Category Uncategorized

Aston Villa sporting director Monchi has held talks over a move for a £10m+ player this week, according to a new update.

Villa transfer rumours heat up as Emery pushes for Champions League football

Unai Emery and his Villa side still have so much to play for between now and the end of the season as they look to qualify for the Champions League once again.

They put in an incredible second-leg display against Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals earlier this month, winning 3-2 at Villa Park, however, they were knocked out 5-4 on aggregate. Villa also have the chance to win silverware in the FA Cup, with a semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley this weekend.

Romano: Aston Villa star club are "happy" with could leave for right offer

He’s future at Villa Park isn’t guaranteed.

ByBarney Lane Apr 22, 2025

It promises to be a dramatic end to the campaign, and talking about Villa’s plans to get into Europe once more, Emery spoke after Villa’s Champions League exit.

“It is now most important to get Europe again. The most important competition is the Champions League. The challenge we have for the last six matches is to try and get Europe and the Champions League. The players showed their capacity to compete at this level. Hopefully we can come back quickly to play in the Champions League. This is our objective and to play in the FA Cup as well for a trophy.”

Should Villa qualify for the Champions League, it could help Monchi when it comes to summer signings. One of those heavily linked with a move to Midlands has been Rosenborg star Sverre Nypan. There have been claims that Villa have made an offer to sign Nypan in a deal that could be worth up to £12.5m, with Fabrizio Romano adding that the Villans are looking to win the race for the in-demand teenager.

Now, a new update has emerged on Aston Villa’s pursuit of Nypan.

Monchi holds new Aston Villa talks to sign Nypan

According to reports in Norway, relayed by Sport Witness, Monchi was spotted in Norway watching Nypan in a 2-0 win for Rosenborg over Valerenga.

Monchi and scout Alberto Benito held talks with Nypan’s father before the match to discuss terms of a transfer, however, the Villa chief refused to comment when quizzed by newspaper Nettavisen at the hotel where he was staying.

Further developments are expected in the coming days or weeks when it comes to Villa’s move for Nypan, and by the looks of things, Villa could be getting a future star who is being likened to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.

Games

63

Goals

14

Assists

11

Norwegian football expert Jesper Mathisen said last year: “Sverre Nypan is extremely exciting. I get a bit of the same feeling as when I saw Martin Odegaard break through as a boy.”

Vote for the best individual Border-Gavaskar Trophy performance by an Indian in Australia since 2000

Alagappan Muthu12-Nov-2024Update: The fan voting exercise has ended. Rahul Dravid’s Adelaide 2003 performance has been picked as the winner.ESPNcricinfo LtdRahul Dravid celebrates a famous win at Adelaide Oval in 2003•AFP via Getty ImagesRahul Dravid – 233 and 72* in Adelaide, 2003India win by four wickets, lead series 1-0Long before Rahul Dravid was immortalised for revealing that he too had the ability to yell his head off, he was immortalised for having the ability to yell his head off and also punch the air. The image of him doing so as he hit the winning runs in Adelaide almost 20 years ago is part of Indian cricket history. It was only the fourth time they had ever won a Test match in Australia – and their first victory since 1981 – and they had to come from behind to do it. From way behind, 556 runs to be exact. But Dravid kept whittling away at it, wearing Australia down not once but twice. Finally, after 12 and a half hours at the crease, scoring more runs than he has ever done or will ever do in a single Test, it made perfect sense that he would be there at the end, soaking in the Adelaide sunshine, teeth gritted, arms up high, the personification of triumph.Dravid’s heroics in that match gave India a 1-0 lead, in a series they went on to draw in Australia for the first time since 1985.Round of 16: Dravid’s 233 & 72* beat R Ashwin’s 3-57 & 3-92.Quarter-final: Dravid’s 233 & 72* beat Sachin Tendulkar’s 241* & 60*.Semi-final: Dravid’s 233 & 72* beat Jasprit Bumrah’s 6-33 & 3-53.Watch the highlights of these performances on the Star Sports network at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm IST, from November 12 onwards.Rishabh Pant – 89* in Brisbane, 2021India won by three wickets, and the series 2-1All the things that didn’t make sense on this tour – India all out for 36, their three jillion injuries, the hassle of cricket in quarantine – found meaning when Rishabh Pant began to play the innings of a lifetime. He was 23 and he helped obliterate a record that had stood for way longer than he’d been alive. Australia’s undefeated streak in Brisbane was 32 years old when it was finally laid to rest. “This is one of the biggest things in my life right now,” Pant said after a performance that proved just how dangerous a batter he could be when he adopts even the smallest bit of restraint.Chasing 328 at the Gabba – 324 on the final day – India still needed 161 runs with about 43 overs to go when Pant walked in at No. 5. He got going, and kept going, even as wickets fell and the overs ticked by. Eventually, with only minutes left on the clock, he lashed Josh Hazlewood down the ground to accomplish one of the greatest series wins in Test history.Round of 16: Pant’s 89* beat Ajit Agarkar’s 6-41.Quarter-final: Pant’s 89* beat VVS Laxman’s 167.Semi-final: Pant’s 89* beat Virat Kohli’s 115 & 141.Voting closes at 11am IST on November 17. The winner of this match-up will be decided by the total votes cast on polls conducted across ESPNcricinfo, Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar platforms.

