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This week has been a strangely newsy one for the Montreal Expos, a Major League Baseball team that has not taken the field since 2004.

The release of a Netflix documentary examining the team's demise—entitled —was long planned. However, the filmmakers probably didn't count on Canada's younger MLB team—the Blue Jays—reaching the World Series and throwing an even bigger spotlight on baseball in the Great White North.

Like many of baseball's more famous relocations—the Dodgers', the Giants', or (more recently) the Athletics'—the Expos' defection to Washington to become the Nationals marked the culmination of a long and arduous process. It was also unique in that it involved a quasi-ownership "trade" that influenced the fate of a franchise thousands of miles away from Quebec.

Here's a look at how Canada's second-largest city lost its team.

How did Jeffrey Loria buy the Expos?

Liquor magnate Charles Bronfman and five partners founded the Expos in 1969—a time when Montreal was still widely known as Canada's cultural capital (Toronto wouldn't jump it in population until Canada's 2001 census). The Expos found sledding tough in their early years, making just one playoff appearance (1981) despite numerous winning seasons. Bronfman sold the team to Claude Brochu in 1991, and after a tumultuous decade, Brochu sold a controlling stake to art dealer Jeffrey Loria in 2001.

How did Jeffrey Loria get out of his deal with the Expos?

For much of Montreal's existence, the team faced one overarching question: how would the team replace Olympic Stadium? The oft-derided building long overstayed its welcome for the 1976 Summer Olympics, and Loria quickly sought public funding for a new park. As attempts to replace Olympic Stadium dragged, MLB attempted to fold the Twins and Expos—a move only stopped by a successful court challenge. Amid this turmoil in Montreal, Loria sold the team to MLB and used the money to buy the Marlins—taking the Expos' resources with him.

How did the Expos get to Washington?

MLB's purchase of the team was effectively the ballgame for Montreal, but the years leading up to the team's relocation produced a slew of interesting what-ifs. First, in 2003 and 2004, the Expos split their home games between Montreal and San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium—routinely drawing better in Puerto Rico than in Canada. Along with San Juan, several non-Washington cities circled the Expos, with Charlotte and Portland discussed as contenders. Ultimately, the American capital won the Expos sweepstakes, and the team took on the name of several early Washington teams—the Nationals.

What is the legacy of the Expos' final years?

For many years, the legacy of the Expos' messy relocation seemed to be MLB's eagerness to avoid a repeat—but the Athletics' widely reviled, slow-motion departure from Oakland appears to have scuttled that. Montreal retains an appetite for baseball, as the Expos live on as a nostalgia item—"The DNA is still here even though they’re gone," documentary director Jean-François Poisson told 's Matthew Roberson Thursday. If expansion one day brings baseball back to Quebec, the Expos—as ever—will likely need to do something about Olympic Stadium, which somehow still stands on the eve of its 50th anniversary.

