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Celtic face off against Aberdeen at Parkhead today as they return to Premiership action following their loss to Bayer Leverkusen three days ago.

Ange Postecoglou’s side were left frustrated as they lost 3-2 to the German outfit in the Europa League on Thursday night, with Moussa Diaby scoring a late winner for the hosts. Goals from Josip Juranovic and Jota had put Celtic 2-1 heading into the last half an hour, but Robert Andrich and Diaby struck late for Leverkusen.

How many changes will Ange make to the Hoops team for today? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes from Thursday, with Liel Abada, Mikey Johnston and James McCarthy coming in.

Celtic are facing a busy period of games heading into December and they could benefit from utilising their squad depth in the coming weeks. This means that Postecoglou may need to rotate his side and make changes irrespective of individuals’ form to hand some players opportunities to impress and others a chance to have a rest and avoid burnout.

The Australian may be forced into one change, though, as Nir Bitton could miss out through injury. He said after the loss to Leverkusen: “I was a bit disappointed to see Nir come off. In terms of how he is going to be, I’m not really sure. We will assess him, but he has been pretty influential for us and did well to help set up our second goal in Germany.”

We published an article explaining why McCarthy should start, with the Irishman potentially lining up at the base of the midfield.

We also predict that Abada will line up on the right of midfield ahead of James Forrest. The 20-year-old should be handed a start, due to his ability to be a game-changer for the Hoops, with seven goals and five assists this season. He could come in and provide a spark out wide after a disappointing display from the £19k-per-week Forrest on Thursday night – as he recorded a SofaScore rating of 6.2.

Finally, Johnston could start ahead of David Turnbull in midfield. The latter might be offered a rest ahead of the busy December schedule, whilst the former could have an opportunity to show his manager that he deserves more minutes in the team. Johnston has only started once in the Premiership this season, but came off the bench against Leverkusen and created one chance in 18 minutes, showing a glimpse of what he is capable of producing when afforded the opportunity.

AND in other news, Forget Bitton: Ange must unleash “top-class” £14k-p/w Celtic maestro vs Aberdeen…

Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action in Sunday’s late kick-off as they welcome Leeds United to north London for Antonio Conte’s first home game in charge of the club.

And the 52-year-old Italian has plenty to ponder after his first two matches in the dugout saw his Spurs side narrowly defeat Vitesse 3-2 in the Europa Conference League before making his top-flight bow with a 0-0 draw at Everton before the international break.

A lot of Spurs’ major problems still linger but that should be expected having only been appointed a week before his key stars competed on the biggest stage.

For instance, the Lilywhites have failed to score a Premier League goal in around five hours of playing time, the last being Heung-min Son’s winner at Newcastle United, whilst their last shot on target came nearly four hours ago.

Similarly, the north Londoners rank second-bottom for shots per game (10.1), meaning only the division’s basement boys, Norwich City (10), have managed fewer. Meanwhile, they are also the second-worst team for expected goals, managing an xG of just 11.43.

It’s clear, on the evidence above, that Conte has a massive problem with creativity in the final third, and scoring goals. Perhaps his initial system at the club – a 3-4-3 of sorts – isn’t helping.

Recently, it has been mooted by football.london reporter Alasdair Gold that the former Chelsea boss could tinker with his system to deploy an attacking no.10, rather than two inside forwards behind Harry Kane.

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You could argue that the lack of a creative middle man is exactly what is holding them back right now, so wingers – on top of wing-backs – isn’t necessary.

That could well be a solid solution to the problem but it means someone has to unfortunately make way, and that won’t be Son. We could well see Lucas Moura most at risk, despite his performances for the club this season.

Indeed, only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (7.15) has managed a better average WhoScored rating this campaign than the £18m-rated Brazilian winger (7.04) but given the change in system, he simply cannot be accommodated.

However, what makes this even better for the Italian head coach is the subsequent use of the 29-year-old dynamo from the bench.

His pace and tenacity could cause all sorts of problems when the opposition is looking a little leggy, and with Marcelo Bielsa demanding relentless work rate throughout, Moura could feast as a substitute late in the second half today.

Spurs teammate Eric Dier once dubbed him a “nightmare” to train against, so that only bolsters such claims.

Conte needs a man in the middle to pull the strings and that can’t be Moura, so he should be be the unlucky casualty from the starting XI. Instead, the 52-year-old ought to turn to Tanguy Ndombele or Dele Alli.

