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Stats preview of the second Test between Sri Lanka and England, which starts in Colombo on Sunday

S Rajesh07-Dec-2007

Muttiah Muralitharan: 143 wickets from just 21 Tests at the SSC © AFP
Already 1-0 down in the three-Test series, England won’t be encouraged by the recent trend at the Sinhalese Sports Club, the venue for the second Test, which starts on Sunday. Sri Lanka have a 15-6 win-loss record in the 29 Tests here, but in the last six years the numbers have been downright intimidating for the opposition: in 12 matches, the home team have won ten, and lost just one – to Australia, by 121 runs in 2003-04.England have experienced victory here once – in 2000-01, when they achieved a famous series win – but the last time they played at this ground, they were drubbed by an innings and 215 runs. Only twice in their 865-Test history have they suffered a beating more severe than that. Just how dominant Sri Lanka have been in their last 12 games here is evident from this piece of statistic – during this period they’ve averaged 61.4 per wicket with the bat, and conceded just 24.7 per dismissal when bowling.As you’d expect, Sri Lankans have done exceptionally well with both and ball here. Mahela Jayawardene leads the way with seven centuries in 18 Tests and an exceptional average of 74.68, which is more than four times the average his opposite number, Michael Vaughan, has managed in four innings here. England will also be wary of Kumar Sangakkara, who has been in irresistible form this year and averages more than 66 at this ground.

Jayawardene and Sangakkara at the SSC

Tests Runs Average 100s/ 50s

Mahela Jayawardene 18 1867 74.68 7/ 4 Kumar Sangakkara 13 1256 66.10 4/ 3 Together, the duo of Jayawardene and Sangakkara has feasted on bowling attacks at this venue: in just seven partnerships together, they have amassed 1052 runs at an average of 150. 28 with three century stands. The most famous of those was, of course, the world record 624 they added against South Africa last year. Jayawardene scored 374 while Sangakkara fell for 287 – both remain the highest Test scores for these batsmen.Among the bowlers, the name on top of the tree is an expected one: Muttiah Muralitharan has nabbed a staggering 143 wickets from 21 Tests here, which is an average of nearly seven per match. Chaminda Vaas has excellent numbers here as well, and is the only fast bowler to take ten wickets in a Test here. (Click here for more SSC-related stats.)

Sri Lanka’s bowlers at the SSC

Bowler Tests Wickets Average 5WI/ 10WM

Muttiah Muralitharan 21 143 20.94 11/ 3 Chaminda Vaas 18 77 22.59 4/ 1 Lasith Malinga 5 17 29.76 0/ 0 Dilhara Fernando 7 16 32.31 0/ 0 That Murali has taken so many wickets here isn’t a surprise, but his spread of wickets recently at this ground isn’t what you’d normally expect from a spinner. In his last ten Tests at the SSC, Murali has been more effective – strictly in comparative terms – in the first innings, taking his 39 wickets at a measly 14.97. His second-innings numbers are impressive too, but not quite as good as the first.

Murali in 1st and 2nd innings in his last ten Tests at the SSC

Wickets Average 5WI/ 10WM

1st innings 39 14.97 4/ 3 2nd innings 40 21.55 3/ 3 Winning the toss is usually an advantage at most grounds, but at the SSC teams which have lost the toss have done much better – of the 21Tests which have ended decisively, two-thirds have gone in favour of the team which lost the toss.

Australia play their nine league matches at eight venues; the England fixture is in Ahmedabad on November 4

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2023

Pat Cummins could be the only bowler-captain at the ODI World Cup in India•AP Photo