Behind the wicket is this unorthodox India batter’s happy place

Deivarayan Muthu22-Oct-20241:37

Manjrekar: Sarfaraz should walk into India’s XI for the Australia tour

When Will O’Rourke, at 6’4″, the tallest bowler in the current New Zealand attack banged one into the pitch in Bengaluru, it seemed destined to smack Sarfaraz Khan on his head until an impish intervention from the batter. Sarfaraz had originally misjudged the bounce as he tried to avoid the bouncer. To make matters worse, it kept veering into him as well. The fates had decided he was going to end up on his backside. He said, ‘fine but I’m getting something out of it’ and somehow ramped a ball that was pushing him down into the floor for a boundary.Ramps are ostentatious shots for most batters but for Sarfaraz it is staple. It’s his signature. Like how the cover drive is Virat Kohli’s. Like how the pull is Rohit Sharma’s. Like how the one-handed loft is Rishabh Pant’s.Having been bred on the bouncy, red-soil pitches in Mumbai, Sarfaraz has developed various versions of this shot, from the delicate dab ramp over the cordon to the full-blooded scythe over deep third. And he can play these shots to balls ranging from just back-of-a-length to a bouncer by twisting his body like a contortionist to get underneath the ball.He even played the ramp off a full and wide one from Bhuvneshwar Kumar back in IPL 2016 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Having spotted Sarfaraz manufacture swinging room, Bhuvneshwar had shifted his lines wide of off stump, but the batter still caught up with the ball, got underneath it, and ramped it over the deep-third boundary. Sarfaraz was only 18 then. This ability to manipulate the “V” behind the wicket has been with him from day one of a professional cricket career that is now in its 10th year.Sarfaraz showed his full range behind square in the first Test against New Zealand at the same venue where he had bested Bhuvneshwar as a teenager. Look at his wagon wheel from the recent Bengaluru Test. He scored 96 of his 150 runs behind the wicket.Fourteen of Sarfaraz’s 21 boundaries in the first Test came behind the wicket•ESPNcricinfo LtdSarfaraz was dismissed for a duck in the first innings. When there was excessive seam movement for New Zealand’s seamers under overcast skies, he went hard at the ball and ended up playing well in front of the body, shanking a catch to mid-off. In the second innings, when the pitch had lost its early juice, and there wasn’t as much lateral movement, Sarfaraz allowed the ball to come onto him and kept directing it behind the wicket. Believe it or not, he had not scored a single run in the “V” in front of wicket until after his hundred.”I like playing the balls that rise high. I have a bouncy wicket back at home [Mumbai], and I play regularly there, and the bounce easily allows me to cut,” Sarfaraz said. “They [New Zealand] were trying to bowl short at me, and I simply played accordingly. It was fun.”Related

• India's invincibility under threat as NZ look to complete the impossible

• Mitchell: 'We can't change the wicket, but we'll find a way to adapt'

• Rohit praises Sarfaraz and Pant for showing maturity

• Pune set to roll out slow turner for second Test

• Williamson to miss second Test against India

It’s not always fun though. The same shot that left jaws on the floor in Bengaluru – the duck ramp – led to his downfall in Lucknow. It was IPL 2023. Mark Wood was the bowler and he was giving Sarfaraz a serious working over to the extent that he was caught off a bouncer that he had initially tried to avoid. That couldn’t have felt good. It certainly didn’t look good. That dismissal epitomised the risk that comes with unorthodox strokeplay; not so much that it could result in your downfall but more that it makes you look silly. Sarfaraz is happy to live with this risk. He trains to try and minimise this risk. When he met Wood again in the Dharamsala Test earlier this year, he ramped the fast bowler, nonchalantly, to the deep-third boundary.The pitch in Pune might not offer as much bounce for Sarfaraz to play his ramps, with a bald, back-soil surface set to negate the seamers and bring the spinners into play. Sarfaraz, though, can also disrupt spin, thanks to a number of sweeps, including the reverse. He crouches low for these sweeps and often crunches them flat and hard – both in front of and behind the wicket.Sarfaraz Khan countered the short balls with the ramp•BCCIWhen Ajaz Patel dangled a full ball up outside off in India’s second innings in Bengaluru, Sarfaraz stretched out, met the pitch of the ball, and swept so hard that it sounded like a thunderclap. Earlier, in the Irani Cup, when Saransh Jain, the emerging offspinner from Madhya Pradesh, blocked the sweep with a packed leg-side field, Sarfaraz unfurled the reverse-sweep and countered him.With Shubman Gill likely to be fit for the second Test, India will have to make a choice between Sarfaraz and KL Rahul. It will incredibly hard for the team management to ignore Sarfaraz, especially after he had scored his maiden Test hundred, which had them dreaming about a remarkable comeback win at one point, though Rahul has a case for himself: he was a bit unlucky in Bengaluru and has a strong body of work overseas.”Sarfaraz was obviously brilliant in the last Test,” Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, said on Tuesday. “I went to KL after the last Test and said: ‘how many balls did you play and miss at?’ He didn’t play and miss one ball and that’s what tends to happen when you’re not getting runs. He got the two balls in the game – one caught down the leg side and one that he managed to nick.”So there’s certainly no concerns about KL. He’s batting nicely, he’s in a good mental space, but yeah, we’re certainly going to have to fit seven pieces into six spots for this Test and look at the pitch now and decide what’s going to be best for the team.”For so long, Sarfaraz has been on the outside looking in on this Indian team. But bit by bit, day by day, shot by shot, his chances of making it to the first-choice XI are ramping up.

