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Liverpool progressed into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a victory over Bournemouth in midweek as Jurgen Klopp’s hunt for silverware began to gather pace.

Following a disastrous 2022/23 campaign which saw the club undergo a transitional period, the Reds had returned to their relentless best, especially in the Premier League.

Four successive wins under their belt had come until a trip to Luton Town on Sunday afternoon, where Klopp’s side went a goal down, only to be rescued at the death by Luis Diaz in a surprising 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road.

Liverpool team news

Unlike last term where Liverpool suffered from a major injury crisis that curtailed their season, this time around Klopp has been able to call on the majority of his squad, aside from a few absentees.

The Merseyside giants are still without first-choice left back Andy Robertson with the Scotland captain having undergone successful surgery on a shoulder injury.

Kostas Tsimikas has continued to deputise in that position, however, Liverpool's biggest problem is in midfield as Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic remain sidelined for the foreseeable future.

While Klopp should continue to field Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch in the two advanced midfield positions, the German has a big decision to make at the base of midfield with Alexis Mac Allister picking up a yellow card against the Hatters.

That eventuality means he has accumulated five yellow cards this term and will now miss the clash with Brentford this weekend.

Alexis Mac Allister’s season in numbers

Mac Allister has been a revelation for Liverpool, especially in recent weeks, since making the switch from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer.

The World Cup-winning Argentine has been at the heart of their well-oiled pressing machine, displaying the energy and tenacity required to play in the German’s midfield.

Despite being deployed in the deeper role, Mac Allister’s defensive metrics paint the picture of someone who is thriving as the Reds destroyer, channelling his inner South American roots by throwing himself into challenges.

According to FBref, the 24-year-old has been one of the league’s best defensive midfielders this term, ranking in the top 14% against his positional peers for tackles, top 12% for ball recoveries, top 14% for interceptions and top 3% for blocks.

Mac Allister was originally signed as a box-to-box midfielder, but his tough tackling displays and tactical flexibility have seen him become a vital player in Klopp’s system, acting as a screen in front of the Liverpool back line.

The 21-cap Argentine was even lauded as a “superstar” by TNT Sports pundit and former Red Joe Cole for how he’s transitioned into his role as a six, but also praising his ability to play in any role across midfield.

He said: "I like him in any role. I've been a massive fan of him. I think he can play anywhere in the midfield."

Alexis Mac Allister’s stats vs Luton

That said, he didn't particularly have the greatest of games against Luton, notably being handed a dismal 4/10 rating by the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle, who said of his display: "Gave away possession cheaply too often first half and bypassed far too easily. Slight improvement after break. Booked."

The stats didn't make for fantastic reading either, with the summer signing ceding possession on 15 occasions, the third-highest of any Red on the day while also winning just 30% of his defensive duels. Clearly, this time around, he was lacking the physicality to cope with Luton.

Touches

98

Accurate Passes

74/87 (85%)

Key Passes

1

Duels Won

3/10

Possession Lost

15x

Fouls

2

Tackles

1

Dribble Past

3x

Stats via Sofascore.

What made matters worse was that he was dribbled past three times, largely looking isolated in the middle of the park.

Fortunately, a decision on whether Mac Allister keeps his place next weekend is out of the manager's hands, with Wataru Endo potentially set to earn a rare league start in his place.

Wataru Endo’s season in numbers

Endo has struggled to nail down a starting spot in Klopp’s plans since arriving from Stuttgart in the summer.

The Japanese international has mainly been utilised in the cup competitions, featuring from the off in all three of their Europa League matches and two Carabao Cup ties.

In the Premier League, the 30-year-old has been restricted to only one start and five substitute appearances, with the statistics suggesting he’s struggled to acclimatise to his new surroundings.

Having arrived as a tough-tackling midfield destroyer, 5 foot 10 Endo has been anything but in the top flight, averaging only 0.2 interceptions, 0.5 tackles, 1.2 balls recovered per game and only winning 39% of his duels, as per Sofascore.

Although his above metrics are slightly better in the Europa League, posting one tackle per game, 2.3 interceptions, 3.7 balls recovered and 61% of his duels won, it is likely that Klopp will now consider his "monster" for a starting berth.

With Mac Allister out, it could well be the making of a career in Anfield if the Japanese sensation can shine.

NYCFC superstar Santi Rodriguez scored a sensational free kick for them in their match vs Toronto FC Saturday evening.

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NYCFC defeat TFC 2-1Santi Rodriguez scores stunnerSecond goal of season for ArgentineWHAT HAPPENED?

