da realbet： Vasco e Vila Nova empataram em 2 a 2 nesta segunda-feira, em Goiânia, pela 36ª rodada da Série B. Foi o 6º jogo seguido sem vitória da equipe carioca na competição. O 9º consecutivo em que sofreu gols. O time agora tem a 3ª defesa mais vazada do campeonato, tendo ido pegar a bola nas redes 47 vezes. Apenas Brusque, com 54, e Náutico, com 48, tiveram um desempenho pior até o momento
O Vila era a única equipe que ainda não havia marcado sobre os vascaínos nesta Série B – foi derrotado em São Januário por 1 a 0 no 1º turno. Na ida ou na volta, todos os 19 adversários estufaram as redes cruz-maltinas ao menos uma vez na competição. Uma tônica, aliás, da temporada.
Nas 57 partidas que disputou, em 47 teve suas redes balançadas pelos adversários. Batido em 82,4% dos confrontos, o Vasco de 2021 ostenta a sua pior marca do século nesta estatística, tendo sofrido gols de todos os times que enfrentou, incluindo no Carioca e na Copa do Brasil.
O Cruz-Maltino já sofreu 72 gols em 57 jogos disputados, uma média de 1,26 por partida. Mesmo disputando a 2ª divisão, a marca é pior do que nos últimos dois anos, quando esteve na Série A. Em 2019, foram 67 tentos sofridos em 65 atuações (1,03 g/j). Na última, 69 em 60 (1,15 g/j).
Números que dizem muito sobre a permanência do time na Série B.
DESEMPENHO DEFENSIVO DO VASCO NA TEMPORADA
57 jogos 47 jogos sofrendo gols (82,4% – pior marca do século) 72 gols sofridos (1,26 g/j – pior marca dos últimos três anos) Sofreu gol dos 19 times (100%) que enfrentou na Série B Sofreu gol dos 33 times (100%) que enfrentou no ano
RelacionadasNúm3ros da bol4Vasco emplaca sua pior sequência sem vitórias na temporadaNúm3ros da bol416/11/2021VascoTudo igual! Vila Nova e Vasco ficam no empate em Goiânia pela Série BVasco15/11/2021VascoApós empate, Daniel Amorim destaca entrega do Vasco em campo: ‘Temos que dar o nosso melhor’Vasco15/11/2021
da 888： Celtic booked their place in the final of the League Cup on Sunday after they beat their Glasgow rivals 3-1 after extra time at Hampden Park.
da spicy bet： Martin O’Neill was in the dugout for the second time as he continues to manage the side until the club can find a permanent replacement for Brendan Rodgers, who resigned last week.
The Northern Irish head coach moved on from Parkhead after winning four trophies in just over two seasons in his second spell with the Scottish Premiership giants.
Rodgers decided to tender his resignation after successive league losses to Dundee and Hearts, which left Celtic eight points adrift of first place in the league at the time.
It is hard to deny that the former Leicester City boss had a successful return to Parkhead on the whole, given that he won four trophies in two full seasons, but it was far from a perfect spell.
In fact, there are several players within the current first-team squad, and possibly out on loan, who may benefit from his departure from Celtic.
The players who may benefit most from Rodgers leaving Celtic
Luis Palma and Maik Nawrocki were both sent out on loan this summer, having been signed in Rodgers’ first transfer window in the summer of 2023, after rarely featuring last season.
Celtic forward Luis Palma.
The duo combined for four starts in the Premiership in the 2024/25 campaign, per WhoScored, and may wonder if they now have a future at Parkhead when they return from their loan moves.
Palma, for example, has four goals and three assists in ten league games for Lech Poznan on loan, per Sofascore, and could provide Celtic’s attack with an injection of quality next year.
Meanwhile, in the current squad, Paulo Bernardo is one player who may benefit from a clean slate under the next head coach, after falling out of favour under Rodgers.
Paulo Bernardo (Premiership)
24/25
25/26
Appearances
28
2
Starts
13
1
Goals
2
0
Big chances created
5
0
Key passes
31
0
Ground duel success rate
58%
33%
Aerial duel success rate
54%
0%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Portugal U21 international has barely featured after showing promise last term, which is why the change in management may benefit him.
