Manchester City’s winless run after the international break extended to two games, following a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

It was a night where Pep Guardiola made ten changes, with Nico Gonzalez the only player to keep his place in the side. However, it was not a decision that paid off.

It was a fairly equal first half, with City failing to exert any sort of dominance on the German side, which you might expect from them at the Etihad Stadium. They only managed five shots in that first 45 minutes.

Alejandro Grimaldo opened the scoring for the visitors in the 23rd minute, striding into the box unmarked and sweetly striking a left-footed volley into the bottom right corner.

It was a superb finish, but poor defending from Guardiola’s side to allow him that much space.

In the second half, the City manager turned to the bench, calling upon the likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki to get his side back into the game. Yet, a header from Patrick Schick in the 54th minute doubled Leverkusen’s lead and was enough to seal the win.

It was a poor performance from City, with some players failing to take their chances.

City's worst performers vs. Leverkusen

On a night where Guardiola rotated his side, it could have been the moment for some players to stake a claim for a more regular starting spot. Well, one of the players who struggled was defender Nathan Ake.

The Dutchman has become a squad player under the former Barcelona manager in recent times, and did not exactly cover himself in glory on Tuesday night.

There is a case to be made that he was at fault for Schick’s goal, allowing the Czech Republic striker to get in front of him in the penalty box and head home. It was poor defending from the experienced Ake.

Another player who underwhelmed was Omar Marmoush. The Egyptian attacker is Haaland’s understudy at the Etihad Stadium, so it will always be hard for him to get regular minutes as a number nine.

Against Leverkusen, he was completely isolated and struggled to get involved in the game, being replaced by the Norwegian in the 65th minute.

Marmoush managed just 18 touches of the ball, didn’t manage a shot and could only win two out of five duels.

As poor as Ake and Marmoush were, two City players were arguably worse.

Man City's 4/10 duo must never start together again

Marmoush and Ake were disappointing, but two players who really played poorly were Savinho and Oscar Bobb. They were City’s two wingers against Leverkusen, but City Chief, a page over on X, said they “offer nothing” when playing out on the flanks.

Indeed, it was a night to forget for both of the wide men.

They didn’t cause Leverkusen many major problems, having a combined 12 touches in their box, creating two chances between them and losing the ball 34 times altogether.

Touches in opposition box

10

2

Chances created

0

2

Passes into final third

1

0

Ground duels won

5/12

3/4

Number of times ball lost

25

9

One person who noticed how lacklustre the wingers performed was Manchester Evening News reporter Simon Bajkowski. He gave them both a 4/10 rating, explaining that Bobb ‘went missing’ after the opening minutes and Savinho had no ‘meaningful contributions’.

With Jeremy Doku and Cherki tending to be Guardiola’s first-choice wingers this term, it is hard to see how the pairing that started against the German side will get into the team together again.

Individually, the quality is there, but as a duo, they lack the potency and perhaps confidence to pose a real threat to a full-back. It was certainly a passive showing against Leverkusen, especially with City losing for most of the game.

It is hard to see how Guardiola doesn’t switch back to his first-choice wide pairing, after such a disappointing performance from Bobb and Savinho.

They would fit well with more direct wingers on the other flank, but as a duo, are perhaps too similar and not urgent enough in one-vs-ones to cause frequent problems.

Worse than Savinho: Man City star is in danger of becoming another Grealish

This Manchester City star is in danger of becoming the next Jack Grealish after another off-performance versus Bayer Leverkusen.

2 ByKelan Sarson Nov 26, 2025

India are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI, but West Indies might be tempted to bring in the left-arm pace of Jediah Blades

Sidharth Monga09-Oct-20253:13

Gill outlines the challenges of being an all-format player

Big picture: Series sweep on India’s mindThe late Khushwant Singh, one of the more illustrious lovers and residents of Delhi, called October in the city the “pleasantest” of all the months in the northern hemisphere. Like with most things Khushwant, the statement sparks lively debate, especially with lovers of spring in late February and March.This is all relative now: with rampant urbanisation and climate change, it is now more about which months are less unpleasant and less harmful to your health. The BCCI has just about winged the most harmful time for elite athletes to undertake high-performance activity – not before being called out for it – and the early snowfall in the hills has cooled the temperatures to the usual October levels to tease those given to wistfulness for the Delhi of old.Related