Saurashtra captain elaborates on what has gone into the makings of his team’s white-ball revolution

Shashank Kishore01-Dec-2022″We’ve earned our right to be in the final,” a chuffed Jaydev Unadkat says after a rigorous gym session that has kept him busy all afternoon in Ahmedabad. A day out from Saurashtra’s second Vijay Hazare final, Unadkat still has one final team meeting over . He wants to simply remind his players that beating Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, two white-ball giants in domestic cricket, is a good enough endorsement of their credentials as “one of the best white-ball teams in India” currently. Looking ahead to the final, Unadkat, who is the joint-highest wicket-taker this season with 18 scalps, elaborated on what has gone into the makings of Saurashtra’s white-ball revolution.There was a time when making the knockouts seemed big. Now, Saurashtra are consistently making the finals. What has changed?
I think it’s got to do a lot with the overall culture we’ve been able to develop. In 2018-19, we decided it was important to rework our white-ball template. We’d been pretty successful for nearly a decade in Ranji Trophy [Saurashtra made three finals], but we weren’t up to the mark in the shorter formats. With the bat, we lacked that fearlessness. We lacked a bit of X-factor in the bowling. On the field, we weren’t the fittest and you could see it. We didn’t have a full-time fitness trainer until the start of this year.So we identified issues we wanted to work on, and the changes we wanted to incorporate for a while is bearing results now, from last year especially. The good thing about our team is if we decide something, the guys are ready to pounce on ideas and go with the flow. We’re just a close group of 13-14 individuals who keep playing continuously. Our depth isn’t massive, so continuity has helped. This [season] is in many ways has been a reflection of the brand of cricket we’ve wanted to play.Related

• Jackson and Jani play starring roles as Saurashtra win Vijay Hazare Trophy

• Maharashtra to take on Saurashtra in Vijay Hazare Trophy final

• Saurashtra's fantastic bowling vs Maharashtra's marauding batting

You spoke of not having the X factor. How have you developed this?
We weren’t a side that got a lot of early breakthroughs, but over the last two seasons or so we’ve been able to. Having Chetan Sakariya has helped me as well, we’ve been able to create pressure from both ends. Dharmendra [Jadeja], Prerak [Mankad] and Chirag [Jani] have become better white-ball bowlers in terms of taking wickets in the middle overs. The roles have become clearer.With the bat, we had to be fearless. Our batters were restricting themselves from going all out and playing shots, which at the moment is needed in white-ball cricket. You have to take chances in the powerplay; even in the middle overs with five fielders in, you have to take your chances. We didn’t have the mindset to be free, and when batters didn’t succeed with the shots in trying to be adventurous, we didn’t blame them because once you do that, it starts playing on our mind. We controlled that and gave them the room they needed to play shots. That has worked and has become our X-factor now.

