It's been a season of ups and downs for Tottenham Hotspur but form is starting to settle and the pursuit of Champions League qualification might just bear fruit.

That eventuality looked nailed-on in the early phase of the campaign, with new manager Ange Postecoglou breathing fresh life into the outfit and firing Spurs into the ascendancy.

Winter arrived and with it furious bleak clouds, a spate of injuries and suspensions sending Tottenham's Premier League progress into a nosedive; a lapse in fluency bringing title aspirations down to hopes of a top-four finish.

Now, with the campaign approaching the business end, Tottenham have been impressive and perch in fifth place, having closed the gap to three points on Aston Villa in fourth after an emphatic 4-0 win at Villa Park one week ago – and with a game still in hand.

Precise recruitment in the transfer market has been the centre of Tottenham's success, with Postecoglou's project marrying into Daniel Levy's system, but there will need to be further accuracy on that front if any promise from the 2023/24 campaign is to turn into the milk and honey of lasting success.

Tottenham have done a good job of shipping out the deadwood so far, with the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier some of the high-profile names cast away.

Some peripheral players still need to leave, with Ryan Sessegnon's time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium surely running out.

Why Spurs signed Ryan Sessegnon

Having enjoyed something of a prodigious start to life on the senior stage with Fulham, Sessegnon signed for Tottenham in a £25m deal back in 2019, when he was just 19 years old.

The dynamic wideman, competent in any left-sided role, was remarked to be "one of the bright sparks" during Tottenham's 2019/20 campaign, his first at the club, but while he was young and lively he was also inexperienced and unrefined and so made just four starting appearances in the Premier League, albeit scoring in a 3-1 Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich.

Unfortunately, nearly five years after transferring to Tottenham the 23-year-old has completed just 57 fixtures for the club, with injuries and poor performances punctuating a once-promising career that has bitterly stagnated.

He's out of contract next summer and there is a sense that his Spurs career is at its end, especially given that he played just one match for the first team in 2023/24, coming off the bench against Burnley in the FA Cup third round in January.

Sessegnon's woes have of course been compounded by the injury issues that have derailed a promising start to life, having scored two goals and provided six assists during the 2018/19 Premier League season, his last with Fulham.

But there's no denying that he has flattered to deceive, with Spurs insider Jon Wenham even remarking that he looks like a "Championship player" when he does muster up enough fitness to grace the pitch.

That said, an endless recurrence of a hamstring problem such as Sessegnon has suffered would stifle even the most talented Premier League stars, and for this reason, he can't be considered in the same breath as some other recent Tottenham duds.

One such flop is Sergio Reguilon, who hasn't played for Spurs in nearly two years but remains on the books and must be axed to continue the revival under Postecoglou.

Why Sergio Reguilon has flopped at Spurs

Wenham has recently described Reguilon as "chaotic" after revealing that Levy is bound to make a "huge loss" on the Spaniard, who is currently marked with a paltry £5m worth, according to Football Transfers' valuation model.

This feeling of disappointment would not be so profound were the 27-year-old not at the centre of a £32m outlay, signing from Real Madrid with a weight of expectation in 2020 after being named the La Liga's best left-back in 2019/20 while on loan with Sevilla, winning the Europa League.

No doubt, he does have his qualities. Reguilon ranks among the top 7% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles and the top 5% for blocks per 90, as per FBref, but it's been some time since he played in a Tottenham shirt competitively.

Indeed, after two years plying his trade for Tottenham, Reguilon completed a loan move back to his homeland and joined Atletico Madrid, though this was a woeful sojourn that provided him with a series of injuries and just two starts in La Liga.

Wenham – seemingly a vocal critic of this ace – has also remarked that he is the "worst of the bunch" when discussing the transfer activity under Jose Mourinho's management.

Not accounting for his £53k-per-week wages across the past two seasons, which might even have been covered by Tottenham, at least partially, Reguilon has bled the club over £37m, when combining his earnings across those first two years with his transfer fee.

