Tag Futebol

Is Prasidh Krishna’s hit-the-deck style the way to go? Talking points ahead of India’s three-match ODI series against England

Shashank Kishore11-Jul-2022It is entirely possible the 2019 ODI World Cup final still feels recent, but the fact is that there is another 50-over World Cup upon us next year. While the build-up to it may still be muted, India, like many others, have some work to do. The three-match series against England beginning on Tuesday at The Oval will provide an opportunity for a few players to set things right, while at the same time being an audition for the others.Can Kohli banish talks of a decline?
The numbers are out in the open. It is likely that even the most disconnected fan of the game knows a century has been loading for close to three years. But it hasn’t entirely been doom and gloom for Virat Kohli the batter.Adelaide 2020, Chennai 2021, The Oval 2021, and Cape Town 2022 are a few shining examples. Ever since he gave up the captaincy last year, every innings has brought with it that much more scrutiny.Related

• Where Shreyas Iyer falls short

• Throwback Thursday provides thrilling peek into Hardik 2.0

• Suryakumar Yadav's pyrotechnics leave Trent Bridge in awe

• Virat Kohli's nine-ball buy-in shows India's new way is here to stay

Even for someone as zoned out as Kohli from external chatter, he is unlikely to forget that the count of century-less innings in international cricket now stands at 77. His struggles have been analysed threadbare, and mindset scrutinised to the extent that there has been a chorus from former players and coaches for him to take a break, which he has received in plenty; fair call to the BCCI there.But the men who matter – Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid – have continued to back Kohli.All said, the upcoming ODIs may be his best chance to shred talks of being on the decline and bring back that air of inevitability to his batting and hundreds, something that was commonplace when Kohli was at his peak between 2015 to 2019. For the record, he has six half-centuries in his last 11 ODI innings.Shreyas Iyer will need a big score to keep someone like Suryakumar Yadav out of the ODI side•AFP/Getty ImagesSuryakumar vs Iyer
Such stifling competition for places isn’t new to Shreyas Iyer. He wasn’t even a first-choice player in India’s Under-19 World Cup squad in 2014. But the reality is that while he hasn’t done much wrong in the opportunities he has got, his methods of handling the short ball have come under scrutiny.Iyer was in the form of his life last year before a shoulder injury sidelined him for six months. But in the time since, he has lost his IPL captaincy, was released by a franchise that he led to their first-ever IPL final a year earlier, and then saw Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda catch up with him as far as the middle-order stakes go.An average of 41 and a strike rate of 97 across 24 ODI innings means he should be an automatic pick, but the competition for places is such that he will need a big score to keep someone of Suryakumar’s calibre out. Suryakumar’s most recent knock was an unreal T20I century on Sunday. Like Iyer, he too has cashed in on every opportunity so far in the 50-over format. This middle-order jostle is a healthy one, though.Hardik Pandya last bowled ten overs in an ODI innings during the 2019 World Cup semi-final•PA Photos/Getty ImagesPandya’s return to 50-overs cricket
He has returned to bowling, and has done quite well so far in T20s, but can his body tune up to the rigours of the longer format? Can he deliver ten overs if required? How will the change in format affect his workload? There are a few questions which Hardik Pandya could potentially answer in this series. He has only featured in nine ODIs since July 2019, the last of which was in Sri Lanka last year when he was part of a second-string squad led by Shikhar Dhawan.In fact, Pandya last bowled ten overs in an ODI innings during the 2019 World Cup semi-final. So clearly, there is plenty to look forward to because the bowler in him lends India a new dimension and squad balance.Prasidh’s hit-the-deck style the way to go?
With Jasprit Bumrah being the pace spearhead and Mohammed Shami clearly still in the ODI plans, the third-seamer spot could be a juicy toss-up with a number of claimants in the ring.There is Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj and now Arshdeep Singh. Among them, Prasidh has so far had an impressive initiation. Even on the most docile surfaces, his height and release allow him to get deliveries to rear up awkwardly on batters. Moreover, Prasidh does this at a fair clip too, at above 140 clicks. These, combined with a perfect seam that gets the ball moving both ways, make him an even more dangerous prospect on surfaces with some assistance.Prasidh had a breakthrough ODI series earlier this year against West Indies, and is being groomed to be the kind of bowler India saw in Ishant Sharma in his early days. Of course, the 50-over format wasn’t one that Ishant always favoured, but Prasidh has shown there is enough to work with if persisted.He is just seven ODIs old but has already picked up 18 wickets at an average of 16.42, and an economy of 4.84. But England’s destructive batting line-up could offer a stern test.

