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يواجه الدوري السعودي “دوري روشن” للمحترفين تحديًا كبيرًا في الموسم المقبل (2025-2026) بسبب ازدحام روزنامة منتخب السعودية، الذي ينتظره عدد من المشاركات الدولية المؤثرة، ما قد يفرض ضغطًا هائلًا على الأندية واللاعبين. ارتباطات دولية مكثفة للأخضر

سيكون المنتخب السعودي أمام جدول مزدحم بالبطولات، حيث يشارك في بطولة الكأس الذهبية خلال شهري يونيو ويوليو، تزامنًا مع استئناف تصفيات كأس العالم 2026، والتي قد تمتد إلى الملحق الآسيوي والعالمي في سبتمبر وأكتوبر، ما يزيد من احتمالية تأجيل أو ضغط المباريات المحلية.

وتستمر التزامات الأخضر حتى نهاية العام، حيث سيشارك في بطولة كأس العرب 2025، التي تستضيفها قطر خلال الفترة من 30 نوفمبر إلى 18 ديسمبر، ما يعني تأثر جدول الدوري بشكل مباشر.

طالع أيضًا | رئيس الاتحاد الآسيوي يرد على تصريحات أبو ريدة بشأن تمنيه مشاركة مصر للسعودية في استضافة كأس العالم 2034 الدوري السعودي أمام اختبار صعب

بحسب صحيفة “الميدان الرياضي” السعودية، فإن المسؤولين يدرسون حلولًا لمواجهة هذا الضغط، ومن بينها إقامة المباريات كل ثلاثة أيام، وهو ما قد يشكل تحديًا كبيرًا للأندية، خاصة تلك التي تنافس على البطولات القارية والمحلية، مثل الهلال والاتحاد، اللذين يتنافسان بقوة على اللقب هذا الموسم.

وفي ظل هذه التحديات، يواصل المنتخب السعودي مشواره في التصفيات، حيث يستعد لملاقاة الصين يوم الخميس المقبل على ملعب الأول بارك، ضمن مواجهات الجولة السابعة من تصفيات كأس العالم.

ويحتل الأخضر مركزًا غير مستقر في مجموعته، بعدما خاض 6 مباريات، حقق خلالها فوزًا واحدًا، وتعادل في 3 مواجهات، وتعرض لهزيمتين، ما يجعل المباراة المقبلة حاسمة في مسعاه نحو التأهل إلى المونديال.

“The selectors felt that they cannot have two white-ball captains in two white-ball formats – that’s too much of leadership”

PTI09-Dec-2021Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI president, has confirmed that the board had requested Virat Kohli to continue as India’s T20I captain, but once he decided to step down, the selectors decided to remove him from the ODI captaincy and install Rohit Sharma in his place to avoid “too much of leadership” in India’s short-format squads.”We had requested Virat not to step down as T20 captain but he didn’t want to continue as captain,” Ganguly told PTI. “So, the selectors felt that they cannot have two white-ball captains in two white-ball formats. That’s too much of leadership.”Related

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Ganguly did, however, say that he was on board with the decision, and that is despite Kohli’s success as ODI captain: of the 60 captains worldwide to have led in 50-plus ODIs, only three have a better win-loss record than Kohli. “Yes, we did consider that but if you look at Rohit’s record in whatever ODIs he has captained for India [eight wins in ten games], it’s very good,” Ganguly said. “Bottom line – there can’t be two white-ball captains.”I can’t explain more about what all was discussed and what selectors have said, but this is the primary reason for having Rohit as white-ball captain, and Virat accepted it.”On Wednesday, Rohit, already India’s T20I skipper, was named the new ODI captain, while also being promoted to the vice-captaincy of the Test side – deputy to Kohli – in place of Ajinkya Rahane.Was there a worry that having two captains for the two white-ball sides would create some sort of confusion? “I don’t know [about confusion], but that’s what they [the selectors] felt,” Ganguly said. “That’s how this conclusion was arrived at – that let Rohit captain in white-ball [cricket] and let Virat be the red-ball skipper.”Rohit has long been considered a potential captain of the Indian side, not least because of his success at the IPL, where he has led Mumbai Indians to a record five titles in just eight-and-a-half seasons in charge – he had taken over some way into the 2013 season, replacing Ricky Ponting, and has led the team since.Ganguly didn’t want to talk up India’s chances in ODIs and T20Is under Rohit’s leadership, only saying, “It’s very difficult to predict. I wish him all the best and hope he does a good job.”The chairman of selectors, Chetan Sharma, and Ganguly have spoken to Kohli about the development, the former India captain said. “Yes, I have spoken to Virat personally and chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma has also spoken to him on the issue.”

