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A noite desta próxima quarta-feira promete ser agitada na capital do Ceará. No Castelão, às 19h15, Fortaleza e São Paulo iniciam o duelo válido pelas oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil (a partida de volta, no Morumbi, acontece no dia 25 de outubro). Quem avançar no confronto garante uma bolada de R$ 3,3 milhões como premiação da CBF.

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Campeão da Copa do Nordeste na última temporada, o Fortaleza de Rogério Ceni ainda não entrou em campo pela Copa do Brasil. O título em 2019 garantiu vaga já nas oitavas de final do torneio nacional. Já o São Paulo de Fernando Diniz também garantiu posição privilegiada por ser um dos representantes do futebol brasileiro na Copa Libertadores deste ano.

RelacionadasFortalezaRogério Ceni coloca o São Paulo como favorito no duelo da Copa do BrasilFortaleza13/10/2020Futebol NacionalFlamengo, Inter e São Paulo ganham camisa rosa em campanha; veja fotosFutebol Nacional13/10/2020São PauloSão Paulo encerra preparação e viaja para o Ceará; veja o provável timeSão Paulo13/10/2020

Data/Horário: 14/10/2020, às 19h15 (horário de Brasília)
Local: Castelão, em Fortaleza (CE)
Árbitro:Rodolpho Toski Marques (PR)
Assistentes:Bruno Boschilia (PR) e Sidmar dos Santos Meurer (PR)
Onde acompanhar: Sportv, Premiereetempo real do LANCE!

SÃO PAULO
Tiago Volpi, Igor Vinícius, Bruno Alves, Diego Costa e Reinaldo; Luan, Gabriel Sara (Tchê Tchê), Daniel Alves e Igor Gomes (Vitor Bueno); Brenner e Luciano.Técnico:Fernando Diniz.

Desfalques: Juanfran, Hernanes, Liziero,Walce e Rojas (departamento médico); Arboleda (defende a seleção equatoriana nas Eliminatórias)

FORTALEZA
Felipe Alves; Tinga, Paulão, Jackson e Bruno Melo; Felipe e Juninho; David, Romarinho, Osvaldo e Wellington Paulista. Técnico: Rogério Ceni

India lose eight wickets to spin; No. 9 batter Pooja Vastrakar offers lone resistance with maiden ODI half-century

