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Newcastle United have been dealt a major injury blow as Anthony Gordon picked up an injury during a pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Gordon, who started as a No.9 in the absence of a main striker, limped off the field with a knock, leaving the fans sweating, although manager Eddie Howe later provided a positive update on the player's condition.

Gordon suffered an ankle injuryLeft the pitch against Atletico in the 84th minuteHowe provided positive updateFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Newcastle have had a nightmare summer transfer window thus far as they failed to land almost all of their attacking targets, including Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko. Their star striker Alexander Isak is pushing for a move away from the club as the Swedish striker has his heart set on Liverpool.

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The Magpies' situation further worsened on Saturday when England international Gordon had to be subbed off after he picked up an injury in the 84th minute of their pre-season friendly against Atletico. The player initially received urgent medical treatment on the field, before he hobbled off the field and went straight into the dressing room.

WHAT HOWE SAID

Amid concerns over Gordon's condition, manager Howe provided a positive update, as he told reporters: "We hope he’s ok. It's an ankle problem. We initially thought it was a muscle. The good news is it's just a twist. The initial feeling is he should be OK."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR NEWCASTLE?

The Magpies will continue to look for a new striker before the 2025-26 campaign. After initial reports claimed that the club wouldn't allow Isak to leave, Howe later hinted that the team has now softened their stance and might sanction a move to Liverpool after all. 

An authoritative all-round display from Hayley Matthews gave West Indies a winning start to their tour of Pakistan, their 113-run victory in Karachi stretching their run of successive wins in the country – dating back to 2004 – to seven ODIs. Matthews followed up an unbeaten 140 with figures of 3 for 17; it was the seventh time a player had scored a century and taken three wickets in a Women’s ODI, and the second time Matthews had achieved the feat.Related

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Matthews batted from start to finish of West Indies’ innings after she had opted to bat first, hitting 15 fours and a six in a 150-ball effort. She lost her opening partner Rashada Williams early, but stitched together a stand of 102 with Shemaine Campbelle for the second wicket to lay a solid base for her team. There was no partnership of a similar magnitude thereafter, but Chedean Nation, Chinelle Henry and Aaliyah Alleyne combined with Matthews in stands of 32, 40 and 42 for the fourth, fifth and sixth wickets to help West Indies achieve a 50-overs total of 269 for 8.Matthews’ 140* was her fifth ODI hundred and her highest score in the format. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal, who opened the bowling, and legspinner Tuba Hassan were Pakistan’s most successful bowlers with two wickets apiece.Pakistan began their innings needing to overhaul their previous highest successful ODI chase – of a target of 243 – by a considerable margin. They didn’t make the ideal start, losing Sidra Ameen and Bismah Maroof within the first five overs, but their hopes grew as Muneeba Ali and Nida Dar took the score to 59 for 2 in the 12th over. That’s when Matthews made her next big contribution, getting Dar caught behind to start a slump that Pakistan never recovered from. There were no further partnerships of note besides a brisk 37 between Najiha Alvi and Tuba for the seventh wicket as Pakistan folded for 156 inside the 36th over.Apart from Mathews’ three-for there were also two wickets each for legspinner Afy Fletcher and left-arm spinner Zaida James.Karachi will also host the second and third ODIs, on April 21 and 23.

While the likes of Babar and Sarfaraz got starts against the Prime Minister’s XI, Masood was the only one who made his count