Australia begin their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign against hosts India in Chennai on October 8, before going on to play their next two games in Lucknow in the north of India: against South Africa on October 13 and a qualifier on October 16.The World Cup schedule was finally released by the ICC and BCCI at an event in Mumbai on June 27, just 100 days before the start of the tournament on October 5. In comparison, the fixtures for the 2019 World Cup in England and the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand were released more than 12 months in advance.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The tournament will be played across ten venues in India, with the semi-finals in Mumbai and Kolkata on November 15 and 16, and the final in Ahmedabad on November 19. There are reserve days in place for the semis and final. The format will be the same as it was in 2019, with ten teams playing each other once in the league phase and the top four qualifying for the semi-finals.India qualified for the event as hosts, while Afghanistan, Australia, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa made it by finishing in the top eight of the 2020-2023 ODI World Cup Super League. The remaining two qualifiers will be identified at the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, which is being played by Sri Lanka, West Indies, Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Scotland, UAE, USA, and Zimbabwe.Related

England to begin World Cup title defence against New Zealand on October 5

Pakistan to play nine World Cup league matches at only five venues

Travelling fans left in the lurch by delay

2023 ODI World Cup schedule finally out; India vs Pakistan in Ahmedabad on October 15

After two successive fixtures in Lucknow, Australia’s fourth league match is in the south once again, against Pakistan in Bengaluru on October 20. They then travel north again to play the other qualifier in Delhi on October 25, and then go further north to Dharamsala to play New Zealand on October 28.Their last three league fixtures are in western India: against England in Ahmedabad on November 4, against Afghanistan in Mumbai on November 7, and against Bangladesh in Pune on November 12, which is the last day of the league stage.Australia had made the semi-final of the 2019 ODI World Cup where they suffered a heavy defeat against the eventual champions England. They will gear up for the 2023 tournament in India with warm-up games against a qualifier in Thiruvananthapuram on September 30 and Pakistan in Hyderabad on October 3.

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O Botafogo está escalado para partida diante do Audax pelo jogo de ida da final da Taça Rio. Com algumas mudanças na equipe titular, Luís Castro vai com força máxima para decisão. As duas equipes se enfrentam neste domingo, às 18h, no Raulino de Oliveira (Volta Redonda), com mando de campo do adversário.

ESCALAÇÃO DO BOTAFOGO

Lucas Perri, Di Plácido, Adryelson, Víctor Cuesta e Marçal; Tchê Tchê, Marlon Freitas, Raí e Eduardo; Carlos Alberto e Tiquinho Soares.

+Demitido da Globo, Cléber Machado fecha com a Record: veja as movimentações da imprensa esportiva em 2023

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasBotafogoFinal da Taça Rio: Botafogo divulga relacionados para o jogo contra o AudaxBotafogo02/04/2023BotafogoBotafogo disputa primeira final da Era SAF, e Taça Rio ganha importância para objetivos futurosBotafogo01/04/2023BotafogoBotafogo anuncia Anderson Santos como novo Diretor Financeiro; saiba maisBotafogo01/04/2023

Fogão definido para enfrentar o Audax ☑️ #VamosBOTAFOGO

Apresentado por @ParimatchBrazil pic.twitter.com/ReeBYryn4A

— Botafogo F.R. (@Botafogo) April 2, 2023

+Botafogo luta para ter Diego Hernández; conheça as características do jogador

Lesionados, Danilo Barbosa e Víctor Sá novamente não foram relacionados. Gustavo Sauer, que esteve ausente no jogo da última segunda-feira diante da Portuguesa, será opção de Luís Castro neste domingo no banco de reservas.

+Botafogo tem maratona de jogos previstos para abril; confira

O título da Taça Rio vale uma vaga para Copa do Brasil de 2024. O jogo de volta será disputado no próximo domingo (09/04), com mando de campo do Glorioso. A tendência é que a partida também seja disputada em Volta Redonda.

Here come the IPL 2024 playoffs. It took a thriller on Saturday to decide which of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) or Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would complete the playoffs line-up, and till the very last league game – a washout in Guwahati last night – to know who would play whom exactly, but now we know. And it’s a completely different playoff line-up from last season, with none of 2023’s top four making the cut here.