Annesha Ghosh in Vadodara12-Mar-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGetty ImagesAustralia’s eight-wicket victory, with over 17 overs to spare, bore every mark of the intent they spoke about leading into the three-match series against India. Their spinners – Jess Jonassen and Amanda-Jade Welliington – led the charge to pick up seven wickets between them to dismantle India for 200. Debutant Nicola Carey, too, played a part in an economical 10-over spell that cost just 28. Then opener Nicole Bolton made an unbeaten century, her fourth in ODIs, to undo India’s lower-order fightback.Australia’s chase had an air of inevitability about it right from the start. After seeing off a maiden over first up from Shikha Pandey, Bolton leaned into cover drives, rocked back for square cuts, and swept her way to forging three half-century stands. Even as she took a while to assess the Reliance Stadium surface, where pace had been on the wane since the latter half of India’s innings, Bolton kept pinching singles through the seven-two off-side heavy field, while opening partner Alyssa Healy went on a rampage to make a 29-ball 38.In a manner similar to her WBBL blitzkriegs this season, Healy hammered the barrage of short balls from the opening pace duo of Pandey and Pooja Vastrakar, and also took on spinners Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Having hoisted Australia to 60 without loss in nine overs, Healy picked out Veda Krishnamurthy at point to hand Pandey her 50th ODI wicket.By then, Bolton had upped her strike rate and raced to 21 off 26, shaking off the scratchiness that had made her edge the first ball of the sixth over off Deepti marginally past Veda at first slip. Subsequently, she forged a 68-run stand with captain Meg Lanning, who brought up her 3000th ODI run upon her return to the batting crease since losing her offstump to Jhulan Goswami peach from the World Cup semi-final.Lanning’s fluency shone through right from the outset. Bolton, on her part, raced to her fifty off only 57 balls, but three deliveries later, had Lanning respond to her call and come a long way down the pitch only to send her captain back after tapping at a Pandey delivery. With Australia on 128 for 1, Lanning, on 33, met with a direct throw from Veda at cover-point and was caught short of her ground at the non-striker’s end.The dismissal, however, was to barely have a bearing on the outcome of the game. But Bolton enjoyed slices of luck. Reprieved on 65 when Rajeshwar Gayakwad put down a skier off Poonam Yadav at square leg, strung an unbeaten 74-run partnership with Ellyse Perry. In between, she also avoided dragging the legspinner on 72. Perry chipped in with a 26-ball 25, and hit the winning runs – a four of stand-in captain Harmanpreet Kaur – in the 33rd over, soon after Bolton got to her century off 101 balls.As dominant as Australia were with the bat, it was their bowlers that snotted the life out the Indian line-up. Mithali Raj’s unavailability because of fever meant 17-year old Jemimah Rodrigues was handed an ODI debut, which turned out to be forgettable for her. Among the top six, only Punam Rut managed to make some sort of impression to make 37.With the top order failing, the lower order stood up. Bowling allrounder Vastrakar partnered No. 7 wicketkeeper-batsman Sushma Verma to breathe animation into an tail that has time and again failed to wag under pressure. They added 76 for the eighth wicket, with Vastrakar bringing up her maiden half-century off the 55th ball of her innings.Batting only for the third time in international cricket, Vastrakar’s 56-ball 51 featured seven fours and a six that lent credence to her established pinch-hitting prowess in the domestic circuit. Having come in at No. 9, she capitalised on the two reprieves – dropped on 14 by Lanning at mid-off and on 19 by Perry at midwicket – and lofted left-arm spinner Jonassen over the covers, drove Schutt and Perry straight down the track, and launched Gardner for six over the mid-wicket fence with a slog sweep.That India could scramble to 200 after being reduced to 113 for 7 was down to Vastrakar’s freewheeling approach, coupled with Verma’s defiant 71-ball 41, that bettered her international top-score of 33 that came in a similar situation in the World Cup last year, against Pakistan. The pair’s 93-ball stand injected further sloppiness in the Australia fielding unit.Jonassen, who finished with 4 for 30, however, cleaned up the tail, running the last wicket – Poonam Yadav – out after having both Sushma and Vastrakar to hole out – the latter to Haynes as she failed to time an attempted lofted strike straight over the bowler’s head.

Aston Villa head into the international break off the back of a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday.

How did Aston Villa lose to Liverpool?

The Villans were put to the sword by Jurgen Klopp's side as their sloppy defending allowed the Merseyside hosts to win the game with relative ease.

Dominik Szoboszlai opened the scoring in just the third minute as a simple corner into the box was not cleared away from danger and no one came out to close down the Hungary international on the edge of the box, which allowed him to fire a strike into the far corner with his left foot.

The second goal came in the 22nd minute as Darwin Nunez evaded attention from Villa defenders within the box and his shot came crashing off the post and then into the back of the net off the unfortunate Matty Cash.

Mo Salah wrapped up the scoring in the second half as Unai Emery's side failed to react to a flick-on from Nunez from a corner and the Egypt international tapped in from close range.

How did Pau Torres perform against Liverpool?

One player who should be ditched from the starting line-up after the international break is central defender Pau Torres after a poor display at the heart of the defence, something that could open the door for Clement Lenglet to come in.

Express & Star journalist Lewis Cox went as far as to describe his performance as a 'nightmare' due to his struggles throughout the game, handing him a rating of 4/10, which was the lowest of anyone in the team.

Torres' play for the second goal was particularly disappointing as the Spain international was slow to react to a ball over the top to Salah and then appeared to jog back as Nunez ran ahead of him, which afforded the striker all the time in the world to pick his spot from six yards out.

His sloppy marking almost led to another goal for the hosts shortly after that as an in-swinging ball went over his head and to Joel Matip, whose effort went just wide of the far post.

He also only completed 72% of his attempted passes and recorded a Sofascore rating of 6.2 as he lost 50% of his aerial battles throughout the match.

The Spaniard has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.63 across four Premier League games so far this season and won 57% of his duels in total, suggesting he has struggled to adapt to the rigours of English football. To make matters worse, Torres has also made 0.5 tackles and interceptions per outing for his side and has been dribbled past 0.8 times per match.

