Leeds United take on West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on Friday and Daniel Farke could spring a few surprises ahead of their trip to the Midlands to face Carlos Corberan's men.
West Brom vs Leeds team news
On Boxing Day, the Whites were on the end of a 2-1 defeat to Preston North End at Deepdale in a fiery Championship clash that was decided by a late Liam Miller wondergoal, which cancelled out an equaliser from the spot by Pascal Struijk.
Republic of Ireland international Alan Browne opened the scoring; however, the main talking point of proceedings was undoubtedly Whites goalkeeper Illan Meslier's red card for retaliation, after he appeared to shove Milutin Osmajic in the face, leading to Karl Darlow taking his place between the sticks for the remainder of the clash.
Leeds United keen on signing "very talented" ace wanted by multiple clubs
Leeds United are in the market as Daniel Farke looks to strengthen his side’s promotion bid…
BySean Markus Clifford Dec 4, 2023
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Leeds United boss Farke criticised Osmajic for his theatrics on the field, leading to his side being reduced to ten men and suffering a loss on the road, stating via BBC Sport: "It's disappointing because the second player really has nothing to do with it. He's come in and tried to provoke Illan then he goes and rolls around 10 times. Maybe the referee should sense what was really happening there. Maybe a yellow card would have been a fairer outcome."
Nevertheless, the Yorkshire giants will have little time to lick their wounds as they go to battle once again away to West Brom on Friday evening in another must-win clash if they are serious about realising their aspirations of promotion. Now, some intriguing news has become available regarding Farke's potential team selection heading into the fixture, as provided by various reports.
Darlow starts but Dallas not ready as Farke set to ring the changes…
Previewing the clash, The Athletic journalist Phil Hay has confirmed that Farke could make some surprise changes to his side at the Hawthorns, though one obvious alteration will present former Newcastle United goalkeeper Darlow with a rare start in light of Meslier's suspension.
Despite joining the Whites in the summer, the £30k-a-week ace has appeared just three times in all competitions and could now be offered an opportunity to begin on the field in the Championship for the first time since April, when he was on loan at Hull City.
Meanwhile, Stuart Dallas is still expected to be out for a period of time as he struggles to overcome a fractured femur, as injury specialist Dr Rajpal Brar explained to MOT Leeds News.
Brar stated: "If he’s returning to matches in January, then his training will be a gradual progression from individual to partial to full group training which is unlikely to happen this week. The extended absence and very serious nature of the injury make it even more paramount that his training progression is methodical. Having setbacks in his rehabilitation certainly has not helped."
While unclear exactly what Farke could change at the Hawthorns, Leeds need to win to keep pace with their rivals in the race for automatic promotion, so it will be intriguing to see just how bold the gaffer is after a disappointing performance and result.
O meia Fernando Sobral deixou a sua marca na goleada com autoridade aplicada pelo Ceará sobre o Goiás, por 4 a 0, no confronto válido pela 31ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. A vitória que ajudou o time de Porangabussu a retornar para a zona de classificação para a Copa Sul-Americana (10ª colocação com 42 unidades) foi exaltada pelo jogador:
RelacionadasCearáCeará tenta quebrar tabu contra o PalmeirasCeará22/01/2021PalmeirasCeará x Palmeiras: saiba onde assistirPalmeiras23/01/2021Núm3ros da bol4Perto de recorde, Vina já entra para a história do CearáNúm3ros da bol421/01/2021
>Vozão na Liberta? Simule a reta final do Brasileirão!
– A equipe atuou muito bem, construiu as jogadas. Conseguimos o nosso objetivo. Sabíamos da importância desse resultado. Fico feliz pelo gol, mas mais ainda pela vitória – analisou.
Além de se mostrar peça importância no momento das características transições ofensivas feitas pelos comandados de Guto Ferreira, Sobral também tem sido um dos destaques do time quando o assunto são os desarmes. Segundo os dados do portal ‘Sofa Score’, o atleta está com 80 desarmes no Brasileiro, a segunda melhor marca da competição até então.
Para ele, os números são fruto direto do seu esforço desde os treinamentos até os jogos no intuito de demonstrar a sua versatilidade.