Several noteworthy performances for South Africa as new-look ODI side finds a template for success

Firdose Moonda at Newlands04-Feb-2020This was exactly what South African cricket needed. Ordinarily, one isolated ODI win, even against the world champions, would not mean much. But after three successive Test series defeats and ahead of an important month of white-ball cricket with a new-look squad this victory will, even if only briefly, pause the panic that South African cricket is on the verge of collapse. It may even ignite the smallest spark of hope that in the distance a strong South Africa lurks again.That may sound like an overly dramatic summation of the first ODI both these teams have played in more than six months, since the 2019 World Cup, and by the end of the week, it may be proved exactly that. After all, we’ve seen this kind of false dawn before. Just five weeks ago, when South Africa won the first Test against England, it seemed the involvement of former greats and the overhaul in the CSA offices was bringing swift and sweeping rewards. It was not to be. And it may not be this time either.England are resting two match-winners (Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler) and have a second-choice seam attack at their disposal, so perhaps South Africa cannot read too much into their record chase at Newlands. What the hosts can take from this is the renewed energy, evident in the 74 singles and 11 twos new captain Quinton de Kock and recalled batsman Temba Bavuma put on in their 173-run partnership, as well as the 20 overs Tabraiz Shamsi and Jon-Jon Smuts shared between them, which cost 81 runs and brought four wickets.ALSO READ: All-formats star van der Dussen shines for SAIn those two passages of play, South Africa caught a glimpse of what could become the foundation of their new-look 50-over side and it offers them something on which to build.Let’s start with de Kock, who began his captaincy tenure in the best way possible, by batting his team to a win, despite what history warned about chasing at Newlands. Only nine out of the 33 teams batting second in day-night games have been victorious but de Kock is not one to work with the past. Even that small part of de Kock’s character is noteworthy because South Africa have a habit of dwelling on what has been and it is partly to blame for their many major tournament blowouts. The next one is eight months’ time, and though de Kock is not the designated T20 captain, a replication of his attitude would not go amiss and could easily rub off on the many players in this squad who are likely to make the trip to Australia.Bavuma is bound to be one of them. Even when he was dropped from the Test side, there were hints that he would be considered in shorter formats, where he had not really been given enough opportunity before. Bavuma’s reputation as a player on the go-slow (not helped by a Test strike rate under 50) belies his natural aggression, which was on full display in 98 from 103 balls, including everything from the cute paddle sweep over his left shoulder to the uppercut pull into the stands. He was particularly strong against the short ball and his stability at the crease and command of the situation are all good signs for his white-ball future.In the praise that will come for de Kock and Bavuma, it must be remembered that they would have had a more daunting task if not for the work of Smuts, and especially Shamsi, with the ball. Smuts was brought on at first change in the eighth over after England got off to a solid start. In his second over, he had Jason Roy caught at long-on and his first spell off 1 for 15 in four overs pulled England back.

