All posts by h716a5.icu

Thiago is set to undergo a scan on the injury suffered in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Wolves on Sunday, according to reliable journalist James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Thiago injured in win

The Reds suffered Premier League heartbreak on Sunday afternoon, beating Wolves at Anfield but missing out on title glory to Manchester City in dramatic fashion, but all supporters really care about now is the issue with Thiago.

He left the field just before half-time and didn’t return for the second half, in what was a hugely concerning moment ahead of the Champions League final.

The 31-year-old now faces a race against time to be fit for the clash with Real Madrid on Saturday evening due to what was believed to be a right hamstring injury.

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The Latest: Pearce provides update

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic‘s Pearce shared a comment from Jurgen Klopp that the news is ‘not good’, before offering the update everyone’s been waiting on.

Thiago needs a scan to determine the severity of the issue, which certainly doesn’t bode well with less than a week until Paris:

“Thiago set to undergo a scan. Would be a massive blow if he misses the CL final.”

The Times’ Paul Joyce has added his own update at lunch-time, claiming it is actually an achilles problem and it will be a ‘battle’ to make it in time.

The Verdict: ‘Massive’ indeed…

Not having Thiago for the Champions League final could be a genuinely game-changing moment, given the Spaniard’s brilliance and importance in midfield this season – he started seven of the last nine Premier League games and played 120 minutes in the FA Cup final.

Liverpool would lose so much control without him around, and with Fabinho arguably coming back slightly undercooked, Madrid could suddenly have a big advantage.

It certainly feels as though Thiago is now more likely to miss out, considering the final is only five days away, and it would be a horrible blow for him and the Reds, especially after he missed the Carabao Cup final through injury, too.

In other news, Liverpool have been linked with a move for a midfielder. Read more here.

Everton will host Crystal Palace in their penultimate Premier League game and last home game at Goodison Park tonight and after a promising injury update has emerged, Frank Lampard has been given a huge boost ahead of the game.

Ben Godfrey has been confirmed as fit and available for selection in the final clash of the season on Merseyside against Patrick Vieira’s men, despite concern that he would not be returning this season following a serious thigh injury that has left him out of the side for weeks.

The Toffees boss gave the green light on the defender’s return in his pre-match press conference yesterday (via Liverpool Echo):

“Ben Godfrey will be in the squad. It’s a testament to him how he’s strived to get fit.”

With that being said, Lampard must unleash Godfrey back into the team against Crystal Palace to get the job done and secure not only three points but the opportunity to complete their great escape from Premier League relegation, which would be a huge achievement ahead of the last day of the campaign.

According to SofaScore, in the 6-foot centre-back’s 23 appearances in the league this season he has won the majority of both his ground and aerial duels (56%), has been successful in 75% of dribbles, making 2 tackles and 4 interceptions on average per game, proving he is one of the more solid defenders for Everton this season.

In fact, the £68k-per-week ace who was hailed “immense” and a “revelation” by professional boxer Tony Bellew, has played his part in eight of the 16 games that Everton have picked up points in this season, so he can be a real influence in securing his ninth positive result against Palace tonight.

The Toffees will travel to the Emirates on Sunday for the final game of the season against Arsenal, so should really take their chances in securing their safety at home this evening to take the pressure off the last game and keep their battle with relegation in their hands instead of having to rely on other results to save them.

AND in other news: Everton plotting swoop for 18y/o “shining light”, he can be the next Calvert-Lewin

Rangers fell at the final hurdle as they looked to secure the Europa League title by beating Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville last night.

After getting through extra time with a 1-1 scoreline, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side ultimately lost on penalties after midfielder Aaron Ramsey failed to covert his attempt.

As well as this major disappointment, the Ibrox side were also dealt another blow which not only impacted their penalty shootout on the day but could also impact their upcoming Scottish Cup final clash against Hearts on Saturday.

What’s the news?

