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Stokes faces both offspinners in floodlit nets session as England consider change to all-pace strategy

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Dec-2025Around 20 punters watched England’s first evening net at the Gabba ahead of the day-night Ashes Test starting on Thursday.The outdoor facilities at this historic but ageing colosseum are the most amenable in the world for observers, offering a behind-the-batter view of what it’s like to face the fiercest bowlers going. There were plenty of eyes on the lane closest to Main Street, as Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson steamed in with the pink Kookaburra ball.But it was the net furthest away that had the most immediate interest ahead of the second Test. Both Shoaib Bashir and Will Jacks were bowling their offspin to England captain Ben Stokes, duking it out for what seems, at this juncture, the last available spot in the XI.Related

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Steven Smith bats with 'eye blacks' ahead of pink-ball challenge

Wood set to miss second Test after long road back from injury

Mark Wood has been ruled out – England are optimistic his heavily strapped left knee will get adequate rest to ensure he is back in the mix for Adelaide – but the other 10 starters from the defeat in Perth are likely to be rolled out again.Josh Tongue is the most like-for-like replacement if the tourists want to repeat their all-pace attack from Perth. But they are understood to be trending more towards spin in their bid to come back from 1-0 down, with the expectation that the pink Kookaburra will soften earlier than the red one.The pair have had very different routes to these Ashes. Bashir has been the captain’s go-to spinner since a shock call-up to the India tour at the start of 2024, with 68 wickets in 19 caps to date. His traits – a high release-point, revs coming from over the top of the ball – were deemed better suited to Test pitches (particularly Australian ones) compared to traditional English, doorknob-turning finger spinners.Jacks, an allrounder, was the first conventional offspinner picked by Stokes, drafted on the tour of Pakistan in the winter of 2022 for his only two Test caps after developing as Surrey’s primary spin option. He took 6 for 161 in his first go on debut – the first Test at Rawalpindi – and showed his dexterity as a batter by slotting in at No. 3 in the second innings of the next Test in Multan to give Ollie Pope extra rest after keeping. That he is on this tour owes as much to his batting – destructive qualities, and comfort filling in any top six position – and his tall action and ambition with the ball.Bashir is understood to be the one in pole position, though it was Jacks who seemed to have the better of it on Monday night, before padding up. Nets can only tell you so much, of course. Stokes and the rest of England’s batters were focused on getting attuned to the shift from day to night, and then how the floodlights transformed the grass beneath their feet. They will have one more hit in similar conditions on Wednesday before they get going in their attempts to square the series.Visiting spinners have had very little success with the pink ball over here, collectively managing just 28 wickets at 64.03. Joe Root’s three in the Adelaide Test on the 2021-22 tour has him joint-second on that list (with Yasir Shah); Dawid Malan is joint-fourth with two picked up from that same game. R Ashwin sits top with six at 20.66.England would not be wrong to look at Nathan Lyon’s impressive record of 43 dismissals at 25.62 from his 13 day-night home Tests and surmise spin is a must. But they may take more meaningful notes from Kevin Sinclair’s cameo in Australia’s one and only pink ball defeat.That came here at the Gabba last year. Sinclair – also an offspinner – struck a vital 50 and then 14 not out, both from No. 7, in a tight eight-run win. He bowled just eight overs, all in Australia’s first innings which sandwiched his batting efforts, but was able to snare Usman Khawaja for 75. Replicating Sinclair’s impact rather than Lyon’s is a far easier task and would favour Jacks.It will be these cues from day-night affairs in Australia, and England’s own learnings from the seven they have played, that will continue to be disseminated among the group over the coming days. The entire top five played in England’s last pink-ball Test – against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui in 2023 – but Jamie Smith, for instance, will be playing his first of any kind.”We’ve spoken with the guys who have played some pink-ball games, and had a look at some of the pink-ball games that have been played in Australia in the past four or five years,” Carse said. His only day-night match happened to be in this country for England Lions against Australia A at Melbourne in January 2020.”On an evening, it does seem to do a little bit more, especially if you have a slightly newer ball, which I’m sure we’ll take into consideration throughout the game. It’s going to be exciting. I’m expecting a massive crowd, a hostile crowd. The guys are really looking forward to it.”I think looking back at a couple of highlights of previous games played in Australia, it’s certainly very admirable how their new-ball bowling goes. You know, they strike early and I think that’s going to be important, whether that’s certain lines we’ll be bowling or maybe bowling a touch fuller to let it swing. They’ve played some really good cricket with a pink ball. So, yeah, I’d like to say that we’ve had a look at some of the stuff that they’ve done over the previous years.”

