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Manchester United have suffered a potential selection setback ahead of their Premier League clash with Watford this afternoon, with key defender Luke Shaw unlikely to feature from the off.

What’s the word?

The Red Devils will definitely be without French duo Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane after they picked up thigh and hamstring injuries respectively. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could also have to contend with the enforced absences of both Edinson Cavani and Shaw.

Cavani missed the Manchester City match last time out and was not included in the Uruguay squad for the recent international break due to a tendon injury, while the England left-back has not appeared in training footage this week after he suffered a concussion against Pep Guardiola’s charges.

Solskjaer was coy over the pair’s availability in Friday’s press conference, but it’s very unlikely that they will be able to take their places in the starting XI when the Red Devils travel to Vicarage Road.

“There are a couple of doubts with illnesses and small niggles,” the Norwegian revealed. “Paul (Pogba) is out for a while, Rapha (Varane) is out for a while. Apart from that, players will be coming back in the near future, some this weekend, some in the week, but that’s the same for other players.”

Solskjaer will be gutted

The news that Shaw is highly unlikely to play any part for the 20-time English champions against Watford will leave Solskjaer feeling gutted.

Although the England international hasn’t been in top form this season, he has still started every Premier League game for United, highlighting how integral he is to the team.

His underlying numbers indicated how effective the 26-year-old has been this term despite his slip in performance levels. As per WhoScored, Shaw has averaged 1.8 crosses per league game – the highest tally amongst his teammates – and 2.1 key passes, the second-highest total when compared to his colleagues. Indeed, Old Trafford legend Rio Ferdinand has spoken highly of the left-back’s “exquisite” ball distribution in recent months.

Therefore, United’s attack could well be blunted if the marauding left-back is forced to watch on from the sidelines, providing a major blow to the Red Devils’ chances of securing a much-needed victory in Hertfordshire this afternoon.

In other news… Forget Telles: Ole could unearth MUFC gem in rarely-seen 18 y/o with a “great future”

If Antonio Conte wanted his first game to sum up everything he will have to work with at Tottenham, then he no doubt saw it all against Vitesse in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night.

The Italian witnessed a quite incredible opening game in charge, with the Lilywhites storming into a 3-0 lead before being pegged back to 3-2 and seeing three red cards dished out in a frantic second half.

The defending would have left him scratching his head at times, but Conte would surely have been very excited by the performance and potential of one of the club’s summer signings in Emerson Royal.

The man signed by Fabio Paratici was deployed in the right wing-back role in Conte’s favoured formation and showed all the signs of industry and dynamism which could make him a real big player for the former Inter boss.

As per Sofascore, he won eight duels on the night (the joint-second most of any player on the pitch behind international compatriot Lucas Moura), made the most tackles with five, and had the second-most touches of any Spurs player with 81.

Whether it was being intense and fully engaged with the way he tried to pressure the ball, or his powerful running going forward, the Brazilian was a superb outlet for Spurs, especially on the counter-attack.

It was the former Betis man’s charging run towards the closing stages of the game which eventually saw Vitesse’s goalkeeper sent off after being adjudged to having handled the ball outside of his box.

Writing in their post-match ratings for Hotspur HQ, they gave Emerson a 7.5, saying: “From an offensive perspective, Emerson Royal is getting better and better. Royal was a consistent outlet on the right and pushed forward early and often. Royal showed stepovers and a willingness to knock the ball into the box.

“As the team went down a man Royal did what he could in the back four, although not a natural fullback. Was right back on the front foot after the Vitesse card. It was Royal beating Markus Schubert to a ball down that wing that led to Vitesse’s second red card. Endless energy and effort.”

If the first game under the new manager was anything to go by, then Emerson could be a game-changing player under Conte with his relentless work down the right flank, and the Italian would surely have been raving with the 22-year-old’s performance on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Spurs must replace this midfielder…

It’s safe to say that Liverpool have had a fairly successful week after obliterating their bitter rivals Manchester United by an eye-opening scoreline of 5-0 at Old Trafford, followed by beating Preston North End in the Carabao Cup to cruise through to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Looking ahead to the weekend, Jurgen Klopp’s side are set to take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League at Anfield, with one player potentially making his return to the side.

What’s the news?

With this match against Graham Potter’s side in mind, it seems as though the good mood around the club is set for another boost, with midfielder Thiago Alcantara returning to first team training on Thursday after being out for the previous few weeks with a calf injury.

Liverpool signed Thiago in September 2020 from German side Bayern Munich on a four-year deal for a reported fee of £20m. Since then, the 30-year-old, who is currently valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, has made 35 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing one assist.

