Deportivo Rayo Zuliano e Athletico-PR se enfrentam nesta terça-feira (7), pela quarta rodada da fase de grupos da Copa Sul-Americana. A bola vai rolar a partir das 19h (de Brasília), no Estadio Nacional Brígido Iriarte, em Caracas, com transmissão da Paramount +.
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✅ FICHA TÉCNICA RAYO ZULIANO X ATHLETICO-PR COPA SUL-AMERICANA – FASE DE GRUPOS -QUARTA RODADA
🗓️Data e horário:terça-feira, 7 de maio de 2024, às 19h (de Brasília) 📍Local:Estadio Nacional Brígido Iriarte 📺Onde assistir:Paramount+ 🟨Árbitro:Angel Arteaga (VEN) 🚩Assistentes:Alberto Ponte (VEN) e Freker Colmemares (VEN) 🖥️VAR:Carlos Orbe (EQU)
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⚽PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES NACIONAL-PAR (Técnico: Elvis Martinez) Luis Corredor; Edison Penilla, Hermes Rodríguez e Diego Melean; Kenin Ulises Urueta, Edwin Castro, Albert Barboza e Angel Faria; Gerardo Padron (Yeferson Paz), Saimon Ramírez e Junior Colina
ATHLETICO-PR (Técnico: Cuca) Bento; Léo Godoy, Kaique Rocha, Gamarra e Esquivel; Fernandinho, Erick e Christian (Zapelli); Julimar (Canobbio), Cuello e Pablo
It was more than 2500 days between IPL fifties, but Nair had churned out runs away from the limelight
Karthik Krishnaswamy14-Apr-20253:33
Nair: If team doesn’t win, your individual runs have no value
“Dear cricket, give me one more chance.”Karun Nair tweeted this on December 10, 2022, when he was at his lowest ebb as a cricketer. Here was a Test-match triple-centurion and a giant of the domestic game – a central figure in back-to-back treble-winning seasons for Karnataka – left out of his state team, across formats. He had only just turned 31.It was only natural, then, that this tweet gained a lot of traction on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Nair had played his first IPL game in nearly three years, and scored his first IPL half-century in nearly seven years – 2520 days, to be precise, the longest gap between IPL fifties for anyone, ever.
Our hearts are full pic.twitter.com/cau5zlrmcE
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 13, 2025
Cricket, for all that, had given Nair plenty of chances between that tweet and this game. He had had to wait a full season and move to a new team before making his domestic comeback, but had, thereafter, scored more runs (3035) and hundreds (12) than anyone else in India’s first-class, List A and T20 domestic competitions. This included an otherworldly season of 50-overs cricket in which he scored five hundreds in eight innings and averaged a ridiculous 389.50. He had won a Ranji Trophy and reached a Vijay Hazare Trophy final with Vidarbha. On top of all that, he had played 10 County Championship matches across two seasons for Northamptonshire and scored 736 runs at 56.61.For a lot of viewers, though, Sunday night was that one more chance Nair had been waiting for. Only hardcore fans follow cricket outside international matches and the IPL, and this dictates media coverage of the game, which in turn dictates where the eyeballs go, which in turn dictates…Related
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All this creates a sense among the wider cricket-consuming public that while domestic cricket exists and matters, it only matters in a stepping-stone kind of way. When India calls someone up after three or four strong seasons for their state team, news reports usually frame the story in a “, X is rewarded for years of domestic ” kind of way.And so, here was Nair, getting one more chance, finally. Here he was, introduced for the first time in IPL 2025, in DC’s fifth game of the season, introduced as an Impact Player at 0 for 1 in a chase of 206.For all the runs and hundreds he’d scored leading up to this moment, though, there was still reason for Nair’s fans to feel a bit of trepidation. He had had his share of sparkling moments in 76 previous IPL games, but on the whole his time in the tournament had been stop-start, with more stop than start. He’d come back now, having unlocked a new level of prolific in domestic cricket, but he was about to face Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah in a 200-plus chase.Before he could face those two, though, he had to survive a tricky first ball, a pinpoint inswinging yorker from Deepak Chahar. And he did this in a way that portended good things, radiating a sense of stillness and certainty, seeming to have all the time in the world to move his front leg out of the ball’s way and bring a straight bat down to keep it out.Karun Nair had a rollicking time batting against Jasprit Bumrah•Getty Images”Quite honestly, I had the confidence that I’ve played before and I know how it’s going to be, and it’s nothing different, and I’m not going to be facing anything new,” Nair said in his post-match press conference. “But in my mind it was just about going out there and giving myself a few balls and just getting used to the speed of the game and the atmosphere.”I just told myself, give yourself time, play normal shots, and then improvise when needed, and fortunately everything came off.”His innings was true to those words, except the normal shots he played at the start came with abnormal levels of timing and poise. He hit three fours off the first four legal balls he faced from Boult – he had only faced three balls before this – and each of them was a normal shot, but you need to be in eerily good rhythm to play them the way Nair did.
