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It might have got a bit tense towards the end, but Tottenham Hotspur put in a stellar performance against Manchester City last night.

Ange Postecoglou’s side went into the game with a lot to prove after their dismal display against Crystal Palace on the weekend and ended up booking their place in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

There were stand-out performers front to back from the North Londoners, and while Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr have taken up a lot of the headlines, and rightly so, there was another star who was sensational during his time on the pitch.

Werner and Sarr's performances

Yes, when talking about the best Spurs players from last night, it would be crazy not to start with Werner and Sarr, as, after all, it’s thanks to their goals that the team will play Manchester United in the next round.

The German was the first to put the ball in the back of the net, doing so in just the eighth minute, and while he failed to add another to his tally, the former Chelsea man was a constant threat and, on another day, could have bagged himself a hat-trick.

In fact, had he not scored the opener, he would probably have been receiving pelters from the fans today, as during his 69 minutes of action, he took four shots and missed a big chance in the 15th minute.

Still, overall, it was an excellent shift from the 28-year-old, and he received a fully deserved 8/10 match rating from LondonWorld’s Rahman Osman at full-time.

Fellow goalscorer Sarr received a slightly lower rating of 7/10 from Osman, and while that might sound a little harsh, it’s probably fair, as aside from getting on the scoresheet, which ultimately proved vital, the young midfielder didn’t do a lot else.

Now, that doesn’t mean he was bad either, far from it, but his only other stand-out statistic from his 49 minutes of football was his 100% passing accuracy, and thanks to the player who replaced him at halftime, his presence wasn’t really missed in the second 45.

Yves Bissouma's performance in numbers

Yes, the Spurs star who was at least as good, if not better, than Werner and Sarr was Yves Bissouma.

The Mali international replaced the young Senegalese star at half-time and proceeded to put in a monstrous performance at the heart of midfield, helping out in attack here and there but, most importantly, giving everything he had to ensure City couldn’t get a second goal and draw level.

For example, in the dying embers of the game, it felt more and more likely that Pep Guardiola’s men would finally break through, and at one point, it looked like they had, only for the 28-year-old to stick out his leg and block a shot on the line from Nico O’Reilly that had everyone else beat.

Unsurprisingly, Osman reserved his highest rating on the night for the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace, giving him a 9/10, and based on some of his statistics from the game, it’s easy to see why.

In just 51 minutes of action, he maintained a passing accuracy of 92%, completed a long ball, lost the ball just a single time, blocked a shot, made two interceptions, one tackle, committed two fouls and made that dramatic clearance off the line.

Minutes

51′

Touches

18

Passing Accuracy

12/13 (92%)

Long Balls (Accurate)

2 (1)

Lost Possession

1

Blocked Shots

1

Interceptions

2

Tackles

1

Fouls

2

Clearances off the line

1

Ultimately, Werner and Sarr deserve plenty of credit for scoring the goals last night, but Spurs came out of that second half without conceding a second goal, primarily thanks to the sensational efforts of Bissouma.

Ange's "frightening" Spurs star is now worth millions more than Maddison

The talented international has been electric for Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 30, 2024

Lamine Yamal has dismissed the prospect of him leaving Barcelona any time soon as the young star says he owes "everything" to the club.

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Yamal's contract expires next yearPSG said to have made a huge offerTeen star insists he will stay at BarcaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

At just 17 years old Yamal has risen to superstardom thanks to his stunning performances for Barcelona and Spain, reportedly sparking a massive €250 million (£211m/$277m) from Paris Saint-Germain last year.

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Yamal's current contract with the Camp Nou side expires at the end of June next year but he has reportedly agreed to an extension once he turns 18 in July, and the academy graduate has reiterated his commitment to the club.

WHAT YAMAL SAID

"I don't think anyone doubts what I'm like as a Barca player, what I love for this club. I've said it since I made my debut and I think it will be resolved in the end. If both parties want something to happen, it will happen. But I don't think anyone can doubt what I feel for this club," he told .

