أجريت اليوم الأربعاء قرعة دور ربع نهائي بطولة كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين، والتي أسفرت عن مواجهات نارية تجمع بين كبار الأندية السعودية، في واحدة من أكثر المراحل إثارة هذا الموسم.

وأقيمت مراسم القرعة في مقر الاتحاد السعودي لكرة القدم بمدينة الرياض، بحضور ممثلين عن الأندية المتأهلة، وعدد من مسؤولي اللجنة المنظمة للبطولة.

وشهدت مباريات دور الـ16 من البطولة إثارة كبيرة ومفاجآت محدودة، حيث نجح فريق الهلال في حجز بطاقة التأهل بعد فوزه الصعب على الأخدود بهدف دون رد خارج أرضه، في لقاء شهد تألق الحارس عبدالله المعيوف وعدد من نجوم الفريق الأزرق.

أما الاتحاد، فاختتم مباريات الدور بانتصار مثير على النصر بهدفين مقابل هدف، في قمة جمعت بين نجوم الدوري السعودي من الطرفين، ليواصل العميد مشواره في الدفاع عن اللقب.

طالع أيضًا | فيديو | الاتحاد يفوز على النصر بثنائية ويتأهل إلى ربع نهائي كأس خادم الحرمين

وفي المقابل، تأهل القادسية إلى ربع النهائي بعد فوز مميز على الحزم بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف، بينما تمكن الشباب من تجاوز عقبة الزلفي بهدف نظيف في لقاء حسمه الفريق الأبيض بفضل خبرته. نتائج قرعة ربع النهائي لكأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين

الاتحاد × الشباب

الخلود × الخليج

الأهلي × القادسية

الهلال × الفتح

مواجهات حاسمة في الدور ربع النهائي ⭐️#أغلى_الكؤوس 🏆 pic.twitter.com/gO6CDlnwBG

— كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين (@KingCupSA) October 29, 2025

It’s been a rough few weeks for Chelsea.

A draw against Brentford, a loss to Manchester United, and a wholly unconvincing win over Lincoln City in the League Cup have led some to question the direction of the team.

However, we are still early in the season, and the Blues have a squad full of brilliant talents from Joao Pedro and Estevao in attack to Moises Caicedo in midfield and Reece James in defence.

Moreover, one of the players in Enzo Maresca has the ability and potential to someday surpass the greatness of superstars like Mohamed Salah and Eden Hazard.

Hazard & Salah's peak seasons

With the Premier League being the biggest in world football, it has attracted some generational world-class talents, such as Salah and Hazard.

There will always be debates over which player was the best, and while we aren’t necessarily here to weigh in on that debate, it’s worth looking at their best individual seasons.

Both of them have a number of campaigns you could pick from, but when it comes to the Liverpool star, it is impossible to look past what he achieved last season.

For example, in addition to winning the title, the Egyptian superstar amassed a staggering tally of 34 goals and 23 assists in 52 appearances.

That means the dynamic winger was able to maintain an average of 1.09 goal involvements every game, or one every 78.96 minutes.

When it comes to the Belgian, we’d suggest he was at the peak of his powers in the 14/15 season, as even though he produced more goal involvements in 18/19, he did not win the league.

Across his 52 appearances in the former, totalling 4442 minutes, the retired superstar scored 19 goals and provided 13 assists.

In other words, he averaged a goal involvement every 1.62 games, or every 138.81 minutes.

Overall, both Salah and Hazard are some of the best players to ever play in the Premier League, and for our money, Chelsea have someone in their current squad who could surpass both.

The Chelsea star who could surpass Hazard & Salah

Now, as we’ve already mentioned, there are more than a handful of incredibly gifted players in this Chelsea squad, from Pedro to Estevao and more.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, to even get close to matching, let alone surpassing, the levels of Salah and Hazard, you’ve got to be more than just a special talent.

Fortunately, the Blues do have a certain player who looks like he could go on to be a future Ballon d’Or winner: Cole Palmer.