Per appearance

£559,000

Per goal

£18.75m

Per assist

£4.2m

Per clean sheet

£1.7m

Per booking

£3.4m

Sessegnon is still relatively young and has been beset with a torrent of fitness problems, and while it hasn't been plain sailing on the injury front for Reguilon by any stretch, he cost more money and has had ample time to establish himself as a star down N17.

With Destiny Udogie performing so well in a Tottenham shirt, it's hardly likely that Reguilon will reclaim his place in the side any time soon, even if he is averaging 2.3 tackles per game in the Premier League this season (having spent the first half of the campaign on loan with Manchester United, switching for Brentford in January), as per Sofascore, also winning 58% of his duels.

Having signed a five-year contract in 2020, Reguilon is seemingly out of contract in 2025, and it's highly unlikely that his deal will be renewed.

A pundit believes two Tottenham stars may well be on the way out if Ange Postecoglou's side sign a £50 million "leader" this summer.

Ange requires squad overhaul as Spurs make summer plans

It will be a very interesting summer window where Spurs are concerned, with Postecoglou seeking to build upon what has been a very positive first season in charge overall.

Tottenham eyeing Premier League star as Levy sets aside big striker funds

The north Londoners are seeking to replace Harry Kane.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 5, 2024

Fans and on-lookers have been left enamored with Tottenham's new style of play under Postecoglou this season, and they're still firmly in the race to seal Champions League qualification as they battle Aston Villa for fourth.

The Lilywhites boss has been backed with successful signings during that time, with both Micky van de Ven and James Maddison proving excellent signings who fit in seamlessly to Postecoglou's style.

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 7th

Newcastle United (away)

April 13th

Arsenal (home)

April 28th

Chelsea (away)

May 2nd

Liverpool (away)

May 5th

However, there are still areas of the squad which need to be addressed before Spurs can think about potentially challenging the likes of Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal nearer the top of the table.

Indeed, Postecoglou has even admitted that it may take as long as three windows to reach the level he requires.

"We've got a lot of work to do still on the squad and I don't think we're anywhere near where we want to be. It probably will take a little bit more than three windows to get there, for sure," said Postecoglou on Tottenham signings in the future.

"Just in terms of the robustness, adaptability, and compatibility of the squad, I think there's still a fair bit of change we need to do.

"I certainly don't think we're one or two players away from getting to where I want us to be, nowhere near it. Some of that will be natural evolution. Some of it hopefully means we continue to get the improvement we've had this year from some of our players. If that happens over the next 12 months, then we'll be in a great position."

Heading into the summer window, a overhaul is on the cards. Spurs have been linked with a few star names, like Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, while the likes of Giovani Lo Celso and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg don't appear to have a future at the club.

There have even been some suggestions that Spurs are favourites to sign the £50 million Gibbs-White, coming as Forest look to balance the books and avoid further PSR sanctions.

Tottenham tipped to sell Hojbjerg and Lo Celso with Gibbs-White signing

Speaking to Tottenham News, pundit John Wenham has suggested that Lo Celso and Hojbjerg will both leave if Tottenham manage a deal for Gibbs-White this summer.

“I really like Gibbs-White, I think he’s a real character and a leader in that Forest team," said Wenham.

“He has lots of positive attributes, he can cover a couple of midfield positions, and it wouldn’t take long for him to become a regular for England if he was playing at Spurs.

“I think signing him would make it easier to let go of Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso this summer.”

MatériaMais Notícias

A Conmebol divulgou, nesta sexta-feira, a escala de arbitragem para a primeira rodada da Copa América. O Brasil enfrenta a Venezuela na abertura, no próximo domingo (13), às 18h, no Estádio Mané Garrincha. A entidade definiu trio uruguaio para o jogo, comandado pelo árbitro Esteban Ostojich e com os auxiliares Carlos Barreiro e Martin Soppi. O sistema de VARficará por conta do chileno Julio Bascuñan.