“I felt confident, I felt like I’m well-prepared to play in the IPL if given the opportunity, so it was all about me preparing the way that I have been all through the season, and waiting for my chance”Karun Nair
The first was a square drive off a good-length ball angled away from him, and all he did was lean on the ball and meet it with a slightly open bat-face. Everything hinged on the moment of contact with the ball: it happened right under Nair’s eyes, and it coincided perfectly with his transfer of weight from back foot to front. The same, impeccable timing went into another drive three balls later, this time between cover point and short cover, and in between there was a gorgeous square cut that showcased one of Nair’s greatest gifts, his ability to use his hands to manipulate his bat face to place the ball just so.A tick next to the box marked Boult; now how would he go against Bumrah? The answer: nine balls, 26 runs, three fours, two sixes. Here again was the same sense of stillness, but taken up a notch, because Bumrah was trying to wrench him out of shape with his changes of pace. They had no effect on Nair: he was seeing the ball beautifully, holding his shape until the ball reached him, and dispatching it where he pleased, with high-elbow lofts, flat-bat swats and wristy steers through and over the off side and, best of all, an effortless short-arm whip over square leg for six.2:05
Jaffer: Would like to see Karun go for the England Tests
And there was one major difference between his set-ups against Boult and Bumrah. Against Boult, he adopted a conventional trigger movement that took his back foot to off stump. Against Bumrah, his back foot went the other way, starting on middle stump and moving to leg. This was a man with a plan, fully prepared to seize this moment.”I felt confident, I felt like I’m well-prepared to play in the IPL if given the opportunity, so it was all about me preparing the way that I have been all through the season, and waiting for my chance,” Nair said. “I was doing my bit to prepare and be ready for the game, and then it’s always a tough call for the team management to pick 11 or 12 players. I’ve always respected that, and for me it’s about preparing and keeping the same process that I’ve followed, which has worked for me, and just being ready to go out there and perform for the team.”Every player will tell you that it’s all about the process, and while you might be tired of hearing it, it remains key to long-term success. It’s a truth that’s particularly hard for batters to internalise, because theirs is a pursuit marked by constant failure. Figuring out the processes that best worked for him – in training, in the middle, perhaps even in life – may well have been what took Nair from a lavishly gifted, high-ceiling batter who often went through frustrating spells of inconsistency and turned him to the run machine of recent years. All those runs and centuries in domestic cricket, in India and England, were both a byproduct of these processes and a means of reinforcing and refining them.Karun Nair showed his full range against the class of Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah•AFP/Getty ImagesBy the time Sunday night happened, Nair seemed fully secure in the knowledge of who he was and what he was capable of.This latter encompassed quite a range: from the stillness and “normal” shots against MI’s quicks in the powerplay to breathtaking improvisation behind the wicket when the fields spread out.Nair has made quick runs in the IPL in the past: his previous fifty, for Kings XI Punjab (as they were still known then) against Chennai Super Kings in 2018, had also come at a 200-plus strike rate. Perhaps never before, though, had this tournament witnessed this full flourishing of his talent.At 33, Nair had grabbed this chance that the IPL had given him. He was primed to do so, though, having grabbed all the other chances cricket had given him since that doleful December day.
The Atlanta Braves have placed outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. on the10-day injured list after he was removed from Tuesday night's loss vs. Kansas City with tightness in his Achilles tendon, the team said Wednesday.