Reddy has been released from India’s squad for the first Test while Pant is back from injury, having missed the West Indies series

Karthik Krishnaswamy12-Nov-2025

Dhruv Jurel scored twin tons in the second unofficial Test against South Africa A•PTI

Dhruv Jurel is set to retain his place in India’s Test XI despite Rishabh Pant taking back his spot as wicketkeeper. Allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy *has been released from India’s Test squad and will make way for Pant, who returns after missing the two Tests against West Indies last month with a fractured foot.Reddy will rejoin India’s Test squad for the second match against South Africa, which will be played in Guwahati from November 22 to 26 after participating in the three-match one-day series against South Africa A, which will run from November 13 to November 19 in Rajkot.India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate more or less confirmed Jurel’s retention in his press conference two days out from the start of the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata.Jurel played the West Indies series in Pant’s absence and scored his maiden Test hundred in the first Test in Ahmedabad. That innings came in the middle of a run of four hundreds in eight first-class innings, including one in each innings of India A’s second unofficial Test against South Africa A in Bengaluru last week.Related

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Dhruv Jurel makes case for India Test spot with twin hundreds against South Africa A

Dhruv Jurel: too good to keep out, too good to just keep

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“I don’t think you can leave him out for this Test, is the short answer,” ten Doeschate said when asked about Jurel’s run of form. “But obviously, you can only pick 11 as well, so someone else will have to miss out. I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of the combination.”Having three spin-bowling allrounders in the squad in Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel, ten Doeschate said, gave India the flexibility that would allow them to play an extra batter in Jurel without losing potency with the ball.”Given the way Dhruv’s gone in the last six months, scoring two hundreds in Bangalore last week, he’s certain to play this week. Again, like what I mentioned about Washy [Washington Sundar], Axar [Patel], Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja], for me, you’ve actually got three batters there. So it does give us a lot of flexibility. But I’d be very surprised if we don’t see Dhruv and Rishabh playing in this Test this week.”India played three allrounders in the West Indies series, in Jadeja, Washington and Reddy. In that, Reddy only batted once and bowled just four overs. He went on the white-ball tour of Australia after that, but a back injury cut short his participation to just the first two ODIs. He has since recovered, though, and is fit to play in Kolkata.Through the West Indies series, India said they were looking at Reddy as a long-term prospect as a seam-bowling allrounder, and were looking to give him as much game time as possible, even in home Tests, to help him grow as a Test cricketer. This series against South Africa, the World Test Championship [WTC] holders, may not give India the chance to pick a player with an eye on long-term development.”The primary thing is to set out a strategy to win the game, and then if you can accommodate giving guys a chance for development, that comes in,” ten Doeschate said. “Our position certainly hasn’t changed on Nitish. He didn’t get much game time in [the white-ball series in] Australia, but I would say, given the importance of the series and given the conditions we think we’re going to face, he might miss out in this Test this week.”South Africa come to India on the back of a 1-1 Test result in Pakistan, where their three main spinners – Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy – picked up 33 wickets between them in two Tests, with all three averaging below 22. Ten Doeschate felt these three would present a stiff challenge, and said India’s batters were looking to improve how they play spin, particularly in the wake of last year’s 3-0 home-series defeat to New Zealand.”[M]ost likely they’ll play three [spinners], and it’s a little bit like playing against a subcontinent team,” ten Doeschate said. “You normally worry about the pace attack first [when you face South Africa]. And I’m pretty sure they’ll go with two seamers and three […] spinners.”But that is also the challenge when you’re playing in the subcontinent. It’s something as a team that we need to get better [at]. We addressed it early on. We’ve come up short a few times, so it’s a great challenge. Hopefully we’ve learned from the New Zealand series. We’ve put some plans into place [about] how to play the spin. And you’re right, it’s going to be so important over these two games, particularly how well they did in Pakistan about four weeks ago.”

As the season careens into its stretch run, there seems to be a pronounced lack of stakes to the proceedings. Sure, teams are still fighting for playoff spots, but how hostile are these races at the moment?

A Phillies-Mets knife fight for the NL East that we were hoping for a month ago has failed to develop, with New York floundering for months now. Likewise in both Central divisions, where the Tigers and Brewers hold 10- and six-game advantages, respectively. The Yankees, Red Sox, Mariners and Padres are all within striking distance of making their division races interesting, but even still, all four of those teams are very likely to make the postseason even if they fall short of first place.