Imran Tahir’s retirement after the World Cup has set the stage for Shamsi to step-up, and in the first opportunity he got, he took it

Seeing the success pace off the ball was having, de Kock brought Shamsi on from the other end. He had Eoin Morgan sharply caught by Bavuma at the end of his first over and England had slipped to 83 for 4. In nine overs, the momentum of England’s innings shifted and then Shamsi seized it for South Africa. In a spell of eight overs, he showed good skill with his flight, line and consistency, rather than his variations. He was rewarded with two more wickets and ended as the standout bowler of the South Africa pack, a fine accomplishment for someone who was, just last week, attracting fitness concerns.Shamsi, along with Smuts, Lungi Ngidi and Sisanda Magala, was pulled from active cricket duty and deployed to a strength-and-conditioning camp. Over the course of three weeks, the quartet were put through intense drills, given nutrition advice and expected to lose weight and improve their bleep-test results. All of them did, Magala not enough to be considered for selection yet, but the other three showed the results in this game.Ngidi was slightly expensive in his seven overs but adapted well with cutters and slower balls. Smuts, who is diabetic and has struggled with his fitness in the past, played a sterling supporting role, the kind Shamsi had to get used to in the past, when Imran Tahir was first-choice. Tahir’s retirement from ODIs after the World Cup has set the stage for Shamsi to step-up, and in the first opportunity he got, he took it.That’s what South Africa want to see from the players they open the door to in this transition phase. Not all of them will win matches all of the time, which is to be expected, but their attitude and their intent will be what they are judged on. There’s no better person to look at than de Kock for a yardstick. Before this match, he bullishly said that he wants to embrace the treble responsibility of opening the batting, keeping wicket and captaining because it could bring out the best in him. It’s early days, yet, but de Kock may just be right. And if he is, that will really be exactly what South African cricket needs.

Part of the India side at the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, Zeeshan Ansari has had to fight for opportunities, till he got the platform he had been waiting for at IPL 2025

Daya Sagar25-Apr-2025This Eid, the at Mohammad Naeem Ansari’s house tasted sweeter than usual – just the evening before, his son Zeeshan Ansari played his first IPL match after waiting for long. He didn’t just make his IPL debut, he made it an occasion, with the wickets of three international batters: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis and KL Rahul.Soon, people from the neighbourhood started gathering outside Naeem’s small, half-built house in Chaudhary Tola in Lucknow. Even the ones that had taunted Naeem for Zeeshan “wasting his time” and “dreaming big”.The idea had struck Naeem in the early 2000s. Naeem was married, had children, and didn’t want them to do the same work – of running their tailor shop – his brothers and he did. He felt that if a child from the family did well in a sport, a government job could come with it, and that would help the family.Related

• Zampa's IPL ends due to shoulder injury

• 'Everything comes from practice' – Aniket Verma on six-hitting

In the late-2000s, Naeem got four children from his joint family enrolled in the Government Sports Academy not far from their house. That’s where Zeeshan learnt the basics of cricket and now, almost two decades on, has been Sunrisers Hyderabad’s primary spinner at IPL 2025, though not with the kind of success that debut had promised: he has picked up just two more wickets in five subsequent matches.Zeeshan started playing cricket at the age of four or five, like many kids in India do, on the streets around his house, but unlike most others, he was more interested in bowling than batting. Apparently, even at that early stage, Zeeshan tried to give the ball a rip.Gopal Singh, Zeeshan’s coach at the academy, tells ESPNcricinfo, “He came to me when he was 11 or 12 years old. Before that, he had gone to another academy in Chowk [an area in Lucknow] for a year, but that was a little far from his house. Even though his deliveries didn’t quite reach the batters, he used to bowl legspin from the very beginning.”Some children have a body language that suggests that they can become good players in the future. When Zeeshan used to train, run, and play cricket with a tennis ball, that quality was visible. However, it was only after two or three years of training that I was convinced he could become a good legspinner.”Zeeshan would wake up early and go to the academy, where he would catch hold of whichever batters he could and bowl at them throughout the day. When one batter got tired, another would be summoned, and this continued. It didn’t stop when he got home either. His uncle Gayas Ansari would bat for him in the lane adjacent to the house. Gayas had been given the responsibility of ferrying Zeeshan to and from the academy and playing with him at home. In exchange, Gayas – who played his share of tennis-ball cricket in his youth – didn’t have to spend as much time at the tailor’s shop as his brothers did.Naeem Ansari (extreme left) poses with members of the family in front of the old house Zeeshan is helping repair•Daya SagarIn 2014, when Zeeshan was 15 and had performed well at the club and district level, he was called for the Under-16 state (Uttar Pradesh) trials. He was not selected but, remarkably, got into the Under-19 and Under-23 teams the same season.At the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy in 2014-15, Zeeshan took 40 wickets – the highest – and at the Colonel CK Nayudu Under-23 tournament, he got 18 wickets, including three five-fors, at an average of 13.44.Zeeshan was rewarded immediately by being named in India’s 2016 Under-19 World Cup squad, led by Ishan Kishan. But, with spin-bowling allrounders like Washington Sundar, Mayank Dagar and Mahipal Lomror in the squad, Zeeshan got a chance to play only two matches.He got paid, though, and used it to repair the leaks in his house.After the World Cup, Zeeshan took 30 wickets, the most for Uttar Pradesh, in the CK Nayudu Trophy in 2016-17, and was selected for the Ranji Trophy the following year. Making his debut under Suresh Raina’s captaincy against Railways, Zeeshan returned twin three-fors, but his name was missing from the playing XI for the next match. He has only played five first-class matches so far for 17 wickets to go with one wicketless outing in T20s at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in February 2019.