Asked about the links to Paris Saint-Germain and if he could leave in the near future, the winger added: "I don't think so. I don't get any, but if someone in my circle did, they wouldn't even tell me. First, and above all, because I had a contract and then because I think it was unfeasible for me to go to another club. Well, it's the only club I've been at apart from La Torreta, which was the team I started at. But yes, I owe everything to Barca. In the end, it's where I grew up, I was at La Masía from the age of 12 and playing for Barca from the age of seven."

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Yamal has five goals and 10 assists in 21 matches in La Liga this season and will be looking to improve on that record when his side take on Las Palmas in the Spanish top-flight this weekend. Barca are sitting top of the La Liga table ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference after 24 games.

Sunderland have a reputation for being a hotbed that allows young talents to shine and prosper, going all the way back to Jordan Henderson’s emergence up the ranks at the Stadium of Light.

Henderson would go on to be a household name in the Premier League with Liverpool after kickstarting his career in the senior game on Wearside, whilst the likes of 19-year-old Jobe Bellingham in today’s squad are expected to go on and achieve similarly big things when leaving the Black Cats.

Bellingham also has a teammate in the middle of the park who is being tipped to be a superstar as he continues to develop, with Chris Rigg already a first-team face week in week out for Regis Le Bris’ side in the Championship at the tender age of 17.

Rigg's time at Sunderland

Rigg only being a wide-eyed teenager still must stun those looking in from the outside, considering the Black Cats number 11 has been in and around the side since early 2023.

When making his first professional appearance in January of that year, the teen went down as the second youngest player ever to don a Sunderland jersey, with the starlet never looking back as more and more first-team chances opened up.

Now, Rigg has made 40 appearances in the senior mix with six goals fired home across that span of games, as the introduction of Le Bris in the dug-out has managed to get even more out of the raw youngster.

Three of those strikes have come in Championship action under the Frenchman, including a stunning flicked finish against Middlesbrough back in September, which narrowly won his table-topping side the contest 1-0 against Michael Carrick’s men.

There could be some regret on the end of the second-tier outfit now that they didn’t try and keep another Rigg-like homegrown product over the summer, particularly considering Le Bris’ tutelage is seemingly working wonders on other young faces in the squad.

The Sunderland youngster who could have been the first Rigg

The former academy prodigy here is Ellis Taylor, who walked away from the Sunderland U21 structure in May after not being gifted a new contract at his boyhood employers.

He has since moved on to League Two Harrogate Town, but it will feel like a case of what could have been when it comes to the 21-year-old, especially when you consider how quickly Rigg has taken to Le Bris’ new managerial methods.

LB

13

3

2

LM

10

1

0

RM

8

4

0

RB

8

6

1

CF

5

2

2

CM

3

0

0

AM

2

0

0

RW

1

1

0

DM

1

1

0

Playing in a staggering nine different positions for Sunderland when on the roster of their U21s, everyone at the club must have been anticipating that the Hartlepool-born youngster would eventually make a name for himself in the first-team fold.

He was even touted as having a “really bright future” at the Stadium of Light by Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman in 2021, only for him to go on to make a disappointing five first-team appearances in total before Harrogate picked him up for nothing.

He has since gone to be a hit for the Sulphurites – after being labelled as an “exciting” new signing by Harrogate head of recruitment Lloyd Kerry when the capture was announced – with the versatile 21-year-old scoring three times from 20 games, matching Rigg’s goal numbers for the season in the process.

Of course, the Black Cats ace is shining two leagues above his counterpart, but Taylor hasn’t allowed his career to fall off a cliff after departing his boyhood club.

Instead, he has taken to his new League Two environment well, with the potential there one day for Taylor to face off against Le Bris’ men down the line, if he can rise up the EFL ladder.

Chris Rigg is not the only Sunderland star being tracked by massive clubs

A concern for Regis Le Bris….

