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A primeiro derrota do Brasil veio na final e o sonho do título inédito ficou pelo caminho. A Seleção Brasileira perdeu por 1 a 0 para os Estados Unidos na decisão da Copa Ouro, e foi, mais uma vez, vice para as americanas na competição. O gol da partida foi marcado por Lindsey Horan.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Com a vitória sobre o Brasil, as americanas se tornaram campeãs da competição pela décima vez. Em 2000, a Seleção de Marta também ficou com o vice campeonato.

⚽ COMO FOI A PARTIDA?
O Brasil fez jogo duro contra as anfitriãs do torneio e fez um bom primeiro tempo. A Amarelinha começou pressionando as americanas e quase chegou ao gol com uma falta da Duda Sampaio. Em seguida, Portilho finalizou mas a bola foi para a fora. Nos acréscimos da primeira etapa, Lindsey Horan marcou para as donas da casa de cabeça.

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Em um segundo abaixo do esperado, a equipe de Arthur Elias não conseguiu fazer frente às norte-americanas e o título acabou com a seleção mais condecorada do futebol feminino.

➡️ O QUE VEM POR AÍ?
Agora a Seleção Brasileira se prepara para enfrentar o Canadá pelas semifinais da Copa SheBelieves, no dia 4 de abril, em Atlanta, Estados Unidos.

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BrasilCopa OuroEstados UnidosSeleção Brasileira

علّق نجم فريق مانشستر سيتي، إيرلينج هالاند، على فوزهم الصعب في مباراة يوم الثلاثاء ضد نظيره فريق فولهام، في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

واستضاف ملعب “كرافن كوتيج” مباراة فريقي مانشستر سيتي وفولهام، في خضم منافسات الجولة الرابعة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، موسم 2025/26.

وتمكن مانشستر سيتي من تحقيق فوز بشق الأنفس على فولهام بخمسة أهداف مقابل أربعة، في مباراة شهدت تسجيل إيرلينج هالاند هدفه رقم 100 في بطولة الدوري.

وقال هالاند، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “أعتقد أنك لو كنت جالسًا في منزلك الآن، لاستمتعت بتلك المباراة، لقد كانت مباراة مجنونة، تسعة أهداف أمر كبير، في النهاية فزنا ونحن سعداء، لكنه ليس الفوز الأفضل”.

وفيما يخص وصوله إلى الهدف رقم 100 في الدوري الإنجليزي، قال: “إنه إنجاز ضخم وأنا فخور جدًا، بالطبع، الوصول إلى 100 هدف في الدوري أمر رائع، وأنا سعيد”.

وواصل: “كنت أعرف ذلك وهذا ما حاولت فعله، أحاول مساعدة الفريق عن طريق تسجيل الأهداف، هذه هي وظيفتي، كل مباراة مختلفة، لا يمكنك التفكير في المباراة السابقة، بل عليك التركيز على ما هو قادم”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. موعد مباراة مانشستر سيتي القادمة بعد الفوز على فولهام في الدوري الإنجليزي

واسترسل: “في الواقع خسرنا أمام نيوكاسل وباير ليفركوزن، لكن لدينا الآن مباراتين متتاليتين وعلينا الاستمرار، جدول مبارياتنا حافل، لدينا العديد من المباريات في ذلك الشهر، مباراة تلو الأخرى، ونتعافى من أجل المباراة التالية.

هل تتوقع التسجيل في كل مباراة؟ “لا أريد قول هذه الكلمات، لكن عندما تكون مهاجمًا في مانشستر سيتي، يجب أن تُسجل أرقامًا رائعة، هذه وظيفتي، على الناس أن ينتقدونني إذا لم أسجل، وهذا ما يفعلونه عادةً، يجب أن أُقدم أداءً جيدًا”.

وفيما يخص تحطيمه رقم آلان شيرر، حيث أصبح أسرع لاعب يصل إلى الهدف رقم 100 في 111 مباراة فقط، قال: “أعلم ذلك، ولكنني لا أفكر في ذلك كثيرًا، تسجيل 100 هدف أخرى؟ لما لا!”.

