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Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has confirmed that an injured Spurs star won’t be back in action for a ‘long time’, with the Dane currently minus a few key first-team players.

Tottenham battle Slavia Prague in the Champions League

Spurs welcome Slavia Prague to North London tonight seeking to reignite their automatic Champions League knockout round hopes with a victory that would edge them closer to securing a coveted top-eight finish.

Frank’s side need all three points against the struggling Czech outfit to maintain momentum after Saturday’s morale-boosting 2-0 win over Brentford ended their miserable six-match winless streak.

The Lilywhites currently sit 16th in the Champions League standings with eight points from five matches, sitting just two points behind the automatic qualification places.

Saturday’s Premier League victory will give Spurs more confidence following the chaotic 5-3 defeat to PSG in their previous European outing, with Richarlison and Xavi Simons securing all three points against Frank’s former employers last weekend.

Despite their lacklustre home form overall this year, the hosts actually boast a formidable home record in European competition, remaining unbeaten in 22 consecutive European games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Spurs have won both their Champions League home matches this campaign without conceding, defeating Villarreal and FC Copenhagen.

History also favours Frank’s side, having never lost to Slavia Prague in four previous European meetings, recording three victories and one draw.

Slavia arrive in desperate circumstances, languishing in 31st with just three points from five matches and facing the genuine prospect of early elimination.

The Czech champions have endured a torrid European campaign, failing to register a single victory while remarkably going four consecutive Champions League fixtures without scoring.

Their attacking struggles represent their most significant weakness, with just two goals across the entire league phase.

Despite domestic dominance — sitting five points clear atop the Czech First League following Friday’s 2-1 victory over Teplice — Jindrich Trpisovsky’s side have repeatedly failed to translate that form onto the continental stage.

Their 3-0 home defeat to Arsenal highlighted the gulf in quality when facing elite opposition, while goalless draws against Atalanta and Athletic Bilbao demonstrated defensive resilience without much threat going forward.

Frank faces several selection concerns heading into the clash, though.

Destiny Udogie is sidelined with a hamstring injury which will keep him out until January, while Randal Kolo Muani is doubtful after limping through Saturday’s victory.

Brennan Johnson is also ‘touch and go’ for the encounter, according to Frank, but one significant positive looked to have emerged from Monday’s training session.

James Maddison was spotted working on the grass for the first time since rupturing his ACL during August’s pre-season friendly against Newcastle, with Frank providing an update on the Englishman.

Thomas Frank shares James Maddison update out of Tottenham

Regrettably, while the £170,000-per-week playmaker sparked excitement when he was clocked in training, Frank has confirmed in quotes relayed by The Press Association, that Maddison still won’t be back for a ‘long time’.

The 29-year-old, who bagged 22 goals contributions in all competitions last term (12 goals, 11 assists), has been a sore miss for Spurs as they heavily rely on the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Simons for their creativity.

Simons’ phenomenal solo run and goal against Brentford will have done the Dutchman a world of good for his confidence following real criticism since his marquee move from Leipzig in the summer.

The pressure is on him to deliver in the ongoing absence of both Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, with Frank also remaining vague about the latter’s recovery timeline.

After Slavia, Tottenham travel to struggling Nottingham Forest on Sunday, and only a win will do there too.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez have reportedly finalised a wedding venue that holds a special meaning for the Al-Nassr and Portugal superstar. The couple got engaged in August this year after Ronaldo proposed to his long-term girlfriend. They plan to tie the knot next summer, following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.

• Ronaldo and Georgina's romantic journey

  The couple started dating in 2016 and have been together for the last nine years, during which time they also became a family of five children. Ronaldo finally popped the question in August, as confirmed when Georgina showed off an image on social media of her huge engagement ring. In the caption on the post, she wrote: "Yes I do. In this and in all my lives."

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  When and where is Ronaldo getting married?

  According to , Ronaldo and his fiancée will tie the knot in a Christian ceremony on his home island of Madeira in the summer of 2026. The ceremony will take place in Funchal Cathedral after the World Cup in North America and the reception will be hosted at a luxury hotel. The location of the hotel holds a special meaning for Ronaldo as it is located just 1.5 miles away from the hospital where he was born and only three miles away from the base of Nacional da Madeira, one of the teams he played for in his youth.