Speaking after the game, Acuna didn't sound optimistic about the discomfort he was experiencing.
"It's an injury; I'm worried," he said, per a write-up from . "It's more pain, but it feels kind of, I feel it a lot when I try to put pressure on it."
The outfielder noted that he first felt the pain when running the bases on Monday night.
"It happened when I scored from first to home on that play," he added, via an interpreter. "They are going to examine me tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes."
In their post on Wednesday, the Braves diagnosed Acuna's ailment as "right Achilles tendon inflammation." Though that's better than a tear, any missed time is surely a blow for the 2023 NL MVP, who missed the majority of his 2024 season with a torn ACL.
"It's an Achilles thing, it's going to take a while," team manager Brian Snitker added Tuesday. "He'll go on the IL, and hopefully in 10 days or so it'll clear up."
Head coach believes 50-over struggles are in a category of their own as attention shifts to Perth
Cameron Ponsonby01-Nov-2025Brendon McCullum conceded that England “clearly need to improve” in one-day cricket after they fell to a 3-0 clean sweep against New Zealand. ‘Go harder’ has been the mantra of this England team, with Harry Brook imploring his side to double down in their efforts with the bat after his side’s first collapse in Mount Maunganui a week ago. Two matches and two further batting failures later, however, McCullum has reset the party line and called for England to adopt a more considered approach.”Harry’s said before that we need to put pressure back on the bowlers, and there are times when we do need to be a little braver and put some pressure on the bowlers,” McCullum said following the defeat in Wellington. “And then there are other times where we’ve got to adjust to their lengths and lines.”Not necessarily in a high-risk sort of way but just by being brave enough – whether that’s coming down the wicket or moving around the crease – just get things going a little bit more and bounce off one another.”Across the series, England lost 11 wickets in the opening 10 overs of the innings, compared to New Zealand’s four, and were bowled out in all three matches. Their innings in Wellington was their longest of the trip, batting for 40.2 overs before they were all out.”I think when we’re confronted with good, flat wickets, we’re a very, very good cricket team,” McCullum said. “I think we play a high-octane style of cricket and those conditions suit us. When the wickets have a little bit in them and they’re a bit more challenging, whether that be spin or seam or swing, we probably can’t quite adapt our tempo quick enough.Fewest runs by a team’s top four•ESPNcricinfo Ltd”We’ve got some talented players but, unfortunately, our performances at the moment in this form of the game aren’t quite up to scratch and we need to rectify that.”England’s top order combined for an historically poor series, managing just 84 runs between the top four, the lowest tally in one-day international history. Of the top six, only Brook, Joe Root and Jos Buttler made a score of 20 across the three matches.McCullum, however, does not believe it is a concern heading towards the Ashes, where Australia are expected to serve up similar styles of wickets. In the longer format, he argues that England have been able to counter different conditions well.”I like to separate it,” McCullum explained. “I think in T20 cricket we’re going really well and in Test cricket we have a pretty decent idea of where we’re at – and I think we’ve performed reasonably well, albeit we have a huge challenge ahead of us.Related
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“One-day cricket is clearly the area we need to improve, and my comments are more directed at one-day cricket. I think when we do come across the trickier conditions in Australia and Test cricket, we have a pretty good understanding of how we’re going to go about it. It doesn’t guarantee us anything but it gives us a level of confidence going into that series.”He also believes that, despite a number of players experiencing a poor run of scores, the likes of Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett and Root will be “better for the run” after getting a number of games under their belt.”They’ve marked centre a few times and gone through the process and I’m sure they’ll be better for it. With the prep that we’ve had with the other Test guys who’ve been here for a while too, we’ll have no excuses come Australia.”McCullum identified Jamie Overton as England’s “huge win” for the tour, after the bowling allrounder contributed with the bat in all three matches and put together his finest performance in ODI cricket in Wellington, scoring 68 runs and taking two for 32 with the ball.”I think there’s times when we think he’s a better player than he does,” McCullum said. “And on this tour he’s fully believed in the player he can be at this level. There’s not too many players around the world who can bowl 140kph, field the way he does and hit the ball as cleanly. It’s been a huge series for Jamie…he’s incredibly well liked within the group and we’re all delighted for him.”England’s next competitive fixture will now be in Perth, with the long-awaited Ashes series finally around the corner after years of build-up.”I’m proper excited,” McCullum concluded. “We’re incredibly respectful of the challenge Australia is going to present us and we know how hard that tour is going to be.”It’s going to require a team to stay together right throughout, to be as strong as we can to try and block out any of the outside noise. But we’re very respectful of who we’re coming up against, we’re so excited to get over there and we can’t wait to get started.”
