Manchester United face off against their rivals Manchester City this weekend in the Premier League and could now miss the services of three important stars for the clash.

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim clarifies goalkeeper situation

The Manchester Derby rightfully has a spot as one of the most anticipated local rivalries in world football and Ruben Amorim will be looking for a morale-boosting victory at the home of the Citizens to further their cause for Premier League improvement.

Last term, Amad Diallo’s late winner against Pep Guardiola’s men in a 2-1 victory during the early stages of Amorim’s tenure proved to be one of the highlights in a campaign full of lows for Manchester United. Other than that, supporters will be glad to view 2024/25 as a distant memory.

Nevertheless, this season hasn’t started without any hitches either, making Sunday’s clash between two eternal enemies one that could go on to shape the dynamic of their respective endeavours over the next few months.

Looking ahead to the clash, Amorim confirmed that £18.2 million Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens will have to wait for his competitive debut after joining from Royal Antwerp on Deadline Day.

“Yeah (Altay Bayindir will play). It is the same thing I do with different positions, It is a different league, different country, different training, different ball, so they will fight for the position. I believe in Altay, he (Lammens) is ready to play but Altay is going to continue.”

However, there are other concerns Amorim will need to deal with ahead of their upcoming derby clash, including the fact three of his players have been ruled out due to injury.

Man Utd trio set to miss Man City clash

Unfortunately, Manchester United trio Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount and Diogo Dalot look set to miss the clash with Manchester City due to injury, Amorim confirmed in his pre-match press duties.

Man Utd’s injury list – who will miss Manchester Derby?

Lisandro Martinez

Matheus Cunha

Diogo Dalot

Mason Mount

The trio earn £415,000 per week between them at Old Trafford and have featured in all three of Manchester United’s Premier League matches so far, so who could come in to replace them?

Kobbie Mainoo may well be a swap for Mount, while Casemiro may start in a deeper role to allow Bruno Fernandes more creative freedom. Patrick Dorgu may also be included higher up to allow greater tactical flexibility.

Either way, Manchester United are gearing up for their biggest match of the season so far and will need to be at the top of their game to take something come full-time at the Etihad.

Priyansh Arya, 24, smashed a 39-ball half-century, the joint fourth-fastest in the IPL, to lead Punjab Kings (PBKS) to 219 for 6 in Mullanpur against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).While Arya finished with 103 off 42 balls, the rest of the top six had a combined 32 off 25 balls in a bizarre scorecard. Shashank Singh, then coming in at No. 7, contributed an unbeaten 52 off 36 balls to power PBKS past 200.Arya had triggered a bidding war at the IPL 2025 auction after hitting six sixes in an over in the inaugural Delhi Premier League (DPL). Brad Haddin, PBKS’ assistant coach, said that the team management was convinced of Arya’s potential after just one practice session. Arya translated that potential into a sensational performance on Tuesday.Arya is a bit like a left-handed version of Virender Sehwag. He sees the ball, he whacks the ball. He also has the gift of timing. When Matheesha Pathirana marginally missed a wide yorker and bowled a full-toss – it was still a hard-to-hit full-toss – Arya carved it over point for six. He sent the next three balls off Pathirana for 6,6,4 to charge to a 39-ball hundred. Only Chris Gayle (30), Yusuf Pathan (37) and David Miller (38) have scored faster hundreds (in terms of balls) in the IPL, while Travis Head also has a 39-ball ton.After bringing up his ton in the 13th over, Arya holed out in the next over, dragging a wrong’un from left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad to long-on. Arya could’ve been dismissed in the very first over had Khaleel Ahmed held onto a fairly straightforward return catch. Arya was on 6 at that point, having scythed the first ball over point for six.Arya then got another life on 35 when Vijay Shankar dropped a more difficult catch at midwicket. He moved to his half-century, off 19 balls, when he backed away and cracked R Ashwin over mid-off in the last over of the powerplay. In all, he took Ashwin for 28 off ten balls.After Arya fell, Shashank struck up an unbroken 65-run seventh-wicket stand off 38 balls with Marco Jansen to deflate CSK even further. Ravindra Jadeja was the only CSK bowler to concede at under ten an over.

LSG chasing down their target with 23 balls and five wickets to spare was giving SRH a taste of their own medicine

Hemant Brar27-Mar-20251:28

What makes Shardul Thakur effective?