Despite having a slow start to his time with the Reds in terms of goals and assists, the Spaniard ended his first season at the club as their third-highest rated player in the Premier League with an overall performance rating of 7.12/10 according to WhoScored, proving why Klopp will be thrilled to have the midfielder back in training and potentially available for selection for the Brighton match.

Furthermore, with Thiago racking up an average of 1.3 key passes per game as well as an average accuracy passing percentage of 90%, along with 2.5 tackles per game in his Premier League appearances last season, this shows how well-rounded a midfield option he is for the Reds and hints at how massive a boost it could be to have him available for selection once more.

Looking ahead to the Brighton game, if he is deemed fit enough to start, he should definitely be in Klopp’s thinking when he’s putting his starting XI together to try and secure a win against the Seagulls, who are currently fifth in the table with 15 points on the board after nine games played.

In other news: Possession lost 21x: “Dangerous” Liverpool lightweight badly let Klopp down against Preston

MatériaMais Notícias

Com treino fechado, Micale encerrou a preparação do Atlético-MG, que enfrenta o Paraná às 19h deste sábado, no Independência. Na Cidade do Galo, a única movimentação que pôde ser acompanhada se resume a tradicional roda de bobinhos, que serve como aquecimento para o treino. Adotando o mistério mais uma vez, em busca de uma vaga na final da Primeira Liga, o técnico explicou o motivo do fechamento dos portões.

– A gente tem que acertar algumas situações em termos de bola parada. Eu sempre abro o treino para vocês (jornalistas). Como a gente não tem ideia do Paraná, também não quero facilitar. Porque quando eu quero saber as coisas, eu vou na pagina de vocês. Hoje tudo é muito instantâneo. (o treino fechado) É só para tentar dificultar um pouquinho a vida do Lisca (técnico do Paraná). São esses 30 jogadores que temos aí que podem jogar (risos) – disse o treinador em coletiva.

Apesar de esconder a escalação, há grandes chances de Micale formar um time com titulares, principalmente porque estes foram preservados da vitória por 1 a 0 sobre o Internacional, na última quinta-feira. Por conta disso, a principal dúvida fica por conta da entrada de Robinho e Fred. Os jogadores vem revezando entre a titularidade e o banco de reservas, entretanto, Micale deu indícios de que Robinho começará o jogo contra o Paraná no lugar de Cazares, que está a serviço da seleção equatoriana, que disputa as Eliminatórias da Copa.

– Não posso dizer (se Robinho e Fred vão jogar). Tem uma séria de avaliações que vamos fazer. Agora, não temos o Cazares, tem uma possibilidade para o Robinho. O Fred tem uma situação com o Rafael (Moura). Temos dado oportunidades de os dois jogarem. São jogadores que a gente confia muito. Sabemos que precisam mais de jogo, sem abrir mão daqueles que estão bem, no caso do Cazares, que hoje não está aí. Então é uma possibilidade. Vamos deixar para divulgar amanhã – apontou o técnico.

Com grande parte do elenco à disposição, a expectativa é de que o Atlético-MG enfrente o Paraná com Victor; Marcos Rocha, Gabriel, Leonardo Silva e Fábio Santos; Adílson, Elias, Luan, Robinho e Valdívia; Rafael Moura (Fred).

Confira os relacionados do Atlético-MG
Goleiros: Victor, Giovanni e Cleiton;
Laterais: Marcos Rocha, Alex Silva, Fábio Santos e Leonan;
Zagueiros: Leonardo Silva, Gabriel, Erazo e Bremer;
Volantes: Roger Bernardo, Adilson, Elias e Yago;
Meias: Valdívia e Marlone;
Atacantes: Luan, Robinho, Clayton, Pablo, Fred e Rafael Moura.

Sri Lanka A 101 for 4 v Pakistan A
Scorecard

Another day of delays and interruptions due to poor weather conditions allowed only 34.2 overs of play on the second day of the first unofficial Test between Sri Lanka A and Pakistan A at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy.Play did not get underway till 2.15pm, whereupon Sri Lanka A added 51 runs to their overnight 35 for 1, before suffering the all-too-familiar middle-order collapse. Within a matter of 14 minutes and 13 balls Sri Lanka A lost the wickets of Ian Daniel, Michael Vandort and Russel Arnold to slide to 89 for 4.The captain, Jehan Mubarak, was in need of a big innings, and he and Malintha Gajanayake survived the next half-hour against some testing bowling, before the light was offered to the batsmen, soon after Gajanayake had survived a confident lbw shout against Asif.Weather permitting the match is scheduled to resume tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Worcestershire are awaiting the results of scans on Simon Jones to find out if he is likely to be able to play again in the near future

