West Ham chiefs are looking to back new manager Nuno Espírito Santo with key additions in January as they attempt to stave off the looming threat of relegation.

The Hammers were gifted a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dismal start to the Premier League season just before this international break, winning back-to-back home games for the first time since October last year against Newcastle and Burnley.

While the two wins provide plenty of encouragement for Nuno after inheriting a squad bereft of confidence and form, reports suggest that the east Londoners will look to January for much-needed reinforcements to bolster their head coach’s squad.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

West Ham 3-2 Burnley

According to Sky Sports, Nuno has been told that funds will be available for West Ham to spend when the window reopens, and it is believed they’d ideally like a new defender, midfielder and forward.

With Niclas Fullkrug poised to leave West Ham in January, following a lacklustre spell marred by injuries and underwhelming form when available, it is more likely than not that a striker will be arriving at Rush Green, with Fabrizio Romano confirming their intention to sign one.

Romano also said recently that West Ham are in the mix to sign Man United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo amid his links to Napoli, so a new midfielder remains on the cards, but there are now suggestions that a winger could come in too.

West Ham could strike 'cut-price' January move for Adama Traoré

Indeed, according to Football Insider and journalist Pete O’Rourke, West Ham have been handed the opportunity to secure Adama Traoré on a bargain deal in January, with Fulham willing to accept a cut-price offer rather than lose the winger for free next summer.

Traore is in the final year of his contract and is not going to agree a new deal at Fulham, meaning January is their last chance to cash in if they sell him. The 29-year-old’s contract situation leaves the Cottagers vulnerable to low-ball bids, with Nuno apparently keen to reunite with a player he previously transformed at Wolves.

Before Nuno joined the Hammers, he tried to reunite with Traore at Nottingham Forest too, highlighting his long-standing admiration for the Spain international.

That being said, the forward has never quite reached the same heights he once hit under Nuno’s tutelage at Molineux, which included a failed spell at Barcelona.

During his best Premier League campaign to date, Traore bagged 13 goal contributions in 37 appearances for Wolves back in 2019/2020, finishing that campaign as their best-performing player on average whilst completing a seismic five successful take-ons per 90 (WhoScored).

Traore has enjoyed flashes of brilliant form at Craven Cottage too, with Marco Silva calling him an “almost unstoppable” player on his day.

With 11 gameweeks gone and the final international break of 2025 underway, the Premier League table is starting to form a true representation of where teams stand.

Sunderland’s hot start has turned into sustained success after their draw with title chasing Arsenal, while Liverpool’s downfall is more than just a blip.

Opta have ranked every team in the top flight by game state, or how much time they spend playing from behind in matches, and it’s more bad news for Arne Slot…

Rank

Team

Percentage of mins played losing

1

Crystal Palace, Chelsea

13%

2

Man City

14%

3

Arsenal

17%

4

Newcastle United

18%

5

Sunderland

21%

6

AFC Bournemouth

22%

7

Everton

24%

8

Aston Villa & Man Utd

26%

9

Fulham

30%

10

Brentford, Tottenham, Leeds, Nottingham Forest

32%

11

Brighton

35%

12

Burnley

36%

13

Liverpool

37%

14

West Ham

47%

15

Wolves

58%

1 Chelsea and Crystal Palace

It has been a promising start to the campaign for both Chelsea and Crystal Palace, with Enzo Maresca’s side potentially still in a position to mount a title challenge, given that they are currently just six points behind league leaders Arsenal.

Palace, on the other hand, continued their unbeaten run from last season into the ongoing campaign, which ultimately came to an end after a record 19 matches, with Everton emerging 2-1 winners at the Hill Dickinson Stadium at the start of October.

Both London clubs have just spent 13% of their matches in losing positions, with the Eagles very much on course to mount a push for Europe, having taken 17 points from their opening 11 games.

2 Manchester City

Man City have also emerged as title contenders, with their most recent victory undoubtedly their most impressive to date, dispatching of reigning champions Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Having won six of the last eight Premier League titles, City can never be written off, and they have spent just 14% of their matches trailing up to this point, with Erling Haaland in the form of his life, scoring a whopping 14 goals in the Premier League alone.