Before the match, many expected Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to post the first 300-plus total in IPL history. There were reasons to justify the speculation. After a record-breaking IPL 2024, SRH had posted 286 for 6 in their IPL 2025 opener, also in Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were without at least two of their first-choice bowlers.Forget 300, SRH could not even score 200. They managed 190 for 9 with Shardul Thakur picking up 4 for 34, his best figures in the IPL.Still, 190 was not a small total. But Nicholas Pooran made it look minuscule. He smashed 70 off just 26 balls, hitting six fours and as many sixes. By the time Pat Cummins had him lbw, LSG needed only 71 from 68 balls.Related

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Batters hitting their first three balls in an IPL innings for sixes

Mitchell Marsh, who played second fiddle to Pooran while they were together, also scored a fifty before Abdul Samad applied the finishing touches.LSG chasing down their target with 23 balls and five wickets to spare was giving SRH a taste of their own medicine. Last season, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma had taken just 9.4 overs to chase down LSG’s 165 at this very venue.Thakur gets two in twoLSG knew the only way to stop the marauding SRH batting unit was to take early wickets. Thakur went in search of swing in the first over but did not find success. But in his next over, he dismissed Abhishek and Ishan Kishan off successive balls. Abhishek pulled a short ball into the hands of deep square-leg, and Kishan was caught down the leg side.1:28

What makes Shardul Thakur effective?

Head went after the returning Avesh Khan, hitting him for two sixes and a four in the fourth over. Two overs later, he tried to take on Ravi Bishnoi but ended up skying a slog sweep. Pooran, though, put the chance down at long-on. Four balls later, Bishnoi failed to latch on to a tough return catch. Head was on 35 at the time of the first drop but it cost LSG only 12 as Prince Yadav made a mess of Head’s stumps for his first wicket in the IPL.Klaasen’s bizarre run outNitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen took SRH past 100 in the 11th over before Klaasen was run out in bizarre fashion. Nitish hit a full toss from Prince to the bowler’s left. Prince failed to hold on to the catch, but the ball found a way to ricochet on to the stumps at the non-striker’s end with Klaasen well outside his crease. Soon after, Bishnoi castled Nitish for 32 off 28, leaving SRH in a spot.Sixes and outsIn keeping with the SRH team ethos, the batters kept attacking. But while they kept hitting sixes, they also kept getting out. Aniket Verma smashed Bishnoi for back-to-back sixes and repeated it against Digvesh Rathi in the following over before getting out for 36 off 13 balls. Cummins walked out at No. 8, hit the first three balls he faced for three sixes, and was out on the fourth. That took SRH to 180 for 8 after 18 overs. However, only ten runs came from the last two.1:49

Knight breaks down Pooran’s six-hitting

Pooran makes it a one-sided contestMohammed Shami removed Aiden Markram in the second over of the chase, but Pooran took the attack to the opposition as soon as he walked out. His first boundary came via a misfield before he smoked Simarjeet Singh over deep midwicket twice in two balls.Bringing on a left-arm orthodox spinner with Pooran in the middle is always risky. But Cummins took that gamble with Abhishek. Pooran faced only two balls from him and slog-swept both for sixes. He has now hit seven sixes off nine balls against Abhishek in T20 cricket.He didn’t spare legspinner Adam Zampa either, hitting him for two sixes and a four in the seventh over. Off the first 20 balls he faced, he hit five fours and six sixes.Marsh’s fifty, Samad’s cameoMarsh was on 37 off 22 balls when Pooran got out. He had hit Shami for two straight sixes in the powerplay. In the 11th over, he hit Cummins for back-to-back fours to bring up his fifty off 29 balls. Cummins had him caught at long-on soon after but it was too late.At the end of 11 overs, LSG needed only 53. They did lose Rishabh Pant and Ayush Badoni along the way, but their victory was never in doubt. Samad, a former SRH player, smashed an unbeaten 22 off eight balls to complete the formalities.

In 2021, a graphic designer working for Sky Sport Germany was going to change the footballing world forever. After Jadon Sancho went his first seven matches for Manchester United following his £73m move from Borussia Dortmund without a direct goal contribution, his face was edited onto a picture of James Bond, also known as '007'. In this instance, the two zeroes represented his goals and assists, with the seven the amount of matches he had played.

Since then, '007' has become a humorous moniker bestowed online upon players who record that stat-line. Liverpool's Florian Wirtz recently hit that mark – and has even surpassed it, going nine games without a goal contribution – and now even managers aren't safe, with Ange Postecoglou under fire. The charismatic Australian has failed to win any of his first seven matches in charge of Nottingham Forest across all competitions, with defeats coming in the Premier League, Europa League and Carabao Cup. In fairness, he has at least picked up two draws, so it's not an ethical '007'.