“No matter how disappointed he was, he would be found at the ground the next morning for training. He is a fighter, and had no option. What would he have done if he had left cricket?”Gopal Singh, Zeeshan’s childhood coach, on the latter’s difficult times from 2017-20

“That was a bad phase. After playing for India in the World Cup, we thought that our good days had arrived; but it was not so,” Naeem tells ESPNcricinfo. “He was getting very few opportunities, while his team-mates like Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Khaleel Ahmed, Washington Sundar and Sarfaraz Khan have all played for India and also in the IPL. Along with him, we also felt dejected. However, we never asked him to quit cricket and he never gave up. He always said that the ones who were getting opportunities were better than him and that his chance would come.”Gopal adds, “He would cry at times. We would also get sad, but we motivated him. One of the best things about him was that no matter how disappointed he was, he would be found at the ground the next morning for training. He is a fighter, and had no option. What would he do if he had left cricket? His father also wanted him to play.”Zeeshan continued to play elsewhere, though, at the district and state level, in the corporate circuit with Indian Oil Corporation, and in Lucknow’s local A-division tournaments, where players like Akshdeep Nath, Vipraj Nigam and Mohammad Saif played with him. Apart from this, he also went to play in the Kolkata club circuit in 2023. Last year, Zeeshan also got an offer from Mizoram to play for them as a professional, but turned it down.Zeeshan Ansari hasn’t had much success after a three-wicket haul in his first match•BCCIThe turning point in Zeeshan’s life came when he won the Purple Cap with 24 wickets in the Uttar Pradesh Premier League in 2024, and his team Meerut Mavericks won the title. Multiple IPL franchises called him for trials. Eventually, Zeeshan was bought by SRH for INR 40 lakh in the big auction in late 2024, which Zeeshan’s father called “God’s miracle” – “Nobody gets anything before it’s time for it.”In IPL 2025, after Adam Zampa picked up an injury – and was later ruled out – Zeeshan became SRH’s frontline spinner despite the presence of Rahul Chahar in the squad and has continued to play despite not being among the wickets much.Zeeshan is on TV every other day and that pleases his 90-year-old grandmother, who does not know what her grandson is doing but smiles when she sees him in action.As for Naeem and his family, the ambitions aren’t too big, They don’t want to leave their old house and live in some upmarket colony. They just want Zeeshan to help get the rest of the house repaired, which he had started doing after the Under-19 World Cup.

Shohei Ohtani has been working his way back to the mound after not having pitched since his last season with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in September of that year, Ohtani was limited to serving as the designated hitter in his first season as a Los Angeles Dodger.