Arne Slot's days at Liverpool are numbered, according to former Reds midfielder Dietmar Hamann. The Dutchman guided the Merseyside giants to the Premier League title in his debut season at Anfield but Liverpool's title defence lies in tatters with six defeats in the opening 12 league games of the season. And on a dire run of form, it's perhaps only a matter of time before Slot is shown the exit.

• Liverpool now 11 points off the pace

  Liverpool returned from the international break with a 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, and followed up that loss with a 4-1 mauling at the hands of PSV in the Champions League. The midweek reverse against the Dutch side means the Reds have lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions, with pressure mounting on Slot to turn the club's fortunes around.

  The Reds will hope to get their season back on track when they face West Ham on Sunday afternoon, though even that will prove easier said than done. The Hammers, resurgent since sacking Graham Potter, are on a run of two wins and one draw in their last three league outings as they look to boost their survival hopes and claim a major Premier League scalp in the process.

  Defeat in the capital this weekend will heighten calls for the club to sack Slot. Even so, former Liverpool midfielder Hamann believes that the "end is near" for the former Feyenoord boss on Merseyside.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Slot's 'credit has run out'

  On the pressure mounting on Slot, Hamann, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, told : "Slot's end is near. I never thought it would come to this after the brilliant season he had, but I believe his credit has now run out.

  "I believe Arne Slot has lost control of the team. It's falling apart, everyone is doing what they want, like Salah before PSV's second goal. Liverpool will have major problems finishing in the Premier League top four. I don't believe these problems can be solved quickly or easily. The situation is so complex that the club will certainly be discussing the manager's position."

  Attention has even turned to who could succeed Slot at the Anfield helm, with Real Madrid boss and former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso and current Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann mooted as potential successors for the Dutchman. And some Reds fans are pining for Jurgen Klopp to make a dramatic return to Merseyside in the foreseeable future.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Could Klopp return to Liverpool?

  Klopp left Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season and took up a role with Red Bull at the start of this year. Hamann has suggested that Liverpool could look to try and tempt the 58-year-old back into management, adding: "Many are already longing for Jurgen Klopp's return. If you ask the fans, many will surely say: 'That would be something.'

  "How likely is it that he'll return to Liverpool? I have no idea. But it would be the story of the decade. The club will already have considered alternative managers. I assume they've spoken with Klopp."

  Hamann's claims come after former Reds defender Jamie Carragher suggested Slot has a week to save his job. Liverpool follow up Sunday's game against West Ham at the London Stadium with the midweek welcome of Sunderland and a trip to Leeds next weekend and Carragher has warned that "anything fewer than seven points will make an already unacceptable situation untenable".

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• Crucial week for Slot at Liverpool

  Writing in his weekly column for the , Carragher stated: "Arne Slot has a week to save his job. It is hard to believe that sentence is being written, but Liverpool's next three games are against West Ham United, Sunderland and Leeds United. Anything fewer than seven points will make an already unacceptable situation untenable.

  "No one knows better than me how much that reality will be hurting everyone connected with my old club. Liverpool do not willingly sack coaches, especially those that bring great success.

  "After Slot won the Premier League in his first season, he seemed destined for a long stay on Merseyside too. Now, just six months later, he is hanging on."

  On Slot's tactical changes, Carragher added: "It felt wrong on day one of the season, and it has led to a mess right now."