Regardless, it's hard to fathom how Forest have got themselves into such a situation in the first place. They finished seventh in the Premier League last season to book a return to European football, and for a long while appeared headed for the Champions League. Heading into the October international break, they sit 17th in the standings, only one point outside the relegation zone.

For Postecoglou, this represents a rare misstep in his career. Wherever he's gone in the last 15 years, he's brought success (particularly in his second seasons). When he left Tottenham in June, it seemed unlikely he would get another job in England. So how has he gone from the loveable everyman to one of the worst managers in the modern history of the Premier League?

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  Tottenham sacked him for a reason

  Postecoglou first arrived on British shores in 2021 when he was whisked in as the new manager of Celtic, who had failed in a long and public pursuit of Eddie Howe to replace Neil Lennon in the Parkhead dugout. This was his first job outside of Australia and Asia since 2008 when he briefly took charge of third-tier side Panachaiki in his birthplace of Greece. There was understandable scepticism when he was appointed Bhoys boss, but he quickly silenced his doubters with his persuasive charm and his team's entertaining football. It also helped that this led to Celtic emphatically winning back the Premiership title from Rangers.

  After two years in Scotland, Postecoglou got a call from Tottenham, who were desperate to get the bad taste of the miserable Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho eras out of their mouth. Again, there were unbelievers to sway. His immediate task was to make the team play an expansive brand of football, with the hope this would lead to what Postecoglou himself would later describe as 'sustained success'. Spurs won eight and drew two of their first 10 games under the Aussie before they were thrashed by Chelsea, who were ironically managed by former favourite Mauricio Pochettino. From there on, the foundations of 'Ange-ball' became fragile and Postecoglou's side never quite hit those same heights from a domestic point of view, despite achieving an admirable fifth-place finish for 2023-24 when many tipped them to finish outside the European places. Postecoglou's gift of the gab won supporters over, as did the extraordinary, drug-like highs of his opening three months in the role.

  Tottenham's 2024-25 season was unlike any other, be it by their own manic standards or anyone else's. They ended a 17-year wait to win a trophy with victory in the Europa League, yet simultaneously finished 17th in the Premier League. The club's board, led by the soon-to-depart Daniel Levy, released a lengthy statement to explain how they arrived at the decision to sack him soon after the campaign wrapped up.

  "Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties," it began. The standout paragraph read: "The Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place. Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season. At times there were extenuating circumstances – injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club's greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph."

  It was a unique situation that Spurs found themselves in, but one that was understood by most corners of the footballing world, even if it was raw to those most closely impacted. That Postecoglou goes down as a Tottenham legend and also the mastermind behind their worst-ever top flight season in terms of defeats (22) are not paradoxical thoughts.

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  Strange hire for Forest

  Forest's summer was far from unassuming. After nearly throwing away European qualification altogether, they were very much up for UEFA demoting FA Cup winners Crystal Palace into the Conference League to bump themselves up into the Europa League, while Morgan Gibbs-White's transfer to Tottenham was blocked by owner Evangelos Marinakis (or 'Mr Marinakis', as the England midfielder called him several times in a video announcing a new contract).

  That seemed to be the end of the Forest soap opera and they were expected to enjoy another fruitful season under Nuno Espirito Santo. Then, during what was meant to be an unassuming press conference before an on-pitch battle with Palace in mid-August, the Portuguese tactician threw his future into doubt. "I always had a very good relationship with the owner – last season we were very close and spoke on a daily basis. This season it is not so well (between us) but I always believe that dialogue is important because my concern is the squad and the season we have ahead of us. Our relationship has changed and we are not as close. I think everyone at the club should be together but this is not the reality," Nuno said, lasting only a couple of weeks more in the job before being sacked in one of the strangest sagas this league that sometimes borders on soap opera has ever seen.

  Postecoglou has previously spoken of clubs, and even the Australia national team, turning to him because they and the fans long for change, that there is a want to completely reverse their fortunes. This was a different case. Nuno had unanimous and unwavering support among the Forest faithful and they were angry to see him go. If Postecoglou was appointed based on the job he did at Spurs and the hope he could win the Europa League for a second season running, then that would have made sense. Instead, his close ties to fellow Greek Marinakis felt like the top reason behind the change in the dugout, even more so after it was reported they wined and dined over the summer.

  At an event in July honouring Postecoglou in Greece, Marinakis said: "What I want to say about Ange is that he has spoken about Greece many times, he is proud to be Greek, and in the great success he had with Tottenham by winning the Europa League, he spoke about Greece. (He is) a man who not only does not hide his origin but is also proud of it. What he achieved, he did with a team that has not won any titles, it has had a very difficult time in recent years. In this huge success that the whole world saw, he promoted Greece. We must thank him especially for this, and we wish him well, although we are sure that he will do well as he has the ability. Wherever he goes, the successes will come."

