أعلنت اللجنة المنظمة لبطولة كأس العرب 2025، عن رجل مباراة منتخب مصر ضد الكويت، التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الثلاثاء، في مواجهات مرحلة المجموعات للبطولة.
وتواجه منتخب مصر مع الكويت، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الأولي من عمر مباريات المجموعة الثالثة لبطولة كأس العرب المقامة في قطر.
وانتهى اللقاء بالتعادل الإيجابي بين المنتخبين، بهدف لمثله، حيث تقدم منتخب الكويت عن طريق فهد الهاجري وتعادل لـ مصر محمد مجدي أفشة.
واختارت اللجنة المنظمة لبطولة كأس العرب، محمد مجدي أفشة رجل مباراة منتخب مصر أمام الكويت في كأس العرب.
طالع | ترتيب مجموعة مصر في كأس العرب 2025 بعد التعادل مع الكويت
ومن المقرر أن يلعب منتخب مصر ضد الإمارات، يوم السبت المقبل في مباراة الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات لبطولة كاس العرب. هدف أفشة في مباراة مصر والكويت اليوم ببطولة كأس العرب
This wasn’t a day for the spinner, but it was certainly a day for India’s greatest spinner, with the bat, on his home ground
Alagappan Muthu19-Sep-20241:08
Why was Ashwin more comfortable than the top-order batters?
It’s lunch. The crowd is quiet. Maybe even bored. A bunch of them have come wearing Virat Kohli shirts. The silence when he fell is already in talks to get a guest spot on the next Quiet Place movie. Someone steps out of the Indian dressing room and begins walking on the field. That’s it. Just putting one foot in front of the other. People have been doing that since before the stone age. But it is enough to shoo the sombre straight off this morning.R Ashwin doesn’t need to do much to make this place come alive.
****
It’s nearly stumps. India’s score has been given a touch-up, from 34 for 3 to 329 for 6, and those same Kohli jerseys are up off their seats, swarming against the railings, phones out, horns blaring.Ashwin is on strike. Ninety-nine not out. He clips one of the easier balls he’s had to face for a single, in conditions that are, to put it mildly, not usual for the start of a new Test season in India. Fast bowlers have taken five of the six wickets that have fallen, and they have found sideways movement all through the 80 overs of play. This is not a day for the spinner. But it does become a day for India’s greatest spin-bowling pair. Ashwin punches Ravindra Jadeja’s gloves on his way to the other end as the applause flows uninterrupted.
****
India were 144 for 6 when Ashwin came in to bat. Bangladesh had let some of their good work slip in the morning session but weren’t quite so generous now. There was pressure from both ends. Hasan Mahmud’s skill at getting the red ball to nip both ways had catapulted him into rarefied space occupied only by Dale Steyn. From 2006, for almost two decades, the South African had been the only visiting seamer to pick up four or more wickets on the first day of a Test match in India. This was not a day for the spinner. Ashwin got on top of a 142kph Nahid Rana delivery and punched it hella smoothly in front of point to move from 1 to 5. This was already his day.Related
Ashwin: 'Bowling and batting are very separate sports in the same game'
Mahmud keeps it simple to stand out in Bangladesh's attack
Ashwin: In the last IPL, I felt like I needed to widen my game
There aren’t a lot of centuries by Indian batters from No. 8 and lower. Only 19. And of those, only two had faced worse odds. Harbhajan Singh made 115 after walking in with the score on 65 for 6 against New Zealand in 2010, and Ashwin himself made 106 after walking in with the score 106 for 6 against England in 2021. It is remarkable that he pulled off this rescue act while looking like he was having a net. He was in control of 86% of the balls he faced even while scoring over half his runs in boundaries. He just has this feel for conventional attacking shots.There were some chart-toppers here. One – an imperious, on-the-up cover drive off Mahmud – quickly erased the fact that he could’ve been dismissed the previous ball. Another – a cheeky little upper cut off Nahid Rana – had similar effect, supplanting any memory of how he couldn’t get out of the way of a previous bouncer from Taskin Ahmed. Two were shots that he had paid particular attention to in the week leading up to the game – sweeps. One went for six, the other for four. When the host broadcaster asked him about all this positivity, Ashwin said, “it helps that I’ve come off the back of a T20 tournament. Worked quite a bit on my batting and playing a few shots and of course, I’ve always been wafting my bat around outside off stump, not giving it a full monty, but on a surface like this with a bit of spice, if you’re going after the ball, might as well go after it really hard.”ESPNcricinfo LtdIndia’s lower-middle order has been the difference in several Test matches, helping them preserve an impeccable home record over the last 12 years. So the dressing room was pretty