أما عن تقليص الفارق مع آرسنال، فقد قال: “كان الأمر مهمًا، آرسنال جاء إلى هنا وفاز، فولهام فريق رائع، لكن لا يجب أن نفكر كثيرًا في آرسنال، يجب أن نركز على أنفسنا، لم يكن أداؤنا اليوم جيدًا بما يكفي، ونحن ندرك ذلك، نحن بحاجة إلى التحسن كفريق وهذا ما سنفعله”.

Arsenal are a club with a proud history of developing and promoting young talent into the first team.

Mikel Arteta has carried that tradition on during his time, with the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and now Max Dowman all getting chances under him.

However, when it comes to the most successful Hale End product under the Spaniard’s stewardship, it’s hard to ignore Bukayo Saka, who has become a world-class superstar in recent years.

So, fans should be very excited about another young prospect making his way through the academy, who has been likened to a young version of the England international.

Saka's academy journey

Saka joined Hale End as a seven-year-old, with him later revealing that it was his father who pushed for him to join the club over others.

In The Pipeline

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

The Ealing-born gem made his debut for the club’s U18 against Fulham in August 2017, a game the Gunners would lose 4-1.

The youngster would end that season with a respectable haul of eight goals and four assists in 22 games.

The following year, he made just six appearances for the U18S and 24 for the U23S, scoring six goals and providing nine assists for the latter.

However, that was also the season in which he made his first-team debut, away to Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League group stage, under Unai Emery.

At this point, the exciting prospect was still very much seen as a left-sided attacker and had made just a single appearance on the right across both campaigns.

The 19/20 season brought the end of Saka’s time in the academy setup, as he made just one appearance for the U23s in a Premier League 2 game against Everton, which they drew.

Appearances

28

25

Goals

16

6

Assists

6

9

In all, the now 24-year-old made 28 appearances for Arsenal’s U18s, in which he produced 22 goal involvements and 25 appearances for the U23s, in which he produced 15.

Everyone now knows how the rest of the story goes, and so fans should be excited that there is another Hale End talent currently being compared to Saka.

Arsenal's next Saka

With the likes of Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly and now Dowman, it feels like Hale End can’t stop producing incredible talents, and the next one off the line might just be Brando Bailey-Joseph.

The 17-year-old has been so impressive in recent months that, despite only signing scholarship terms with the club a few months ago, he has already put pen to paper on a professional deal.

Moreover, according to one analyst, he is currently looking “very reminiscent of a young Saka.”

The argument he puts forward is that, like the Gunners’ talisman, there has been a lot more talk around other youngsters in the academy over him, and he is just quietly plugging away in the background.

Appearances

16

Minutes

1098′

Goals

4

Assists

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.5

Minutes per Goal Involvement

137.25′

For example, in 16 appearances this term, totalling 1098 minutes, he has scored four goals and provided four assists.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every other game, or every 137.25 minutes, which would be pretty good for a striker, let alone a winger who has been moved between both sides over and over again.

In addition to the output, the analyst also points out that, like Arteta’s mercurial number seven, he has shown an “incredible technical” ability in the academy.

This is an opinion shared by Hale End expert Will Balsam, who claims that the youngster’s “fire feet, chopping into the grass constantly, make it impossible for defenders to know what’s coming.”

Ultimately, while it’s so early in his journey, Bailey-Joseph looks like he could be the next Hale End star to make it in the first team and follow in Saka’s footsteps on the wing.

Rice was fuming with him: Arsenal's "future captain" has regressed big time

It has been a season to forget for the Arsenal star so far this year.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 1, 2025

Cincinnati Reds star shortstop Elly De La Cruz, like every baseball player and fan, has heard all about the torpedo bat. And he wanted to see for himself what all the fuss was about. So, De La Cruz, in the lead-up to the Reds' game against the Texas Rangers on Monday night, took some practice hacks with the torpedo bat.

Then he decided to try out the innovative lumber, which has been all the rage in baseball since several New York Yankees used the bats in a power surge over the weekend, in a game. De La Cruz belted two home runs, including a 436-foot tape-measure shot, and drove in seven runs in the Reds' 14-3 win over the Rangers.