“I love playing with this bunch and when you’re looking for the team’s success over individual milestones, that becomes a motivation in itself”Jaydev Unadkat

A lot of teams struggle to have one seam-bowling allrounder. You have two in Prerak Mankad and Chirag Jani, maybe three if you include yourself.
If you see, the way they’ve been able to keep up the pressure after Chetan and I finish has helped. In the semi-final also, if it wasn’t for them, Karnataka may have had a window where they could’ve broken the shackles. It didn’t happen. With the bat too, Prerak comes in at [No.] 5-6, Chirag at 6-7 and they get important runs. With me at 8, they have the freedom and flexibility. The three of us have been able to give the top-order batters the cushion to play freely. They know if they aren’t there for the last 10 overs, we’ve still got capable batters who can hit the long ball in the death overs. That’s given some security in the batting line-up. It’s the allrounders who’ve been providing the balance in this team.You speak of cushion and being flexible. You implemented it by having Sheldon Jackson open. Was that tactical?
Yes, absolutely. Once Cheteshwar [Pujara] went to prepare for the Bangladesh Tests, we thought we needed someone experienced in the top three. With games starting at 9[am] and the ball moving around, you need someone who has that experience. I thought having three young guys at the top would’ve left us vulnerable. We wanted to ensure they can play their game and have the experienced players absorb any pressure there may be. Sheldon had done the job earlier as well, so there were no second thoughts.Tell us about the youngsters coming through. Is the talent pool growing?
The Saurashtra Premier League has been a massive boost. It has helped players play competitive games with the state players and also helped develop game sense. It’s made players less nervous. It has helped prepare them. Someone like Jay Gohil, who just made his List A debut in the quarter-finals. He was fearless, applied himself properly, [and] wasn’t rushed, exuded composure. He looked anything but nervous. Someone like Tarang Gohel, who made his T20 debut for us this year – he also looked fearless. There are a couple of others in the Under-19s and Under-23s who are in my sights, and they too will get their chances soon. We’ve tried to ensure the culture we’ve built at the top is able to trickle down to the age-group levels as well. I see us being a formidable force across formats for a long period of time. That’s always been the goal.Was there a game where you felt the team really turned a corner during this campaign?
In the game against Gujarat in Delhi, we were three down in the first six overs. From there, the way we were able to build an innings on a surface that was doing quite a lot showed our character. That gave us a lot of confidence. It’s not about conditions or about us struggling if the top order doesn’t fire. We have guys who can stand up for the team and deliver at different times. Essentially, we’ve tried to develop a mindset where we aren’t reliant on toss and luck.Let us talk about you. Season after season, you pick wickets but get snubbed when it comes to India selection, or maybe even India A selection. How have you channeled that hurt into this relentless pursuit of excellence with Saurashtra?
The love for Saurashtra keeps me going. Since being captain, I’ve developed this mindset of attachment with the team, not that it wasn’t there earlier. I love playing with this bunch and when you’re looking for the team’s success over individual milestones, that becomes a motivation in itself. Yes, I do look to give my fullest because I know that if I don’t lead from the front, it won’t set the tone. I do look at my individual performances, but from a way that it takes the team through, not in a way where I think if it will help me get selected for India or India A. At the end of the day, that’s the space you want be in and I’m happily trying to help the team win as many games as possible. If you love the way you play the game, all other things will fall in place. I love this space and the mindset I’m currently in and don’t want to change that for anything. But the hunger and fire to play and perform for the country is still burning bright.

Trio hasn’t played long-form cricket since March, and weren’t included in the XI for the second T20I either