Tottenham legend Ledley King has heaped praise on one member of Ange Postecoglou’s squad who often goes “unrewarded”, whilst also hailing his work ethic at Hotspur Way.

Tottenham 3-1 Brentford – Postecoglou survives early scare

Losing at home to Brentford after narrowly escaping Coventry last week would’ve seriously thrown Postecoglou’s position into question, and supporters were given a brief glimpse of that possibility when Bryan Mbuemo opened the scoring for Thomas Frank’s side just one minute into the game.

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Luckily for the Lilywhites head coach, their lead lasted just seven minutes. £65 million summer signing Dominic Solanke opened his account for Tottenham and equalised with his first-ever Premier League goal for the club, and it wasn’t long before Postecoglou’s side took the lead.

Player

Goals scored

Son Heung-min

17

Richarlison

12

Dejan Kulusevski

8

Brennan Johnson

5

Cristian Romero

5

James Maddison

4

Winger Brennan Johnson, who deactivated all of his social media accounts last week after online abuse, followed up his winner at Coventry with an excellent low finish to gift Spurs a 2-1 advantage – much to the delight of the home crowd.

It took a while before Postecoglou’s side sealed all three points, with James Maddison putting the result beyond doubt on 85 minutes to make it 3-1 and seal a much-needed second win on the trot for Spurs.

“Yeah, it wasn’t an ideal start, obviously, but, to be honest, it was like it never happened,” said Postecoglou on Tottenham’s win over Brentford.

“The boys just sort of went at it. That’s what we wanted to do today. We knew Brentford were going to be pretty aggressive with and without the ball and we love that part of the game. We thought if we really brought our own energy and intensity that we know we can, with and without the ball, we could cause them a lot of problems and we did. We were relentless the whole game and fully deserved the win.”

A host of senior players impressed against The Bees, while youngster Lucas Bergvall was handed a cameo by Postecoglou and is set for further game time over the next week.

Ledley King praises Dominic Solanke at Tottenham

Speaking to The Spurs Web, King has shared his thoughts on Solanke, and what he makes of the Englishman after he scored his first-ever goal for the club.

“Solanke works really hard. Sometimes that goes unrewarded, the hard work they put in, but I’m glad he got off the mark,” said King on Solanke.

“When you get strikers like that, they don’t stop running and they chase everything down, you never have any time on the ball [as a defender]. They’re a bit of a nuisance strikers like that to play against, but they’re good when they’re on your team, they’re very good.”

Postecoglou admitted that Tottenham looked at signing Ivan Toney before deciding on the £90,000-per-week Solanke to replace Harry Kane, so supporters will be hoping his tap-in against Brentford is the first of many more.

“We looked at him,” the Australian said. “But the reality was that Dom is the one that I wanted. It took the whole summer to get him in but he was the one that fitted the profile that we wanted.”

Once an after-thought in USMNT player pool, 2018 POTY Steffen might have the opportunity to break back into the side

MIAMI – Zack Steffen is just glad to be playing soccer again. The Colorado Rapids and USMNT goalkeeper, after over two years away from the senior side, is back in the mix for the January 2025 camp. There was a sense that he may never break back in. Siphoned out by Gregg Berhlater and benched in Europe, there didn't seem to be room for a young talent once considered next in a long line of top-tier USMNT shot stoppers – heir apparent to Tim Howard.

But with a fresh start, under a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino, and an international window that clashes with the European calendar, the former Manchester City and Columbus Crew man has an opportunity to show that he can perhaps wear the gloves full time for his country going forward.

"Everybody knows that [Pochettino] came in and said that there are spots open," Steffen told GOAL at MLS Media Day, "and that he wants there to be competition in every position. That's my mindset. I want to get back to number one."

• Getty
  

  Falling out of the picture

  The 29-year-old has been waiting for this moment for a while. He was part of a key transitional phase for the U.S. under Berhalter. The USMNT's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup brought about vast changes in the senior side. And with an older crop of goalkeepers retiring or moved on, Steffen earned the No. 1 shirt in 2018.