Andrew McGlashan06-Dec-2023

Shan Masood started his tour with a century•Getty Images

The day before having a first hit-out of the tour, Pakistan captain Shan Masood stressed the importance of his top order converting starts and he took it upon himself to set the standard with an almost faultless century on the opening day against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.On a hot day and faced with a slow pitch, Pakistan made reasonable use of a chance to bat first but it was only Masood who fully cashed in as Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam and Sarfaraz Ahmed all departed before making the most of their opportunities. Faheem Ashraf was brilliantly caught at slip by Cameron Bancroft off what became the last ball of the day as Pakistan closed on 324 for 6.”Shan’s innings was pretty much flawless. He played brilliantly,” Jordan Buckingham, who took three wickets for the PM’s XI, said. “The wicket was obviously conducive to batting but you still have to get out there and get the runs. For him to barely give a chance, it was an outstanding innings. Think he’ll be in for a pretty good summer.”Masood, who recently took over the Test captaincy from Babar, went to his hundred from 169 balls shortly after tea, with the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in attendance having returned to the ground following his brief morning appearance where he handed out caps and conducted the toss.Masood knows the importance of making big runs on this tour to give the bowling attack a chance of success and wants to learn the lessons of the 2019-2020 when he made scores 27, 42, 19 and 68.”I got a couple of starts but you want to convert those starts in Test cricket and get three figures,” he said on Tuesday. “That will be my test, my opportunity. We got used to conditions [in 2019] very well. Babar got a hundred, Yasir [Shah] got a hundred, but there were a lot of fifties from batsmen so we want to convert those into matchwinning contributions.”The pitch served up at Manuka Oval, after a lot of recent rain, is unlikely to bear much resemblance to what Pakistan will face in Perth next week. The lack of pace was clear early on when an edge from Shafique did not carry to the slips who were stood reasonably close, while later in the day wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson was stood up to Buckingham and Beau Webster with a ring field.But, still, time in the middle can’t be discounted for those who managed decent stints. Imam-ul-Haq couldn’t take his first opportunity when he inside-edged a drive off Buckingham, a late replacement for Michael Neser, who started with an excellent wicket maiden to the left hander.However, from there early progress was steady without the run rate threatening to match the ‘Pakistan Way’ from the Test series against Sri Lanka. There was some early seam movement to negotiate which brought a number of plays and misses as the tried to be positive, while a sluggish outfield reduced the value for strokes that got through the infield.The lack of pace on the surface played a part in Shafique’s wicket when he drove to short cover shortly before lunch. There then followed a stand of 92-run stand between Masood, who lofted Todd Murphy for a straight six, and Babar with the latter working through a slow start to unfurl some handsome drives.Babar looked set to make the most of friendly conditions before glancing Buckingham down the leg side and Saud Shakeel paid the price for a tentative shot against Murphy having misread the length. Murphy, who had missed Victoria’s last two Sheffield Shield matches with a shoulder problem, was the most expensive of the PM’s XI attack as he struggled a little to locate the ideal length, although he did turn a couple past the edge.Later in the day, Masood and Sarfaraz were able to take advantage against Murphy and the allrounders ahead of the second new ball being taken. However, with the final delivery from the old ball, Buckingham earned his second leg-side wicket of the day courtesy of an outstanding take by Peirson off Sarfaraz’s glove.As had been flagged by captain Nathan McSweeney before the game, Cameron Green was not used with the ball as his workload is managed ahead of the Test series even though he is not expected to feature at the start.The main interest in the PM’s XI side will come when Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw get their chance at the crease with an eye on who could replace David Warner.

أعلن الجهاز الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، بقيادة البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا، عن التشكيل الذي سيخوض به مباراة اليوم الودية أمام بروكسي.

ويلتقي الزمالك مع بروكسي، وديًا في إطار الاستعداد للموسم الكروي الجديد، المقرر انطلاقه بعد عدة أيام.

والتقى الزمالك مع غزل المحلة، وديًا أمس الخميس، وانتهى اللقاء بفوز الأبيض بهدفين مقابل هدف، على ملعب نادي النادي في العاصمة الإدارية.

طالع أيضًا.. أول تعليق من الزمالك على قرار إيقاف القيد من اتحاد الكرة

ويستعد الزمالك لمواجهة سيراميكا كليوباترا في افتتاحية الدوري المصري الممتاز، يوم الجمعة 8 أغسطس في تمام الساعة الثامنة مساءً. تشكيل الزمالك أمام بروكسي اليوم

حراسة المرمى: محمد عواد.