And the torpedo bat?

"I just wanted to know if it feels good—and it definitely does," De La Cruz told reporters after the game, adding that the bat felt "really good."

De La Cruz's manager Terry Francona, like another skipper in the National League Central, isn't sold on the bat's impact on hitting, though.

"I think it's more the player than the bat," Francona said after the game. "I meant that before the game and I still do. What I told him, the most impressive thing was the line drive to left field. You better make some pretty good pitches if he is on balance like that."

To reiterate Francona's point, De La Cruz is an electric player who clubbed 25 homers and swiped 67 bases last year in what figures to be the first of many All-Star seasons in his career. He doesn't need a torpedo bat to put up numbers.

So, will he use the bat again?

When asked that very question, De La Cruz simply burst into laughter.

Celtic enjoyed a mostly successful night at Parkhead as they beat Sturm Graz 2-1 to secure their first win of the league phase of the Europa League on Thursday night.

Goals from Liam Scales and Benjamin Nygren turned the game around after the Hoops found themselves 1-0 down to a wondergoal in the first half.

There were also some negatives to take away from the game, though, unfortunately, as Kelechi Iheanacho and Alistair Johnston both came off with injuries in the opening 45 minutes.

Speaking after the match, Brendan Rodgers provided an update on both players: “The first two doesn’t look great, it looks like hamstring. But okay, that’s what happens.”

Iheanacho came off with that hamstring injury in the opening four minutes of the game, which is a concern, and it remains to be seen exactly how long the Nigeria international will be out of action for.

Johnny Kenny was brought off the bench to replace the former Manchester City striker for the remainder of the game, but it is now down to Rodgers to decide whether he sticks with him for Sunday’s huge game.

Why Johnny Kenny may not start against Hearts

The Celtic head coach may take a cautious approach with this match because they are away from home against the team that are currently five points ahead of them in the Scottish Premiership table.

This means that Rodgers may not want to put his full trust in the inexperience of Kenny to lead the line for the Hoops in such a crucial match in the league season, despite a promising performance off the bench against Sturm Graz.

Minutes

86

xG

0.98

Shots

6

Goals

0

Dribbles completed

2/4

Pass accuracy

40%

Duels won

9/15

Possession lost

13x

As you can see in the table above, the Irishman got into plenty of positions to have shots at goal, taking six in total, but he gave the ball away a bit too much and failed to take the chances that came his way.

On top of some of those performance-related concerns, there may also be a concern over his lack of experience. Kenny has started one Premiership game for Celtic in 2025, per Sofascore, and scored his first league goal for the club against Aberdeen in May.

The 22-year-old centre-forward has not started a game in the Premiership for the Scottish giants so far this season, coming off the bench four times, but did score a goal in the 3-0 win over Livingston in August.

This means that Kenny may not be viewed as the best option to be given the nod as the starting centre-forward against Hearts, because he is inexperienced and raw as a young striker.

Rodgers may, instead, turn to another player to fill that position to replace the injured Iheanacho, by unleashing one of his players in a new role in his Celtic career.

Chalkboard

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

Benjamin Nygren has played all of his appearances for the Scottish giants so far this season as either a central midfielder or a right winger, per Transfermarkt, and he played off the right against Sturm Graz.

However, the Sweden international has played 39 times as a centre-forward in his career, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he is capable of operating as a central striker.

Why Celtic should start Benjamin Nygren as a striker

With Iheanacho out injured and Kenny lacking in experience and goals for the Hoops, playing Nygren as a centre-forward could make sense for this clash with Hearts.

The 24-year-old star has already played over 1,000 minutes and contributed with five goals and four assists in 15 appearances for Celtic this season, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he is a dependable squad member for the manager.

Rodgers clearly trusts him to deliver on the pitch, hence his minutes on the pitch, and that is why the head coach may want to unleash him in a new role, in terms of the current campaign, as a striker against Hearts.

Nygren, above all else, is a player who has proven that he can consistently get into goalscoring positions and score goals to win his team matches, which is a valuable trait to have.