There are no surprises in Australia’s 15-player group which will be led by Alyssa Healy as they aim to defend their title

Andrew McGlashan04-Sep-2025Sophie Molineux is on track to be fit for the ODI World Cup after being included in Australia’s 15-player squad for the tournament in India and Sri Lanka while legspinner Georgia Wareham has recovered from the injury which forced her to leave the Hundred early.The duo are a key part of Australia’s spin attack which will be a vital component at the World Cup as they look to defend the title won in New Zealand in 2022. Molineux, the left-arm spinner, has been out of action since late last year when she underwent knee surgery. However, she has not quite been given the full green light and may miss the ODI series against India ahead of the tournament.”Sophie Molineux is progressing well in her return from a knee injury, and we anticipate she’ll be available for the World Cup,” Australia physio Kate Beerworth said. “Georgia Wareham also back to full training following her adductor injury during the Hundred.”Australia’s squad, which will be led by Alyssa Healy, does not hold any surprises with Grace Harris taking the final batting spot while Georgia Voll is included after her breakout first year in international cricket.Harris has only played two ODIs since 2016 – and didn’t bat in either match – but the selectors see her as adding depth to the middle-order and also value her experience.”She’s a different player for us,” Shawn Flegler, the national selector, said. “In the role that she might play in ODI cricket, I think it would be more down the bottom and middle order. The way she bats, the experience she’s got in India, that’s probably why she got selected.”She’s a little bit different to some other middle order batters. She can take a game away in a few overs. If she gets that opportunity, I think she could be really good.”Healy recently returned from the foot injury she sustained during last year’s Ashes and flayed 137 not out off 85 balls against India A last month. The hope is that she will be able to keep wicket throughout the tournament.”She knows her body well,” Flegler said. “Like all players, they need to recover well after games. The schedule is pretty tight. But I think our particular schedule, we’ve got breaks in between each game as well. There’s lots of travel involved…it’s a long tournament. So it’s not just Alyssa who’ll be looking after herself. It’ll be the whole squad.”Voll is one of five players – alongside Molineux, Wareham, Phoebe Litchfield and Kim Garth – to be included in their first 50-over World Cup squad.One of the challenges in preparing for the tournament has been some grounds have never hosted women’s cricket while Australia have not played at the R Premadasa in Colombo, where they will face Sri Lanka and Pakistan, since 2016. They have used the men’s set-up to help gather data with coach Shelley Nitschke having spoken with Tom Body, the men’s team analyst.”It’s a little bit of an unknown,” Flegler said. “There’s some grounds that no women’s cricket’s been played at, so even just the data analysis of that has been based on the men’s cricket.”But we’re comfortable with the squad that we’ve got that we can cover, whether it’s a spinning wicket or if they’re flat wickets or if there’s a little bit of pace. All the games are starting at three o’clock, so day and night games. There’s maybe a bit of monsoon weather still hanging around in some places as well.So we’ve just got to be adaptable.”Australia’s squad will be supplemented with the uncapped duo of Nicole Faltum and Charli Knott for the three-match ODI series before the pair return home for the start of the WNCL season.”A World Cup in India is one of cricket’s biggest assignments, but we believe this group is up for the challenge,” Flegler said. “The valuable experience the squad has gained from several subcontinent tours in recent years, as well as exposure through the Women’s Premier League will be beneficial in tackling the unique demands of Indian conditions.”The extended nature of an ODI World Cup can be a challenge, and we believe this group has the depth and versatility to meet those demands.”Australia begin their tournament against New Zealand in Indore on October 1.Australia squad for Women’s ODI World CupAlyssa Healy (capt), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

“I opened Google, downloaded a ‘believe’ image and put that as my phone wallpaper”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2025

Siraj acknowledges the crowd after winning the Player-of-the-Match award•Getty Images

When Mohammed Siraj stepped onto the boundary cushion while attempting the catch of Harry Brook, and the batter went on to score a blazing hundred, he felt the game was over. But on the fifth morning of the Test, Siraj woke up determined to make amends.On the final day, England needed 35 runs and India four wickets. Siraj took three of those, including the final one, to give India a six-run win and help them square the series 2-2.”I cannot describe my feelings,” Siraj said after being named the Player of the Match. “After yesterday’s incident, I thought the match was gone. Had we got Harry Brook out before lunch, things would have been different. There would have been no fifth day. That was a game-changing moment. But we came back strongly after that.Related

Gill: 'We are a gun team, and we have gun players'