  What followed was a series of promising showings from the then-Crew shotstopper. The standout came in a 1-1 draw with France, in which he made seven saves in just his third senior international appearance. Piece it all together, and he was named USMNT Player of the Year in 2018. A European move to Manchester City – via German side Fortuna Dusseldorf – followed.

  Dusseldorf were relegated from the Bundesliga in Steffen's sole season at the club, ending any possibility of another loan or perhaps a permanent signing with the German club. And so he returned to City in a backup role, making just 17 appearances across the next two seasons. But there, his form dipped. He made a duo of high profile mistakes against Liverpool in an FA Cup semifinal, and with the emergence of Matt Turner at Nottingham Forest, Steffen's spot became precarious.

  A phone call from Berhalter confirmed it at the end of 2022. Steffen wasn't going to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. His USMNT future was in doubt.

  "Nobody wants to get rejected," Steffen told GOAL in September 2024. "Everybody wants to be part of something, and I want to be part of the national team. I want to be part of winning teams. So, yeah, it f*cking hurt, and it still hurts to this day."

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• AFP
  

  Pochettino and a fresh start

  But with a new manager has arrived a new chance. Steffen was called up to Pochettino's first training camp back in October, handed his first look for the national team in more than two years. And although he didn't feature in either friendly – a home win against Panama followed by a forgettable loss to Mexico – there was a sense of encouragement by inclusion alone.

  The new manager made it clear, too, that he wasn't just there as an extra body.

  "It was just like, 'Hey, it's a new slate.' We know you have experience, and we just want you to bring that experiences and push the guys," Steffen said.

  Steffen was included in the next camp, too, and watched from the sidelines as Turner started both CONCACAF Nations League games against Jamaica. But the energy of a new staff alone helped. Pochettino has surrounded himself with some of the more experienced assistant coaches in football – they have followed him from PSG, Chelsea and Tottenham. For Steffen, their leadership and drive directed towards the whole group has been infectious. That includes Antonio “Toni” Jimenez, the goalkeeping coach. He had an extensive professional career as a goalie around Spain, and joined Pochettino at Espanyol in 2011.

  "They're great coaches and very experienced. They make it tough, but it's all really good stuff that they're trying to portray and teach us," Steffen said.

• USA Today
  

  MLS offers new chances

  In early 2024, Steffen made a surprise decision by returning to MLS after four seasons in Europe. He had perhaps done enough at Middlesborough in the 2022-23 campaign to earn another No. 1 job overseas. But MLS offered a fresh start for a goalkeeper who perhaps needed one. He was in his late 20s, and, quite simply, required reps.

  "Of course, it's so good to go to top clubs and get the best training and learn from the best players," Steffen said, "but at the end of the day, there comes a time where you need to be playing."

  And play he did. The Rapids enjoyed a solid start to the season under new head coach Chris Armas. And after a memorable Leagues Cup run in which they won two penalty shootouts – spearheaded by some standout showings from Steffen – there was a real belief in the camp.

  "It's a handful of things, of why I had a good run, and why the team had a good run and got a little lucky at times, and all that stuff. But I think it's I'm at my best when I'm out of my head and I'm just playing," Steffen said.

  But then things took a turn. Colorado ran out of steam down the stretch, stumbled into playoffs, and were blown out in a best of three series by eventual champions LA Galaxy.

  "It was a positive year, but we just collapsed towards the last two months of the season. We were just exhausted," Steffen said.

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• Imagn
  

  Competition elsewhere

  It has been more than two months since Steffen last played a competitive football match. MLS preseason starts for most clubs at the end of January, with rosters for the 2025 campaign steadily being finalized. Steffen, who signed a three-year deal in 2024, has the perfect opportunity to find his feet – and soon.

  Turner – now a backup for Crystal Palace who has been repeatedly linked with a January transfer away from the Premier League club – doesn't seem to have a firm hold on the starting spot. There is a sense that, as ever, this shirt could be up for grabs.

  Still, there's competition. Along wit Steffen, Inter Miami's Drake Callender, NYCFC's Matt Freese and Columbus' Patrick Schulte round out a quartet of MLS goalies all vouching for the starting gig. Between the four, there are 31 US caps. Steffen has 29 of them. That experience might be vital as Pochettino considers his options.

  "I mean it's business on the field. Of course, we all want to get better. We all want to push each other to get better. We all want to play so, but it's all it's all class and friendships off the field," Steffen said.