> Confira os resultados da última rodada da Sul-Americana!

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O duelo entre Colômbia e Equador será apitado pelo argentino Nestor Pitana, árbitro da final da Copa do Mundo 2018. Wilmar Roldán, da Colômbia, está escalado para Argentina x Chile, enquanto o peruano Diego Haro irá chefiar a arbitragem de Paraguai x Bolívia. O único brasileiro a ser definido para a primeira rodada é o auxiliar Wagner Reway, que irá atuar no VAR na partida entre paraguaios e bolivianos.

Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea side will be looking to make it back-to-back Premier League wins this evening when they travel to face bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

The Blues come into the encounter off the back of a hard-fought and impressive 4-3 victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night, with the in-form forward Cole Palmer bagging a hat-trick.

However, Chris Wilder's side look set for an immediate return back to the Championship, with the Blades currently on just 15 points, ten points from safety and without a win in five outings.

Chelsea will be looking to close the gap on eighth-placed Newcastle United, who currently sit four points ahead of the Blues, but will still have a game in hand after Sunday's trip to Yorkshire.

However, despite the comeback win against Erik ten Hag's side in midweek, one Blues player must be dropped by Pochettino after his below-par display, allowing a talented youngster to replace him in the starting lineup.

The man who needs to be dropped vs Sheff Utd

Centre-back Benoit Badiashile produced an awful display against the Red Devils, with the Frenchman receiving a 3/10 rating from Evening Standard journalist Nazaar Kinsella.

While midfielder Moises Caicedo was at fault for United's opening goal, 23-year-old Badiashile had a great opportunity to tackle forward Alejandro Garnacho before he scored, but for whatever reason, he failed to make any sort of intervention, with the Argentine pulling one back for his side.

The 6 foot 4 defender's sloppy performance didn't stop there, with the former AS Monaco man giving the ball away for the 19-year-old's second of the evening, which gave ten Hag's side a real route back into the encounter.

Whilst having a 91% pass accuracy, Badiashile failed to win any tackles, with the centre-back looking out of his depth at the back for Pochettino's side.

The man to replace Badiashile

Despite spending over £1b on new additions since the takeover by Todd Boehly, the Blues may turn to a young talent from the academy to replace Badiashile at Bramall Lane.

The "unbelievable" Alfie Gilchrist, as described by Chelsea legend John Terry, joined the Blues as an 11-year-old back in 2014, with the youngster making a handful of appearances for the club's first team.

20-year-old Gilchrist is yet to start a Premier League game for his boyhood club, with the centre-back making seven substitute appearances since his first league outing in the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace back in December.

However, he has made three starts in the FA Cup, with the youngster having three starts against Preston, Aston Villa and Leeds United.

Badiashile's poor form coupled with Sheffield United's lowly league position should see Pochettino hand the youngster a first Premier League start, with today a great opportunity for Gilchrist to stake his claim for a starting position at the heart of the Blues' defence.

كشف عاطف حنفي، مدير الكرة بنادي فاركو، عن تفاصيل مفاوضات الزمالك لضم اللاعب الصاعد محمود جهاد، ويرد على الأنباء المتداولة حول إمكانية انتقال نجم الأهلي علي معلول إلى صفوف الفريق السكندري.

وقال عاطف حنفي، في تصريحات عبر إذاعة “ميجا إف إم”: “هل تعثرت مفاوضات الزمالك لضم محمود جهاد؟ لا يوجد تعثر، أنا أمتلك لاعبًا دوليًا، ومن خلال خبرتي على مدار 40 سنة أؤكد أنه من أفضل اللاعبين الذين يلعبون في مراكز 6 و6.5 و8 بنفس الهدوء والكفاءة”.