– É uma marca expressiva. Sempre que entro em campo, procuro fazer o meu melhor. Me dedico muito nos treinos também para evoluir e ser versátil em campo – conta.
Pensando no próximo compromisso da equipe na temporada (o Palmeiras no próximo domingo (24) na Arena Castelão), Fernando Sobral exaltou a dificuldade do adversário que eliminou o Vozão da Copa do Brasil nessa temporada:
– Será mais uma partida difícil e temos que entrar bem atentos. O treinador deve nos passar algumas situações. Acredito que será um jogo bem disputado.
Manchester United could be given a chance to offload one of their first-team men in January after it emerged that a club has already been making tracks to try and secure his signature, according to a report.
Manchester United crash out of Champions League
On Wednesday, Manchester United suffered the fate of being knocked out of the Champions League after coming unstuck against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford, with a solitary goal from Kingsley Coman enough to ensure Erik Ten Hag's men departed the competition.
The surprise package of the group Copenhagen were able to see off Galatasaray in Group A's other fixture on the night, meaning that the Danes qualified for the Round of 16. At the same time, their Turkish opponents progressed to the Europa League's next phase at the expense of the Red Devils, capping an extremely disappointing European campaign for the Premier League giants.
As per TNT Sports via The Guardian, Ten Hag urged his squad to use the experience as a platform to learn from heading into future continental campaigns, as he said post-match: "Not regret, no. We didn’t make it, but we have to accept it. We have to learn from it. We played some good football in the Champions League. We have to take belief into the Premier League because we want to qualify again for the Champions League."
Now, focus at Old Trafford will turn to fixing their erratic form in the Premier League alongside planning potential incomings and outgoings to take place in the January transfer window. According to a fresh report, one Red Devils man could be offered a route out of the North West, which could potentially clear the way for arrivals to come in and revitalise Ten Hag's squad.
Eintracht Frankfurt make move for Donny van de Beek
According to 90min, Eintracht Frankfurt have moved early to try and sign Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek, who is free to leave Old Trafford after being deemed surplus to requirements by Ten Hag. The outlet claim that the Bundesliga outfit would be willing to take the Netherlands international on a loan basis; meanwhile, further interest in his services is also present from Real Sociedad, Girona, Ajax, Crystal Palace and Fulham.
Donny van de Beek's main strengths – (via WhoScored)
Likes to shoot from distance
Likes to play short passes
Likes to tackle
In any temporary loan deal, the Red Devils would be keen to include an obligatory purchase option as they look to get the 26-year-old off the books; nevertheless, he is likely to complete a move away in January after a frustrating spell in England.
Manchester United'sDonnyvandeBeekapplauds fans after the match
Since arriving in Manchester, Van de Beek, who has previously been hailed a "top-level player" while at Everton under Frank Lampard, has been a fringe player under Ole Gunner Solskjaer and now Ten Hag, making 62 appearances in all competitions for his current employers, registering just two goals and two assists (Van de Beek statistics – Transfermarkt).
Frequent injury issues have been a major thorn in Van de Beek's quest to become an important player at Manchester United and it comes as no surprise that both parties are now seemingly in the process of cutting ties.
تحدث عمرو صلاح أمين صندوق الاتحاد المصري لكرة اليد، عن مواجهة منتخب مصر القادمة أمام إسبانيا في منافسات كرة اليد بدورة الألعاب الأولمبية 2024.
ومن المقرر أن يلعب المنتخب المصري مباراته القادمة في دور الثمانية يوم الأربعاء، 7 أغسطس، أمام إسبانيا، في دور ربع النهائي.
وقال عمرو صلاح في تصريحات عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “قادرون على تقديم مباراة جيدة أمام منتخب إسبانيا، المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر إسباني ومن أفضل ثلاثة مدربين في العالم وهو مؤسس المدرسة الاسبانية في الدفاع والهجوم”.
طالع أيضاً.. منافس مصر في ربع نهائي منافسات كرة اليد بـ أولمبياد باريس 2024
وتابع: “جاهزون للمباراة يوم الأربعاء المقبل، غدًا سننتقل من باريس لمدينة ليل، وفي حالة إذا وفقنا سنواجه الفائز من منتخب ألمانيا وفرنسا في قبل النهائي”.