chill, none more so than the captain, Rohit Sharma who took in part of the action while lying down on the floor.It is learnt that neither the BCCI nor the team management had asked for seamer-friendly surfaces for this series, even though they are facing the prospect of five massive Tests in Australia at the end of the season. Still, the local officials were quite deliberate in preparing this pitch, hiding it from the heat which has reached levels never before seen in Chennai in the month of September. The only time it was exposed to the elements was when it was being watered. It seems they felt, really strongly, that India would be well served having recent experience of playing against a red ball that refused to stop jagging about. #KnowledgableChennaiGroundstaff.Ashwin couldn’t have been happier for the way he had been tested. “I think it’s the old Chennai surface with a bit of bounce and carry. The red-soil pitch allows you to play a few shots. If you’re willing to get in line and sort of, whenever there’s width, if you can give it a bit of a tonk, it really helps. I love playing when there is bounce and carry so yeah, really enjoyed myself today.”R Ashwin and Chepauk: a match made in heaven•BCCITwo partnerships took India to 339 for 6 and both of them stood out for how there was no thought of taking a backward step. Yashasvi Jaiswal represented that quite literally by walking at Mahmud – from a starting position well in front of his crease too – to force the bowler to shorten his length and deny him the movement he was so adept at getting. Rishabh Pant looked extraordinary for time he was out there. He was sent in ahead of KL Rahul to present Bangladesh with a new challenge, bowling at two left-handers after they had made short work of three right-handers. India were in strife but they were switched all the way on and that made a big difference.By the end, Ashwin and Jadeja were scoring at nearly a run a ball, feasting on the kind of bowling that was never going to trouble anybody on day one of this pitch – spin. India actually scored more than a third of their total (127) against Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan even though they bowled a little more than one-fourth of the overs (29). Another example of their sharpness despite being under the pump.The Chennai crowd was ecstatic. At 38 years old, it is uncertain if Ashwin will play another Test in front of them. He had his family here. His friends were here. He saluted all of them when he reached his century – first the dressing room – and then to all corners. He averages 55.16 at this ground. His home ground. That’s not far off Sunil Gavaskar and way better than Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohammad Azharuddin. This was always going to be his day, two days after his birthday.
Most of the players in Pakistan’s Test squad have not played first-class cricket since February
Danyal Rasool10-Oct-2025Pakistan host South Africa for a two-Test series starting on Sunday, marking the beginning of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle for both sides. It is a battle between opposites, with the winners of the previous cycle playing the team that finished last. For Pakistan, it is also their first Test series since January, something their red-ball captain Shan Masood termed unacceptable at the time while hoping his side would find a way to play more matches.More notably, though, Pakistan struggled to get their first-class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, up and running in time to give their Test players match practice ahead of this series. Only one round of that competition was possible, from October 6 to 9. Even those games were severely curtailed by unseasonal rain in much of the country, and with most of the Test squad already in a training camp by then, only two were able to participate.ESPNcricinfo takes a look at the amount of red-ball cricket the players in Pakistan’s Test squad have played since their last Test.Related
South Africa prepare for spin-slaught in Tests against Pakistan
Pakistan pick uncapped Rohail Nazir, Asif Afridi and Faisal Akram for Tests against SA