خط الدفاع: حسام عبد المجيد – محمد إسماعيل – مصطفى الزناري – أحمد عبد الرحيم إيشو.

خط الوسط: سيف جعفر – محمد شحاتة – آدم كايد.

خط الهجوم: عبد الحميد معالي – أحمد شريف – عمرو ناصر.

Arsenal have now submitted a £59m offer for an “extremely quick” player, who is their top target for the summer transfer window, according to a report.

Gunners' striker pursuit hotting up

As we enter the business end of the Premier League season, the Gunners find themselves 12 points adrift of Liverpool, and while injuries have been a real issue throughout the campaign, the lack of a top striker has arguably been equally costly in the title race.

As such, Mikel Arteta is keen to bring in a new striker this summer, and there has been a promising development in the pursuit of Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, with Andrea Berta now willing to make an “important” proposal for the Sweden international.

The north Londoners are ramping up their interest in a number of strikers, having also held talks over a potential deal for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, while formal negotiations for Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres are expected to start soon.

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However, earlier this week, it was revealed that RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko is Arsenal’s top target for the summer transfer window, having impressed in the Bundesliga this season, and there has now been a new development in their pursuit of the Slovenian.

According to a report from Spain, the Gunners have offered €70m (£59m) Sesko, who is ready to leave RB Leipzig at the end of the season, in order to further his career.

A number of clubs are keen on the striker, but Arteta’s side are among the most interested parties, and they are now said to have made an offer, having made it clear they are willing to pay the release clause in full.

It is now becoming increasingly likely the 21-year-old will move to the Emirates Stadium, with Arsenal moving into a prime position to secure one of the deals of the summer.

Arsenal’s upcoming Premier League fixtures

Date

Fulham (h)

April 1st

Everton (a)

April 5th

Brentford (h)

April 12th

Ipswich Town (a)

April 20th

Crystal Palace (h)

April 26th

"Extremely quick" Sesko impressing in Germany

The Slovenia international is enjoying an impressive season in front of goal in Germany, scoring 17 goals in 37 matches in all competitions, while also picking up six assists, underlining his creative talents.

Moreover, former Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell believes the youngster is destined for future success, saying: “Benjamin Šeško is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player. He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air.”

It is clear to see why Isak is Arteta’s dream signing, with the Swede proving himself over a number of years in the Premier League, but Newcastle are understandably unwilling to sell the 25-year-old on the cheap, and Sesko has proven he could be a viable alternative, making this one to watch.

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta segunda-feira (22), às 15h (de Brasília), no Beira-Rio, o Internacional enfrenta o Flamengo em partida válida pelo jogo de volta das quartas de final do Campeonato Brasileiro Feminino. No embate da ida, o Colorado venceu o time carioca por 3 a 1 e pode até perder por um gol de diferença para se classificar à semifinal do principal torneio da modalidade no país.

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Na fase de classificação, o Inter obteve a terceira melhor campanha da competição com 33 pontos. Além disso, junto com o São Paulo, o Inter faz parte das duas únicas equipes que derrotaram o Palmeiras, líder do certame. Por outro lado, o Flamengo ficou na sexta colocação, com 25 pontos, e perdeu apenas quatro jogos na primeira etapa do torneio.

– Desde janeiro, quando nos apresentamos, confiamos plenamente nas nossas atletas. Começamos este trabalho há algumas temporadas e nosso objetivo é sempre chegar entre as melhores equipes. Para que isso ocorra, realizamos um planejamento e mapeamos todo o mercado para trazer jogadoras que se encaixem no estilo de jogo das Gurias Coloradas. Podemos observar os resultados, uma vez que as contratações desta temporada fizeram diferença no primeiro jogo do confronto contra o Flamengo e durante toda a fase inicial – afirma Leonardo Menezes, Gerente de Futebol do Internacional.