Rest of India lost a wicket off the first ball of the third day of the Irani Cup
ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2025
Rajat Patidar scored 66 for Rest of India•PTI
Vidarbha strengthened their grip on the Irani Cup fixture by taking a sizeable first-innings lead against Rest of India and then extending it to 224 on the third day in Nagpur.The day began with Rest of India on 142 for 5 in response to Vidarbha’s 342, with their captain Rajat Patidar and Manav Suthar at the crease. Vidarbha fast bowler Aditya Thakare struck with the first ball of the day, dismissing Suthar lbw after successfully reviewing the umpire’s not-out decision.Yash Thakur took the next two wickets, bowling Saransh Jain with a yorker and having Akash Deep caught at cover. Patidar had resumed his innings on 42 and got to 66 with ten boundaries before he was the penultimate wicket to fall – caught off fast bowler Harsh Dubey while trying to clear the long-off boundary.Thakur picked up the final wicket to dismiss Rest of India for 214, finishing with figures of 4 for 66 and giving Vidarbha a first-innings lead of 128.Vidarbha’s openers Atharva Taide and Aman Mokhade put on 42 for the first wicket in the second innings before Taide holed out to deep midwicket off Suthar. Mokhade fell for 37 in the 24th over, caught behind while trying to hook Gurnoor Brar. From 64 for 2, Dhruv Shorey and Danish Malewar steered Vidarbha to 96 at stumps, ahead by 224 runs with eight wickets in hand.
Shan Masood is set to lead Pakistan in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The PCB reaffirmed its confidence in the current Test captain after Masood met with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, along with Pakistan’s red-ball coach Azhar Mahmood.A PCB statement said Masood and Mahmood have been given “free hand” of the Test side, without elaborating what specifically that entails. The captain and coach are not in the selection committee for the Test side, which comprises a five-member panel including Aleem Dar, Aqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, and Azhar Ali.There was speculation on Masood’s future after the 2023-25 WTC cycle, where Pakistan finished bottom of the table. He was captain for the entirety of that cycle. Last month, when the PCB announced player contracts for the 2025-26 season, Masood was demoted from the ‘B’ category to ‘D’, the lowest rung of central contracts.Related
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In that time, the position of Pakistan’s Test coach underwent several changes, including the brief reign of Jason Gillespie, which ended on acrimonious terms. In that context, the PCB’s declaration of confidence in Masood represents a major upswing his fortunes and the possibility of a fresh start. He is Pakistan’s longest-serving current captain, with the ODI and T20I captaincy changing hands multiple times since he took over the red-ball side.While consistency with the bat has remained elusive, Masood made useful contributions at the top of the order, having established himself as an opener over the last four Tests following an extended stint at No. 3. Two big hundreds, one at home against England and one in South Africa, took his average into the mid 30s; it is higher as captain than it has ever been under any other skipper. However, Test wins have been in short supply under Masood, with Pakistan losing nine of 12 matches.Masood’s first test of the new WTC cycle is against defending WTC champions South Africa, who play two Tests in Pakistan in October.
Newcastle United are in an unusual position at the moment, as Eddie Howe’s long-standing position as manager is now under threat.
Howe has been in the Magpies’ hot seat since October 2021, when the hugely unpopular Steve Bruce was ditched, and it’s fair to say the 47-year-old has been a resounding success, for the most part, finished twice inside the Champions League places and securing an EFL Cup triumph.
Still, with just three wins from 11 in Premier League action this season in isolation, it’s right that the beloved Toon boss is facing scrutiny currently.
Nick Woltemade could well be the man to guide Newcastle up the league in the coming weeks to keep Howe situated on Tyneside, though, with the 6-foot-6 goal machine continuing on his fine run of goalscoring form in England on the international stage for Germany during the break.