  Overnight, Forest had gone from a team used to playing defensive, conservative football to a side who wanted to play at a hundred miles an hour. Now, they're feeling the aftereffects of whiplash.

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  Breaking the wrong Forest records

  The term 'baptism of fire' doesn't do justice for the start Postecoglou's made at Forest. 'Christening by explosion' might be more appropriate. A 3-0 hammering to former rivals Arsenal started his reign, after which he vowed his side would be the one he envisaged in their following game, a trip to Championship side Swansea in the Carabao Cup. Forest lost 3-2 after being 2-1 up heading into second-half stoppage time.

  Credible draws at Burnley and Real Betis followed before they lapsed back into losing habits, falling to Sunderland, Midtjylland and Newcastle with a whimper. The most recent of those defeats, 2-0 up at St James' Park, was so comprehensive that host broadcaster Sky Sports didn't, or couldn't, show a single Forest chance in their highlights package.

  Postecoglou is now the first permanent Forest boss to fail to win any of his first four league games since 1960, while his start in all competitions means he has the worst opening record at the club in over 100 years. The Australian himself is now 11 Premier League matches without a win, counting his time at Spurs, and his teams have taken only 15 points from their last 23 games. What hasn't helped optics is that Tottenham are currently third in the table under new boss Thomas Frank, while Nuno earned a priceless draw at Everton with West Ham last week. The gruff 60-year-old is both the odd one out and the common denominator.

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  Mutiny at the City Ground

  The extra novelty behind Postecoglou's beginnings at Forest is he was unable to greet his new home fans until his fifth game in charge, managing twice away in the Premier League plus once in the Europa League and Carabao Cup apiece. By then, his stock was already trending downwards, but two limp performances at the City Ground cost him any last shred of goodwill coming into the job.

  During the second of these defeats, a 3-2 loss to Danish minnows Midtjylland, Postecoglou was targeted by chants of 'you're getting sacked in the morning' from an angry crowd. The three goals Forest shipped were stupidly soft, conceding twice from opposition set pieces and once from their own. The worries people had over Postecoglou heading into this role were real.

  In Postecoglou's first few months at Tottenham, the press hung on his every word. He's an extraordinary orator, hence why his teams have always bought into his methods, and you couldn't help but want to listen to him. That's easier when you're winning, not so much when in a rut. Down the stretch of 2024-25, Postecoglou's responses and messages when speaking to the media became grouchier and bitter. That's extended into his Forest reign without any sort of tangible result to fall back on, and already there is serious speculation of him being fired, with he himself confirming he will hold showdown talks with Marinakis.

  Speaking on Sunday after the defeat at Newcastle, he reverted to the type of his defiant self. "I'm here in the Premier League at the age of 60, you reckon I lack self-belief or don’t like a fight? I've picked fights. I have. In the schoolyard, I've picked fights with people I knew would beat me up. That's the kind of person I am," he bellowed in his press conference.

  "I totally understand it's part of the fanfare around the Premier League that there needs to be a manager under the spotlight. It's my turn at the moment. It's a fun game, isn't it? It's me this week. Who knows, maybe you're all right and I'm gone. Next week it will be someone else. I'm not a worrying kind of guy. I couldn't care less. If people somehow think I'm not enjoying what I'm doing at the moment, they've got no idea." Well, at least someone inside the club is enjoying the Forest experience, then.

أدلى خوان لابورتا، رئيس نادي برشلونة، بتصريحات مطولة قبل مباراة الكلاسيكو المرتقبة يوم الأحد المقبل في بطولة الدوري الإسباني كرة القدم ضد ريال مدريد.

ويستضيف ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” قمة منافسات الجولة العاشرة من الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2025/26، بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة.

وقال لابورتا، في تصريحات لصحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية: “تكون مباراة الكلاسيكو الأكثر تنافسًا، يرغب اللاعبون في تقديم كل ما لديهم، أعلم أن لاعبينا متحمسون للغاية، وأيًا كان من سيبدأ، ستكون لدينا فرصة، أنا مقتنع بأنهم سيمنحوننا شيئًا نتطلع إليه، وأننا سنفوز في البرنابيو، كما فعلوا سابقًا، لقد حدث ذلك في العام الماضي، على سبيل المثال”.