As of this writing, FanGraphs currently gives 10 teams at least a 96% chance at making the postseason, with the Astros (90.7%) and Mariners (76.8%) rounding out the 12-team field. The team with the next-best odds? That would be the Rangers, who, despite being just 1.5 games out of the AL’s third wild-card spot, have just a 12.2% shot of crashing the field. Last year at this time, the Mets were the team outside the playoff picture with the best odds of making it (38.7%), and eventually did so as part of an inspired run to the NLCS. While the Rangers or another team could make a similar surge, it’s looking unlikely.

Rather than dwell on the absence of white-knuckle pennant races, let’s shift our attention to a different cohort of teams: the also-rans. FanGraphs currently assigns nine teams a whopping 0.0% chance at making the playoffs (the site is not quite ready to wave the white flag on behalf of the Angels, who own MLB’s longest active playoff drought and whose current odds are 0.1%). Though these clubs might be ready to flip the page to 2026, that doesn’t mean there aren’t reasons worth tuning in for their final few weeks’ worth of games.

Here’s a player on each of these teams that’s worth tuning in for over the last stretch of the regular season, playoff hopes be damned.

Los Angeles Angels: SS Zach Neto

Neto has been among the few bright spots for the Angels all season long. The 2022 first-round pick broke out last year, his first full season after being rushed to the majors in ‘23, and has taken his game up a level this year. Through 120 games, he has a 117 wRC+ with 25 homers and 24 stolen bases, giving him an outside shot at becoming just the seventh shortstop to record a 30–30 season.

Baltimore Orioles: SP Trevor Rogers

Though Baltimore has long been out of the playoff hunt amid a deeply disappointing campaign, Rogers’s dominant run over the past couple months has been a windfall. After making the All-Star team with the Marlins in 2021, his age-23 season, Rogers posted a 5.09 ERA from ‘22 to ‘24 as he battled injuries. Through 14 starts this year, Rogers is 8–2 with a 1.39 ERA and 2.44 FIP over 90 1/3 innings. He’s allowed one or zero runs in 11 of those outings, with a career best 5.6% walk rate. If he can maintain anything close to this form next season, the Orioles will have their much-needed staff ace.

Minnesota Twins: 2B Luke Keaschall

Keaschall, one of Minnesota’s top prospects entering the year, burst onto the scene during his first week in the big leagues in mid-April, batting .368 with five stolen bases over his first seven games. That quick ascent was cut short after he was hit by a pitch and broke his forearm, keeping him out until Aug. 5, but he’s since returned and continued raking. He’s hit .296/.373/.490 with four homers and three stolen bases since coming off the IL, and looks to be a key part of the Twins’ core as they enter a new era following their trade deadline fire sale.

Chicago White Sox: SS Colson Montgomery

Montgomery, Chicago’s 2021 first-round pick, looked like one of the best prospects in all of baseball a couple of years ago before his pronounced swing-and-miss issues clouded his big-league forecast. Since debuting on July 4, those issues haven’t subsided—his 28.4% strikeout rate is the 18th-highest among 167 qualified hitters over that span—but they also haven’t stopped him from terrorizing opposing pitchers. Montgomery has launched 16 homers in 49 games, tied for the most among shortstops in that time frame. If he never adjusts, he’ll likely never run an average on-base percentage, but his power output and strong defensive skills at a premium position will more than make up for his deficiencies.

Athletics: C Shea Langeliers

Were it not for Cal Raleigh, we’d probably be talking a lot more about his fellow AL West backstop. The A’s catcher is one homer away from becoming just the fourth catcher in the past 20 years to hit 30 homers, joining Raleigh, Salvador Perez and Gary Sánchez. Since the All-Star break, only Kyle Schwarber (19) has more home runs than Langeliers (17).

Colorado Rockies: CF Brenton Doyle

Last year, Doyle looked to be one of the Rockies’ key building blocks after he won his second Gold Glove and hit 23 home runs with 30 stolen bases. He then spent the first half of the season looking completely lost, posting a .202/.254/.322 slash line (with Coors Field as his home field, mind you) through his first 82 games. Since the break, though, Doyle has been a new player. He’s batting .354/.382/.575 with seven home runs and six stolen bases in 37 games. Doyle’s defense remains elite (he’s seventh among all outfielders in Statcast’s outs above average), and if his offensive revival is here to stay, he looks like he could be an All-Star.