To put that into context, no other Villa defender has averaged fewer than one tackle and interception combined per game this term, which comes after no centre-back with at least five starts managed fewer than 1.8 per match during the 2022/23 campaign.

None of his central defensive teammates have been dribbled past at all this season and these statistics illustrate how poor the 26-year-old dud has started life in Birmingham, as he has struggled to win possession back for his side and opposition players have found it too easy to go past him.

This means that it could be time for new signing Clement Lenglet, who recently arrived on loan from Barcelona, to come into the side on the left of the defence.

How good is Clement Lenglet?

The France international spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and is, therefore, a proven performer at this level who could slot straight into the team alongside Diego Carlos, injury permitting, and Ezri Konsa.

As a left-footed defender, the 28-year-old is the perfect fit to replace Torres in order to provide balance in possession on that side of the pitch as he is comfortable playing the ball out from the back on his favoured left foot. Whereas, a right-footed centre-back who is not used to playing on the left may struggle to find the right angles to progress the play.

Last season, Lenglet played 26 top-flight games for Spurs and showed signs of promise with some of his work in and out of possession from defence.

The French titan made 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game and won 56% of his physical contests for the London club, whilst he was also dribbled past 0.7 times per clash.

No Aston Villa centre-back managed more than 1.9 tackles and interceptions per match last season in the Premier League, indicating that Lenglet could be an outstanding option for Emery in terms of his ability to win possession back by reading the game or making a vital challenge on a regular basis throughout games.

These statistics also suggest that the former Tottenham defender has the potential to be a stronger defender than Torres, who was brought in from Villarreal for a reported fee of £35m this summer, due to his superior knack for cutting out opposition attacks.

The 6 foot 1 enforcer could also offer a similar level of quality when it comes to bringing the ball out from the back to progress the play for the team.

Over the last 365 days, Lenglet ranks within the top 6% of his positional peers among Europe's top five leagues for progressive carries per 90 (1.59). Whereas, Torres ranks in the top 2% for progressive carries per 90 (2.11) during that period, with the majority of his minutes coming for Villarreal.

This shows that they are both among the best in their position when it comes to carrying the ball forward to gain yards on the opposition.

These numbers prove that Lenglet, who was hailed as "very strong" by compatriot and former Spurs teammate Hugo Lloris, would not be a significant downgrade on Torres in terms of what he offers in possession.

Therefore, Emery must ruthlessly ditch the Spaniard in order to start the loanee from Barcelona as he has the potential to provide more defensive steel whilst also being able to offer progression on the ball.

A “tibial bone stress fracture in his right leg” has ruled Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc out of the fourth Test against South Africa, and the IPL, which starts on April 7 in Mumbai. Starc’s injury has added to a series of horrible news for Australia after the ball-tampering controversy, which most recently saw Darren Lehmann’s announcement to step down as their coach after the ongoing Test in Johannesburg.Starc will fly home after the fourth Test for further assessment. His injury handed a Test debut to Chadd Sayers on Friday, which was the fourth change in the Australia XI with Steven Smith, David Warner Cameron Bancroft having flown back home.Starc’s injury has added to Kolkata Knight Riders’ worries too, who bought him for nearly USD 1.47 million in January. Knight Riders are already waiting on injury updates for Chris Lynn and Andre Russell, and an update on Sunil Narine, whose action was reported during the PSL earlier this month. Narine will be allowed to bowl in the IPL, but will be under scrutiny by the match officials considering he had been banned from bowling in the league in the past. Knight Riders are confident about Russell and Lynn being available during the first half of the tournament.Starc is the third Australian player to be ruled out of the IPL this week after Smith and Warner were banned from participating in the league by the BCCI. Starc had been troubled by a calf injury before the start of the third Test, and suffered a heel problem that ruled him out of the Boxing Day Test in the Ashes too.

