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Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side have been handed yet another boost ahead of their upcoming Scottish Premiership Old Firm clash.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by the Scottish Daily Mail (via Ibrox News), who revealed that Fashion Sakala has fallen ill while on international duty with Zambia, and is now self-isolating as a result.

The report goes on to that this means the 25-year-old is now a doubt for the Old Firm meeting this Sunday, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst claiming that it is a “wait and see” scenario regarding the winger’s availability for the visit of Celtic.

Great news for Celtic

Considering just how impressive Sakala has been since his arrival at Ibrox last summer, the news that the forward looks set to miss Sunday’s potentially title-deciding Glasgow derby is undoubtedly great news for Postecoglou and Celtic.

Indeed, over his 24 Premiership appearances this season, the £3.6m-rated attacker has been in deadly form for Rangers, scoring seven goals, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £10k-per-week winger average an incredibly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Van Bronckhorst’s 11th-best player in the top flight of Scottish football this term.

As such, following the news that both Aaron Ramsey and Alfredo Morelos are both serious doubts for the Old Firm clash, should Sakala also be ruled out of contention this weekend, it would certainly provide Celtic with another huge boost to their chances of picking up all three points at Ibrox – with a Bhoys victory at the home of their rivals going an extremely long way to reclaiming their Premiership crown this season.

AND in other news: £10.5m and counting: £23.5k-p/w “monster” should have played his final game for Celtic

ScorecardZander de Bruyn produced a magnificent 95 not out to guide Somerset to asix-wicket win over arch-rivals Gloucestershire in the Friends Provident t20match at Taunton.The Gladiators won the toss and set an imposing total of 199 for 8, withSteve Snell scoring 50 and Hamish Marshall 45. There were three wickets each forBen Phillips and Alfonso Thomas.Somerset looked in trouble until Kieron Pollard (54) joined de Bruyn in acentury stand for the fourth wicket in only seven overs. The West Indian hitfive towering sixes to help turn the match. But no one hit harder than de Bruyn, who faced just 49 balls and smashed five sixes and eight fours to lead his team to victory with seven balls to spare.It was a superb innings by a player more noted for textbook shots thanmurderous hitting and the partnership with Pollard will be long remembered forclean striking of the ball.Vikram Banerjee suffered more than most. The left-arm spinner went for 54 offhis four overs, while Anthony Ireland conceded the same figure off one ballfewer.Earlier, Gloucestershire had batted positively and well from the start of theirinnings and reached 61 for 2 by the end of their six overs of Powerplay.There was a moment of controversy when Thomas dived to claim a caught andbowled offered by Will Porterfield on 18. The opener refused to walk and wasgiven not out, adding six more to his score before being caught behind off MarkTurner.Chris Taylor played well for his 29 and Marshall hit five fours and a six infacing 26 balls. However, the best innings came from Snell, who smacked four sixes and threefours in reaching his half-century off just 25 deliveries. Kadeer Ali added 17 off just seven balls at the end of the innings and Somerset’s bowlers could reflect on an off-night.Their one moment of brilliance in the field came in the last over when PeterTrego dived full length to his left to hold a stunning catch at short third manto dismiss Snell. By then the Gladiators had posted a very challenging total.

Liverpool remain interested in West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen, with the club still following his development at the London Stadium this season.

What’s the story?

The Athletic have claimed that, following their summer interest, the Reds have continued to monitor the winger’s progress as they contemplate making a new signing out wide.

He was superb vs Liverpool

During his time at Hull City, Bowen was labelled an “unplayable” attacker by his then-manager Grant McCann, and he lived up to that billing and more with a superb individual display in the 3-2 victory over Liverpool back in November.

He set up two goals on the day as West Ham ended the Reds’ impressive unbeaten run, and his underlying stats were equally impressive.

As per Sofascore, he provided two key passes (the joint-most of any Hammer), while he created two official big chances too – the only player to do so in the game.

That’s not to mention he led the team in the number of crosses he put in, was tied second for successful dribbles, and was fouled the second most of any player too – the kind of exciting display which had Andy Robertson tied up in knots.