Well, it seems as if he could be toeing the rubber before too long, based on the latest update from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Ahead of Tuesday's game against the San Diego Padres, Roberts told reporters that there's a "north of zero" chance that Ohtani is able to return to pitching ahead of schedule, via Fabian Ardaya of .

The 30-year-old is currently expected to return to the mound after the All-Star break, but after throwing a few simulated innings on Tuesday, Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior were both impressed with his progress. While Roberts wouldn't commit to Ohtani coming back earlier than expected, he certainly did not rule it out, either.

Ohtani has been hitting leadoff and serving as L.A.'s designated hitter through the first 65 games of the 2025 season. He leads the National League with 23 home runs and a 1.015 OPS, and before long will add his Cy Young-caliber arm to a Dodgers rotation that's been plagued by injury this year.

The last time Ohtani pitched in 2023, he had a 3.14 ERA across 23 starts and struck out 167 batters over 132 innings on the mound.

The two spinners, from MP, claimed 16 wickets between them in the final and were “very difficult to play on this pitch”

Ashish Pant15-Sep-2025Rajat Patidar, the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy-winning captain, hailed the “great character” shown by Central Zone not just in the final but throughout the tournament. He particularly heaped praise on the two spinners, Kumar Kartikeya and Saransh Jain, who shared 16 wickets between them in the final as Central Zone won their first Duleep Trophy title since 2014-15 by defeating South Zone by six wickets.”They have played a lot of matches together, Kartikeya and Saransh [for Madhya Pradesh] and they have the skill and are very difficult to play on this pitch,” Patidar said after the game. “The track was really good to bat and our bowlers dominated and made it tough for the other team. That was a positive sign.”It’s been a flawless tournament for Central Zone, where they cruised through the quarter-final against North East Zone and the semi-final against West Zone, qualifying for the final by virtue of gaining first-innings leads. Then, in what had been a high-scoring tournament, Central Zone bowled first in the final and skittled South Zone for just 149, which paved the way for a comfortable win on the final day.Related

Jain keeps 'India logo on my jersey' dream going with another statement display

Rathod's 194, Jain's all-round show give Central Duleep title

“This wicket was slightly dry, and that is why we decided to bowl first,” Patidar said. “We wanted to bowl them out in the first innings as early as possible. That was our aim and it made the game easier.”We predicted that it would help the fast bowlers, but I wanted to give one spinner at least an over to see how the pitch is responding. I realised there was more help for the spinners rather than the fast bowlers.”L Balaji, the South Zone head coach, meanwhile, lamented the first-innings collapse and missing out on a few runs in the second as the major reasons behind his side’s disappointing performance. Chasing 65 on the final day, Central Zone lost three early wickets but despite the surface doing plenty of tricks, the chase was never going to be daunting.”The last day panned out to be bowler-friendly. Had we got more runs in the first innings or the second, had the partnership [between Ankit Sharma and C Andre Siddarth] been extended, it would have been a solid game,” Balaji said. “[A target of] 150 would have been an ideal kind of fourth-innings target for the bowling unit to fight hard.”Kumar Kartikeya kisses the Duleep Trophy silverware•PTI South Zone’s team combination for the final was also a talking point. They went with three fast bowlers and one spinner in a bid to extend their batting line-up. It backfired with the Central Zone spinners finding plenty of purchase through the game, and the lone South Zone spinner, Ankit, bagging six wickets without any spin support from the other end.”We played three seamers in the previous game and wanted to stick with pretty much the same combination,” Balaji said. “All the bowlers bowled their heart out. Had we won the toss, the third seamer would have come into play. But I felt the boys did well selection-wise. We were consistent when it comes to the combinations.”Balaji also agreed that some of the shots played by the batters in the first innings “were a little bit unnecessary” as South Zone collapsed. But he was confident the experience of playing a major final would keep the players in good stead.”There are a lot of ifs and buts,” he said. “Shot selection-wise, some shots we could have been a little bit restricted. But on the field, when they are instinctively playing, you just have to give them the freedom to play their shot. But it was okay. This is a young batting unit and they will learn from this.”Balaji was also impressed by Siddharth’s temperament in the second innings. The 19-year-old fell for just 12 in the first innings but ensured he made up in the second, scoring an unbeaten 84. He stitched a 192-run seventh-wicket stand with Ankit, keeping the Central Zone players waiting.”We were put under pressure and he came up with a solid knock which we required at that time,” Balaji said about Siddharth’s knock. “That partnership was needed, and yes, coming not out is very important as a cricketer. He will learn. On the way, he will definitely learn a lot from this exposure and from this experience. I am sure he has got the talent to go higher.”