The Celtic player who has benefitted the most from Rodgers’ departure, though, appears to be Callum Osmand, who did not play a single minute under the Northern Irishman.
O’Neill has brought him off the bench in the last two games, against Falkirk and Rangers, and he scored his first goal for the club in the League Cup semi-final.
The 19-year-old centre-forward may also be pleased to hear who the Scottish giants are looking to appoint, as they are keen on a boss who could be perfect for him.
Celtic considering move for £5m manager
According to Football Insider, Celtic are considering a move to appoint Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna as their replacement for Rodgers.
The report claims that the Northern Irish head coach has emerged as one of the club’s key targets, alongside the likes of Kjetil Knutsen and Craig Bellamy.
Manager Focus
Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.
However, he has a £5m release clause in his contract with the Tractor Boys, which has left the Hoops to consider their options for now.
Speaking to Football Insider about the prospect of Celtic landing McKenna, reporter Pete O’Rourke said: “He is one of the most highly regarded young managers in the country as well.
“He would fit all of the criteria that Celtic are looking for in that respect. It’d be a huge coup if Celtic were to land Kieran McKenna.”
Why Kieran McKenna would be perfect for Callum Osmand
Swooping for the Ipswich manager to replace Rodgers in the coming days or weeks could be great news for emerging Celtic star Osmand, for several reasons.
McKenna has an impressive history in youth coaching. Per Transfermarkt, he worked as a youth coach for Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur before stepping into first-team management with the Tractor Boys.
This suggests that he wants to develop and work with young players, which is great news for a 19-year-old prospect like Osmand, who could be identified as a player with big potential by the boss.
As you can see in the clip above, Osmand grabbed his first senior goal for the Hoops on Sunday with brilliant movement to get ahead of the defenders to slide a cross from Kieran Tierney into the back of the net.
McKenna’s style of play at Ipswich has revolved around left-back Leif Davis providing creativity with his deliveries into the box from the left flank, which would provide Osmand with plenty of similar opportunities to score.
McKenna’s two promotion-winning seasons
Leif Davis
22/23 League One
23/24 Championship
Appearances
43
43
Big chances created
12
15
xA
N/A
10.54
Key passes per game
3.1
2.9
Assists
14
18
Stats via Sofascore
Davis, as shown in the statistics above, was an incredibly creative force down the left flank for Ipswich in their two promotion-winning seasons under McKenna, assisting an eye-catching 32 goals in 86 matches.
This suggests that the Northern Irish head coach would build his attack around Marcelo Saracchi or Kieran Tierney’s creativity, which may not be a bad way to go, given Tierney has already delivered four assists in all competitions this season, per Sofascore.
That would ensure that Celtic have a constant supply of creativity down that side, with crosses coming into the box for strikers to attack, which could provide Osmand or Johnny Kenny with chances to score more goals.
What "VAR said" about Auston Trusty's kick on Jack Butland in Celtic v Rangers
It was a big talking point at Hampden Park.
ByCharlie Smith Nov 2, 2025
Therefore, McKenna could be the perfect appointment for a player like Osmand, after his breakthrough goal, because of his coaching background and the way his team creates chances to score goals.