Qualifier 1: KKR vs SRH, May 21, Ahmedabad

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) come into the first qualifier as table-toppers, the first time they’ve finished the league phase at No. 1. They finished three points clear of anyone else on the table, despite having their last two games washed out. Will they be refreshed, or rusty? If SRH are any example to go by, a break from the cricket is a good thing: they came in after a 10-day break – partly down to the schedule and partly down to the weather – and aced a chase of 215 on Sunday against Punjab Kings. This was only the second time in IPL 2024 that SRH won a game chasing.Related

• Yash Dayal's year – stung by Rinku to stinging CSK

• How du Plessis-Kohli masterclass revived RCB after the rain

• Tripathi the link at No. 3 that SRH had been missing

Previous meeting: They’ve played each other only once this season, both team’s first game of IPL 2024. It was a high-scoring thriller that ended in a last-ball four-run win for KKR at Eden Gardens.Player availability: The England players who will be going to the upcoming T20 World Cup have withdrawn early from the IPL, and among them is one of KKR’s lynchpins this season: Sunil Narine’s big-hitting opening partner, Phil Salt.Weather forecast: “Very hot with plenty of sunshine” – that’s the forecast for Ahmedabad on May 21, and the heat will hardly relent as the lights come on for the evening match: it’s a minimum of 31C on the day. The forecast says there’s a 0% chance of rain.

Eliminator: RR vs RCB, May 22, Ahmedabad

On April 22, RR were top of the table, flying high, having won seven of their first eight games. At the other end of the table, RCB were languishing, having lost as many as RR had won, six of those defeats coming in a row. Fast forward to May 20, and the turnaround is stunning: RR have since won one in six and lost four in a row before Sunday’s washout. RCB have won six in a row, and thus go into this knockout encounter with all the momentum on their side.Previous meeting: They’ve played each other once this year, a convincing win for RR in Jaipur, where Virat Kohli hit a century only to be outdone by Jos Buttler.Player availability: This time, RR will be without Buttler, who’s part of the English T20 World Cup contingent that’s left the tournament. RCB will be without Will Jacks and Reece Topley for the same reasons.Weather forecast: The forecast doesn’t change much from Qualifier 1. Ahmedabad should remain hot and dry for the Eliminator.After a blazing start to IPL 2024, things have gone downhill for Sanju Samson and Co•BCCI

Qualifier 2: Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of the Eliminator, May 24, Chennai

Weather forecast: Some clouds are forecast during the day, but only a 5% chance of rain. A low of 29C, so another hot, sweaty evening in store for the players.

Final: Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2, May 26, Chennai

There’s a possibility of a first-time winner: RCB, ending a 16-year drought in the same season that their women’s team knocked off the Women’s Premier League title in its second edition.Is this, finally, RCB’s year?•Getty Images

Or RR could win their first title since the inaugural season when Shane Warne’s relatively unfancied team saw off MS Dhoni’s Super Kings in the final.For KKR it would be a first title since 2014, and their third overall. Quite the homecoming for Gautam Gambhir, that would be – he had captained KKR to both their previous titles, and played for them till 2017. This season, he shifted from Lucknow Super Giants back to KKR as team mentor.SRH’s only title (not to confuse them with the other franchise from Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers, who won it in 2009) came in 2016 – can they add to that?Weather forecast: Not much change from Qualifier 2, but slightly hotter even (min. 30 C) and even less chance of rain (4%).

Liverpool have submitted a €90 million (£78m/$105m) bid to Eintracht Frankfurt for French striker Hugo Ekitike. Sky Sports have revealed that an agreement in principle has been established between Liverpool and Eintracht Frankfurt, laying the groundwork for what could soon become one of the most significant deals of the summer.

Liverpool are determined to get EkitikeHave submitted a €90 million bid to FrankfurtCould surpass Kolo Muani's transfer fee of €95mFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Should all performance-related clauses included in the deal be fulfilled, Eintracht Frankfurt are anticipating a historic payout. If completed as proposed, the Ekitike sale would eclipse the club’s current record departure, the €95m (£82.3m, $110.5m) received from Paris Saint-Germain for Randal Kolo Muani in 2023, as reported by

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Ekitike is reportedly enthusiastic about the opportunity to join the Premier League, and among the potential destinations, Liverpool stands out as his preferred choice. Earlier this week, Newcastle United made an attempt to land the striker, but their bid was turned down by Frankfurt. The Frenchman has since set his sights on Merseyside, seeing the reigning English champions as the ideal platform to elevate his career.