Yes, of course, the Englishman is the player we are talking about, as he just finished eighth in the prestigious award earlier this week, which represents a significant improvement over his 25th-place finish last year.

However, while already featuring on those lists twice, at 23 years old should tell you enough about the talent we are talking about here, let’s take a look at some of his numbers since moving to Stamford Bridge.

In his first season with the club, the “world-class” superstar, as dubbed by Pat Nevin, scored 25 goals and provided 15 assists in 3613 minutes, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.12 games, or every 90.32 minutes.

Then, last season, the former Manchester City gem scored 18 goals and provided 14 assists in 52 appearances, totalling 4,247 minutes, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.62 games, or every 132.71 minutes.

Finally, so far this season, he has scored two goals in four appearances, totalling 235 minutes, which is one every other game or every 117.5 minutes.

Overall, the England international has already amassed a tally of 45 goals and 29 assists in 101 games for the club, and while he’s out injured at the moment, we have no doubt those numbers will only improve.

Palmer’s Chelsea record
Appearances	101
Minutes	8095′
Goals	45
Assists	29
Goal Involvements per Match	0.73
Minutes per Goal Involvements	109.39′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Ultimately, Palmer still has some way to go before he surpasses either Salah or Hazard, but based on what we’ve seen from him over the last couple of years, we have no doubt he’ll get there eventually.

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England boss Sarina Wiegman has added yet another fresh face to her Lionesses squad ahead of Tuesday's clash with Australia after West Ham defender Anouk Denton accepted her first senior call-up. That's despite no player withdrawing from selection before the European champions' second fixture of this international break, with it instead a measure to protect Lucy Bronze and Niamh Charles in particular.

Official: Anouk Denton earns first Lionesses call-up

Wiegman announced the news of Denton's arrival on camp in her press conference on Monday. The 22-year-old had initially been included in the Under-23s squad, which was beaten 5-0 by Germany on Thursday and will be out to bounce back when hosting Portugal on Monday evening. However, she has now moved across to the senior team for the first time, bumping the Lionesses' squad back up to 25 players, the number it stood at when it was announced before a flurry of withdrawals unfortunately followed.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWhy England have called up West Ham star

Explaining the decision to call in Denton, Wiegman told reporters: "After the match on Saturday, we had some niggles. Things are going well, so everyone will be on the [training] pitch, but we are still also recovering and in the preparing stage for tomorrow. So, if things go well, then we have to make a decision for the [matchday squad]."

Asked if there are any players in particular that England are monitoring when it comes to those niggles, Wiegman was keen to play down any great concerns. "They're not big things to share, because when you're football players, there's small things," she responded. "I just didn't want to take any risk. We are still building some players too, which you've seen with Lucy Bronze and Niamh Charles."

After playing with a fractured tibia throughout Euro 2025, Bronze only returned to action at club level earlier this month and is yet to start a game since that tournament ended. Chelsea team-mate Charles, meanwhile, suffered an ankle injury at the end of September and has only played once since, racking up 56 minutes in the Blues' win over Tottenham on October 12.

Who is Denton? Introducing the latest Lionesses call-up

Denton's inclusion makes sense given the name-checking of Bronze and Charles, as the West Ham defender can play both as a right-back and a left-back. Wiegman will be well aware of what the 22-year-old can bring to the table, too, given how well, and how often, she communicates with the youth national team staff.

Denton, an Arsenal academy product, has been capped all the way through the England youth teams, most notably representing the U19s at the Euros back in 2022. She spent some time in the United States, at the University of Louisville, and joined West Ham upon the ending of that chapter, having spent a short period on loan with the Hammers while still at Arsenal.

It's not been an easy season so far at club level for Denton, with West Ham losing all six of their Women's Super League fixtures to date. But the defender has been one of their better performers and is very highly rated by head coach Rehanne Skinner and her staff, so much so that she signed a new deal just this year which runs until the summer of 2028.