Shan Masood – 4 games The Pakistan Test captain’s red-ball participation is one of the brighter sparks in the void. He played two President’s Trophy matches in Karachi in February, shortly after the conclusion of the series against West Indies. He also played two matches for Leicestershire in the County Championship in September, scoring 90 and 111.Abdullah Shafique – 7 games Abdullah Shafique has played the joint-highest number of first-class games among the players in the squad, though most of them were in February. His only red-ball game since was a County Championship match for Yorkshire with a batting-friendly Kookaburra ball in June, where he scored 5 in his only innings.Babar Azam – 0 games Despite losing his spot in the T20I squad, Pakistan’s premier batter has been unable to fill his time with any first-class cricket. Pakistan’s most recent Test in January was the last time he played a red-ball match.Imam-ul-Haq – 3 games Imam-ul-Haq has been on fire for Yorkshire in List A cricket recently, but he has played precious little first-class cricket as he works his way back into Pakistan’s Test squad. He played two President’s Trophy matches in February and March, and one game for Yorkshire in the Championship in July, where he made 19 in his only innings.Mohammad Rizwan scored a hundred in the QEA Trophy in the first week of October•ICC/Getty ImagesMohammad Rizwan – 1 game Another player who fell out of Pakistan’s T20I squad, Mohammad Rizwan comes into the series against South Africa with extremely limited red-ball match practice. His only game since the West Indies series was earlier this week in the rain-affected round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where he scored an unbeaten 123 in a drawn game.Rohail Nazir – 3 games Pakistan’s back-up wicketkeeper is a case study for how difficult it has been to play first-class cricket in this long gap between Tests. Despite not being part of any international team, his only red-ball matches were in the President’s Trophy in February, where he scored two hundreds in three games to burnish his credentials.Saud Shakeel – 1 game Saud Shakeel, the Pakistan batter perhaps more suited to this format than any other, has played a solitary first-class game in this period. It came in March in the President’s Trophy, where he scored 2 and 45 for State Bank of Pakistan.Salman Agha – 1 game With his increased profile within the national set-up, Pakistan’s T20I captain has been busy. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that added responsibility has come at the expense of first-class opportunities. His only red-ball game in the last nine months was for Lahore Whites in the first round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy last week, where he scored 47 runs and took one tail-end wicket.Asif Afridi – 3 games The 38-year-old left-arm spinner’s inclusion in the side gives away the kind of pitches Pakistan will hope to prepare against South Africa. He has never played international cricket and his most recent first-class cricket was also in February, where he took 5 wickets at 31.80 in three games.Kamran Ghulam – 0 games Kamran Ghulam, who scored a hundred on Test debut against England this time last year, has played no first-class cricket between January and now.Sajid Khan – 2 games It is a series where Pakistan’s fate depends almost entirely on Sajid Khan and his left-arm compatriot Noman Ali. Despite being one of Pakistan’s MVPs, Sajid has played little red-ball cricket recently. His last two first-class games, too, were in February and he took ten wickets in those President’s Trophy fixtures.Noman Ali and Sajid Khan have also not played any red-ball cricket since February•Getty ImagesNoman Ali – 3 games The other half of that duo, Noman, is a similar tale. He hasn’t played first-class cricket since February, when he appeared in three matches. If Noman, 38, is to light up Pakistan’s Test arena at home once more, he will have to do so on the back of fairly degraded muscle memory.Abrar Ahmed – 0 games The fourth spinner in the Test squad is now Pakistan’s premier white-ball option. But Abrar Ahmed has not played first-class cricket since January, despite being viewed as Pakistan’s first-choice Test spinner before the heel-turn that led to the spinning tracks produced, which shot Sajid and Noman back to prominence.Hasan Ali – 0 games Hasan Ali has had several injuries and gradually nursed his way back to health. He last played first-class cricket in 2024.Khurram Shahzad – 7 games Arguably Pakistan’s most successful exponent of the red-ball in this barren nine-month period. Despite Pakistan’s clear preference for spinners at home, Khurram Shahzad threw himself into first-class cricket immediately following the West Indies series, playing four games in February. After that, he played another three games for Worcestershire. His performance in the County Championship was adversely impacted to an extent by the use of the Kookaburra ball, which is more conducive to batting and less to the kind of swing he likes to deploy. Even so, he took 6 for 42 in his first innings against Warwickshire.Shaheen Shah Afridi – 0 games Shaheen Shah Afridi’s waning interest in Test cricket is no secret by now. As his performances in white-ball cricket show signs of resurgence, there is little indication of what that means for his red-ball career. He has not played a first-class match since Pakistan opted to go spin-heavy, his last Test coming in October 2024.