The Argentina attacker lined up from a dead ball outside the box, and struck a brilliant left-footed effort to find the back of the net. His second goal of the season, the 24-year-old delivered the ball over the head of Toronto FC's Sean Johnson. The strike was the momentum NYCFC needed to get things going, as they added another in the second half to hold onto a 2-1 victory.

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The first goal conceded by Toronto FC this season, Rodriguez's effort was a stunning goal that would leave the best goalkeepers in the world stranded. The Argentine was once dubbed as the next big thing in MLS, but had a strugglesome 2023 campaign, with seven goals and six assists across the entire season. Through four matches now, though, he's on track to better his scoring record.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR NYCFC AND RODRIGUEZ?

NYCFC are back in action next weekend against reigning Supporters' Shield winners FC Cincinnati, followed by a March 30 clash against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami. They'll look to pull a string of results together as they grow throughout the season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers look to be building some encouraging form under Gary O’Neil, after what was a difficult summer at Molineux.

The Old Gold fell victim to Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions, forcing the club to sell a host of talent for essential profit, without any cash to spare to replace them.

Subsequently, O’Neil has described his squad as being left “£80m short” of quality, however the deals sanctioned this summer proved to be stellar business by Fosun with reference to their need to generate profit.

It wasn’t the first time that Wolves have offloaded talent at an appropriate time, with one of last summer’s sales seeing his market value crash after being cashed in on at Molineux.

How much did Wolves sell Leander Dendoncker for?

In September 2022, it was announced that Wolves had sold midfielder Leander Dendoncker to Midlands rivals Aston Villa.

The Belgian was sold for a sum of £13m after spending four years associated with the Old Gold, beginning with a loan spell from Anderlecht in 2018.

Despite being a popular figure at Wolves, the versatile defence-minded maestro was ruthlessly shown the door after making 159 appearances in all competitions.

It was a difficult goodbye as they watched the midfielder join their rivals, but hindsight has revealed that Wolves struck gold by offloading the 28-year-old when they did last summer.

What is Leander Dendoncker worth now?

Receiving £13m for the midfielder just over a year ago has turned out as an excellent piece of business for the Old Gold, as his market value has dropped considerably in such a short amount of time.

Now valued at €6.4m (£5.5m), Dendoncker’s expected transfer value (xTV) has taken a declining turn in the 13 months following his Molineux exit, with his value decreasing month by month as highlighted by Football Transfers.

Leander Dendoncker xTV since leaving Wolves

Month/Year

Expected transfer value

10/2022

€17.2m (£14.9m)

12/2022

€15.6m (£13.5m)

01/2023

€15.4m (£13.3m)

03/2023

€14.2m (£12.3m)

05/2023

€13m (£11.2m)

07/2023

€10m (£8.6m)

09/2023

€7.8m (£6.7m)

10/2023

€6.4m (£5.5m)

Figures via Football Transfers

From October 2022 to October 2023, the combative gem’s value has seen a drop of around £7.5m as shown in the table above, reinforcing the success of Wolves’ sale.

The Belgian has been limited in his game time at Villa Park since his arrival, as the Villans welcomed fellow midfielder Boubacar Kamara to the fold in the same summer, with the Frenchman being the number one figure to partner Douglas Luiz in the engine room.

Throughout the 2022/23 campaign, the 28-year-old started just seven games in the entirety of the season, on the back of being a regular at Wolves with 30 appearances the term prior.

From game time to poor performances, things haven’t worked for Dendoncker in claret and blue, as highlighted by his drop in value and dip in performance.

Once lauded as an “absolute baller” by journalist Maxi Angelo, the Belgian contributed to no goals last season, compared to the four he had a hand in during the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, in which he scored two and assisted two for Wolves.

As per Sofascore, the Villa dud averaged one tackle and 1.2 ground duel wins per game for the Villans last term, a drop in his average of 1.4 tackles and 1.8 ground duels won in the league the season prior.

From reaching an xTV high of €26.2m (£22.7m) while at Molienux, to his value dropping dramatically since his departure, the Old Gold struck gold by bidding farewell to the former Anderlecht star last summer.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is looking to bolster his offensive options in January and one star who has previously been on the radar at the Emirates Stadium is once again being assessed as a potential addition, according to reports.

What's the latest news involving Arsenal?

According to reports in Spain via GOAL, the Gunners are believed to be embroiled in a three-way fight to sign Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez, with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur providing competition for the signature of the Mexico international.