وتابع: “محمود جهاد لاعب شاب مواليد 2001، واكتسب خبرة وعنده شغف، ويُقدم مستوى جيد هذا الموسم، وكان يمتلك عروضًا من أندية داخل مصر وخارجها، لكن هناك توقيت نختار فيه خروج لاعب وأوقات نتمسك به، فعندما يأتي العرض المناسب ويتوفر البديل سنوافق على رحيله”.

طالع أيضًا | وكيله: ما فعله الزمالك مع الجزيري “غريب”.. وننهي إجراءات التجديد

وأضاف: “بالفعل كان هناك حديث عن محمود جهاد، لكن الأرقام التي عُرضت لم تكن تساوي قيمته السوقية، ولا تساوي القيمة السوقية لأي لاعب في فاركو، حيث أننا نمتلك لاعبين واعدين يُمكنهم اللعب لأي ناد في مصر”.

وبسؤاله، هل عرضتم على علي معلول الانضمام إلى فاركو ولو فترة مؤقتة؟، أجاب: “لا، لم يحدث بهذا الشكل، معلول لاعب كبير ومتميز وأحد قادة فريق الأهلي، لكن الكلام لم يكن كذلك، وكيل اللاعب هو جون إدوارد، وهو في الوقت نفسه عضو في مجلس إدارة فاركو، وارد أن يكون حدث كلام بينهما، لكن لم يصل الأمر إلى انضمامه لفريقنا، وارد أنها كانت مجرد فكرة”.

Matt Renshaw pulled off a spectacular, dynamic fielding effort on Thursday that took place beyond the boundary at the Gabba to get rid of Hobart Hurricanes opener Matthew Wade.Responding to a powerful lofted stroke from Wade, Renshaw ran to his left at wide long-on and caught the ball overhead with reverse-cupped hands a yard inside the rope, but then lost his balance as he skipped over the rope. But Renshaw’s brilliance, as well as presence of mind, were highlighted as he lobbed the ball before he jumped over the ropes and then skipped again to sort of spike the ball back into play for Tom Banton, who completed the catch.

The laws used

Law 19.4.2 The ball in play is to be regarded as being grounded beyond the boundary if:
– a fielder, grounded beyond the boundary as in 19.5, touches the ball;
– a fielder, after catching the ball within the boundary, becomes grounded beyond the boundary while in contact with the ball, before completing the catch.
Law 19.5.1 A fielder is grounded beyond the boundary if some part of his/her person is in contact with any of the following:
– the boundary or any part of an object used to mark the boundary;
– the ground beyond the boundary;
– any object that is in contact with the ground beyond the boundary;
– another fielder who is grounded beyond the boundary, if the umpire considers that it was the intention of either fielder that the contact should assist in the fielding of the ball.

Law 33.2.1 A catch will be fair only if, in every case either the ball, at any time or any fielder in contact with the ball,is not grounded beyond the boundary before the catch is completed.
Law 33.2.2.4 A fielder catches the ball after it has crossed the boundary in the air, provided that the conditions in 33.2.1 are met.

Wade was as dumbstruck and clueless as Ben Cutting, the bowler, when this sequence ended. Neither of them was aware whether it was out or not. Even the third umpire initially ruled not out, but reversed his decision upon studying the replays, and probably, the laws, which were changed first in 2013 and updated in 2017 to encourage fielders to go for such dynamic fielding efforts.The primary laws applied to determine the fairness of Renshaw’s catch were 19.4 and 19.5, which concern the fielder and the ball being grounded. The key thing for the match officials to determine was if Renshaw’s first contact with the ball was inside the boundary – it was – and whether his feet were not touching the ground beyond the boundary when he lobbed the ball back in for Banton – they weren’t. He came out clean on both counts.ALSO READ – Maxwell criticises boundary-catch law change“I was just worried about where the rope was and trying to keep it in,” Renshaw told the host broadcaster, describing the catch. “They always say play to the whistle in warm-up games. I made sure I played the whistle. I was trying to pass it to myself and luckily my twin Bants [Tom Banton] was over there ready to catch it as well. Just tried to play the whistle and keep the ball up and made sure I was in the air. But there was a fair bit of luck I reckon.””Pretty good,” was how Wade marked Renshaw’s brilliance. “I had no idea of the rule really – once he hit outside the field of play I didn’t know if he was allowed to touch the ball or not,” Wade told the host broadcaster. “Umpires said he was, and once they told me he was allowed to (go) outside the field of play and tap it back in, I knew I was out. It was pretty good work – I’m not sure he would’ve been able to have done that a few years ago, Renshaw.”