Six-run thriller – India script their narrowest win in Tests

Siraj goes on and on and on, tired but undeterred

Rahul: This series 'will rank right at the top' for India

“When I woke up this morning, I told myself I would change the game. I opened Google, downloaded a ‘believe’ image, and put that as my phone wallpaper.”Siraj had Jamie Smith caught behind in the second over of the day before trapping Jamie Overton lbw in his next. After Prasidh Krishna bowled Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson tried to farm the strike and hit Siraj over wide long-on for a six. But with seven needed, Siraj rattled Atkinson’s off stump with a yorker to seal the match.”My only plan was to bowl consistently at one spot and to move the ball in and out from there,” Siraj said. “I didn’t want to try too much because that could have released the pressure. From day one to today, every Test went to the fifth day. So hats off to everyone in the squad for the way they fought.”Siraj was a key protagonist of this instant-classic five-match series. He played every Test and picked up 23 wickets, the most in the series. Even with the bat, he was involved in one of the most poignant moments of the series when, in the third Test at Lord’s, India needed 23 to win with one wicket in hand when he defended a Shoaib Bashir delivery with the middle of the bat, but the ball rolled onto the stumps to dislodge the leg bail.”It was a heartbreaking moment,” Siraj said. “Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja] was telling me not to overthink and focus on middling every ball. He told me to think about my father and how hard I have worked to get here. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

A “wonderful” midfielder has now made a significant decision regarding a potential move to Manchester United in the January transfer window.

Man Utd need long-term replacement for Bruno

Bruno Fernandes has continued to be a talismanic figure for the Red Devils, captaining impressively and maturing into a more experienced head alongside younger teammates.

The Portuguese is now 31 years of age, however, and while his durability and lack of injury problems means he should be able to go on for plenty more years, United have to make sure they have a plan in place to find a successor eventually.

Bruno now has less than two years remaining on his current Red Devils deal, with Fabrizio Romano providing an update about a potential release clause.

Man Utd target makes big transfer call

According to The Mirror, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham has decided against joining Manchester United in January, having “no interest” in heading to Old Trafford on loan for the time being.

The Englishman only joined the Bundesliga side in a £27m move in the summer window, but he has struggled for playing time, being linked with a move away in the process.

Bellingham is the type of player who United should be viewing as a possible Bruno replacement one day, albeit in a slightly more disciplined midfield role, with the 20-year-old following in the footsteps of his brother Jude by heading to Dortmund in the summer.

He starred for Sunderland last season, playing an important role in them sealing promotion from the Championship to the Premier League, and not only has he been compared to Frank Lampard by former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, but he is loved by his teammates.

“Listen, Jobe’s a wonderful player. I’m one of his biggest fans, more than his dad. Don’t tell him that. I think Jobe’s wonderful,” Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien said last season.

“He’s a wonderful addition. He even comes in at half-time to give his perspective. That’s how much he’s grown into the game. Even though he’s not playing, he’s in at half-time. We’re asking for his perspective on the game because he’s a leader in our team.”

Related Euro club's target: £105k-p/w Man Utd star is "set to move" in January

The Red Devils could be able to cut ties in January.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Oct 27, 2025

Bellingham is still so young that United shouldn’t consider this the end of the saga, and if he manages to get back on track and reaches his potential in the coming years, he needs to be viewed as a fantastic midfield option, bringing the box-to-box quality that Bruno does.

Liverpool, in many ways, are evidence of money not being everything in football. The club had always spent wisely when led by Jurgen Klopp, cashing in for big money and carefully picking budding talents to develop into superstars.

This summer, having won the Premier League so spectacularly with Arne Slot last year, FSG felt it was the right time to hit the big button and indulge in a spending spree. Many high-level signings have arrived at Anfield.

However, Liverpool may still be frustrated to have missed out on Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, especially now that Giovanni Leoni has been ruled out for a year with a knee injury.

Liverpool may well return for the England defender, but Guehi isn’t the only Premier League talent they plan to bid for in 2026.

Liverpool still interested in Premier League star

There’s no question that Liverpool need to reinforce their central defence next year. However, Slot might also feel his midfield needs some work. Tactical imbalances have knocked the Reds out of kilter.