Duo score unbeaten centuries to give Glamorgan healthy lead over Northants

ECB Reporters' Network13-Jul-2021

Kiran Carlson pulls on his way to a century•Getty Images

Glamorgan 462 for 4 (Carlson 170*, Cooke 133*) lead Northamptonshire 215 by 247 runsGlamorgan’s batters had a field day against Northamptonshire in their LV= Insurance County Championship clash, with Kiran Carlson and Chris Cooke both notching unbeaten centuries.Carlson’s sublime 170 not out was the jewel in the crown of Glamorgan’s 462 for 4 as he and captain Cooke (133 not out) shared an unbeaten club record fifth-wicket stand of 307.Earlier in the day, Marnus Labuschagne (77) and Billy Root (45) also recorded a century partnership as Northamptonshire’s bowlers toiled.The Welsh side lead by 247 runs and will hope to bowl 10-man Northamptonshire out on the final day to seal what would be a shock victory.Overnight batsman Labuschagne and Root had an untroubled first hour against a Northamptonshire seam attack without the injured Gareth Berg.Australian star Labuschagne smashed 276 for Glamorgan’s seconds last week and looked in effortless form again which was summed up by a superb drive through mid-on for four.It forced the visitors to introduce spin option Simon Kerrigan into the attack. Labuschagne went to his 50 from 76 balls with eight fours thanks to a cut boundary from the bowling of Ben Sanderson.Labuschagne’s wonderful on-drive for four took his and Root’s partnership past the three-figure mark with the latter more restrained but equally comfortable. Labuschagne looked completely untroubled and his shots grew increasingly aggressive so it was a surprise when he was clean bowled by Luke Procter for 77 when looking to leave.Root followed him in the same fashion and in the same over when he chopped on for 45 attempting to play a cut shot when the ball was too close to his body.Chris Cooke celebrates his century•Getty Images

Carlson and Cooke took Glamorgan past Northamptonshire’s first-innings total of 215 and into the lead after lunch as they built on their top order’s good work.Carlson did edge Kerrigan for four between wicketkeeper and slip, but he and Cooke were otherwise untroubled even though there were two brief stoppages for rain. Carlson went to 50 from 81 balls with seven fours, but after the second break he was dropped by Rob Keogh off his own bowling as he delivered nine overs with Berg on the sidelines.Soon, Carlson and Cooke’s partnership was worth 100 with the latter bringing up his 50 from 87 balls. Glamorgan went to tea on 295 for 4 and in control.Northamptonshire took the new ball for the third session, but Carlson remained unperturbed as he went to his third century of the season from 151 balls with a four off Procter through the leg side.Cooke was dropped on 79 off the bowling of Sanderson by Kerrigan at point which summed up the visitors’ day. It allowed the Glamorgan wicketkeeper to reach three figures from 186 balls with just four fours. His team also went well past 400 in the final session as both batsmen opened up with an overnight declaration possible.

Fast bowler confirms his role will be promotional-only as he saves energies for red-ball

Matt Roller30-Jun-2021While the rest of the country were glued to TV screens on Tuesday night, watching England’s 2-0 win against Germany at Euro 2020, James Anderson was bowling in the middle with Jon Lewis and Marcus Trescothick – England’s bowling and batting coaches – at Chester-le-Street following commentary duties with the BBC on the first ODI against Sri Lanka.The timing was not ideal – “it was their idea,” he sighed ruefully – but it highlighted the commitment and dedication that has served Anderson so well in prolonging his Test career: at some stage in the five-Test series against India this summer, he will overtake Anil Kumble as the third-highest Test wicket-taker of all time, and will hope to take his 1000th first-class wicket in the next two weeks, when he plays for Lancashire in the County Championship.And Anderson expects those extra sessions will become a regular feature over the course of the next few weeks for England’s Test bowlers. Having had several Championship rounds in which to build up their workloads ahead of the New Zealand series earlier this summer, England players will head into the first Test against India on August 4 on the back of two weeks playing in the Hundred, bowling a maximum of 20 balls a night, and while there are two rounds of Championship games at the start of July, the majority of the month’s domestic schedule involves white-ball cricket.”They might have to juggle their practice sessions and get a bit of red-ball practice in,” Anderson said, speaking at the BBC’s media launch of the Hundred, where he will work as a pundit, “because obviously there are different skills that you use for red-ball and white-ball cricket.”Most of the bowlers that we’ve got in our squad are experienced and they’re international players who have to balance that – one-day cricket and red-ball cricket – throughout their careers anyway, [so] I think they’re pretty used to that.”The majority of players I know are cricket badgers and want to play all forms of the game. They want to give everything a try and be the best at that. When I played white-ball cricket I wanted to be the best I possibly could in one-day cricket but I’ve moved away from that and really honed my skills in red-ball cricket. My hope is that there are still people growing up watching Test cricket who want to be Test cricketers and there are still people who want to be white-ball cricketers as well.”Related