The left-footed star missed four ‘big chances’ in the win over Sturm Graz, but his misses did not deter him from going on to score the winning goal with an excellent close-range header from Arne Engels’ corner.

Nygren, who has scored four goals in eight appearances in the Premiership for Celtic, is no stranger to the centre-forward position, or to finding the back of the net. In fact, speaking on TNT’s coverage of the win on Thursday, former Hoops boss Neil Lennon described him as a constant “threat” in front of goal.

Right winger

77

27 + 13

Centre-forward

39

16 + 3

Central midfield

20

5 + 4

Left winger

15

6 + 1

Attacking midfield

8

2 + 0

Right midfield

7

1 + 1

Left midfield

3

0 + 0

As you can see in the table above, centre-forward is his second-most featured position in his club career to date, only bettered by right wing, which shows that he is more than comfortable in that role.

His return of 16 goals in 39 appearances as a striker also suggests that he can carry his goalscoring qualities over to playing in that position, rather than only providing a goal threat from a central midfield or right wing position.

Therefore, it could make a lot of sense to unleash Nygren as a centre-forward against Hearts because the left-footed ace is experienced, has proven he can score goals for Celtic, and has played as a number nine for previous clubs.

Celtic star who Lennon dubbed "world-class" was even better than Nygren

This Nakamura-esque Celtic star was even better than Benjamin Nygren against Sturm Graz.

ByDan Emery Oct 24, 2025

This would allow Rodgers to keep the inexperienced Kenny on the bench as an option to bring on when needed to add some energy, possibly in the second half.

MatériaMais Notícias

A retomada do Brasileirão – Série A e do Brasileirão – Série B são os principais destaques desta quinta-feira (19) de futebol.Confira onde assistir ao vivo e os horários das partidas.

+ O brabo tem nome! Aposte R$100 e ganhe R$340 com gol de Rony, do Palmeiras, contra o Atlético-MG

+ La Máquina! Aposte R$200 e ganhe mais de R$700 com Cano e o Fluminense no Brasileirão

Chelsea are now believed to be very keen on signing a player who Man City boss Pep Guardiola seriously rates behind-the-scenes, with a new report suggesting they’re pressing for a deal.

Chelsea prepare for Premier League return against Nottingham Forest

On the field, Enzo Maresca is gearing up for a crucial Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest — a match which serves a few intriguing narratives.

As Chelsea prepare to take on Ange Postecoglou’s struggling side, the Blues are sweating over the fitness of a few stars.

Injuries continue to plague Chelsea, with several key players already unavailable for selection. Dario Essugo remains sidelined with a long-term injury and won’t return until early next year, while Cole Palmer, who is Maresca’s star man, remains out with a niggling groin problem.

Adding to Chelsea’s woes upfront, number nine Liam Delap continues to nurse his hamstring, with reports suggesting the summer signing won’t be back until around November/December time.

Delap’s physical presence and goal-scoring instinct have been missed, and his absence limits Maresca’s striker depth at a time when goals are desperately needed.

Defensively, Levi Colwill, won’t be back until next year after he suffered an ACL tear in pre-season, leaving Maresca with Trevoh Chalobah, Josh Acheampong, Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo as his only centre-back options right now.

To make matters more complicated, Enzo Fernández, Chelsea’s influential attacking midfielder, could be a doubt to play Forest after withdrawing from international duty. Fernandez pulled out of Argentina’s squad citing knee inflammation, raising some concerns about his fitness ahead of the trip up north.

Reece James, Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro didn’t travel to represent their countries due to knocks, and while all three could return to face Forest, alongside Andrey Santos and Tosin, the latter pair haven’t been spotted in Cobham training this week.

Chelsea injury worries

Problem

Potential return date

Enzo Fernández

Knee

Unknown

Cole Palmer

Groin

November

Andrey Santos

Knock

Nottingham Forest

Tosin Adarabioyo

Calf

Nottingham Forest

Dario Essugo

Thigh

Early 2026

Liam Delap

Hamstring

November/December

Levi Colwill

ACL

Spring 2026

via Standard Sport

Postecoglou, meanwhile, will be looking to exploit Chelsea’s injury woes and secure vital points, with the Australian’s job reportedly on the line after a torrid start to life at the City Ground.