That’s why FSG dream of signing Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton next summer, retaining an interest in the England international. That’s according to the Daily Mail, who believe the Eagles hope to tie the 21-year-old down to a new deal to ward off persistent suitors.

Valued at £75m, Wharton has been a revelation at Selhurst Park, instrumental under Oliver Glasner.

Liverpool will be confident that they can secure the maestro’s signature, but his performances have also attracted the likes of Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

The competition is thick, but this is a player worth pushing for. It might even prove to be a signing that eclipses all others the Merseysiders could make, even landing Guehi.

What Adam Wharton would bring to Liverpool

Described as “the best U21 player in the Prem” by one analyst, Wharton has been exceptional since joining Crystal Palace from Blackburn Rovers for £22m in February 2024.

A master of the pass and tenacious when winning the ball back, Wharton has played 53 times for his London-based club, nestled in the centre of the park.

He has been vital in constructing an enviable style of play, Glasner utilising him as an all-encompassing engine.

Premier League 25/26 – Most Chances Created
Club	Goals	Chances created
Crystal Palace	9	26
Man City	15	21
Arsenal	14	19
Chelsea	13	19
Liverpool	13	19
Data via FotMob

Palace have not the same calibre of firepower in the final third as some of the Premier League’s biggest hitters, but they aren’t half bad in front of goal.

Much of this stems from slick build-up play from midfield, and Wharton has been at the very heart of this, with no player matching his five big chances created so far.

As per FBref, the Three Lions star ranks among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for through balls and the top 7% for shot-creating actions per 90.

Liverpool are suffering from a degree of isolation between the thirds right now. This has been accentuated blindingly by Alexis Mac Allister’s poor form.

And that’s why Wharton could be such an incredible addition, opening up a dimension and weaving together the disjointed midfield and frontline parts.

Liverpool have an elite group of players capable of dominating English and European football for many years. But something is missing, to be sure, and a player of Wharton’s style could work wonders in easing the midfield load on Ryan Gravenberch’s shoulders and restore the title-winning fluidity that worked so well last season.

Klopp sold Liverpool star for £9.5m, now he's outperforming Salah & Wirtz

Liverpool must rue selling a star who is outplaying Florian Wirtz and playing like Mo Salah.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 6, 2025

علق فيرجيل فان دايك مدافع وقائد ليفربول، بعد تحقيق فريقه الفوز على حساب أستون فيلا، بهدفين نظيفين، على ملعب أنفيلد في الدوري الانجليزي الممتاز.

وقال فان دايك في تصريحات نشرتها “بي بي سي سبورت” بعد اللقاء: “الفوز دائماً شعور رائع والحفاظ على نظافة شباكنا بعد غياب طويل كان شعورًا رائعًا أيضاً، لكننا حققنا مجرد فوز، الآن يتعلق الأمر بالتركيز على المباراة القادمة”.

وأضاف: “لقد كنا جيدين في الاستحواذ على الكرة، ضغطنا عليهم بشكل جيد، حصلنا على انطلاقات جيدة وفرص لتسجيل الأهداف، دافعنا بشكل جماعي بشكل جيد، هذا ما صنع الفارق”.

اقرأ أيضاً.. محمد صلاح: ليفربول يمتلك لاعبين رائعين يفتقدون شيئًا واحدًا.. وفخور بالإنجاز

وواصل: “حتى في الأوقات الجيدة علينا الاستمرار وعدم الاستسلام، هذا ما لاحظته خلال الأسابيع الماضية، كان هناك الكثير من الضجيج الذي لم نملك السيطرة عليه، وعلينا التعامل معه كفريق، بعض التعليقات سخيفة لكننا نتعامل معها، قد يصل الضجيج الخارجي لبعض اللاعبين لكننا نتماسك”.

وتابع: “لن ننزل للملعب للخسارة، أو نخيب آمال الجماهير، بل نريد أن نبذل قصارى جهدنا ونفوز لكن هذا ليس ضماناً، الدوري الانجليزي على أعلى مستوى”.