وأتم: “هذا الجيل من منتخب كرة اليد يستحق ميدالية في الأولمبياد، لا نشعر بأي مشاكل منهم يوجد التزام (عمرنا ما سمعنا مشكلة)”.
Perry and Molineux took seven wickets between them to consign New Zealand to 103 all out, before Healy smashed a 44-ball 67 in an easy chase, as Australia swept the series 3-0
ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2018Getty Images
A devastating spell from allrounder Ellyse Perry helped the Australia women romp to a nine-wicket win and a 3-0 series sweep against New Zealand. Perry took 4 for 21 in four overs, her third-best figures in T20 internationals, as New Zealand collapsed to 103 all out, with an over remaining after being sent in to bat at Manuka Oval. Alyssa Healy then thumped 67 off just 44 balls, with 12 fours and one six, as Australia raced to the total in 12.3 overs.New Zealand started steadily with a 29-run stand from Sophie Devine and the in-form Suzie Bates, before the pair fell in consecutive overs. Perry removed the dangerous Bates as she attempted to run a ball fine to third man.Maddy Green’s promotion to No. 3 was unsuccessful, but Amy Satterthwaite and Kate Martin looked to be building nicely at the halfway stage, before Perry turned the game. She bowled Satterthwaite, who attempted to work an inswinger too square. Perry was on a hat-trick when Rachel Haynes took a stunning one-handed catch running back from cover to remove Jess Watkin.In the next over, Sophie Molineux was on a hat-trick of her own, trapping both Bernadine Bezuidenhout and Kate Ebrahim lbw. When Perry nicked off Amy Kerr, New Zealand had lost 5 for 8 in 15 balls. Martin watched the carnage unfold from the non-striker’s end, finishing 35 not out from 34 balls as she eventually ran out of partners.Healy got a huge reprieve early in the chase, skying a ball from Devine only to watch it fall safely in the ring as no fielder even attempted to get underneath the relatively simple chance.Healy then unfurled her trademark 360-degree strokeplay to dispatch New Zealand to all parts. It was her second consecutive half-century, and with it secured the Player-of-the-Series award. Beth Mooney got some valuable time in the middle at the other end, cruising to 29 not out.
Judging Newcastle United's transfers under Steve Bruce is a little bit difficult. After all, the club spent next to no money and there weren't actually many signings. In fact, they only signed 10 permanent players.
A good few of those were free transfers, too, meaning the actual risk involved here was minimal. At the same time, it was a period where Newcastle desperately needed to nail their signings – and, well, they rarely did. That saw them slide down the Premier League table before their saviours showed up to steady the ship and get them on a positive course.
We thought we'd take a trip down memory lane to see exactly what they did pre-takeover and why things full apart under Bruce. So here are Football FanCast's picks for the 10 worst transfers at Newcastle under Steve Bruce.
10 Mark Gillespie – Free transfer from Motherwell (2020)
It's always a little harsh to judge a third-choice goalkeeper signing, especially on a free transfer. And even more so when you're signing a homegrown, local talent in the role.
But Newcastle signing Gillespie was just weird. He arrived as a backup goalkeeper but when both Martin Dubravka and Karl Darlow were out injured, the Magpies turned to Freddie Woodman in goal. Gillespie just didn't have a role it seemed – or they signed him to be fourth-choice.
An odd signing that seemed completely pointless. Perhaps the veteran just wasn't good enough once he showed up but then that's on Newcastle for not doing their homework first.
9 Valentino Lazaro – Loan from Inter (2020)
You can't really blame Newcastle or Bruce for bringing in Lazaro. The right-back was highly-rated to the point where he reportedly turned down RB Leipzig in order to go to the Magpies.
And he was fine – just nowhere near expectations. Newcastle reportedly had a £20m option to buy on Lazaro but decided not to use it once the loan ended.
That perhaps sums things up best. Lazaro arrived with real hype about his abilities and £20m seemed like a bargain deal if he lived up to it. Instead, there was never really any chance that he joined permanently after his five months at the club.
8 Danny Rose – Loan from Tottenham Hotspur (2020)
Rose arrived as a loan signing in January 2020, along with two other players. Newcastle needed a left-back and the Englishman had fallen out with José Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur.