Queensland 26 for 0 trail Michael Neser continued his hot start to the summer with he and Mitchell Swepson taking four wickets each to bowl South Australia out for 228.Queensland went to stumps on day one of their Sheffield Shield clash at 26 without loss in reply to South Australia, with Usman Khawaja unbeaten on 22 at Adelaide Oval.Related
Abbott first to be subbed out under new Sheffield Shield injury rule
Konstas' Test hopes fade with a duck on 13-wicket day
Haskett makes an impression as Weatherald misses out
Almost the forgotten man in the great pace-bowling debate ahead of the Ashes, Neser ripped the heart out of Tasmania with 4 for 75 in the opening round. And he backed it up again on Wednesday with 4 for 30, after South Australia had done well to build a base of 133 for 2.After taking the top of Nathan McSweeney’s off stump when the right-hander left a ball after lunch, Neser claimed the last three wickets on day one. He first had a pulling Wes Agar caught at slip, edged off a driving Liam Scott for 44 and also had Jordan Buckingham caught behind.While the wickets came late in the innings for Neser, it still won’t have hurt his push to add to his two Tests for Australia.Scott Boland is all but certain to replace Pat Cummins for the first Test if Australia’s captain does not recover from a back injury in time.But Neser could well be the next option if Cummins does not return for later in the series and one of Australia’s quicks needs resting. That situation appears even more serious after fellow-hopeful Sean Abbott split the webbing on his bowling hand while playing for NSW on Wednesday.While Neser’s wickets could have Ashes implications, former Test spinner Swepson was the pick of the bowlers for Queensland on day one.He took four wickets in South Australia’s collapse from 133 for 2 to 188 for 7, including the crucial wicket of Conor McInerney lbw for 60.The legspinner also had Jason Sangha well caught by Khawaja close to the ground at slip, before the in-form Jake Lehmann hit him straight to square leg.Swepson’s fourth scalp came when Nathan McAndrew drove him on the up to cover, capping a fine day for the Queenslander.
O Flamengo inicia sua campanha no Brasileirão 2024 na espectativa de, mais uma vez, brigar pelo título da competição. No entanto, além da pressão pelo favoritismo, o Rubro-Negro carrega a herança de um 2023 decepcionante e o desafio de consiliar diferentes competições, problema comum das últimas temporadas.
continua após a publicidade
ELENCO E REFORÇOS
O Flamengo teve mais saídas do que chegadas neste início de temporada. Jogadores outrora titulares e destaques de conquistas históricas – alguns com status de ídolo – deixaram o clube, além de peças secundárias. Everton Ribeiro, Filipe Luís, Rodrigo Caio, Santos, Thiago Maia, Matheuzinho e Pablo foram os nomes do elenco principal que se despediram do time.
Por outro lado, o Rubro-Negro trouxe reforços pontuais para suprir carências da equipe e qualificar o grupo. O meio-campista Nicolás de la Cruz, o lateral-esquerdo Matias Viña, o zagueiro Léo Ortiz e, mais recentemente, o centroavante Carlinhos são as novidades do Flamengo neste ano, até o início do Brasileirão.
continua após a publicidade
INCERTEZAS E DESAFIOS
O Mais Querido não contará com a figura mais marcante de sua história recente neste Campeonato Brasileiro, pelo menos por enquanto. Condenado por tentativa de fraude em exame antidopagem, Gabigol está suspenso do futebol até abril de 2025 e não pode sequer treinar com o grupo. O atacante e o clube recorreram da decisão e aguardam um novo julgamento.
Quem também tem sido ausência neste início de temporada é Gerson, que sofreu com um problema no rim e precisou passar por cirurgia. O meio-campista começou o ano como titular e capitão da equipe, mas viu De La Cruz tomar conta de sua posição enquanto esteve fora. Polivalente, o “Coringa” estará disponível para as primeiras rodadas do Brasileirão, enquanto luta para recuperar a forma e um lugar entre os 11 de Tite.
continua após a publicidade
➡️ Muralhas! Aposte R$100 no Lance! Betting e ganhe R$230 para o Flamengo não tomar gol em sua estreia no Brasileirão!