With the equation reading 45 off 52 balls with eight wickets in hand, Lahore Qalandars should have won this game easily; but they didn’t, and Andre Russell’s hitting downed them in the PSL’s first ever Super Over

The Report by Danyal Rasool02-Mar-2018

In a nutshellLast night’s billing for the contest between Peshawar and Quetta as the game of the tournament looks horribly premature now. In a T20 contest that had more ebbs and flows than most Test matches, Islamabad United edged out Lahore Qalandars, after dragging them, against all logic, into a Super Over – the first in the PSL’s history. Chasing 16 in the Super Over, Andre Russell smashed 10 off the last two balls off the hapless Mustafizur Rehman, the six to seal it cruelly going over Brendon McCullum’s head at long on to put his side on the brink of elimination.This was a match that highlighted how low Lahore Qalandars’ confidence had dipped after beginning this season with three losses. If ever a game was set up to be a stroll to kick things off, it was this for Lahore, requiring just 45 off 52 balls with eight wickets in hand. But there was a sense of unease to it, as Agha Salman, who scored what then seemed a match-winning 48 – holed out to fine leg. As McCullum hung on, playing an uncharacteristic knock that began as sensible but ended up with him having lost all rhythm, it increasingly began to look like he was the man that stood between Lahore and another implosion. After he was run out in the final over, it looked like Lahore had indeed blown it, before an unlikely six by debutant Salman Irshad took them to a Super Over. Victory, however, was still elusive.Islamabad began poorly, with Lahore’s decision to open the bowling with Fakhar Zaman proving inspired. He struck in the first over, and it wasn’t until Hussain Talat – batting far too low at number eight – came in that the innings picked up any momentum. He smashed an unbeaten 33 off 21 to ensure they crossed 120, with every run worth its weight in gold a couple of hours down the line.Where the match was wonSimply put, in the head. With the Qalandars needing 45 off 52 balls with eight wickets in hand, this game didn’t look like becoming the classic it ended up being. But from the moment Agha Salman was dismissed, jitters began to sweep through the Qalandars. Their lack of batting depth was a concern, exacerbated by everyone that came in after failing to so much as reach double figures. The run rate slowly began to creep up and the pressure on McCullum grew, with Lahore struggling to put the game to bed whenever opportunities arose. Before you knew it, Lahore were eight down with seven required off the final over. It should never have come to this.The men that won itHussain Talat gave Islamabad a total to defend, but from thereon, Mohammad Sami and Andre Russell took over. Sami was superb during his four-over spell, targeting the stumps at pace, not allowing McCullum to free his arms. It was particularly impressive since Sami’s is exactly the kind of bowling that McCullum thrives against. What was more, Sami found his lengths in the Super Over, where, even though he conceded 15, it was a score they could chase down. That was thanks to Russell, who, back from a year out, still remembered how to hold his nerve under pressure to clear long-on and nick the game off the final delivery.The decisionMcCullum may go down as the pioneering captain of the T20 generation, but did he balk at a big decision in the Super Over? Sunil Narine had conceded 10 runs in his four overs while Mustafizur, usually exceptional, had an off day, giving away 39 in his allotment. It appeared straightforward who to hand the ball to for the Super Over, but McCullum, perhaps – just perhaps – didn’t fancy a spinner up against Russell. He gave the ball to Mustafizur, who didn’t quite find his lengths, wasn’t brave enough to attempt the yorker, and bowled a wide off the fourth delivery. Maybe that’s overanalysing it, but Lahore, having lost all four of their games and on a six-run losing streak overall, should expect some of that from the media and their exigent fans.Where they standLahore are firmly at the bottom of the pile, with no wins or points from four games. Islamabad United have 4 points, joint with Peshawar and Quetta. Karachi and Multan occupy the top two slots after their game was washed out today with 7 and 5 points respectively.

David Moyes cemented himself in the West Ham United history books earlier this year as he lifted the Europa Conference League trophy at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Scottish boss secured the club their first piece of silverware since 1980 and their first European trophy since 1965, which means that he won the first competition of many current supporters' lifetimes with the win over Fiorentina.

He has enjoyed two spells in charge of the Hammers and has been in his current term in the hot seat since December 2019. The former Everton chief has led the team to two top-seven finishes in the Premier League to go along with his success in Europe.

During this time, the ex-Manchester United manager has overseen a number of excellent signings in the transfer market who have been superb additions for the club.

Moyes has been able to unearth some gems, such as Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen, and one player he struck gold with was right-back Vladimir Coufal.

How much was Coufal worth at Slavia Prague?