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Getty Images SportEngland's full-back areas better-stocked ahead of Australia clash

Denton arrives to bolster Wiegman's options in the full-back areas, then, which have never been plentiful. Maya Le Tissier, who plays at centre-back at club level, played at right-back on Saturday, with Bronze taking the baton from her just past the hour. There was a centre-back at left-back, too, as Alex Greenwood played the full 90 minutes in a position she started her career in but has played sparingly since.

Charles could play in the latter role against Australia on Tuesday, having not featured at all on Saturday, and there is another option in Taylor Hinds, the Arsenal left-back who won her first senior England call-up this month. Denton is now added to that list as she looks to become the latest in a long line of Lionesses to progress through what is a very productive England pathway.

Newcastle United booked their place in the next round of the League Cup with a 4-1 win against Bradford at St. James’ Park on Wednesday night.

The Magpies are, of course, the defending champions of the competition after they beat Liverpool to lift the trophy at Wembley earlier this year.

Eddie Howe’s side were already 3-0 up by the time that the away side grabbed their consolation goal, which meant that the result was never in any serious doubt at any point.

Despite the convincing and comfortable nature of the overall team performance and result, some players did not showcase the best of themselves. Lewis Miley was one of those players.

Why Lewis Miley will be disappointed with his performance

It was a frustrating night for the academy graduate. Not because he was awful from start to finish, but because he let himself down with a few silly errors mixed into an impressive all-round showing.

Miley won six of his nine duels, completed 92% of his attempted passes, and created three chances for his teammates, per Sofascore. This shows that he was strong in his physical contests and creative with the ball at his feet.

However, the England U19 international produced two too many sloppy moments with the ball in his own defensive third, with two errors that led to shots for Bradford, one of which led to a goal.

As you can see in the clip above, Miley tried a risky lofted pass on the edge of his own penalty area and gave the ball away cheaply for Andy Cook’s goal, which was a stunning strike.

The 19-year-old central midfielder was not the worst player on the pitch for the Magpies, though, as it is Emil Krafth who must be ruthlessly ditched by Howe.

Why Newcastle must drop Emil Krafth

The Sweden international was handed a rare chance to impress by the head coach, having not played a single minute of football this season heading into the clash with Bradford.

Krafth, who played 18 times in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign, did not take that opportunity to show that he deserves more minutes in the first team.

Instead, the rarely-seen 31-year-old defender showed supporters and Howe why he has not had much game time with the Magpies in the last 18 months with an incredibly underwhelming performance against the League One outfit.

Minutes

61

Tackles

0

Interceptions

0

Blocks

0

Ground duels won

0/3

Aerial duels won

0/0

Error led to shot

1

As you can see in the table above, Krafth offered very little to the team out of possession, failing to win a a single duel, and made an error that led to a shot for the opposition.

Playing against a lower league side, in a 4-1 win, at St. James’ Park should have freed up Krafth to push forward and offer a threat as an attacking force, but he ended his time on the pitch without any ‘big chances’ created and only one key pass.

Because of his error that led to a shot for the opposition, the experienced defender created as many chances for Bradford as he did for Newcastle (one) in his 61 minutes on the pitch.

He was even worse than Miley against Bradford because the midfielder, at least, created a ‘big chance’ and won the majority of his duels, which meant that the youngster had good and bad moments. Krafth, meanwhile, did not do enough on or off the ball in the game.

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Therefore, Howe must ruthlessly ditch the Swedish flop from the starting XI in order to bring Kieran Trippier or Tino Livramento back into the side to face Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.

Sunderland looks to have a tricky few clashes in store as they continue their return to the Premier League.

Thankfully, the Black Cats haven’t been paralysed by the challenges in front of them just yet, with Regis Le Bris’ men sitting in a pretty ninth spot in the early standings, after picking up an impressive three wins from their opening seven fixtures.

