A Copa do Mundo Feminina da FIFA começou nesta quinta-feira (20) e o Brasil se prepara para fazer a sua estréia na próxima segunda-feira (24), diante do Panamá, em busca do inédito título mundial na competição que marca a despedida da lenda Marta com a amarelinha.
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O Brasil está no grupo F, que ainda conta com a forte França e também a Jamaica.
A torcida do Palmeiras, que se acostumou a torcer pelo futebol feminino nos últimos anos, terá alguns bons motivos para torcer pelo time de Pia Sundhage neste Mundial, afinal a Seleção conta com quatro jogadoras que tiveram passagem recente pelo Verdão, incluindo duas titulares que foram importantíssimas para o 2022 histórico que o Verdão teve com a modalidade, quando conquistou a Libertadores e também o Campeonato Paulista.
Além da zagueira Rafaelle e da recém integrada ao grupo Angelina, que tiveram passagens recentes pelo Verdão, o Brasil conta com o brilho de Ary Borges, que fez história na Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras antes de embarcar para os Estados Unidos neste ano, e claro, com a experiência e o talento de Beatriz Zaneratto, principal nome da modalidade atuando no Brasil e que ostenta a camisa 10 e a faixa de capitã do Palmeiras até hoje.
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+ Copa do Mundo Feminina: conheça as jogadoras que marcam ‘golaço’ em favor de causas sociais
Bia deve ser a grande esperança de gols do Brasil na competição e a torcida brasileira conta muito com a estrela da Imperatriz para que nossas meninas façam história na Austrália e na Nova Zelândia.
O jogo entre Brasil x Panamá está marcado para a próxima segunda-feira (24) e a bola rola a partir das 8h (horário de Brasília). Todas as partidas do Brasil na Copa terão transmissão da Rede Globo, do Sportv e também da Cazé TV.
Washington Sundar, meanwhile, dropped onto GT’s subs bench even though they were batting first
ESPNcricinfo staff09-Apr-2025
Wanindu Hasaranga has withdrawn from the match for personal reasons•BCCI
Toss Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bowl against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad. He cited dew as the reason behind his decision.RR were without Wanindu Hasaranga, who missed out because of personal reasons. Fazalhaq Farooqi replaced him.While Shubman Gill said GT were fielding an unchanged XI, there was no Washington Sundar in their bat-first XI; he was one of their five Impact Player options. Instead, Arshad Khan was part of their starting XI.GT named only three overseas players in their XI and none among their Impact Player options. That means Glenn Phillips, who hurt himself in the field in their last game, will not be available even as a substitute.Both sides have momentum on their side. GT are on a three-match winning streak, while RR, after two losses at the start of the season, have two wins in their last two games.The match is being played on a red-soil surface, which is expected to offer good pace and bounce. One square boundary is much shorter than the other, 60m as compared to 71m from the pitch. The straight boundary measures 73m.Gujarat Titans: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Sai Sudharsan, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 Shahrukh Khan, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Arshad Khan, 9 Sai Kishore, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna.Impact Player options: Washington Sundar, Kulwant Khejroliya, Anuj Rawat, Nishant Sindhu, Mahipal Lomror.Rajasthan Royals: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Jofra Archer, 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Fazalhaq Farooqi, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Tushar Deshpande.Impact Player options: Kumar Kartikeya, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh, Akash Madhwal, Kunal Singh Rathore.
Too often, issues off the pitch can impact what happens on the pitch in football. Glasgow Rangers are no strangers to that being the case at Ibrox, with players, supporters, managers, and higher-ups.
For example, Russell Martin noted after the 2-0 defeat to Hearts that the players are struggling to deal with the current situation and the expectations at Ibrox.
The Gers boss told BBC Scotland: “There is a lot of anxiety, a lot of difficulty managing expectation. We have so many players trying to feel their way into their Rangers career in a really difficult situation.”
It is a Catch-22 situation, though, because it is down to the team to deliver good enough performances on the pitch to earn the full backing of the fanbase and the media.