وأضاف: “نحن نلعب على الصدارة، وهذا حافز إضافي، لقد تناولت الغداء مع الفريق أمس بعد التدريب، ويبدو أنهم متحمسون ومركزون للغاية، يعلم فليك أنه لن يتمكن من الحضور، مع أننا قدمنا ​​استئنافًا أخيرًا نطالب فيه بإجراء احترازي (تم رفضه)، سيحضر ماركوس سورج، فليك يحفزه، وكلاهما متحمسان للغاية”.

وعن حصوله على بطاقة صفراء ثانية لتصفيقه تجاه الحكم ومدى غرابة ذلك، قال: “لقد قلت ذلك بالفعل، دون قصد انتقاد الحكام ولكن هناك ظروف يجب النظر فيها، صحيح أن البطاقة الصفراء الأولى قرار الحكم، لكنك تنتظر رد فعل المدرب، وعندما يشهر لك البطاقة من الطبيعي ألا تشعر بالسعادة أو الرضا، انتظار رد الفعل بالنسبة لي كان متعمدًا، كان بإمكان الحكم جيل مانزانو تجنبه، لكنه أمر تقبله فليك”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. لاعب برشلونة: ريال مدريد حاول ضمي.. وأسير بوصية جدتي قبل المباريات

وعن التواجد في برنابيو لحضور الكلاسيكو، قال: “صحيح أنه من أجمل المشاعر التي يمكن أن تختبرها في الحياة، إذا كنت من مشجعي برشلونة، فإن البرنابيو مكان يدعوك للحماس والتركيز الشديد على المباراة والأجواء، إذا فزت فسيكون ذلك مذهلًا، لقد حالفني الحظ وحظيت بتجربة تلك الكلاسيكو، وهي مشاعر جميلة حقًا”.

وما إذا كان من الصعب ضبط النفس في مدرجات برنابيو، قال: “عليك ضبط نفسك، لكن الفوز يشعرك بعدم القدرة على ذلك، مع أنهم يقولون إنها مجرد مباراة عادية، إلا أنها ليست كذلك أبدًا، إنها مباراة تحدد اتجاهات، وإذا فزنا – وأنا مقتنع أن اللاعبين سيبذلون قصارى جهدهم للفوز ووضعنا في الصدارة – فهذا يمثل اتجاهًا تصاعديًا”.

واسترسل: “لن أتعب أبدًا من رؤية برشلونة يفوز في الكلاسيكو، هو شئ نحبه كجماهير، بالإضافة إلى الإنجاز الرياضي، يُشعرنا بشيء أكبر، لأنه يتجاوز الجانب الرياضي، إنها منافسة حامية الوطيس، إنه أمر رائع”.

وفيما يتعلق بإلغاء مباراة برشلونة وفياريال في ميامي، قال: “نحن ملتزمون بما تقوله رابطة الدوري الإسباني، لكن ما لا أتفق معه هو قولهم إن البطولة تم تشويها بسبب ذلك، لا أتفق مع ذلك، بخلاف ذلك نحن حققنا سلسلة انتصارات جيدة ضد فياريال على ملعب لا سيراميكا، كانت مباراة للترويج للدوري الإسباني وجلب أموال طائلة، مما كان سيؤثر على الدوري”.

واختتم: “كانت المباراة هناك ستوفر لنا رعايات، لقد كانت وسيلة لتعزيز صورة برشلونة، اقترحوا علينا ذلك ورأينا أنها فكرة جيدة، ووافقنا على تنفيذها، رد فعل رابطة اللاعبين، وكذلك ردود فعل اللاعبين ورفع ريال مدريد القضية إلى المجلس الرياضي الإسباني، أمر محترم، الجميع يفعل ما يراه مناسبًا، لكنني أعتقد أن ذلك أضر بالدوري الإسباني”.

West Ham United have now held talks over signing a £15m “animal” as a replacement for Nayef Aguerd, who is heading to Marseille.

West Ham eyeing defender to replace Aguerd

Despite Graham Potter’s desire to keep hold of the centre-back, Aguerd now looks set to complete a move to Ligue 1, having refused to take part in Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

In fairness, West Ham didn’t look like they missed the Moroccan defender at all, keeping a clean sheet for the first time this season, with Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos being given the nod at centre-back.

However, Potter will be a little short on options when Aguerd departs, meaning work has now started on bringing in a replacement, with Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell on the radar.

However, another transfer target from much closer to home is now emerging, with Fabrizio Romano taking to X to reveal the Hammers are now “exploring a move” for Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Igor Julio.

There is no agreement in place just yet, but talks over a deal for the Brazilian have already taken place, with Romano also confirming Aguerd is set to sign for Marseille.