Chelsea’s lack of depth in certain areas has been exposed due to injury, and particularly their lack of experience.

Maresca fielded the youngest ever Premier League side on average last season (24 years, 36 days), and their starting eleven to play Benfica was Chelsea’s most youthful team in Champions League history.

Chelsea arguably need more experience in their side if they’re to become Premier League title challengers, so it makes sense that BlueCo hold an interest in the likes of AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan to solve that problem.

Now, according to reports from Italy, Chelsea could turn to another quality veteran in ex-Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

Chelsea "pushing" to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic on free transfer

As per Corriere dello Sport, the Al-Hilal midfielder, who earns a whopping £418,000-per-week in the Gulf, could return to Europe next year once his contract expires, even if the Saudi Pro League side want to extend it.

Milinkovic-Savic is attracting serious interest from England, Turkey, La Liga and Serie A, with “half of Europe” considering the 30-year-old on a free transfer.

Maresca’s side are among the pack, and it is believed that Chelsea are pushing to sign Milinkovic-Savic as the West Londoners “like him a lot”.

Interestingly, Guardiola is said to hold the Serbia international — who racked up over 340 appearances for Lazio as a general of their midfield — in “high regard”.

Milinkovic-Savic chipped in with 69 goals and 58 assists during his time in Rome, and hasn’t wavered in the Middle East with 30 goals and 26 assists under his belt for Al-Hilal.

The Serb’s proven creativity and ingenuity in the engine room could be attractive for Chelsea, and he could provide serious competition for Fernandez, who plays a very similar role.

On a free transfer, the appeal is obvious, but Milinkovic-Savic would almost certainly have to take a pay cut given Chelsea’s wage structure.

Veterans make their marks in thrilling encounter as Derbyshire are outgunned by six runs

ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2025

Ravi Bopara pulls during his 84 not out•Getty Images

A brilliant innings from Ravi Bopara took Northants Steelbacks to a third Vitality Blast victory by six runs despite a thrilling Derbyshire Falcons chase led by Samit Patel at the Central Co-op County Ground.Bopara scored an unbeaten 84 from 46 balls including five sixes as the Steelbacks recovered from 112 for 5 to post an imposing 194 for 6 with Afghanistan spinner Mohammad Ghazanfar taking 2 for 30.But Patel with 83 not out from 50 balls and Caleb Jewell, 71 from 44, gave the Falcons hope before they came up short at 188 for 4.Ghazanfar made an instant impact on his Derby debut, striking twice in the second over of the game.He beat Ricardo Vasconcelos’s big drive and then had Justin Broad lbw sweeping to reduce the Steelbacks to 15 for 2.It was 24 for 3 when Matt Breetzke pulled Zak Chappell’s first ball to deep midwicket and at the end of the powerplay the Steelbacks had work to do at 37 for 3.David Willey drove Chappell for six but the Falcons bowled with guile and discipline to restrict the visitors to 65 for 3 at the halfway point.The Falcons missed three chances to dismiss Willey and that looked like proving costly when 34 came off two overs from Ben Aitchison and Patel.So there was relief for the hosts when Willey pulled Martin Andersson’s first ball to deep midwicket to end a stand of 75 from 49 balls with Bopara.But that was short-lived as 56 came from the last three overs with Lewis McManus twice pulling Aitchison over the ropes before Bopara smashed Chappell for three sixesThe Falcons chase began badly with Aneurin Donald miscuing Willey to mid on and David Lloyd cutting the all-rounder to slip.Jewell drove Ben Sanderson for six but Wayne Madsen, on his 200th appearance at Derby, chipped the fast bowler to mid on to reduce the Falcons to 38 for 3 after six overs.Jewell and Patel steadied the innings but the Falcons went into the last 10 overs needing 129.Patel dispatched Lloyd Pope over long on for six and Jewell pulled George Scrimshaw over the ropes before another Patel six brought up the 100 in the 14th over.The pair took 15 from the next and the Falcons took flight when Jewell twice launched Scrimshaw for six with 18 coming from the 16th over.Jewell pulled Luke Procter to long on but Patel clubbed his third six to leave the Falcons needing 41 off the last three.Patel swatted Procter for six to bring that down to 15 off the last six balls but Sanderson bowled a superb last over to close the game out.