However, there can also be problems caused by contractual issues or relationships behind the scenes that can also affect what happens on the pitch for the Gers, as was the case with Ianis Hagi last season.
Why Rangers made a mistake with Ianis Hagi
After spending the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Alaves, the Romania international returned to Ibrox in the summer of 2023 only to be banished from the first-team and sent to play for the B team.
He had to train and play with the young Gers players, instead of with his peers, and that meant that he did not take part in the European qualifiers or the opening Premiership games.
Philippe Clement revealed that it was down to a contractual issue that was not resolved behind the scenes until October, which meant that the attacking midfielder missed pre-season and the first two months of the campaign.
Ianis Hagi
2020/21 Premiership
Appearances
33
Starts
23
Goals
7
Assists
11
Big chances created
6
Key passes per game
1.0
Key passes
33
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Gers playmaker was a key player in the 2020/21 title-winning season under Steven Gerrard, making him a proven player in the top-flight.
Hagi then, unsurprisingly, scored four goals, created six ‘big chances’, and assisted five goals in 16 starts in the Scottish Premiership, per Sofascore, after returning to the first-team fold, which shows that they missed a top-class player for months because of a non-footballing issue.
The Romania international was a proven Premiership performer who could deliver goals and assists at an impressive rate and they had him sitting on the sidelines because of a contractual issue behind the scenes.
Whilst it is not an identical situation, Rangers are now repeating the big mistake they made with Hagi by leaving Nicolas Raskin out of the squad.
Why Rangers need to play Nicolas Raskin
The Belgium international was not involved in the squad to face Hearts or Celtic in the last two league matches, because Martin claims that he has to earn the “trust” of his teammates.
Raskin was back in training with the first-team after the international break but had to look on from the sidelines as the Light Blues lost 2-0 to Hearts, which has left the club with their worst start to a league season in 47 years.
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Speaking about the situation, former Rangers striker and manager Ally McCoist said: “Now, there’s obviously a problem with Raskin, there’s no doubt about that, something’s happened. But from where I’m sitting, you cannot bite your nose off to spite your face.
“If you’ve got a problem with Raskin, and he clearly has, I think he’s got to let the public know what that problem is, because we’re all sitting there watching that game at the weekend, and Raskin walks into that team.”
McCoist is essentially saying that Rangers are hurting themselves by not selecting Raskin in recent games. It is hard to disagree with that assessment when you consider how well the central midfielder performed in the 2024/25 campaign.
The former Standard Liege star won the Player of the Season and the Players’ Player of the Season awards, which speaks to how highly he is rated by both supporters and his teammates.
Nicolas Raskin (24/25)
Premiership
Europa League
Appearances
33
12
Tackles per game
2.8
3.7
Interceptions per game
0.6
1.3
Ball recoveries per game
5.6
7.4
Ground duel success rate
57%
50%
Aerial duel success rate
56%
55%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Raskin was an incredibly combative figure in the middle of the park for the Light Blues in both the Premiership and the Europa League, making plenty of tackles, interceptions, and recoveries per match.
On top of that, the Belgian star has the quality on the ball to be a difference-maker for the Scottish giants, who have failed to score in the two games that he has been excluded from.
Raskin, once hailed as “unbelievable” by ex-Rangers forward Kris Boyd, delivered five goals and 11 assists in all competitions last term, per Sofascore, and one of those goals came against Celtic, who the Gers failed to score past without him before the international break.
This shows that the Light Blues are repeating their big mistake with Hagi in the present day, because they are allowing a non-footballing problem to affect their results on the pitch.
Raskin, as evidenced by his performance data and the awards he collected, is an influential and integral member of the club’s best starting XI. If fit and available for selection, he should be lining up in the middle of the park.
As McCoist said, it feels like Rangers are biting their nose off to spite their face by pulling him out of squads, which was also the case when Hagi was jettisoned from the team at the start of the 2024/25 campaign.
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Kevin Thelwell must finally part ways with this Rangers flop who earns as much as Nicolas Raskin.