How Woltemade can save Howe's job
Off the back of bagging three goals for Germany during the recent stage of World Cup qualifying, the £69m summer recruit is now up to a stunning ten goals this season for both club and country.
If he keeps up this blistering form, the results will turn in the Toon’s favour in time, with Woltemade’s 12 goals for Stuttgart last season pushing them far away from the lower reaches of the Bundesliga and into European conversations.
On top of being clearly potent, which will hopefully stand the underachieving Newcastle in good stead during tense matches to come, Woltemade was also purchased this summer for that high amount for how he stylishly links up with teammates around him.
That was seen in him cleverly flicking a ball through to Harvey Barnes to score in the Champions League in October.
Journalist Adam Clery would even go out of his way to state that the much-loved German “made this entire goal” with this ingenious bit of skill, with this unselfish approach perhaps getting the best out of the likes of Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga down the line to rise the league standings.
Of course, he isn’t superhuman, with Woltemade frustratingly amassing no shots on goal against Brentford and West Ham United in back-to-back defeats when managing just 45 touches of the ball.
So, perhaps a different manager could get even more out of the clinical marksman if Newcastle were to replace Howe. After all, Toon reporter Craig Hope has already noted that ‘a 6ft 6in striker who plays with his back to goal & drops so deep was never the plan.’
Why a new manager can get more from Woltemade at Newcastle
The Mirror has speculated who could come in for Howe if he is to be relieved of his long-standing duties very soon, with the likes of Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner named.
But, if Newcastle want a manager in the same mould as the 47-year-old, they could look to hire Kieran McKenna, with the Ipswich Town boss making a name for himself from a very young age in the main management game, much like Howe did when managing AFC Bournemouth.
McKenna would transform the Tractor Boys’ faltering fortunes when taking them up all the way from League One to the Premier League via back-to-back promotions, leading to former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt lauding the ex-Red Devils coach as “one of the best coaches” in England.
Woltemade would surely love to work alongside the 4-2-3-1-focused manager if he were to swap Suffolk for St James’ Park, with his Ipswich sides over the years centring on some explosive, yet team-oriented attackers, much like the German has already shown in spades at his new home.
Games managed
188
Wins
88
Draws
50
Losses
50
Goals scored
340
Goals conceded
239
Points accumulated
314
Indeed, from 188 games in charge of the Tractor Boys, McKenna has overseen 88 wins with a mighty 348 goals scored along the way.
Up in the Premier League last season, the Northern Irishman would turn Liam Delap into a Chelsea-bound centre-forward, having got 12 top-flight strikes out of the ex-Manchester City striker from 40 games, even as his side languished near the drop zone all campaign long.
Therefore, with Delap also coming in a slick, yet imposing presence like Woltemade at a 6-foot-2 frame, it’s intriguing to see what McKenna could do to Woltemade if he were handed the Newcastle reins, having further got an impressive haul of 73 goals out of Conor Chaplin and George Hirst in the EFL and above.
The worry here would be that McKenna’s only Premier League season to date as a manager resulted in relegation, but having been previously tipped to go to “the very top” by podcaster Dave Hendrick, this could be the 39-year-old’s chance of becoming an established boss in the big time.
With his glittering track record with strikers, Woltemade could come even more into his own under his fresh set of ideas if he does surprisingly succeed Howe, as the powers that be at Newcastle continue to ponder whether a change is the correct call right now.
Better deal than Woltemade: Newcastle among favourites to sign £100m star
Newcastle need to add some more quality to Eddie Howe’s side in 2026.