Pittsburgh Pirates: SP Paul Skenes

There’s no overthinking this pick: Skenes remains the draw in Pittsburgh. The 23-year-old leads the majors in ERA (2.05) and the NL in FIP (2.44), yet only has a 9–9 record to show for it. If the Pirates’ offense continues to let him down, Skenes could become the first starting pitcher to win the Cy Young Award with a losing record. The only other pitcher to earn that distinction is Eric Gagné, a closer who won the 2003 Cy Young Award with a 2–3 mark (and 55 saves).

Atlanta Braves: SP Hurston Waldrep

Waldrep got battered around in his cup of coffee last year, but Atlanta’s 2023 first-round pick has been stellar since getting called up on Aug. 2. In six starts, the righthander has allowed a total of four runs with 33 strikeouts. Last season, it was Spencer Schwellenbach who shined for Atlanta down the stretch to put himself in a position to be a rotation mainstay the following year. Perhaps Waldrep is heading for a similar trajectory.

Washington Nationals: LF James Wood

Wood has been the reason to keep tabs on the Nationals all year long, as the game’s former top prospect earned his first career All-Star nod in July. But Wood’s bat went ice cold immediately following the break, as he hit .183 with a near-40% strikeout rate and just one home run in a 28-game span starting July 18. He’s picked things back up of late, and it will be imperative for the Nats that Wood end the year strong to position himself to take another step forward in what the team hopes is a more successful ‘26 campaign.

Miami Marlins: CF Jakob Marsee

Looking at the league’s fWAR leaders since the start of August, most of the names likely won’t surprise you. That is, until you scan Marsee’s name among some of the game’s biggest stars:

Player

HR

SB

Slash

fWAR

Brice Turang

11

4

.360/.425/.746

2.4

Trea Turner

3

11

.343/.393/.530

2.1

Francisco Lindor

6

11

.331/.415/.543

2.1

Jakob Marsee

4

9

.333/.410/.581

2.0

Juan Soto

12

12

295/.452/.634

2.0

Corbin Carroll

8

10

.287/.373/.590

1.9

Bobby Witt Jr.

5

6

.321/.403/.536

1.9

Not bad for your first month in The Show.

Marsee was a sixth-round pick by the Padres in 2022 before getting traded to Miami as part of the Luis Arraez deal. He’s hit at every stop along the way at the minors, and has amassed 144 stolen bases over the past three seasons before getting called up on Aug. 1. His Baseball Savant page is a thing of beauty, and he runs a double-digit walk rate alongside manageable strikeout and whiff rates with a strong arm and plenty of range to stick in center field. 

Maintaining this type of pace over a full season’s worth of games would be a steep ask, but Marsee has the look of a cornerstone for a Miami organization that can use all the building blocks it can find.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank says a “not as highlighted” member of his Spurs squad is extremely underappreciated ahead of his side’s Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle on Wednesday.

Tottenham defence shines in 3-0 victory at Everton

On Sunday, the Lilywhites continued their solid start to the campaign overall by making history away to Everton.

Tottenham became the first away team to win at the brand new Hill Dickinson Stadium on Merseyside, with a brace from star defender Micky van de Ven and substitute Pape Sarr catapulting the north Londoners to third in the Premier League.

In the build up, much was made about Spurs’ problems with creativity in the final third, especially after a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa last weekend and their tepid 0-0 draw away to Monaco in the Champions League — where goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario spared their blushes time and time again with fantastic saves.

Vicario did make a vital stop to prevent Everton from going 1-0 up with a fine, point-blank save from Jack Grealish before van de Ven opened the scoring midway through the first-half.

The Toffees did briefly equalise, only for the goal to be chalked off for a foul on Vicario, with van de Ven then doubling the away side’s lead by getting on the end of another corner just before half-time.

Vicario’s fine form continued, thwarting Beto’s acrobatic overhead kick with an excellent reflex save from close range before denying them again. Richarlison had a chance to kill the game off when he found himself in on goal, but Jordan Pickford frustrated the Brazilian with a one-on-one save.

However, the striker redeemed himself with an assist for Sarr in the 89th minute to seal all three points for Frank’s side – putting what was a torrid week behind them as they prepare for another tough trip to St. James’ Park on Wednesday.

Tottenham will be without nine players to face Eddie Howe’s side, with Frank confirming no changes to their absentee list from their win at Everton.