• Ronaldo 'is not a romantic guy'

  Ronaldo claimed he is not generally a very romantic person in a recent interview on 'Piers Morgan Unsensored'. The 40-year-old narrated the entire episode of the proposal, as he said: "It was like 1 am. My daughters were in bed sleeping. One of my friends gave me the ring to offer Gio (Georgina) and as I was giving her the ring, my two kids come in and say 'Daddy, you're going to give the ring to mum and you're going to ask her to get married'. 

  "I said, 'Wow, this is the right moment to say yes.' It was the time. I knew that I was going to do it one day but I hadn't planned to do it then. Because my daughters said that and my friends were filming, it was what I wanted and I offered (the ring). I didn't (get on one knee) because I wasn't prepared but it was a beautiful moment. I made a speech. It was simple, I'm not a romantic guy. Well, I am, but I'm not very romantic, not the kind of guy who brings flowers every week to the home. But I'm romantic in my way. It was beautiful and I knew that it is the woman of my life so I did that and I hope that I did it well."

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• IG:@georginagio
  

  Georgina's ring valued at £1.5 million

  Ronaldo, who is football's first billionaire player, spent lavishly on the special engagement ring that he specially bought for his partner. According to engagement ring specialist Laura Taylor, Georgina's gorgeous diamond is valued at £1.5 million. Taylor told the : "A diamond of this size is almost certainly set in platinum for security, which also enhances its colour and gives the ring a timeless finish. This is a show-stopping ring, and easily among the most impressive we've seen in recent years, which feels perfectly suited to one of football's most famous couples. If the diamond is natural and of exceptional quality in the D-F colour range with flawless or near-flawless clarity, its value could easily exceed £1.5 million." 

  Meanwhile, Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, said to : "We estimate the value of Georgina Rodríguez's stunning engagement ring to be around $5 million. The ring is reminiscent of the famous Taylor-Burton Diamond, a 69.42 carat pear-shaped stone gifted to Elizabeth Taylor by Richard Burton, who reportedly bought it from Cartier, who bought the rarity for over $1 million at auction."

West Ham United have a proud history of developing and promoting some brilliant youngsters from their academy system.

The most recent one to really make his mark on the team and then be sold on for a massive fee was Declan Rice.

Freddie Potts looks like he could be the Hammers’ next homegrown superstar after his sensational Premier League displays before the international break.

However, while the club try their best to keep hold of their most promising talents, they aren’t always able to, and one youngster they may rue losing more than any other looks like he could be a bigger prospect than Potts and a future England star.

West Ham's next academy star

While Potts is the current academy product getting the attention and adulation from fans and pundits alike – justifiably so – he could soon be joined in the first team by another of Rush Green’s best: George Earthy.

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.

Now, the 21-year-old has made four appearances for the first team and even scored a brilliant goal against Luton Town in the Premier League a couple of years ago, but due to loan moves and injury, those four appearances have amounted to only 36 minutes.

In other words, most fans aren’t really thinking about the youngster, and those that occasionally do aren’t sure what sort of player they’ll be getting when he returns from his hamstring injury.

Well, firstly, even though his primary position is attacking midfield, the Havering-born gem has and can play in several positions across the pitch.

Second, he’s as comfortable scoring goals as he is providing assists, and has a seriously impressive record from his time in the academy.

For example, in 60 appearances for the u18s, totalling 4804 minutes, he scored 25 goals and provided 18 assists.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.39 games, or every 111.72 minutes.

Appearances

60

55

Minutes

4804′

3618′

Goals

25

18

Assists

18

14

Goal Involvements per Match

0.71

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

111.72′

113.06′

Then, during his time with the u21s, he scored 18 goals and provided 14 assists in 55 appearances, totalling 3618 minutes, which is an average of a goal involvement every 1.71 games, or every 113.06 minutes.

Finally, while he’s not played much for the Hammers, he has gained a decent amount of first-team experience from his time on loan with Bristol City last season, where he was named Young Player of the Season.

In all, so long as he can remain fit, West Ham have another superb homegrown talent on their hands in Earthy, which should help make up for them losing another, arguably more promising talent last year.

The Academy gem West Ham will rue losing

One of the most exciting talents to come through West Ham’s academy in the last five years or so was undoubtedly Divin Mubama.

During his time in West London, the Englishman was utterly unstoppable for the junior sides, racking up a staggering tally of 40 goals and five assists for the u18s and then 18 goals and two assists for the u21s.

This brilliant output saw him get a chance with the first team, and over the 22/23 and 23/24 seasons, he made 18 senior appearances, totalling 431 minutes.