ByDan Emery Sep 12, 2025
Therefore, Martin should bring Raskin back into the team as soon as possible in the hope that the Belgian star’s qualities can turn the club’s dismal form around, lifting the mood and taking some of the pressure off the new signings and young players.
The mood around Arsenal is jubilant at the moment.
Mikel Arteta’s side are top of the Premier League table following their thumping win against Leeds United; Martin Odegaard could be fit for Sunday, and Bukayo Saka’s injury will only keep him sidelined for four weeks at most.
However, it’s still probably the arrival of Eberechi Eze and the nature of his signing that has fans the most positive about the coming campaign.
It feels like the Englishman could be the missing piece for the Gunners, and in more good news, the club are closing in on another signing who could help him get even more out of him.
Arsenal target dream teammate for Eze
With less than a week to go until it shuts, it wouldn’t be hyperbolic to claim that this summer transfer window has been one of the best in Arsenal’s recent history.
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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Andrea Berta and Co have added game-changing quality to the starting lineup in Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres, while also filling out the squad with quality options like Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Cristhian Mosquera.
Yet, the deal that is remembered most this summer in years to come is undoubtedly going to be the one for Eze, and now it looks like the North Londoners could be about to add someone else to the squad who could make him even more dangerous.
At least that is according to a recent report from David Ornstein, who has reaffirmed Arsenal’s interest in Piero Hincapie.
Speaking to NBC Sports, the renowned journalist has revealed that while plenty of other clubs are interested in signing him, he is prioritising the Gunners and is “very eager” on a move to the Emirates.
However, based on stories from earlier this week, it appears that Bayer Leverkusen want his full release clause, which amounts to around £52m.
It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but Hincapie would be more than worth it, especially as he could get even more out of Eze at Arsenal.
Why Hincapie would be a dream for Eze
One of the most significant positives to Eze is the simple fact that he can play as a ten and out on the left.
However, as his heatmaps tend to show, even when starting on the left, he does tend to move back towards the middle of the pitch as he gets closer to the box.
In other words, he isn’t a touchline winger, and using him as such would likely see his effectiveness reduced.
Fortunately, while he is likely to start on the left fairly frequently at Arsenal, the arrival of Hincapie means he won’t need to stay wide during the attacking phases of play.
The reason for this is that while he might not be an out-and-out overlapping full-back, he’s shown himself to be incredibly effective at this role.
In fact, even though he can and does play in the middle of the defence at times, he has become so effective at full-back in recent years that respected analyst Ben Mattinson has described him as “a left-sided Ben White.”
Piero Hincapie in action for Bayer Leverkusen
Therefore, if he starts behind the former Palace star, then he would be the one providing width with lung-busting runs up and down the byline and a constant stream of crosses into the area, or cut-backs just ahead of it.
Finally, if you still need convincing, his underlying numbers also point to him being a truly elite full-back.
Hincapie’s FB Scout Report
Statistics
Per 90
Percentile
Shots Blocked
0.65
Top 1%
Touches (Mid 3rd)
42.07
Top 2%
Total Passing Distance
1022.32
Top 3%
Progressive Passing Distance
359.66
Top 3%
Live-ball Passes
64.43
Top 3%
Aerials Won
2.25
Top 3%
Passes Completed
61.71
Top 4%
Pass Completion %
88.1%
Top 5%
Touches
81.35
Top 5%
Carries
45.99
Top 5%
Progressive Carrying Distance
137.22
Top 5%
Total Carrying Distance
230.70
Top 7%
Passes into Final Third
5.20
Top 8%
SCA (Shot)
0.18
Top 8%
All Stats via FBref
According to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of full-backs in Europe’s top-five leagues for shots blocked, the top 3% for progressive passing distance, the top 5% for progressive carrying distance, the top 8% for passes into the final third and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, Hincapie would be an excellent signing for Arsenal regardless of the other additions made this summer.
Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie.
However, the impact he could have at the club has been dramatically increased now that Eze has joined Arteta’s project, and the opposite will also be true should this transfer go through.
Arsenal place bid for bargain Piero Hincapie alternative as club respond
Andrea Berta has his eye on more than one defender.