It is claimed that Eredivisie champions Feyenoord are likely to command a hefty transfer fee in the region of €50 million (£43.3 million) for the 22-year-old, who has notched ten goals and two assists in eight appearances across all competitions this term, as per Transfermarkt.

Newcastle United icon Alan Shearer has had his say on Arsenal summer signing Kai Havertz's consistency following the Germany international's first goal for the Gunners from the penalty spot in their 4-0 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday. Stating on Match of the Day via Football London, Shearer said:

"When you look at his numbers, there's definitely a player in there. When you look at his ability, it doesn't match his numbers. They need to improve. You know that you have to pay £60-70million for a squad player these days, so he'll play his part – whether he'll be a regular, I don't think so."

Recently, developments have emerged claiming that Arsenal will look to make a swoop for Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the January transfer window as Gunners boss Arteta looks to acquire another striking option. Arsenal travel to Champions League newcomers Lens on Tuesday evening and will be aiming to take six points from six in Europe's premier competition ahead of their crunch tie against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Who could Arsenal sign?

The Mirror report that Arsenal, and by extension sporting director Edu Gaspar, are casting an eye over Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Pedro Neto, who was previously earmarked as a target for the Gunners in the summer of 2022.

Nevertheless, Neto, an Arsenal supporter, may prove to be a difficult player to land in the January transfer window due to his blistering start to proceedings in 2023/24, where he has emerged as a key player under Old Gold boss Gary O'Neil.

Neto, who is 23 years of age, has registered one goal and four assists in seven outings for Wolves in the Premier League this campaign and has carried the torch in attack for his current employers, as per Transfermarkt.

Becoming a nuisance to backlines across the English top flight, Neto has averaged 1.6 shots, 2.6 key passes and 2.3 completed dribbles per fixture so far this term, according to WhoScored.

Once branded a "huge talent" by Premier League all-time top goalscorer Shearer, Neto finally looks to be delivering on his initial promise at Molineux and will have no shortage of suitors if he maintains his impressive vein of form.

Prominent Portuguese football outlet Proxima Jornada have emphasised Neto's impact at Wolves this campaign by posting a detailed collection of statistics on social media platform X produced by the Portugal international, as they stated:

"Pedro Neto is enjoying himself this season. The Wolves man ranks in the top 7 or higher in the Premier League for the following: 4 assists (1st). 17 successful crosses (2nd). 4 big chances created (4th). 6 combined G+A (4th). 16 dribbles completed (5th). 18 chances created (7th)."

Arsenal may well be keen to strengthen their attacking options in January and acquiring Neto would help to bolster competition for places in the final third.

The North v South challenge has switched from the UAE to Barbados but for the North it brought a familiar story as they lost for the fourth successive time

Dan Norcross19-Mar-20183:03

‘It was a real team effort with the bat’

