one short of 50 T20 wickets at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

• Suresh Raina has 49 fifties in T20 cricket.