Sidharth Monga06-Dec-2020T20I > Test warm-upTouring teams often complain these days that they hardly get decent opposition during tour games, which makes them less preferable to intense training sessions within the team. This Australia A side, though, was way better than just decent. It included Test captain Tim Paine, regulars Travis Head and Joe Burns, squad members James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Michael Neser and Cameron Green, and also Jackson Bird, good enough to walk into this Indian side as the third seamer.However, India chose not to release any of the Test players in their T20I squad though none of them has played multi-days cricket since March. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mayank Agarwal didn’t even feature in the second T20I at the SCG. It is not like they were overworked: Agarwal and one out of Bumrah and Shami had missed each of India’s last two limited-overs internationals.Navdeep Saini, who had two disappointing ODIs before being dropped, could have used this opportunity to stake a claim for the format experts feel he is best suited to, especially at a time when India are scrambling for a third seamer in Ishant Sharma’s absence.Not sparing KL Rahul is understandable with an international series there for the taking, but could India have given one or two of the other Test regulars game time instead of them just sitting and watching a T20 international?Prithvi Shaw started his Australia tour with a duck•Getty ImagesDucks for both openersThough it is assumed that Agarwal is a lock in the opening role, there are question marks over who his partner will be. The incumbent Prithvi Shaw has had an ordinary year throughout, although that included only three first-class matches before this one. His IPL form might be in a completely different format, but he now has four ducks in his last seven innings. More than just the score though, what will worry India is the shot he played to get out today: a nothing push to a wide delivery, which even when middled wouldn’t have fetched a run. That is nothing but a recipe for disaster against the new ball in Australia.His competitor by the looks of it, Shubman Gill, faced only one delivery which seamed back in to take a healthy inside edge onto the pad only to be ballooned for a catch to slip. It wasn’t what anyone would call a bad shot, but he didn’t bat long enough to see what kind of form he is in. In theory, there are three more innings left before the first Test for both Shaw and Gill to impress the team management.Hanuma Vihari ahead of RahaneRahane will – by virtue of being appointed vice-captain – lead India once regular captain Virat Kohli leaves for paternity leave after the first Test. That makes his form further more important after starting his last few series with a question mark over his place in the side. He began nervously, playing and missing and even edging the medium-pacer Mark Steketee, but got into his work even as wickets fell at the other end. Whenever he got the opportunity, he transferred the pressure back by punishing every loose ball. The short delivery asked a few questions of him even when he was set, but overall the unbeaten 108 will lend him good confidence going into the Tests.However, there was another possible pointer: he didn’t promote himself to No. 4 in Kohli’s absence. Usually you see batsmen go one position up when someone is missing, but the Indians instead promoted Vihari for this game. Possibly Rahane is comfortable with his No. 5 spot with Vihari moving above him once Kohli leaves, leaving the No. 6 for one of Gill, Rahul or even Rohit Sharma to grab.Leg gully for PujaraAustralia’s Test captain Paine would have started getting déjà vu of the disconcerting sight of Pujara’s backside as he got into his usual attempt to grind out the bowling: 167 balls for his 69. However, this time there were slightly funky fields in place to test out certain plans: leg gully at first followed by silly mid-on later. Then something rare happened: a well-set Pujara fell against an Australian side without maximising the start when Pattinson had him gloving a short ball to leg gully. The short ball did trouble Pujara in New Zealand, but that is a side equipped with an attack – thanks to left-armer Neil Wagner – that can bother nearly anyone with the short ball. Do watch out, though, for the leg gully if Pujara gets in during the Tests.Travis Head celebrates a wicket•Getty ImagesWriddhiman Saha preferred to Rishabh PantPant has been India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in overseas Tests for his batting ability as well as because teams don’t need the purest of wicketkeeping on pitches that don’t turn. However, India chose to go with Saha in the tour game. This could change by the time the first Test arrives, though tour games have often been good indicators of what India intend to do in Tests. In New Zealand, for example, Pant batted ahead of Saha.Be that as it may, Saha managed just a duck here, thanks to what seemed a dubious lbw call to an offspinner from around the wicket as the ball might have pitched outside leg.Pattinson stakes a claimEither through injury or due to plenty of fast-bowling riches, Pattinson having played only 21 matches so far is a loss to Test cricket. Among those who have taken at least 80 Test wickets, Pattinson’s strike rate of 48.9 is No. 16. It is just that two men ahead of him are also part of the current Australian attack: Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. However, Starc has taken leave to tend to an illness in family and has not been in great form in the internationals so far this summer. If Starc doesn’t make it to Adelaide, Pattinson has made a right claim to that spot with a three-for, including the wicket of a well-set Pujara.Head captains PaineIt is interesting that Australia’s Test captain Paine was on the field but was led by Head. An equivalent of that would be Vihari leading Kohli in a match. There is already talk of Australia grooming Head for a possible leadership role in the future, but in the here and the now, at some point in the series, Head and Matthew Wade might come under pressure from Green to even keep that middle-order position.Green is a bowler who gets disconcerting bounce not much unlike Kyle Jamieson, who troubled India earlier in the year in New Zealand. However, Green’s bowling workload is being micro-managed: spells no longer than four overs, not more than eight overs in a day. And Head himself made an audition for the role of a part-time – and the only – spinner in the Australia A XI today, bringing himself on to relieve the fast bowlers and even ending up with the wickets of Saha and Kuldeep Yadav.

Things are starting to look a little more positive for West Ham United at the moment.

Granted, they lost their last game and currently sit in the Premier League relegation zone, but the performances under Nuno Espírito Santo have been far better.

Moreover, the club would not have fought back so valiantly for a point against Everton under Graham Potter.