Four times South have played North and four times they have emerged victorious. The latest victory even came with a record attached – an imposing total of 348 which was a List A record for all matches, domestic and international, played at the Kensington Oval.Middlesex’s opener Nick Gubbins smashed a century in Barbados in this prelude to the county season to maintain South’s 100 percent record in this fixture since it was first played in the UAE last Spring.Their total was built on the sturdy foundations of an enterprising opening stand of 134 off 112 balls between Gubbins and Daniel Bell-Drummond, both of whom are England Lions regulars with international ambitions.When Gubbins was well caught by Saqib Mahmood off D’Oliveira for a 99-ball 116, his last 17 had been scored on one leg as severe cramp hindered him so badly he would take no further part in the game,Things looked ominous for North from the outset. Richard Gleeson opened proceedings with a 10-ball over containing four wides and was whipped out of the attack after his first two overs conceded 16 runs.The introduction of spin in the shape of Brett d’Oliveira in the fifth over failed to stem the flow as Bell-Drummond drove off both front and back foot with the elegance, grace and ease that alerted the touring Australians to his abilities back in 2015.Gubbins began scratchily, telegraphing his advances down the wicket but somehow finding the boundary, including one towering six over midwicket, when it looked more likely he was about to give his wicket away. He was particularly severe on North’s captain Steven Mullaney, whose four overs went for 38 runs.When eventually Bell-Drummond departed in the 19th over for a 53 ball 52, caught behind off a sharply lifting delivery from the pacey and consistently impressive Zak Chappell, this was the cue for Gubbins to cut loose. Partnerships of 52 and 45 with Sam Northeast and Laurie Evans came and went in a mere 88 ballsUpon his dismissal, South, on 231 for 3 with nearly 17 overs remaining, were eying the sunlit uplands of 380-400. That they didn’t get there was down almost entirely to a remarkable spell of fast, reverse swing bowling from Mahmood, Lancashire’s promising young quick bowler.His first five overs had been plundered for 44 runs as he strayed in line whilst repeatedly peppering the middle of an unresponsive wicket. His final three overs brought five wickets, all bowled, for just a further 16 runs and restricted South to a mere, albeit record, 347 all out, t total which overhauled the 328 made at the ground by England against West Indies last March.Nick Gubbins heaped on more agony for North – and for himself•Getty ImagesWith his first ball back in the attack, Mahmood produced the perfect yorker to dismiss England Under-19 all-rounder Delray Rawlins who was playing just his second List A match following his debut against South Africa last summer. Rawlins’ 53 from 41 balls contained five fours and two towering sixes. On the strength of this match, in which he also produced six tidy overs of left arm spin, he is a man to watch this season.North’s reply began with two early reprieves for both openers, Alex Davies and Joe Clarke, dropped by Rawlins at slip off the impressive Sam Curran who was the pick of the new ball bowlers on display.Having reached 100 for 1 after 15 overs the nominally home side looked well placed but Somerset off-spinner Dom Bess picked up both Clarke for 46 and Keaton Jennings for a duck in the day’s only maiden to induce a squeeze that would turn the match irrevocably in his side’s favour.South’s three-pronged spin attack of Bess, Ravi Patel and Rawlins sucked the life out of the innings in the middle overs and despite a 61-ball partnership of 89 between d’Oliveira and the hugely underrated Steven Mullaney, South were only ever a good over away from slamming the door shut.That it was provided by Sam Curran was only fitting as he emulated Mahmood’s earlier efforts by bowling both d’Oliveira and Chappell with successive balls, the latter with a beauty that turned the Leicestershire all rounder inside out before parting his off and middle stumps like a hillbilly’s teeth.Mullaney followed next ball to Middlesex’s Tom Barber, a wild card pick who has impressed in the winter’s fast bowling camp, to complete the team hat trick. Curran eventually delivered the coup de grace when he had Mahmood caught by Simpson off a skier with North 63 runs short.In spite of the scepticism in some quarters as to the value of this fixture, England coaches Paul Collingwood and Mark Ramprakash, who are in charge of the teams, will have been impressed by a number of players. As well as the outstanding contributions of Gubbins, Mahmood, Bell-Drummond and Rawlins, Bess, until his last two overs showed exactly why so many Somerset supporters have been singing his praises.The powerfully built Chappell was distinctly rapid on a slow pitch, getting a couple of balls to leap off a length at good pace, and both Clarke and Sam Hain looked class acts at the top of the order. It’s worth remembering that Dawid Malan impressed in this series last Spring and is now an established presence in the senior side.The series continues with two further matches on Wednesday and Friday.

Manchester United have earmarked a striker that Erik Ten Hag is looking to bring to Old Trafford to strengthen his attacking options, according to reports.

What's the latest news at Manchester United?

Manchester United are not finished with their summer business yet following the additions of Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Andre Onana, as per FootballTransfers.

Veteran central defender Jonny Evans is said to set to agree a one-year contract with Manchester United after featuring for the club during their endeavours in pre-season and the Northern Ireland international's impending arrival could make Harry Maguire's future at Old Trafford more uncertain, as per Telegraph Sport.

Maguire looked set to sign for West Ham United in a deal worth £30 million earlier this summer; however, his move to the London Stadium collapsed and he will remain at the Premier League giants for now despite being stripped of the captaincy at Manchester United.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has delivered an update detailing that Manchester United are in contention to sign one of Europe's brightest young prospects, stating on X: "Understand Manchester United and RB Leipzig are both negotiating to sign top talent Dino Klapija — also an option to close the deal now for January. Decision on player side expected soon as 2007 born striker will leave Croatian side Kustosija soon."

Manchester United's new midfield signing Mount has been ruled out for between four to six weeks with an injury complaint and his absence may pave the way for Scotland international Scott McTominay to re-enter the fold in the engine room, according to Telegraph Sport.

Who else could Manchester United sign?

Summer signing Hojlund has spent time out injured with a back problem in the early portion of this campaign, though he may make his debut this weekend against Nottingham Forest, as per The Evening Standard.

In light of the Denmark international's injury, Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness claim that Manchester United are keen to ignite a swoop for Santos forward Marcos Leonardo, who is also garnering attention from Jose Mourinho's Roma.