ByTom Cunningham Nov 13, 2024

Successes against Labuschagne little consolation for England getting “battered”

Andrew Miller13-Jan-2022Mark Wood insists he does not take any moral victories out of his high-octane Ashes performances “because we have been getting battered”, but hopes that a green pitch at Hobart could offer one last opportunity for England to go out on a high at the end of a tough campaign.Wood, who turned 32 this week, has dismissed Marnus Labuschagne three times in 52 balls in the series, and has earned plaudits for his wholehearted displays at Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, where he has consistently bowled in excess of 90mph.However, he goes into the Hobart Test with just eight wickets at 37.62 to show for his efforts, and with England already 3-0 down in the series after losing the Ashes in 12 days of action, he is desperate to get some validation for his displays in the form of “wins and wickets”.”Personally, I feel pleased with my efforts but when you’re playing for England, effort should be should be given,” Wood said. “It’s non-negotiable. You should be giving everything you’ve got, every time, and I’ve tried to give 100%. I would like more wickets in the end column but, especially in the first innings at Sydney where I only picked up one wicket, I felt I bowled really well.”Mark Wood has bowled with fire but little luck throughout the Ashes•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesIt would be an achievement in itself for Wood to play at Hobart given his prior injury record, in which he has often struggled to back up his uncompromising displays for two Tests in a row, let alone three. But having adopted a longer, smoother run-up in recent years, compared to the sprinter’s-blocks-style approach of his early career, Wood believes he’s taken much of the strain off his body, and hopes a strong finish to the series can finally assuage the lingering doubts about his durability.”Maybe it has proved things wrong but, at the same time, I understand why people would think that when you look at my record,” Wood said. “But since I’ve changed my run-up, things have been different. As a fast bowler, you’re probably never 100% and you carry niggles, but I’m really pleased with how I’ve stood up in terms of injuries, and the medical team have been fantastic with me.”I look forward to trying to play four games out of five. This is one last big push for me to try and keep my speeds up and offer that to the team. It’s all well and good playing the games, but it’s wins and wickets I’m after, so that’s my priority.”Without the likes of Jofra Archer and Olly Stone to back up his 90mph methods, Wood admits he has been England’s only remaining “point of difference” in this series.”I’ve actually enjoyed that responsibility of having to keep charging in, doing that side of things for the team,” he said. “I have kept my paces up, but not got the wickets I really wanted. Now I have another chance in this game to put something in the right column at the end.”The continuation of his recent run of success against Labuschagne, currently the ICC’s No.1-ranked Test batter, would help England’s cause no end. Having not been dismissed for less than 47 in 14 consecutive first-innings since his Test recall during the 2019 Ashes, Labuschagne fell for 1 and 28 in Australia’s first innings at Melbourne and Sydney, then again for 29 in the second innings at the SCG, as Wood’s raw pace exposed him on each occasion.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”I noticed he was changing his technique [in the second innings],” Wood said. “His back foot was coming across more, opening himself up a little bit [because] I was trying to be wide on the crease. Luckily I got him again but it wasn’t the greatest ball, it bounced a bit on him, and might have hit a crack.”Nevertheless, after twin scores of 103 and 51 in the Adelaide victory, and a crucial 74 in the first innings at Brisbane, Wood acknowledged that Labuschagne was still a major part of an Australia team that has dominated the critical moments of the series.”He’s one hell of a player, so I’m just pleased to get top players out like him. We know we need to try and capitalise on the first 20 balls of an innings, and really put them under pressure there, because if he gets in, he does a lot of damage.”I’ve played games against Marnus where he’s getting the better of me so I don’t see it as a huge thing in my mind. But I want to raise my game and prove myself against the best players. It’s always special when you get a big wicket like [Steven] Smith or [David] Warner or Labuschagne, these are top, top players.”Wood dismissed Smith for 12 in his first innings of the series at Brisbane, and despite an important 93 at Adelaide, his haul of 217 runs at 36.16 is a long way short of his huge returns in the last two Ashes. Wood, however, said there was no extra pleasure to be got from keeping him relatively quiet, because England were still getting “battered”.”It would be a moral victory if he was getting out and we were winning, but he’s still contributing to them winning,” Wood said. “They’re still getting more scores than we are and we’re still not bowling them out, so it’s important that we turn that around.Related