Além disso, o Flamengo terá de lidar com um antigo desafio, que tem sido pedra no sapato do clube nas últimas disputas de Brasileirão. Consiliar o campeonato nacional com as outras competições, como Copa do Brasil e Libertadores, é um problema não só do Rubro-Negro, mas de todos as equipes mais fortes do país.
Após o bicampeonato em 2019 e 2020, o Mais Querido se manteve entre os primeiros colocados, mas longe de brigar com força pelo título. A excessão foi justamente o ano passado, quando o Botafogo, líder por boa parte do torneio, iniciou uma derrocada e permitiu que não só o Flamengo, mas outros quatro times se aproximassem. Apesar de matematicamente ter entrado na última rodada com chances de ser campeão, o Rubro-Negro terminou o Brasileirão na quarta colocação, e o Palmeiras, que na prática havia garantido a faixa na rodada anterior, levantar o troféu mais uma vez.
➡️ Tudo sobre o Mengão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Flamengo
PERSPECTIVAS PARA A COMPETIÇÃO
Como de costume nos últimos anos, o Flamengo entra no Campeonato Brasileiro como um dos favoritos à conquista do título. Apesar de já ter um elenco recheado e das poucas contratações, o clube foi o que mais investiu em reforços, com cerca de R$ 170 milhões em quatro jogadores. Somado a isso, o desempenho no Carioca, que culminou no título invicto e na melhor defesa da história da competição, é de animar o torcedor.
A opinião da Nação Rubro-Negra parece seguir essa ideia. Em enquete realizada no Canal de Whatsapp Lance! Flamengo, incríveis 99% dos participantes indicaram que o Flamengo tem que brigar pelo título do Brasileirão deste ano. Você pode deixar sua opinião também no post abaixo, no Instagram do Lance!.
O Flamengo faz sua estreia no Brasileirão 2024 diante do Atlético-GO, fora de casa. A bola rola no Estádio Serra Dourada às 16h de domingo (14), e o confronto terá torcida mista; os rubro-negros cariocas já esgotaram sua parte dos ingressos.
West Ham have emerged as contenders to sign Man United sensation Kobbie Mainoo as we slowly approach the January transfer window.
The 10-cap England international, who once burst on to the scene in impressive fashion at Old Trafford, has been starved of impactful minutes under Ruben Amorim.
With his contract still expiring in under two years, speculation understandably remains rife over his long-term future.
Mainoo was heavily linked with a summer window exit from United, with Chelsea previously named as one suitor to take the Stockport-born youngster off Amorim’s hands.
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Everton 1-1 West Ham
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
West Ham 0-2 Brentford
Leeds 2-1 West Ham
West Ham 3-1 Newcastle
The west Londoners were even quoted a £70 million asking price when they enquired back in January, according to The Athletic, but the price for a permanent deal dropped to as low as £45 million at the end of last summer.
Since United made the decision not to part company before deadline day on September 1, Mainoo is yet to start a single Premier League game, and it is believed he’s been clamoring for an exit.
According to Sky Sports news in August, Mainoo asked United to green-light a loan move away to gain valuable minutes elsewhere, but Amorim was adamant that he needs the academy graduate and urged him to fight for more game time.
Fast-forward to now, and the only start Mainoo has under his belt this season came during United’s dismal loss to Grimsby Town on penalties in the Carabao Cup.
The midfielder is far from satisfied, with reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano reporting that West Ham are proposing a way out for Mainoo.
West Ham's offer to Kobbie Mainoo with Man United star in 'advanced talks' to leave
Speaking on the Here We Go podcast this week, Romano said that West Ham are “offering guaranteed minutes” to Mainoo in a bid to tempt him down south, but they’re not alone.
Indeed, Serie A champions Napoli are also battling for his signature as Mainoo still aims to leave on a temporary deal.
On the Napoli front, there is a pretty immediate danger to West Ham’s chances of signing Mainoo, with Antonio Conte’s side believed to be in ‘advanced talks’, according to another media source.
West Ham are not completely out of the running yet, it would seem, and he’d certainly add a whole new dimension to Nuno Espírito Santo’s midfield.
It wasn’t too long ago when United legend Paul Scholes claimed that Mainoo was “10 times” the player he was at 19, and the youngster’s breakout 2023/2024 campaign briefly sparked suggestions that he could be England’s next big star.