3 Arsenal

Having finished in second place three years on the spin, Mikel Arteta will be hoping this is finally the Gunners’ year, and the early signs have been very positive, having opened up a four-point gap at the top of the table.

Arsenal have had to show resilience at times, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring a stoppage-time equaliser against Man City back in September to cancel out Haaland’s early opener, which earned them what could prove to be a vital point in the Premier League title race.

Arteta’s side were also behind for the majority of the game against Newcastle United, but late heroics from Mikel Merino and Gabriel secured a 2-1 win.

Some other victories have been much more routine, however, battering Leeds United 5-0 back in August, while also recording a comfortable 2-0 win at Burnley earlier this month, which means the north Londoners have been in a losing position just 17% of the time.

4 Newcastle United

Newcastle, on the other hand, won’t be feeling anywhere near as positive about their start to the campaign, currently sitting in 14th place, seven points behind bitter rivals Sunderland, despite only spending 18% of their games trailing.

That is largely because the Magpies have developed a very bad habit of conceding late goals, with Rio Ngumoha scoring a dramatic late winner for Liverpool in August, while Gabriel’s 96th-minute winner ensured Arsenal secured a 2-1 victory in September.

Should Eddie Howe’s side be able to cut out conceding late on, however, there is still plenty of time to have a successful season, as the European places remain within touching distance.

5 Sunderland

Few would have predicted Sunderland to be flying high near the top of the table, but it has been a fantastic start, having made the Stadium of Light a fortress, most recently holding Arsenal to a draw, courtesy of Brian Brobbey’s late heroics.

Having taken 19 points from their opening 11 matches, the Black Cats are already nearly half-way to the magic 40 point mark, which would almost certainly secure Premier League safety.

There are some tricky fixtures on the horizon, with trips to Liverpool and Man City penciled in for December, but Regis Le Bris will no doubt be delighted with how things are going, with his side spending just 21% of their matches in a losing position.

6 AFC Bournemouth

Having lost some key players in the summer, including Milos Kerkez, Ilya Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen, Bournemouth may have been expected to struggle, but that certainly hasn’t been the case.

The Cherries are once again looking like they could mount a push for Europe, as one of five teams currently on 18 points, having spent just 22% of their matches trailing.

7 Everton

It has been a solid, if not spectacular, opening 11 games for Everton, taking 15 points, which leaves them firmly in mid-table, exactly where they were probably expecting to be.

The Toffees have been chasing the game just 24% of the time, which is respectable, given that they have had some very tricky fixtures, already travelling to both Anfield and the Etihad Stadium.

8 Aston Villa and Manchester United

Both Aston Villa and Man United were very poor at the beginning of the campaign, with Unai Emery’s side failing to score in any of their opening four games, while the Red Devils suffered a 3-0 defeat in the Manchester derby and a disappointing 4-2 loss at Brentford.

However, since then, the Villans have gone on to win eight of their last ten matches in all competitions, and things are also looking up at United, having taken 11 points from their last five Premier League games.

A European push could be on the cards for both sides, who have been in losing positions 26% of the time.

9 Fulham

Marco Silva has managed to stabilise the Cottagers in the Premier League, but the manager is now under serious pressure, with his side just one point above the relegation zone following the 2-0 defeat at Everton last time out.

It is still too early to panic, but the early signs certainly haven’t been positive for the west Londoners, who have spent 30% of their matches in a losing position.

10 Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest

The Thomas Frank era is now well underway, but Tottenham are still yet to put a consistent run together, with victories on the road against the likes of Manchester City and Everton being cancelled out by disappointing home defeats against Aston Villa and Chelsea.

That said, despite being one of four clubs who have spent 32% of their matches behind, Spurs are currently fifth in the standings, two points above Brentford, who have arguably surpassed expectations under the helm of new manager Keith Andrews.