Cricinfo staff16-Jun-2009Worcestershire are awaiting the results of scans on Simon Jones to find out if he is likely to be able to play again in the near future.Jones, who has been dogged by injury since he was forced to miss the final Test of the 2005 Ashes series, underwent surgery on his knee in April and at the time it was expected he would be able to play the second half of the summer. A comeback in the second team had tentatively been set for June 30, but his knee is still causing concern and so the county have sent him for another scan.”We’ll know more in the week,” Steve Rhodes, the county’s director of cricket, told the Press Association. “We’re waiting for some stuff from the surgeon. We’ve got the results of scans and tests and all sorts of stuff to come and we’ll get the surgeon to tell us what’s going on. Then we’ll know exactly what the plan of attack will be.”

Rafael Benitez had overseen a nice revival since becoming the new manager of Everton a few months ago.

The Toffees were level on points with the Premier League leaders after their first four games before they came crashing back down to earth last weekend.

On the chalkboard

Everton have now suffered back-to-back defeats but they can’t just blame a plethora of injuries for the events of the last week.

They have been missing Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, while Seamus Coleman and Jordan Pickford have also picked up fresh blows.

Four key members of the squad, it’s evident that Benitez will miss them. However, the way they lost 3-0 to Aston Villa last weekend was about more than just those absentees.

The Spaniard selected an under-strength side for the Carabao Cup clash against QPR in midweek as he attempted to wrap his other important figureheads in cotton wool.

However, it didn’t come off for Everton. The game finished 2-2 after normal time, with the Championship side eventually winning on penalties.

Academy graduate Tom Davies was the unfortunate man to miss his spot-kick on a night where he simply wasn’t at the races. During the course of the match, the midfielder won just 50% of his defensive duels, failing to offer much in any phase of play.

The £32k-per-week earner made only one tackle and gave away two fouls, while his attacking play was extremely limited as well. Davies didn’t attempt a dribble, failed to produce a key pass and had just one shot during the match.

He was linked with a move away from Goodison Park during the summer, and after his limited game-time this season, he must be wishing that something materialised.

After all, he is clearly not good enough to start on a regular basis. Lee McLean, co-host of the Bullens View, gave the 23-year-old a scathing review after the Carabao Cup exit.

He said: “I just think he’s an extremely poor footballer which is based on five years of watching him play week in week out. I have determined that I just don’t think he’s very good.

“He hasn’t kicked on in five years and never looks look like he’s got the fight or any sort of will to improve himself in any way. I don’t know what he’s particularly good at.

“He doesn’t score, he doesn’t assist. He’s weak, he’s not quick. He doesn’t impose himself on games and I think he hides from possession a lot.”

On that evidence, Benitez would be wise to steer away from him when they face Norwich in the league on Saturday afternoon.

This was a perfect opportunity for Davies to make a statement to Benitez, but instead he is likely to be ousted for Allan or Abdoulaye Doucoure this weekend.

AND in other news, Forget Iwobi: Rafa must unleash Everton’s rarely-seen 20 y/o with “unbelievable pace”…

تم استبعاد كريستيانو رونالدو من قائمة مانشستر يونايتد في مباراة ودية يوم السبت قبل الموسم ضد أتلتيكو مدريد في أوسلو.

سافر إريك تين هاج مدرب مانشستر يونايتد وفريق من 21 لاعباً إلى أوسلو استعدادًا للمواجهة الودية أمام أتلتيكو مدريد.

وتعد تلك المباراة قبل الأخيرة في فترة ما قبل الموسم، وشهدت القائمة تواجد التعاقدات الجديدة ليساندرو مارتينيز وكريستيان إريكسن، والتي يمكن أن تشارك لأول مرة مع النادي.

ويتواجد كذلك تيريل مالاسيا في المجموعة، جنبًا إلى جنب مع الظهير إيثان لايرد، ولاعبا خط الوسط سكوت مكتوميناي وجيمس جارنر في هذه الرحلة بعد أن أثبتا لياقتهما البدنية.

وسيشارك بعض الغائبين عن التشكيلة في مباراة الأحد ضد رايو فاييكانو، فيما يعاني البعض الآخر من المرض أو الإصابة. قائمة مانشستر يونايتد لمباراة أتلتيكو مدريد

حراس المرمى: ديفيد دي خيا، توم هيتون، ماتي كوفاش.