Still, a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United last time out will be a worry for Le Bris, considering Chelsea, Everton, and Arsenal are on his team’s fixture list heading into the rest of October and then November, who are all above Ruben Amorim’s underperforming Red Devils in the division.

Further down the line, the Frenchman will also need to make some cutthroat decisions about who he keeps on past their contracts expiring, with many of his reserve personnel perhaps walking away next summer.

The Sunderland players now in danger of leaving

As a direct consequence of Sunderland splashing out over £160m on transfers in the busy transfer window just gone, many of Le Bris’ camp have now had to make do with limited gametime, despite once being important cogs in the Black Cats’ machine.

Indeed, despite only missing two Championship games last season during the regular campaign, Dan Neil looks to be running out of time now as his deal expires next June, with only one minute of Premier League action afforded to him so far.

Patrick Roberts was even sent out on loan to Birmingham City in the summer, as another figure that has dramatically tumbled down the Stadium of Light pecking order.

With a goal and assist already next to his name at St. Andrew’s, it’s clear that the 28-year-old still has more to give in the second tier, even if he has been deemed surplus to requirements back at his parent employers.

There is also reserve goalkeeper figure Simon Moore, who will surely be moved on soon, with Robin Roefs eating up all his potential minutes even more.

Before the Dutchman’s inspired arrival, the ex-Brentford stopper had only ever made six first-team appearances on Wearside, with his exit from the club presumably in the offing.

There is another figure who hasn’t been mentioned yet, who will also find it hard to make a pressing case to stay put, despite consistently shining when selected by Le Bris.

Why Dennis Cirkin is now on borrowed time

While Sunderland did break the bank this summer to prepare for their Premier League voyage, several of Sunderland’s promotion heroes have also stepped up to the mark, away from the disappointing tales of Neil and Roberts.

Wilson Isidor – who fired home a respectable 13 goals during their promotion heroics – already has three league goals to shout about, whilst Trai Hume’s fiery character in the Championship has been front and centre of his game in the top-flight, too, with the Northern Irishman winning a mammoth six duels on average across his seven outings in the demanding league, as per Sofascore.

One of Hume’s reliable teammates at the back in the EFL’s elite division in Dennis Cirkin, has failed to make the step-up look effortless, though, with the number three’s ongoing journey on Wearside marred by injuries once more.

Since entering the club as a wide-eyed prospect from Tottenham Hotspur in 2021, Cirkin has collected a standout haul of eight goals and six assists from 116 appearances, with his ability to break up the pitch with speed, matched by his Hume-like tenacity in defence, seeing him earn rave reviews in the past.

Indeed, he seemingly has “the potential to be a Premier League player”, according to ex-boss Tony Mowbray, who also noted that “Jose Mourinho really liked him” back at Spurs, amid his rise up the Lilywhites youth ranks.

Cirkin – Sunderland stats by season

Season

Matches played

Games out with injury

25/26

0

5

24/25

39

3

23/24

8

34

22/23

36

18

21/22

41

7

Sourced by Transfermarkt

He is yet to live up to Mowbray’s – and Mourinho’s – praise and grace the Stadium of Light turf in the Premier League, owing to more injury difficulties mounting up, with a concerning 67 games missed in total over the five seasons he’s been at the top-flight newcomers.

With a £20m price tag once above his head when at his Black Cats peak, it does look far-fetched that any club would want to fork out that lavish amount on such an injury-prone individual in January, even if he does have a bilstering strike up his sleeve when free from his demons.

Sunderland could, therefore, be staring down the barrel at Cirkin leaving for nothing when his contract ceases to be next year, with it a risk to keep such an injury-ravaged star around, in what would be a very sad end to the 23-year-old’s long-established Wearside affiliation.

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The step up from the Championship to the Premier League was always going to be a challenging one for Leeds United after they won the second tier title in the 2024/25 campaign.

In the last two seasons, all six of the newly-promoted teams have been instantly relegated from the Premier League after coming up from the Championship, which illustrates how big the gap between the two divisions is.