Talks have taken place with the former team-mates now in charge but de Villiers said ‘there’s a lot that needs to happen’

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2020

Andrew Symonds presented AB de Villiers with his Brisbane Heat cap•Getty Images

AB de Villiers has confirmed he is considering “throwing his name in the hat” for an international comeback at the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year following constructive talks with the new leadership in South Africa.Late last year captain Faf du Plessis revealed conversations had already begun about whether de Villiers could return following his retirement in May 2018. Now de Villiers has said “hopefully I’ll be involved as well pretty soon” having been encouraged by the appointment of former team-mates Mark Boucher and Graeme Smith as coach and director of cricket following major upheaval in Cricket South Africa.”There’s a lot that needs to happen before that becomes reality, I would love to,” de Villers told reporters after making his BBL debut for the Brisbane Heat on Tuesday. “I’ve been talking to Bouch, Graeme Smith and Faf back home. We are all keen to make it happen, it’s a long way away still and plenty can happen – there’s the IPL coming, I’ve still got to be in form at that time. I’m thinking of throwing my name in the hat and hoping everything will work out.”It’s not a guarantee, I don’t want to disappoint myself or other people, so for now I’m just going to try and keep a low profile, play the best possible cricket I can and we’ll see what happens towards the end of the year.”ALSO READ: de Villiers feeling ‘some of the best form of my career’South Africa’s assistant coach Enoch Nkwe was open to the possibility of de Villiers joining the dressing room. “I am not 100% sure but AB’s commitment to South African cricket especially in MSL, we keep seeing him fully committed to these type of leagues which still shows that if we are to need some sort of experience like that, we could actually call him up and I am sure that he would be someone who would love to do it for South Africa.”Nkwe, however, added that de Villiers wouldn’t just walk back into the team and that he may need to play some matches leading up to the T20 World Cup. “I’m sure that if he shows interest he will be involved in some of the series that we will be playing. We will wait and see if he interested or not. It’s always good to have some sort of experience and I am sure from personal life experience in the last year or two that he has gained outside of playing international cricket, that will be immense for the environment. And also for South African cricket but let’s wait and see once those decisions have been made.”De Villiers had attempted to engineer a return for last year’s World Cup but the selectors decided he had made his pitch too late and it risked disruption to the side. South Africa ended up having a torrid World Cup where they never threatened to make the semi-finals.The fact that three former team-mates are now at the helm of the men’s team appears to have paved the way for far more positive discussions.”It doesn’t mean everything is going to be sunshine and roses but it’s definitely a lot easier and feels comfortable, the language that’s being used and the feel everyone has at the moment in South Africa about the cricket,” de Villiers said. “They are my friends, I played 10-plus years with them, so we’ve been through a lot and great to have them involved again. Hopefully I’ll be involved as well pretty soon.”Last month, du Plessis said: “People want AB to play and I am no different. Those conversations have been happening for two or three months already: what does it look like, how does it look over the next year, and that’s where it starts.”

West Bromwich Albion will still believe it's their season to clinch promotion to the Premier League, regardless of recent poor form seeing their solid grip on a Championship playoff spot become weaker.

The Baggies have only won one of their last six games in the division, with that 2-0 victory coming in fortunate fashion against Rotherham United with one of the goals a dubious penalty call.

However, Carlos Corberan's men won't let their spot in the top six slip completely and will want to return to the top flight for the first time since dropping out of the elite league at the end of the 2020-21 season.