DID YOU KNOW?

Securing a striker has been one of Liverpool's top priorities in this transfer window, particularly in the wake of the untimely death of Diogo Jota, which has cast a shadow over the club’s summer plans. With midfield additions like Florian Wirtz, right-back Jeremie Frimpong, and left-back Milos Kerkez already secured, attention has turned firmly toward the attacking third.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Liverpool are open to offers for Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez, whose inconsistency has left Arne Slot unimpressed. Colombian winger Luis Díaz has made it known he wishes to explore a move elsewhere. With Bayern Munich and Barcelona both circling, the club is preparing for the possibility of his exit. These potential departures have further accelerated the push for Ekitike, ensuring the Reds remain on top in England and Europe.

علق روبن أموريم مدرب مانشستر يونايتد بعد إعلان فريقه التعاقد مع بينجامين سيسكو مهاجم لايبزيج خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية.

ويعتقد أموريم أن سيسكو يملك إمكانيات عظيمة ويرى أنه يملك الشخصية التي يحتاجها فريقه.

أقرأ أيضاً.. تين هاج: رونالدو لم يكن المشكلة في مانشستر يونايتد.. وفزت ببطولتين بعد رحيله

وأكد مانشستر يونايتد توقيعه مع سيسكو من لايبزيج والذي وضع القلم على العقد لمدة خمس سنوات وانضم مقابل 66.4 مليون جنيه إسترليني بجانب 7.3 مليون إسترليني إضافات.

ومن المتوقع أن يظهر سيسكو لأول مرة بقميص مانشستر يونايتد عندما يلتقي آرسنال على ملعب أولد ترافورد الأحد المقبل في افتتاح البريميرليج.

وقال أموريم لقناة مانشستر يونايتد :”سيسكو يتمتع بالصفات التي كنا بحاجة لها، هو لاعب يمتلك كل المعلومات المتوفرة لدينا، علينا مساعدته”.

وأضاف: “هو شاب صغير، يجيد الكرات الهوائية والركض والتعامل مع الكرة لذا أعتقد أنه يتمتع بإمكايات هائلة وقادر على التطور كثيراً”.

وختم أموريم: “الأمور تتحسن لكن في النهاية، نحن بحاجة إلى الفوز بالمباريات وسنحاول أن نبدأ اليوم”.

Fenway Sports Group are facing scrutiny back in the United States over another controversial MLB trade, while the Reds are flying high in England

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The perceptions of Fenway Sports Group (FSG) as an ownership group could hardly differ on the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean. For football fans, they are the streetwise conglomerate that have overseen Liverpool's most successful period in the modern era. Baseball fans, however, aren't as convinced with their credentials, even in spite of bringing glory to the game.

In over two decades of presiding over the Boston Red Sox, FSG have overseen various playoff runs and even championships, but their work across the last seven years has come under major scrutiny. Now, the people of Massachusetts and New England are in revolt.

The online footballing community in Europe was taken aback in recent days after it became overwhelmed by irate Red Sox supporters lashing out at Liverpool's impending signing of Florian Wirtz for a package worth up to £116 million ($156m). GOAL investigates how a British-record transfer has managed to anger the north-eastern corner of the United States…

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  Curse of the Bambino

  Our tale starts nearly a whole century ago. Red Sox fans may not like this sentiment right now, but FSG weren't always seen as the bringers of doom, far from it.

  The most famous name in all of baseball is Babe Ruth. He transcends the sport even to this day, despite not playing for 90 years and being dead for the last 77. Ruth, nicknamed 'The Bambino', spent his first five years in Major League Baseball with the Red Sox, before being sold by team owner Harry Frazee to the rival New York Yankees. It's a deal that haunted Boston, as a city and a franchise, for generations.