Everton are reportedly pushing hard to complete the signing of Sevilla right-back Juanlu Sanchez, but there is more Premier League interest in him, too.

The 22-year-old is an exciting young talent who has already won an Olympic gold medal with Spain, winning a total of four caps for his country and hoping to be a part of their 2026 World Cup squad.

Juanlu emerged as a target for Wolves during the summer transfer window, with talks opening at one point and a move to Molineux potentially looking on the cards.

In the end, he rejected their advances, however, and decided to remain at Sevilla for the time being, continuing to be an influential player for the Spanish giants this season.

Juanlu has made 10 La Liga appearances in 2025/26 to date, assisting once in the competition, but it looks as though his long-term future may lie away from the club, with Everton seemingly in the mix to acquire his signature.

Everton applying "strong pressure" to sign Juanlu

According to Diario de Sevilla [via Sport Witness], Everton are putting “strong pressure” on to sign Juanlu from Sevilla, with Crystal Palace also in the same boat.

Sevilla’s financial issues could see them forced into selling the wide man, with as much as £17.6m possibly needed to prise him away from Spain.

Juanlu looks like such a shrewd target for Everton, with the Spain international possessing the versatility to add so much depth to David Moyes’ squad, being able to thrive on the wing and even in midfield alongside his natural right-back role.

Still only 22, his best years are ahead of him, with former manager Xavier Garcia Pimienta heaping praise on his qualities as a player in the past.

“He has played as an inside midfielder [before], we were short on space in midfield due to Saul’s [Niguez] suspension and [Albert Sambi] Lokonga’s injury. I spoke to him, I knew he could do well in that position. Juanlu has an incredible present and a better future.”

Related Aston Villa's move to sign James Garner amid new update on Everton future

The Villans have come forward to sign a new midfielder, with his future at the Hill Dickinson Stadium up in the air.

Posts ByDominic Lund Nov 17, 2025

The lure of Palace may be big, given their status as reigning FA Cup holders, but Everton are enjoying life in their sparkly new stadium, with Jack Grealish a big-name loan signing, and Juanlu will hopefully see them as the more exciting proposition.

Everton enter race to sign £88m South American "machine" with Newcastle

Runs from the in-form Emma Lamb and impressive bowling from wristspinners Hannah Baker and Millie Taylor saw Birmingham Phoenix to an 11-run win over Trent Rockets despite a defiant 64 from Nat Sciver-Brunt.Birmingham Phoenix posted 148 for 5 from their 100 balls, a fine half-century from Lamb (55 from 32) leading the way at the top of the order.Electing to bat first, Phoenix started slowly, reaching 16 for 0 from their first 15 balls. They were 36 for 0 after the 25-ball power play and by the halfway mark, in front of a growing Edgbaston crowd, the home side were 78 for 1, having lost Georgia Voll (19) bowled by Australia legspinner Alana King.Lamb brought up her half-century from 28 balls with eight boundaries, eventually falling with the score on 89, flat-batting Ash Gardner’s offspin into the hands of King at deep midwicket.Emma Lamb swings leg-side•Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images