The Scotland international finished the game with no shots or crosses whatsoever (the mark of someone who had been pinned back for the entire match), made no tackles or interceptions, and won just the one duel over the course of the 90 minutes.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for The Liverpool Echo, Ian Doyle gave him a four, saying: “Plenty of overlapping down the left flank but delivery first half was inconsistent and had an absolute stinker second half.”

In fact, speaking before the game in his pre-match press conference, Klopp himself said: “I like Bowen a lot. He made his way up from Hull and took not too long to show exactly what kind of player he can be in the Premier League. He made big steps.”

He has scored six goals and provided nine assists in just 22 appearances in the Premier League, while he ranks as the Hammers’ best performing player with an average WhoScored match rating of 7.27.

The £31.5m-rated star could be a superb signing for Klopp’s side.

Meanwhile, James Pearce has dropped a Liverpool transfer update…

As per an update by reliable reporter Dan Kilpatrick of The Evening Standard, an exit update has come out of Tottenham Hotspur involving winger Steven Bergwijn.

The Lowdown: Conte makes ‘evaluations’…

As he recently admitted to the press, Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has been making his squad ‘evaluation’ for this January transfer window as he decides who could stay and leave north London this month.

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The likes of Dele Alli, Matt Doherty and Giovani Lo Celso have already been linked with moves away from the club this winter as Conte makes crunch decisions amid his potential overhaul.

As relayed by reporter Kilpatrick, Conte has ‘already’ made completed a thorough assessment of the Spurs team with decisions now made on who he can and cannot trust.

The Latest: Spurs could now sell Bergwijn…

According to The Evening Standard journalist, Spurs, Conte and managing director Fabio Paratici are now ‘open to offers’ for Bergwijn as well as midfielder Dele Alli.

The duo could be allowed to leave north London this month but Tottenham’s manager has apparently ‘ruled out’ an exit for midfielder Harry Winks.

The Verdict: Big update?

The Netherlands international only recently dazzled in a Man of the Match display during Tottenham’s 2-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over bitter rivals West Ham before succumbing to injury, so this news could come as surprising.

Bergwijn’s individual brilliance propelled Conte’s side into the League Cup semis where they take on Chelsea this evening and that wasn’t his only good showing this season.

Under former boss Nuno Espirito Santo, the 24-year-old shined at the start of 2021/2022 with the ex-Lilywhites manager hailing him as ‘fantastic’ and a ‘unique’ player within the squad (via TEAMtalk).

As Conte decides who he can and can’t trust with his evaluations made, we are surprised to see Bergwijn on the ‘for sale’ list.

In other news: ‘Expect an announcement’…Insider hopeful of big Tottenham news in ‘the next few days’, find out more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

Um duelo de rubro-negros que ainda tem pretensões no Campeonato Brasileiro acontece neste domingo, no Barradão. Enquanto o Vitória busca os três pontos para escapar do rebaixamento e permanecer na elite do futebol brasileiro na próxima temporada, o Flamengo quer assegurar a vaga diretamente na fase de grupos da Libertadores do ano que vem.

Apesar de estar na final da Sul-Americana (vai encarar o Independiente, da Argentina), a equipe de Rueda está com o foco volta ao torneio nacional para que possa carimbar logo o passaporte para voltar à Libertadores. O time não poderá contar com o zagueiro Rhodolfo, suspenso pelo Tribunal Superior de Justiça Desportiva (STJD) por conta de uma briga com o atacante Vizeu, na partida contra o Corinthians. Vizeu, que também havia sido punido, por outro lado, conseguiu efeito suspensivo e poderá ir a campo.

Assim, há a possibilidade de o técnico Rueda colocar a dupla de zaga com Juan e rafael Vaz, que não atuou contra o Junior Barranquilla (COL), pela Sul-Americana. Ou ainda, para poupar o experiente zagueiro, escale Léo Duarte ao lado de Vaz.

Já o Vitória considera o confronto como o ‘jogo da vida’. O time baiano depende apenas das próprias forças para não ir à Série B do ano que vem. Sem alguns jogadores importantes, como, por exemplo, o lateral-esquerdo Geferson, zagueiro Wallace Reis e o atacante Tréllez, suspenso por acúmulo de cartão, o técnico Vagner Mancini quebra a cabeça para montar a equipe.