Things aren’t looking quite as rosy for Leeds, who are now just one point above the relegation zone, as a result of losing four of their last five matches, while Nottingham Forest are already on their third manager and currently sit in 19th place.

حقق فريق الكرة بـ الزمالك، فوزًا صعبًا على حساب زيسكو يونايتد، بنتيجة 1-0، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن لقاءات بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية.

وأقيمت المباراة بين الزمالك وزيسكو يونايتد على أرضية استاد القاهرة، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الأولى من مرحلة المجموعات لـ الكونفدرالية.

طالع | ترتيب مجموعة الزمالك في الكونفدرالية بعد فوز المصري على كايزر تشيفز

وسجل سيف الجزيري هدف فوز الزمالك بالدقيقة 43 من عمر المباراة، بعدما تسلم الكرة داخل منطقة الجزاء، وصوبها لترتطم في القائم الأيسر واستقرت داخل الشباك. هدف فوز الزمالك أمام زيسكو يونايتد في الكونفدرالية

ويتواجد الزمالك على رأس المجموعة الرابعة ببطولة كأس الكونفدرالية، والتي تضم معه أندية المصري وكايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي وزيسكو يونايتد الزامبي.

وبهذه النتيجة، حصد الزمالك أول 3 نقاط في مشواره بمرحلة المجموعات لـ الكونفدرالية، محتلًا المركز الثاني في ترتيب المجموعة خلف المصري المتصدر.

Hasaranga is back after recovering from a hamstring injury

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-20252:05

Jaffer: Hasaranga’s return big boost for SL

Toss Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka chose to bowl in the high-stakes clash against Bangladesh on a fresh pitch in Abu Dhabi. He confirmed that Wanindu Hasaranga, who missed the recent tour of Zimbabwe with a hamstring injury, is fit and back in the XI.Hasaranga is one of three allrounders in Sri Lanka’s XI alongside Dasun Shanaka and Kamindu Mendis, and the only attacking spin option, with Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage left out. They picked three specialist fast bowlers, however, in Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara.Bangladesh picked three quicks too, but made one change to their pace attack from the win over Hong Kong, bringing in Shoriful Islam for Taskin Ahmed. This meant they had two left-arm seamers – Mustafizur Rahman being the other – apart from the right-arm swing of Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and two spin-bowling allrounders in Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain.Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5, Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Kamindu Mendis, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Matheesha Pathirana, 11 Nuwan Thushara.Bangladesh: 1 Litton Das (capt & wk), 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Parvez Hossain Emon, 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Jaker Ali, 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.

A searing burst from Josh Tongue put Nottinghamshire back in the box seat after Worcestershire fought back well on the second day of their Rothesay County Championship match at Visit Worcestershire New Road.Nottinghamshire’s first-innings lead was restricted to 25 after they were bowled out for 207. Freddie McCann defied for 56 (106 balls) but Tom Taylor took 4 for 70 and Ben Allison 3 for 41 while wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick took five catches.The game had evened right up but Worcestershire closed the second day on 93 for 5 after Tongue took out the top three in a fiery burst of 9-1-24-3. With the pitch still helping seamers, Nottinghamshire won’t want to chase many in the fourth innings, but are well-placed to push for a win to keep them on the shoulders of leaders Surrey ahead of their mouth-watering meeting at The Oval next week.Nottinghamshire resumed on the second morning on 46 for 1 to find the pitch still lively. Allison soon produced a perfect away-cutter that Ben Slater edged to Roderick.McCann and Joe Clarke added 50 in 17 overs before McCann, having gritted out a valuable half-century, drove at a wide ball from Matthew Waite and Roderick accepted another catch. The slip cordon remained on high alert. Jake Libby, at second, pouched Jack Haynes off Allison. Clarke dug in for 122 minutes before nicking a waft at the same bowler.From an uneasy 121 for 5, the title-chasers were rebooted by Lyndon James’ punchy 42-ball 35 but Taylor ended the counter-attack by inducing another nick and pinned Liam Patterson-White lbw two balls later. Kyle Verreynne steered his side in front then edged Taylor to second slip.Former Pears pair Dillon Pennington and Tongue added a handy 23 before falling in five balls, the former lbw to Allison and the latter supplying Roderick with his fifth catch, off Waite.With the game so evenly-poised, a mammoth evening session – 49 overs – promised to be pivotal. Only 36 were possible before bad light intervened but Nottinghamshire made serious inroads.Tongue trapped Rehaan Edavalath lbw and dismissed Libby, caught at second slip, with a lifter so brutal it invoked comparison with Allan Donald, Curtly Ambrose and Percy Jeeves. Catching of similar quality followed from McCann, a one-handed, diving grab at second slip to remove Dan Lategan off James that invoked comparison with Graham Roope, Rikki Clarke and Ashley Giles.Tongue then knocked out Kashif Ali’s off-stump and James hit Brett D’Oliveira’s. At 68 for 5, Worcestershire were in danger of speeding to a defeat which would pretty much seal their relegation but Roderick and Ethan Brookes stayed firm until the light closed in to keep this fascinating match very much alive.