Mainoo’s match-winning display against Man City in the 2024 FA Cup final was followed by a sublime Euros with England, where he registered an historic 96% passing accuracy at one stage and became the fifth-youngest player to ever feature in a major international final — behind Lamine Yamal, Pele, Giuseppe Bergomi and Renato Sanches.
Mainoo is a gem waiting to be plucked away from United’s bench, and his enthusiasm for minutes could seriously benefit West Ham as he yearns to showcase his true ability.
Craig Burley delivered an extraordinary on-air tirade aimed at Virgil van Dijk, accusing the Dutchman of shrinking from responsibility in the lead-up to Sunderland’s goal at Anfield. It was an equaliser that ultimately denied Arne Slot’s men two valuable points, and the former Chelsea player lashed out at the Liverpool skipper for his error in judgment.
Liverpool continue to struggle for form
Liverpool were buoyed only slightly by last weekend’s narrow win over West Ham, but produced another flat and fractured first half that left supporters restless. Their creativity was limited, the tempo was sluggish, and the home side struggled to threaten a Sunderland team that have been regularly punching above their weight this season to find themselves within touching distance of the top four. The visitors arrived brimming with confidence and struck the woodwork twice before the interval through Trai Hume and Omar Alderete. The warning shots were not heeded. Sunderland capitalised shortly after the restart when Chemsdine Talbi was afforded the freedom of Anfield’s penalty arc. The midfielder took aim, and his effort clipped the retreating Van Dijk before curling into the far corner. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s attack drifted between laboured and predictable, and Sunderland’s organised defensive line appeared increasingly comfortable as the match wore on. But fortune intervened for the hosts when Florian Wirtz slalomed into the box and toe-poked a scuffed attempt that ricocheted cruelly off Nordi Mukiele, looping over the goalkeeper for an own goal that spared Liverpool from another defeat.
Advertisement
Getty Images Sport
Van Dijk’s season under the microscope
Van Dijk has never hesitated to call out mediocrity. After the damaging home loss to Nottingham Forest last month, he admitted that Liverpool had become "a mess", urging teammates and himself to take accountability. Ibrahima Konate and new left-back Milos Kerkez have absorbed most of the media pressure in recent weeks. Even Van Dijk’s bizarre concession of a penalty in the subsequent defeat to PSV Eindhoven failed to ignite widespread condemnation. That equilibrium was shattered on Wednesday night when pundit Burley ripped into the Liverpool skipper in a withering outburst.
He said: "I’m fed up sitting here and (listening to people saying) ‘it’s Mo Salah not playing well, Florian Wirtz can’t find his feet, Alexander Isak, Ekitike, the midfield's dynamic has changed’. He (Van Dijk) is the barometer of what is wrong this year. He is supposed to be the leader. All he has done all season is throw Kerkez under the bus, (and) throw his arms up in the air. He is making as many mistakes as any other player. Every game, you could watch him and go … ‘what’s he doing?’."
Van Dijk's time to take ownership of his mistakes
Burley reserved his harshest indictment for Van Dijk’s defending in the build-up to Talbi’s strike. He continued by accusing Van Dijk of scapegoating teammates rather than taking ownership.
"He does everything wrong. Pass, doesn’t close it down and turns his back like a coward," he said. "It’s just absolutely crazy. He (Van Dijk) seems to be coming out of it relatively unscathed, and it is everybody else’s fault. But for me, at the back, he has been as bad as anybody else. And I think that goal and the way that he refused to close it down and the fact that he turned his back is the epitome of his performances this season."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty Images Sport
Title defence hanging by a thread
The draw leaves Liverpool 11 points adrift of league leaders Arsenal, a gulf that looks monumental given the inconsistencies that have plagued Slot’s team. Six defeats in the Premier League already tell the story of a squad that has struggled to find rhythm or resilience. Injuries, tactical reshuffles and a lack of fluency in key areas have played their part, but Wednesday’s setback reinforced a more worrying pattern that Liverpool are repeatedly failing to impose themselves in matches they once dominated with authority.