Memories of playing against the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal regularly are soured somewhat by the numerous transfer blunders the Baggies fell victim to, this £15m buy in particular back in 2017 going down as one of the club's worst misfires.

Oliver Burke's transfer to West Brom

The world was expected of Oliver Burke when he entered the Hawthorns six years ago, joining for a bumper £15m fee after impressing at Nottingham Forest earlier in his career.

RB Leipzig would end up being the winners in this deal, however, offloading their lacklustre attacker for mega money who never really got going in his new German location after waving goodbye to the City Ground.

Burke would manage to only score one goal and pick two assists from 26 forgettable appearances at Leipzig, already a fall from grace for the winger expected to be a star after exiting Forest.

Leipzig didn't just go after Burke wildly in the hopes he would suddenly become a key performer overnight however, with the Scottish attacker bagging six goals for Forest from 31 games to catch the eye of higher-up suitors.

Yet, much like his time out in the Bundesliga, Burke would flop even on his return to English soil with the Baggies to make that £15m splashed out by the West Midlands club look like a colossal waste of money.

Oliver Burke's time at West Brom

The ex-Forest man would struggle in a West Brom strip throughout his three-season stay at the Hawthorns, amassing just 24 appearances over that time span with a meagre five of those managed over his last two campaigns.

Burke would be as goal-shy as he was out in Germany in the Midlands, only finding the back of the net once in action for the Baggies against Luton Town in the EFL Cup during his up-and-down debut season.

His pay packet whilst with West Brom would also have troubled the club's finances further, with Burke costing the Baggies £1.3m in wage costs alone during his disastrous stint on top of the transfer fee fee originally forked out.

1. GK – Boaz Myhill

2. RB – Allan Nyom

3. CB – Ahmed Hegazy

4. CB – Craig Dawson

5. LB – Chris Brunt

6. CDM – Gareth Barry

7. LM – Matt Phillips

8. CM – Jake Livermore

9. CM – James Morrison

10. RM – Jay Rodriguez (Oliver Burke)

11. ST – Salomon Rondon

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Only given two minutes to shine in his first game off the bench, Burke would never bed himself into the West Brom first team effectively and would later be shipped out on loan to various different clubs as a result.

His time away at Celtic on loan would even see Burke criticised numerous times, branded a "disgrace" by former Hoops great Frank McAvennie after the Baggies dud put in an anonymous display in one Old Firm Derby.

There must have been a collective sigh in West Brom quarters when Burke was officially off the club roster for good in 2020 when Sheffield United snapped him up, with Callum Robinson joining the Hawthorns ranks in a swap deal as part of the transfer.

Burke has since struggled to make a name for himself for a whole host of clubs after departing West Brom on bad terms, the now 27-year-old lining up for Gary Rowett's Birmingham City in a relegation dogfight at the bottom of the second tier on loan from Werder Bremen.

His once extortionate £15m valuation has taken a significant dent as a result, with the nomadic winger now worth less than Josh Maja in the current Baggies camp even with the striker having an injury-disrupted season.

Oliver Burke's transfer value in 2024

Burke's value now comes in at a paltry £1.6m according to Football Transfers, with the one-time Forest starlet struggling at yet another new employer in the Blues.

Surprisingly picked to start Birmingham's last match against Rotherham United, which led to a social media storm about his inclusion, Burke would last just 45 minutes against the Millers before being hauled off.

Minutes played

45

Touches

18

Accurate passes

7/12

Shots on goal

0

Duels won

2/7

Sourced by Sofascore

Looking at his numbers from the 0-0 draw at the New York Stadium above, it's not a great shock to see why Rowett substituted Burke for the second half in South Yorkshire.

His continued woes on the pitch with whoever he lines up for have contributed in his transfer value falling off a cliff, with Maja worth just a bit more than Burke at £1.7m despite not playing a game in 2024 of yet.