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England’s team for the final Test could feature as many as five changes from the side that drew at Sydney last week, with Rory Burns expected to return in place of the out-of-form Haseeb Hameed, and Jos Buttler already heading home after suffering a broken finger while keeping wicket on the second day. Ben Stokes (side strain) and Jonny Bairstow (cracked thumb) are also doubts, but Wood insisted that England’s walking wounded would do their utmost to be ready for the contest.”They’re in good spirits so far, and both of them are pretty obvious characters to tell if they’re not,” he said. “They’ve seemed happy and they’ve trained as normal, and they are two characters that don’t give up easy, so we’ll just have to see how they train tonight.”The Hobart Test is likely to be Wood’s final slice of Ashes action in Australia, but he and his white-ball colleagues are due to return Down Under next winter for another shot at the T20 World Cup, and he said that the memories of this tour would be a driving force come that campaign.”I certainly don’t want to feel like I’ve done in this series,” he said. “When you’re disappointed, sat in the dressing room, it’s not a nice place to be. When we come out here for the T20 World Cup, we’ll be coming out here to win, and we’re here to win in this last Test match as well. We haven’t performed very well on this trip, but this gives us a chance to show some fight, and some character, and stand up for England.”

Khulna Tigers secure second win after chasing down 144

Mohammad Isam28-Jan-2022How the match played outKhulna Tigers notched up their second win in three games, beating Chattogram Challengers by six wickets in their first home match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Andre Fletcher played an important hand in the win with a 47-ball 58, his fifth BPL half-century, providing Khulna with a launchpad for a late onslaught.Mushfiqur Rahim and Seekkuge Prasanna blitzed 45 runs in 4.4 overs to complete the win with seven balls to spare. Prasanna struck two sixes and a four in his 15-ball 23. He got out with the scores level when he holed out to sweeper cover off Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Mushfiqur hit the winning runs and finished unbeaten on 44 off 30 balls with a six and four fours.Big hitFletcher gave Khulna the perfect start despite them losing Soumya Sarkar and Rony Talukdar early. He scored most of his runs on the leg-side, but struck four sweetly-timed fours with square and late cuts. He held the Khulna innings together till the 15th over when, after hitting his second six of the day, he top-edged Miraz to long-on. Mushfiqur and Prasanna had the perfect base to wrap up the chase quickly.Chattogram had earlier slumped to 102 for 7 in the 16th over when Thisara Perera had Shamim Hossain caught at deep midwicket to take his third wicket. This was a slip from the relative comfort of 84 for 3 in the 13th over. Perera earlier removed Will Jacks, who made 28 off 23 balls, as well as the dangerous Benny Howell, who lobbed Perera a return catch.Afif top-scored for Khulna with 44 off 37 balls, but he couldn’t convert his start into something more significant. Towards the end, the veteran Naeem Islam struck a six and two fours in his unbeaten 19-ball 25. Apart from Perera’s three-for, there was one wicket each for all the other five bowlers Khulna deployed.Big missAfter two middling innings in his three previous knocks, Chattogram’s Sabbir Rahman only made four in this game. Howell too missed out with the bat and ball for the first time in the tournament, after making a big impact in Chattogram’s first three matches.

Jose Mourinho has been handed a ban for his comments after the Istanbul derby against Galatasaray last weekend.

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Mourinho suspended by Turkish Football FederationWill miss the club's next four league gamesAccused of making 'racist statements'Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After the fierce derby clash in Istanbul on Sunday, Mourinho criticised the Galatasaray bench for "jumping like monkeys" after an early challenge. The Portuguese coach also claimed the match would have been a "disaster" had a Turkish referee been selected to oversee the contest instead of Slovenian official Slavko Vincic. Galatasaray later responded with a strong statement accusing the Fenerbahce boss of racism and threatening legal action.