It could be curtains for RR if they succumb to a seventh defeat in ten games

Shashank Kishore27-Apr-20253:13

Bumrah’s yorkers or Starc’s yorkers? Sai Sudharsan has to choose

Big picture: Two teams with contrasting runsRajasthan Royals need only look as far back as 2024 – the example of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, specifically, for inspiration. They made a stirring run to the playoffs at the back end, surging to six straight wins and qualifying with 14 points. RR need five on the bounce to get to the same points, but do they have the belief, especially after failing to close out three regulation chases?Their climb up the points table will hard, not least because they now face Gujarat Titans, who have quietly built one of the most complete bowling units of IPL 2025, even as Rashid Khan has only shown flashes of his best.Prasidh Krishna, back in the IPL after a long injury layoff, is in the form of his life: 16 wickets at 14.12 and economy rate of 7.29. Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore isn’t far behind, with 12 wickets at 16.33 and an economy of 8.22. Then there’s Mohammed Siraj, bringing the heat, especially in the powerplay, with his zip and late swing.Their batting is equally settled. Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan may not go wham-bam from the start, but they’ve mastered the art of building an innings. Their 448 partnership runs are the highest by any pair this season. They served another reminder of this chemistry during a 114-run opening stand in their previous outing against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens.Sai Sudharsan, Gill and Buttler – the former RR star – combined have faced over 80 balls in seven of GT’s eight matches. The formidable top three have taken pressure off a middle order that may seem slightly undercooked on the surface, but they’ve had their moments, like when Rahul Tewatia finished off a final-over chase against Delhi Capitals.3:35

Jaffer: Sai Kishore ‘one of the bright spots’ for GT

RR, by contrast, are a team in search of the right combinations, despite being the fastest scoring team in the powerplay (10.38) along with Punjab Kings (10.37). And that’s because they haven’t been able to maximise Yashasvi Jaiswal’s fast starts and a recent surge in form.Sanju Samson is still injured. Coach Rahul Dravid isn’t sure of a recovery time frame yet. Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer have all struggled for batting rhythm, having now seen three seemingly straightforward chases turn pear-shaped. The burden of winning seems to have fallen squarely on Jaiswal with the bat and Jofra Archer with the ball.GT are surging toward a top two finish. RR are simply trying to stay afloat, having now lost five games on the trot.Related