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Anderson and Stuart Broad are the only two centrally-contracted players who will not take part in the Hundred in a playing capacity, and while they are loosely affiliated with Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets respectively in a promotional role, Anderson admitted that he had considered playing his first short-form game since 2014 by taking part in the competition as a player.”I did think about whether I should actually try and get a gig as a player,” he said, “but in the end I just felt it was probably for the younger guys to crack on with that. I didn’t want to affect my Test availability by getting injured throwing myself around in the Hundred – it might not have been the best idea.”I did explore it – I was interested, but I fell down on the side of prolonging my Test career. I didn’t want to jeopardise that too much so I’ll leave it to the young lads to throw themselves around in the field too much.”But despite those concerns for his own career, Anderson said that he does not expect the likes of Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Ben Stokes to hold back when they play in the Hundred in an attempt to avoid injuries ahead of a gruelling schedule of five Tests against India at home and then five more away in Australia – as well as a T20 World Cup in October. He also echoed comments by Graham Thorpe, England’s assistant coach, suggesting that the Test team’s top-order batters would benefit from playing in the competition, which starts on July 21.”You can get injured at any point – that’s just the nature of the game,” Anderson said. “I don’t think people are going to be careful because of a Test series: you’ve got to throw yourself into it and try to play at 100% every time you get the chance. Hopefully nothing like that happens but there obviously is the chance because every time you go out on the field there is a chance of injury.”I think there’s definitely no harm in playing the Hundred and playing some white-ball cricket, having that freedom to go out there and try and hit the ball. Test cricket does have a way of trying to stifle you at times and you can get a bit uncertain about your technique or movements and things like that. All the Hundred will do is encourage positivity: positive moment of the feet, positive shots, and I think that can only be a good thing.”The Hundred will be on BBC Two, radio and online from Wednesday 21 July

Wolves are set to launch an audacious move to sign an England international this summer as they look to flex their transfer muscles ahead of the window slamming shut, it has been reported.

Wolves lose second star man

Much of the speculation at Molineux in recent weeks has surrounded star winger Pedro Neto, and that finally reached a conclusion as it emerged that Chelsea agreed to sign the Portuguese forward.

Neto, who had been linked with Premier League heavyweights Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham this summer, was never off the table should an offer come in, with Gary O'Neil admitting as much at the beginning of August.

The Wolves boss had refused to rule out a sale this summer, explaining that "if a massive bid comes from a top club then no one is going to stand in Pedro’s way", and it is Chelsea who have stumped up £54m for the 24-year-old's signature.

Wolves make offer to sign £2,000-a-week teenager, they've had a response

They are keen to take the centre-back to Molineux this summer.

By
Ben Browning

Aug 9, 2024

The winger will now sign a six-year deal at Stamford Bridge with the option for a seventh. He will become the second big-money sale for the Old Gold this summer, who have already seen club-captain Max Kilman join West Ham United in a £40m deal.

By contrast, incomings have been slow, with only three new faces having been welcomed into the Old Gold's ranks plus the decision to make Tommy Doyle's loan move from Manchester City permanent. But now with close to £100m from player sales alone this summer, Wolves are ready to start spending.

Wolves target move for England international

That comes as one report claims that Wolves are eyeing up an audacious move to sign Arsenal and England shot-stopper Aaron Ramsdale this summer. The England international, who was Jordan Pickford's deputy at EURO 2024, fell out of favour at the Emirates Stadium following the arrival of David Raya last summer. He made just six Premier League appearances and just two after being dropped in favour of Raya, both coming against Brentford when the Spaniard was ineligible.

And he is set to leave this summer in search of first team football, with the Gunners open to selling him. As per Football Insider, Wolves are the latest side to be showing an interest, with O'Neil's side "plotting" to sign the goalkeeper ahead of the transfer deadline.