Na temporada anterior, o Colorado chegou entre os quatro melhores times do Brasil, mas caiu diante do Palmeiras na semifinal e não esteve na decisão do torneio. Neste ano, após se reforçar e realizar boa fase inicial, o Colorado espera ir ainda mais longe na competição.

Além da categoria principal, as Gurias Coloradas têm obtido sucesso nas modalidades Sub-20 e Sub-17 onde são as atuais campeãs nacionais.

– Na partida de ida, colocamos em prática o que treinamos durante toda a semana e fizemos uma boa exibição. Enfrentamos um grande adversário, que possui atletas da Seleção Brasileira, o que comprova a importância da nossa conquista. Neste momento, nosso objetivo é a classificação. Temos uma boa vantagem, mas devemos manter o foco durante os 90 minutos. Assim, poderemos avançar para a próxima fase – conta Juliana Ferreira, volante das Gurias Coloradas.

There remains much unnecessary talk surrounding Jack Grealish’s life away from football, yet focusing in on his performances on the pitch, it’s fair to say the Manchester City man is leaving a lot to be desired.

Plucked from Aston Villa on a then British-record £100m deal back in the summer of 2021, the 29-year-old has scored just 16 goals and provided only 23 assists in 151 games in all competitions.

Of course, judging a player of his ilk purely on goal contributions would be a mistake, with the England star having been central to the club’s treble success, despite only registering five goals and 11 assists that season, with teammate Kyle Walker lauding him as a “nightmare” to play against.

That said, it would be fair to say that the £300k-per-week man has regressed since then, albeit with injuries playing their part, having failed to score a single Premier League goal since December 2023.

With just two goals and five assists to his name in 2024/25 in total, the experienced playmaker has been usurped by the lively Jeremy Doku down the left flank, with the January signing of Omar Marmoush also putting his Etihad future further into doubt.

Jack Grealish's future at Man City

As Caught Offside noted last month, there is set to be something of a ‘squad evolution’ at the Etihad this summer, with Kevin De Bruyne among those looking set to depart amid his expiring contract.

According to the latest reports, Grealish could follow the Belgian in moving on elsewhere at the end of the season, despite the Englishman still having over two years left to run on his existing deal.

The suggestion is that City are willing to accept an offer for their struggling star if their asking price is met, with the wideman said to be ‘unhappy’ at the club at present.

This comes amid reports back in January that Tottenham Hotspur were among those keen on signing Grealish, with it looking as if Guardiola and co are happy to sanction an exit for a player who is now deemed to be worth around £38m, according to Transfermarkt.

Having fallen behind the likes of Marmoush, Doku and Savinho of late – with further competition on the flanks also provided by Phil Foden and the returning Oscar Bobb – Grealish’s exit would seemingly not provide too much of a blow for the Citizens, despite his contribution in recent seasons.

How Grealish compares to PL wingers – 2024/25

Stat

Record (per 90)

Ranking

Non-penalty goals

0.00

Bottom 4%

Assists

0.15

Bottom 40%

Pass completion

87%

Top 2%

Progressive passes

6.35

Top 7%

Progressive carries

9.75

Top 1%

Successful take-ons

1.92

Top 24%

Tackles

1.33

Bottom 41%

Interceptions

0.30

Bottom 29%

Stats via FBref

Equally, it looks as if the Manchester side are already brewing a perfect, ready-made replacement in the academy ranks too, in the form of 19-year-old, Emilio Lawrence.

Man City's academy Grealish replacement

Following the success of parachuting Foden and Rico Lewis into the first-team squad in recent years, Guardiola has again turned to the youth ranks this season, with Nico O’Reilly – who scored a brace in the FA Cup triumph over Plymouth Argyle – the standout graduate in 2024/25 to date.