West Ham

18

1

1

WH U21s

34

18

2

WH U18s

57

40

5

Man City

2

1

0

Man City U21s

9

8

4

Stoke City

15

5

1

However, in August 2024, then Premier League champions Manchester City came knocking, and despite their best efforts to keep him, Julen Lopetegui and Co had to make do with a measly £1.2m as he joined the Citizens.

To nobody’s surprise, the goalscoring machine continued his fine form in the North West, and ended the 24/25 campaign with 16 goals and four assists in 14 appearances for City’s u21s.

Moreover, Pep Guardiola gave him two run-outsrun-outs in the first team, and on his debut in an FA Cup game against Salford, he scored his first senior goal for the club.

Coming into this season, it was crystal clear that the 21-year-old is too good to play in the youth sides, and so he was sent out on loan to Stoke City in the Championship, where he has done a reasonable enough job.

For example, even though it’s his first season of regular first-team football, the “powerful” strike, as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored five goals and provided one assist in 15 appearances.

In addition to making his way in the club game, the Newham-born monster has also been in incredible form for England’s u21s.

In five caps, the game-changing marksman has already scored five goals and provided one assist.

Ultimately, it’s not West Ham’s fault, but if Mubama continues to develop in the way he has over the last year or so, they could really come to rue losing him.

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Titular do Santos no início de temporada, João Paulo mantém moral dentro do clube. Isso acontece apesar de algumas críticas da torcida, sofridas especialmente após o pênalti em Endrick, na final do Paulistão diante do Palmeiras. Porém, é provável que ele ganhe concorrência mais forte em breve.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! Santos no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Peixe

➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

Segundo apuração do Lance!, por enquanto, o Peixe não está em uma busca profunda pela contratação de outro goleiro. O clube enxerga que tem dois bons atletas para a posição: o próprio João Paulo e Gabriel Brazão.

Escalado em todos os jogos do Santos, João Paulo foi eleito o melhor goleiro do Paulistão e figurou na seleção do campeonato da Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF). Brazão chegou nesta temporada e, em razão de um transfer ban, ficou impedido de ser relacionado para algumas partidas.

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O técnico Fábio Carille conta com cerca de duas semanas para definir o time que disputará a Série B, após ter diversas amostras no Estadual. O Alvinegro estreia no torneio entre os dias 19 e 21 de abril, contra o Paysandu, na Vila Belmiro.

JP “TRANQUILÃO”

Apesar de críticas de parte da torcida do Santos, pessoas próximas a João Paulo garantem que ele segue focado no clube. No início do ano, o principal desejo do goleiro foi de permanecer no Peixe, mesmo com a queda à Série B e interesse de clubes brasileiros em contratá-lo.

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Além disso, uma suposta procura do Alvinegro por outro jogador da posição não abala o atleta. Ainda em 2024, com João Paulo já garantido no elenco, o Santos tentou contratar Marcelo Grohe e Tadeu, antes de acertar com Gabriel Brazão.

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João PauloSantos

She last played for India in 2014, and returned to the limelight in the WPL a decade later

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2025India left-arm spinner Gouher Sultana has announced her retirement from all forms of the game. She played 50 ODIs and 37 T20Is after making her debut in 2008, and last represented India in April 2014. Thereafter, Sultana came back into the limelight a decade later when she featured in the 2024 and 2025 WPL seasons.”To have represented India at the highest level – in World Cups, tours and battles that tested both skill and spirit – has been the greatest honour of my life,” Sultana wrote in her retirement announcement on Instagram. “Every wicket taken, every dive in the field, every huddle with my teammates has shaped the cricketer and the person I am today.”Sultana finished with 66 ODI wickets at an average of 19.39, the third-best for any India bowler to have taken at least 50 wickets in the format.Related

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Sultana played in two ODI World Cups, in 2009 and 2013, and picked up 12 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 30.58. She also played in three T20 World Cups from 2009 to 2014, and took seven wickets while going at an economy rate of 5.81.Sultana was signed by UP Warriorz (UPW) ahead of WPL 2024. She played two matches in the tournament, going wicketless across five overs. In 2025, Sultana again played two games for UPW, and only got to bowl the one over.”There were times when I thought of quitting – seasons I didn’t do well, my mental health was affected,” Sultana told ESPNcricinfo before her comeback tournament in 2024. “But then even when I was about to give up, I was like, ‘No, this shouldn’t be the end. I want to end it the way I want it.’ It was not to prove anything to anybody, but I enjoyed playing and I still enjoy playing. That’s the primary reason I am still here.”Sultana, 37, is also a BCCI Level 2 coach.