Maja will hope he can fire in plenty of goals next season for Corberan's men when he's shrugged off his recurring injury problems, giving Brandon Thomas-Asante fierce competition up top in the process.

The ex-Sunderland striker had only fired in one Championship strike from the 11 games he managed before a season-ending injury in late December, but he can't be written off just yet.

Burke's future back at Bremen looks very much up in the air on the other hand, with the Bundesliga side not exactly head over heels for the 27-year-old anymore based on his torrid spell at St Andrew's to then give him another chance.

If West Brom do end up returning to the top flight through the drama of the playoffs, they will have to be cautious about overspending so as not to have another expensive mistake on their hands.

West Brom could sign a "fantastic" replacement for Alex Mowatt

West Bromwich Albion could sign this young star to replace Alex Mowatt.

ByKelan Sarson Apr 22, 2024

Liverpool were a day late and a dollar short against Atalanta in the Europa League on Thursday night but can ill-afford to brood over the chastening Anfield defeat, with Crystal Palace travelling to Merseyside for a Premier League showdown this afternoon.

While Liverpool have been restored as title contenders this season following sweeping summer changes to right the lofty wrongs of the 2022/23 campaign, a never-say-die, tenacious attitude has superimposed over residual defensive fragilities.

The Reds have kept just five clean sheets across 22 matches in all competitions in 2024 and have been undone in recent fixtures against Atalanta and Manchester United after inexcusable lapses and mistakes.

This error-strewn streak must now reach its end, lest Liverpool's thrilling finale to the Jurgen Klopp era peter out with bitter disappointment.

Crystal Palace, sitting in 15th place in the league, have not beaten Klopp's Liverpool in 13 attempts but will be eager to capitalise on complacency, especially with several first-team host members still unavailable.

Liverpool team news

Diogo Jota, at least, is in line for a start after returning from the bench against Atalanta on Thursday. The clinical Portugal forward had been sidelined for 12 games after injuring his knee against Brentford in February.

And while Trent Alexander-Arnold is also nearing a return from injury, he is unlikely to find his name on the starting team sheet after spending the lion's share of the calendar year recovering from an issue – though he may well be named as a substitute.

The same could be said for first-choice shot-stopper Alisson Becker, who might be involved but is likely to return to the grass next week.

Stefan Bajcetic returned to action on Friday as Liverpool defeated Manchester United in a U21 fixture, but Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip remain long-term absentees.

Liverpool must unleash Diogo Jota

An element of circumspection will be needed with Jota, but after entering the play in the late stage of the Europa League in midweek Klopp might be convinced to unleash his prolific striker.

As per FBref, Jota ranks among the top 1% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored and tackles, the top 16% for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for progressive carries and the top 3% for touches in the attacking box per 90.

Mohamed Salah

36

23

0.80

112

Darwin Nunez

46

18

0.58

154

Diogo Jota

29

14

0.79

113

Cody Gakpo

46

14

0.51

177

Luis Diaz

43

13

0.39

232

Hailed as a “pressing monster” by assistant manager Pep Lijnders, the 27-year-old is one of the most potent attacking outlets in the Premier League and has scored nine goals from just 13 starting appearances in the top flight this season.

Mohamed Salah is marginally ahead of Jota in prolificness this season but he offers a very different skill set to his Egyptian counterpart and must be unleashed as the central focal point against Palace, sending Darwin Nunez to the bench.

Nunez, while influential and improved this season, has ebbed back toward the wasteful, wayward shooting of the 2022/23 campaign, his first in Liverpool after signing from Benfica in a club-record £85m deal, and has missed a catalogue of recent chances that may well have changed the current narrative quite drastically.

The Uruguayan actually has the worst conversion rate of any player to have been presented with 20+ chances in 2023/24 – as per WhoScored – and Jota could provide the Midas touch needed to steer the season back on course against Palace.

Fitness withstanding, Jota is a crucial inclusion at Anfield, with Harvey Elliott also demanding a return to the outset in the Premier League.