Dejan Kulusevski

Knee

22/11/2025

James Maddison

ACL

01/06/2026

Radu Dragusin

Knee

22/11/2025

Ben Davies

Thigh

23/11/2025

Yves Bissouma

Ankle/Foot

08/11/2025

Kota Takai

Ankle/Foot

08/11/2025

Cristian Romero

Groin

01/11/2025

Destiny Udogie

Knee

08/11/2025

Dominic Solanke

Ankle

08/11/2025

via Premier Injuries

While van de Ven stole all the headlines for his obvious contribution, January signing Kevin Danso also enjoyed an absolutely solid outing.

The 27-year-old, tasked with replacing Cristian Romero, has done an excellent job in the Argentine’s stead, especially against Everton, with Danso winning 100 per cent of his duels, both in the air and on the ground.

Danso also made a whopping 18 clearances at the Hill Dickinson, and his defensive heroics were key to Spurs coming away with a much-needed three points.

Minutes

90

90

Tackles won

1/1

0/0

Clearances

18

7

Blocked shots

2

0

Ball recoveries

3

2

Ground duels won

2/2

1/2

Aerial duels won

4/4

1/4

In the aftermath, Frank was quick to herald Danso’s contribution.

Thomas Frank says Kevin Danso is Tottenham's underrated star

Speaking after Tottenham’s win at Everton in a post-match press conference, Frank claimed Danso’s performance was “not as highlighted”, but just as vital to his side claiming victory.

When asked about Danso again before Tottenham’s trip to the North East, Frank piled more praise on the Austrian – claiming he deserves praise.

Danso was brought in at the start of the year to help Spurs during their defensive injury crisis under ex-boss Ange Postecoglou, and he’s hardly set a foot wrong.

Signed on an initial loan with which became permanent for £21 million in the summer, Danso is proving to be worth every penny, but reports suggest he could face stiff competition for minutes pretty soon.

Tottenham are believed to be in the market for another defender in January, despite Danso’s presence and Radu Dragusin coming back from injury, so it will be interesting to see how often he’ll feature for Frank if a new centre-back comes through the door.

There was no place for Yashasvi Jaiswal or Shreyas Iyer in the 15-member squad

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-20252:39

Chopra: ‘Gill selection has written Samson’s destiny’

Shubman Gill has made a comeback to India’s T20I squad for the Asia Cup, replacing Axar Patel as vice-captain.The 15-member squad, picked by the selection committee on Tuesday, will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, and includes Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as the two other opening candidates. With Gill as vice-captain, however, he is the frontrunner for one of the slots at the top of the order.”We obviously see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England was what we were hoping for. [He] exceeded all our expectations, which is a great sign when there’s so much pressure as captain,” chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said in Mumbai.Related

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The middle and lower-order batting options are Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, who could be the first-choice wicketkeeper if India decide to open with Gill and Abhishek. There are also three allrounders in Axar, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. The specialist bowling options are Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana, who provides some extra batting depth too.There was no place for Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was instead among the five reserve players, along with Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel. Shreyas Iyer, who scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 in IPL 2025 and led Punjab Kings to the final, also did not find a place in the 15.”With regard to Yashasvi, it’s just unfortunate again,” Agarkar said. “There’s Abhishek Sharma: what he’s done over the last year or so – plus he can bowl a little bit – he gives us that option if required. One of these guys was going to miss out. Yashasvi just has to wait for his chance.”With regard to Shreyas, who can he replace? No fault of his, nor is it ours. At the moment, you can just pick 15. So he will have to wait for his chance.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Gill was vice-captain in the previous T20I series he had played – in Sri Lanka in July 2024 – but he had not been picked in any of the subsequent series as India prioritised his appearances in the Test and ODI formats. Axar was then appointed vice-captain for the home T20Is against England in January. Gill’s return to the T20I format comes on the back of his contributions to India’s Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year and his record-breaking run as batter in the five-Test series in England, where he led India to a 2-2 draw in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He also scored 650 runs for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025 at a strike rate of 155.87.”Last time when he [Gill] played T20 for India, post T20 World Cup when we went to Sri Lanka – not Zimbabwe – when I was leading, he was the vice-captain,” Suryakumar said after the selection meeting in Mumbai. “So that’s where we started a new cycle. After that, he got busy with all the Test series, and he didn’t get an opportunity to play T20s because he was busy playing Test cricket and Champions Trophy. So he’s there in the squad, and we’re happy to have him.”The Asia Cup is India’s first T20I assignment since the bilateral series against England at home in January. India are in Group A, along with Pakistan, Oman and UAE. Their first game is against UAE in Dubai on September 10, after which they play Pakistan in Dubai on September 14, and Oman in Abu Dhabi on September 19.”This is the first big tournament we are playing since the [2024] T20 World Cup,” Suryakumar said. “We have played three-four bilateral series. It’s a good tournament to test ourselves. After this, there are a lot of T20s – close to 20-22 T20s in total – before we play our first game in the [2026] World Cup, so I think the journey starts from the Asia Cup.”