Ramsdale 22/23 vs Jose Sa 23/24 Premier League season
	Aaron Ramsdale	Jose Sa
Appearances	38	35
Clean Sheets	14	4
Save %	70.8%	73.4%

It is added that Wolves may use Daniel Bentley, who Arsenal have made one offer for, as a potential makeweight in any deal, though given Wolves' valuation of the 31-year-old at just £1m it is unlikely to play much of a role in discussions.

The goalkeeper penned a new deal at Arsenal in 2023, which means that he has just two years left to run on his £120,000-a-week deal at the Emirates Stadium, though the Gunners have an option to extend that deal by a further year, which means that his price is likely to be more than the £25m the north London side paid for him two years ago.

Despite being second choice, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was quick to praise his backup shot stopper last season, dubbing his attitude "exceptional".

“He’s been exceptional around the place with the situation. Like everybody. We love him more for sure. We have him every day. We know him, we know his character and we are really happy to have him."

With Ramsdale still just 26-years-old, he could well have the best part of a decade still at the top, which could make the hefty investment this summer worth it.

After their first T20I win against Pakistan, the hosts now chase their first-ever bilateral series win in the format

Danyal Rasool24-Apr-2021Big pictureIt was about time the chickens would come home to roost on Pakistan’s middle order, but the manner of that reckoning was so grave even those predicting it were taken aback. A first-ever T20I loss to Zimbabwe, and the fourth-lowest total defended against a Full Member saw Pakistan bowled out for 99 in a chase of 119, losing their last seven wickets for just 21 runs. The confidence shot it gives Zimbabwe cannot be overstated as, against all odds, they go into the third and final T20I with a real chance of springing upon Pakistan a chastening series defeat.There is, of course, room for improvement for both sides, especially with the bat. Zimbabwe restricted Pakistan thanks to a combination of a near-flawless performance with the ball, in the field and the total capitulation of the visitors. While stand-in captain Brendan Taylor will want a repeat performance in that respect from his side, Pakistan are unlikely to be that listless two games in a row. To counter that, Zimbabwe could work on the way they paced their own innings with the bat, putting little pressure on Pakistan, almost content to canter along to a sub-120 total.With Craig Ervine ruled out of the series and Sean Williams nursing a hand issue in for the last game, Zimbabwe lost plenty of experience, so the return of the latter might not be a surprise. Taylor did mention after the match that his side might have to approach the powerplay with a touch more positivity, setting the tempo for the remainder of the innings. The pitches here in Harare appear to have plenty in them for bowlers, with both captains agreeing totals around 140-150 were challenging. With Zimbabwe having felt they left runs out there, they go into the decider on equal terms.Pakistan, meanwhile, appear to be on that precipice from which they could lurch either to brilliance or chaos, with no way of predicting which it will be. They were given a nudge towards the latter after the second T20I with Shoaib Malik taking to Twitter to lambast “unacquainted decision makers”. What should have been a series to try out new players and fine-tune certain aspects of their game for the T20 World Cup has instead thrown up a decider of extreme pressure, giving this series a higher profile than most would have accorded it a few days ago.Form guideZimbabwe WLLLL(last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Pakistan LWWWLIn the spotlightWesley Madhevere was by far the brightest spark of Zimbabwe’s tour of Pakistan a few months ago, but he hasn’t quite lit up this series just yet, particularly with the bat. There have been glimpses of his ability in these two games, but justice to his talent is yet to be done. His dismissal in the previous game was especially disappointing when he attempted a low-percentage reverse sweep and gave away his wicket while Zimbabwe desperately needed him to bat deep. His contribution with the ball, though, has been surprisingly impactful, conceding just 27 runs in five overs and taking two wickets across the two games.Mohammad Hafeez was believed to be a panacea of sorts for the middle order; unlike the rest, he was in excellent form in the lead up to Pakistan’s tours of South Africa and Zimbabwe. He missed South Africa’s T20I series in Pakistan because he was playing the T10 League in the UAE, where he excelled, and went on to distinguish himself with his performances in the PSL. However, that form has not turned into output at the international level in a beleaguered middle order, further amplifying Pakistan’s woes. He had a phenomenally successful 2020, barging his way back into Pakistan’s T20 World Cup plans, but if this barren run continues, he could find himself frozen out in double-quick time.Team newsIf Williams returns, he will add experience to the batting line-up, but it’s unlikely Zimbabwe will wish to make too many changes to the side that helped them win the second T20I.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, 2 Brendan Taylor (capt & wk), 3 Tadiwanashe Marumani, 4 Wesley Madhevere, 5 Regis Chakabva, 6 Ryan Burl, 7 Tarisai Musakanda, 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Wellington Masakadza, 10 Blessing Muzarabani, 11 Richard NgaravaPakistan rested Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali for the last two games, but with the series on the line, it would not be a surprise to see them make an appearance.Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3 Fakhar Zaman 4 Sharjeel Khan/Asif Ali 5 Danish Aziz 6 Mohammad Hafeez 7 Faheem Ashraf 8 Hasan Ali 9 Mohammad Hasnain/Haris Rauf 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi 11 Usman QadirPitch and conditionsThe weather is clear again, and with the boundaries as big as they are, a target around 150 should put the side batting first in a decent position. Both sides have fielded first upon winning the toss, but have ended up failing to chase down targets.Stats and trivia Zimbabwe have never won a bilateral T20I series (they did win a one-off T20I against West Indies in 2010). Williams is 64 away from 1000 runs in T20Is. Taylor is 86 short of the same milestone. For Zimbabwe, only Hamilton Masakadza (1662) has more T20I runs.