Além da pressão contra o rebaixamento e o Flamengo, finalista da Sul-Americana, o Vitória terá outro adversário neste domingo: o Barradão. Ao longo do campeonato, o Leão venceu apenas três vezes dentro de casa e tem a pior campanha como mandante no torneio.

Saiba tudo sobre o jogo:

Local: Barradão, Salvador (BA)
Data/horário: 03/12/2017 – 17h (de Brasília)
​Árbitro: Dewson Fernando Freitas da Silva – PA (FIFA)
Assistentes: Helcio Araujo Neves – PA (CBF) e Jose Ricardo Guimaraes Coimbra – PA (CBF)
Onde acompanhar: Globo, Premiere e tempo real do LANCE!

Provável Vitória (Vagner Mancini):

Desfalques: Geferson, Wallace, Tréllez (suspensos)

​
Desfalques: Réver (suspenso) e Rhodolfo (suspenso STJD)

Palpites: Na redação do LANCE!, 30% acreditam em empate, enquanto 40% acha que o Flamengo vence e os outros 30% pensam que o Vitória levará a melhor

Despite currently sitting in fourth place in the Championship table and just four points off the top spot, West Brom have scored the fewest number of goals out of any of the top five teams in the league at the moment with 30 scored in 23 games.

With this in mind and the fact that the January transfer window is close to opening, this could provide the Midlands club with the opportunity to strengthen their squad to put themselves in the best possible shape to attack the second half of the campaign and push for promotion.

In recent days, it has been reported by The Athletic that Barnsley striker Cauley Woodrow is “under consideration” for the Baggies to sign in January, which could be just what they need to progress.

The 27-year-old originally joined Barnsley on a loan deal from Fulham back in the 2018 summer transfer window before signing on a permanent basis in January 2019.

Overall, the striker, who is currently valued at £2.7m according to Transfermarkt, has made 151 appearances for Barnsley across all competitions, scoring 53 goals and providing ten assists along the way, showing how much of a goalscoring threat he could be for the Baggies.

With 42 appearances under Valerien Ismael during the duo’s time together at Barnsley, Woodrow managed to score 12 goals and provide six assists, showing that the West Brom manager knows how to get a tune out of the player and why it would make sense for them to reunite in January at The Hawthorns.

Labelled as a player that “carries a goal threat” by former Huddersfield Town boss and pundit Danny Cowley, Woodrow could be a great January signing for West Brom if he’s able to hit the ground running in terms of scoring goals and push the Baggies to promotion back to the Premier League.

However, with the striker playing the full 90 minutes in all but one of the 22 Championship games he’s appeared in so far this season, it could be tough for the Baggies to get Woodrow out of Barnsley based on how important he clearly is to their team.

Although, with Barnsley in the relegation zone with just 14 points on the board, a chance to secure promotion and play in the Premier League with West Brom could be rather tempting for Woodrow and possibly give hope to the Midlands club that they would be able to work out a deal to sign him in January.

In other news: Lai still wants to sell the Baggies

A number of Liverpool supporters are delighted after new photos showing Harvey Elliott recovering from his serious injury emerged.

The Reds have had to make do without the talented 18-year-old since the middle of September after he suffered a broken ankle away to Leeds United.

It was a cruel blow for Elliott, who had made a hugely promising start to the season, making three Premier League starts in the early weeks of the campaign.

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The midfielder has been making admirable progress in his recovery, however, and it now looks as though he could even feature as soon as next month.

On Monday, Liverpool’s official Twitter account posted photos of Elliott in action on the training pitch, suggesting his recovery is going swimmingly, as he is even working with a ball already.

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Liverpool fans love Elliott images

These Reds fans took to Twitter to provide their reactions to the images, showing their delight in the process.

“Yeah boiiiiiiiii”

Credit: @LilLoubieLou

“Great to see”

Credit: @Ricky_Gr8ness

“Inter are not ready for the Salah, Trent, Elliott link up triangle”

Credit: @fishtoes22

“Things you love to see in your timeline”

Credit: @lubomerkov

“What a sight”

Credit: @lfc_ali21

“Harvey Elliott will save our season during AFCON”

Credit: @NoSwearingHere7

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has given an update on a possible Liverpool transfer. Read more here.