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Per , The Turkish Football Federation has decided to punish Mourinho with a hefty ban as the ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid boss will serve a two-game ban for racist comments and a further two-match suspension for offensive comments made about the fourth official.

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

Ex-Galatasaray and Chelsea forward Didier Drogba came to Mourinho's defence amid allegations of racism as the Ivory Coast legend insisted that his former mentor is not a racist.

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Fenerbahce will miss the 62-year-old tactician in their dugout in upcoming league clashes against Antalyaspor, Samsunspor, Bodrum and Trabzonspor on March 2, 16, 30 and April 2 respectively.

Celtic return from the international break this evening as they prepare to travel away from Glasgow to take on Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

The Hoops have enjoyed a two-week break from competitive action since their 2-0 win away at Kilmarnock and will be hoping to pick up where they left off tonight.

Brendan Rodgers’ side have won ten and drawn one of their opening 11 matches in the Premiership and are top of the table on goal difference, as Aberdeen have matched their points tally so far.

A number of players have been away with their respective nations and played minutes in the latest international window, though, and this means that not all of his stars have been resting up for the last two weeks.

The likes of Alistair Johnston, Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, Luis Palma, Reo Hatate, and Liam Scales, among others, featured for their countries over the break.

Rodgers could look to rotate his side for this clash with Hearts, with the minutes his international stars played in mind, but he will also want to keep the key performers from the last match in the XI.

Celtic's best performers against Kilmarnock

In the clash with Kilmarnock before the break, Kasper Schmeichel caught the eye with his ninth clean sheet in 11 league appearances for Celtic since his move to the club in the summer.

The Danish titan made six saves, five of which came from shots inside the box, to preserve a shutout and keep the Hoops in the game at times.

Winger Nicolas Kuhn, who has scored four goals and provided six assists in ten league games, was another player who impressed against Kilmarnock, whilst playing on the right flank.

The German forward assisted the opening goal from Callum McGregor before scoring in the second half, with a composed finish from a tight angle.

In the absence of USA international Cameron Carter-Vickers through injury, central defender Auston Trusty, who was brought in from Sheffield United on a permanent deal in the summer, also caught the eye.

The former Arsenal gem won six of his ten duels throughout the game and made six clearances and three blocks to stop attacks from the hosts, which shows that he put his body on the line to protect his goal and secure a clean sheet.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

One player who was not at his best for the Scottish giants, though, was central midfielder Reo Hatate, who struggled in the middle of the park.

Reo Hatate's performance against Kilmarnock in numbers

The Japan international, who featured in one of his country’s two matches during the break, was selected from the start in midfield against Kilmarnock alongside McGregor and Arne Engels.

He played the opening 85 minutes of the Premiership clash and failed to produce much in the way of quality in or out of possession for the Hoops, though, and could now be in danger of losing his place in the starting XI for tonight’s match against Hearts.

The 27-year-old dynamo did not register a single shot on goal, failed with his only dribble attempt, and ended the game without a single key pass to his name, which shows that he did not offer any threat at the top end of the pitch for the Bhoys.

Hatate also lost five of his nine duels, including two of his three aerial contests, and this shows that opposition players got the better of him more often than not in physical contests, as he was not dominant in his battles.

The midfield gem, who lost possession 17 times, did not showcase the best of his abilities in that game, as his form before that clash was impressive.

Appearances

11

Starts

9

Goals

3

Big chances created

4

Assists

0

As you can see in the table above, Hatate had scored three goals and created four ‘big chances’ for his teammates in his eight Premiership starts before the win over Kilmarnock.

With his travels to play for Japan during the break and his underwhelming performance last time out, though, this could be the ideal time for Rodgers to ruthlessly ditch him from the starting XI in order to hand another player a chance to shine from the start.

Who Rodgers should replace Hatate with

The Celtic head coach must drop the Japanese star to the bench and unleash summer signing Luke McCowan, who joined on a permanent deal from Dundee, from the start.

He has only started two of his eight appearances in the Premiership for the Hoops since his move to Parkhead, yet has scored two goals in the division for the club.