The report states that Manchester United are ready to offer a package to the Brazilian giants worth €20 million + €5 million in 'bonuses' to sign the youngster, who has been dubbed "the king of the penalty area" by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig.

Kulig has also christened Leonardo as a "natural goalscorer" and it is easy to see why, given that he has hit 49 goals and laid on 11 assists in 149 appearances for Santos across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Leading the Santos line with efficiency, the 20-year-old has successfully carried out 36 shot-creating actions this term in the Brazilian top flight, as shown on FBRef.

Manchester United boss Ten Hag will be aware of his side's shortcomings in attack and bringing an exciting young talent like Leonardo to Old Trafford would definitely provoke excitement among the Red Devils' support.

The selectors have retained both Cameron Bancroft and Peter Handscomb despite underwhelming displays during the Ashes series.

Daniel Brettig22-Jan-2018Jhye Richardson’s rapid rise has been maintained by selection to tour South Africa with Australia’s Test squad, in which the selectors have retained both Cameron Bancroft and Peter Handscomb despite underwhelming displays during the Ashes series.Australia squads

For Tests in SA: Steven Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc.
For T20Is v England and New Zealand: David Warner (capt), Aaron Finch, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa

The panel chaired by Trevor Hohns could find no room for Glenn Maxwell – chosen as a standby batsman as recently as the Gabba Test against England in November – and also left out the Adelaide Test 12th man Chadd Sayers.At the age of 21, Richardson has played only five first-class matches, but took 17 wickets in four Sheffield Shield games for Western Australia prior to the start of the Big Bash League. Richardson has stated he takes inspiration from South Africa’s Dale Steyn.Those four appearances included some slippery spells against a full-strength New South Wales team at Hurstville Oval, where he impressed Australia’s captan Steven Smith with his pace and movement. “He has impressed very much so early days of this Sheffield Shield season,” Hohns said of Richardson. “He’s bowled very well, he’s got good pace, pretty good control we think. He’s certainly a player of the future. He offers a pretty good package too; he’s a good fielder and he’s pretty handy with the bat. We do see a good future for him particularly that he just seems to have that extra pace which may well be required in South Africa.Jhye Richardson receives his ODI cap•Getty Images

“There’s no doubt about that [Sayers is unlucky]. Chadd is performing well as he always does, but with Jackson Bird there he has the jump on Chadd at the moment, there’s no doubt about that. We have him, Josh Hazlewood is a well-renowned seam bowler then we have the good pace of [Mitchell] Starc, [Pat] Cummins and Jhye Richardson.”Australia’s desire to have a high-speed reserve option in South Africa is long-standing. They rushed James Pattinson back from injury in 2014, and he played a substantial role in the pivotal third Test of the series in Cape Town, alongside Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris. Pattinson may well have come into consideration this time as well, alongside Nathan Coulter-Nile, but both men are injured.”I haven’t really expected to play for Australia, just having the amount of experience I’ve had in Shield cricket,” Richardson said. “I’ve only played five games under my belt. But having said that, I’m going in with full confidence. I’m learning so quickly, especially being around these guys, seeing how they go about their business and I’m certainly developing as a person and a player extremely quickly.”I had a relatively good domestic one-day competition. And, as I said, I’m really confident with how I’m bowling. Body is feeling good. Technique is coming along really nicely, being able to swing the ball at the top of the order is always nice. The message was just to go about the business as you do and just be myself around the group.”I’m only 70-odd kilos and 178cm tall so I’m not the biggest unit around, but it’s always something in your head, you always want to prove people wrong and I think that’s been my attitude from the start, If someone is going to beat me down, why not prove them wrong. There’s going to be a lot of people that put me down for not having the experience at this sort of level but if I can go in being as confident as I am right now I think I’ll be able to get the job done.”Cameron Bancroft had a few problems against the short ball•Getty Images