The art of Jadeja: subtle genius hiding in plain sight

Sammy: 'We did not reap financial rewards' of our legacy

India trying to ready Reddy for greater challenges

Brian Lara asks West Indies players to 'find a way'

West Indies' Test-match batting a symptom of deeper issues

Those given to wistfulness also yearn for the West Indies of the old. Not the one that lasted just 89.2 overs in the first Test. More importantly, not the one that looked unthreatening with the ball in an effort of 5 for 448. Not the side whose coach Daren Sammy has to hope a player will “accept” the opportunity when he calls to inform them they have been selected for West Indies.There is not a lot West Indies can hope to change between the two Tests. Ahmedabad, with an early-season greenness on the pitch, was their best chance, but they were without the Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar. In Delhi, the onus will be more on the slower bowlers.It doesn’t help that India are somewhere close to their best after the blip against New Zealand last year. With the exception of Rishabh Pant, whose fractured foot hasn’t fully healed yet, they are at full strength. They are keen on making this a clean sweep, which will take their WTC points percentage to 61.9, still in third place.Form guideIndia WWDLW
West Indies LLLLW1:33

Chopra: ‘West Indies batters need belief on better batting pitch’

In the spotlight: Nitish Kumar Reddy and Jomel WarricanTest cricket is not where you prepare players for the future, but like Hardik Pandya almost a decade ago, India want to give Nitish Kumar Reddy a proper workload in slightly lesser challenges so that he can be the seam-bowling allrounder India need not just in away Tests but also the ODI World Cup in South Africa in 2027. Ryan ten Doeschate, their assistant coach, said just that two days before this Test. In Ahmedabad, he got to bowl only four overs and didn’t get to bat at all. It remains to be seen if India go out of their way to involve him more in this Test.Jomel Warrican is the vice-captain of the side, their most experienced specialist spinner, and joint-most experienced bowler. But he averages 54.25 in four Tests against India, two each at home and away. He will want to do way better in Delhi than the 29-5-102-1 he returned in Ahmedabad.0:49

Chopra: ‘Sai Sudharsan needs runs or the pressure will mount’

Team news: Could Devdutt Padikkal get a game?India have no reason to change their XI. However, is B Sai Sudharsan feeling any heat, and is Devdutt Padikkal breathing down his neck?India (possible): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Shubman Gill (capt), 5 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed SirajIt doesn’t make a lot of sense to change the batting on such a short trip. The one change West Indies might consider is bringing in Jediah Blades to give themselves a left-arm seam option.West Indies (possible): 1 Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 2 John Campbell, 3 Alick Athanaze, 4 Brandon King, 5 Shai Hope (wk), 6 Roston Chase (capt), 7 Justin Greaves, 8 Jomel Warrican, 9 Khary Pierre, 10 Johann Layne/Jediah Blades, 11 Jayden SealesPitch and conditionsDelhi is likely to be a typical Indian track, good for batting on the first two-and-a-bit days before bringing the spinners into the game. The drop in temperatures should make it difficult for the pitch to break up suddenly. The week in the lead-up to the Test has brought some rain, but the Test is not likely to be affected.3:31

Sammy: ‘Our problems are rooted deep into our system’

Stats and trivia India haven’t lost a Test in Delhi since November 1987, which, incidentally, was to West Indies. Since then, they have won 12 and drawn 12. Ravindra Jadeja is ten short of 4000 Test runs. Only Ian Botham, Kapil Dev and Daniel Vettori before him have achieved the double of 4000 runs and 300 wickets.Quotes”We think it would be unfair on the guy [Reddy] if we only play him overseas. Because that doesn’t give him that many opportunities. In the next year and a half, we aren’t playing that many matches outside of India, so to be able to back a guy who can bowl 10-15 overs in a day and can bat as well – we sat his ability and potential in Australia – so we want to give him as much game time in India to help him.”
India captain Shubman Gill doesn’t feel Reddy is an option only for overseas Tests“If we complain about not having the best facilities, not having enough manpower like the other teams, not having the best technology, all these things which the other teams are superior to us [in], then why the hell are they still outworking us? The only way we could match up [and] compete at a consistent level is if we as the coaches and the players are prepared to outwork the opposition, and we’re not doing that.”