Manchester United had to react to what happened in the 2024/25 campaign after they endured a dismal end to the season under head coach Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils lost 18 of their 38 Premier League matches, finishing 15th in the division, and lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Europa League.
Instead of opting to change manager once again, despite Amorim’s struggles and some question marks over his 3-4-2-1 system, the club opted to change things by dipping into the transfer market.
Manchester United invested in the forward line, despite a lack of European football, by signing Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko to bolster the manager’s options up front.
Man United forward Bryan Mbeumo
It is now down to Amorim to find a way to get the best out of those three exciting attacking recruits to ensure that the Red Devils do not go through another dismal season.
Mbeumo has already scored twice, against Grimsby and Burnley, since moving from Brentford, but United supporters are still waiting to see the best out of Cunha in a red shirt.
Why there is more to come from Matheus Cunha
The Brazil international has failed to score a goal or create a ‘big chance’ for the team in his three Premier League starts for United so far this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he has had an underwhelming start to his career in Manchester.
However, there is no need to panic because Cunha is a proven Premier League star who has shown that he can deliver consistent quality at the top end of the pitch, as evidenced by his form for Wolverhampton Wanderers last season.
The chart above shows that he should be a huge upgrade on Mason Mount in the number ten position when he finds his feet at Old Trafford and starts to deliver the kind of performances everyone knows that he is capable of, due to his ability to make an impact in front of goal.
Cunha, who signed for Wolves from Atletico Madrid, has proven that he can score goals and create high-quality opportunities for his teammates at an impressive rate in the Premier League.
Appearances
32
33
xG
9.49
8.63
Goals
12
15
Big chances created
7
13
Key passes per game
0.9
1.8
Assists
7
6
As you can see in the table above, the Brazilian maestro scored 27 goals and created 20 ‘big chances’ in 55 appearances in the top-flight for Wolves in the last two seasons, outperforming his xG by a significant margin in both of those campaigns.
This shows that Manchester United have signed a star who is proven in the division and will deliver quality in the final third if Amorim can set the team up to get him in enough positions to make an impact at the top end of the pitch.
Manchester United's Matheus Cunha
Therefore, there is no need to panic or rush to judgement over Cunha’s fairly slow start to life at Old Trafford, because there is plenty more to come from the Brazilian maestro, given what he has already achieved in the Premier League in the Midlands.
If the former Atletico Madrid attacking midfielder does fail to translate his Wolves form over to Manchester, though, Amorim may find the club’s own homegrown version of Cunha from the academy.
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19-year-old attacking midfielder Jack Moorhouse, who is currently on loan at Leyton Orient in League One, could emerge as Manchester United’s own Cunha in the future if he continues to develop and progress in his career.
Why Jack Moorhouse could be a homegrown Matheus Cunha
Judging young players and predicting what their ceiling is or how they will develop over time is not an exact science, which is why so many players fail to make the grade after emerging as exciting talents early on in their careers.
Moorhouse did not burst onto the scene at 16 like Lamine Yamal or score in the Premier League at 18 like Kobbie Mainoo, but he has shown some very promising signs that bode well for the future.
The teenage talent scored four goals and provided two assists in 13 starts as an attacking midfielder for the Red Devils at U18 and U21 level, per Transfermarkt, almost a goal contribution every other game.
Analyst Ben Mattinson, in the post above, was impressed by his performances for United’s academy sides, describing him as a “game-breaking ball carrier” who is “ideal” for the left-sided number ten role in Amorim’s system, which is currently occupied by Cunha.
Moorhouse’s best performance for Leyton Orient so far this season came in a 3-1 win over Peterborough United in the EFL Trophy, and his display was Cunha-esque on paper.
Minutes
63
Sofascore rating
8.1
Shots
2
Goals
1
Pass accuracy
86%
Key passes
2
Dribbles completed
3/3
Duels won
4/6
As you can see in the table above, the Ireland U21 international showcased his quality as a goalscorer, a creator, and a dribbler, which are Cunha’s main three attributes as a player.