Daniel Farke and the board knew that the squad would have to undergo some changes during the summer transfer window to give the club a fighting chance of avoiding relegation.

With a haul of eight points after seven matches, it is fair to say that it currently looks like the 49ers did good work in the window by signing the likes of Anton Stach, Sean Longstaff, Gabriel Gudmundsson, and Noah Okafor, among others.

Because of the step up in quality and physicality in the Premier League, some of the players who were instrumental for Farke in the Championship have found themselves falling down the pecking order.

One example of that is central midfielder Ao Tanaka, who is currently out of the starting XI and does not look like breaking into it any time soon.

Why Ao Tanaka is not a starter for Leeds

The Japan international was a star for the West Yorkshire outfit in the Championship in the 2024/25 campaign after his permanent move from Fortuna Düsseldorf in the summer of 2024.

Tanaka nailed down a place in the middle of the park, next to Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rothwell, or Ilia Gruev, to end the campaign with 37 starts in 43 appearances, per Sofascore.

The 27-year-old star was a midfield metronome for the Whites. He ranked within the top 2% of central midfielders in the league for pass accuracy (89.2%) and the top 7% for progressive passes per 90 (7.03), per FBref, which shows that he was incredibly reliable and progressive in possession.

Unfortunately, though, the step up in physicality in the Premier League appears to have been too much for the midfielder to deal with, as he has struggled physically and defensively this season.

Tackles

1

Bottom 4%

Duels won

5

Bottom 6%

Duel success rate

23.8%

Bottom 3%

Fouls committed

2

Bottom 24%

Ball recoveries

10

Bottom 32%

Dribbled past

6x

Bottom 10%

As you can see in the table above, Tanaka ranks among the worst midfielders in the division in a host of physical and defensive statistics, losing a whopping 76.2% of his duels.

Per Capology, though, the Japanese whiz is the third-lowest earner in the senior squad on £25k-per-week, which suggests that the Whites can afford to keep him as a back-up option.

Tanaka, who has started two matches in the Premier League this season, may have to settle for being a rotation player for Farke due to his lack of physicality, but his low wages suggest that the club should not be in a rush to move him on from Elland Road.

Meanwhile, there is a Leeds flop who earns more than the Japan international, despite playing fewer minutes, and should be on borrowed time in West Yorkshire.

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Illan Meslier has not played a single minute of competitive football in the 2025/26 campaign, and could be on his way out of the club in the not-too-distant future.

Why Leeds need to move on from Illan Meslier

Whilst Tanaka has, at least, started two league games and played in five league matches, the French goalkeeper has not made a single appearance for the club in any competition this season.

Per Capology, Meslier earns £30k-per-week at Elland Road. That is as much as Karl Darlow and Jayden Bogle, and more than Tanaka (£25k-per-week) and Ilia Gruev (£15k-per-week).

The left-footed goalkeeper, per Capology, has earned roughly £7m in wages in his Leeds career, which is due to soar to around £8.5m by the end of the current campaign, on top of the £5m fee that the Whites paid Lorient for his services.

This means that the Leeds flop, who was once dubbed a “massive liability” by journalist David Kent, has rinsed the club for £12m to date, and up to £13.5m by next summer.

The 25-year-old dud was the number one between the sticks for four seasons at Elland Road, including three in the Premier League and one in the Championship, but his underlying data shows that the situation was always heading to where it is now.

23/24 (Championship)

40

-3.1

22/23 (Premier League)

67

-12.4

21/22 (Premier League)

79

-16.2

20/21 (Premier League)

52

-3.4

Meslier consistently underperformed as a shot-stopper for the Whites and it finally cost him when Farke dropped him from the side at the end of the 2024/25 campaign to make Darlow the new number one.

The Wales international started the last seven games of the Championship season, after Meslier made three errors that led to goals (Sofascore), and Leeds won promotion to the Premier League with him in net.

The summer transfer window, as aforementioned, provided the club with an opportunity to bolster their squad and they brought Lucas Perri in from Lyon to start between the sticks.