India’s squad for the Asia Cup

1 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 2 Shubman Gill (vc), 3 Hardik Pandya, 4 Arshdeep Singh, 5 Abhishek Sharma, 6 Tilak Varma, 7 Shivam Dube , 8 Axar Patel, 9 Jitesh Sharma, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Varun Chakravarthy , 12 Kuldeep Yadav, 13 Harshit Rana, 14 Rinku Singh, 15 Sanju SamsonReserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal

تحدث الإيطالي كارلو أنشيلوتي، المدير الفني لمنتخب البرازيل الأول لكرة القدم عن مجموعة السيلساو في كأس العالم المقبل 2026.

وتستضيف الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، كندا والمكسيك نهائيات النسخة المقبلة من بطولة كأس العالم والتي ستنطلق في الفترة بين 11 يونيو و19 يوليو.

وتعتبر تلك هي النسخة الأولى من بطولة كأس العالم، بعد استحداث نظامها، حيث سيشارك فيها 48 منتخبًا، سيتم تقسيمهم على 12 مجموعة، ويتأهل متصدر ووصيف كل مجموعة إلى دور الـ32، بالإضافة إلى أفضل 8 منتخبات في مركز ثالث.

وتأهل منتخب البرازيل، بقيادة المدرب كارلو أنشيلوتي، إلى بطولة كأس العالم بعدما تواجد في المركز الخامس في تصفيات قارة أمريكا الجنوبية برصيد 28 نقطة.

ويقع منتخب البرازيل في المجموعة الثالثة رفقة المغرب وهايتي واسكتلندا، حيث أجرى الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا” فرعة كأس العالم أمس، الجمعة، (لمزيد من التفاصيل اضغط هنا).

وقال أنشيلوتي في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “نحترم كل المنتخبات التي سنواجها في مجموعتنا لكنني أعتقد أن مواجهة المغرب هي الأصعب”.

وعن النظام الجديد لـ كأس العالم، أتم: “لقد تغير كثيرًا عن النسخ السابقة وأعتقد هذا يساعد كرة القدم أكثر لأن العديد من البلاد ستشارك في كأس العالم وهذا سيزيد من مشاعر الجماهير واهتمامهم تجاه البطولة”.

This season is shaping up very nicely for Chelsea at the moment.

Enzo Maresca’s side are second in the Premier League and have the chance to cut Arsenal’s lead to just three points on Sunday.

Then in Europe, they sent a warning out to the rest of the sides in the Champions League with their thumping 3-0 win over Barcelona, a game in which Estevao shone once again.

Maresca and Co will have a chance to make Chelsea’s season even better once the transfer window reopens in just over a month, not just by signing players, but by selling one who once looked like Estevao when he was a youngster.

Estevao's sensational start to life at Chelsea

The expectations placed upon Estevao have been monumental for quite some time now, to the point that respected analyst Ben Mattinson labelled him a “future Ballon d’Or winner” months before Chelsea even signed him.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Since then, the hype surrounding him has only grown, thanks in large part to his fine form in Brazil, where he produced 17 goal involvements in 37 games last season.

Even so, few would have expected the start to this season he has had.

The youngster is not only playing a decent number of minutes, but he’s chipping in with important goals and has already shown a hugely impressive ability to get the fans on their feet.

So far, the 18-year-old has scored five goals and provided one assist for the Blues in 17 appearances, totalling 740 minutes.

That comes out to an excellent average of a goal involvement every 2.83 games, or every 123.33 minutes, which would be commendable for a seasoned veteran, let alone a teenager.

The Franca-born wonderkid has been so effective this year that fans and pundits have actually spoken about him being a particular threat to league-leading Arsenal ahead of Sunday’s game.

However, while Chelsea should be delighted with their new wonderkid, they also need to find a way to sell one of their biggest duds, who once looked like Estevao when he was first breaking through.

The Chelsea flop who needs to be sold

Chelsea have become quite good at moving on players they don’t want in recent years, but even then, a couple remain in the bomb squad who are proving tricky to sell, like Raheem Sterling.

The former Manchester City star joined the club in 2022, and while he’s had moments for the club in which he’s looked excellent, they’ve only ever been that, moments.