  The Red Sox went 86 years without winning another championship, despite dominating the early years of MLB with Ruth front and centre to their success. On the flip side, the Yankees became the biggest team in the game, driving the passionate people of Boston crazy. They wanted out of the curse supposedly bestowed upon them and went to extreme lengths to remove it. A fan is said to have placed a Red Sox cap atop Mount Everest and burned one of the Yankees, while exorcisms were held outside their Fenway Park home stadium.

  FSG purchased the Red Sox in 2002. One year later, they reached the World Series for a shot at snapping their championship duck, but fell to the Florida Marlins 4-2 in a best-of-seven series. Twelve months on, the Red Sox found themselves 3-0 down to the Yankees in the AL Championship Series (effectively the semi-finals), and it seemed the curse would live on. And yet, they rallied back to remarkably win 4-3, before sweeping the St Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

  The Curse of the Bambino was lifted just two years into FSG's tenure. From there, the Red Sox became a consistent playoff and championship contender, winning further titles in 2007 and 2013. It was around this time that the group's founders, John Henry and Tom Werner, dipped their toes into football and then took a plunge by acquiring one of the most prestigious clubs of all.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Initial investment

  FSG replaced the widely unpopular Tom Hicks and George Gillett as Anfield chiefs in the autumn of 2010. The hope on Merseyside was that Henry and Werner would be able to bring the investment, love and care that had been missing from the top brass towards the end of the noughties. Despite Liverpool's success in the Champions League and FA Cup, a first Premier League title since the 1992 breakaway from the Football League still eluded them, in part because they didn't have the financial muscle to rival Manchester United or Chelsea.

  But FSG found the club in a sorry state. Roy Hodgson was midway through an ill-fated half-season spell in charge amid a slide down the table, and the Reds had spent extremely poorly to try and bolster the squad the previous summer. Though the Americans' decision to sign Luis Suarez in January 2011 proved to be a huge hit, replacing £50m ($58m) Fernando Torres with Andy Carroll for £35m ($41m) did not.

  Hodgson was replaced by club legend Kenny Dalglish, who despite showing signs of promise toward the end of 2010-11 with a respectable sixth-place finish, faltered the following Premier League campaign by dropping to eighth and was sacked. Nevertheless, the Scot won FSG their first trophy in football, lifting the 2012 League Cup.

  Elsewhere during the 2011-12, FSG brought in chief analyst Michael Edwards from Tottenham. He would support Dalglish and his successor, Brendan Rodgers, before moving into recruitment roles upstairs.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Klopp works his magic

  Rodgers went close to becoming a Liverpool immortal, coming to within a Steven Gerrard slip of ending their title drought in 2013-14. He was sacked just over a year later with the team stuck in reverse again, thus ushering in the most important hire of the FSG era.

  Jurgen Klopp, out of work for a few months after reinventing Borussia Dortmund and revolutionising modern pressing, was appointed manager in October 2015, almost five years to the day since FSG took control at Anfield. Within 18 months, the Reds were back in the Champions League, and two years later they had won it. With Edwards in charge of identifying players to improve the squad, the club transformed from mere contenders to perennial winners.

  Klopp providedthe springboard fora sustained period of greatness. In nine years at the helm, he won every trophy available to Liverpool (barring the Europa League) at least once. FSG didn't need to be in the foreground of operations, for the most part letting Klopp, Edwards and Co get on with their jobs, with interventions largely only made to lend the club money to afford upgrades and expansions to Anfield as a stadium.

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  Bitter in Boston

  To this point, and probably to the annoyance of their detractors, we've painted FSG as an all-conquering beast of sports. Which, well, isn't true, but given their track record you can be forgiven for thinking that may be the case.

  That's not to say they haven't had their bumps along the road, even with Liverpool. In April 2021, their desire to break away and form the European Super League, as well as 'Project Big Picture' a few months prior, was met with substantial rejection among fans, leading to its swift collapse in a matter of days. Sections of the online fanbase, meanwhile, have been critical of their investment in both the men's and women's teams. These are, however, not problems or negatives which are exclusive to only them.