David Warner has urged Australia’s selectors to stick with Sam Konstas for the first Ashes in Perth believing he has the game to take on England’s fast bowlers.Australia have been through a revolving door of partners for Usman Khawaja since Warner’s retirement in early 2024. Konstas, who is the incumbent but made just 50 runs in six innings against West Indies earlier this year, is one of five options used across the last 15 Tests.The selection race will resume this week with the second round of the Sheffield Shield, where Konstas will feature for New South Wales against Victoria at Junction Oval, facing an attack including Scott Boland and Fergus O’Neill.Related
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Konstas endured a difficult first outing of the domestic season with scores of 4 and 14 against Western Australia in Perth on what Nathan Lyon termed a “naughty” WACA pitch while NSW coach Greg Shipperd also urged context around Konstas’ returns.Meanwhile, Marnus Labuschagne peeled off 160 for Queensland, which came between two one-day hundreds as he makes a compelling case for a recall and looms as another opening option.”I’d like them to try and probably stick with Sam and give him a crack,” Warner said at Kayo Sports’ Summer of Cricket launch in Sydney. “He scored that hundred in the Australian A series [in India last month]. He batted outstanding there.”I don’t think we’ve seen exactly what we know Sam Konstas can do. Last year… he probably got overwhelmed by the occasion and we saw some very highlighted cricket. But I’ve seen him build innings, I’ve seen him play some fantastic innings and I’d like to see him go back to just doing that.” When Konstas made his debut at the MCG against India he was picked with the specific role of disrupting Jasprit Bumrah, who had dominated Australia’s top order. He was an immediate success in that role with 60 off 65 balls and then produced two cameos at the SCG. However, he was left out in Sri Lanka, when Travis Head opened in a conditions-specific selection, before being tasked with taking on difficult batting conditions in the Caribbean.Warner believes his early salvos in Test cricket left him uncertain about the tempo needed for sustained success but, while acknowledging England have a stock of fast bowlers, does not see their attack needing such a left-field approach.”They don’t have a Jasprit Bumrah so he doesn’t have to worry about that,” Warner said. “They’ve got some fast bowlers but he can tackle that.”Last year, I felt like he just got caught up in the occasions. He got caught up in thinking it was the only way to play that way against Bumrah and then did it to the other players.Marnus Labuschagne brought up a century in his first Shield innings of the season•Getty Images
“I don’t think he needed to change his game to the other bowlers. He could have just stayed there and played the normal way. There was one guy that was getting a lot of people out and… [Konstas] just didn’t want to get out to him because he was bringing the ball back in.”He countered that and he could have went back in and just batted normally. So I think if he can work out that and identify those periods, I think he’ll go a long way.”Warner added that Labuschagne had probably already done enough to return to the line-up but was less convinced about him opening. “I think when you’ve got a lot of Test cricket under your belt, you know what he’s capable of and know what he can do,” he said. “If someone’s averaging 50 in Test cricket, you’ve probably got to go back to that. Does he open? I wouldn’t like to see him open. I’d like him to shuffle back down to three.”If Labuschagne did return at No. 3, it would mean pushing Cameron Green down the order and would leave Beau Webster struggling to retain his place. Webster has been forced to sit out the opening two rounds of the Shield with an ankle injury but, barring a major form slump on his return, is expected to be part of the squad for Perth.
Barry Ferguson will always be inextricably linked with Rangers.
As a player, he made 422 appearances for the Gers across two spells, winning five Premiership titles as well as five Scottish Cups and five League Cups, leading the team out in Manchester for the 2008 UEFA Cup Final against Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Then, last season, following the sacking of Philippe Clement, Ferguson was appointed interim Rangers manager, winning only six of 15 matches in charge, but knocking Fenerbahçe out of the Europa League and enjoying a victory over Celtic at Parkhead.
He wanted the managerial role full-time but did not get it; he almost certainly would not have done a worse job than Russell Martin, had he been given the opportunity.
As a player, Ferguson boasted all the intangibles supporters love to see, determination, commitment, passion and a will to win, something Danny Röhl’s current squad certainly lacks, but is Rangers’ “best player” starting to show signs of replicating Ferguson?
James Tavernier's role at Rangers
Since joining the club, when they were still in the SPFL Championship, from Wigan Athletic in 2015, James Tavernier has now made 537 appearances for Rangers, scoring a staggering 136 goals and registering 145 assists.
He has won all three domestic honours, while also captaining the team in the Europa League Final in Seville in 2022, as Ferguson had done 14 years earlier, his most recent goal for the club coming at Hampden in defeat to Celtic in the League Cup semi-finals earlier this month.
Last season, for the very first time, Tavernier’s place in the Rangers side came under scrutiny, with some questioning, now 34 years old, if he is the force he once was.