An update has emerged regarding the availability of three key Rangers players prior to heading away with their country for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

What’s the talk?

According to The Scotsman, the Gers are set to hold talks with the Nigerian FA to discuss whether or not Joe Aribo, Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun will be able to play in the Old Firm derby at the start of January.

The report claims that the trio are all due to jet away with Nigeria ahead of AFCON on December 27 and would miss the derby clash on January 2, with Rangers now set for discussions over a deal to keep them around for that match before releasing them for international duty.

GVB would love it

Ross Wilson could pull off a Rangers masterclass by convincing the Nigerian FA to hold off on calling up the trio before the match against Celtic. Giovanni van Bronckhorst would surely love it if he could have all of them available for the game, as they are all valuable members of the squad.

SofaScore have Aribo (5th), Balogun (9th) and Bassey (10th) all within the club’s top 10 performers in terms of average ratings in the Premiership this season. They have all averaged a score of 7.03 or higher in the league, showing that they have been performing consistently to an impressive standard so far this term.

This highlights their importance to the side and why it would be a masterclass from Wilson if he is able to successfully negotiate their availability against Celtic. Van Bronckhorst will want all of his best players at his disposal for that game and the statistics suggest that all three fall into that category.

Bassey, in particular, has shot to prominence under the Dutchman since the 43-year-old replaced Steven Gerrard at the helm. The left-back has played in the centre of defence over the last five competitive matches and the Gers have only conceded two goals in that time.

Hopefully, Wilson will be able to convince the Nigerian FA to allow the trio to play against Celtic in these crunch talks and Rangers will have a full squad available. Whilst the three will still miss an as yet undetermined period of time during AFCON, having them in the team against the Hoops could be a major boost as they are the Gers’ closest title rivals as it stands.

AND in other news, Forget Kent: “Exemplary” Rangers beast who won 88% duels finally took chance under GvB…

أعلن نادي سيراميكا كليوباترا رسميًا اليوم الخميس عن التعاقد مع رجب نبيل قلب دفاع فريق سموحة، لمدة موسمين.

ووقع اللاعب على عقد انضمامه لسيراميكا كليوباترا في حضور طارق أبو العينين، نائب رئيس مجموعة كليوباترا.

طالع أيضًا | باسم مرسي: تجاهلت نصيحة مرتضى منصور.. ولم أشعر بالراحة في سيراميكا كليوباترا

وتعاقد سيراميكا كليوباترا مع رجب نبيل بناءً على رغبة المدير الفني أحمد سامي، الذي يسعى لخلق توليفة مميزة من اللاعبين في الموسم المقبل.

يذكر أن سيراميكا كليوباترا أعلن اليوم أيضًا عن ضم أحمد هاني لاعب طلائع الجيش.

England’s 2010-11 Ashes defence in Australia will follow a traditional path, with the five-Test series starting in Brisbane and ending in Sydney. Australia, who lost the urn in August, can start planning their way back after the schedule was released, but the visitors have made a change already by asking for three first-class games before the first Test in Brisbane from November 25-29 next year.The second Test will be in Adelaide (December 3-7) followed by another tour match before the third rubber in Perth (December 16-20). During England’s 5-0 defeat in 2006-07 there were only a couple of low-key warm-up games for the tourists and the schedule was blamed for their awful start. Melbourne’s Boxing Day Test is a fixture and the series will wrap up in Sydney, starting on January 3, 2011.”The recent Ashes series was the sporting highlight of the summer and has really whetted the appetite of all cricket supporters as England seek to retain the Ashes next winter,” the ECB chief executive David Collier said. “I am sure many thousands of England cricket fans will be eager to purchase tickets when they go on sale and get behind the team in Australia.” The release dates have not been announced.”Australian cricket fans always love an Ashes series and demand for tickets is going to be strong, so it is important to put the dates in diaries now,” James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, said. “We also expect to have a lot of UK fans here again.” A full schedule, including one-day and Twenty20 matches, is unlikely to be announced until next year.2010-11 Ashes series
1st Test, November 25-29, Brisbane
2nd Test, December 3-7, Adelaide
3rd Test, December 16-20, Perth
4th Test, December 26-30, Melbourne
5th Test, January 3-7, Sydney