وأكمل: “حان وقت العمل، لا نبالغ في التفاؤل المفرط، نعيش في عالم حيث يمكن للجميع التعبير عن آرائهم، على منصات متعددة وهم يعرفون أكثر منا وعلينا الابتعاد عن ذلك والتركيز على العمل الجاد”.

وختم: “في الموسم الماضي مررنا ببعض الأمور السلبية لكن الأمور كانت مثالية، الآن يبدو أننا سنخوض معركة هبوط وهكذا تسير الأمور في العالم”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O destino do Botafogona Copa Sul-Americana é colocado em jogo nesta quarta-feira (9). Às 19h, os comandados de Bruno Lage fazem o jogo de volta das oitavas de final da competição continental com o Guaraní, do Paraguai, no Estádio Defensores del Chaco.

Por ter vencido por 2 a 1 o primeiro jogo, o Glorioso tem a vantagem do empate. Vitória dos “aborígenes” por um gol força a decisão para os pênaltis. Caso o Guaraní vença por dois ou mais gols, obterá a vaga direta para as quartas de final.

+Como toda partida na Sul-Americana, o jogo será muito disputado e os mercados da Lance! Betting estão a todo vapor. Confira!

O Guaraní tende a adotar uma postura mais ofensiva para o embate. A equipe de Juan Pablo Pumpido deve depositar as fichas no trio de ataque formado por Camacho, Romeo Benítez e Federico Santander.

+Tem promoção exclusiva para você abrir sua conta agora! Aposte R$50 e receba mais R$50 de bônus. Clique aqui e aproveite!

O Botafogo, por sua vez, terá a baixa de Tiquinho Soares. O atacante sofreu uma lesão no ligamento colateral do joelho esquerdo e ficará cinco semanas afastado. O mais provável é que Janderson seja o titular no setor.

O comandante alvinegro, porém, deve promover variações na equipe para evitar desgastes musculares. Gatito Fernández será o titular da meta. Philipe Sampaio, Danilo Barbosa e Lucas Fernandes têm chances de iniciar a partida.

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Líder!

FICHA TÉCNICA

GUARANÍ (PAR) x BOTAFOGO

Data e hora: 9 de agosto de 2023, às 19h
Estádio: Defensores del Chaco, em Assunção (PAR)
Árbitro: Felipe González (CHI)
Assistentes: Juan Serrano (CHI) e Miguel Rocha (CHI)
VAR: Rodrigo Carvajal (CHI)

Onde assistir: Paramount + e tempo real do Lance!

GUARANÍ (Técnico: Juan Pablo Pumpido)

Muñoz, Raul Cáceres, José Moya, Paul Riveros e Felipe Salomoni; Estivel Moreira, Barceló e Darío Ríos; Néstor Camacho, Romeo Benítez e Federico Santander.

BOTAFOGO (Técnico: Bruno Lage)

Gatito Fernández; Di Plácido, Philipe Sampaio, Cuesta e Marçal; Danilo Barbosa (Eduardo), Marlon Freitas, Lucas Fernandes; Júnior Santos (Gustavo Sauer), Janderson e Victor Sá.

Desfalques: Patrick de Paula, Rafael e Tiquinho Soares (lesionados) e Gabriel Pires (em transição)

Leeds United won the Championship title with a staggering haul of 100 points in the 2024/25 campaign, but they knew that the jump up to the Premier League was still a huge one.

The last six teams to have been promoted to the top-flight have all gone straight back down in the last two seasons, which illustrates the size of the task ahead for Daniel Farke’s Whites, Sunderland, and Burnley.

Unfortunately, though, Leeds ended the summer transfer window without doing all the business that they wanted to do in the forward areas, as they missed out on a deadline day deal for Harry Wilson.

The only attacker the Whites paid a transfer fee for in the window was Switzerland forward Noah Okafor, who joined from AC Milan for a reported £18m.

The 25-year-old winger only scored seven goals in 57 matches for Milan and Napoli in the last two seasons combined, per Sofascore, and was an unused substitute against Newcastle United last time out.