Bond hopes Rajasthan Royals use rest of the IPL to make gains for next year

Parag: We didn't show enough intent against the spinners

Gill and Sai Sudharsan give a masterclass in low risk, high rewards

Form guideRajasthan Royals LLLLL (Last five, most recent first)Gujarat Titans WWLWWTeam news and likely XIIsTushar Deshpande went for 36 in two wicketless overs in RR’s last game. He hasn’t bowled his full quota in three of their last five games. Akash Madhwal is a tempting option to replace him.Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag (capt), 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Shubham Dubey, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Sandeep Sharma, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi, 12 Akash MadhwalGT look settled. They’ll likely remain unchanged.Gujarat Titans (probable): 1 B Sai Sudharsan, 2 Shubman Gill (capt), 3 Jos Buttler, 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 M Shahrukh Khan, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna, 12 Ishant SharmaRiyan Parag has a lot to think about as Rajasthan Royals stand-in captain•BCCIIn the spotlight: Dhruv Jurel and Prasidh KrishnaDhruv Jurel has struggled against spin, his strike rate of 105 this season a clear indicator. RCB capitalised on this in their previous clash, tightening the screws with Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma in tandem. With a strike rate of 195 against pace, on the other hand, is Jurel better used when fast bowlers are around? An RR batting shuffle could unlock his strengths.Free of injuries, clear of his role of being a hit-the-deck, middle-overs bowler, Prasidh Krishna is enjoying a sensational return to the IPL after two frustrating years on the sidelines. His economy of 5.3 is the season’s best in the middle overs among those who’ve bowled a minimum of 15 overs. He’s also currently the joint-highest wicket-taker along with Josh Hazlewood.The big questionKey stats Jaiswal is 37 away from 2000 IPL runs. He’ll become the third-fastest Indian after Ruturaj Gaikwad (57 innings) and KL Rahul (60 innings) to get here. His 15 powerplay sixes are also the most by a batter this season. Archer has a favourable match-up against Gil in IPLl: three dismissals in five innings. Gill has managed just 10 runs while striking at 67. Hetmyer’s death overs strike rate (156) has considerably dropped from 200 and 192 over the last two seasons. GT’s top three are averaging (53.9), the highest this season. GT’s middle-overs batting has improved drastically from last season. Their strike rate has jumped from 142 to 165, and their average has more than doubled from 26.8 to 61.1.Pitch and conditionsFour of the seven games in Jaipur have been won by the chasing side since last year, with the average first innings score being 184. Day temperatures have crossed 40 degrees celsius; while the evenings will be a tad cooler, there’s no escaping the oppressive heat that will take a toll on the players’ fitness.Quotes”As a middle order, there’s lots of pressure off you by how our top three is batting. Yes, there is not much game time for few of us in the middle order but that’s been compensated in practice.”

Chelsea are believed to still be active in the summer transfer market, despite having just shored up their attacking line with two deals for Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho and Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte.

23 transfers, 24 if you count Buonanotte, have been conducted by Chelsea – and that’s not even including their various outgoing loan deals for the likes of Marc Guiu and Aaron Anselmino.

BlueCo’s hustle in the market has yielded over £300 million in player sales with around £320 million spent on new signings, with Enzo Maresca’s side registering a net-spend of just £20 million as they navigate PSR excellently.

Joao Pedro

Noni Madueke

Jamie Gittens

João Félix

Jorrel Hato

Djordje Petrovic

Liam Delap

Lesley Ugochukwu

Dario Essugo

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Mamadou Sarr

Renato Veiga

Estevao

Armando Broja

Kendry Paez

Carney Chukwuemeka

Alejandro Garnacho

Mathis Amougou

Facundo Buonanotte

Basir Humphreys

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Marcus Bettinelli

Christopher Nkunku

Alfie Gilchrist

Exits for Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Mathis Amougou and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have made room for the likes of Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Jorrel Hato, but if Chelsea want to register Garnacho and Buonanotte for their Champions League squad next season, more sales could be required.

This is especially the case if Maresca wants to include Barcelona star Fermin Lopez, who is now a top target for Chelsea heading into deadline day after they missed out on Xavi Simons to Tottenham.

The Spaniard has become a key player for Hansi Flick, bagging eight goals and 10 assists in 46 total appearances last season, and Chelsea are believed to be trying their luck to sign him.

Reports suggest Maresca has been in contact with Lopez personally, and Chelsea are prepared to offer Barça a maximum of around £50 million for the player, not to mention a lucrative contract worth £250,000-per-week, but the player’s club want £60m (Sport).

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have even made a £40m bid for Lopez, but Barça are not keen on selling and must rely on the player’s decision to force through a transfer – unless they trigger his seismic £433 million release clause, of course.

Chelsea "working tirelessly" to sign Fermin Lopez after Facundo Buonanotte

As per TEAMtalk, Chelsea are “working tirelessly” to convince Lopez to join them, even after their deal for Buonanotte.

The Blues are ready to offer him a “lucrative” long-term contract, as previously reported, and personal terms aren’t expected to pose any issue in this potential deal.

While Barça are a roadblock, Chelsea appear to be doing all they can on the player front.

TT sources also claim that Lopez is warming to the idea of a Stamford Bridge move, but is yet to fully commit to the idea. The 22-year-old has emotional ties to Barça, having grown up as a lifelong fan, and he’s publicly denied notions he would leave this summer.

That being said, players can pull U-turns, and the prospect of a Premier League move is enticing for any athlete at any level.