At the time of his move to the London Stadium in October 2020, Transfermarkt valued the talented full-back at €2m (£1.7m) after he had spent two years with his Slavia Prague.

Coufal racked up 88 appearances in all competitions in little more than two seasons with his former club and caught the eye with his ability to bomb forward and make things happen at the top end of the pitch.

The Czech Republic international produced seven goals and nine assists from right-back in total as he showcased his quality on the ball.

He also accumulated some valuable experience in the Champions League during the 2019/20 campaign with Slavia. The imposing defender averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.74 across six matches in a group that consisted of Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, and Inter, which means that he was able to compete against some of the biggest teams in Europe.

Coufal held his own in those matches with a duel success rate of 54% to go along with 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game for his side, as per Sofascore. The quality of the opposition did not stop him from being able to dominate from a physical perspective and he was able to win possession back for his team on a regular basis.

This means that the Czech defender was able to display his quality on and off the ball during his time with Slavia as he showcased his attacking prowess domestically and his defensive strength in Europe against tougher opponents.

His two years there also came after the attack-minded full-back chipped in with six goals and ten assists in 156 matches for Slovan Liberec in his home country.

Coufal's performances for Slavia, however, were enough to convince Moyes to swoop for his services ahead of the 2020/21 campaign and the Scottish boss' decision has turned out to be an inspired one.

How many appearances has Coufal made for West Ham?

The 31-year-old ace has amassed 113 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions to date since his move to the London Stadium in 2020.

He immediately nailed down a place in the starting XI and enjoyed a terrific first season in England with his consistently impressive displays at right-back for Moyes.

Coufal averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.01 across 34 Premier League starts throughout the 2020/21 term, which was the fifth-highest score at the club – behind Declan Rice, Aaron Cresswell, Tomas Soucek, and Jesse Lingard.

The Czech Republic international caught the eye with his superb defensive work as he made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game to go along with a duel success rate of 57%, as per Sofascore. No West Ham player made more tackles (2.1) per match than the former Slavia star and only four players made more interceptions per clash.

He also provided an excellent attacking outlet down the right flank with 1.3 key passes per game and seven assists in total, which placed him second within the squad in both statistics – behind Cresswell.

The experienced defender, who created nine 'big chances' for his teammates that season, then started 25 Premier League matches during the 2021/22 campaign and followed that up with 24 starts in the division the following term.

Coufal also played a big role in the club's Europa Conference League success last season as he started nine matches, including the final, and delivered quality at both ends of the pitch.

He made 1.7 key passes and 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game for his side to go along with an average Sofascore rating of 6.94, which was higher than both Soucek and Lucas Paqueta's respective scores.

How much is Coufal worth now?

At the time of writing (22/09/2023), Transfermarkt have his value at €9m (£7.8m) and this is a significant rise of 350% from the initial €2m that he was valued at in 2020 at the time of his move from Slavia.

This shows that Moyes struck gold with the signing of the Czech star, who the Scottish boss hailed as "ambitious", as he has gone on to be a reliable performer for the Hammers over the course of a number of years.

Coufal has proven himself to be a dependable Premier League option at right-back, who can hold his own defensively whilst also providing a threat going forward, and that has been reflected in his soaring market value over the last three years.

He also remains an integral part of the team at the age of 31 as the impressive full-back has started all five of the club's top-flight games this season and registered one assist.

Along with that, the £52k-per-week gem has made 4.2 tackles and interceptions per game to win the ball back for his side on a consistent basis. He ranks joint-second and joint-fifth within the squad for tackles and interceptions respectively, which shows that he is one of the best at the club when it comes to disrupting the opposition's attacks.

Hopefully, Coufal will be able to maintain his form and enjoy yet another strong season at right-back for West Ham and increase his market value by even more, to hammer home the point that Moyes hit the jackpot by signing him from Slavia.

A journalist has shared news on West Ham United manager David Moyes' and his personal transfer plans for January.

Who have West Ham signed 2023?

The Hammers, over a productive summer transfer window, sealed deals for Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Mohammed Kudus.for a total fee of around £134 million.

Going the other way, Declan Rice moved across London to Arsenal for around £105 million; eventually being joined by Gianluca Scamacca, Nikola Vlasic and Arthur Masuaku out the door.