Liverpool are a team with distinct flaws, and yet they are also breathtaking and brilliant when firing on all cylinders.

Too often this season, Arne Slot’s side have failed to get going, outthought and outfought across the past few months, losing six of seven matches across all competitions before a controlled win over Aston Villa in the Premier League stopped the rot.

The 1-0 victory over European nemeses Real Madrid was something different, though. Anfield roared and cheered Virgil van Dijk and his Redmen, bayed and bellowed at Los Blancos and ex-Liverpool man Trent Alexander-Arnold, who received a frosty reception when welcomed after 80 minutes.

Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid
Liverpool	Stats	Real Madrid
1	Goals	0
2.51	Expected goals (xG)	0.45
17 (9)	Shots (on target)	8 (2)
4	Big chances	1
111.4km	Distance covered	112.7km
38.8%	Possession	61.2%
4	Corners	2
45%	Duels won	55%
Data via Sofascore

This is the Liverpool we know. Energy and intensity and purpose across every area of the field. However, while Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate stood firm against Kylian Mbappe, with the full-backs excelling too, the plain truth remains of the Merseysiders’ desperate need for reinforcements in central defence.

Liverpool searching for a centre-back

Of course, Liverpool did sign a centre-back this summer, adding Giovanni Leoni to their ranks for a £26m fee. The 18-year-old is worth his wait in gold, but ruptured his ACL on his debut against Southampton and now sits sidelined for around a year.

The inability to prise Marc Guehi away from Crystal Palace, however, is surely the bigger blow. A deal was almost in place on deadline day, but the Eagles had not found a suitable replacement, and with such little time to pull out the stops, the move disintegrated, with the player having been permitted to carry out a medical with the Anfield side.

It still could come together. Guehi, 25, has entered the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park and has no desire to pen a fresh deal. The issue now is that a host of Europe’s top outfits want his signature, though Spanish paper AS have confirmed with week that, alongside Bayern Munich, the Reds are still leading the race, ahead of the likes of Real Madrid.

Liverpool will hope to snap Guehi up on a Bosman by the end of the campaign, but if they fall short in that race, sporting director Richard Hughes has lined up the perfect alternative in Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni.

As per further Spanish sources, Liverpool have been named as potential suitors for Italian defender Bastoni, with FSG considering making a €100m (£87m) bid this January.

The veracity of this developing story is uncertain at this stage, but the 26-year-old is undoubtedly talented enough to stand out under Slot’s wing, with the style and experience to make a marked difference as Van Dijk inches ever closer to the autumn of his illustrious Anfield career.

What Bastoni would offer Liverpool

Liverpool need a centre-back; they’ve needed one for some time. While Guehi was the first-choice option this summer, Bastoni might actually prove a more compelling option for the Anfield side, having been hailed for his “world-class” ability by commentator Matteo Bonetti.

This is a defender who is at the top of their game, one of the most important cogs in an I Nerazzurri machine that has won two Scudettos and two Coppa Italia titles in five recent seasons, winner of the 2021 European Championship with Italy besides.