This meant that Meslier started the current season as the third-choice goalkeeper at Elland Road. Although he is currently on the bench behind Darlow, whilst Perri is injured.

The 25-year-old is in no man’s land in West Yorkshire because Farke has clearly decided, by the signing of Perri and his use of Darlow, that the Frenchman is not a part of his plans moving forward.

That is why Meslier, who has already rinsed the club for £12m during his time at Elland Road to date, is on borrowed time at Leeds and should be moved on during the January transfer window.

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Celtic did not opt to splash the cash before the club’s qualifiers for the Champions League this summer, and they ended up in the Europa League after a play-off loss to Kairat.

Their cautious approach to those qualifiers and the fact that they did not qualify for the league phase of the Champions League meant that they did not make any marquee signings.

The Hoops did not sign any players for £6m or more in the summer transfer window, a year after they signed Adam Idah from Norwich for £9.5m, Arne Engels from Augsburg for £11m, and Auston Trusty for £6m from Sheffield United.

Part of their decision not to splash the cash this summer may have been the lack of success from the money spent last year, as Idah ended up leaving 12 months on from his £9.5m move to Parkhead.

How much money Celtic lost on Adam Idah

Celtic committed a huge fee of £9.5m to sign the Ireland international from the Canaries after his initial five-month spell on loan from the English side.

Idah, as shown in the graphic above, scored 20 goals in all competitions last season for the Scottish Premiership giants, yet still averaged less than a goal every other game.

That led to the club sanctioning a £6m move to Swansea City on deadline day at the start of September, which meant that the Bhoys took a £3.5m hit on his value after just 12 months at Parkhead.

Idah is not the only player from that trio of big-money signings in 2024 who did not provide value in Glasgow, though, as the Hoops should also be looking to move on from Trusty.

Why Celtic should sell Auston Trusty

As aforementioned, Celtic paid £6m to sign the USA international to bolster their central defensive options, making him the joint-seventh most expensive signing in the club’s history.

Trusty’s performances on the pitch for the Hoops have not lived up to that expense, as he has found himself behind Liam Scales in the pecking order in the left-sided centre-back position.

The left-footed flop, who was described as “powerful” by Brendan Rodgers, was outperformed by the Ireland international in the Scottish Premiership last season, as shown in the statistics below.

Appearances

26

22

Clean sheets

14

10

Tackles + interceptions per game

1.9

2.3

Dribbled past

5x

11x

Error led to shot/goal

1

5

Duel success rate

72%

64%

Trusty did not start either of his Premiership appearances at the start of the current campaign before suffering a heel injury, which has kept him out of action in recent weeks.

As a result of his poor performances, which have been filled with errors, the American central defender’s market value has dropped by millions at Parkhead since his £6m move from Sheffield United.

Per Transfermarkt, Trusty’s market value has gone from €7m at the time of his move to Celtic to €5m at the time of writing (14/10/2025), which means that he is currently valued at around £4m.

That is £2m less than Swansea paid for Idah and £2m less than the fee that the Hoops paid to sign him from Sheffield United last year, which shows that the club have had a howler with the defender.

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This is why the Scottish giants should be looking to cut their losses on Trusty in the upcoming January transfer window before his market value plummets further and they have to take an even bigger loss.

Celtic have already had to take a hit of £3.5m on Idah from that batch of summer signings from 2024, and they may have to take a hit of £2m on Trusty unless he can turn his Parkhead career around in the next few months.

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حجز الفريق الأول لكرة اليد بالنادي الأهلي، مقعده في نهائي بطولة كأس السوبر المصري، بعدما حقق فوزًا مستحقًا على سبورتنج.

وحقق الأهلي الفوز على سبورتنج بنتيجة 29-22، في اللقاء الذي جمع بينهما مساء الأربعاء على صالة العاصمة الإدارية الجديدة ضمن منافسات الدور نصف النهائي.