West Ham have won three out of their opening five Premier League matches with some impressive performances against the likes of Brighton, Chelsea and Luton Town.

However, Moyes' men tasted their first defeat of the season on Saturday; succumbing to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of fellow European trophy winners Man City in east London.

Indeed, Goals from Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland cancelled out Ward-Prowse's diving header to end West Ham's early-season unbeaten streak.

Will West Ham sign a striker?

Despite digging deep for the majority of that match, their lack of punch against Pep Guardiola's imperious City side perhaps exposed the need for a world-class centre-forward.

Michail Antonio has performed exceptionally so far this campaign, but the Jamaica international has been susceptible to injuries in past seasons.

Scamacca's departure in the summer means West Ham only have Danny Ings to turn to as a natural option if Antonio were sidelined, and Moyes is apparently keen to rectify that.

According to journalist Pete O'Rourke, sharing news from a "well-placed source", the Irons head coach is personally keen to add a new striker to his ranks in January.

This comes after failed summer deals for PSG striker Hugo Ekitike and Corinthians goalscorer Yuri Alberto.

Indeed, West Ham "could yet move" for a new forward in the winter window, according to O'Rourke.

"West Ham could yet move for a new striker in January despite their successful start to the new campaign," wrote the reporter for Football Insider.

"Football Insider revealed on Sunday (17 September) that West Ham and Crystal Palace could reignite their interest in Ekitike in January.

|An injury could leave them light going forward – with West Ham playing in the Europa League from this week."

Which striker could West Ham sign?

We believe Ekitike could be an excellent option, as reports over the summer window suggested he is open to joining West Ham and making a move to England.

The young forward has been praised by former coaches in past seasons, like ex-Reims manager Oscar Garcia, who once explained to BeIN Sports' Ligue 1 show, via Chronicle Live, that he is "quality".

"There is something very special about him," said Garcia.

"He’s young, and he has the quality to become a very good player. He’s a young man with a lot of quality but also a lot to improve on, but he works hard in training."

Newcastle United marked their return to life in the Champions League with a hard-fought point away to last season's semi-finalists, AC Milan on Tuesday evening, with Nick Pope proving something of a hero for the Magpies as they held off an onslaught from the Serie A side.

The former Burnley man – who was dubbed a 'tremendous presence' by The Chronicle's Lee Ryder – made eight saves to help keep the likes of Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao at bay, with such a standout showing helping to make up for the woes of some of those ahead of him in white and black.

January arrival Anthony Gordon, for instance, was among those to underwhelm at San Siro, with it perhaps time that manager Eddie Howe considers removing the £45m addition from his starting XI moving forward.

How did Anthony Gordon perform against Milan?

On the face of it, it was a typically industrious performance from the young Englishman as he looked to make his mark down the left flank, with 90min's Grey Whitebloom suggesting that the 21-year-old was 'threatening when he had space to sprint into' although 'those openings were limited'.

That being said, however, the former Everton man was unable to make the most of any rare opportunities when he did have the ball in the final third, despite recording a respectable haul of two key passes.

The £60k-per-week dud notably lost the ball on ten occasions from his 28 touches – ensuring he lost the ball once every 2.8 touches – while his measly total of ten passes was lower than even the aforementioned Pope achieved in the sticks (17), as per Sofascore.

Those 'wayward passes' – as noted by GOAL's Peter McVitie – were not helped by the fact that the wideman also struggled to help the Tynesiders defensively as he won just four of his 11 total duels, having also been dribbled past twice before being replaced on the hour mark.

With two failed dribble attempts also under his belt, it was seemingly just not his night against Stefano Pioli's side, with Gordon – and his teammates – likely to be breathing a real sigh of relief that they were able to walk away with a draw.

How has Anthony Gordon performed this season?

With summer signing Harvey Barnes – who scored 13 league goals for Leicester City last season – waiting in the wings, Howe would be wise to consider dropping Gordon to the bench for the trip to Sheffield United this weekend, following a bright, yet unspectacular start to the campaign for the Toffees academy graduate.

The England international does boast a tally of one goal and one assist from his six appearances this season, although, with just three goal contributions in total since arriving at St James' Park earlier this year, it is hard to argue that his acquisition has proven worth the investment as yet.