It is unclear what sort of fee Brighton would be looking for, but the Seagulls are known to have forked out £15m to sign the 27-year-old from Fiorentina back in 2023, while Crystal Palace are also heavily linked with a deal which could drive the price up.

The Eagles are searching for a replacement for captain Marc Guehi, who is strongly linked with a deadline day move to Liverpool, and it now appears like a two-way race between the London teams for Julio’s signature.

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Kelan Sarson

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"Animal" Igor could be good fit in Potter's system

While he has struggled to do so, Potter has attempted to implement a possession-based style of football since his arrival at the London Stadium, and the Brighton defender could be an ideal fit for the West Ham boss.

Over the past year, the former Fiorentina man has vastly outperformed Kilman in terms of passes attempted, progressive passes and pass-completion rate per 90.

Former Brighton and Hove Albion coach Inigo Calderón has also praised the Brighton ace for his passing ability, saying:

“The first thing that comes to mind is that Igor is an animal, a centre back I really like for many reasons. He wins duels and has a good footwork for releasing the ball, both passing and dribbling.”

There may be some concerns over the fact Igor is a bit-part player at Brighton, having made just 13 appearances in the Premier League last season, but he could be a good fit in a Potter system, so it is worth taking a chance on the defender.

There’s a very strong argument that Luis Suarez is the best striker of his generation. Above Robert Lewandowski, above Karim Benzema and above the rest of the chasing pack. From his Liverpool days, which very nearly featured the club’s first Premier League title at the time, to forming MSN next to Neymar and Lionel Messi, the South American never dipped below world-class throughout a long prime.

Even now at Inter Miami, Suarez is still showing his quality as he approaches his 40s. He’s simply one of those players who, no matter their natural physical decline, were always likely to fall back on an unbelievable technical ability.

What validates Suarez’s place as one of the best of his generation the most, however, is the praise of so many legends that came before him. Among those to be left in awe of his ability, former teammate and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard said it best: “Luis seems to be cleaning up at the moment.

“He’s won everything and we are lucky to have such a world-class talent like Luis playing here with us and helping us to great things and be successful.

“He is out there by a big distance as the best player I have played with and that is no disrespect to anyone else – there has been some top talent for club and country – but this fella can do the lot.

“He is different to most footballers. There is some disappointment looming around but if this fella stays around for a few more years I think there will be some really big nights.”

Gerrard’s praise would have been music to Suarez’s ears at the time and even after he joined Barcelona, the South American didn’t forget the impact that Liverpool had on his career.

Suarez: Rodgers educated me before Barcelona move

Reflecting on his time at Anfield after grabbing further headlines in Spain, Suarez wasted no time before handing plenty of credit to Brendan Rodgers for the impact that he had on his career.

Rodgers and Suarez very nearly achieved what many thought was the unthinkable at Liverpool in 2014 before the Reds slipped to defeat in the Premier League title race. Alas, even in the face of defeat, it’s clear that both the manager and the forward got the best out of each other.

For so many years, the Europa League offered Rangers supporters a safe space away from their domestic trials and tribulations, but even that is no longer the case.

On Thursday night, Russell Martin suffered yet another defeat, with his side defeated 1-0 at the hands of Genk in their league phase opener.

Only 38,000 were in attendance at Ibrox, around 12,000 below capacity, as supporters voted with their feet against the manager and CEO Patrick Stewart, considering the Gers currently sit second bottom of the Scottish Premiership table, ahead of Sunday’s trip to Livingston.

In the Europa League meantime, former Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu was the main character of the evening, seeing a penalty saved by Jack Butland, missing at least two guilt-edged opportunities, before eventually scoring the only goal of the night, poking home at the back post, getting on the end of Patrik Hrošovský’s ball across.

From a Rangers perspective, most of the heat will be on the under-fire manager, but many of his players simply aren’t pulling their weight, one in particular not having any discernible positive impact on the night’s proceedings.

Mohamed Diomandé's costly red card

Rangers are finding winning football matches difficult enough right now with the full complement of 11 players, let alone ten.

In the quarter of an hour before half time, referee Matej Jug took centre stage, making three key decisions that all went against the home side.

The most outcome-altering was of course the red card, with Mohamed Diomandé dismissed for a foul on Zakaria El Ouahdi.

The Ivorian did win the ball, but his foot then bounced off the top of the ball and into El Ouahdi’s calf, thereby deemed a dangerous tackle.