Rasmus Hojlund formed part of a bizarre celebration after teeing up Napoli team-mate David Neres for a crucial goal that settled a top-of-the-table Serie A clash with Roma. The Manchester United outcast, who has rediscovered his smile since returning to Italy in the summer of 2025, played a leading role in the effort which settled a keenly-fought contest at Stadio Olimpico.

Man Utd struggles: Hojlund happy again in Italy

Denmark international Hojlund previously enjoyed a productive spell in Italian football with Atalanta. It was his performances there which convinced Premier League giants United to part with a £72 million ($95m) transfer fee in the summer of 2023.

The 22-year-old frontman endured a tough time at Old Trafford, registering 26 goals through 95 appearances, and was allowed to link up with Napoli ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. He has found the target for them on four occasions across 12 outings.

AdvertisementWatch Hojlund take part in bizarre 'bird' celebration

In a flap: How Hojlund and Neres downed Roma

Hojlund did not hit the net on his latest appearance, but still managed to make a decisive contribution. That is because it was his quick counter-attack that allowed Neres to settle a tight encounter with Roma.

Hojlund was picked out by Neres as they raced out of their own half. The burly Danish striker carried the ball down the right flank, before rolling a pass inside. Neres took over from there, pulling clear of the Roma defence before stroking a composed finish into the bottom corner.

After initially sharing a warm embrace by the corner flag, Hojlund and Neres then proceeded to deliver a strange ‘bird’ celebration that saw them flap their arms like wings. Hojlund looked a little sheepish at first, but performed the routine with a smile on his face.

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GettyNapoli fixtures: Next up for Hojlund and Co

He will be hoping to deliver more moments of match-altering brilliance over the coming weeks and months. Ex-Napoli star Antonio Careca has told of the Hojlund’s contribution so far: “He’s just arrived, so you have to be patient. I don’t know him personally, but you can see he wants to give his all. Maybe too much: he doesn’t always manage to express himself.

“He has a good left foot, but both in the league and the Champions League, I’ve seen him struggle a bit. He struggled to stop the ball, and he showed a nervousness that’s normal for his age. He has a lot of quality, but we just have to wait a bit longer.”

Defending Serie A champions Napoli, who have pulled level with AC Milan on 28 points at the top of the table, will be back in action on Wednesday when facing Cagliari in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia, before then playing host to Juventus on Sunday.

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The Tigers and Mariners faced off in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday night on Fox. The winner would move on to the American League Championship Series against the Blue Jays. The loser's season would be over.

During the Fox pregame show Eugenio Suárez was highlighted just as he blew a huge bubble. The studio crew of Kevin Burkhardt, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter were all very impressed. There were random noises and laughter in the studio with Ortiz noting that he would put that on his head.

How can you not be romantic about baseball? You've got one adult blowing bubbles at work while four other adults watch him in awe and cheer.

Suárez hit 49 home runs this season, including 13 with the Mariners after he was traded from the Diamondbacks at the end of July. Suárez entered Game 5 with just two hits in the postseason, but one of those was a home run in Game 3 against the Tigers.

The Blue Jays came mere inches away from a World Series win against the Dodgers this year, with one particular series-defining play likely haunting the franchise for quite some time.

After Toronto's Game 7 loss, many Blue Jays fans pointed out a pivotal moment in the ninth inning that might have won the team the title right then and there. At the bottom of the ninth with the game tied and the bases loaded for Toronto, Daulton Varsho hit a grounder in between first and second. The Dodgers were able to throw out a sprinting Isiah Kiner-Falefa just in the nick of time, in part due to Kiner-Falefa's small lead off the third-base bag.

Blue Jays fans directed their frustrations at Kiner-Falefa for not taking a bigger lead, though the utility infielder claimed his coaches told him to stay close to the bag.

A new video from that game-changing moment shows Blue Jays third base coach Carlos Febles not only presumably telling Kiner-Falefa where to lead off, but also marking that exact spot on the ground.

You can see him clearly make a mark in the dirt here:

"They told us to stay close to the base," Kiner-Falefa said after Game 7's loss. "They don’t want us to get doubled off in that situation with a hard line drive. … They wanted a smaller lead and a smaller secondary, so that’s what I did."