In reply, economical bowling from the home side then stifled the Rockets’ run chase throughout, Ellyse Perry’s 20 balls conceding just 17 runs as the Phoenix captain led from the front.A lofted drive off Baker saw Sciver-Brunt reach 1,000 career runs in the Hundred, becoming the first woman or man to reach the milestone, reaching the landmark at an average of exactly 50.She brought up her half-century with a violent six off Em Arlott over midwicket and followed it up with a straight four to see the equation to 37 required from 15 balls. Another boundary off Megan Schutt’s final ball then made the equation 27 from 10 balls.Left-arm wrist-spinner Taylor (1 for 22) bowled the penultimate five, conceding just seven to leave 20 runs for Arlott to defend from the final set, and then pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at short fine-leg to see the back of Sciver-Brunt.Arlott finished with figures of 2 for 38 and Baker 2 for 18 from 15 balls as the Rockets closed on 137 for 6.

Aston Villa are keen to climb the Premier League table after a mixed start to the campaign and could now turn to a veteran midfielder once the January window opens.

Aston Villa turn focus to Premier League after Go Ahead Eagles loss

Ultimately, the Villans’ 2-1 loss to Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday night won’t be a result that Unai Emery is too keen to revisit, albeit he will hope it was a blip rather than a sign of things to come.

Providing an honest reflection after the match, club captain John McGinn shared his frustration that the Deventer-based club were given ‘life from nowhere’ to find their way back into the match, which ultimately led to their downfall.

He said: “When you give a team that is really passionate and up for it at home — they’ve not played in Europe for a while — and you give them some motivation and a bit of life, you get punished. Tonight, we gave them life from nowhere, and that’s why we have been beaten.”

Learning harsh lessons, Aston Villa found out the hard way that there are no easy matches in Europe. Still, they are among the favourites to win the competition and could be helped by bringing Real Madrid forward Endrick to the club in January if they can win the battle for his signature.

Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia may also come in to compete within Aston Villa’s forward line, potentially offering an alternative in attack to Ollie Watkins.

Related Aston Villa now keen on signing "spectacular" £53m Champions League striker

The Villans are looking to bring in a new centre-forward, who is now considering working under Unai Emery.

Posts ByDominic Lund Oct 22, 2025

Nevertheless, Emery appears to have the engine room on his mind once the mid-season transfer period comes around and may now have identified his preferred candidate to offer strength in the middle of the park.

Aston Villa eyeing move for Man City star Mateo Kovacic

According to CaughtOffside, Aston Villa are keen to sign Manchester City star Mateo Kovacic and may be able to land the Croatia international for a knockdown fee due to his contract situation.

The report states that ‘there are no talks ongoing over a new contract’ for the ex-Chelsea star at the Etihad Stadium, and Pep Guardiola may opt to cash in during the mid-season window with AC Milan, West Ham United, Villarreal and Real Betis all in the hunt for his signature.

Five similar players to Mateo Kovacic (FBRef)

Vitinha

Paris Saint-Germain

Pierre Hojbjerg

Marseille

Luka Modric

Real Madrid

Nicolo Rovella

Lazio

Patrick Berg

Bodo/Glimt

Earning £150,000 per week in Manchester, Kovacic will be out of contract at his current employers in the summer of 2027, and he is now said to be surplus to requirements after featuring in only four minutes of Premier League football this term.

While he is unlikely to be a long-term midfield solution, he could potentially be an intelligent pickup for Aston Villa as they aim to climb the table and make strides in the Europa League.

Jayden Meghoma believes sticking together is the only way for Rangers to navigate through troubled waters at the Ibrox club.

Under-fire head coach Russell Martin again faced the wrath of the Gers fans following the 1-0 home defeat to Genk in their Europa League opener on Thursday night.

The former Southampton boss has won only four of 14 games since taking over in the summer with the Light Blues second bottom of the William Hill Premiership table and knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers with a humiliating 9-1 aggregate defeat by another Belgian outfit, Club Brugge.

Meghoma, the 19-year-old left-back signed on loan from Brentford, is looking to bounce back against Livingston in West Lothian on Sunday and, asked if the players are supporting each other through a testing period at the club, he said: “Of course, you have to.