However, there is still plenty the manager needs to do, such as phasing out an international ace in the same way he did James Ward-Prowse.

Why Ward-Prowse's West Ham career is over

It might seem a little over the top to say that a player’s time is up at a club when there are two years left to run on his contract.

Chalkboard

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

However, the unfortunate reality for Ward-Prowse is that, if he wants to play regular football at any point over the next two seasons, he needs to leave West Ham, as it’s clear he won’t be doing that under Nuno.

After all, the Portuguese coach’s first action after taking the job was to leave him out of the squad entirely for the game against Everton and then do the same again for last weekend’s game against Arsenal.

It might sound harsh, and maybe it is a little, but it’s also not much of a surprise, as after joining Nottingham Forest on loan at the start of last season, the manager did the same to him there, so much so that his loan was cut short.

It’s hard to blame the manager too much, either, as while he’s a talented player with an impressive CV, the former Southampton captain has been well below par for the Hammers.

For example, in Potter’s final game, against Crystal Palace, he somehow managed to lose the ball 14 times, lost eight of nine duels, misplaced four of five crosses and committed three fouls.

At the end of the day, it would be best for all parties if Ward-Prowse left the club in January, which could be said about another West Ham star who has been a big disappointment since joining the club.

The West Ham star who should be on borrowed time

While you could make the case for other West Ham players, such as Konstantinos Mavropanos, receiving the Ward-Prowse treatment, the international in question is Niclas Füllkrug.

There was quite a bit of hope when the German joined the club last summer, as he was coming off a season in which he scored 15 goals and provided ten assists in 43 appearances for Borussia Dortmund.

Moreover, he had just played in the Euros for Germany, so while nobody expected Erling Haaland numbers, they did expect a reliable if unspectacular striker.

Unfortunately, the Hammers got the latter without the former, and as things stand today, it’s hard to see where his next goal comes from.

For example, in 27 games for the East Londoners, totalling 1262 minutes, the 32-year-old has scored just three goals and provided two assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 5.4 games, or every 252.4 minutes.

Worse still, all five of his goal involvements for the club came last season, with him drawing a blank in all eight appearances this season.

With numbers like this, and performances like the one he put in against Everton, in which he lost the ball nine times, lost 50% of his ground duels and ten of his 14 aerial duels, it’s easy to understand why Gabby Agbonlahor said he’s “not a good enough player” to represent the Irons.

Therefore, Nuno should take him out of the team entirely now and either play the slightly less poor Callum Wilson, or be bold and go with Callum Marshall or Josh Landers.

Ultimately, Füllkrug clearly isn’t good enough to play in the Premier League, so he should be sold as soon as possible during the winter window.

West Ham ace who's "pure joy to watch" could become Nuno's new Gibbs-White

The international star could be the secret to helping Nuno get more out of West Ham this season.

2

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 10, 2025

برزت أسماء زين الدين زيدان ويورجن كلوب وجوزيه مورينيو منذ الموسم الماضي لتدريب ريال مدريد عندما لم تسر الأمور على ما يرام مع المدرب السابق كارلو أنشيلوتي.

وارتبط زين الدين زيدان بتدريب ريال مدريد لتاريخه الرائع مع النادي والثاني بسبب سمعته ونجاحاته مع ليفربول وبوروسيا دورتموند بينما يملك البرتغالي ذكريات عالقة في أذهان البعض خلال فترة وجوده في برنابيو.

وأفادت صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية أن هذه الأسماء عادت للأذهان مرة أخرى للتعاقد مع أحدهم وخلافة تشابي ألونسو، لكن لا يعد أياً من هذه الخيارات واقعية لتدريب ريال مدريد لأسباب مختلفة.

وانتظر زيدان طوال سنوات الفرصة لتدريب منتخب فرنسا، ومن المتوقع أن يحصل عليها فور انتهاء كأس العالم 2026 ليكون خلفاً لديدييه ديشامب، وكانت علاقته مع ريال مدريد قد عادت لسابق عهدها بعد فترة من التوتر عقب رحيله عن تدريبه بعد موسم 2020-2021.

أقرأ أيضاً.. موعد مباراة ريال مدريد وتالافيرا في كأس ملك إسبانيا

بينما يستمتع يورجن كلوب بوظيفته بعيداً عن التدريب ويتقاضى ما يكفيه من المال، حيث يتولى منصب المدير الرياضي لمجموعة ريد بول ولا يرغب في تغيير حياته ولا يشعر بالرغبة في العودة لتدريب أي فريق.