Even against Brentford at the weekend, despite winning the all-important penalty, Gordon's display was far from perfect as he lost possession 14 times, won just six of his 14 total duels and failed to register a single key pass, with Howe needing more from his attacking talents if a top-four berth is to be achieved again this time around.

It may appear harsh to ditch the Liverpool-born dynamo following a solid result against Milan, yet with Newcastle failing to truly kick into gear in an attacking sense of late, changes may need to be made sooner rather than later.

أكد توني كروس أن التتويج بكأس أمم أوروبا مع منتخب ألمانيا سيكون ختامًا مثاليًا لمسيرته الكروية.

وخاض كروس أخر مباراة له مع ناديه ريال مدريد وتوج بدوري أبطال أوروبا، وستكون منافسات كأس أمم أوروبا “يورو 2024” هي الأخيرة له.

وتفتتح ألمانيا مشوارها في كأس أمم أوروبا مساء اليوم الجمعة بمواجهة اسكتلندا.

وقال كروس في تصريحات لـ “فور فور تو”: “لقد تواصل معي ناجلسمان وشرح لي رؤيته للمنتخب الوطني، لقد رآني كجزء من تلك الرؤية، أخبرني أنه يعتقد أن هذا سيكون الشيء الصحيح للفريق وأيضاً بالنسبة لي، خاصة بالنسبة لهذه البطولة، على أرضنا”.

وأضاف: “تحدثنا لفترة طويلة جدًا عن أفكاره وفلسفاته، كما سألني عن أفكاري وفلسفاتي، وكان من الواضح لنا أن تلك الأفكار متوافقة، وسألني إذا كانت لدي الرغبة في العودة، فقلت له إنني أرغب في ذلك”.

وأشار: “لقد مر الفريق بمرحلة صعبة مؤخرًا، النتائج لم تسر كما هو مخطط لها، من المهم بشكل خاص، في هذه البطولة، أن نعكس هذا التراجع ونعود إلى طرق الانتصارات”.

اقرأ أيضًا | جوندوجان: اللعب ضد اسكتلندا غير مريح.. وأتمنى أن يفهم الحكام أننا بشر

وتابع كروس: “مسؤوليتي، أولاً وقبل كل شيء، هي جلب صفاتي الخاصة للتأثير على المباريات بالطريقة التي أعرفها، ويجب أن يكون هذا هو الأساس الذي يُبنى عليه كل شيء آخر”.

وأكمل: “علاوة على ذلك، أعلم أنني لاعب ذو خبرة، أنا موجود من أجل اللاعبين الأصغر سنًا وأحاول أن أكون شخصًا يتطلع إليه، أفعل ذلك دائمًا من خلال تقديم كل ما لدي على أرض الملعب، ومساعدة زملائي في الفريق، ودفع الفريق إلى الأداء”.

وأردف: “أتذكر كأس العالم 2006 باعتزاز شديد، كنت من بين أولئك الذين وقفوا على مسافة من المشجعين لمشاهدة مباريات ألمانيا، لقد كان صيفًا خاصًا، ومن الواضح أن الأمل هو أن نكرر ذلك هذا العام، لنستمتع ببطولة ناجحة ونلهم الجيل القادم من المشجعين”.

وحول التتويج بالدوري الإسباني ودوري أبطال أوروبا مع ريال مدريد، أكد: “لقد كانت طريقة مميزة للغاية لإنهاء مسيرتي، لم أستطع أن أطلب الأفضل، لقد استمتعت طوال اليوم برؤية ما يعنيه ذلك للجماهير، وشعرت بحبهم ودعمهم وأظهرت لهم مدى ما يعنونه بالنسبة لي أيضًا”.

وتابع: “كان الموسم بأكمله وسيلة خاصة للاعتزال، ليس فقط على أرض الملعب، مع نجاحاتنا ولكن أيضًا في غرفة تبديل الملابس كل يوم، قضاء الوقت مع هؤلاء اللاعبين، وكيف تفاعلنا وتشكلنا كفريق”.