Mere moments before, the Ibrox faithful thought their side were going to be given a penalty, Joris Kayembe seemingly set to be penalised for a handball, but the referee instead adjudged that James Tavrnier had committed a foul, which Ally McCoist said, speaking on commentary for TNT Sports, was the “biggest cop out you’ll see all night… he’s invented a shove there to take the easy way out”.

Chalkboard

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

Even after the sending off, there was still time for Jug to award Genk a penalty in first-half injury time, following video review, but Oh’s attempt was saved by Jack Butland, eliciting the loudest cheer of the night.

Nevertheless, they were never truly able to recover from the loss of Diomandé and, even though he clearly didn’t mean to put in a dangerous challenge, he did ultimately, as McCoist put it, “cost his team”.

However, another Rangers starter offered even less on Thursday night, bringing into question why so much was paid for his services.

Rangers' anonymous attacker

Martin made just one change to his Rangers team that beat Hibs in the League Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, with Bojan Miovski, who actually scored his first goal for the club in that one, dropping to the bench, with Youssef Chermiti handed a first start for the club.

The 21-year-old joined the Light Blues for a reported fee of £8m, potentially rising to £10m, from Everton on deadline day, despite having scored zero goals in 24 appearances for the Toffees.

In fact, his most recent senior goal came for Sporting CP against Paços de Ferreira on 7 May 2023, underlining why this enormous fee raised so many eyebrows.

Well, as Chermiti seeks to change public perception of him in Glasgow, he didn’t do a very good job of it against Genk, as the table below outlines.

Shots

Zero

6th

Accurate passes

10

12th

Key passes

1

3rd

Duels contested

15

2nd

Duels won

5

4th

Possession lost

10

4th

Touches

24

11th

Sofascore rating

6.3

14th

As the table documents, Chermiti essentially had no impact on Rangers as an attacking force on Thursday, touching the ball a mere 24 times, nine fewer than the dismissed Diomandé, as well as five less than Oliver Antman, who was introduced as a half-time substitute. That return was also less than the aforementioned Butland, who recorded 45 touches.

Of course, it isn’t easy playing the role of a lone striker, especially when your side are down to ten men, but the Portuguese youngster lost possession ten times, as well as winning only five of 15 duels, not mustering a single shot, which simply isn’t good enough.

It is obviously unfair on the youngster, but when you cost as much as Chermiti has, big things are expected.

That fee will only prove to be value for money if he fires Rangers to league titles and scores crucial goals in European competition, so the fact that it is over two years since the striker scored a goal for anybody has to be alarming.

The most galling fact is that Martin left a proven goalscorer in Miovski, one who literally scored a goal less than a week ago, in reserve, watching on like the rest of the Rangers support, wondering how on earth this team are ever going to score a goal.

Reports suggest Martin now has three games to save his job, all away from home, facing Livingston, Sturm Graz and then Falkirk on the road in the next ten days, so, if he is to remain in situ during the international break, he must ditch Chermiti and get Miovski back up front.

Not Dyche or Gerrard: Rangers should axe Martin for future "elite manager"

With Russell Martin under intense pressure as Rangers boss, the 49ers should make a future “elite manager” their top target to replace him at Ibrox.

ByBen Gray Sep 25, 2025

Carlo Ancelotti insists Neymar remains in his plans for the World Cup next year, but has warned the Santos star that he must be fully fit to earn a recall to the final Brazil squad. The forward has not played for the Selecao since October 2023, in a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay, but Ancelotti says he could yet play a part in next summer's tournament.

Getty Images SportTwo years out of the Brazil picture

Neymar has 128 caps for Brazil but has not featured for his country since 2023. Now, though, Ancelotti has claimed that there is a route back into the squad for the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward, who is back playing for Santos, having returned to the club earlier this year.

Since his exit from PSG, the 33-year-old has struggled immensely with injuries, sustaining a cruciate ligament tear while with Al Hilal in 2023/24; he has subsequently had to deal with a recurring hamstring problem that has further limited his minutes. And while Ancelotti admits he has been planning for the 2026 tournament Neymar involved, he has warned that he must regain full fitness. 

AdvertisementAncelotti's warning to Neymar

Ancelotti told reporters: "Neymar can play at his highest level in this team without any problems. When he is in good physical condition, he has the quality to play not only in Brazil but in any team in the world because of his talent."

He added: "Brazilian players have the quality to play beautiful football but you have to think about what you mean by beautiful football. Brazilian players have individual quality but that is combined with teamwork and movement off the ball, and that's very important in football.

"My goal is to give my best for the Brazil national team, to try to get them to perform at their best and to win the World Cup. Of course, no foreign-born coach has ever won the World Cup but there is always a first time in life."

