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PAPA Johns is serving up a new loyalty scheme, saving customers some serious dough.

Pizza lovers can earn points when ordering online, resulting in money off future takeouts.

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Papa John’s is offering huge savings off orders through the app or online[/caption]

Customers will now earn one point for every £1 spent via the app or online.

For every 20 points collected, £3 of ‘Papa Dough’ is awarded – meaning that for every £20 spent on pizza will automatically grant a huge discount off the next purchase.

As part of the new and improved system, hungry Brits will earn points at a rate four times higher than before and won’t have to wait to use their rewards.

The Papa Dough can be spread across orders – applying the discount to pizzas, sides, desserts and drinks.

Robert Beattie, VP International Technology at Papa Johns said: “Enhancing our digital and customer experience is a key priority for us, and the refresh of Papa Rewards is a direct result of listening to our customers and leveraging data-driven insights.

“We’ve designed a program that is seamless, transparent, and genuinely rewarding, giving customers more flexibility and value every time they order.”

The new scheme is now live, visit the app or online for more information.

This comes as hundreds of Papa Johns branches are set to close across the UK.

Papa Johns, which operates 524 locations in the UK, declined to say how many branches will be affected.

It told investors it anticipates “additional strategic restaurant closures of low-performing restaurants” in a bid to boost profits.

A spokesperson for the pizza giant said: “As our second largest global market, the UK is critical to Papa Johns’s long-term success.

“As we work to fully optimize our restaurant operations and improve profitability across the market, we will continue evaluating the growth potential of our restaurants.

“This includes working collaboratively with our franchisees to strategically close low-performing locations when necessary, as well as continuing to invest in the right locations for the benefit of our customers.

“We will work to fully support team members through any transitions. 

“However, it’s important to note that no final decisions have been made at this time.”

Papa Johns is the UK’s second-largest pizza takeaway brand, and has 118 branches that it owns and runs, as well as 406 franchises.

Domino’s, the chain’s biggest rival, operates at 1,253 locations and Pizza Hut 150.

Papa Johns’ first British restaurant opened in 1999 in Grays in Essex after the brand went international.

But by 2013, it celebrated the opening of its 200th UK store.

The pizza chain closed 22 restaurants in 20223 but opened new branches in 15 locations.

The closures come as hospitality bosses say that they are facing the worse start to the year ever with a string of high profile closures.

Restaurant chains are suffering from a double-whammy of falling sales as cash-strapped consumers cut back on going out and rising costs from higher wages, rent, energy and ingredient costs. 

In 2023, some well-known retailers shut a handful of branches, while others have disappeared from the high street for good.

In January 2023, Byron Burger fell into administration, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs.

Italian dining chain Prezzo revealed plans to shut 46 restaurants back in April due to soaring energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk.

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Hundreds of Papa John’s stores are set to close across the UK[/caption]

PEP GUARDIOLA admits he has no idea which Manchester City will turn up for their Champions League showdown with Real Madrid.

City’s “incredible machine” malfunctioned during a disastrous run at the end of 2024 and they were thumped 5-1 in the Prem by Arsenal nine days ago.

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Pep Guardiola admits he does not know which Man City team will turn up[/caption]

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And he fears the quality of Real Madrid’s Fab 4[/caption]

Ahead of tonight’s play-off first leg at the Etihad, boss Guardiola said: “This season we struggled a lot. Before I would feel, ‘Yeah, the team is consistent, we can do it’. Now it’s like, ‘I don’t know’.

“You never know before the game what’s going to happen, how they react. And now we’ve had a lot of injuries, players are a little bit up and down.”

City have won seven of their last ten games in all competitions, a run that included the humiliation by the Gunners and a 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Guardiola’s reigning Prem champs are currently fifth — 15 points behind leaders Liverpool.

And he said: “We are not being consistent. What defined this team in the last decade is we are an incredible machine every three days.

“Otherwise, we could not win six titles in seven years and these incredible trophies.

“Of course, we can perform well on Tuesday, of course we can perform well in Madrid, of course we can perform well to the end of the season,

“But before, I could tell you, ‘OK, it’s going to happen now’ — and now  I don’t know how it’s going to react, that’s the reality.”

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This is the fifth time in six seasons the heavyweights have been drawn together after struggling in the new-look league phase.

Pep added: “I know the game plan. I know the way we want to play.

“I still have doubts for the selection, because I have injuries and people come back.

“But at the same time, I’m so optimistic and calm. We’ll see what happens.

“Of course it would be good to continue for the club, for the prestige to win this competition.”

Pep knows it will be ‘impossible’ to keep Real Madrid’s Fab Four quiet for both legs of their heavyweight European eliminator.

But City must stop Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham from being too influential if they are to make the last-16 of the Champions League.