وشدد: “بالطبع، رفع بطولة اليورو هذا الصيف سيكون النهاية المثالية لمسيرتي المهنية، لكنني واقعي وأعلم أن الأمر لن يكون سهلاً، لن أحكم على مسيرتي بأكملها بناءً على الطريقة التي تسير بها هذه البطولة، ولم أكن لأفعل ذلك لو خسر ريال مدريد نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا”.

وأصر كروس: “في الوقت نفسه، أعلم كم سيكون الأمر مميزًا أن نخرج ونفوز بها أمام جماهيرنا، ولكن يجب أن يحدث الكثير حتى يصبح هذا الحلم حقيقة، علينا أن نأخذ الأمور خطوة بخطوة، ينصب تركيزنا على تقديم كل شيء على الإطلاق، اللعب بأقصى ما لدينا، وبعد ذلك سنرى مدى نجاحنا”.

وعن زميله الإنجليزي جود بيلينجهام، علّق كروس في تصريحات نشرتها “AOL”: “لقد أمضيت عامًا مع جود وكان علي أن أسأل كم عمره حقًا، إنه يبلغ من العمر 20 عامًا ولكن وخاصة خارج الملعب أشعر أنه أكثر نضجًا من ذلك إلى حد ما”.

وأفاد: “هناك الكثير من الأمل المعلق عليه في إنجلترا وهذا يتحدث عنه، في ريال مدريد، في الأسابيع القليلة الأولى، كان حاسمًا بشكل مباشر بالنسبة لنا، لم أشعر أنه يواجه أي مشاكل مع تزايد أهميته للفريق”.

وأتم: “إنه رجل يمكنه التعامل مع هذا الضغط، هذه الشخصية تبلغ من العمر 20 عامًا فقط، ولا توجد مشكلة بالنسبة له في تحمل الضغط”.

Chelsea have now submitted a bid for Club Brugge's Antonio Nusa, with journalist Pieter-Jan Calcoen providing an update on whether the attacker would be willing to leave the Belgian club.

What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?

There could be a number of outgoings for Chelsea on transfer deadline day, with The Secret Scout reporting they are looking at loaning out Trevoh Chalobah, as it is unlikely they will be able to conclude a permanent move, and Bayern Munich are named as potential suitors.

Conor Gallagher may also be on his way out of the door, with Tottenham Hotspur interested, and the north London club know they will need to make an offer of around £50m to tempt the Blues into a sale, with the player himself keen on the move across the capital.

Gallagher's departure could be accelerated by the arrival of Manchester City's Cole Palmer, with a deal that could rise to £45m having already been confirmed as the attacking midfielder arrives at Stamford Bridge.

Very few inside Manchester City would have imagined Palmer being sold at the start of the summer, but he is now on his way to the capital, with Mauricio Pochettino evidently keen to bolster his attacking options, and there could still be more signings to come.

Speaking on X, formerly Twitter, Belgian Nieuwsblad journalist Calcoen has now confirmed that Chelsea have made an offer of €30m (£26m) for Club Brugge youngster Nusa, potentially giving the 18-year-old a huge decision to make before the 11pm deadline.

The Brugge ace has always said he wants to remain with the Belgian club for at least one more season, but he could be swayed now one of the Premier League's biggest clubs has come calling.

It remains to be seen whether Brugge choose to accept the bid, but the Blues are clearly keen on bolstering their attacking options even further before the deadline, having made a concrete approach for the versatile forward.

Read The Latest Chelsea Transfer News HERE

Who is Antonio Nusa?

Despite still being very young, the Norwegian prodigy has already acclimatised himself with first-team football, having made a total of 58 professional appearances across spells with Stabaek and Club Brugge after making his breakthrough with the former.

Since arriving in the Belgian Pro League, he has managed to break into the first team with Brugge, but he has not been incredibly prolific in front of goal, registering just two goals and one assist in all competitions last season.

Of course, it is still very early days in the Langhus-born forward's career, but it is unclear whether he would be able to make an immediate impact at Stamford Bridge, despite being lauded as "crazy talented" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Kulig has also hailed Nusa as the "Norwegian Mbappe", while former captain Ruud Vormer has claimed his ex-teammate "will play for the biggest clubs in the world", indicating that he has sky-high potential.

The only concern is whether this would be a necessary signing for Chelsea at this stage given the fact they have already been extremely busy in the summer transfer window, strengthening their forward areas considerably.