Harvey Elliott's season in numbers

Elliott has only just turned 21 but the versatile midfielder is truly one of the finest prospects around, having been a creative option for Liverpool throughout the course of the campaign and compensating for the host of injuries that had threatened Klopp's team in recent months.

Praised for his "special talent" by The Athletic's James Pearce, Elliott has scored three goals and supplied seven assists for his club this term but has only started six Premier League matches, though he may well be in line for a start today.

In the Premier League, as per Sofascore, the England U21 star has completed 88% of his passes, though his displays in the Europa League, where he has played with the greatest frequency, probably serve as a better gauge of his level.

Across nine fixtures on the continent, Elliott has racked up four assists, completed 85% of his passes, averaged 1.6 key passes, 1.4 tackles and 4.1 ball recoveries per game while succeeding with 71% of his dribbles.

Klopp noted that Wataru Endo looked fatigued against Atalanta so it's likely that Alexis Mac Allister will shift into a deeper-lying central role, opening space for Elliott to move into his favoured midfield role after playing on the wing on Thursday, hitting the bar twice but receiving only a 5/10 match rating from the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle as he struggled to make an impact.

Liverpool have been rinsed of £63m by a flop who earns more than Diaz

This is surely one of the biggest and most costly misfires under Klopp’s leadership.

ByAngus Sinclair Apr 13, 2024

Still, this is hardly his fault and he was one of the better performers on an abject evening, albeit subbed off for Salah at halftime.

Why Liverpool must unleash Harvey Elliott

Rested and raring to go, Elliott is stylistically similar to Dominik Szoboszlai – according to FBref's Player Comparison model – and given the Hungarian's recent struggles Elliott must indeed be handed a starting berth.

The £40k-per-week ace ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 3% for shot-creating actions, the top 4% for progressive passes and the top 3% for successful take-ons per 90.

Moreover, he's developing a sharp goalscoring sense that Palace keenly felt in the reverse fixture back in December, having performed so well to rebuff Klopp's squad only for substitute Elliott to fire an awesome effort into the back of the net in the dying embers.

He's rarely unleashed from the opening in the Premier League but Elliott is growing into quite the midfielder and he could make a marked impact on Liverpool's fight for three points this afternoon, providing his frontal teammates with creative support, adding a dimension to the centre of the park at a time of great importance for Liverpool's campaign.

Sam Northeast makes unbeaten 46 after Jack Edwards’ 190 for Cricket Australia XI

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2020Sam Northeast made an unbeaten 46 as England Lions’ tour game against a Cricket Australia XI petered out into a high-scoring draw in Hobart.With Jack Edwards resuming on 142, the hosts added 77 runs in 23.2 overs on the final morning, with part-time spinners Dom Sibley and Dan Lawrence wrapping things up by dismissing Mitchell Perry for 28 and, eventually, Edwards for 190.The Lions then made 116 for 3 in a low-key third innings, with Zak Crawley, Dom Sibley and Keaton Jennings the men dismissed. Northeast scored quickly, stroking seven boundaries in his 57-ball innings, before the captains shook hands mid-afternoon.Lewis Gregory and Richard Gleeson, who were absent through injury yesterday, remained unavailable on the final day. The Lions’ next game is a four-day, first-class game against a strong Australia A side under the MCG floodlights.”There were a lot of positives to come out of the match in all phases of the game. It was tough for the bowlers on the pitch, but our bowlers stuck to their task during the last couple of days, especially with a couple of injuries,” said Richard Dawson, the Lions coach.”The batting was an obvious highlight and it was pleasing to see three centurions in the first innings, with Dan Lawrence’s ability to push on on day two really putting us in a good position.”We’ll face another tough match at the MCG against Australia A later this week, but it’s a great opportunity for the lads to experience a different challenge playing under lights. Our preparation over the past two weeks has been very good and we will be continuing this leading into the game.”