Bancroft’s technique was gradually dismantled by England over the course of five Tests, but his presence in the team was strongly endorsed by both Smith and the coach Darren Lehmann, who had pointed to his success in building partnerships with David Warner even though he did not always look comfortable. Handscomb’s retention as reserve batsman – having been dropped for Mitchell Marsh after the second Ashes match in Adelaide – is likewise a vote of confidence. The decision to retain the pair was simplified by a badly-timed injury to Joe Burns, while the Big Bash League has deprived Matt Renshaw of opportunities to press for a recall.”It’s a absolutely a vote of confidence in Cameron Bancroft,” Hohns said. “He’s the type of player we love having there at the moment. He’s the type of player that seems he could excel in Test cricket. We do have other options for openers if something needs to happen in that area. We’ve got the spare batsman, currently it’s Peter Handscomb.”We feel adequately covered anywhere in the batting line-up with the personnel we have available. There is no doubt Mitch has made the most of the renewed opportunity, that has to be said. I suppose at the moment Peter is the spare batsman and it’s up to the others to perform as they have out here.”Rather than choosing Ashton Agar as a possible second spin bowler, the role he filled in Bangladesh last year, the selectors also recalled 30-year old Jon Holland as injury cover for Nathan Lyon and also as a net-bowling approximation of South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj. Hohns said that the unlikelihood of needing to play two spinners meant Holland was preferred as Lyon’s back-up.”[Agar] is definitely still in the developmental stage of his spin-bowling career,” Hohns said. “He’s a different type of package. He offers us the all-round type of package when the need is there to play two spinners in the one team, probably like in the subcontinent when we’ve played two or three as well. But, in this instance going to South Africa, we don’t envisage the pitches that we will encounter will necessitate playing two spinners in the one side.”What we thought we needed there was actually a specialist spinner as back-up to Nathan Lyon if anything were to happen to him and he couldn’t play and take his place in the side on any given day. [Holland] is a wicket-taker, simple as that. You have a look at his record, it speaks for itself over the past couple of seasons. He fits that specialist role very well.”Of the Test squad, only David Warner will take part in the Twenty20 tri-series against England and New Zealand that begins on February 7. He has been chosen as stand-in captain to allow Smith a break after the current ODI series and also the chance to have a full preparation for the South Africa series, which begins on March 5 and takes place across four Tests in Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg.”Steve has had a very big summer and will benefit from a short break both physically and mentally, before he leaves for South Africa,” Hohns said. “David is a very capable leader and has captained in Steve’s absence before and done a fine job. We wanted to ensure the T20 side had key leadership throughout this Series and we know the team is in good hands with him at the helm.”D’Arcy Short, the indigenous left-handed batsman, earned his place in the T20 squad through a series of outstanding BBL displays, while the left-arm swing bowling of the Sydney Sixers’ Ben Dwarshuis has also been recognised. Chris Lynn, who withdrew from the ODI squad due to a calf injury, was recalled, with a chance to prove his fitness by playing for the Brisbane Heat beforehand. The most curious omission was that of Fawad Ahmed, the leading Australian spinner in the BBL but deemed to be behind Adam Zampa in the selectors’ order of preference.

أعلن المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، تشافي هيرنانديز، عن قائمة اللاعبين الذين سيخوضون مباراة ريال سوسيداد في الجولة الخامسة والثلاثين من بطولة الدوري الإسباني.

ويستضيف برشلونة على ملعب “مونتجويك” منافسه ريال سوسيداد اليوم، الإثنين، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة”.

وشهدت قائمة برشلونة غياب 3 لاعبين كالمعتاد بسبب الإصابة وهم أليخاندرو بالدي، جافي وأخيرًا فرينكي دي يونج والذين لن يعودوا مرة أخرى هذا الموسم.

اقرأ أيضًا.. رومانو: تشافي يعطي الضوء الأخضر لأولى صفقات برشلونة الصيفية

🚨 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐎̀𝐑𝐈𝐀🚨
⚽ #BarçaRealSociedad pic.twitter.com/FXnRooyr3g — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) May 13, 2024

قائمة برشلونة ضد ريال سوسيداد في الدوري الإسباني

حراسة المرمى: مارك أندريه تير شتيجن، إيناكي بينيا، دييجو كوشين.

خط الدفاع: جواو كانسيلو، رونالد أراوخو، إينييجو مارتينيز، جول كوندي، باو كوبارسي، هيكتور فورت، ماركوس ألونسو.

وسط الملعب: أوريول روميو، بيدري، إلكاي جوندوجان، فيرمين لوبيز.

الهجوم: روبرت ليفاندوفسكي، فيتور روكي، جواو فيليكس، فيران توريس، لامين يامال، رافينها.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:59