City boss Guardiola admitted: “All four are exceptional. It’s impossible — 90 minutes, 180 minutes or 200 minutes if there’s extra time — to control these four players.

“How they combine, the ability one against one, how they keep the ball.

“We have to reduce their involvement as much as possible. They have the ability to keep it and make extra touches and extra passes.

“When that happens,  they can run, they can combine the shortest passes with the moments in behind.”

City defender Ruben Dias pointed out the Premier League champions have ‘guns’ of their own in the dressing room like Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden.

And the last two winners of this tournament could hardly know each other any better.

This will be the fifth season in six they have been drawn together — each having gone through twice so far.

City have lost just one of eight legs against the Spanish giants.

But their defence has struggled to keep clean sheets this season – particularly without the protection usually provided by midfielder Rodri since he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in September.

And the addition of French superstar Mbappe to the Madrid sides City have faced in previous years makes their task even harder.

Guardiola insisted: “We are going to try to impose our game and be smart, especially in the first leg.

“The way you have to play. It’s important to read the tempo. We have to play to get a good result to take to the Bernabeu.”

Madrid have their own defensive problems so attack could be the best form of defence for City.

Guardiola added: “What we were, what we are — I know perfectly.
“But the team has something special, our team. Hopefully, on Tuesday we can prove it.”

The return of Dias — who has started only 19 matches in an injury-hit campaign — will be crucial to City’s hopes.

And the Portuguese defender, 27, claimed that holders Madrid should be worried too. He said: “Since I’ve been here this is the most ­difficult season.

“But even in the most difficult times you can achieve something beautiful.  We know how difficult it will be. But we have loads of guns in the dressing room and just have to use them the right way.”

Dias believes City have learned plenty from their previous meetings with Madrid — and felt aggrieved to be knocked out of last April’s quarter-final on penalties.

Two years ago, City memorably won 4-0 at the Etihad on their way to a historic Treble.

A year before that they were knocked out in a dramatic semi-final in the Spanish capital.

Dias added: “When we won the Treble, that feeling in the Bernabeu was important — the understanding of how good we need to be to win this game.

“You might think the 4-0 was very easy, but it was a mix of so many things where we needed to be full on our game.

“Last year was frustrating because we dominated but weren’t able to score the goals that would have made the difference.

“They won’t make it easy for us. We need to do what we do better than ever and fight more than ever because that’s how you win.”

Dias is raring to go after a stop-start last few months — having rushed back from injury too soon.

He admitted: “It’s been frustrating. In a period like this, in which you want to be next to your family on the pitch.

“You help any way you can. One of the ways is to recover as well and as fast as you can.

“You need to be wise with the comeback, the schedule is ruthless.

You’re at a point when the train is going in the season and you need to catch that train.”

If Dias helps City win tonight, it would be just the ticket.

LLOYDS, Halifax and Bank of Scotland are set to close almost 300 branches this year and with the map below you can check if your local is affected.

The three banks are all part of Lloyds Banking Group, which confirmed it would close 136 branches between May 2025 and March 2026.

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Lloyds Banking Group is set to close some 300 branches this year[/caption]

When these closures are combined with the 53 already planned by the banking giant, customers can expect to see almost 200 branches shut their doors for good.

Branches are located across the country including in Crewe, Felixstowe, Edinburgh, Bristol, Ludlow, Manchester, Sheffield and Skegness.

A spokesperson for Lloyds Banking Group said: “Over 20million customers are using our apps for on-demand access to their money and customers have more choice and flexibility than ever for their day-to-day banking.

“Alongside our apps, customers can also use telephone banking, visit a community banker or use any Halifax, Lloyds or Bank of Scotland branch, giving access to many more branches.

“Customers can also do their everyday banking at over 11,000 branches of the Post Office or in a Banking Hub.”

Across all banks hundreds of bank branches are set to close this year, with many likely to see their local in-person services disappear.

Banks and building societies have closed 6,161 branches since January 2015 at a rate of around 53 each month, according to Which?.

Lloyds Banking Group itself has shut down 1,216 sites.

Lloyds has blamed the decision to shut the branches on customers shifting away from banking in person to using mobile services.

There are now 20million people signed up to the group’s online services and it has invested £4billion in improving tech across the banks.

It said that all workers at the affected branches will be offered jobs elsewhere in the company.

Once all previously announced closures are complete, Lloyds Banking Group will have a total of 757 branches – 386 Lloyds, 281 Halifax, and 90 Bank of Scotland.

The closure plan was revealed just weeks after Lloyds announced another major change to its bank branches.

The banking giant has revealed plans to let customers access services at any branch regardless of which brand they bank with.

The news came after NatWest said it would close 53 bank branches over the next year.

While the rate of bank branch closures has slowed, research found that 410 bank branches shut in 2024 – more than one a day on average.