Shortly before the end of extra time, Rangers left-back Borna Barisic went off with an injury. This not only forced Van Bronckhorst to bring Kemar Roofe on in the full-back’s place but it also made him rejig his order for penalty takers according to the Daily Record.

With 43 appearances under his belt across all competitions this season, the Croatian is definitely an important figure for his side and Van Bronckhorst, who will surely be worrying over his fitness now.

In their Europa League campaign, the 29-year-old had appeared in all but one of their 15 matches, showing that the Dutchman certainly trusted him to deliver on the big stage.

To further highlight how significant the defender has been for his side in the SPFL this season, he ended their recent campaign with the joint-highest average of tackles per game (2.1) out of players to start more than one league game.

He also racked up the second highest number of crosses (158) in Rangers’ squad behind James Tavernier (398), showing how useful he can be in defence and attack.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that it would be a big blow for Rangers to potentially not have their left-back available to play at the weekend.

With Saturday’s clash being the club’s final attempt at being able to win some silverware this season, there’s no doubt that everyone connected with the Gers will want to see them win the trophy and put Wednesday’s disappointment in Seville behind them.

Moving forward, there will surely be many fingers crossed at Ibrox that Barisic will be able to be fit enough to play in Saturday’s final and that the team can end the season on a positive note with another trophy in their cabinet.

In other news: Fewer touches than McGregor: Rangers dud who won just 33% duels let GvB down yesterday

Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings and Douglas Luiz all struggled for Aston Villa in their 1-1 Premier League draw against Crystal Palace today. 

After a goalless first half, Villa took the lead through a smart Ollie Watkins effort following an inch-perfect Lucas Digne delivery. However, the visitors struck back through Jeffrey Schlupp to leave Steven Gerrard’s side with just a point from their penultimate home game of the season.

Following this result, the Villans remain 12th in the table with just two matches remaining, including a pivotal final day showdown against title contenders Manchester City.

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Using Sofascore, we’ve taken an in-depth delve into the statistics to decipher which three outfield players struggled the most for Gerrard’s charges. Only those who played for more than 45 minutes are eligible for classification.

Matty Cash (6.9)

One of the shining lights for Villa this season, the 24-year-old Cash was a bit below-par here as Gerrard’s men stutter towards the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

The Poland international lost two duels, gave away possession 20 times and misplaced his only two attempts at a cross, along with 10 of his 11 long passes.

He tied with Danny Ings with a 6.9 rating, but whereas the striker featured for just 71 minutes, Cash had the entire game to prove himself, hence his inclusion here.

Douglas Luiz (6.6)

It was not the Brazilian midfielder’s finest performance in a Villa shirt as the 24-year-old lost possession 10 times on an afternoon when the hosts couldn’t get into full flow.

The usually reliable defensive midfield general also gave away two fouls, lost possession 10 times, misplaced five passes and lost five out of his six duels on an afternoon that he will want to put behind him.

Tyrone Mings (6.6)

With the centre-back’s role as club captain under question for next season, this wasn’t a display which will live long in the memory of Mings as the England defender attempts to retain the armband.

The 29-year-old failed to find a team-mate with seven passes, lost out on three duels and gave the ball away on eight occasions whilst also being booked during the 1-1 draw.

In other news: NSWE now close to agreeing deal for another midfielder alongside Coutinho

Fast bowler is back in the ranks as an injury replacement, after two emotional years off the field