Moreover, while his tally of 19 goals and 15 assists in 81 games isn’t terrible, he’s never really put together a string of impressive performances, which is why he was allowed to join Arsenal on loan last year.

Unfortunately, that move only made the situation worse, as he ended up scoring just a single goal and providing five assists in 28 games for the Gunners, and was labelled a “passenger” by journalist Charles Watts.

Since returning to Stamford Bridge, the 30-year-old has been left to train separately from the first team, and with a weekly wage of £325k, that is far from ideal.

It is a serious shame that things have not worked out for the former England international, as before his move south, he was one of the best players in the league.

For example, during his time at the Etihad, he scored 131 goals and provided 86 assists in 339 appearances and won four league titles.

He was even a brilliant player for Liverpool, making his debut in the 11/12 season, but making his name in the 13/14 season, when, like Estevao now, he was just 18 years old.

In that season, the Kingston-born phenom managed to rack up an incredible tally of ten goals and seven assists in 38 appearances, totalling 2535 minutes, which is an average of a goal involvement every 2.23 games, or every 149.11 minutes.

Appearances

38

17

Minutes

2535′

740′

Goals

10

5

Assists

7

1

Goal Involvements per Match

0.44

0.35

Minutes per Goal Involvement

149.11′

123.33′

It wasn’t just the goals, though, as, like the Brazilian, he was a serious threat with the ball at his feet, thanks in part to his speed and close control.

Ultimately, Sterling will go down as a legend of the Premier League, but for the sake of all parties, Chelsea need to sell him in January, even if they barely get anything.

The original Estevao: Chelsea lead race to sign "best player in the world"

Chelsea could sign the original Estevao for a mega-money fee.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 28, 2025

Liverpool turned a corner at the weekend, professionally defeating West Ham United at the London Stadium to arrest the shocking slump that has sent Arne Slot’s project into a spin.

However, it’s important for those of a Red persuasion not to get too excited. West Ham are hardly in good form, teetering on the edge of the Premier League relegation zone.

But there were some positives to be taken after that industrious win. Particularly, Liverpool looked sharp in attack, with Alexander Isak netting his first league goal for the Reds and Cody Gakpo notching a goal and an assist. Florian Wirtz sparkled in his creative role.

There has been talk of FSG and sporting director Richard Hughes dipping into the transfer market for a new forward in January, but if anything, the win over the Hammers and Liverpool’s abject form highlight a different area that needs attention.

Liverpool's winter transfer plans

It’s clear that Liverpool need a centre-back. Top sources have also linked the Premier League champions to prolific Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause valid from January.

However, the centre of the park appears to have been overlooked. Certainly, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch have not formed a convincing partnership this season, and a tough-tackling and dynamic option could be worthwhile for a Liverpool side looking to bounce back.

As per Caught Offside, Liverpool are expected to table a €60m (£53m at current exchange rates) bid for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, with the French midfielder no longer considered untouchable at the Santiago Bernabeu.

It’s understood that Los Blancos have held informal discussions about the 23-year-old’s future after an injury-affected few years, but Camavinga is one of the best in the business, and Liverpool could hit the jackpot by signing him for a comparatively affordable fee.

Why Liverpool want Eduardo Camavinga

Camavinga has been at Real Madrid for most of his professional career, having left France and Rennes and joined the Spanish giants in a €40m (£34m) package back in 2021.

He’s won the full gamut, and, on an individual level, been hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig as “a real war machine in midfield”. One of the sternest criticisms Slot’s side have faced pertains to their lack of physicality and bite in midfield this season, outduelled in most of their defeats – and there have been a whole host of losses.

Camavinga would fix that, settling into the six berth. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 12% for successful take-ons, and the top 1% for tackles won per 90, emphasising his ball-playing quality and the gritty defensive acumen that would stabilise Slot’s sinking system.

Looking at those metrics – and more – in a different format, see how Camavinga could add more defensive solidity to the engine room when assessing his data against that of Mac Allister, whose form has plummeted this season.

Goals

0.11

0.18

Assists

0.11

0.20

Touches

76.18

63.79

Pass completion (%)

90.8

83.3

Shot-creating actions

2.44

3.80

Progressive passes

4.76

5.76

Progressive carries

1.93

1.46

Successful take-ons

1.13

0.67

Recoveries

5.72

4.65

Tackles won

2.72

1.46

Interceptions

1.25

0.91

Aerials won

1.30

0.56

But those metrics are taking across a year-long stretch, and the Argentine was among the creme-de-la-creme last year as Slot’s Reds romped their way to the title.