What to do if your local bank branch closes

New rules from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) mean banks and building societies that shut branches have to make sure customers can still get cash.

When they make changes, they need to check whether local communities will be left without important cash services, like branches or ATMs, and fix any significant gaps.

Residents and community groups can also ask for a review of cash-access gaps, and the providers have to respond.

If big gaps are found, banks and building societies need to offer reasonable alternatives, like keeping branches or ATMs open until new ones are set up.

Solutions can include setting up banking hubs, new ATMs, or using Post Office facilities to keep cash services going.

The vast majority of banking customers are moving online and don’t need a physical branch as much as before.

But any closures can be an issue for others, particularly elderly people in rural areas who don’t have access to the internet.

However, if your local branch is set to close, or has recently, you have some options.

You can carry out most basic banking tasks at your nearest Post Office.

You won’t be able to apply for a loan or open a new bank account at one though.

You can find your nearest Post Office branch by using the locator tool on its website.

Plus, hundreds more banking hubs are set to open to replace lost banking services following years of widespread branch closures.

Banking hubs offer a solution by allowing staff from multiple banks to share the same space, filling the gaps that branch closures left.

Banking hubs typically feature a counter service operated by the Post Office as standard, enabling customers to conduct routine banking transactions conveniently.

Other banks use buildings such as village halls or libraries to offer mobile banking services.

It’s worth contacting your bank to see what services they have available, and when they might next be in your area.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

LIVERPOOL may no longer be able to win the Quadruple, but the Treble is still very much on.

The Premier League would arguably be the main prize from the remaining set of trophies, and their next game against Everton could be pivotal in achieving that goal.

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Arne Slot’s Liverpool will be looking to bounce back from defeat at Plymouth[/caption]

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Mohamed Salah has had a special role to play all season which has seen his numbers explode[/caption]

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Andy Robertson has been key to Slot’s offside busters[/caption]

Arne Slot‘s side sit top of the table having lost once all season.

And a win on Wednesday will see them move nine points clear at the top of the summit to set them well on their way to English title number 20.

But bragging rights are on the table, and Everton are on a three-league game-winning run under returning boss David Moyes.

However, Liverpool have some key weapons which should serve to help them triumph in this final Goodison derby.

How offside trap is broken

They might not be the dum busters, but Slot’s Liverpool certainly are offside busters.

In a slight tweak to what Jurgen Klopp had his team doing last year, Liverpool have developed from 4-3-3 into an almost 4-1-5.

That has come largely thanks to Ryan Gravenberch sitting in there, but more on him later.

Liverpool, like any modern team, shift formations between attack and defence.

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And like many of their rivals Slot’s side often end in a 3-2-5 formation when in possession, be that a full-back going in or a midfielder dropping.

That is the simple bit. But the genius bit comes in when you look at their runners off the ball.

Slot has trained his side to bust an offside trap, often coming from the full-backs or deep midfielders.

It could be Trent Alexander-Arnold or Andy Robertson on one side or Dominik Szoboszlai on the inside right, but it often ends up being a huge lung-busting sprint.

The players who do this – most often Robertson – don’t even want the ball during these runs, but do it to force the opposition backline back towards their own goal.

This dummy run opens up more space for the players who do want the ball. And as simple as it sounds, it is not something that teams are figuring out.

When Robertson makes these runs, it ends up helping Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz to stay onside and creating a gap between midfield and defence.

It’s almost like an old-school computer game that makes you wonder where they are going.

But there is a method to the madness and it has been seen against the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham and Crystal Palace.

When you consider they rank second highest in the league for passes into the final third but third lowest for offside offences it is quite remarkable and is clearly working, even if it is in essence a confusion tactic.

Taking turns in midfield

The midfield is the single most important part of the Liverpool team.

Klopp left Slot with a batch of good players to inherit, and many of those players are capable of running seemingly the entire game.

But when you take a closer look, you can see the midfield actually rotates around.

One of the players, usually Szobszlai or Alexis Mac Allister with Gravenberch sitting, will sprint and run forward into space to disrupt the opposition.

However, this is never the same player and varies from attack to attack.

Importantly, by doing one-in-three, Liverpool players are able to save some energy and not completely break the system down by leaving one player exposed.

Class, the Dutchy on the left-hand side

Cody Gakpo, what a player. He had a difficult first season in England with his best position not quite being completely clear.

But under Slot, Gakpo has become a bit of everything – a winger, second striker and main striker.

Gakpo, along with Diaz, are such an effective attacking partnership because they are completely interchangeable.

When a long ball is needed, Gakpo will often drift into the left inside channel, where he can win more in the air while Diaz drifts out to the left flank.

When you then add the aforementioned deep runs from Robertson to break the offside trap that can then allow for a ball into the feet of Diaz where he can then attack the space in front of him.