المدافعون: دييجو دالوت، إيثان لايرد، فيكتور ليندلوف، هاري ماجواير، تيريل مالاسيا، ليساندرو مارتينيز، أليكس تيليس.

لاعبو الوسط: كريستيان إريكسن، برونو فرنانديز، فريد، جيمس جارنر، سكوت مكتوميناي، فاكوندو بيليستري، دوني فان دي بيك.

المهاجمون: أنتوني إيلانجا، أنتوني مارسيال، ماركوس راشفورد، جادون سانشو.

رونالدو لم يتواجد مع مانشستر يونايتد طوال الفترة التحضيرية، حيث يريد الرحيل بعد ما يزيد قليلاً عن 12 شهرًا بعد عودته العاطفية إلى ملعب أولد ترافورد وغاب عن استعدادات يونايتد قبل الموسم وبداية فترة إيريك تن هاج.

رونالدو أجرى محادثات مع مسؤولي مانشستر يونايتد في قاعدة تدريب كارينجتون بالنادي مع وكيله خورخي مينديز في وقت سابق من هذا الأسبوع في أول محادثة له وجهًا لوجه مع تين هاج منذ تعيينه خلفًا لرالف رانجنيك.

ومن المفهوم أن مينديز قد أبلغ يونايتد بأن هناك عرضًا مباشرًا على الطاولة من نادٍ يطابق معايير رونالدو وأن يونايتد يجب أن يسمح لعميله بالمغادرة بسبب ولائه لهم.

ويرغب رونالدو في الانضمام إلى نادٍ ينافس في دوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم المقبل حتى يتمكن من ترسيخ مكانته باعتباره هداف المسابقة.

نأى بايرن ميونخ وبرشلونة وتشيلسي بأنفسهم عن اتخاذ خطوة للفائز بالكرة الذهبية خمس مرات، في حين يصر أتليتكو ​​مدريد على أنهم لا يملكون الأموال اللازمة لتسهيل الصفقة.

قضى رونالدو غالبية فترة ما قبل الموسم في البرتغال لأسباب عائلية ورفض التعليق على التكهنات المحيطة بمستقبله حتى اليوم عندما كسر صمته على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي، مخاطبًا “الأكاذيب” التي يزعم أنها قيلت عنه.

قال رونالدو: “من المستحيل ألا تتحدثوا عني ذات يوم، وإلا فإن الصحافة لا تجني أي أموال، أنت تعلم أنك إذا لم تكذب فلن تتمكن من جذب انتباه الناس، استمر في ذلك ويومًا ما ستحصل على بعض الأخبار بشكل صحيح”.

Farveez Maharoof, the Sri Lanka bowling allrounder, has been ruled out of the two-Test series in Pakistan with a groin injury. Maharoof, who had been overlooked for the first Test currently in progress in Karachi, will fly home and in his place the selectors have called up Nuwan Kulasekara.Maharoof sustained the injury during a practice session before the first Test at Karachi’s National Stadium. “Maharoof is suffering from a groin injury and the doctors have advised him to rest,” a team official told .Sri Lanka’s coach Trevor Bayliss said Kulasekara would join the team before the second Test in Lahore starting March 1.Maharoof, 24, has represented Sri Lanka in 20 Tests and 91 ODIs since his debut in April 2004. After the Test series in Pakistan, Sri Lanka are scheduled to play five ODIs against Zimbabwe in March and then the World Twenty20 in June.Maharoof, however, is contracted to the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. The second season of the Indian Twenty20 league runs from April 10 to May 24.

JustJoe Football ShowJustJoe Football Show presenter Joe Wainman insists Tottenham Hotspur never saw Patrick Bamford as a potential replacement for Harry Kane during the transfer window.

England captain Kane was heavily linked with a move away from Spurs after he publicly confirmed he wanted to depart his boyhood club having grown frustrated at a lack of silverware.

It led to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admitting he was keen to sign Kane, but a deal could not be done and last season’s Premier League Golden Boot winner eventually revealed he would remain in north London by taking to social media days before the closure of the transfer window.

While it initially looked as though Kane would force a move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Leeds United striker Bamford was linked with a switch to Spurs.

However, a transfer failed to materialise as Bamford signed a new five-year deal at Elland Road and former All Leeds TV anchorman Wainman insists the Whites’ frontman would not have been an ideal replacement for Kane.

He told Football FanCast: “It’s great to have him tied down to the club.

“Obviously, there were links to Tottenham. I don’t think he was ever going to be a replacement for Harry Kane. You have to be realistic.”