You can see in the clips above that Moorhouse loves to drive forward with the ball at his feet, taking players on, and he scored an excellent goal from range with his weak foot.
Albeit against very different opposition, the goal was not too dissimilar to the one that Cunha scored against Premier League champions Liverpool earlier this year for Wolves.
Both Moorhouse and Cunha are attack-minded midfielders who can score goals and create chances for their teammates, but they are also exciting players to watch because of the way they carry the ball and take defenders on.
Therefore, Manchester United may be brewing their homegrown version of the Brazil international at Carrington and Leyton Orient, and it is now down to the Irish maestro to develop and take the next steps in his career to convince Amorim to bring him into the first-team next season.
Amorim can revive Mainoo by binning £150k-p/w flop in Man Utd system switch
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim can revive Kobbie Mainoo by changing his formation.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim says his struggling team need more "crazy guys" to help them get back on track. The Red Devils have suffered an underwhelming start to the new Premier League campaign and currently sit down in 14th place in the table despite a summer that saw Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo arrive at Old Trafford.
Man Utd's struggles continue under Amorim
After finishing in 15th place last season, Manchester United fans were hoping for better from their team in the new campaign. A busy summer saw a flurry of new signings and optimism rise among the Old Trafford faithful. However, Amorim's team has continued to struggle, managing just seven points from their opening six league games. United also suffered an embarrassing Carabao Cup defeat to minnows Grimsby Town in a dramatic penalty shoot-out that finished 12-11 to the League Two side. The results have drawn plenty of criticism and calls for Amorim to be sacked after less than a year in charge. Club legend Wayne Rooney has claimed Amorim "bluffed his way into the job", while pundit Jamie Carragher has called his tenure a "disaster" and feels his departure is inevitable.
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Amorim wants 'crazy players' at Man Utd
Manchester United's dismal form has piled pressure on Amorim and his tactical inflexibility has been question. Amorim has insisted he will not change his 3-4-3 formation and has instead called on his players to step up and show character during these difficult times.
The United boss told former Red Devil Owen Hargreaves in an interview with what he feels his team is lacking currently: "We have a lot of players that they were here for many years and we are struggling so that is always in your mind. It's not just the leaders, we need leaders, but sometimes what I'm thinking is we miss some crazy guys, you know?"
Amorim looks to Cunha and Mbeumo for inspiration
Amorim added that new signing Cunha is one player who can help inspire United: "The guys, I think Cunha is a little bit like that. He's a guy that is a good guy but he doesn't care who you are. He can play wherever and he will go with the ball. This kind of feeling, we need that. Harry Maguire was captain, he played national team, but you can feel it sometimes that when things are going wrong we go down. No matter if it's Bruno or Harry, and that is in the past, so we need to live in the future.
The United boss also feels Mbeumo can have a similar impact following his move from Brentford. He explained: "Sometimes you look at the pitch, something is going really wrong, and you see Bryan with a different light, because he came from a different environment. Then you look at Cunha and you feel that sometimes he is frustrated but you can feel the frustration is something like – give me the ball – so we miss that. We need to forget the past, we need sometimes that crazy guy. The world can be on fire, but I don't care. Sometimes it's not just the leaders, it's the maverick guys."
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Man Utd's aims for the season outlined by Amorim
Manchester United have still not managed to string consecutive wins together in the Premier League under Amorim but the Portuguese is confident he can get his team up the table. The former Sporting boss was asked about the club's targets and wants to be back playing European football next season.
"I think we need to return to Europe. the funny thing is, and it's hard for our fans to understand this, I don't know what is going to happen," he said. "We are going to play better, that is my feeling, and I think every day if you see the games you feel we can win the games.
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has made it clear he is a huge admirer of a former Manchester United star, having named him among his favourite players.
Gerrard names Man United legend among favourite players
There is no love lost between Gerrard and Man United, with the Liverpool legend once making it clear just how much dislike he holds for the club, saying: “For more than 26 years, I’d always felt compelled to show fire towards them. They were the enemy. Their shirt is the only one I won’t allow in my house. I have a big collection of shirts I’ve swapped with other players — but not one from United.”