And, aged 26, he falls into a similar bracket as Guehi: a centre-back with the talent to make an instant impact and the prime years still ahead to grow deeper into their role in Slot’s squad and reach entirely new levels of performance.

He’s one of the best players in his position worldwide. In Serie A this season, Bastoni has scored a goal and supplied two assists across nine outings, winning 70% of his aerial duels and averaging 1.8 tackles per game (data provided by Sofascore).

A strong passer and outside-the-box thinker, he could even trump Guehi across ball-playing metrics, with the Palace man renowned for his cool, composed and creative presence on the ball.

Bastoni vs Guehi (past 12 months)
Stats (per 90)	Bastoni	Guehi
Goals	0.05	0.06
Assists	0.05	0.09
Touches	89.54	60.67
Pass completion (%)	86.5	83.5
Progressive passes	5.29	4.09
Shot-creating actions	2.36	1.53
Progressive carries	1.88	0.77
Successful take-ons	0.31	0.26
Ball recoveries	3.53	4.12
Tackles + interceptions	2.62	3.12
Clearances	2.85	4.56
Aerial duels won	1.53	1.91
Data via FBref

As you can see, Guehi has been more active in defensive contributions over the past year. This you would expect from an outfit like Palace in the Premier League when compared to Italian giants like Inter. But Bastoni is slicker and more able on the ball, and that when Guehi shines in that regard.

Sure, Guehi is a free agent come the end of the campaign, and that counts for a lot, but whether Liverpool and FSG would be willing to pass up an opportunity to sign a talent of Bastoni’s ability is another question entirely. After all, the reports suggest that a bid is currently being packaged together.

Here is a fearsome centre-half with the passing range of a maestro. Liverpool could do a lot worse than add Bastoni to their ranks, securing a long-term Van Dijk heir with the perfect skillset to ease the agony of his moving on.

Bastoni. The perfect, elite bastion to secure Liverpool’s backline for many years to come. He has a wealth of experience at the highest level and the hunger to achieve even more.

He is immensely talented, perhaps more so than Guehi, and Slot’s defence would reach frightening levels of security and balance and progression with him added into the mix.

Not Bradley: Liverpool have found the new Trent & he's not even a defender

Arne Slot has now uncovered Liverpool’s next Trent Alexander-Arnold, and it’s not Conor Bradley.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 6, 2025

Ex-Everton star Yannick Bolasie has hit out at Gary Neville's punditry, claiming the Manchester United legend "thinks he’s the second coming of Pep Guardiola". Neville was on Sky Sports commentary during the Premier League clash between the Toffees and the Red Devils as Ruben Amorim's side suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss against 10 men.

• Man Utd's unbeaten streak ends

  After a torrid start to their 2025-26 campaign, United began to pick up form in the Premier League as they registered three wins in a row against Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton. At the start of November, they were held to back-to-back draws by Nottingham Forest and Tottenham. After a five-match unbeaten run, many believed that the days of agony were finally behind United as they were looking like a close-knit unit for the first time in the Amorim era. 

  However, United were brought crashing back down to earth on Monday evening as they went down 1-0 against a 10-man Everton side. Idrissa Gueye was sent off in the 13th minute after he fought with his own team-mate Michael Keane on the pitch. The hosts, though, could not capitalise on their man advantage and instead conceded around the half-hour mark as former Chelsea man Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the all-important winning goal.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Ex-Everton star slammed Gary Neville

  Former United star Neville, who was on broadcasting duty with Sky Sports for the game, failed to impress ex-Everton and Crystal Palace player Yannick Bolasie with his punditry skills. The 36-year-old Congolese winger took a shot at the Red Devils legend on social media.

  Bolasie wrote on X: "I’m watching this game on mute. I respect opinions but not when he’s giggling all over the mic thinking he’s the second coming of guardiola, allow it…great player but the tactics give it a rest laaaad."

• Amorim wished United played like Everton

  Amorim was understandably unhappy with the team's performance at home against a team reduced to 10 men as he went on to claim that United deserved to lose, while heaping praise on David Moyes' side for showing fighting spirit.