Another one of the club’s attacking signings over the summer who still has a big question mark hanging over him is centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who joined on a free transfer from Everton.

Why Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a risk signing for Leeds

Speaking earlier this month, Leeds United’s managing director Robbie Evans explained the reasoning behind the signing: “When you acquire a new player, you’re making a sacrifice somewhere as far as their age, their experiences, their ceiling, their character or their injury history.

“Something is not going to be perfect, unless they are the highly expensive player. We’d rather take somebody that’s got the experience, the physicality, the profile, the goal record and the character, and bet on ourselves to keep them healthy, than take somebody who doesn’t have that ceiling.”

These are interesting comments from Evans and understandable to a point. Calvert-Lewin is a vastly experienced Premier League performer who has been there and done it in the past, but the main issue is that his best performances are well and truly in the past.

The former England international has failed to hit double digits for goals in the Premier League in any of the last four seasons, and has underperformed his xG in all nine of his seasons in the division.

Calvert-Lewin’s Premier League career

Season

xG

Goals

24/25

8.85

3

23/24

13.63

7

22/23

6.50

2

21/22

6.22

5

20/21

18.21

16

19/20

16.11

13

18/19

6.17

6

17/18

5.44

4

16/17

1.25

1

Stats via Understat

As you can see in the table above, Calvert-Lewin is a wasteful finisher who has not provided much in the way of quality since the last season without crowds at games.

Evans also mentioned the injury risk, which is a big one with the striker, because the forward has missed 112 matches through injury in his career, per Transfermarkt.

The 28-year-old attacker is, therefore, an incredibly risky signing for Leeds because his goal record and his injury record both suggest that the Whites may struggle to get much of an impact out of him this season.

Time will tell whether or not that risk will end up being worth it or not, as it is now up to Calvert-Lewin to get his career back on track, but Leeds may regret letting go of a number nine who has outperformed the Englishman in recent years.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

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Spanish striker Rafa Mujica left Elland Road to sign for Las Palmas on a free transfer, per Transfermarkt, in the summer of 2021, and has since gone on to shine in multiple countries.

Why Leeds must regret releasing Rafa Mujica

The young centre-forward went out on loan to various teams across Spain during his spell with Leeds before they ultimately decided that he was not going to make the grade in West Yorkshire and let him join Las Palmas for nothing.

He had failed to score more than four goals in any of his loan spells, per Transfermarkt, which may be why the club were willing to let him go in 2021, but they may look back on that decision with regret considering what the star has gone on to achieve.

Mujica really hit his stride at first-team level after his move that saw him sign for Arouca from Las Palmas in 2022. The Spanish marksman scored 14 goals in 32 matches in his first season in Portgual, per Transfermarkt.

Since the end of that season, from the summer of 2023 onwards, the former Leeds academy starlet has significantly outperformed Calvert-Lewin as a goalscorer in the past two seasons.

Mujica, who signed for Qatar-based side Al-Sadd last year, has scored 44 goals in all competitions for Arouca and Al-Sadd since the summer of 2023.

23/24 + 24/25

Rafa Mujica

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Appearances

65

26

Minutes played

5,297

4,243

Goals

44

11

Minutes per goal

120

385

Assists

9

5

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old striker has scored 33 more goals and provided four more assists than Calvert-Lewin in the last two years, with a far more impressive minutes per goal ratio.

Mujica, who was hailed as “magnificent” by former boss Pepe Mel, also outperformed his xG of 16.27 to score 20 goals in the Portuguese top-flight in the 2023/24 campaign, per Sofascore.

These statistics suggest that the Spanish attacker is far more clinical and lethal in front of goal than Calvert-Lewin, having delivered at a decent level in Portugal and, now, in Qatar.

Whilst he is an unproven quantity in England and the Premier League, Mujica appears to be a far better player and far more valuable asset than he was when Leeds decided to let him join Las Palmas on a free transfer four years ago.

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This is why supporters may look back on the decision to release Mujica as a poor one, particularly given the risks that the club have had to take with the signing of Calvert-Lewin in the hope that he can fire them to survival in the Premier League.