  But this is where Boston comes back into play. The Red Sox last won the World Series in 2018, when they seemed destined to start a new dynasty, fronted by star player Mookie Betts. Just over a year later, Betts was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, partly because FSG did not want to hand him what would later become the third-most lucrative contract in North American sports history at $365m (£271m). It's the equivalent of Liverpool deciding that during Mohamed Salah's prime, they wouldn't bow to his contract demands, and instead shipped him off to Arsenal for the privilege. Betts has also won two World Series with the Dodgers, so imagine Salah actually brought Premier League and Champions League glory to the Gunners too.

  FSG's reputation back home is that they are considerably 'cheap and uninterested' compared to other sports owners – ironically, Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly holds a 20 percent stake in Dodgers. Trading away Betts, for a measly haul to boot, has seen the local media already talk of a successor to the Curse of the Bambino.

Liverpool are reportedly set to appoint Giovanni van Bronckhorst as Arne Slot's assistant after the departure of John Heitinga.

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Assistant Heitinga departed for AjaxLiverpool need replacementVan Bronckhorst likely candidateFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to The Times, Liverpool are closing in on van Bronckhorst, who has recently had spells as head coach at Rangers, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Besiktas, ultimately departing from the Turkish outfit back in November. With Heitinga appointed as head coach at Dutch giants Ajax, there's a spot at Anfield to be filled, and there aren't many stronger candidates than van Bronckhorst.

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There are clear parallels between the careers of Van Bronckhorst and Slot, with both managers coming from the Netherlands, managing Feyenoord early in their careers and winning impressive Eredivisie titles with the club (the former in 2017, the latter in 2023). While Slot never played for his country, he seems to appreciate having the know-how of experienced former Dutch international players beside him in the dugout, as this latest Liverpool appointment reflects.

DID YOU KNOW?

After news emerged of Heitinga's Ajax move, speculation surrounding the Reds' next assistant began heating up, with former Liverpool winger Dirk Kuyt linked with the job. Ultimately, Kuyt's agent was forced to come out and deny the rumours, telling one Dutch podcast, "it will be a different assistant coach. That would have been great for him. Liverpool’s assistant will be someone else."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

It will be hard for Slot to top his opening season in the Premier League; what was expected to be a transitional campaign turned into a triumphant one with Liverpool storming to the league title and finishing 10 points ahead of their nearest rivals, Arsenal. A cleverly managed squad refresh will be crucial if they are to challenge again next season, and if the club can secure the signing of Florian Wirtz, they will remain strong contenders.

Nottingham Forest are having a brilliant campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo and there is every chance their progress could secure Champions League football, which is bound to appeal to prospective summer targets.

Nottingham Forest could enjoy a transformational summer window

At the beginning of the season, there wouldn’t have been too many Premier League fans who would’ve had Nottingham Forest on their bingo card to finish in the Champions League slots.

Nevertheless, the Tricky Trees have put themselves in a remarkable position with nine matches left to play, potentially paving the way for an exciting market period at the City Ground.

Pushing their level of ambition to the limit, Nottingham Forest have made contact with Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres’s representatives. The Sweden international is viewed as an ideal long-term replacement for prolific marksman Chris Wood.

Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham is also of interest to the East Midlands-based outfit. Securing a mercurial return to Europe’s top table doesn’t seem to be enough for Espirito Santo, so it is no surprise he is aiming to cement their status as one of the most exciting sides in the English pyramid.

While their efforts in the Premier League could reap significant rewards, Nottingham Forest still find themselves in contention for the FA Cup and evidence that silverware is achievable at the City Ground is only likely to further their scope for savvy recruitment.

Nottingham Forest in ongoing talks over signing record £60m+ star for Nuno

He could be a fantastic addition this summer.

ByHenry Jackson Mar 23, 2025

Undoubtedly, the temptation to shell out big fees for premium talent will be on the mind of Evangelos Marinakis. However, value for money appears to be king under Espirito Santo’s reign if their latest target’s contract situation is anything to go by.