Given that the ex-Liverpool captain predominantly came up against the Red Devils during the Sir Alex Ferguson era, he won just 10 of the 30 matches he contested against Liverpool’s bitter rivals, facing off against some top players during that time.
The likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney all helped United to achieve an at-the-time record-breaking 20 league titles, but the former England international has previously named a different player as among his favourites.
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Speaking on BT Sport (via The Daily Mail), Gerrard said: “I’ve always been a massive fan of Roy Keane, not Man United. I think for all our generation watching Roy Keane’s consistency levels, how he went about it, I like to get into the box and having someone who would have been able to protect me in there and do some of my dirty work.”
Back in 2015, the Liverpool legend also said: “Roy Keane is one of my favourite players. I really loved playing against him, I have nothing but respect for the guy and as a player but being a Liverpool fan from the day I was born, there is no need for me to have a Manchester United shirt in my house.”
Keane undoubtedly among the best midfielders in Premier League history
The Irishman is well-known for his fiery temper, which often overshadows the fact he was a top player, as underlined by the fact he won the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year Award in 2000, alongside being voted the PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
Although the former Ireland international’s relationship with Ferguson went downhill following his controversial Old Trafford exit, the legendary manager has also singled him out for praise in the past, perhaps most notably after the 1999 Champions League semi-final triumph against Juventus.
The Scot said: “Pounding every blade of grass, competing as if would rather die of exhaustion than lose, he inspired all around him. I felt as if it were an honour to be associated with this player.”
As such, it should be no surprise that Gerrard holds the fellow central midfielder in very high regard, and Keane’s legendary status has since been recognised, having been inducted into the Premier League hall of fame back in 2021.
Despite already spending big this summer, Manchester City are now reportedly set to hold talks in an attempt to seal one last blockbuster move for Pep Guardiola.
Man City targeting late transfer flurry
After starting the transfer window so strongly with the arrivals of Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Ait-Nouri, it looked as though Manchester City had commenced and ended their summer business in clinical fashion early on. Since then, however, Savinho and Ederson have thrown unexpected spanners into the works which could force the Citizens to land at least one more blockbuster move.
Both players missed City’s opening day thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers through ill-timed injuries as rumours continue to emerge over their futures. Whether they make swift recoveries in the event of a late summer switch will certainly be interesting to see, however, with Tottenham Hotspur chasing Savinho and Galatasaray already in talks to sign Ederson.
In the event that Ederson does depart, which looks likely at this stage, Guardiola could reportedly welcome Senne Lammens before the end of the month. Although the Citizens initially had their sights set on Gianluigi Donnarumma, reports have since emerged that any deal to sign the Italian has become difficult due to Paris Saint-Germain’s £22m asking price.
As a result, City have reportedly turned their attention towards Lammens and hijacking Manchester United’s move to sign the Royal Antwerp shot-stopper.
Senne Lammens for Royal Antwerp.
Meanwhile, when it comes to potentially replacing Savinho, those at the Etihad have shifted their focus towards what would be one of the headline deals of the summer in the closing stages of the window.
Man City set to hold talks to sign Rodrygo
According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Manchester City are now set to hold talks to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid, with the Brazilian’s representatives already on their way to commence discussions. Madrid reportedly value the winger at around £87m, but are open to letting him leave before the end of the month.
Another Reijnders: Man City have made £86m superstar their main target
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Reportedly going head-to-head with Liverpool in the race to sign Rodrygo, City will have their eye on revenge on the Reds after watching on as Florian Wirtz chose Anfield over the Etihad earlier this summer.
What’s more, if City are looking to replace Savinho, then doing so with a star of Rodrygo’s calibre would certainly send a statement of intent around the Premier League. Dubbed “special” by former Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, the 24-year-old is arguably one of the best wingers in the world.
Appearances
270
Goals
68
Assists
51
In one swoop, City could have the potential to form one of the Premier League’s most deadly partnerships between Erling Haaland and Rodrygo – one which could see them restore their English crown just one year after conceding it to Liverpool.