The road ahead offers little respite. Slot takes his side to Elland Road on Saturday evening, where a buoyant Leeds United await. Daniel Farke’s team stunned Chelsea in midweek and will be relishing the prospect of meeting a Liverpool side visibly short of confidence. They snapped their four-match losing streak, and the three points took them back to safety. Another victory will definitely provide them with some breathing space in the relegation battle.
Senior seamers Mark Adair and Josh Little fit to return for T20I leg of tour
ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2025
Mark Adair is back in Ireland’s T20I squad•Getty Images
Ireland have named five potential debutants in their 15-man Test squad to tour Bangladesh next month, while Mark Adair and Josh Little are fit to return for the T20I series that follows.Ireland were without their two senior seam bowlers for the recent T20Is against England but have received a boost to their preparations for next year’s T20 World Cup with both available for Paul Stirling’s side. Adair underwent knee surgery in August, while Little had been suffering from a side injury.The Test leg will see Ireland play a multi-match series for only the second time. Top-order batters Cade Carmichael and Stephen Doheny, allrounder Jordan Neill and left-arm seamer Liam McCarthy have all received maiden call-ups, while legspinner Gavin Hoey, who is uncapped in Tests, also returns to the squad.They will be captained by Andy Balbirnie, with Ireland having won their last three Tests dating back to February 2024.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Andrew White, Ireland Men’s selector, said: “It is fantastic to have Test cricket on the horizon again – and with that we are excited to see Cade Carmichael come into the Test squad following his ODI debut against the West Indies earlier this year.”Not only has he had a great season, but he has also demonstrated the qualities required to be an international cricketer in this format. Cade compiled an excellent century against Afghanistan A in a four-day match in the UAE earlier this year, and anyone watching his two ODI appearances against West Indies will have noticed his composure and his technical ability against quick bowling.”Stephen Doheny is another player who has had a good domestic season and demonstrated a number of technical changes that we hope will enable him to be successful going forward.”It is likely that we will need all of our seamers across the back-to-back Tests. Given the recent number of injuries we have been managing, and the volume of cricket in the coming months, we will need to proactively manage the group in what will undoubtedly be hot and humid conditions. This is only the second time we have played consecutive Tests as part of a tour – it’s a challenge I know the squad will relish as they adapt to Asian conditions.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd
The T20I squad is broadly similar to that which played against England, with the additions of Adair, Little and batter Tim Tector. Neill and seamer Graham Hume were omitted.”In terms of the T20 squad, the likelihood is that spin will play a more prominent role – so Gareth Delany, Matthew Humphreys and Ben White are expected to provide options in this area,” White said. “And with Mark Adair and Josh Little returning to the squad, Graham Hume makes way on this occasion.”On the batting front, the 15-player squad allows us to bring in Tim Tector while retaining Ben Calitz to give us middle-order depth.”Ireland Test squadAndrew Balbirnie (capt), Curtis Campher, Cade Carmichael, Stephen Doheny, Gavin Hoey, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Liam McCarthy, Paul Stirling, Jordan Neill, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig YoungIreland T20I squadPaul Stirling (capt), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig YoungFixturesNovember 11-15 – 1st Test, Sylhet November 19-23 – 2nd Test, Dhaka November 27 – 1st T20I, Chattogram November 29 – 2nd T20I, Chattogram December 2 – 3rd T20I, Dhaka
Chelsea have made a solid start to the season under Enzo Maresca despite being presented with a fair few obstacles, and the Blues briefly climbed to second in the Premier League table last weekend.
Maresca’s approach has been defined by extensive squad rotation, a strategy that has drawn both praise and criticism.
The Italian has made 93 changes in total this season, a staggering number and more than any other Premier League side. This rotation policy could reflect Chelsea’s depth and ambitions to compete on all four fronts, even if Maresca reportedly isn’t completely satisfied with the squad right now.
That being said, injuries and suspensions have significantly tested that depth this term.
Levi Colwill remains a long-term absentee after sustaining an ACL injury during pre-season training in August, ruling him out for most of the campaign and likely England’s Euro 2026 preparations. Superstar forward Cole Palmer has also been sidelined with a niggling groin injury since September, with Maresca initially expecting him to return shortly after the last international break before the recovery timeline was extended by six weeks.
The England international missed a full month of action and was targeting a return in December, but he is now expected to return before the end of this month and could feature against Barcelona in the Champions League.