By all accounts, Kiner-Falefa isn't in the wrong here. Sure, he could have ignored Febles's alleged advice and taken the risk of getting doubled off, but it makes sense that during arguably the highest pressure point of the game he chose to heed his coaches.

The Blue Jays wound up losing, 5–4, after 11 innings, capping off an instantly iconic World Series that will go down as one of the best ever in baseball history—and, sadly, as one of the cruelest ever series in Toronto's history.

يرى حازم إمام، نجم الزمالك السابق، أن هناك لاعبين في المنتخب الثاني يمكنهم تقديم إضافة حقيقية لـ منتخب مصر الأول بقيادة حسام حسن، مؤكدًا أن بعض الأسماء كانت مفاجأة له بمستواهم خلال منافسات كأس العرب 2025.

وقال حازم إمام في تصريحات عبر برنامج “الحريفة” على إذاعة “أون سبورت إف إم”: “عندما نتحدث عن اللاعبين الذين يمكن أن يستفيد منهم المنتخب الأول من المنتخب الثاني، أرى أن محمد بسام حارس المرمى رقم واحد، وأكرم توفيق”.

وتابع: “أكرم توفيق رائع، يلعب بقلب وروح، ويجيد اللعب في مركز الظهير الأيمن، خاصة أن المنتخب الأول يعاني في هذا المركز، فلا يوجد غير محمد هاني فقط، ولو تعرض لإصابة ستكون هناك أزمة”.

طالع أيضًا | “مش مرتاح”.. تعليق قوي من شوبير بعد تعادل منتخب مصر مع الإمارات في كأس العرب

وأضاف: “بالإضافة إلى أن أكرم توفيق يُجيد اللعب في وسط الملعب، ليس لديه مهارة عالية بالكرة، لكنه يلعب بقلب ويستخلص الكرة من المنافس، وهذان أكثر لاعبين فاجآني بمستواهما الجيد في المنتخب الثاني خلال البطولة العربية”.

وأشار: “أيضًا مروان حمدي كرأس حربة يأتي بعد مصطفى محمد كمهاجم رقم 9، وصلاح محسن جيد لكنه ليس طويلًا أو قويًا مثل مروان، فهو رأس حربة يمكننا الاستفادة منه في بطولة أمم إفريقيا المقبلة”.

واختتم: “منتخب مصر الثاني كان بإمكانه تقديم كرة أفضل، لو تم ضم 2 أو 3 عناصر هجومية إضافية كانوا سيحدثون الفارق”.

The former Australia captain found her stride after a tricky start and Scorchers fell short in a rain-shortened chase

AAP14-Nov-2025Meg Lanning hit top gear in her 100th WBBL game as Melbourne Stars won a rain-hit clash with Perth in Adelaide by 16 runs.The former Australian captain, dropped on 18, went berserk after a slow start to finish unbeaten on 90 off 55 balls as the Stars reached 173 for 4.A storm hit, reducing Scorchers’ chase to 95 off nine overs in a tweak that could have favoured the chasers. But Stars jumped all over them as they finished 78 for 8.Fresh off a century, Beth Mooney reached 14 off six balls with three boundaries before Kim Garth’s clever slower ball brought her undone.Wickets fell regularly, Annabel Sutherland hitting the top of Sophie Devine’s off stump to further stall momentum. Scorchers kept swinging but were never truly in the hunt, Sophie Day taking 3 for 7 from her only over.Earlier Lanning, coming off a brisk 60 in a rain-spoiled affair earlier this week, made the most of the life given to her when Ebony Hoskin spilled a chance at short third. She cruised to 35 before exploding with three boundaries and a six to go to 50 off 35 balls.The boundaries kept coming – Devine punished in particular – before Lilly Mills pegged Stars back with late wickets that starved Lanning of the strike in the final three overs.”I couldn’t get it off the square in the last two overs, fell off a cliff there,” Lanning, who has retired from international cricket, said. “But I found my rhythm and was nice to be able to go on with it. I’ve got an idea of how much I need to train to be ready and … I’m certainly enjoying myself.”

Alisha Lehmann was happy to “back her boys” when wading into a heated handball argument during the latest round of Baller League fixtures. The Swiss forward, who is plying her club trade in Italy for Como Women, has teamed up with Maya Jama again – the Love Island-presenting partner of Manchester City defender Ruben Dias – to oversee events at MVPs United.