أما عن جوزيه مورينيو والذي تربطه أفضل علاقة مع فلورنتينو بيريز وبعض أعضاء مجلس إدارة ريال مدريد ولا تعد مهنية بل علاقة صداقة، لكن البرتغالي استبعد أي احتمال للعودة مرة أخرى.

ويعد الشيء الوحيد المؤكد في الوقت الحالي أن تشابي ألونسو هو مدرب ريال مدريد، ومن المتوقع أن يستمر حتى يناير ما لم تحدث أي تطورات حرجة.

أكدت مصادر داخل الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، أن اتصالات جرت مؤخرًا بين مجلس الإدارة برئاسة هاني أبو ريدة والجهاز الفني لمنتخب مصر الأول بقيادة حسام حسن، وذلك قبل انطلاق منافسات كأس أمم إفريقيا المقبلة.

وجاءت هذه التحركات في ظل تداول أنباء خلال الفترة الماضية حول إمكانية إجراء تغييرات فنية داخل الجهاز قبل بطولة أمم إفريقيا.

وعلم بطولات، أن الاتحاد حرص على التواصل المباشر مع حسام وإبراهيم حسن للتأكيد على تجديد الثقة ودعم مسار الجهاز الفني في المرحلة الحالية.

طالع أيضًا | مفاجأة.. لاعب الزمالك ضمن قائمة منتخب مصر الأولية لأمم إفريقيا

ومن المنتظر عقد جلسة رسمية خلال الأيام المقبلة تجمع رئيس الاتحاد والجهاز الفني بقيادة حسام حسن، في خطوة تهدف إلى إظهار الدعم المؤسسي لمنتخب مصر أمام الإعلام قبل بدء الاستعدادات الأخيرة للبطولة.

يُذكر أن كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 ستُقام في المغرب خلال الفترة من 21 ديسمبر 2025 إلى 18 يناير 2026، بمشاركة 24 منتخبًا موزعين على 6 مجموعات، ويتواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الثانية إلى جانب زيمبابوي وجنوب إفريقيا وأنجولا.

New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor can add third base coach to his résumé later Thursday night.

With two on and two outs in the second inning of the Mets' series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Lindor rapped a single to right field. Brett Baty easily scored from second base, but to get Tyrone Taylor across home plate from first, Lindor had to get a bit creative.

Lindor bolted for second base once right fielder Jordan Walker fired the ball home. When the throw was cut off by first baseman Willson Contreras, Lindor found himself in a rundown.

Caught in the middle of the baseline, Lindor stopped in his tracks to force Contreras to run at him. He then signaled across the diamond to Taylor, who was near third base, to head home.

Disaster struck for St. Louis. Contreras had his back to home plate as he chased down Lindor, and by the time he threw the baseball to shortstop Brendan Donovan, Taylor was sliding into home plate. Lindor was tagged out for the final out—but after Taylor crossed home, so both runs counted.

Now that's a heads-up play.

Lindor and the Mets entered Thursday's game with an 11-7 record, good for first place in the NL East.

أعلن روبرتو مارتينيز، مدرب منتخب البرتغال عن تشكيل فريقه لمواجهة أرمينيا مساء اليوم، الأحد، في تصفيات أوروبا المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026.

ويخوض منتخب البرتغال مباراته الأخيرة في إطار تصفيات قارة أوروبا المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم2026 ضد منتخب أرمينيا، حيث يستضيف خصمه على ملعب “دراجاو”.

المنتخب البرتغالي يحتل صدارة المجموعة السادسة برصيد 10 نقاط، في حين أن أرمينيا تملك 3 نقاط في المركز الرابع والأخير بالمجموعة.

ويحتاج منتخب البرتغال للفوز من أجل ضمان التأهل المباشر للمونديال، وذلك بغض النظر عن نتيجة مباراة المجر وأيرلندا في الجولة ذاتها.

ويفتقد منتخب البرتغال خدمات قائده كريستيانو رونالدو، والذي يغيب عن المباراة، بعدما تحصل على بطاقة حمراء، يوم الخميس الماضي، في المباراة ضد أيرلندا.