A target of 181 was too little against the might of the Lucknow Super Giants batting line-up
Deivarayan Muthu12-Apr-20252:34
Jaffer: Bishnoi’s spell brought LSG into the game
Despite the absence of Mitchell Marsh, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bested Gujarat Titans (GT) in the battle of top orders and moved up to third on the IPL 2025 points table.After Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan forged a 120-run opening stand, GT managed only 60 off their last eight overs while losing six wickets. The variations of Ravi Bishnoi and Digvesh Rathi (8-0-66-3) helped LSG regain lost ground on a black-soil pitch at Ekana Stadium.Aiden Markram and Rishabh Pant, who was opening the batting for the first time in the IPL in nearly ten years, then maximised the powerplay to put LSG further ahead. Markram fell for 58 off 31 balls but Nicholas Pooran rushed LSG towards the finish line with a six-laden 61 off 34 balls. LSG completed the job with three balls to spare, snapping GT’s four-match winning streak.The Sudharsan-Gill opening actAfter being asked to bat first, Gill and Sudharsan added 54 for 0 in the powerplay. Sudharsan had kicked off the innings with a slapped four off Shardul Thakur and then when Akash Deep pitched one too full, he drove the ball straight past him for four more.Related
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T20 isn’t Sudharsan’s strongest format, but he keeps finding ways to score at a brisk pace with a low-risk approach. At the other end, Gill took more risks, often stepping out or manufacturing swinging room. When LSG tried to burgle an over from Markram, Gill and Sudharsan spoiled their plan by taking the part-time offspinner for 15 runs.Sudharsan’s knock could’ve been cut short on 46 had Abdul Samad held onto a catch at cover off Rathi. He went onto bring up his fourth half-century in six innings in IPL, soon after Gill had raised his own fifty.1:36
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GT’s slideThe dismissals of Gill and Sudharsan in successive overs, however, brought LSG back into the contest. While Avesh Khan had Gill caught at the long-on boundary with a cutter, Bishnoi had Sudharsan caught at cover with a skiddy wrong ‘un. Bishnoi also had Washington Sundar chopping on for 2 with the wrong ‘un.Mystery spinner Rathi, who had two catches dropped off his bowling, eventually wrote his name into the wickets column when Thakur held onto a tough chance at short fine leg to dismiss Jos Buttler for 16 off 14 balls. Thakur then closed out the innings with his nifty variations, which fetched him the wickets of Sherfane Rutherford and Rahul Tewatia in the final over. From 120 for 0 after 12 overs, they finished on 180 for 6.Markram, Pant start well for LSGLSG rattled off 61 for 0 in the powerplay, with Markram claiming 38 of those. Pant, who had bumped himself up the order, got off to a more sedate start and was in discomfort after being struck on the knee by left-arm seamer Arshad Khan.Pant was happy to ride in Markram’s slipstream before he attacked Rashid Khan in the last over of the powerplay, slog-sweeping the wristspinner for four over midwicket. In the next over, though, when he charged at Prasidh Krishna, the bowler shifted his line wide of off stump and had Pant slicing a catch to deep third for 21 off 18 balls. Markram, meanwhile, mixed orthodox strokeplay with T20 innovation to bring up a 26-ball fifty.Pooran powerPooran had already hit two sixes by the time GT introduced R Sai Kishore into the attack in the tenth over. The first delivery, which seemed like the carrom ball, was whacked over midwicket for six. He then smoked the left-arm fingerspinner for two more sixes off the next three balls he bowled to him and dumped him out of the attack. With his big hits, Pooran brought the asking rate down to a run-a-ball. He ended up with seven sixes on the day, extending his tally to 31 sixes this IPL. The next best on the list hasn’t even hit half as many.On the day, Pooran alone hit four more sixes than the entire GT team.By the time Rashid removed Pooran in the 16th over, LSG needed 26 off 28 balls. Ayush Badoni, LSG’s Impact Player, helped knock off those runs with an unbeaten cameo.