Nottingham Forest position themselves for cut-price Yoane Wissa deal

According to Football Insider, Nottingham Forest are set to reignite their attempts to sign Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and could land the in-form frontman for a ‘reduced price’ of between £15-20 million, as per Pete O’Rourke.

The Democratic Republic of Congo international will enter the final year of his deal at the Gtech Community Stadium this summer and is viewed internally as ‘smart business’ should the Tricky Trees manage to push an agreement over the line.

Yoane Wissa’s excellent season for Brentford

Appearances

30

Goals

15

Assists

2

Shot-creating actions (Premier League)

49

Non-penalty Expected Goals (Premier League)

13.6 XG value

Labelled “remarkable” by Bees boss Thomas Frank, he has also managed to create 17 chances and take 117 touches in the opposition’s penalty area this campaign on league duty, illustrating his capacity to bring others into play.

Stepping forward to fill the void left by Ivan Toney’s departure, Wissa has proven himself as a Premier League starter and may be cashed in on by Brentford to avoid the scenario where he departs on a free transfer in 2026.

Seizing their opportunity, Nottingham Forest will now hope to convince the 28-year-old that committing his future at the City Ground is the best course of action in light of the club’s upward trajectory.

Newcastle United have the chance to end 70 years of domestic hurt at Wembley this afternoon when they take on Liverpool in the League Cup final.

Not since victory over Manchester City in the 1955 FA Cup final have the Magpies claimed silverware in England, a drought that is too staggering to believe.

Eddie Howe led the Toon to the same stage of this competition two seasons ago, but lost the showpiece event to Manchester United.

Can he put these demons to bed today? Or will Liverpool look to get back to winning ways after being bundled out of the Champions League midweek to Paris Saint-Germain?

It promises to be an exciting match, that’s for sure.

Newcastle United team news vs Liverpool

Defenders Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles will miss the trip to Wembley, while Lewis Hall won’t be available for selection now until next season after suffering an injury against Liverpool a few weeks ago.

Thankfully for Howe, Alexander Isak is fit and ready to shine for the Magpies against the Anfield side. It looked as though he was struggling for fitness a few weeks ago, but he could be key if the club want to end their seven-decade hoodoo today.

One player who is missing for the final is Anthony Gordon. During the FA Cup defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion a couple of weeks ago, the Englishman was sent off after pushing Jan Paul van Hecke in the head during the match.

This suspension could hurt Howe, but he does have a few options regarding a replacement for the talented winger.

While Harvey Barnes – who started against West Ham on Monday night – might be the obvious solution, Joe Willock could drop back into the heart of the midfield, which would allow Joelinton the chance to replace Gordon on the left wing instead.

Why Howe must unleash Joelinton for Newcastle

The Brazilian has played 31 games for the club this season, scoring four goals and grabbing an assist.

All of his goals have come in the Premier League, where the midfielder has also created a big chance, averages 0.8 key passes per game and won 5.7 total duels per match.

Goals

4

Assists

1

Total duels won per game

5.7

Possession lost per game

10.7

Key passes per game

0.8

Balls recoverd per game

5.4

Howe has praised the player heavily in the past, none more so than after Newcastle’s comeback against Nottingham Forest earlier this season, saying: “He’s like gold dust because you know wherever you put him he’ll do a good job.”

When compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Joelinton ranks in the top 10% for touches in the opposition penalty area (3.1), progressive passes received (4.14), total shots (1.84) and for through balls (0.38) per 90.

These statistics indicate that he could be a more than worthy replacement for Gordon this afternoon, even ahead of the previously peripheral Barnes, as the club chase a long-awaited trophy.

If the club perform to their best, they have a chance of defeating Liverpool, but every member of the starting XI will need to be up to the task of stopping Arne Slot’s side.

New name: Newcastle tracking "magnificent" £40m winger who PSG want to sign

He is a new target for the Magpies.

ByHenry Jackson Mar 14, 2025