Agarkar: Game was Australia’s after Behrendorff spell

Like governments, Jason Behrendorff lured India with freebies up front before taxing them with four top-order wickets, a spell of play India never recovered from. Adam Zampa, who has not had the best of times on this trip, had his own back with two big middle-overs wickets to make sure Australia finally snapped their seven-match losing streak in T20Is against India. On a tacky pitch, with spin, seam and early swing on offer, India’s batting seemed to fail to reassess what a good total was and fell 22 short of the 140-mark that might well have made for a tight chase.The way the match started, though, you might have thought of a score much higher than 140. The first ball was a gentle full toss that Rohit Sharma caressed to the point boundary; the third was a long half-volley that was crashed straight of mid-off. Then came the swing against the angle from left-arm over. Like Mohammad Amir has done previously, Behrendorff trapped Rohit in front with the fourth ball. The late swing two balls later was slightly less perfect, but the inside edge lobbed off Virat Kohli’s pad for a return catch. Behrendorff had knocked over two of the most destructive limited-overs batsmen in the world in his first over.David Warner chose to bowl out Behrendorff, who has the best average and third-best strike rate in all T20 Powerplays since 2014. Behrendorff responded with the wickets of Manish Pandey and Shikhar Dhawan inside the Powerplay. With the threat of swing, Pandey fell poking at one, while Dhawan was victim of a sensational catch by Warner running back from mid-off. At 27 for 4, India were forced into rebuild mode, which has of late been the perfect situation for MS Dhoni.Kedar Jadhav kept playing the odd shot while Dhoni seemed to settle into a typical innings in such situations. But against the legspin of Zampa, Dhoni began to play uncharacteristically. Usually, Dhoni prefers to make sure he bats through the overs when India are in strife, but here, he started to look for the big hits as early as the 10th over. A full toss was put away, a wide earned as Dhoni mocked a charge down the pitch, but in the same over he was stumped as the ball kicked away after falling short of his reach. A couple of overs later, Jadhav failed to pick a wrong’un when looking for a boundary over extra cover, making for an ungainly sight as he was bowled.These wickets came at an unfortunate time for India because the dew made an appearance soon, but India didn’t have the muscle to make use of it as there was hardly any acceleration in an innings with little deviation off the six-runs-an-over mark. The value of those extra 20 runs became apparent as soon as Australia began the chase. The ball continued to misbehave for the quicks: both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah found seam movement and inconsistent bounce, which resulted in the early wickets of big guns Warner and Aaron Finch.The asking rate, though, didn’t climb, and Australia could afford to play a couple of calm overs. Australia chose a calm head to do so, promoting Moises Henriques to No. 3, a role Warner used him in at Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL too. Henriques and Travis Head took their time before opening up against the spinners, who struggled with the slippery ball. Kuldeep Yadav, in particular, dished up a few long hops, which provided Australia with enough momentum in a small chase.Once the shots started coming off, the rest of the match was played in near silence as the capacity crowd on Barsapara Stadium’s international debut agonised over India’s defeat. A measure of the crowd’s enthusiasm was seen in how even Dhoni failed to appeal for a faint nick lost to all barring Kohli in the loud stadium. The ground, though, had its task cut out with a lot of rain leading into the game, which might have resulted in the damp pitch.

India would not have expected their successes to come quite as easily as they have so far on this tour. There’s little to suggest the trend will be bucked in Pallekele

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Aug-20172:27

Maharoof: SL look depleted, a turnaround will be difficult

Match FactsAugust 24, 2017
Start time 1430 local (0900GMT)Big Picture
If anything, the first ODI was even more of a pounding than the Tests had been. After Sri Lanka’s batsmen had taken turns torching their own innings in quick succession, India appeared as if they could have doubled Sri Lanka’s score in the fifty overs. Sri Lanka might not even have taken a wicket had Rohit Sharma’s bat not got been lodged in some sticky Dambulla soil. Then, completing the embarrassment, the team’s bus was held up by demonstrators, who demanded that Sri Lanka’s cricket be pruned of politics, and voiced their raucous displeasure at the team. Sri Lanka Cricket has been unpopular in the past, but it’s fair to say now that this particular board’s reputation is in tatters – worse than ever before.Pandya with the new ball is a great option – Kohli

Virat Kohli believes Hardik Pandya, the new ball bowler, will lend a new dimension to India’s bowling attack as they look to narrow down on options ahead of the 2019 World Cup. Pandya has opened the bowling in six of his 18 ODI appearances so far.
“It’s quite possible, because he has the ability to swing the ball and he can bowl consistently over 135 kmph,” Kohli said. “With the new ball he can get a bit of extra bounce because of his height. We certainly look at it as a great option for us.
“If the teams try going after him, he can pick up a couple of wickets. Also (Jasprit) Bumrah is your strike bowler and he comes in one-change. The teams obviously will be a bit more wary against him so that really gives us good balance in terms of who to use when.”