Even if the ball goes out to the right, Gakpo will then drift over to the left to attack the ball at the far post.

It’s a fantastic left-hand side rotation.

But it must be a nightmare for any right-back who ends up trying to pick up as many as three players making simultaneous runs.

No tracking back, Mo problem

There are moments when even the imperious Liverpool have to defend, although Salah is exempt from that requirement.

And it is not that he is lazy, far from it. In fact, the Kop’s Egyptian king has been told he doesn’t have to get back. But like all things with Slot, there is a plan.

One of the key reasons he has been allowed to stay forward is Slot moving towards a system with more traditional full-backs.

On Salah’s side, Alexander-Arnold is not inverting most weeks, meaning the opposition full-back does not simply have the run on that side of the field.

Instead, Salah is a hidden weapon for when Liverpool launches their counter-attacks because Salah is one of the most dangerous players in transition in the Premier League.

So with the support of Diaz and Gakpo and the immense midfield three, Salah is actually able to be carried a bit out of his defensive duties.

Of course, him staying forward means the opposition need to leave two back to keep him in check, which automatically helps Liverpool to win the numbers game.

Less running also means he is able to impact games more effectively later on as he still has a burst of energy.

Gravenberch in the key slot

It is no secret that Gravenberch did not exactly shine under Klopp, but under Slot, he could be the single most important player in the team.

When the Dutchman arrived many people profiled him as an eight or attacking midfielder given his time at Ajax and Bayern Munich.

But he has turned out to actually be best suited to being a deep-lying player.

There is no higher compliment to be given than calling him what he rightly is; Liverpool’s Rodri.

He is expertly able to back up play, whereby he follows the ball as it goes from left to right and vice versa.

His big physical presence also means he is often not fussed about an opposition player coming into his area as he is simply able to win the ball before zipping a pass straight back towards the team-mates in front of him.

Gravenberch is able to keep feeding the beast that is Liverpool’s attack.

And it is no exaggeration to say that if not for the spectacular year Salah is having, he would probably be the best player in the league this season.

BARRY HEARN is set to become the oldest person to appear in a professional pool tournament in the UK.

The British sports promoter, 76, has been given a wildcard to play at the UK Open Pool Championship, which takes place at the Telford International Centre between May 6-11.

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Barry Hearn will appear at the UK Open Pool Championship[/caption]

Hearn, who has vowed to practise daily in the build-up, will be involved in at least two games and his goal is to win one of them.

It follows his appearance at last summer’s US Open Pool Championship at Atlantic City where he won one rack in a 9-1 opening-round loss to Polish star Konrad Juszczyszyn – and this cost son Eddie a lot of money in a family bet.

His progress and performance should feature in the new Netflix documentary – ‘Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen’ – which has been following the Hearn family as they promote darts, snooker and boxing.

Given his company run the World Nineball Tour, it was not exactly hard to secure the spot but he told the haters: “I don’t really care – I’m entering.”

Speaking to SunSport, Hearn said: “The US Open was a dream achieved. But there was nothing planned afterwards until now.

“If I thought I was keen before that, I’m four times keener now. I have had the taste.

“I won one rack, which cost Eddie a fortune. He had to take me out for this lavish meal.

“The bet was ‘you won’t win a rack’. And he had to pay for the most expensive lunch you can ever arrange, which we did.

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“We went to a Smith & Wollensky restaurant. A private room. It will be on the Netflix documentary.

“Nineball has become an addiction with me. I thought the US Open was supposed to be a one-off and a bucket list item ticked off.

“It has caused chaos in my household but I have cleared out a room and my own table will arrive in the next few weeks. I will play every day.

“I have a clearer understanding of how difficult the game is, how enjoyable it is and I have the desire to be better.

“Now, I want to win a game. I’m the oldest person in the tournament.

“My struggle is the same for those 76-year-olds out there that dreamed of being at Wembley and scoring the winning goal – or hitting the winning runs at Lord’s.

“I’m 27 years older than Ronnie O’Sullivan and he’s contemplating retirement from snooker. I’m just starting this journey in the sport. I have no excuses for not getting better.

“I think I have earned my wildcard. I don’t care what people think. I have paid my dues. I’m not thinking I’m a risk to the eventual winner.

“There should be no boundaries in sport. Ability is the only criteria. I am not good enough to win it but I might do better than at the US Open and that is my goal.”

talkSPORT presenter Andy Goldstein is the other celebrity to be involved in the 256-player field, which features the top-128 professional players.

Troy Deeney, the former Watford striker, was due to play in the 2024 UK Open but pulled out with an injury suffered during boxing training.

Goldstein said: “My practice begins this week, and this year, my goal isn’t just to win a match.

“I’m determined to break into the world rankings and secure my status as an official professional pool player.”

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Troy Deeney pulled out of the tournament last year[/caption]