O’Reilly had been a central figure in a blossoming U21 side, prior to his promotion, with the aforementioned Lawrence showing signs that he could well follow suit, amid his dazzling form at Premier League 2 level.

In that competition so far this season, the teenage winger has already chalked up seven goals and a further seven assists in just 17 appearances, with City’s U21s currently five points clear at the top of the table.

The Manchester-born, Scotland youth international has been in the City ranks since signing from Premier League rivals Everton in 2022, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano describing that capture as another “big statement” for the Etihad side.

Also lauded as a “top talent” by Romano, young Lawrence would be a perfect replacement for Grealish on the left flank, having contributed 17 goals and assists in just 31 games in total for the U21 side, as per Transfermarkt.

An ‘incredibly dangerous forward player’ – as per the club’s official website – Lawrence boasts a mouthwatering combination of fleet-footed skill and electric pace, as well as an obvious end product.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

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There may well be a desire to dip into the market once again this summer, should Grealish lead what could be a raft of exits, yet with the academy – who have seen the U18s reach the FA Youth Cup semi-finals – currently blossoming, Guardiola should consider handing a chance to those already at the club.

Lawrence may not be the only standout attacker in a frightening youth side, although he’s certainly doing enough to warrant an opportunity at senior level.

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Shaheen Shah Afridi is set to return to international cricket after four months, having been named in Pakistan’s T20I and ODI squads for the home series against New Zealand. Captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who were rested for the T20Is against Afghanistan, are also back in the side for the series which will be played in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi from April 14 to May 7.Shaheen had sustained a knee injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in July last year and subsequently missed five Tests and three ODIs against England and New Zealand to complete his rehab after the men’s T20 World Cup. He last played for Pakistan in the final of the T20 World Cup, bowling just 2.1 overs and taking a wicket before he left the field in the 16th over having hurt his knee. He returned to competitive cricket in February, taking part in the PSL where he captained Lahore Qalandars to the title.Azam Khan, Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Wasim Junior have been dropped from the T20I squad, while Ihsanullah has been rewarded with a maiden ODI call. Haris Sohail, who earned a surprise recall to the national side during the ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year in Karachi, has been retained for the upcoming series. Abdullah Shafique has also been named in the ODI squad, while Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain and Shahnawaz Dahani have been dropped.The tour includes games tacked on to compensate for New Zealand pulling out of their 2021 tour of Pakistan. New Zealand had aborted the tour minutes before the start of the first ODI of the tour, citing a “specific and credible” security threat.The Pakistan squad will assemble in Lahore on April 6 for a training camp ahead of the series.Pakistan T20I squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Zaman KhanPakistan ODI squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir. Reserves: Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Tayyab Tahir

The Italian giant killed what little hope the Gunners had of making it to Munich with three sensational stops at Parc des Princes

Arsenal threw everything they could at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, but they just could not find a way past Gigi Donnarumma until it was too late, with Luis Enrique's men progressing to the final of the Champions League thanks to a 2-1 victory at Parc des Princes that sealed a 3-1 win on aggregate.

After last week's loss at the Emirates, the Gunners came storming out of the blocks in the French capital, but Donnarumma simply refused to be beaten in a dramatic opening quarter, making one point-blank range save from Gabriel Martinelli before then denying Martin Odegaard in even more impressive fashion.

The Italian's interventions proved decisive as they enabled PSG to score the game's opening goal through Fabian Ruiz, who beat David Raya with a stunning strike after creating space for himself by chesting the ball around the onrushing Martinelli.

Vitinha squandered a glorious chance for the hosts to double their advantage midway through the second with a stupidly-taken penalty, but PSG made it 2-0 on the night soon after, with the excellent Achraf Hakimi bending the ball into the bottom corner of the Arsenal net.

Mikel Arteta's men set up a somewhat tense finish when Bukayo Saka punished some poor PSG defending, but the French champions held on quite comfortably to set up a meeting in Munich with Inter at the end of the month.