During his brief interim period, Ferguson trialled the Englishman in various positions, right-back, right-wing-back and right-sided centre-back in a three, which was essentially foreshadowing what was to come once Röhl arrived.
The captain has started five of the six matches under the German, the sole exception coming at Easter Road, when he was introduced at half time.
Since Röhl has switched to a back three, Tavernier has most commonly been deployed as a wing-back, although not exclusively, starting as part of the back three against both Kilmarnock and Roma, which is more reflective of Rangers’ lack of high-quality centre-backs, as this role doesn’t get the best out of him.
Nevertheless, as Röhl continues to figure out how to best use his skipper, another of his stars has come to the fore in a way that is reminiscent of Ferguson.
Rangers' "best player" who is Barry Ferguson-esque
It may only be the middle of November, but Nicolas Raskin has already enjoyed, and endured, a roller coaster campaign.
At international level, he has started each of Belgium’s last three World Cup qualifiers, scoring against Kazakhstan in Brussels, establishing himself as a key figure in Rudi Garcia’s team ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
Meantime, back in Glasgow, Raskin remains a key figure for Rangers, starting all six matches since Röhl was appointed, heading home his second goal of the campaign at Dens on Sunday.
The statistics below emphasise the midfielder’s importance to this team.
Nicolas Raskin statistics 2025/26
Stats
Raskin
Rangers rank
Minutes
1,669
5th
Goals
2
5th
Assists
4
1st
Shots per 90
1.4
5th
Big chances created
2
4th
Key passes per 90
1.9
2nd
Tackles per 90
2.2
2nd
Interceptions per 90
0.8
5th
Average rating
7.39
1st
Stats via Transfermarkt & SofaScore
As the table documents, Raskin ranks highly for a wide variety of statistics this season.
He is the club’s leading player in terms of assists, while also second for key passes and tackles per 90, underlining that he is an all-round midfield player.
Following Sunday’s victory at Dundee, speaking during Sky Sports’ coverage, Kris Boyd believes that Raskin is starting to rediscover his “outstanding” form from last season since the appointment of Röhl, while Chris Sutton asserts that he remains Rangers’ “best player”.
So, while the Belgian is stylistically similar to Ferguson, both all-action midfielders, that is not where the similarities end.
In an interview last year, Ferguson revealed that he was informed he should leave Rangers in 2007 following a falling out with manager Paul Le Guen, told “you won’t play for Rangers again”, only for the Frenchman to be sacked soon after, brought straight back into the team under interim boss Ian Durrant.
Well, Raskin endured a near-identical situation, seemingly frozen out by Russell Martin, left on the bench for Champions League qualifiers against Viktoria Plzeň and Club Brugge, before being excluded from the matchday squad altogether for home games against Celtic and Hearts.
The Martin vs Raskin battle was when supporters really turned against the manager they never wanted in the first place, very much the beginning of the end for him.
Now back in the side, the Belgian has once again taken on a talismanic leadership role, so Rangers supporters will be hoping he can carry on this excellent form for many more months and years, even if he still requires 306 more appearances to match Ferguson’s legacy.
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Rishabh Pant is understood to be in his final stretch of rehab and is due to undergo a fitness assessment at the Centre of Excellence later this week
Shashank Kishore07-Oct-20253:28
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If cleared, Pant is expected to link up with the Delhi squad, which plays in the opening round of the Ranji Trophy from October 15 away against Hyderabad, for which Pant remains “slightly doubtful” according to the DDCA. The second game is at home at the Feroz Shah Kotla against Himachal Pradesh.Pant has been out of action since reverse-sweeping Chris Woakes on to his foot in the fourth England-India Test. He was forced to retire hurt, with scans confirming a fracture. While Pant returned to bat the next day, he couldn’t keep wicket. He finished the series with 479 runs in four Tests, which included two centuries and three half-centuries.In Pant’s absence, India have picked Dhruv Jurel and N Jagadeesan as the wicketkeepers for the ongoing Test series against West Indies. Pant is also missing the white-ball tour of Australia from October 19 as he hadn’t received a “return to play” certificate from the CoE.It’s likely Pant will lead Delhi for the duration of his availability. For the moment, the squad will be led by Ayush Badoni, Pant’s IPL team-mate at Lucknow Super Giants.