It’s bold and brutal but it could be the solution Spurs need.

AND in other news, Spurs could find new Christian Eriksen after big January transfer boost…

Many Wolves fans have been left delighted as the Midlands club dropped an inspiring update involving Conor Coady.

As shared by Wolves Foundation on their Twitter page, Coady surprised a 13-year-old fan at Molineux as part of Anti-Bullying Week, after hearing that he was having a tough time at school.

The video was then shared by the Wanderers, who captioned their own post with ‘Our captain. What a human’, in reference to the central defender.

Having played in no fewer than 288 games in total over all competitions across seven consecutive seasons at WWFC, including being a key part of the team that got promoted up to the Premier League from the Championship (Transfermarkt), Coady has well and truly established himself as a modern day legend at the club.

Thus, it is no surprise to see the supporters swooning over his latest actions – because who doesn’t appreciate some heartwarming content from their skipper?

Wolves fans on Coady news

These Wanderers shared their thoughts as the club posted on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘fantastic’:

“My heart”

Credit: @_ahxle

“There isn’t a better bloke in football than him.”

Credit: @Georgedent10

“Wow!!”

Credit: @stuartspence8

“The best captain we’ve had in my lifetime. Such a genuine nice bloke. Time for anyone”

Credit: @SteC9911

“Cutting onions here”

Credit: @AdamMB25551706

“This is fantastic!”

Credit: @PhilBethell

In other news, find out who Bruno Lage is now keen to sign here!

India have a tough task in trying to end South Africa’s unbeaten run

Ashwin Achal31-Jul-2009Match facts
Saturday August 1, 2009
Start time 9am (23:00 GMT)Big Picture
South Africa Emerging Players, who have won all eight matches – six 50-over games and two Twenty20s – will start clear favourites against India, who pipped Australia to the final after a victory over New Zealand in the last league match.India have been inconsistent in the tournament, winning and losing four matches. They’ve won as many 50-over matches as Australia, and made it to the final only because they won one out of two Twenty20 games while Australia lost both. India will be encouraged, though, by the fact that they ran South Africa close in both the games in the tournament, losing by in ten runs and four wickets.South Africa have an enviable record in the tournament, and the key has been the contribution of several players. There is no stand-out star with the bat for South Africa, but four of their batsmen have scored more than 150 runs.Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first)
South Africa – WWWWW
India – WWLLW
Watch out for..
Virat Kohli: Kohli has been in tremendous form, and is the third highest run-scorer of the series with 294 runs in six one-day matches. He has already scored a century and two fifties in six innings. In the crucial last league tie against New Zealand, Kohli hit a hurricane 92 from 86 balls to clinch victory while chasing a tricky target of 247.CJD de Villiers: The right-arm fast bowler has played four of the six one-day matches, but has made a big impact. He has raced to second on the wicket-takers list with nine, at an average of 13.33 and a miserly economy rate of 3.42 runs an over. de Villiers was the destroyer-in-chief in South Africa’s massive 183-run win over Australia Institute of Sports, picking up figures of 5 for 15 in six overs.Team news
South Africa might bring back middle-order batsman Stiaan van Zyl, while India will look to retain the same XI which won against New Zealand on Thursday. Murali Vijay, another India international, is set to remain on the bench, with the current opening partnership of Ajinkya Rahane and Kohli going great guns.South Africa: (likely) 1 Henry Davids, 2 Heino Kuhn (wk), 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 Vaughn Van Jaardsveld (capt), 5 Stiaan van Zyl, 6 Dean Elgar, 7 Reeza Hendricks, 8 Daryn Smit, 9 CJD de Villiers, 10 Thandi Tshabalala, 11 Juan Theron, 12 Craig Alexander.India: (likely) 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Naman Ojha, 4 S Badrinath (capt), 5 Abhishek Nayar, 6 Manoj Tiwary, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Pradeep Sangwan, 11 R Ashwin, 12 Sudeep Tyagi.Stats
India’s two most prolific batsmen have been Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli, who are second and third on the top run-scorers list of the torunamentBoth India and South Africa have three batsmen each in the top-10 run-scorers list – Rahane, Kohli and S Badrinath for India while South Africa is represented by Heino Kuhn, Farhaan Behardien and Vaughn van JaarsveldIndian fast bowler Sudeep Tyagi is the highest wicket-taker of the series with 10 wickets in five matches at an average of 18.30 Badrinath, the Indian captain, scored 86 runs in his first five innings before finally finding some form, scoring an unbeaten 81 in India’s last match, against New Zealand. de Villiers’ bowling average of 13.33 is the best among bowlers who have taken at least five wickets in the tournament.