So again, it's one of those where you can't blame Newcastle or Bruce too much for signing him. The warning signs were there, however.
Rose was unimpressive and rarely looked committed at Newcastle. Bruce was impressed enough to talk him up in the press, mind, but eventually opted not to sign him permanently the following summer.
So we'd place this one under 'you average bad signing'. Rose wasn't good enough but wasn't spectacularly bad and, after all, only a short-term loan.
7 Ryan Fraser – Free transfer from Bournemouth (2020)
ryan-fraser-championship-leeds-transfers
Fraser has just been a bitterly disappointing signing. Again, it's hard to judge Newcastle or Bruce too harshly because he was a free transfer and few thought it was a bad move at the time. There was speculation of a move to Arsenal in 2019, after all, even if nothing came of it.
But Fraser was just nowhere near that kind of standard. Perhaps his basic numbers sum it up best. In his final three years at Bournemouth, the Scot scored 13 goals, including a season with seven.
In three years with Newcastle, Fraser has two goals. Tellingly, both came in his second season and after Eddie Howe had replaced Bruce as manager. The man who signed the winger never actually got a Premier League goal out of him.
And unlike some, things just fell apart even after Bruce left. Fraser was isolated from the squad back in March as even Howe was done with him. A free transfer, yes, but one that failed badly.
6 Jeff Hendrick – Free transfer from Burnley (2020)
Hendrick was yet another that, on paper, looked like an easy win as a signing. He'd been very good at Burnley, generating plenty of interest once his contract was up in 2020.
Newcastle and Bruce brought him in but things went south before the first season was even up. Hendrick did play with some regularity but after a red card against Southampton in February 2021, he was out of the starting XI and barely featured.
That carried over into season two, with only three Premier League appearances before Newcastle offloaded him on loan to Queen's Park Rangers in the Championship at the end of January. No one predicted that kind of collapse back when he arrived.
This one really couldn't have gone much worse. The only saving grace was that, once again, it was a free transfer.
Finally, one that wasn't in the year 2020. Newcastle actually did something else a little different to the rest of this list here, too – they spent money.
Under Mike Ashley, Newcastle just hated spending that stuff. But here, they opted to release £5m to pick up Krafth – and then just didn't really use him all that much.
The Swede is still with Newcastle and has made at least 20 overall appearances in each of his first three seasons. However, he suffered a serious injury that ruled him out for around a year, reducing him to a single minute in the Premier League throughout 2022/23.
Even before that, though, it was hard to figure out why Krafth was a player Newcastle spent money on. He rarely played, with just 11 starts under Bruce in his first Premier League season. In fact, he's yet to play over half the minutes in a season.
Given how precious money was to Newcastle under Bruce, this was one they got wrong.
4 Andy Carroll – Free transfer from West Ham United (2019)
The return of the prodigal son here – but an ill-advised one. Carroll had left Newcastle back in 2011 as a star in the making but never lived up to that early promise.
By 2019, though, he wasn't just a player who didn't live up to promise – he was one who regularly suffered injury problems and scored just three goals in his previous two seasons.
Given Newcastle's need for goals, this is one that turned into a bit of a disaster. Their other striker signing this summer (more on that in a bit) didn't fire and their backup couldn't either. Carroll managed one Premier League goal in two seasons under Bruce and it came in his second season.
We all understand the sentimentality here but Newcastle weren't in a position to take risks up top. They did with Carroll and it didn't pay off.
3 Nabil Bentaleb – Loan from Schalke 04 (2020)
If you needed a midfielder for January to come in for a first-team role, would you consider someone who, the previous March, was relegated to his club's B team and hadn't played all season? No? Newcastle of 2020 would and did.
So you likely won't be surprised to learn that Bentaleb flopped with the Magpies and just plainly was not good enough for them. Still, Bruce persisted, starting the Algerian eight times over the second half of the season.
No, this one wasn't particularly damaging – just a loan, after all, in a season where Newcastle finished 13th. But the fact that it was so obviously a bad deal makes us place it highly. It was never going to work but they tried it anyway.
2 Joelinton – £40m from Hoffenheim (2019)
Newcastle United midfielder Joelinton.