GettyNeymar faces fierce competition

Neymar has often been hailed as one of the best Brazilian players of his generation but he now faces immense competition if he is to reclaim his starting spot under the former Real Madrid boss.

In his last squad, Ancelotti included the following attacking players: Richarlison, Raphinha, Gabriel Martinelli, Joao Pedro, Luiz Henrique, and Estevao. In their most recent outing, they beat South Korea 5-0 in an international friendly. That was a fine response to their most recent World Cup qualifying defeat to Bolivia, which left them fifth in the South American qualification standings. Nevertheless, they have qualified to maintain an ever-present record at the tournament stretching back 95 years, doing so in their lowest-ever qualifying position. 

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Ronaldo hangs his hat on attacker

Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario has claimed that Neymar is central to his side's hopes of winning a first World Cup since 2002, when R9 himself walked away with the Golden Boot.

He said: "Brazil can achieve anything with the players they have available. Neymar can be, and I believe he will be, an important player in the World Cup. Everyone wants Neymar at 100%. That's what Ancelotti wants, and what he wants too. In his mind, I see a strong desire to be at the World Cup and help the Brazilian team."

He added: "I hope he's 100%. He's coming off a serious injury, and what he's going through is very natural: re-adaptation, game rhythm. The criticism is exaggerated, but expectations for him are always high, and that's why they exist. But Neymar knows what needs to be done to be 100% at the World Cup."

Piyush Chawla feels the lack of success so far this season has made Chahal “play more of a safe game”

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-20252:33

Chawla: Not the Chahal we’re used to seeing

Last year, Yuzvendra Chahal the first bowler to reach the 200-wicket mark in the IPL. No one else has reached there yet – the next best among active bowlers is Bhuvneshwar Kumar with 186. But a year on, and five matches into IPL 2025 for his new team Punjab Kings (PBKS), questions are cropping up about Chahal’s effectiveness.In this IPL, Chahal has picked up just two wickets in five innings at an economy rate of 11.13 and has not bowled his full quota in three games. Since making his debut in IPL 2013, Chahal – a wicket-taking option – has never had an economy rate of over 9.41 (2024) in a season. This year, he is going at 11.13, the 56 he conceded in his four overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Saturday not helping that number.Piyush Chawal, another legspinner and the second-highest wicket-taker in the history of the IPL, felt Chahal has been playing a “safe game”, which is new for him.Related

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“Well, he created that chance [Chahal dropped Abhishek Sharma off his own bowling] and you need at least one chance, and he created that one and he has nobody [else] to blame for that,” Chawla said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show. “He almost reached there but apart from that… later on when both the batters [Abhishek and Travis Head] were going after him, I didn’t find that Yuzvendra Chahal which we used to see a couple of years back and even till last year. He was just not trying to get the batter out. He was just trying to toss it wide and playing more of a safe game, defensive bowling. That Yuzvendra Chahal we have not seen.”What would Chawla have done on a flat pitch like the one in Hyderabad where the opponents are playing a high-risk, high-reward game chasing a huge target?”I have not seen him bowling googlies also. If you’re bowling wide outside off stump for them [left-hand batters] and it’s going away from there, so you eventually get a chance to get a wicket or something like that,” Chawla said. “But he didn’t bowl that, maybe because of the lack of form. If you see this season, he has bowled some 14-15 [15] overs and he’s not bowled his four [overs] quite often, and he’s conceding more than 11-12 runs in a season at the moment, which [makes] you feel you want to play a defensive game.Yuzvendra Chahal has looked off-colour so far•BCCI”You just want to get your four overs in and then try to pick up a wicket. But today, I felt it was the day when you have 245 runs on the board, any which way you’re going for runs, so you should better try for wickets and if you pick up those couple of wickets, then you are in the game.”PBKS, who have never won the IPL, went hard for Chahal at the auction and spent INR 18 crore for him, making him the most expensive spinner ever bought at an IPL auction. He is their premier spinner. Though PBKS have won three of their five matches so far, will Chahal’s form affect them as the race for the playoffs heats up?”I think the few deliveries that he bowled when he picked up Travis Head’s wicket, that is what we need to see Yuzvendra Chahal bowl more often,” Wasim Jaffer said. “You’re looking to spin the ball, looking to bowl googly, looking to put some revs on the ball, which I think we are missing from watching Yuzi. He is very defensive in his mindset and the pressure is pretty much visible on his face that, you know, he’s off colour. But you know for Punjab to become good, he’s the main puzzle that they need to solve.”