Below, GOAL rates all of the PSG players on show at Parc des Princes…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Gigi Donnarumma (9/10):

  PSG's almost unbeatable man-mountain. Donnarumma made a couple of crucial saves at the Emirates and three more at Parc des Princes, from Martinelli, Odegaard and Saka. The way in which he somehow managed to turn Odegaard's love drive around the post was truly breath-taking.

  Achraf Hakimi (8.5/10):

  Running out of superlatives for the Moroccan, who is always such a tremendous outlet down the right flank for this side. Hakimi, who had more touches than any other PSG player, scored the killer second goal and was also outstanding defensively, completely nullifying Martinelli.

  Marquinhos (6/10):

  Marquinhos was having a fine game, marshalling the defence and winning everything in the air, until he criminally allowed Trossard to muscle him off the ball in the build-up to Saka's goal.

  Willian Pacho (6.5/10):

  Undeniably poor in possession but won plenty of headers and also made a couple of crucial interventions.

  Nuno Mendes (7/10):

  Struggled badly with his passing during the first half and also picked up an early booking for a silly foul. However, he did another good job on limiting Saka's threat before being moved further forward for the final quarter.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfield

  Joao Neves (7.5/10):

  Such a ridiculously talented 20-year-old. Neves is never still for a second, constantly stripping opponents of possession and always precise with his passing.

  Vitinha (5/10):

  The former Wolves man was nowhere near as effective or influential as last week, while his penalty was an absolute disgrace. Should never be allowed to take another spot-kick for PSG after such a ridiculous and unprofessional run-up.

  Fabian Ruiz (8/10):

  Another classy display from the Spaniard, who broke the deadlock with a thunderous strike from the edge of the area.

• AFP
  

  Attack

  Bradley Barcola (7/10):

  Started in place of Dembele and created a couple of terrific chances for his side. However, he'll probably be annoyed with himself for not getting his shot away quickly enough after being put in on goal in the first half.

  Desire Doue (7/10):

  Once again showcased his wondrous dribbling skills but he clearly still needs to work on his finishing. Still, Doue is a tremendously exciting attacking talent.

  Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (7/10):

  So unlucky not to score what would have been a terrific goal when his curling effort struck the post. The great thing about the Georgian winger is that he's willing to do the dirty work, too, as he proved by winning the ball off Saka in defence a few times.

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• AFP
  

  Subs & Manager

  Ousmane Dembele (7/10):

  Only fit enough to start on the bench but still made his presence felt by teeing up Hakimi for PSG's vital second goal.

  Lucas Hernandez (5.5/10):

  Brought on for Doue to help see out the game but he had more trouble with Saka than any of the starters.

  Goncalo Ramos (N/A):

  Only introduced in the dying minutes.

  Luis Enrique (7.5/10):

  Looked a very worried man in the early exchanges as Arsenal looked to overwhelm PSG with their high pressing, but his side's counter-attacking strategy slowly but surely began to pay off, as they started picking the Gunners off on the break. Leaving Dembele on the bench also worked out well for a manager who has done an incredible job since taking over in Paris.

Liverpool are back in action in the League Cup tonight as they prepare to play host to Tottenham Hotspur in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final.

The Reds have had their focus turned to the Premier League and the Champions League in recent weeks and secured a 2-0 win over in-form Bournemouth in the top-flight in their last match.

Mohamed Salah’s double sealed all three points for the league leaders against the Cherries, to help them bounce back from their 3-2 defeat to PSV in Europe last week.

The Reds are currently six points clear at the top of the Premier League, after that win over Bournemouth, but Arne Slot and his team will be eyeing multiple trophies in the second half of the season.

They still have the Premier League, the League Cup, the Champions League, and the FA Cup trophies to compete for in the next four months.

However, they will need to overcome a deficit against Tottenham Hotspur this evening at Anfield, after they lost the first leg of the semi-final

tie in North London.