MatériaMais Notícias

No primeiro duelo entre Atlético-CE e Campinense nada de vencedor. O jogo por 1 a 1 deixou a vaga na final aberta e repleto de tensão para o segundo confronto.

+ Veja no aplicativo do LANCE! o resultado dos jogos da rodada

Gols

A bola só chegou a rede na etapa final. O primeiro gol veio através do Atlético-CE. Alisson invadiu a grande área e achou Dudu Itapajé, que empurrou para o fundo da rede.

A igualdade da Campinense só veio através de Vitinho, que aproveitou a sua chance e soltou o pé e balançou o barbante.

Pênalti perdido

Com a igualdade, o Atlético-CE teve a chance de vencer o jogo. Porém, a cobrança de pênalti de Dudu Itajapé que parou nas mãos de Mauro Iguatu.

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Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Casemiro have been slammed by Red Devils legend Gary Neville for their 'unprofessional' United States trips.

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• Casemiro and Rashford travel to the U.S.
• Neville criticises their 'unprofessional' trips
• Believes jet lag may hinder performances

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rashford was present at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday for the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks NBA game as he was left out of England's squad for the international break yet again. Meanwhile, Casemiro also jetted off to the States to Orlando for a family holiday at Disney World, as seen on his Instagram.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Manchester United legend and Sky Sports pundit Neville has now ripped into the duo for their 'unprofessional' trips to the United States as they continue to struggle for form and overall fitness. The duo returned to training on Monday as they joined up with new boss Ruben Amorim, who has been working at Carrington since the start of the international break.

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEVILLE SAID

  Speaking on the Sky Bet's Stick To Football podcast, Neville said: “The professionalism, looking after your body and making sure you’re best prepared for the next training session is critical to every decision you make during the season.

  "He has got a mental break, he’s got to get away and has got to rest with friends – then you talk about the choice of venue. How far do you fly? What’s the time difference? Is that going to give a jet lag issue Is that going to give a stiffness issue from being on a flight for 12 hours?

  “This is on Casemiro more than Rashford, but if I’m 30 years old and I’m looking after my body – and he’s won five Champions Leagues and is an unbelievable player – but if he was away with Brazil for 10 days, we would say he would struggle this weekend because he’s been away."

  Neville continued: "They [Casemiro and Marcus Rashford] have chosen that international break. If you're talking about the minor details in being as professional as you can be and as prepared you can be for a training session on a Monday night, that isn’t the best choice of venue.

  “I’m not that wound up about Rashford and Casemiro going over to the United States, but what I’m asking is, if you’ve got a four-day break, Portland is a 12-hour flight and an eight-hour time difference, your jet lag is bad, and you feel a bit [rough].

  “They went to Portland, and I’m asking the question based on professionalism – you’re playing badly, the team are losing, you're 13th in the league, and there's a new manager coming in – would you choose that trip as a break to recharge your batteries? That’s not a recharging trip. It’s not right that.”

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• WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

  Rashford and Casemiro may both be starters for Amorim's Manchester United debut on Sunday, November 24 when the Red Devils take on Ipswich Town at Portman Road.