• Baller League UK: Big personalities involved

  Emotions can run high at the Copper Box Arena in London when Baller League action takes centre stage. With ultra-fast six-a-side competition pitting former Premier League players and ambitious semi-professionals against one another, tempers can boil over at times.

  Nobody is willing to take a backwards step, with wins and points the ultimate goal. There are some big personalities involved – on and off the pitch – with few of those looking to bite their tongue when lively debates are sparked.

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• Watch Lehmann join handball argument at Baller League

• Controversial call: MVPs United slipped to defeat

  Lehmann is one of the more reserved characters, but the former WSL star – who represented the likes of West Ham and Aston Villa before heading to Italy – is prepared to fight her corner when required.

  That was the case during a meeting with Wembley Rangers for MVPs United. A controversial handball call, in what turned out to be a 3-2 defeat for Lehmann and Co, led to words being exchanged on the field. Lehmann, who was back in England for said encounter, made sure to get her point across.

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• Back for more? Lehmann and Jama could reunite in 2026

  Lehmann, with Jama not by her side on this occasion, led MVPs United out at the Copper Box. She was joined by Birmingham-raised rapper Wohdee – who is famed for her viral freestyle performances on TikTok.

  MVPs United are in danger of missing out on a place in the final four of Baller League, meaning that the ultimate prize will elude them. Interest in season two has, however, remained high – with I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here winner Angry Ginge among the celebrity managers – and it could be that Lehmann and Jama reunite for a third campaign in 2026.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has now identified a “special” Real Madrid star as a priority target, joining several other Premier League clubs in the race for his signature.

Man Utd's attacking prowess on show in win at Molineux

Man United returned to winning ways on Monday night, putting in a quality attacking performance to secure a 4-1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, with Bruno Fernandes bagging a brace.

Bryan Mbeumo also bagged his sixth goal of the Premier League season in the rout, with Mason Mount getting in on the act too, and Amorim was very impressed by the Englishman’s performance.

After the attacking midfielder scooped up the Player of the Match award, Amorim said: “He can defend, he can attack, the quality when he touches the ball is really good, so it’s not a surprise for me,”

“He’s a different type of leader. It’s not like Licha [Lisandro Martinez], for example. It’s a guy that leads by the example.”

With Matheus Cunha also grabbing an assist in the routine win, which lifted United to sixth in the table, Amorim clearly has plenty of top-quality forward options at his disposal, but a Real Madrid attacker is now of interest.

That is according to a report from Caught Offside, which states Man United are now stepping up their pursuit of Arda Guler, who has been identified as a priority target by Amorim ahead of next summer.

Arsenal and Liverpool are also in the race for Guler’s signature, with Arne Slot’s side believed to be leading the race as things stand, although Madrid aren’t planning to sanction a departure easily.

The Turk is viewed as an important part of the Spanish side’s long-term project, so it remains to be seen whether the Red Devils can tempt them into a sale.

"Special" Guler could be fantastic long-term signing for Man Utd

Just 20-years-old, the attacking midfielder has managed to establish himself as an important player for Real Madrid this season, amassing three goals and seven assists across 21 matches in all competitions.

Former manager Carlo Ancelotti has also waxed lyrical about the starlet, saying: “I think the closer to goal, the better. He is very effective, he scores a lot with little space, he has a special talent. He shows it better closer to the goal.”

Beckham loves him: Man Utd submit £100m+ offer to sign England superstar

INEOS are chasing their biggest deal yet…

1 ByTom Cunningham 4 days ago

Having already proven himself at a high level, setting up two goals in the Champions League in 2025-26, and scoring six goals in 26 appearances for Turkey, the £87k-a-week youngster could be a fantastic long-term addition to Amorim’s squad.

He’s been described as “the single best midfield prospect in world football” by writer Neal Gardner and the fact he finished second in the 2025 Golden Boys rankings, only behind PSG’s Desire Doue, says a lot.

That said, it is somewhat difficult to envisage Madrid sanctioning a sale, given that Guler remains under contract until 2029, so there is no pressing need to cash-in, and he has been a key player for Xabi Alonso this season.