It is a tour of increasing ease for India, who were always favourites, but would not have expected their success to come quite this easy. Shikhar Dhawan has buffed his stats beautifully in the island, hitting two hundreds in the Tests, and now posting a rapid ton in the first ODI. Virat Kohli might also have moved to triple figures on Sunday had the target been large enough to accommodate it. And Sri Lanka’s batsmen seem all too willing to lose wickets to whoever India throw the ball to.In the first match, they surrendered to the left-arm spin of Axar Patel, and the decidedly part-time stylings of Kedar Jadav. Beyond runs, wickets and rankings points, what are India themselves gaining from the contest? How will feasting on a meek Sri Lanka serve them as they build towards the 2019 World Cup?Sri Lanka have now returned to the site of their worst Test defeat in the island in the recent Test series (and in recent years), and must summon up the resolve to raise all three disciplines of their cricket out of their present shambles. The fielding hasn’t been talked about so much recently because the batting and bowling have been so bad, but with Upul Tharanga’s reprieve of Shikhar Dhawan, they have dropped no fewer than 63 catches (across formats) since the start of the year.Where, usually, when a team is struggling, the senior players might be expected to lead the way with good performances, it is Sri Lanka’s youngsters – Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka and the like – who seem most capable of lifting Sri Lank out of their pit.Form guideSri Lanka LLLWW(completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLWWIn the spotlight
Nine matches, seven wickets, an average of 61.71 and an economy rate of 5.93. There lie Lasith Malinga’s returns since his ODI comeback this year. What these numbers don’t tell you is that Malinga has had no fewer than eight catches dropped off his bowling (at least half of them easy chances), but still, he is very reliant on his wiles now, where once he also had the option of blasting batsmen out with raw pace. Given the inexperience of the remaining bowlers, Sri Lanka need Malinga to spark the attack into form. It has often been said that thanks to the IPL, no one has seen more of Malinga than India’s batsmen, but it is also true that Malinga knows those batsmen better than anyone else.While one limited-overs legend wanes, a bowler that has benefited from Malinga’s mentorship aspires to fulfil a similar role for his team. Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t had the best 2017 so far, perhaps, claiming only 11 wickets at 41.81, but took 2 for 22 from 6.2 overs at Dambulla, and the Sri Lanka innings didn’t even get to the death-overs stage, where Bumrah ordinarily prospers. Having had an excellent start to international cricket last year, Bumrah will now hope to lock down a place in the XI for that 2019 campaign. His yorkers are already pinpoint, but a little more menace with the new ball could potentially see him become one of the best ODI bowlers around.Team news
Sri Lanka have said that changes are on the way, and this generally means the attack is about to be switched up. Akila Dananjaya could replace Lakshan Sandakan on the spin-bowling front. Thisara Perera’s place could also be in question following his modest performance with ball and bat in the previous match. Milinda Siriwardana seems likeliest to replace him, provided Sri Lanka are happy to field three spinners.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Upul Tharanga (capt.), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Chamara Kapugedara, 7 Milinda Siriwardanan 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Akila Dananjaya, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Vishwa FernandoKohli also hinted that India would try a few things in this series, but perhaps they will hope to win it first before any experiments are carried out. Their XI might be very similar to that which played at Dambulla. No one really had a poor game.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 KL Rahul, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditions
The Pallekele pitch can often be seam-friendly under lights, but that does not mean spinners cannot be very effective there. As ever, with this stadium, there is a chance play will be interrupted by rain.Stats and trivia India have now won 15 of the last 19 ODIs between these two sides. For the year, they have won nine games and lost four. In 10 ODIs against Sri Lanka, Shikhar Dhawan has hit 757 runs at an average of 84.11 and a strike rate of 96.67. Among teams he has played more than one match against, Sri Lanka are easily his favourite opponent. India, meanwhile, are Lasith Malinga’s least-favourite opponent. He averages 43.88 and has an economy rate of 5.99 against them. The match will be Sri Lanka’s 800th ODI.Quotes
“I havent had a look at the wicket yet. If the wicket is similar to Dambulla I don’t see any reason to change the team just after one game. As I said, it was a near perfect game for us… I wouldn’t say perfect because we came back into the game beautifully and then consolidated it with the bat. We looked really sharp in the field as well. I am very happy with how we went in the first game, and then we will decide after having a look at the wicket.”
“Malinga is a leader in the change room. We don’t look purely at what he can do with the ball, but also look at what he does for the young bowlers, and we have got a young mob of them. Stats may show that he hasn’t performed like the Lasith of three years ago, but what he does add in value is immeasurable. His stats would also look different if we held the catches off his bowling.”