Leeds United could find it hard to keep hold of Raphinha after his impressive form for Brazil, according to Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips.

The Lowdown: Raphinha on fire for Brazil

The 24-year-old has been fantastic for the Whites over the last year and his form earned him a call-up to Brazil’s squad during the current international break.

Raphinha made an immediate impression on his Selecao debut, registering two assists in his country’s 3-1 win away to Venezuela on Friday, showing exactly what he is capable of producing.

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The Latest: Leeds exit soon?

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips admitted that the winger’s performance will only increase the chance of him moving on from Leeds eventually, with elite clubs sure to be eyeing up a transfer. The former Sunderland striker said:

“His stock is rising, big time. To perform like that for Brazil, it doesn’t really get any better.

“We know the impact he has had on the Premier League. He has been amazing. But, to do it for Brazil is just brilliant. It puts his stock even higher.

“A performance like that has pros and cons for Leeds. On one hand you think, ‘Brilliant. He’s improving all the time.’

“But, on the other hand you fear that there will be a lot of interest from other clubs next year. They might try and nick him.

“It is great news for Leeds that he will come back buzzing and full of confidence though. Hopefully he can keep up that level of performance.”

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The Verdict: Tough to keep hold of him

Much like Kalvin Phillips, in an ideal world Raphinha would stay at Leeds for the rest of his career – he has been hailed as ‘incredible’ by Phil Hay – given how important he is to Marcelo Bielsa. He is their leading scorer this season with three goals and, as per WhoScored metrics, is their best-performing player by a distance.

In reality, the Whites may have to accept that a fresh challenge could appeal to the 24-year-old in the near future, with the Brazilian perhaps keen to play for a Champions League club or a team challenging for league titles.

Whether or not it is as early as next summer remains to be seen, but as Kevin Phillips has hinted, it is difficult to see Raphinha staying at Elland Road in the long-term if he continues to thrive for club and country.

In other news, Phil Hay has provided an update regarding Leeds’ January transfer business. Read more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

Marcação, velocidade e disposição. Essas são as principais características de Alison no Santos, que o fez ganhar os apelidos “MMAlison” e “Cachorro Louco” dos santistas, por causa de seu desempenho em campo. E também são essas que trarão a sequência desejada pelo jovem de 24 anos.

E o que hoje o fez titular com o técnico Levir Culpi, antes o tirou a oportunidade com o ex-treinador Dorival Júnior, justamente por seu estilo de jogo mais agressivo. Mas quem sempre esteve de olho em Alison foi Claudinei Oliveira, atualmente técnico do Avaí, mas que já foi responsável pelas categorias de base do Peixe. Foi ele que treinou, desenvolveu Alison como atleta e hoje sente falta e gostaria de tê-lo no elenco do Leão da Ilha.

– Vi Alison evoluir nas categorias de base, trabalhei com ele desde o sub-17 até o profissional. Coloquei ele para atuar como titular na equipe profissional em 2013 e ele terminou o ano como titular. O Alison sempre foi muito intenso e competitivo, em alguns momentos esse excesso de vontade o rotulou de uma forma negativa. Eu discordo, nunca achei o Alison um atleta violento. Sempre foi guerreiro e intenso, mas nunca desleal. Jogar contra ele não é muito bom, não (risos). Eu preferia ter ele do nosso lado pela qualidade na marcação e de atleta que ele é, mas fico feliz de vê-lo em campo – explicou em entrevista ao LANCE!

O reencontro ocorrerá neste domingo, às 19h, na Ressacada, pela 19ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, mas desta vez em posições diferentes. Alison é titular do Alvinegro e Claudinei comandará o Avaí, que está na 18ª colocação do campeonato e precisa da vitória para sair da zona de rebaixamento.

Com a lesão de Vecchio, o volante tem a grande chance de conquistar a vaga desejada depois de marcar um golaço de fora da área em vitória por 3 a 2, sobre o Flamengo, na última quarta-feira. E ele pretende repetir o feito neste domingo.