Cameron Ponsonby28-Oct-2025″The tattoos are new on my arm,” says New Zealand fast bowler Blair Tickner. “We got married at Kōtare Estate, which is Maori for Kingfisher. So there are two of them, to represent Sarah and I.”It is possible that Tickner, a late injury-replacement for Kyle Jamieson, will feature in neither of the final ODIs against England.But that would be to miss the point of a return to the international stage for a man, and family, who have been through more in the last two-and-a-half years than most could imagine.In February 2023, days after making his Test debut, Tickner gave a tearful press conference on the outfield at Wellington after news that Cyclone Gabrielle had destroyed his father’s home in Hawke’s Bay. A year later, in the moments before a County Championship game for Derbyshire, he got a call from his wife, Sarah, that she had been diagnosed with leukaemia.After rushing to hospital, Tickner assumed he had been removed from the match, only to find out later in the day when he returned to the ground to collect his car that he was still, technically, playing. Despite a ball not having been bowled when he left the ground, and their opponents, Sussex, happy for Derbyshire to substitute Tickner out, ECB regulations dictated it wasn’t allowed as the toss had already been made. In a blur, Tickner finished the day in the middle. He made 47, the highest score of his career.”I had to play that game knowing my wife had leukaemia,” Tickner recalls. “I was going back and forth from the hospital.”That was the past, however, and his return to the Black Caps is cause for celebration on all accounts. His father’s home and the surrounding area has been rebuilt and is back to normal, and most importantly, Sarah is in remission. She’s still undergoing monthly chemotherapy, but in Tickner’s words, “we’re in the good stage now.””She’s a strong woman,” he says. “We’re just so happy to be back in New Zealand and that she’s healthy.”Tickner’s last game for New Zealand was over two years ago. At 32 years old, it was a time he had assumed had passed. Which was fine. He’d even told the selectors not to bother calling him unless it was to pick him. He didn’t need check-ins.But as is so often the case, when the sport became a distraction rather than a fixation, his performances surged. He was Central Stag’s Player of the Season in 2024-25; he was the leading wicket-taker in the Super Smash, which they won, and he was challenging at the top of the leaderboard in the Ford Trophy too.Tickner starred for Central Stags in the Super Smash final earlier this year•Getty ImagesAnd so the selectors did call. Tickner was with Sarah’s family when the moment arrived.”I didn’t actually say anything for ten minutes,” he says. “Because I didn’t really know what to say. They’d gone through everything with us. They’d been so amazing when Sarah got diagnosed and even flew over to England to help us out. It was sort of for them, really.”There will be another bonus if Tickner does take to the field. His last match for the Black Caps was April 2023, and his and Sarah’s daughter, Florence, was born in August. Only two years old, she is too young to understand any of what’s happened, but old enough for one of her hairbands to be around Tickner’s wrist.”My little one’s never seen me play for New Zealand,” Tickner says. “So it’s a real special time for our family.”His return to the Kiwi squad has been a popular one. Domestic cricketers in New Zealand, as Tickner is, are only contracted for eight months of the year. This means that, for the four months of the off-season, they have to either source overseas deals, or find alternative means of employment. Tickner does both.Related

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Derbyshire welcomed him back for the 2025 season in what was an emotional return: “I owe a lot to them for their help through a hard time.” He also runs a cafe in Hawke’s Bay called the 13th Stag and has started to turn his hand to coaching through a NZ company called Coach Squad as well.’That’s just normal for us New Zealanders,” he explains.It is symptomatic of how, when the goalposts of life change, so too does your perception of fortune. For a man who has every reason to consider himself unlucky – “I feel like it follows our family around really” – Tickner is now in a position to appreciate everything he has.”I think cricketers probably don’t understand how lucky they are,” he says. “Last season that’s all I wanted to do. Just make sure I was playing the game that I love, and enjoy everything.”The last time I was here, it was a lot of pressure and I was playing for my place a lot, so I probably didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked.”This time, though, I didn’t expect it. I might get picked for this series and never again. So there’ll always be a smile on my face.”And whether he gets on the pitch or not, he’ll have the full support of his wife and child in the stands, and his father back home. And that’s all that matters.

Explosive TNPL batter eyes IPL breakthrough with fearless batting and consistency

Deivarayan Muthu16-Aug-2025He has been dominating bowlers, including Varun Chakravarthy and R Ashwin, with his explosive batting over the past two seasons of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). Apart from opening the batting, he can also keep wicket, which makes him an exciting package, especially in T20 cricket. He has also had a brief stint with Tamil Nadu’s white-ball sides and emerged on the IPL’s radar.Meet Tushar Raheja, who has earned the sobriquet ‘Rocket Raheja’ in the TNPL circles. An aggressive left-hand batter, Raheja has a wide variety of shots in his repertoire. The 24-year-old has always been proficient against pace and in TNPL 2025 he levelled up, disrupting both Varun and Ashwin during Tiruppur Tamizhans’ run to their maiden title. His franchise and state captain R Sai Kishore was so impressed with Raheja’s takedown of spin that he came out publicly and said the wicketkeeper-batter was ready for the IPL.Raheja had attended multiple trials before and during IPL 2025, including a mid-season one, but couldn’t break into the big league. He’s taken feedback and learnings from those trials and has strengthened his case for the upcoming auction with a chart-topping 488 runs in nine innings at an average of 61 and strike rate of 185.55, including 77 in the final against Ashwin’s Dindigul Dragons.”I thought I did well at the Delhi trials and then I was called again during the tournament as well,” Raheja recalls, speaking to ESPNcricinfo. “That was again a good experience and that helped me evolve as well. I was amongst people who got picked in this year’s IPL like Priyansh Arya. After the auction, I tried to compare myself to them in terms of seeing what they are doing right and what I’m not.”Seeing them at trials, going back and seeing their videos and seeing them in the IPL – that gave me a lot of learning. Being amongst Hemang Badani, Rahul Dravid and other Indian cricketers gives you a lot of confidence, which I’ve tried to carry into this season.”Tushar Raheja emerged as the player of the tournament in TNPL 2025•TNPL/TNCARaheja has IPL ambitions, but he doesn’t want to look too far ahead. “I would like to focus on the Syed Mushtaq Ali [tournament], which would take me a step closer,” Raheja says. “I’m trying not to think about it but obviously, it’s human tendency again to start thinking about it. I will be lying if I say I’ve not thought about it.”When he was younger, Raheja admits to being carried away by the “adrenaline rush” but now he’s learnt to control his emotions and thoughts with help from Raymun Roy, a mental conditioning coach, who has also worked with India internationals Washington Sundar and B Sai Sudharsan.”Roy has played a big role in this aspect, where basically you are controlling your heartbeat,” Raheja says. “Like, when you are playing a match or when you are under pressure, what brings a lot of thoughts is your heartbeat and at the time, your mind will be running fast. So, I’ve tried to keep that in check and not have too many thoughts.”We do a lot of quantum breathing exercises off the field and some of these are simple exercises that I can do while batting also. So, even when I’m batting in between balls, there are a lot of small exercises that I do, which help me not think, if that makes sense.”

“From last year or even the year before that, after the powerplay, I was slowing down. Most of the time, it is spinners bowling to you after the powerplay. So, I did a lot of drills against spin, getting my bat swing a lot better against spin and trying to pick length a lot better.”Tushar Raheja

Raheja has also expanded his range, and he credits his personal coach TV Ramkumar for it. While the slog-sweep comes naturally to him, he had to spend more time on hitting straight during the off-season in the lead-up to the TNPL.”What I have put in a lot of work into is hitting straight, hitting over covers and mainly hitting straight,” Raheja says, “because if you are able to hit straight, the other things will come with your bat swing. But the hardest thing to do is hit a bowler, especially a spinner, straight. I’m looking to hit them straight on the ground, over long-off and long-on.Related

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“I’ve been training with Mr. Ramkumar for three years now and I’ve understood my game because of him. I feel from last year, every time after the powerplay or even the year before that, after the powerplay, I was slowing down. So, I tried to put in a lot of thought into how I can keep that momentum going. Most of the time, it’s spinners bowling to you after the powerplay. So, I did a lot of drills against spin, getting my bat swing a lot better against spin and trying to pick length a lot better.”When he was six years old, Raheja had enrolled himself into a tennis academy but switched to cricket after watching MS Dhoni lead India to T20 World Cup glory in 2007. Raheja idolises Dhoni and also has fond memories of watching Matthew Hayden bashing bowlers in the IPL at Chepauk. It may not be too long before Raheja himself breaks into the IPL.”I was always a fan of Dhoni,” Raheja says. “When Matthew Hayden used to play for CSK, I used to go to Chepauk to watch a lot of matches. So, I was fascinated by the way he took down fast bowlers. I was also fascinated by Yuvraj Singh but I’ve always idolised Dhoni mainly.”Tushar Raheja asked coach RX Murali to make him open the batting and since then has transformed himself into an intent machine•TNPL/TNCARaheja didn’t start as an opener at Tiruppur but was promoted to the top after coach RX Murali (also the batting coach of RCB Women) saw a spark in him during a practice game. He has since transformed himself into an intent machine.”I was batting in the middle order in the TNPL for a couple of seasons,” Raheja says. “I used to ask him: ‘Sir, give me a shot at opening’. He then gave me an opportunity and he really liked my attacking intent. He has worked with some of the top cricketers in the country. His inputs have been valuable, and it helps working with someone who has so much T20 experience.”While white-ball cricket is his calling card right now, Raheja doesn’t want to be pigeon-holed as a white-ball specialist. He has dreams of representing Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy after playing eight white-ball games for them last season.With Sai Sudharsan likely to be on India or India A duty during this season, Raheja has a chance to stake his claim for a red-ball slot in the upcoming Buchi Babu tournament, which will kick off on August 18 in Chennai. Raheja and TNCA XI will run into a Mumbai side featuring Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan and Musheer Khan.”I wish to do a lot better in the red-ball format than I’m [doing] right now,” Raheja says. “I am working hard on my red-ball game as well. I don’t want to be just branded as a white-ball only player. I know I have the game for the red-ball format as well.”I have a lot more work to do, which I am working on in that format. But those ambitions are definitely there, and I want to break into the Ranji side as well. But that will come with more performances in the [first division] league and the Buchi Babu, which is coming up. I’m excited to express myself there.”A big domestic season could propel ‘Rocket Raheja’ into Tamil Nadu’s batting core and the IPL.

If SRH had a bit of a hole at No. 3 last season, they may have found the perfect candidate to fill it this time around

Karthik Krishnaswamy23-Mar-20252:46

Rapid fire: Are Kishan and SRH a perfect match?

Did you see that?Did you see Abhishek Sharma step out, realise that Fazalhaq Farooqi had followed him with a bouncer into his body, and still have the time to lean back, manufacture room, and carve the ball over backward point?Did you see Sanju Samson hook Mohammed Shami for six, and slap and chop him either side of point for a pair of surgical first-over fours?Did you see Dhruv Jurel welcome Pat Cummins to IPL 2025 with a 90m six over long-on, with a bat-swing like the smoothest golf drive?Related

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This was quite a match if you were a top-order batter, keeper-batter, or keeper-batter who bats in the top three and has been part of India’s recent T20I squads. Abhishek and Samson are India’s current opening pair in the format, and Jurel their reserve keeper in their most recent series.Between them, they scored 160 off 83 balls.It wasn’t quite the match for Yashasvi Jaiswal, but it could so easily have been that. If he had uppercut Simarjeet Singh a few inches higher, or if Abhinav Manohar had mistimed his jump at point by a few milliseconds, you might be reading an open-mouthed appreciation of his gifts.2:06

‘Kishan hammered everyone to every corner’

India’s T20I present was there, as was India’s all-format future, in a clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) that produced an aggregate of 528 runs, the second-highest in IPL history.The defining innings of this match, however, came from someone else – another top-order batter who keeps wickets, who could easily be a defining face of India’s present and is young enough to be their future too, but whose innings on this day, for complicated reasons, felt like a blast from the past.A blast, perhaps, from November 2023, when Ishan Kishan was India’s Test keeper in the long-term absence of Rishabh Pant; their back-up opener in ODIs, with a double-hundred in that format; and possibly their first-choice T20I keeper, with his last three innings in that format including two blistering fifties against Australia.November 2023 wasn’t all that long ago, but try measuring that in Indian cricket time. The Kishan of March 2025 is a cricketer who hasn’t played for India in nearly 16 months and is out of the BCCI’s central contracts list. Others have taken his place in India’s squads, and taken full ownership of their roles. Time has stood still for Kishan, seemingly, and Indian cricket has simply kept moving.An unfettered version of Ishan Kishan was on show on his SRH debut•BCCIBut then, he’s only 26. And did you see that?Did you see Kishan step out to Maheesh Theekshana on Sunday afternoon and send him whistling over the ducking umpire’s head with that trademark, unfettered follow-through? Did you wonder why the sight of this familiar figure kitted out in unfamiliar colours made so much sense?The shot brought up SRH’s fifty, and it was just the fourth over of their innings. It was just the third ball Kishan had faced. Travis Head and Abhishek had put on 45 in 3.1 overs, and it made so much sense that another no-holds-barred intent machine would follow them to the crease. This has been the SRH way since their revolutionary 2024 season, and this has always been the Kishan way.Interviewed between innings, Kishan gave a glowing endorsement of the SRH management, particularly their captain Pat Cummins, and if you were so inclined, you could have listened to his words and heard less-than-glowing assessments of previous captains and managements.”The captain especially, the skipper in our team is just giving a lot of freedom to everyone, doesn’t matter if you get a lot of runs or if you get out early. [As long as] you’re doing everything for the team, it’s all fair, and that is the confidence every player needs, so hats off to him, and hats off to the management.”Now everyone says pretty much the same things about the captains and managements they happen to play for, but SRH can only play the way they do if they fully empower their batters to keep taking the high-risk option. There’s a clarity to how Abhishek and Head bat, a seeming absence of the thought of failure or its consequences, and Kishan, at his best, plays the same way.Ishan Kishan slammed his first IPL hundred•BCCIOn 25, for example, he went after a short ball from Sandeep Sharma that was angled away from him, aiming for the gap to the left of deep point. The ball bounced a little more than ideal for this horizontal-bat slap, and there was perhaps less width than ideal, but Kishan threw himself into the shot. He didn’t quite middle it, and was perhaps lucky that the ball didn’t quite carry to the fielder. But from the way he played that shot, it was clear it would have been okay for him to get out that way.On 39, he leaned across to the off side to try and scoop Jofra Archer over short fine leg, and this shot was almost entirely premeditation, hugely dependent on guesswork as to the bowler’s intended line and length. He guessed the line right, but not quite the length, and only managed a top-edge, but it went for six anyway.It’s precisely this sort of educated abandonment of control that unlocks the ability for teams to score at 14 or 15 an over as SRH did right through their innings. It was the first ball of the over, and Kishan had shown Archer he was coming for him, no matter what. Under these circumstances, the bowler running in can’t just think of the field he’s set and the line and length he wants to bowl, but also the means by which the batter can manipulate those things. Kishan hit two more sixes in that Archer over, the 13th of the SRH innings, and they too were all about manipulation – both times he stepped away to the leg side and freed his arms to launch full balls aimed at the base of the stumps over the cover point boundary.Kishan hit 11 fours and six sixes in all, and while some of these flew unstoppably off the middle of his bat, there were others that could count as miscues or chancy hits that could have led to his dismissal on other days. Those, though, were in one sense his best shots of the day, because they fully captured the spirit of his innings: that top-edged scoop that put Archer under pressure; that low full-toss that was close to being a well-executed wide yorker, stabbed off the toe-end to just elude mid-off; the collapsed back-knee slog-sweep that barely cleared deep square leg.This is the SRH way, and this is the Kishan way. If they had a bit of a hole at No. 3 last season, they may have found the perfect candidate to fill it this time around. And along the way, he could yet find a way to force himself back into conversations about India’s present and future.

Kylian Mbappe's injury has forced Xabi Alonso to launch a 'desperate' Real Madrid tactic in the fight to save his job against Manchester City. Alonso could turn to out-of-favour forward Endrick in the absence of their star attacker. The Frenchman was absent from Los Blancos' open training session the day before the game against Pep Guardiola's side at the Bernabeu.

Injury scare for Real Madrid ahead of Man City clash

A day before Madrid's crucial Champions League fixture against Premier League giants Manchester City, star forward Mbappe missed the club's open training session, alongside compatriot Eduardo Camavinga. While Alonso did not mention anything about injuries in his squad, in the training session following the manager's pre-match press conference, Mbappe was a notable absentee. 

Spanish radio station also reported that the France international had suffered an injury in his left leg, making him a serious doubt for the game with City at the Bernabeu.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMbappe's injury major blow for Alonso

Mbappe has been Los Blancos' standout player in the 2025-26 campaign, with 25 goals across La Liga and the Champions League, plus four assists. He is also on course to break Cristiano Ronaldo's record for the most goals for Real in a calendar year. The Frenchman has been responsible for half of the team's goals in the Spanish top flight and a remarkable 75% of their goals in Europe's top competition, netting a stunning four strikes in his last continental outing against Olympiacos. 

Head coacg Alonso is under huge pressure following Madrid's dismal 2-0 defeat at home to Celta Vigo on Sunday, which also saw Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia sent off and key defender Eder Militao hobble off with a muscle injury that is set to keep him out for up to four months. The loss meant that their gap with league leaders Barcelona increased to four points. Alonso's side have won just two of their last seven games in all competitions.

Alonso focusing on Endrick

With Mbappe out injured, reported on Tuesday that the Madrid boss paid special attention to out-of-favour forward Endrick in the training session and even individually spoke to the Brazilian, something he never did since joining the club in the summer. 

The special attention towards the attacker clearly indicates that the youngster is likely to feature in the club's matchday squad to face City on Wednesday, which has been dubbed 'Plan Endrick'. If Endrick starts against the English giants, it will happen for the first time this season. If he comes off the bench, he would feature in a game for the first time since November 1, when he played a few minutes in the club's win over Valencia.

Other than Endrick, another forward option for Alonso ahead of the City clash is Gonzalo Garcia. The Spaniard has played more minutes than Endrick this season and is likely to get the preference ahead of the Brazilian in the European clash.

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Getty Images SportWill Endrick leave Madrid in January?

Endrick has been linked with a temporary move away from Madrid since the start of the new season and the player's frustration has only grown after repeatedly being ignored by Alonso. With just over six months left for the 2026 World Cup to start, the youngster is naturally desperate for game time and could consider moving away from the Bernabeu.

Endrick's father recently showed his support by writing on social media: "I know, my son, how hard you work and how much you dedicate every minute of your day. I know everything you're capable of. You're a winner and you're showing everyone that you're a true warrior. Your star will continue to shine, even though some try to dim your light. I believe your future lies right there."

It remains to be seen now how many minutes Endrick manages to accumulate in Mbappe's absence in December and depending on his opportunity, the teenager will take a final call on his future.

Leeds United secured a superb 3-3 comeback against Liverpool at Elland Road last night to make it four points in the space of a week against big six opposition.

Daniel Farke’s men fell two goals behind just minutes after the break after a Hugo Ekitiké double, but it only seemed to spur the side on to get back into the Premier League clash.

Goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Anton Stach restored parity before Dominic Szoboszlai’s 80th-minute effort looked to have finally handed the visitors three points.

However, it wasn’t meant to be, with the Whites’ never-say-die attitude rewarding them a point, after Ao Tanaka beautifully volleyed home from a corner in the 96th minute.

Despite the impressive fightback against the Reds in Yorkshire, numerous players struggled to impress throughout the clash, which could put their starting roles at huge risk.

Leeds’ poor performers against Liverpool

Jayden Bogle has been Leeds’ number one right-back so far this campaign, but his showing against the Reds was arguably one of his worst of the season to date.

The Englishman was withdrawn with just a minute left in the clash, after giving possession away 11 times, with two occasions coming when trying to take on an opponent.

He also failed to win any tackles against Cody Gakpo, whilst only coming out on top in 25% of the ground and aerial duels he entered against the defending champions.

Bogle wasn’t alone in struggling within the back five, with centre-back Joe Rodon having an uncharacteristically poor performance in the Premier League.

The Welsh international’s misplaced pass handed the ball on a plate for Ekitike to fire home and help the visitors establish their two-goal cushion early in the second half.

He also only managed to win 50% of the aerial battles he entered in the defensive third, but thankfully, he was bailed out by Tanaka for his struggles in stoppage time.

The Leeds star who needs to be dropped after Liverpool

If Leeds are to stay up in the Premier League this season, their ability to get themselves off the canvas on a regular basis could play a massive role in any successful survival attempt.

Few sides in the league would be able to get themselves back within striking distance of sides who possess the quality of Liverpool, with Farke deserving huge credit after such a result.

The German wasn’t afraid of making key changes at crucial parts of the game, with his triple change in the 65th minute seeing Tanaka score, whilst Wilfried Gnonto won the penalty for Calvert-Lewin’s strike.

Brenden Aaronson was also on hand to provide the goods, with the American registering the assist for Stach’s strike – which restored parity for the first time in the meeting.

However, Noah Okafor was just one of the players sacrificed for the aforementioned trio, with the attacker potentially now fearing for his starting role in Yorkshire.

The Swiss international lasted just over an hour before being replaced, but his stats from his time on the pitch showcase how lacklustre his showing at Elland Road was.

He was only able to complete a total of five passes in his 65-minute showing – an average of one every 13 minutes – with his small frame unsuited to the counter-attacking nature in the first half.

Minutes played

65

Touches

14

Passes completed

5

Dribbles completed

1

Aerials won

0

Shots on target

0

Possession lost

4x

Fouls committed

1

The 25-year-old tried his best to make an impact on the transition, but largely struggled against the Reds’ backline – as seen by his tally of just one dribble completed.

Okafor also failed to win any of his aerial battles, something which is hardly a surprise given his stature – but also coming up against the likes of Virgil van Dijk.

To top off his disappointing display, he only registered a total of 14 touches during the draw, with goalkeeper Lucas Perri making nearly three times more with his tally of 43.

After such a performance, Farke will be left with no choice but to drop the Swiss international, with the trio off the bench certainly deserving of a start after their impact in the second half.

It’s certainly not a bad call for the manager to make, especially with the recent form creating competition for places – something that will be vital if they are to secure survival.

Leeds now make contact over signing "powerful" star who's been likened to Odegaard

He’s a wanted man.

ByTom Cunningham Dec 6, 2025

Jacob deGrom, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, completed an unfortunate career first on Monday during the Texas Rangers' game vs. the Toronto Blue Jays.

For the first time in his 12-year career, deGrom didn't record a strikeout during the game, according to MLB's Kennedi Landry. He's been able to strike out at least one batter in all 228 games he played in before Monday.

The Rangers starter finished Monday's outing pitching 5 1/3 innings with five hits, two earned runs and two batters walked—and, of course, zero strikeouts.

The streak began during his first MLB start on May 15, 2014. It's an impressive feat for an MLB pitcher to record this many consecutive games with at least one strikeout. There's been 53 pitchers to have at least 200 consecutive games with at least one strikeout. deGrom's longstanding streak places him 34th all-time among MLB pitchers in history, according to .

In 2025 so far, deGrom's thrown 62 strikeouts through 11 games. He's posted a 2.42 ERA over 63.1 innings pitched, surrendering 47 hits and 17 runs. It's definitely not a bad season for deGrom by any means, and has marked a solid bounce-back year for the 36-year-old. He only started in nine games over the past two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023.