There is a fantastic argument that this should be a distant no.1. There is just as solid an argument that Joelinton shouldn't be on this list. We can't think of another player quite like that.
But we're judging the transfers made under Steve Bruce at Newcastle – and Joelinton was an absolute disaster in that regard. He arrived as a club-record signing and the player who was going to lead the attack for the Magpies.
Fast-forward one year and Newcastle have played Joelinton in every Premier League game for a return of two goals. That jumped to four in his second season. For further context of how badly this went, Jonjo Shelvey was the club's Premier League top scorer in Joelinton's first season with six goals.
For what the club and Bruce needed, the Brazilian was a nightmare signing and completely unable to deliver what they thought they'd signed. Thankfully, Eddie Howe spotted the mistake and realised that Joelinton was actually a fantastic box-to-box midfielder and not a striker at all.
And that's why Joelinton isn't no.1 here. For Bruce, he was a disaster but they undoubtedly did sign a wonderfully talented player – they just used him completely incorrectly. Howe has fixed that, though, and now everyone is reaping the rewards. Except Bruce.
1 Jamal Lewis – £15m from Norwich City (2020)
Liverpool had tried to sign Lewis earlier that summer before settling for Kostas Tsimikas. That on its own suggested Newcastle were signing a decent player – let alone his performances in the Premier League for Norwich.
But this transfer – one of the few times Newcastle did spend a decent chunk of change under Bruce – is a shocker. You'll struggle to find a bigger waste of £15m in the Premier League, in fact.
Lewis played poorly throughout his debut campaign and quickly fell out of favour. Things did not improve in the second season, either, and once Eddie Howe arrived, the left-back was completely out. Newcastle didn't even include him on their squad list for the second half of 2021/22.
Newcastle only spent more on Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson and Joe Willock under Bruce. All have proven to be great signings – three of them are still firmly involved with the first team.
Lewis, though, has had a worse time of it than anyone else on this list. The fact that he also cost a significant amount of money makes him, for us, comfortably the worst signing under Bruce.
Everton have been linked with a move for Leeds United chief executive Angus Kinnear, and it looks as though the Friedkin Group aren’t stopping there.
Latest Everton news
According to a recent rumour, the Blues have identified Kinnear as a leading option to bring in behind the scenes, having no doubt been impressed with the job he is doing at Elland Road currently.
While a deal to bring him to Goodison Park is far from done, discussions have been held between the two English clubs, as they look to come to an agreement that benefits all parties.
Everton's home stadium, Goodison Park.
In terms of other Everton-related transfer news, the Blues have been linked with a move for Tammy Abraham in the summer transfer window, with the Englishman currently on loan at AC Milan from Roma. It remains to be seen if Dominic Calvert-Lewin will leave Goodison Park at the end of the season, but a replacement needs to be lined up if he does.
Meanwhile, Burnley centre-back Maxime Esteve has been mentioned as a potential successor to Jarrad Branthwaite, should he depart soon. The 22-year-old has been an immense performer for the Clarets this season, ensuring that they have conceded just nine goals in the Championship prior to this weekend’s action.
Friedkin eyeing big appointment for Everton
According to a fresh update from Everton News, the Friedkin Group want to make ambitious backroom changes at Everton, with the club’s owners “ready to put in place a new ‘Footballing executive team’ which will include a CEO and a new sporting director.”
David Weir is mentioned as an option to come in from Brighton, but the Seagulls “have played down his willingness to leave the South Coast”, and Dan Ashworth and Dougie Freedman are also mentioned as sporting director targets to come in and work alongside Kinnear.
Dan Ashworth for England.
It is so encouraging to see Dan Friedkin looking to take Everton in the right direction, in what feels like such a crucial period in the club’s history, as they prepare for life at a new stadium.
For too long under Farhad Moshiri, the club didn’t feel like it was running smoothly, but these reported plans about a ‘Football executive team’ are exciting.
One report has claimed that Everton are in advanced talks to bring Weir back to the club, following a great playing career there, but Ashworth would represent an intriguing alternative.
While the Englishman quit his role at Manchester United in no time at all last year, that could easily be more of a slight on Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who Ashworth may simply have struggled to work with. He is a highly thought of sporting director who excelled at Newcastle United, playing a key role in the Magpies getting back into the Champions League under Eddie Howe.