The Scottish ace, who captain Callum McGregor claimed has “massive quality”, has not had many opportunities to shine, but has caught the eye in his limited time on the pitch.

That should not come as a surprise to anyone, though, as McCowan is a proven Premiership performer who excelled for Dundee to earn himself a move to Paradise in the recent summer transfer window.

In fact, the left-footed whiz started the current season with a return of two goals and one assist in three appearances in the top-flight for his former club, before the Hoops snapped him up on deadline day.

Appearances

37

Goals

10

Big chances created

9

Assists

5

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.5

As you can see in the table above, McCowan was a key figure in the middle of the park for Dundee in the Premiership in the 2023/24 campaign, with his contributions in the final third.

He almost hit double figures for both goals and ‘big chances’ created respectively, whilst also making multiple tackles and interceptions per game to help his side out off the ball, and this shows that the Scottish ace carries a big threat at the top end of the pitch.

With this, and his two goals already for Celtic, Rodgers must provide him with a rare chance to impress from the start ahead of Hatate in tonight’s clash with Hearts.

Celtic have wasted money on their own Foden who's only played 28 minutes

The Celtic winger was compared to Manchester City Phil Foden before his move to Parkhead.

ByDan Emery Nov 21, 2024

A new UEFA report has revealed that, as of the end of the 2024 financial year, Chelsea have built the most expensive squad ever assembled.

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Chelsea squad cost staggering €1.66bnOutstrips previous record set by Real MadridFour Premier League clubs have spent over a billionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

A new UEFA report has revealed the staggering cost of Chelsea's squad, with it being worth over €1.6 billion (£1.39bn/$1.8bn). The huge number outstrips Real Madrid, who had the previous most expensive squad ever assembled in 2020, with theirs being worth £1.12bn ($1.44m).

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Four squads in total in the report had squads that cost over £1bn: Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal. In addition, Liverpool, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle and West Ham all make the top 20, with the Hammers somehow building a squad that is worth more than Barcelona's.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Premier League's pure financial might is understated by the fact that 60% of the top 10 are English clubs. The only European clubs in the top 10 for squad worth are Real Madrid, PSG, Juventus, and Inter.

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In the summer, one can expect further spending from the Premier League. Last summer, the 20 clubs spent a staggering £2bn ($2.5m).

NZ haven’t beaten Australia in an ODI since 2017 but cruised to a nine-wicket win in the World Cup warm-up game earlier this month

AAP12-Mar-2022New Zealand are hoping a typically brutal Wellington gale can blow them to victory over Australia in their crunch Women’s World Cup meeting on Sunday.The meeting of the hosts and the world No. 1 side at the Basin Reserve is a contender for match of the tournament.”This is a big game. There’s no doubt about that,” Australia captain Meg Lanning said.New Zealand haven’t beaten Australia in a one-day international since 2017 but scored a confidence-boosting nine-wicket win earlier this month in a warm-up match.New Zealand captain Sophie Devine reminded Australia of her class with an unbeaten 161, partnering with Amelia Kerr, who made 92, in the eye-catching result.Australia coach Matthew Mott called Kerr the “most improved batter in the world” and that the coaching staff had prepared plenty of opposition research.”We’ve certainly done our homework and planning on those two,” Lanning said. “And also their whole team. You can’t just focus on one or two players and forget about the rest because they’ve got a really good team with good depth. The other thing that’s important is adapting to the conditions and playing what’s in front of you.”And on that front, Lanning says she’s also prepared. The forecast for Wellington tomorrow is near gale-force southerly winds, straight from Antarctica.”I’ll be packing everything I have including handwarmers. They’re ready to go. I’ve heard it can get quite chilly,” Lanning laughed.New Zealand allrounder Maddy Green, who like Devine and Kerr plays her club cricket with Wellington Blaze at the Basin, chuckled as she was informed of the likely conditions.”It’s good to see Wellington has organised a nice fresh southerly for the Australians. I’m not too sure they’re going to enjoy that too much,” she said. “We’ve played a lot of cricket here so really looking forward to getting out on the Basin.”In contrast, the Australian women’s team hasn’t played a ODI at the Basin since 1999. In their last T20 appearances here six years ago, New Zealand two wins over a team comprising six current Australians led by Lanning.Australia should have all 15 squad members to pick from, with Ashleigh Gardner re-joining the squad after a Covid-enforced isolation period, and Tahlia McGrath fit after heel soreness.Lanning said Gardner’s selection would be ratified after training, saying “if she’s fit and feeling well, she’ll come in”.Australia, with wins over England and Pakistan so far in the tournament, can put a foot in the semi-finals with a third straight victory. New Zealand need a result more. They were shock opening-night losers to West Indies before rebounding with a fine 61-run victory over India on Thursday.”These are the games you want to be a part of as a player,” Lanning said. “They’re really important in the context of the tournament and we’re really excited about the opportunity.””If we can withstand some pressure when they come hard at us, which they will do, and then get the momentum back through the game we feel like we have enough firepower to get the win.”