طالع.. سموحة يقصي الزمالك وينتظر الفائز من الأهلي وسبورتنج في نهائي السوبر المصري لكرة اليد

المباراة بدأت بقوة من جانب سبورتنج الذي أنهى الشوط الأول متقدمًا 15-13، قبل أن ينتفض الأهلي في الشوط الثاني ويقلب الطاولة بأداء هجومي مميز ودفاع منظم، لينهي اللقاء بفارق سبعة أهداف كاملة.

وكان سموحة قد تأهل إلى النهائي بعد فوزه المفاجئ على الزمالك 29-28، ليضرب موعدًا مع الأهلي في مواجهة قوية تجمع بين بطل إفريقيا والمفاجأة الكبرى في البطولة.

ويُعد الأهلي حامل لقب النسخة الماضية من كأس السوبر المصري لكرة اليد، إذ توّج بالبطولة بعد تغلبه على سبورتنج بنتيجة 26-24.

ويدخل الأهلي اللقاء المقبل بمعنويات مرتفعة بعد تتويجه مؤخرًا بلقب بطولة إفريقيا للأندية أبطال الدوري في المغرب، إثر فوزه في النهائي على فريق المنتدى المغربي 31-20.

 

 

 

Arne Slot has explained his team selection as Liverpool named a young Carabao Cup XI for the visit of Crystal Palace on Wednesday. Slot has overseen a run of five defeats from six heading into the midweek meeting with the Eagles but rather than use the game as a chance to return to winning ways, the Dutchman followed in predecessor Jurgen Klopp's footsteps and named an inexperienced side.

• AFP
  

  Woodman, Ngumoha & Ramsay among starters

  Slot made sweeping changes to the side that started Saturday's 3-2 loss at Brentford, a result that meant Liverpool had lost five of their last six games in all competitions ahead of the arrival of Palace on Wednesday night. The Reds' sole victory in that run came in a 5-1 Champions League triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt as the Merseyside outfit struggles continue in their second season under the Dutchman.

  However, Slot followed in Klopp's footsteps and named an inexperienced side for the fourth round fixture against the Eagles. The former Feyenoord boss also set his side up in a five-man backline, a change from usual 4-2-3-1 setup, with the likes of Freddie Woodman, Calvin Ramsay, Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morrison and Rio Ngumoha all featuring from the outset in an unfamiliar system. Milos Kerkez, who came off after an hour at the weekend, was the only Liverpool player to retain his starting spot from the Brentford defeat.

  The Liverpool head coach also packed the bench with young stars, with Slot prioritising the upcoming visit of Aston Villa on Saturday. Ahead of the game, he explained his decision to make wholesale changes despite the club's terrible run of form.

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• 'We use this competition for younger players'

  When asked about his team selection by ahead of Wednesday's game, Slot said: "People who follow this club know we use this competition for younger players. We want to create a pathway for them, to play in front of 60,000 people, in front of our own fans, that’s one reason.

  "The other is that we only have four or five injuries but if I have to play again the same players. There are multiple reasons why we have lost so many games, no excuses to lose so many but it hasn’t been helpful that almost every time we have only two days in between and after we have had to play away, and then again an away game, so we keep playing the same players.

  "Like for example I tried with Alexander Isak, players who missed out on pre-season, it is a big risk of another injury, and we only have at this moment in time 15, 16 senior players available."

• AFP
  

  'Our responsibility is to recognise what is happening and put things right'

  The unexpected line-up comes after Slot admitted that it is the "responsibility" of the players to "put things right" in his matchday programme column. "It goes without saying that our recent form has not reached the standards that you expect of us or that we expect of ourselves," Slot started.

  "This is, of course, a major disappointment, especially given the positive start we made to the season. From our perspective, there are no excuses. Yes, we are aware of the reasons and we will discuss them, but the one thing we cannot and will not do is use them as an excuse. Our responsibility is to recognise what is happening and put things right. There is no other option.