  After the game, the Portuguese coach told reporters: "I think they were a better team with 11. They then worked really well with 10 men for 70 minutes. So I think we deserved to lose. We didn't play well. We didn't play with the right intensity. I know which point we are in the moment. So we are not there, not even near the point that we should be to fight for the best positions in the league. We have a lot to do, and we need to be perfect to win games. We were not perfect. I feel afraid of returning of this feeling of last season, that is my biggest concern. So we need to work together. We are going to work together. I'm not going. The players are trying, but we need to be better so we have training tomorrow, and we are going to prepare the next one."

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  Are United ready to challenge for a top five finish?

  United had the perfect opportunity to reclaim their place among the top five teams in the Premier League after Bournemouth dropped points against West Ham, Arsenal thrashed Tottenham in the north London derby and both Liverpool and Manchester City lost their respective fixtures. However, with the lost against Everton, United have dropped to 10th.

  Amorim admitted that United are still not ready to challenge the elite teams in the division. The Portuguese added: "It is my responsibility to explain the game, and today, it was not one mistake of one individual, it was the team. The way we saw the results of the weekend. We should get inside the pitch with a different level of excitement, that is, that is my feeling. It doesn't matter if you are playing well, making good passes, but the feeling and Old Trafford was there, saying we are all here to give a big step up, and I felt that we were not ready again."

  The Red Devils next face Crystal Palace in a difficult away fixture on Sunday in the Premier League. 

Mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar part of ODI squad but has been demoted to reserves in the T20I side

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2025Left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi and allrounders Gulbadin Naib and Karim Janat have been left out of Afghanistan’s squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Bangladesh in the UAE.Bashir Ahmad, the tall left-arm seamer, has made both the white-ball squads as a like-for-like replacement for Farooqi. Bashir, 20, is uncapped in international cricket and has 14 T20s so far, taking 12 wickets at an economy rate of 9.06. Top-order batter Wafiullah Tarakhil is the other new face – the 18-year-old has been picked only for the T20Is.In the recent Shpageeza Cricket League, Tarakhil emerged as the third-highest scorer, with 298 runs in nine innings at an average of 37.25 and strike rate of 155.20.Seamer Abdullah Ahmadzai, meanwhile returned to the main T20I side. Both Ahmadzai and Tarakhil were among the reserves for the Asia Cup, where Afghanistan failed to make it out of the league phase.Mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar is part of the main ODI side, but has been named as a reserve player for the T20Is along with batter Rahmat Shah.”After a long six-month break from international cricket following the ICC Champions Trophy, we are now entering a packed season with many T20I games scheduled,” ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said in a statement. “This provides the team with an incredible opportunity to prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next year.”The performances in the Asia Cup 2025 were not as expected, but ups and downs are part of the game. As always, we remain hopeful that AfghanAtalan will bounce back strongly and make our nation proud in the upcoming events.”Despite the absence of Ghazanfar for the T20Is, Afghanistan have plenty of spin depth in the form of captain Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi.Nangeyalia Kharote has been included in Afghanistan’s ODI squad•ICC/Getty ImagesHashmatullah Shahidi will continue to lead the ODI team, which is also similarly spin-heavy. Rashid, Nabi, Ghazanfar and Nangeyalia Kharote could prove effective in Abu Dhabi as well. Bilal Sami and Faridoon Dawoodzai were named as reserves for the ODIs.Sharjah will host the three T20Is on October 2, 3 and 5 before the teams shift to Abu Dhabi for the three-match T20I series, which will run from October 8 to October 14. This white-ball series will complete the second part of what was originally supposed to be an all-format engagement in July 2024, comprising two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is. The schedule was initially revised to include only white-ball matches, but that series, due to be played in Greater Noida, was postponed with weather conditions and Bangladesh’s packed schedule in mind. The teams played the three-match ODI leg of the tour in November 2024, with Afghanistan winning 2-1.Afghanistan had lost their most recent international fixture against Bangladesh – a T20I in the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi – by eight runs.Afghanistan T20I squadRashid Khan (capt), Ibrahim Zadran (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohamamad Ishaq (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Bashir Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Abdullah Ahmadzai.Reserves: AM Ghazanfar and Rahmat ShahAfghanistan ODI squadHashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote, AM Ghazanfar, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem SafiReserves: Bilal Sami and Faridoon Dawoodzai

Martin O’Neill’s future as Celtic’s interim manager remains unknown for the time being, but a new update has now emerged regarding the situation.