Saurashtra’s veteran coach Debu Mitra, who has been crucial in the team’s rise in the domestic circuit, remains unassuming but proud
Amol Karhadkar24-Jan-2013Saurashtra have had four men constantly overlooking their progress during the last decade or so: Niranjan Shah at the helm the administration, Jaydev Shah as the captain, Shitanshu Kotak as the batting mainstay and Debu Mitra as the coach.Niranjan Shah has been hailed for his administrative qualities, his son Jaydev has been scrutinised for his patchy batting form, and Kotak, who plays his 129th first-class game on Saturday, is the most senior cricketer on the domestic circuit. They get their share of the limelight.Mitra, however, hasn’t received much attention, after converting Saurashtra from no-hopers to title contenders in nine seasons. He doesn’t mind others taking the recognition; he’s been on the domestic circuit for almost five decades now.Coaches increasingly make their presence known during the course of the game these days, but Mitra is old school and refrains from it. Ever since he was seen with the Saurashtra team for the first time, during the 2005-06 Plate Group semi-final against Madhya Pradesh, his second season with the then West Zone minnows, Mitra hasn’t changed.Once the captain takes the field with his team Mitra, dressed in a tracksuit with his customary floppy hat, would sit either just outside the dressing room or yards away from the boundary line. Though he wouldn’t mind discussing the game and team tactics during the day, he never shouts at the captain or passes on any instruction. However, if the captain walks up to him, advice is as fluent as Cheteshwar Pujara’s cover drive.”Cricket is a game that’s to be run by the captain, so my job is to make the team ready for the game and then let the captain run the show,” Mitra, a former Bengal batsman and coach, said. “I am always available for advice but I will never impose myself on the captain or the team. That is not my style.”The latest example of his method was in Saurashtra’s Ranji Trophy semi-final against Punjab at the Khandheri stadium in Rajkot last week. With Punjab pursuing Saurashtra’s first-innings score of 477, at tea on the third day, Jaydev walked up to Mitra and said, “I think we should take the new ball.””We must, I told him. And it worked,” Mitra said. “Once he was also on the same page, I stressed on it, but otherwise I would have waited for him to think about it.”And unlike most of the modern-day coaches, Mitra doesn’t believe much in technology. Though he has hired a video analyst for Saurashtra, he lets the assistant coach Hitesh Goswami work without a laptop. “Have you ever seen me with a laptop?” he asks, with a wink. “My brain is my laptop. As long it is working, I don’t need [one].”During his nine seasons with Saurashtra, Mitra has taken giant strides towards making them a potent force. It started with them qualifying for the Elite League from the lower tier by winning the Plate title in 2005-06. In 2007-08, not only did Saurashtra make it to the Ranji semis, they were also the national one-day champions. And the next year proved 2007-08 wasn’t a fluke, as Saurashtra made it to the Ranji semis once again.Last week, they played the semi-finals for the third time. Despite the absence of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja, Saurashtra surprised Punjab to qualify for their maiden final since the erstwhile princely team of Nawanagar was merged into Kathiawar.The journey has not been easy for Mitra. It took him five years to accept the job to coach a side that was one of the worst in terms of performance and infrastructure back then. “Niranjan had been after me since 1999, but I was quite hesitant. I used to wonder ‘what will I do in Saurashtra, with such limited talent pool and lack of basic cricketing facilities’. Finally in 2004, I thought I would give it a shot.”
It was my wife who convinced me to stay on. She told me, ‘If you’ve accepted a job, give it your best.’ I thought I would stay on for another season and take a call. And once we qualified for the Elite in 2005-06, Saurashtra cricket and I haven’t looked back since.Debu Mitra was hesitant to stay on after his first season with Saurashtra
The first year proved to be a nightmare for the man who had coached the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Devang Gandhi during their formative years with Bengal. “Believe me, when I went back home [to Kolkata], I had decided not to return to Saurashtra,” Mitra said. “The cricket here had no system in place. The Ranji players were so raw, primarily due to lack of coaching and lack of match practice. All they used to play was some two or three 50-over matches at district level.”But then, it was my wife who convinced me to stay on. She told me, ‘If you’ve accepted a job, give it your best.’ I thought I would stay on for another season and take a call. And once we qualified for the Elite in 2005-06, Saurashtra cricket and I haven’t looked back since.”How did he manage the turnaround? “First, we had to have a basic tournament structure in place,” Mitra said. As a result, he suggested changes to the existing inter-district tournament, and the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) immediately implemented them. The knockout 50-over tournament between the 14 district teams was tweaked to a league-and-knockout tournament and a three-day inter-district championship was introduced. Fourteen teams were split into Elite and Plate divisions with eight and six teams, respectively. Both the divisions were split in two groups, resulting in every team getting at least four matches of “days cricket” every year.”If you don’t play ‘days cricket’ at all till you are selected for Ranji, you need to learn all the skills of succeeding at first-class level when you’re playing it. And it becomes difficult,” Mitra said. “Even now, I get players who are raw. They have to be taught things like how to bowl around the wicket or how to field close in, but I don’t mind doing it. And I must say that Niranjan has given me a free hand. Not even once has he questioned me on anything on the cricket aspect. And everything that I have asked for has been implemented right away.”All this means that at the age of 64, Mitra has to be on the run for more than eight months a year. His season starts in August, when he conducts a camp for the probables for the preparatory tournaments like the Buchi Babu invitational meet and the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup. From mid-August until March, Room No. 209 at Hotel Suryakant in Rajkot is his home.”It is,” Mitra said, when asked whether it was difficult to be away from home for so long. “But once you’ve made a choice, you’ve got to do it. It’s been 11 weeks since I have been to Kolkata. But I got a refreshing break just before the semi-final when I spent a couple of nights at my son’s house in Mumbai. When I see the team performing like this, all that sacrifice is worth it.”And once Saurashtra completed the win against Punjab in the semi-final, Mitra celebrated like a youngster. When you see him merged into the huddle, giving high-fives to his friends, you realise, “I am their friend” is not merely a statement.Mitra featured in Bengal’s loss to Bombay in 1968-69 Ranji Trophy final – his maiden first-class season – and hoped he wouldn’t be unlucky again, this time as a coach. “I was fortunate to have played in a Ranji final in my first season. I am so happy for Shitanshu that he will eventually get a feel of being in the Ranji final. I just hope that Saurashtra does against Bombay what Bengal couldn’t 44 years ago. If they do, that would be the happiest moment of my cricketing sojourn.”
يلاقي فريق برشلونة الإسباني خصمه آينتراخت فرانكفورت الألماني، مساء اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن مباريات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا للموسم الجاري.
ويستقبل برشلونة خصمه آينتراخت فرانكفورت، في إطار مباريات الجولة السادسة لمرحلة الدوري لدوري أبطال أوروبا موسم 2025-2026.
كان برشلونة قد تعرض لهزيمة قاسية من تشيلسي الإنجليزي في الجولة الماضية بدوري أبطال أوروبا، بثلاثة أهداف دون مقابل على ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج”.
ويملك برشلونة في رصيده بـ دوري أبطال أوروبا، 7 نقاط ويحتل المركز الثامن عشر في جدول الترتيب، أما آينتراخت فرانكفورت يتواجد بالمركز 28 ولديه 4 نقاط.
وتعرض برشلونة لهزيمتين خلال مرحلة الدوري، وتعادل في مباراة وحقق الفوز في مواجهتين، وفرانكفورت تعرض للهزيمة في 3 مبارايات بنفس المرحلة، وحقق الفوز في واحدة وتعادل بأخرى. موعد مباراة برشلونة وآينتراخت فرانكفورت اليوم
تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت مصر، الحادية عشر مساءً بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة برشلونة وآينتراخت فرانكفورت اليوم
تذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN sports HD 2. معلق مباراة برشلونة وآينتراخت فرانكفورت اليوم
يعلق على المباراة، علي محمد علي.
ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.
Everton are building something under David Moyes’ wing – again.
Having shaped the Merseysiders into a force of consistency and resilience over a decade of tireless service, the 63-year-old has been back at the helm throughout 2025, with the summer transfer window packaging exciting new talent into the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
However, with Idrissa Gueye set to leave at the end of his contract next year and Tim Iroegbunam yet to prove he has the minerals for a sustained starting role in Moyes’ system, Moyes may look to strengthen his central fold in 2026.
He does boast one of the most dynamic centre-midfielders in the Premier League, though, with this profile something that proved successful for the Scottish manager all those years ago at Goodison Park.
Moyes' best-ever Everton midfielders
Moyes enforces a principled and organised playing style, and energy and industriousness is at its heart. This was true 20 years ago, and it remains a core element of the make-up now.
But pragmatic though Moyes has been tagged at times, he has always pushed for creativity, an attacking dimension coming from the centre and with the capacity to defend strongly.
Tim Cahill embodied this. Not quite a forward, he scored lots of goals. Not quite a central midfielder, the Australian was combative and aggressive.