What happened in the first leg between Liverpool and Spurs

The only goal of the game was scored by Swedish teenager Lucas Bergvall in the 86th minute of the match, to seal a 1-0 win for Ange Postecoglou’s side on the night.

Dominic Solanke made a great run in behind the Liverpool defence and displayed great strength to hold off Ibrahima Konate before laying a pass off to Bergvall, who swept the ball into the bottom corner under pressure from Virgil van Dijk.

1-0 to Tottenham was not an entirely fair reflection of how the game went, however, as both teams had plenty of chances to find the back of the net and failed to do so.

Possession

40%

60%

Shots

9

14

Shots on target

3

6

Big chances

4

3

Free-kicks

10

8

As you can see in the table above, both sides had ‘big chances’ to score and only Spurs managed to take one of them, as Liverpool failed to score from 14 shots and three ‘big chances’.

These statistics show that it was an open game that was full of opportunities to test both goalkeepers and Slot may hope for a similar match, albeit with more chances for his side, tonight to make sure that his forwards have the ammunition they need to shine.

With this in mind, the Dutch head coach could ruthlessly ditch Alexis Mac Allister from the starting line-up for this clash with Spurs this evening, in order to bolster his attack.

Why Alexis Mac Allister could be dropped

The Argentina international started in the 2-0 win over Bournemouth last time out and struggled in the middle of the park with Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch alongside him.

Mac Allister played the opening 61 minutes of the match and failed to register a shot on target or a ‘big chance’ created, which shows that he did not offer much at the top end of the pitch for the Reds.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion man also lost four of his five duels, being dribbled past once, and did not make a single tackle, interception, block, or clearance to help the team out of possession.

These statistics show that Mac Allister endured a frustrating afternoon against the Cherries, as he failed to offer much on or off the ball, and that may have been why Slot decided to remove him from the game with 30 minutes left to play.

Appearances

22

4

Starts

20

2

Goals

1

0

Assists

3

0

Key passes per game

1.4

1.0

As you can see in the table above, the tempo-controlling midfield star has not offered a big threat in the final third throughout the season in the Premier League or the EFL Cup.

The Argentine whiz, who has averaged 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game in the Premier League, is not in the team to provide a constant stream of goals and assists, hence why he has only managed four goal contributions in 22 top-flight games.

Chalkboard

However, Liverpool are halfway to being knocked out of the League Cup at the semi-final stage and need goals tonight, which is why he should be ruthlessly ditched in favour of Curtis Jones.

Why Curtis Jones should be unleashed

The 24-year-old star should be unleashed from the start alongside Szoboszlai and Gravenberch for this second-leg clash with Spurs because he has the quality on the ball to make things happen in the final third.

Liverpool need goals, given that they are 1-0 down on aggregate, and Jones could use his ability at the top end of the pitch to carry them to Wembley for the final.

Jones has registered an assist in both of his last two appearances for Liverpool, against Lille and Bournemouth, and that means that he heads into tonight’s game in fine form, whilst Mac Allister struggled last time out against the Cherries.

The Liverpool academy graduate replaced the Argentine maestro at the weekend and went on to assist Salah’s second goal of the game, which was just the latest in a growing pile of goal contributions for him this season.

Starts

10

4

3

Goals

3

0

0

Big chances created

0

3

1

Assists

3

2

1

Pass accuracy

95%

92%

95%

As you can see in the table above, the England international has provided an impressive level of production in front of goal in limited starts across all competitions this season.

Jones, who has been described as “extraordinary” by Micah Richards, has been directly involved in nine goals in 17 appearances, including six in ten Premier League games.

These statistics suggest that the Englishman would be far more likely to make a difference in the final third than Mac Allister against Spurs tonight, which is why Slot should bring him into the starting XI to carry the Reds to Wembley.

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His ability to score and create goals from a midfield position could help Liverpool score the goals that they need to overcome Tottenham’s one-goal advantage.