The 4-2-3-1-playing O’Neill has enjoyed a successful return to Parkhead, winning three of his four matches in temporary charge of the Hoops.

The 73-year-old remains as popular as ever among the Celtic supporters, while Ian Wright has recently heaped praise on the job he is doing at the Scottish Premiership champions, calling him “amazing”, and Paul Scholes has lauded the “unbelievable energy” that he has.

It has recently been claimed that O’Neill’s time in charge of the Hoops could come to an end during the current international break, however, with the Scottish giants seeing Wilfried Nancy and Kjetil Knutsen as the front-runners to come in.

There are some Celtic fans who would like the idea of him staying on, though, given his history with the club and the results he has masterminded since returning, and now a new update has emerged over his future.

Dermot Desmond set for Martin O'Neill talks this week

According to a new claim from Sky Sports, Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond is set to hold “discussions” with O’Neill this week, although it isn’t specified whether it is to do with staying on until the end of the season or bringing someone else in.

That said, the report states that the Hoops are “pleased with the way O’Neill has galvanised the squad and lifted the mood at Celtic Park”, which can only be a good thing for him.

As is always the case with a manager, opinion is sure to be split over O’Neill’s future, with some feeling that he is the right man for the job until next summer, and others perhaps thinking a younger and more long-term option is required right now.

The Northern Irishman has even admitted himself that the demands are tough on a 73-year-old, perhaps showing that he may not have it in him to take the Hoops job on a permanent basis.

“Do you know, that is a genuinely good point, so I’m going to be serious here. I really don’t know. It’s a young man’s game, and I’m almost talking myself out of this here, but it’s been tough, you know. All the things that I kind of thought I knew about it have come to sort of fruition.”

Approach imminent: Manager with 209 wins to 70 losses excited by Celtic

The Bhoys appear to have made their move as they target a permanent successor to Martin O’Neill.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 10, 2025

It still feels more likely that O’Neill will be moved on, with a younger alternative coming in soon, but he has a good relationship with Desmond, which can’t be a bad thing, and there would be clear positives to him staying on if he is keen to.

Shock Celtic manager frontrunner receives backing from Parkhead higher-up

MatériaMais Notícias

Weverton e Rafael podem fazer um duelo à parte na decisão entre Palmeiras e São Paulo, pela Supercopa do Brasil. Embora experientes, ambos carregam o estigma de não serem decisivos em cobranças de pênaltis e serão personagens no Choque-Rei deste domingo (4).

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O Lance! traz um levantamento do aproveitamento dos goleiros apenas em cobranças de pênaltis eliminatórias.

Weverton enfrentou nove disputas de pênaltis pelo Palmeiras, com nove defesas em 52 cobranças, somando um aproveitamento de 19,2%. O Verdão ganhou duas disputas e perdeu as outras sete.

A última decisão nos pênaltis enfrentada por Weverton foi na semifinal da Libertadores de 2023, contra o Boca Juniors. No Allianz Parque, o arqueiro defendeu a cobrança de Cavani, mas os argentinos avançaram à final do torneio.

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Já Rafael enfrentou três disputas de pênaltis pelo São Paulo, com duas defesas em 16 cobranças, obtendo aproveitamento de 12%. O Tricolor perdeu duas disputas e saiu vencedor apenas em uma. Na disputa contra a LDU, pelas quartas de final da Copa Sul-Americana, o goleiro são-paulino não conseguiu defender nenhuma das cinco cobranças, e os equatorianos avançaram de fase.

➡️ Veja os grupos e datas dos confrontos no Paulistão

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