اقرأ أيضًا | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة البرتغال وأرمينيا اليوم في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.. والمعلق تشكيل البرتغال أمام أرمينيا اليوم

حراسة المرمى: ديوجو كوستا.

خط الدفاع: جواو كانسيلو، روبن دياز، ريناتو فيجا، نيلسون سيميدو.

خط الوسط: فيتينيا، برناردو سيلفا، جواو نيفيز.

خط الهجوم: رفائيل لياو، جونزالو راموس، برونو فرنانديز.

البدلاء: خوسيه سا، روي سيلفا، أنطونيو سيلفا، ديوجو دالوت، جواو بالينيا، كارلوس فوربس، جواو فيليكس، روبن نيفيز، فرانسيسكو كونسيساو، ماتيوس نونيز، فرانسيسكو ترينكاو، جونزالو إيناسيو.

With confirmation that Jasprit Bumrah will play the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, India’s team combination following their injury crisis after the Lord’s fixture is falling into place.”So far, we only know that Jassi [Bumrah] will play,” Mohammed Siraj said in Manchester on Monday when asked about India’s pace attack, which looked likely to be disrupted with injuries to Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh.Apart from Bumrah’s availability, the other good news for India two days before the Test was that Rishabh Pant, who had suffered a finger injury at Lord’s, came through a training session that lasted over two hours. India are still sweating on Akash Deep’s groin niggle and will give him time to recover.Related

• High intensity, low reward, big impact – the Mohammed Siraj spellbook

• The magician's wrist: how Bumrah does what he does

• Is worrying about over rates… overrated?

• Knee injury rules Nitish Reddy out of England tour

With allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who played the second and third Tests and impressed at Lord’s as the fourth seamer, now ruled out of the series with injury, specialist batter Sai Sudharsan is likely to return to the XI. Sudharsan had played the first Test at Headingley and made scores of 0 and 30 but was left out for offspinning allrounder Washington Sundar at Edgbaston and Lord’s. If Sudharsan returns, India could replace Washington with Shardul Thakur if the conditions warrant a fourth seamer instead of a second spinner.Akash Deep’s fitness remains the big question. He bowled at the training session on Monday, but only into bowling coach Morne Morkel’s mitt. The medical staff and decision-makers will monitor him over the next two days to decide if he is fit and can last the duration of a Test match. There could be temptation to rest him if Bumrah plays at Old Trafford but misses the fifth Test at The Oval, which starts three days after the fourth Test ends.While this will be the third of the three Tests that Bumrah planned to play in this five-match series due to workload management, there is a chance the Manchester weather might reduce the strain on him. As things stand, the forecast is for light showers on the first two days and the fifth day at Old Trafford. If the series is alive at The Oval, don’t rule out Bumrah playing a fourth Test.If Akash isn’t fit to play at Old Trafford, the third fast bowler will be one of Prasidh Krishna, who played the first two Tests, or the uncapped Anshul Kamboj, who was brought in as cover. Prasidh’s average of 55.16 and economy of 5.33 in the series might suggest a lack of control, but in the first two Tests he was asked by the team to bowl spells of sustained short-pitched bowling, which brought him two wickets at Headingley but went for runs at Edgbaston.If Kamboj, 24, gets his Test cap, it won’t be as desperate a selection as it sounds. He has been on the selectors’ radar and is known to extract more seam movement than most, which could make him a like-for-like replacement for Akash Deep. Kamboj has 79 first-class wickets at an average of 22.88 since 2022. He comes with the approval of Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni, who complimented his seam movement during this year’s IPL.While the identity of India’s third seamer remains uncertain, there was more certainty around Pant, who copped a blow on his left index finger while wicketkeeping during the first innings at Lord’s. He didn’t keep for the rest of the Test but batted in both innings. India were confident there was no fracture, but they didn’t want to risk making it worse.On Monday, Pant went through wicket-keeping drills and batted comfortably in the nets. The only doubt around Pant was that, unlike at Lord’s, he will not be able to get a substitute wicketkeeper at Old Trafford if he aggravates the same injury in-game. For a while, Dhruv Jurel was in contention to keep in the fourth Test, with Pant likely to play as a specialist batter, but his performance at the nets on Monday should settle those doubts.India are trailing 2-1 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, after losing the first Test at Headingley and the third at Lord’s.

India squad for fourth Test

Shubman Gill (capt), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj.