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Atalanta have confirmed the appointment of Raffaele Palladino as the club’s new head coach. The announcement follows the dismissal of Ivan Juric, who was relieved of his duties just months after taking charge. The former Roma and Southampton coach was sacked after a disappointing run of six Serie A matches without a win.

• Atalanta confirms Palladino after sacking Juric

  A 3-0 defeat to Sassuolo extended Atalanta’s winless run in Serie A to six games, leaving them 13th in the league table. Despite a midweek Champions League victory over Marseille, the Sassuolo loss proved too damaging, and Juric was subsequently sacked by the club on Monday. Atalanta have now officially confirmed the appointment of Palladino as their new head coach, replacing Juric. His arrival marks the beginning of a new chapter as the club aims to revive its domestic form and climb back up the Serie A standings.

  The statement from Atalanta read: “Atalanta BC is pleased to announce that the role of technical director of the First Team has been entrusted to Raffaele Palladino. Palladino has signed a contract with the Nerazzurri until June 30, 2027.

  “He will be followed at the Nerazzurri by Stefano Citterio (assistant coach), Federico Peluso (technical assistant), Fabio Corabi (athletic trainer), Nicola Riva (assistant athletic trainer), Andrea Ramponi (match analyst) and Mattia Casella (match analyst).” 

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  Ex-Juventus winger takes over in Bergamo

  Palladino began his coaching career with Monza’s youth setup, working first with the Under-15 side and then the Primavera team. His impressive work at youth level earned him a promotion in 2022 to the senior side after the club dismissed Giovanni Stroppa. Palladino made an immediate impact, guiding Monza to their first-ever top-flight victory with a memorable 1-0 win over Juventus. He went on to secure Monza’s safety in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Serie A seasons, earning praise for his tactical acumen and composure under pressure.

  In the 2024-25 season, Palladino took charge of Fiorentina, where he continued to impress. Under his guidance, Fiorentina finished sixth in Serie A. His side also reached the semi-finals of the Conference League, where they were eventually eliminated by Real Betis. After a successful season, Palladino parted ways with Fiorentina at the end of the campaign. Across his managerial career so far, he has recorded 51 wins and 35 draws in 126 matches.

• Juric's torrid time at Atalanta

  Atalanta’s 3-0 defeat to Sassuolo summed up their struggles under Juric, as the club managed just one win in their last nine matches across all competitions, including six winless games in Serie A. The team’s biggest issue has been their lack of goals, having scored only four times in their last seven league outings. This poor run has left Atalanta nine points adrift of the top four and just six points clear of the relegation zone. Coach Juric appeared unable to inspire his players, many of whom looked disinterested and unmotivated during the Sassuolo defeat. Reports also suggest growing tensions in the dressing room, with key players such as Ademola Lookman and Marco Carnesecchi no longer on good terms with the tactician. The current situation marks one of Atalanta’s worst spells in the last eleven years, a sharp contrast to the high standards set during Gian Piero Gasperini’s successful tenure.

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  What comes next?

  Palladino will use the international break to analyse his new Atalanta team in detail, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. Adopting a system similar to Gasperini did with the Bergamo team, the coach who brought the best out of Atalanta over the past decade, Palladino aims to maximise the potential of the Nerazzurri squad. One player who could benefit from his arrival is USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah. The midfielder, on loan at Atalanta from AC Milan, will hope that Palladino can help him regain his place in the USMNT squad after being left out by Mauricio Pochettino.

The World Series goes through the National League. At least if you go by the top of the betting odds. 

The top three teams in the MLB World Series betting odds currently reside in the NL, starting with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers at +230 on FanDuel Sportsbook. The NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets are next on the odds at +850 each. Both teams made big swings at the deadline, adding bullpen help and, for the Phillies, Harrison Bader as well.

The New York Yankees are fourth on the oddsboard at +900. They added Pirates closer David Bednar at the deadline, but are waiting on MVP/All-Star/heart-and-soul-of-the-team Aaron Judge to come off the 10-day IL. They are also four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East and only 2.5 games ahead in the wild card standings.

The Detroit Tigers (+950), Houston Astros (+1200) and Blue Jays (+1400) are next on the oddsboard. All three are at least four games ahead in their respective division races and the Blue Jays made some moves at the deadline that suggest they’re all in on this season. They’re currently battling the Tigers for the best record in the NL while the Astros remain the Astros in a solid AL West. 

The Padres are currently the hottest team in baseball, having won five straight, including a sweep of the visiting Mets. They also went all-in at the deadline, shoring up what is already the best bullpen in the league. 

Here are the odds for every MLB team to win the World Series with odds coming from FanDuel. 

2025 MLB World Series Odds

• Los Angeles Dodgers +230
• Philadelphia Phillies +850
• New York Mets +850
• New York Yankees +900
• Detroit Tigers +950
• Houston Astros +1200
• Toronto Blue Jays +1400
• Chicago Cubs +1400
• Seattle Mariners +1600
• Milwaukee Brewers +1600
• San Diego Padres +2500
• Boston Red Sox +2700
• Texas Rangers +3000
• Tampa Bay Rays +9000
• Cincinnati Reds +10000
• San Francisco Giants +13000
• Kansas City Royals +15000
• Cleveland Guardians +20000
• St. Louis Cardinals +25000
• Minnesota Twins +32000
• Arizona Diamondbacks +55000
• Los Angeles Angels +75000
• Washington Nationals +100000
• Atlanta Braves +100000
• Pittsburgh Pirates +100000
• Baltimore Orioles +100000
• Chicago White Sox +100000
• Miami Marlins +100000
• Athletics +100000

He is their highest wicket-taker in the format but often there is no room for him in the XI due to issues around batting depth

Sidharth Monga02-Nov-2025

Arshdeep Singh came into the side and picked up 3 for 35 in Hobart•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

No Indian has taken more wickets in T20Is than Arshdeep Singh. Among the ten who have taken 50 or more wickets, only Kuldeep Yadav has a better strike-rate than him. Yet Arshdeep was not part of India’s first-choice XI in their previous T20I series, the Asia Cup. He played two matches, but only when India’s progress had been confirmed.Even in Australia, Arshdeep was brought into the XI only as an afterthought after India kept him out for the first two games. It comes down to the unfortunate scenario of having four excellent strike bowlers but never being able to play them all at once because none of them can bat. It was the issue with Virat Kohli’s ODI side as well when they just couldn’t afford to play Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal all in the same XI. Arshdeep and Varun Chakravarthy have taken the places of Shami and Chahal in this T20I squad, but the problem remains the same.Even so, if there are any conditions where India need to play both Bumrah and Arshdeep, they are the ones in early-season Australia. It was surprising that it took India till the third match to bring the left-arm quick in.Related

• Arshdeep and Washington help India level the series against Australia

That they immediately had to leave Kuldeep out for Washington Sundar tells you about the balancing act India are forced to carry out. At the same time, Arshdeep immediately showed why he is such an important player in conditions that have a little bit of assistance for fast bowlers.In a match that largely followed T20 rhythms, the first four overs of Australia’s innings, in which they scored just 24 runs for the loss of Travis Head and Josh Inglis, proved to be all the difference. India scored 41 in their first four, and eventually had nine balls to spare when they overhauled the total Australia set them.1:43

Washington: There’s purpose to each of my practice sessions

In those four overs, Arshdeep took the wickets of Head and Inglis, aided in part by the threat posed by Bumrah at the other end. Arshdeep has the ingredients to use the conditions: he swings the ball both ways, and his high release aids seam movement and uneven bounce. In a game of such small margins as T20 cricket, these overs can have a huge impact. Arshdeep also returned at the end to team up with Bumrah and deny Australia a finishing kick.India again needed all of it because they did make a small selection error. Bringing in Arshdeep and Jitesh Sharma – the latter for Sanju Samson, who has not looked effective in the middle order – was spot on, but they still left themselves short on fast bowling by dropping Harshit Rana for Washington, whom they didn’t bowl at all because of a combination of the conditions and the abundance of right-hand batters in the Australia line-up.Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma had to fill in with four overs for 56, but in the end Washington also showed his importance with an unbeaten 49 off 23 when promoted to No. 6. That’s also the thing with Washington. He is wasted as a batter in the lower order when you mostly have to just walk in and swing.This match was evidence that there is no dearth of resources for Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir, but in conditions where the ideal line-up consists of three fast bowlers, they are always one small piece short of being the perfect team.

Home skipper remains unbeaten on 171 after day one run-fest at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Sep-2025Middlesex 394 for 5 (du Plooy 171*, Cracknell 64*, Geddes 60) vs GloucestershireMiddlesex skipper Leus du Plooy’s 24th first-class hundred gave the hosts the upper hand on the first day of the their final County Championship Division Two clash of the season with Gloucestershire at Lord’s.The South African-born left-hander passed the landmark of the third time this season, remaining unbeaten with 171 in an innings sprinkled with 15 fours as Middlesex piled up 394 for 5.Du Plooy shared stands of 127 with Luke Hollman (55), 121 with Ben Geddes (60), and an unbroken 112 with wicketkeeper Joe Cracknell, who had 63 by the close.Ajeet Singh Dale kept the visitors in the contest with 4 for 88, including wickets with successive balls in the afternoon session, while Graeme Van Buuren bowled a frugal spell of spin to return 1 for 35 from 18 overs.Despite the 10:30am start, du Plooy chose to bat on winning the final toss of the campaign and the hosts made a quick start thanks to some wayward offerings from Gloucestershire’s new-ball attack.It was a similarly innocuous delivery from Singh Dale which brought the breakthrough, a leg-stump half-volley which Sam Robson sent straight to square leg. If that was fortuitous, Singh Dale produced a useful fourth stump ball in his next over that Josh De Caires nicked through to wicketkeeper James Bracey.It would be the last success for some time as the bowlers erred in line and length again and du Plooy and Hollman feasted accordingly. Three Hollman fours in one Matt Taylor over raised the 50, while du Plooy was quickly into stride, driving confidently in the mid-off/extra-cover arc. A back foot drive through cover from the skipper was the shot of the morning and he moved to his half-century from 56 balls shortly before lunch.The hundred partnership came up in the first over following the resumption and while Singh-Dale was finding hints of both swing and seam from the Nursery End, the pair carried the score to 161 relatively untroubled. It took a piece of brilliance from Bracey – who claimed a Gloucestershire record 11 victims against Middlesex in the corresponding fixture last season – to break the stand, grabbing a ball that was dying off the inside edge of Hollman’s bat, giving Singh-Dale a third wicket.Higgins followed to his next ball, harshly adjudged lbw to one heading over the top, but Geddes joined his skipper in the middle as and the hosts quickly regained the upper hand.Geddes, impressive in his first season in Middlesex colours, employed the pull shot to great effect, sending one short one from Singh Dale into the Grandstand, before a square drive took du Plooy to a chanceless century.Van Buuren put the breaks on either side of tea and was rewarded with the breakthrough when Geddes was pinned in front. Du Plooy however, had set his heart on a daddy hundred and while the boundaries briefly dried up he glided his way past 150.Cracknell proved a valuable ally, clearing the ropes with a thunderous pull shot and unfurling some pleasing cover drives in becoming the fourth home batter to pass 50 in the late autumn sunshine.Before the start of play there was a poignant minute’s silence in memory of beloved umpire Harold ‘Dickie Bird,’ who passed away on Monday aged 92.

Athletic Club star Nico Williams scored a magnificent goal to hand his side a slender win over Real Oviedo in La Liga. The goal has brought Williams back into the limelight, ending a long goal drought that resulted in him being questioned in the wake of the failed summer transfer to reigning Spanish champions Barcelona.

• Athletic get the better of Oviedo

  After three successive losses to Getafe, Real Sociedad, and Newcastle United across La Liga and the Champions League, Athletic are back on track with a 1-0 win over Oviedo on Sunday. It was their young, dynamic winger Williams who salvaged the solitary goal of the fixture, adding his second of the campaign to lead his team's triumph. 

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• Williams ends goal drought

  The last time Williams scored or assisted for Athletic was in their first La Liga game of the season – a 3-2 win against Sevilla. The 22-year-old missed a handful of matches due to a groin injury, failed to find the net since his return until he sparked into life against Oviedo. Williams was sharp as he went past three defenders and powered his shot into the goal, rattling the crossbar and the net in the process. 

• Williams was once a Barcelona target

  Not for one transfer window, but Williams was a top target for Barcelona across two summers. Before this season kicked off, he was almost set to travel to Catalonia after agreeing on personal terms and a six-year contract with Barca, a club that he has admired for a long time. However, Athletic were continuously hesitant to let go of their most promising young talent. Such was the rivalry that there were moments when administrators aimed to block the move. Ultimately, the move came to a surprising halt as Barcelona refused to grant a demand from his agent and the Spain international ended up signing a 10-year contract with the Basque side.

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  What comes next for Williams?

  Williams has found his foot just at the right time. After Athletic return from the international break, their first game will be against Barca. It will be the first time the two sides meet since Williams snubbed the Catalans and agreed to the Basque club's terms. The game will be played on November 22.

Home side make a game of it having been 55 for 8 but Bouchier, Devine steer successful chase

ECB Media16-Aug-2025Southern Brave 109 for 4 (Bouchier 42, Devine 41*) beat Trent Rockets 106 (Gordon 32, Corteen-Coleman 4-13) by six wicketsA dominant bowling performance followed by a measured if not nervy run chase saw the Southern Brave to a six-wicket win over Trent Rockets in The Hundred women’s competition at Trent Bridge.Electing to bowl first, Georgia Adams’ decision was justified almost immediately when 17-year-old Tilly Corteen-Coleman struck two huge blows in her opening set, removing Bryony Smith caught off a leading-edge and Nat Sciver-Brunt brilliantly stumped by Rhianna Southby.Despite a 16-ball 25 from captain Ash Gardner, the Rockets top order faltered miserably. From 36 for 2 at the conclusion of the powerplay, it was complete Brave dominance as Rockets collapsed to 55 for 8.Left-arm spinner Corteen-Coleman bowled brilliantly, also dismissing Heather Graham and Emma Jones – the former another stumping by the impressive Southby – on the way to brilliant figures of 4 for 13. Lauren Bell returned to strike twice in three balls, becoming the first woman to take 50 wickets in the Hundred in the process, finishing her 20 balls with 3 for 16.Alana King and Kirstie Gordon then staged a recovery to keep their side in the game. They shared a record tenth-wicket stand of 50 from 44 deliveries to help the Rockets to 106 and give them something to bowl at.In the run chase, Rockets struck early – Danni Wyatt-Hodge run out by King after a miscommunication with Maia Bouchier. Laura Wolvaardt was then caught by Sciver-Brunt off Gordon to see the score 10 for 2 with two in-form batters back in the shed.Bouchier and Sophie Devine played cautiously against probing bowling from King and Gardner, steadily chipping away at the target as the Brave reached 52 for 2 at halfway with 55 runs still required.Bouchier began to open her shoulders as Brave approached their target, but she targeted King one time too many, running past a wide one to be stumped for 43.Devine was joined by Freya Kemp who, after cracking a huge six off Gordon, went caught on the boundary with eight still required from seven balls. But Devine stayed calm, striking a crucial boundary off Graham as the Brave got home with two balls to spare.Meerkat Match Hero, Corteen-Coleman, said: “It’s been fantastic, such a great team performance. Good to get another win on the board. There’s a bit of a track record of Trent Bridge being a bit slow and having a bit of turn so I thought I might be in the game.”I can’t complain, it’s been a great day. We’re a great group. We’ve been working really hard and obviously off the back of last year I feel like we’ve got a lot to prove and we’re on our way to doing that.”

England missed their chance for a perfect Test summer, but never mind because the Aussies are here. The pod chat more Oval success for Sri Lanka and England’s latest white-ball overhaul

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2024Sri Lanka got the better of England in the third Test at The Oval, meaning the home side missed out a 6-0 summer sweep – but the agenda is already moving on, with white-ball series against Australia and the announcement of a touring party for Pakistan. In this week’s podcast, Alan Gardner was joined by Andrew Fidel Fernando, Andrew Miller and Vithushan Ehantharajah to dig into the Sri Lanka series – has Ollie Pope silenced the doubters? Is Josh Hull’s high ceiling worth investing in? – before Andrew McGlashan jumped on to help preview the Australia tour, which will see England give debuts to a number of new faces over the next couple of weeks.