Semenyo might be a stellar addition to a Liverpool side who opted against a direct Luis Diaz replacement this summer, but Gakpo has held down the fort measurably well, and Rio Ngumoha, 17, was entrusted with a regular first-team role after an impressive emergence season.

Real Madrid are in a state of upheaval right now, and signing a player of Camavinga’s ilk for a decent figure won’t come around too often. Wataru Endo is scarcely used by Slot and Gravenberch and Mac Allister need proper competition.

Should Liverpool instil some French flair into their midfield in the form of Camainga, they would be sure to level up, adding the joie de vivre that has been lacking this term, and a tough-tackling presence that would ease the defence’s burden and free up the forwards to reach new heights.

Gakpo upgrade: Liverpool open surprise talks to sign "magic" £70m PL star

Liverpool are planning to strengthen their flanks after a tough start to the season.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Dec 1, 2025

Before the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the Giants in June, tension emerged between Boston and Devers over his position this season.

The conflict began when the team signed Alex Bregman and decided to play him at third base over Devers, who previously manned the position for the Red Sox. Devers eventually agreed to be the designated hitter by the start of the season, but tension re-emerged when they asked him to spend time at first base following a season-ending injury to Triston Casas. The Red Sox felt like Devers wasn't living up to the responsibilities of his massive contract with the team, and ultimately traded him to the Giants.

Mike Yastrzemski only played alongside Devers on the Giants for less than two months before he was traded to the Royals, but quickly learned the type of teammate and player Devers is for a team.

"He was the best," Yastrzemski said of Devers on . "Awesome teammate, willing to do whatever he had to. I think he just got thrown into a weird circumstance and sometimes as players you have to stick up for yourself. I think that's what he tried to do and the wording of it was delivered poorly because he's an awesome teammate, he works his tail off, he tries to help everybody.

Yastrzemski continued, "If you're facing a guy that he's faced and you haven't faced him, full scouting report, where you want to look for the ball, what pitch you want to hit, how he's gonna pitch you. He's really smart and he cares about winning so much. I don't understand where all the heat came from."

While Devers's approach appeared to quickly change when he arrived in San Francisco and said he was "here to play whatever [position] they want me to play," he said he wasn't trying to spite the Red Sox or be a bad teammate. He later explained that he felt he had earned respect in Boston and would have been willing to play first base for them had they asked in spring training. The Giants gave him time to train to play first base, and he is beginning to find his groove at the position.

Sufyan Yousuf, Zikria Islam, Faisal Shah and Nadeem Khan are the uncapped players in the 17-man squad to be led by Jatinder Singh

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2025Oman have named as many as four uncapped players for their maiden Asia Cup appearance next month. Sufyan Yousuf, Zikria Islam, Faisal Shah and Nadeem Khan are the uncapped players in the 17-man squad which will be led by experienced opener Jatinder Singh.”It is real that we are participating in the Asia Cup – a major tournament and a fantastic opportunity for our players to showcase their skills on a global stage,” Oman head coach Duleep Mendis said while looking ahead to their first Asia Cup. “Playing against teams like India and Pakistan is a moment to embrace for any cricketer. Anything can happen in a fast-paced T20 game, where one over of brilliance can change everything.”Our build-up has been strong, with the ongoing National T20 tournament providing competitive exposure, and our training sessions have been intense and focused. It’s not just about skills – in high-pressure games against elite teams, mental strength is equally crucial. We are hopeful of making an impact in this Asia Cup and showcasing Oman as a growing cricketing nation.”Oman enters the Asia Cup with a blend of experience and youth, determined to leave a mark against Asia’s cricketing powerhouses. The tournament will not only test their skills but also their mental toughness on one of the most watched platforms in the sport.”Oman are in Group A and begin their Asia Cup campaign on September 12 against Pakistan before taking on UAE on September 15 and India on September 19.Oman’s most recent appearance was in the Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 in Lauderhill in the USA in May. This will be their second appearance in a major multi-nation tournament after the T20 World Cup last year.Oman squad for Asia CupJatinder Singh (capt), Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla, Sufyan Yousuf, Ashish Odedara, Aamir Kaleem, Mohammed Nadeem, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Karan Sonavale, Zikriya Islam, Hassnain Shah, Faisal Shah, Muhammed Imran, Nadeem Khan, Shakeel Ahmed, Samay Shrivastava.