Everton plotting summer move to sign "great" UCL winner who may replace DCL
He could be on his way back to the Premier League…
By
Tom Cunningham
Feb 20, 2025
Similarly, Freedman is also making waves at Palace, bringing in the likes of Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi and Michael Olise in recent years, so he stands out as another great option, and it looks as if ambitious moves for Ashworth or Freedman are ones to watch.
تنطلق بعد قليل ثالث مباريات دور الـ16 من بطولة كوبا امريكا 2024، على ملعب ستات فارم بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، بين كولومبيا وبنما.
نيستور لورينزو المدير الفني لمنتخب كولومبيا أعلن عن تشكيل اللاعبين لمواجهة بنما، بقيادة النجم خاميس رودريجيز في المقدمة ويرافقه لويس دياز.
طالع أيضًا.. رافينها يتحدى أراوخو قبل مباراة البرازيل وأوروجواي في كوبا أمريكا 2024
على الجانب الآخر، منتخب بنما يريد إحداث المفاجأة بمدربه توماس كريستنسن، بطريقة لعب 5-4-1، من أجل التأهل لملاقاة الفائز من قمة البرازيل وأوروجواي. تشكيل كولومبيا اليوم أمام بنما
حراسة المرمى: كاميلو فارجاس.
خط الدفاع: موخيكا، كارلوس كويستا، دافينسون سانشيز، دانييل مونوز.
وسط الملعب: ريتشارد ريوس، ماتيوس أوريبي، خوان أرياس.
الهجوم: خاميس رودريجيز، جون كوردوبا، لويس دياز. تشكيل بنما اليوم أمام كولومبيا
حراسة المرمى: أورلاندو موسكويرا.
خط الدفاع: ديفيز، ميلير، كوردوبا، فارينا، موريلو.
وسط الملعب: يويل بيرسيناس، جوفاني ويلش، كريستيان مارتينيز، سيزار بلاكمان.
Everton are likely to soon sanction the sale of one of their out of favour senior players, and a reliable journalist has revealed the reasoning behind the move.
What's happening at Everton right now?
In the Premier League, Sean Dyche’s side have had a hugely disappointing start to the new campaign where they find themselves in relegation on a single point after picking up just one draw and suffering four defeats from their opening five games.
The Toffees certainly haven’t been helped by the fact that Seamus Coleman and summer signing Jack Harrison are currently on the sidelines with their own respective injuries, but they aren’t the only ones who are yet to feature or make any kind of impact on the squad during the 2023/24 term.
Dele Alli has been the subject of attention since returning from his underwhelming loan spell at Besiktas. During an interview with Gary Neville for The Overlap podcast, the attacking midfielder opened up on the trauma he experienced throughout his childhood which affected him both on and off the pitch and is yet to return to action since then.
In conversation with The Times, Dyche admitted that the 27-year-old was still miles off being introduced to the squad because of his fitness problems, and with his contract expiring in less than a year, January would be the perfect opportunity for the club to cash in should they not want to risk losing him for free.
Is Dele Alli leaving Everton?
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Paul Brown admitted that Alli will likely never pull on the shirt again at Everton due to one condition in particular. He said:
"I don't think Everton could have released him. I think that would have been very harsh. He's obviously there training, but we don't really know what his fitness is like and we don't know how close he is to being ready for the first-team.
"I do still think it's a long road back for him. I don't think he suits Sean Dyche or the way that Sean Dyche is trying to move the team forward. They are in danger of triggering further payments if they play him, so there isn't really a big argument for throwing him back in there.
"I think he's obviously going to get a chance to compete but, at this point, I would be very surprised if Dele Alli plays for Everton in the near future. I think it's more likely that he will never play for the club again, but we'll see."
Everton midfielder Dele Alli.
Will Dele Alli return to Everton?
Since joining Everton in January 2022 as Frank Lampard's first permanent signing, Alli has only made 13 appearances for the club, during which he’s recorded zero goals or assists, and members of the media believe it’s “sad” to see the way his career has panned out, so it’s unlikely that he will ever return for Everton.