As expected for a man whose girlfriend is a karate black-belt, Mitchell Johnson doesn’t intimidate easily. So the sight of England’s No. 3 Ravi Bopara rattling off three consecutive centuries against West Indies hasn’t worried him in the slightest

Brydon Coverdale and Alex Brown21-May-2009As expected for a man whose girlfriend is a karate black-belt, Mitchell Johnson doesn’t intimidate easily. So the sight of England’s No. 3 Ravi Bopara rattling off three consecutive centuries against West Indies hasn’t worried him in the slightest. It’s a sentiment shared by his captain Ricky Ponting, who believes England’s recent success will count for little when Australia arrive.Bopara was the standout for England in their home series against West Indies, when he scored 143 and 108, following the 104 he made during his only appearance in the Caribbean in February. He hasn’t played Australia in a Test, just as Johnson hasn’t faced England, but Australia’s new spearhead is confident his attack can get the better of Bopara.”I’ve seen Bopara in those two Tests against the West Indies where he scored those two centuries,” Johnson told Cricinfo. “He looked good, but there is a big difference between a series against the West Indies and the Ashes. There will be much more pressure out there, so it will be interesting to see how he goes.”There’s no doubt that facing Australia will be an enormous step up. For one thing, the West Indies captain Chris Gayle led by inglorious example in England, where he arrived late from the IPL and declared that he wouldn’t mind if Test cricket died out. By comparison, Ponting has plainly stated that he is desperate to win the Ashes on English soil.”They’ve obviously done everything very well in the last two Test matches against the West Indies,” Ponting said of England. “I guarantee they’ll be facing a stiffer opposition than West Indies when we arrive. It’s been made pretty clear over the past couple of weeks that their captain [Gayle] doesn’t really want to be there.”England will be a very stiff and tough opposition, we know that. They always are when we play against them. The last series out here in Australia was a 5-0 result to us but it could’ve been a whole lot different had we not done some exceptional things.”One of the men who troubled England during that series was Stuart Clark, who with 26 victims was Australia’s leading wicket-taker in a team that featured Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. Clark believes England have improved since then and, in any case, will be tougher to beat at their home venues.Since the tour of Australia Matthew Hoggard and Sajid Mahmood have fallen by the wayside, Ashley Giles has retired, and Andrew Flintoff has battled ongoing injuries. Steve Harmison didn’t play in the home series against West Indies, although Clark expects him to win a recall for the Ashes. He said the England attack would be tough to dominate.”The bowling line-up is different but probably better [than 2006-07],” Clark said. “Steve Harmison is obviously a great bowler and Flintoff may come back into the team. But Graham Onions and Stuart Broad and James Anderson are doing a great job. I think from what we saw out here a couple of years ago they’ve probably improved and are at a higher level than what they were.”They’ve played some good cricket. I’m not sure they’re playing against the greatest competition in the world. They’ve still gone out and done a job. They beat the West Indies in three days, which is not an easy thing to do, even if the opposition isn’t great.”The Australians, on the other hand, are coming off a 2-1 victory in South Africa against the No. 2 side in the world. It all adds up to a group confident of overcoming anything England can throw at them.”You don’t face many tougher tasks than playing South Africa over there,” Ponting said. “That really excites me about what we’ve got coming up on this Ashes tour.”

علق محمود فتح الله مدرب نادي بيراميدز، على مواجهة الزمالك القادمة ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز، المقرر إقامتها الإثنين.

الزمالك يواجه بيراميدز، يوم الإثنين الموافق الأول من شهر أغسطس المقبل، في إطار الجولة الـ28 من عمر بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وقال فتح الله خلال تصريحات عبر برنامج “الريمونتادا” على قناة “المحور”: “الزمالك ناد كبير ولديه رصيد كبير من البطولات ولديه نقص في اللاعبين ورغم ذلك حصل على بطولة الكأس ويسير بشكل جيد في الدوري”.

طالع | ترتيب الدوري المصري بعد فوز الأهلي وبيراميدز على مصر المقاصة والبنك الأهلي

وأضاف: “ستكون مواجهة قوية وسنحاول أن لا نفرط في أي نقاط، مهما كان الذي سيحدث، سنعمل كل ما علينا”.