Hold the back page! Hold the front page! While you’re at it, hold all the pages in the middle as well!
Rangers football club have won a match!
On Saturday night, against a backdrop of widespread anti-Russell Martin protests, the Gers beat Hibernian 2-0 at Ibrox in the League Cup quarter-finals.
When Martin Boyle seemingly broke the deadlock for Hibs, the mood turned mutinous but, thankfully for Martin, referee Nick Walsh disallowed the goal for handball.
Then, very much against the run of play, Rangers scored twice on the cusp of half time, with Nicolas Raskin breaking the deadlock, heading home James Tavernier’s inch-perfect corner.
Soon after, in injury time, Raskin was the architect, playing the ball in-behind for Mikey Moore, who squared it to Bojan Miovski to score his first goal in Rangers blue.
So, finally something for Martin to build on ahead of Thursday night’s Europa League opener against Genk in Govan, but which members of his squad have made themselves undroppable?
Nicolas Raskin's return
Raskin was back in the Rangers lineup on Saturday and, as literally every onlooker could’ve predicted, he made the team so much better!
Before this, following a falling out with under-fire manager Martin, the Belgian was left on the bench for Champions League qualifiers against Viktoria Plzeň and Club Brugge, before not even being included in the matchday squad for the Gers’ last two matches, the drab goalless draw with Celtic and then the miserable 2-0 defeat at the hands of Hearts.
Following the latter, presenter Darrell Currie was perplexed as to how Martin thinks it could possibly be a good idea to leave his “best player in the stand”.
Last season, Raskin was named Rangers’ Players’ Player of the Year and Fans’ Player of the Year, underlining that he was unquestionably their stand-out performer.
Earlier this month, the 24-year-old started and scored for Belgium in a World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan at Stade Constant Vanden Stock, alongside Youri Tielemans and Kevin De Bruyne, who aren’t bad are they, suggesting he is pretty decent?
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Thus, going forward, Martin has to set aside his differences and build the team around his talisman, but has someone else made themselves equally as undroppable as Raskin?
Rangers' new star attacker
As already mentioned, Miovski bagged his first goal for Rangers during Saturday evening’s victory, and it’ll likely be the first of many.
During his time at Aberdeen, the North Macedonian international scored four times against Rangers, but could have more than that for the club in just a few weeks’ time.
In total, he netted on 44 occasions for the Dons, so how does that compare to recent Rangers strikers?
Miovski vs selected Rangers strikers
Season
Appearances
Goals
Bojan Miovski at Aberdeen
2022/23
42
18
2023/24
53
26
Danilo
2024/25
27
6
2023/24
21
6
Cyriel Dessers
2024/25
55
29
2023/24
54
22
Hamza Igamane
2024/25
44
16
Alfredo Morelos
2022/23
48
12
2021/22
42
18
2020/21
44
17
2019/20
47
29
2018/19
48
30
via Transfermarkt
As the table outlines, in recent years, Dessers and Morelos are the only Rangers strikers regularly reaching 20 or more goals in a season, with the Colombian, by some distance, the club’s best centre-forward of the recent era.
Well, Miovski has shown that he is capable of reaching those heights himself.
His tally of 26 goals in the 2023/24 season for Aberdeen, thereby earning his £6.8m move to Girona, is made all the more impressive by the fact that the Dons actually finished down in the bottom of the Premiership table, with four of these goals coming in Europe too, on target against BK Häcken, HJK and PAOK.
In, what should be, a more dominant team, Miovski will be capable of scoring even more goals, hoping this weekend simply opens the floodgates.
Upon his arrival, Martin praised the striker’s “movement, intelligence, and ability to score goals”, so could he be the man to keep his boss in situ?
Thus, ahead of the Thursday night European tie with Genk, the North Macedonian is simply undroppable, clearly the Gers’ best striker option, with Danilo having done very little since arriving from Feyenoord, while the jury is still out on new signing Youssef Chermiti, considering he hasn’t scored a senior goal for anyone since May 2023.
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