The striker department has been particularly affected by injuries. Summer signing Liam Delap sustained a hamstring problem early in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August, leaving him out for two months, and following his return from a lengthy layoff, the forward’s comeback quickly turned into a disaster.
Delap picked up two needless yellow cards against Wolves, prompting fury from Maresca, who labelled his conduct ’embarrassing’.
After Roméo Lavia’s latest in a long line of injuries since joining from Southampton, Chelsea’s medical room is starting to feel overcrowded again, but the west Londoners have done well to navigate it with Colwill, Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernández, Pedro Neto, Dario Essugo, Delap, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos and Josh Acheampong all missing at various points.
Chelsea became the first team in history to win all five UEFA club tournaments back in May, and as Maresca looks to build upon that feat, their form on paper suggests the club have every chance of doing so.
BlueCo’s ownership appears to finally be reaping dividends, but it hasn’t always been this way.
There’s been a fair few trial and error, high-profile mistakes since Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly took over the club in 2022, not least their deal for ex-Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang admits Chelsea transfer was a "big mistake"
Speaking to YouTube content creator Troopz, via ESPN, Aubameyang himself has now admitted that joining Chelsea was a “big mistake”.
Aubameyang signed for Chelsea in September 2022 for a reported fee of around £10 million, reuniting with his former boss at Borussia Dortmund, Thomas Tuchel. However, Tuchel was sacked just days after the Gabonese’s arrival, setting the tone for a disastrous spell.
He was handed his first Premier League appearance in October, scoring his first goal for the club in a 2-1 away victory over Crystal Palace. The now-Marseille striker made 21 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, scoring just three goals, and all three of them came in the space of ten days that October.
Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
By February, he was dropped from the Champions League squad by Graham Potter, highlighting his fall from grace, and he didn’t fare any better under Frank Lampard either. Aubameyang struggled for form and consistency, and just 10 months after signing, the 36-year-old left Chelsea and signed a three-year deal with Marseille on a free transfer.
He’ll go down as one of, if not the worst signing of BlueCo’s tenure — so the feeling of regret will be pretty mutual in London.
The World Series goes through the National League. At least if you go by the top of the betting odds.
The top three teams in the MLB World Series betting odds currently reside in the NL, starting with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers at +230 on FanDuel Sportsbook. The NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets are next on the odds at +850 each. Both teams made big swings at the deadline, adding bullpen help and, for the Phillies, Harrison Bader as well.
The New York Yankees are fourth on the oddsboard at +900. They added Pirates closer David Bednar at the deadline, but are waiting on MVP/All-Star/heart-and-soul-of-the-team Aaron Judge to come off the 10-day IL. They are also four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East and only 2.5 games ahead in the wild card standings.
The Detroit Tigers (+950), Houston Astros (+1200) and Blue Jays (+1400) are next on the oddsboard. All three are at least four games ahead in their respective division races and the Blue Jays made some moves at the deadline that suggest they’re all in on this season. They’re currently battling the Tigers for the best record in the NL while the Astros remain the Astros in a solid AL West.
The Padres are currently the hottest team in baseball, having won five straight, including a sweep of the visiting Mets. They also went all-in at the deadline, shoring up what is already the best bullpen in the league.
Here are the odds for every MLB team to win the World Series with odds coming from FanDuel.
2025 MLB World Series OddsLos Angeles Dodgers +230Philadelphia Phillies +850New York Mets +850New York Yankees +900Detroit Tigers +950Houston Astros +1200Toronto Blue Jays +1400Chicago Cubs +1400Seattle Mariners +1600Milwaukee Brewers +1600San Diego Padres +2500Boston Red Sox +2700Texas Rangers +3000Tampa Bay Rays +9000Cincinnati Reds +10000San Francisco Giants +13000Kansas City Royals +15000Cleveland Guardians +20000St. Louis Cardinals +25000Minnesota Twins +32000Arizona Diamondbacks +55000Los Angeles Angels +75000Washington Nationals +100000Atlanta Braves +100000Pittsburgh Pirates +100000Baltimore Orioles +100000Chicago White Sox +100000Miami Marlins +100000Athletics +100000