  "Part of this process involves being hurt. We should be hurt by results like Saturday's when we lost to Brentford, and we should use the feelings this creates to further fuel our motivation. Not that anyone could accuse the players of a lack of effort – if anything, the opposite is true – but how we use this effort and desire is what will make the difference."

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• 'Tonight's fixture gives us an opportunity to take a step forward'

  "Tonight's fixture gives us an opportunity to take a step forward, not just in this competition but also in our season as a whole," Slot continued. "That it comes against an opponent that continues to prove itself to be very strong means this will be a testing cup tie but, again, this is the kind of challenge that we have to embrace.

  "Of course, we have already faced Palace in the Premier League this season and the result on that occasion was not what we would have hoped for. Credit to Palace for that.

  "Their winning goal came very late on that occasion after we had equalised following a difficult first half for us, so we should be aware not just of the problems they can cause but also of their ability to keep going until the final whistle."

  However, it seems the decision backfired horribly as Crystal Palace found themselves 2-0 up at half-time, with the Reds' torrid run seemingly set to continue.

  Liverpool follow up the weekend's home clash with Villa with a home meeting with Real Madrid, and a potential reunion with Trent Alexander-Arnold, before a trip to Manchester City ahead of the international break.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após insinuar “roubo” na saída do gramado na derrota do Palmeiras para o Grêmio, pelo Brasileirão, o técnico Abel Ferreira foi denunciado ao STJD (Supremo Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva) pela Abrafut (Associação Brasileira de Árbitros de Futebol). No entanto, segundo apurou o Lance!, a denúncia não deve ser acatada pelo órgão.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

– Isso é roubar! Isso é roubar! – disse Abel, se dirigindo às câmeras enquanto ia para o vestiário antes mesmo do fim da partida.

Essa foi a frase com a qual se baseou a Associação de Árbitros para protocolar o pedido junto ao Tribunal. O treinador palmeirense se irritou com a marcação de uma falta de Richard Ríos já nos minutos finais do duelo. No entanto, na entrevista coletiva, Abel fez um discurso ameno, sem culpar a arbitragem. Algo que pode ter feito toda a diferença.

+ Abel Ferreira, técnico do Palmeiras, é denunciado pela Associação Brasileira de Árbitros

Na nota de infração enviada ao STJD, a Abrafut diz que não irá mais aceitar insinuações que comprometam a honra e dignidade dos árbitros.

– Não aceitaremos mais nenhum tipo de insinuação, acusação ou insulto comprometendo a dignidade e a honra dos nossos árbitros, que estão atuando de forma que tem que ser, cumprindo as regras do jogo – diz trecho da nota da Abrafut.

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Em contato com fontes do clube e do Tribunal, a reportagem ouviu que o fato de o comandante português ter adotado uma outra postura na entrevista coletiva ameniza a avaliação do órgão. Apesar da insinuação em campo, com a cabeça quente, não houve qualquer abordagem sobre o tema na conversa com a imprensa. Isso deve ser entendido como uma retratação.

+ Abel desconversa sobre arbitragem e fala o que faltou ao Palmeiras para vencer o Grêmio

– Se disserem que eu disse que foi por culpa do árbitro, é mentira, quem for por aí é mal intencionado, não gosta de mim e do Palmeiras. Não ganhamos o jogo, porque não fomos eficazes, ao contrário do nosso adversário, que não precisou chutar muito ao nosso gol para marcar. Sobre a arbitragem, disse que ela foi hábil, só. Não disse que falhou, pode ter errado para mim, para eles.

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– Não quero falar sobre arbitragem, isso não é um problema meu, é da CBF e da comissão de arbitragem avaliar os árbitros e entender se podem melhorar. Não é meu problema. Eficiência, foi o que se passou aqui hoje. Hoje o Grêmio foi muito eficaz, nos primeiros dez minutos não fizemos o que deveríamos fazer e depois dominamos o jogo, mas não fomos eficientes – declarou Abel.

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