وبشأن تواجد إبراهيم عادل لاعب بيراميدز أمام الزمالك، أوضح: “أتمنى، هو لاعب مؤثر جدًا ولكن أعتقد هناك صعوبة ونسبة لحاقه بالمباراة ليست كبيرة”.

وانتصر بيراميدز علي البنك الأهلي، بهدف دون رد، في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم الأربعاء في الجولة الـ 27 من عمر بطولة الدوري.

ويحتل بيراميدز المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري، برصيد 59 نقطة، بينما يتواجد الزمالك في الصدارة برصيد 60 نقطة.

Muttiah Muralitharan is keeping everybody waiting. He began the series against India needing three wickets to overtake Wasim Akram and become the highest wicket-taker in ODIs

Cricinfo staff02-Feb-2009
Muttiah Muralitharan is poised to become the highest wicket-taker in ODIs © AFP
Muttiah Muralitharan is keeping everybody waiting. He began the series against India needing three wickets to overtake Wasim Akram and become the highest wicket-taker in ODIs. Two matches later, he’s still two wickets away, having taken only 1 for 84 in 20 overs in the first two ODIs.Murali, however, is not thinking about breaking the record. “Honestly I am not thinking of taking those two wickets much,” he told the . “The important thing is towin this game. I am going to keep playing and the record will come someday. I am pretty happy with my form. Maybe they [the Indian batsmen] are not taking too many risks against me.”Sri Lanka’s batsmen have failed to fire collectively in the series. Sanath Jayasuriya scored 107 in the first game, and Thilina Kandamby made a valiant unbeaten 93 in the second, but both did not get much support from the others. “We are not playing well,” Murali said. “Our batting has been a huge concern for us.”But having said that these guys are quality players and they have proved themselves over the years. We had a few players retiring and those slots have been filled by some new ones and we have shifted some places. So these things can happen.”Sri Lanka need to win the remaining three matches, after conceding a 2-0 lead to India, to take the series and Murali urged his team-mates to play with their natural flair. “The main thing is that we need to think that this is just another game,” he said. “You shouldn’t be putting any undue pressure. When you start thinking of what’s at stake you tend to get into a negative mindset. What’s important is to be positive and play our natural game.”Sri Lanka are fighting to avoid a third consecutive ODI-series defeat at home, after going down 3-2 to both India and England. Murali, however, was confident of a turnaround. “We didn’t lose badly. The score line says we lost 3-2, both against England and India. We will improve and get back to our winning ways. Don’t forget that India is one of the best sides in the world right now in all three forms of the game.”

Charlton have endured a difficult start to the 2021/22 campaign and currently sit 19th in the League One table during the first international break of the season.

Nigel Adkins’ side have only accrued four points from their five league games, with one win, one draw and three defeats as it stands.

They opened the season with a 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday before losing three games on the bounce to Oxford, MK Dons and Wigan, conceding six goals and scoring just two. Their first win of the campaign came in a 2-0 success against Crewe Alexandra in the final league match of the month.

Despite Charlton’s struggles, there were a few shining lights to give fans, and Adkins, some hope heading into the rest of the season. Due to the unflattering results, one player whose performances may have gone under the radar is George Dobson.

The midfielder, who arrived from Sunderland in the summer, was one of only three Charlton players to average a SofaScore rating of 7.00 or higher last month, suggesting that he was one of the club’s best performers. He was an unsung hero in his four starts, as his individual performances were wasted by his team-mates letting him down and ultimately losing, bar the draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

Defensively, Dobson worked his socks off for the team and was very active in the midfield. As per SofaScore, he won an eye-catching 17 tackles in four matches, whilst also making five interceptions and two clearances. He won 63% of his duels on the pitch, six per game and 24 overall in his four appearances.

This shows that he was effective at putting his foot in and winning the ball back for Charlton. He was also secure in possession in his own half, completing 95% of his passes inside his own half of the pitch and not making many silly mistakes to gift the ball back to the opposition.

Dobson had 175 touches of the ball in the four matches combined despite Charlton failing to win any of them, showing that he was actively involved in trying to turn the game around for the Addicks. Along with his impressive passing accuracy and defensive awareness, this shows that he was one of the club’s better performers during this poor run, which is why he was their unsung hero during August – not getting the credit he deserved due to the team’s poor results.

Read more: These figures sum up one of Dobson’s best performances so far this season