Meghoma: Rangers must stick together

“As a team, we have to be together. It’s the only way to get through a tough time like this. I’m enjoying it, but at the same time, I’m always focused on the next game.

“As a team, as a whole, we do need to focus on what we can do together. We’re always attempting to win the game and that’s what we have to do against Livingston.

“Every game has its different challenges and poses a different threat. We know we’re coming up against them and we’re ready for it.

“Like I said, focus on the next game and making sure that we win for this club because it’s a massive club and we should be doing better for this club.”

Livingston boss David Martindale has told his newly-promoted team they need to adapt quickly to the demands of the Premiership after conceding stoppage-time winners in two of their last three matches against Hearts and Dundee.

“If we had got the two points from those games we would have been sitting third on the table last Saturday night, but that’s the unforgiving nature of the Premiership,” said the manager.

Fabrizio Romano shares what he's heard from Rangers on Martin's Ibrox future

The Gers fell to yet another defeat in midweek…

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 27, 2025

“That’s the fine margins at this level and I feel as a group, we need to understand that very, very quickly. If we play like we did against Dundee in the Championship last year, we’d have probably won 2- or 3-0. It’s just different levels, different players and the unforgiving nature of the Premiership.”

Despite winning only one of their six top-flight matches so far, Martindale sees no reason why his side should be wary of facing Rangers on Sunday.

“We’ll just treat it like any other game, really,” he said. “If we were going away to Ibrox we’d potentially approach the game slightly different, but we’re at home and I think we’ve got to kind of stick to how we want to play.

“I don’t want to play here and shut up shop. I want to stick to as many of the principles that we’re trying to force into the players this year, so we want to go and try and get the three points.”

Mexican Football Federation president Mikel Arriola says El Tri are aiming to face Portugal in the long-awaited reopening of Estadio Azteca, with only a few technical details left to finalize. He also confirmed plans to take the national team to Central America as part of its 2026 World Cup preparations. Mexico have already faced opponents from Asia and South America in their buildup.

Getty Images SportPortugal matchup only pending final details

According to Arriola, the agreement with Portugal is close, and the FMF President insisted the chances of seeing Cristiano Ronaldo on the field are high. 

“Most likely, it will be Portugal. We’re just working out the final details, but I’d say it’s practically done. I see Cristiano as a player who always wants to compete, and that’s part of the deal. If he’s fit, he’ll play,” Arriola said. 

AdvertisementAFP'The plan is to schedule ‘Triple-A’ matches'

Arriola also explained that head coach Javier Aguirre has requested to play upcoming friendlies in Central America early next year.

 “Javier asked us to go to Central America – to play away, to face tough environments, both from rival teams and from fans, with challenging travel, hotels, and even serenades outside the rooms. That’s the kind of experience he wants for the players, and that’s what we’re working on,” he said.

Facing top-level opponents remains a core part of Mexico’s strategic plan toward the 2026 World Cup. 

“The plan is to schedule ‘Triple-A’ matches. We’ve already played against Japan and other Asian teams, and we’re finalizing four more games against South American opposition. Javier is identifying the right player profiles, and our goal is to maximize results,” he said. 

Getty Images SportArriola expresses full support for Aguirre

Despite recent criticism of the team’s performances, Arriola voiced his full support for Aguirre’s project. 

“What’s Javier doing? He’s searching – looking for the right profiles. He’s analyzing which players respond well to different circumstances. There’s now a strong sense of unity between the federation, the coaching staff, and the players, all focused on making sure Mexico has a great World Cup,” he said.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFP'Roughly double what any other national team will get'

The FMF’s preparation plan is one of the most ambitious in recent memory, with Mexico expected to play around 15 friendly matches in total – twice as many as most national teams will have before 2026. 

“Our commitment is to make the most of every opportunity. Including the matches we’ve already played, we’ll reach about 15 friendlies, which is roughly double what any other national team will get. Plus, with clubs agreeing to release players earlier, we’ll have around five to six full weeks to work with the squad before the tournament,” Arriola said.