Rangers could stand to lose after a club entered into negotiations to change the transfer fee that had already been agreed with the Ibrox outfit, it has emerged.

Rangers under pressure

It has been a dismal start to the season for Rangers, with Philippe Clement under pressure to turn things around in Glasgow. His side sit third in the Scottish Premiership, a massive 11 points behind reigning champions and major rivals Celtic, while they also sit seven points behind Aberdeen, albeit with a game in hand on Jimmy Thelin’s side.

Rangers struck gold on "statement signing" who's now like a £70m star

Rangers have struck gold on a player who joined in the summer

ByRoss Kilvington Dec 3, 2024

It has been a more successful story in Europe; after being knocked out of the Champions League by Dinamo Kyiv, they have lost just once in five games in the Europa League and sit within the automatic qualification spots for the knockout rounds after an emphatic 4-1 win over Nice in the south of France.

With games against Tottenham, Manchester United and Union Saint Gilloise still to come, they are certainly well placed to have a shot at the knockout round at the very worst.

Opponent

Competition

Kilmarnock (Home)

Scottish Premiership

Ross County (Away)

Scottish Premiership

Tottenham (Home)

Europa League

Celtic (Away)

League Cup

Dundee FC (Home)

Scottish Premiership

January reinforcements are likely, but it is unclear how much money is available at Ibrox following a heavy summer window. Now, they could have been dealt a blow before the transfer window has even opened.

Club want discount on Cifuentes

Though Jose Cifuentes’ spell at Rangers was not what anyone was hoping for, he has enjoyed an impressive campaign since departing Ibrox, so much so that there is hope he can be signed permanently, provided Clement’s side drop their asking price.

The highly-rated Ecuadorian midfielder arrived at Ibrox for £1.2m thanks to the work of former Rangers boss Michael Beale, who predicted that he would add “real quality” to his side.

“He has a great personality and I thought he showed a couple of minutes of real quality“, he explained after the signing was confirmed.

But that quality never shone through at Ibrox, and after just 12 months Cifuentes was moved on by new manager Clement, joining Aris Saloniki on loan in the most recent summer transfer window, capping a dismal 20 appearance stay in Scotland.

However, he has recovered his form in Greece, and is helping his side mount an unlikely title charge in the Super League, though three successive losses have left them six points off top spot. Aris inserted an option to buy Cifuentes into the deal, believed to sit at £4.2m, plus agreeing to cover part of his £16,000 a week wages.

But the Greek side are now keen to pay less than that to secure their key target, and The Sun report that they have “now opened negotiations with Rangers in an attempt to get them to lower their £4.2million future transfer fee”.

It is added that “they feel the transfer fee is too high” for the Ecuadorian, and though they would like to keep the player, it does not sound like they are willing to match the asking price for him to remain in Greece.

Having shelled out just £1.2m for Cifuentes, Rangers could well be willing to compromise on his sale, given that they are likely to still profit from the deal.