The CAA Base Ltd client, who is sponsored by Adidas, ranked as the boss’ overall 28th best-performing player out of 28 squad members last season, albeit only being brought off the bench twice, via WhoScored, showing what little impact he makes when given the opportunity to play.
Furthermore, Alli currently pockets £100k-per-week which is the same amount that James Tarkowski, Amadou Onana and Dominic Calvert-Lewin earn and there’s no way that their pay should be equal considering what the latter three contribute, so Everton need to get him off the wage bill and use the extra money to fund new signings in 2024.
Kolkata Knight Riders: beat Royal Challenegers Bangalore by six wickets, lost to Delhi Daredevils by 55 runs, lost to Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets, beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets Chennai Super Kings: beat Delhi Daredevils by 13 runs, lost to Mumbai Indians by eight wickets, beat Royal Challengers by five wickets, beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by four runs
Big Picture
The previous match these two played became the one of most talked about games this season, after Vinay Kumar faltered in the execution of a yorker that became a full toss that Dwayne Bravo blasted it into the stands to win it.That match itself was high-scoring and some of the questions it prompted have remained the same. How these sides address them will likely determine the winner on Thursday evening.Halfway into the tournament the Super Kings have proved to be the best batting unit – in terms of run rate across the three phases of innings. They are third in the Powerplay (8.92), but have the best scoring rate in the middle overs (8.54) and at the death (12.64) where MS Dhoni has regained his golden touch as a finisher. However that advantage is virtually erased by the sloppiness of their bowling, which has been inconsistent throughout innings. The absence of a good new-ball bowler is evident in the Powerplay phase, where the Super Kings are fourth most expensive with an economy rate of 8.63. It gets worse as the innings goes on: in the middle overs, they are third-worst, conceding at 8.40; at the death, where Super Kings have leaked runs at 11.42 an over, they are second-worst in the tournament.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Luckily it would seem for Super Kings, Knight Riders have failed to sustain the early momentum gained by their top order comprising Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine and Robin Uthappa. At the death, Knight Riders lose a wicket every 10.5 balls and score a boundary every five deliveries. Their run rate of 9.91 in this phase is decent, but nothing that truly hurts the opposition.Clearly then this could be a battle that is won or lost at the death.
In the news
Nitish Rana has back spasms and will undergo a fitness assessment on the morning of the game. In case he is unfit, Knight Riders could choose between Ishank Jaggi and Rinku Singh.
Previous meeting
It is the match that will be remembered as the one that pushed fans to troll India seamer Vinay Kumar, following the penultimate-ball six by Dwayne Bravo that helped Super Kings chase down a target of 203. That game also happened to be the last match played in Chennai, after which Super Kings’ home base was switched to Pune.
Best chance for Sunil Narine to regain his impact with the ball. Narine picked up seven wickets in the first four matches, but then could manage just the one wicket in the next four games during which he conceded at a rate of 10.3 with an average of 144. However his numbers against the specialist batsmen in Super Kings are healthy and home conditions are likely to favour Narine.
Stats that matter
Andre Russell can overpower all kinds of bowling. Of particular note in that list is Russell’s Caribbean team-mate Dwayne Bravo. Russell has 216 runs off 102 balls he has faced from Bravo, a strike rate of 211.8 in 17 innings
Sunil Narine has had the better of Shane Watson, Super Kings’ gun batsman. In 13 T20 innings he has bowled against the Australian, Narine has got Watson six times
Robin Uthappa needs 23 runs to register 4000 runs in the IPL. Uthappa also needs nine runs to register 1000 runs at Eden Gardens in the IPL
Piyush Chawla needs two wickets to register 50 wickets for KKR in the IPL. He will become the first player in IPL history to pick up 50-plus wickets for multiple teams. Chawla previously took 84 wickets for Kings XI Punjab
This IPL, Chris Lynn has been defensive against left-arm spinners: in four innings so far, out of 27 deliveries he has faced against them, he has got 25 runs at a strike rate of 92.6 with a dot ball percentage of 44.4, and has been out twice
Fantasy pick
The Eden Gardens pitch has helped quick bowlers more than spinners, which gives Andre Russell two bites at the cherry; he can be great value if he gets to bat too, not least because he has big numbers against Super Kings at the death.