No player has ever featured more often in a Moyes side than Leon Osman. Not the flashiest, the versatile Englishman played his entire career on the blue half of Merseyside, save for two early-career loan spells as he was making his way.
1.
Leon Osman
345
2.
Tim Cahill
278
3.
Mikel Arteta
209
4.
Lee Carsley
194
5.
Marouane Fellaini
173
Another of Moyes’ mainstays was Mikel Arteta. Look closely and you may trace elements of Moyes’ influence in the Arsenal manager’s drilled and oiled style, merged with the technical genius of Pep Guardiola to shape the Gunners into bona fide contenders at the highest level.
As a player, the 43-year-old was dynamic and intelligent, adding a dimension otherwise unavailable to the Blues team. He is creative on the ball and tenacious against the run of play, once saying he would “go through a brick wall” for Moyes.
Arteta was arguably Moyes’ most trusted lieutenant, the man who helped make it all tick.
Now, the tactician has refashioned his former favourite in the shape of a new Everton star.
Moyes' new version of Arteta
Like Arteta during his Everton prime, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is a versatile midfielder.
The opening months of the 2025/26 campaign have shown the 27-year-old to be a talented and effective midfielder, situated in the centre of the park and tasked with connecting play.
Yet he arrived from Chelsea, for a £28m fee, having played second-fiddle in Enzo Maresca’s team. He was part of last term’s Club World Cup and Conference League-winning squads, but featured only 13 times in the Premier League, starting twice.
But moving to Everton was the perfect thing for a man in the prime of his career. His performances since arriving at the Hill Dickinson prove this, and he is showing too that he can be a “revelation” for multiple clubs, having been hailed as such for his efforts at Leicester by former boss Brendan Rodgers.
Averaging 1.9 key passes and winning 5.3 duels per game this term, as per Sofascore, it’s hard to argue against the success of the signing; Dewsbury-Hall may even be one of the Premier League’s most underrated signings.
Arteta’s clever and imaginative passing was a staple of his game. In this, Dewsbury-Hall could emulate him. Data from FBref shows us that the Englishman ranks among the top 8% of midfielders in the Premier League for passes into the penalty area and the top 8% for progressive passes per 90.
Starting all but one of Everton’s Premier League matches thus far, missing out against Crystal Palace due to suspension, the £90k-per-week talent has shown he has the personality and presence to become Moyes’ next Arteta, instrumental in progressing play and steering Everton away from their pragmatic reputation.
The likes of Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye will more often than not take the headlines, but in Dewsbury-Hall, Moyes has recycled a tried and tested playing style, and it’s already beginning to bear dividends.
Everton's "revelation" could become the biggest loser from Grealish's rise
Jack Grealish’s form at Everton could nudge another star out of Moyes’ best team
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has won plenty of admirers after overseeing an excellent start to the season, but he could have a key decision to make regarding one of his senior squad members.
Tottenham preparing for Premier League clash against Wolves
Spurs have won five out of their first eight matches under Frank in all competitions, including excellent victories against Premier League title-chasing Man City and London rivals West Ham.
Already, the Lilywhites have showcased the needed resilience which was almost entirely absent during Ange Postecoglou’s final season in charge.
Tottenham boast one of the finest top flight defensive records thus far, apart from Arsenal and Crystal Palace — the only teams to have conceded fewer goals than Frank’s side — and displayed serious professionalism during their last Premier League outing at Brighton.
The Amex Stadium has been a sorry hunting ground for Spurs in recent years, and that threatened to be the case again when Fabian Hurzeler’s men found themselves 2-0 up.
World Football’s highest revenue-generating clubs — 2025
Value
Real Madrid
£1.2 billion
Man City
£727 million
PSG
£700 million
Man United
£668 million
Bayern Munich
£664 million
FC Barcelona
£659.5 million
Arsenal
£621.5 million
Liverpool
£620 million
Tottenham Hotspur
£533 million
Chelsea
£474 million
via Deloitte Money League
However, the north Londoners didn’t let that deficit ruin them — fighting back to earn a deserved 2-2 draw and having more chances to get on the scoresheet.
Now, Tottenham prepare to host a struggling Wolves side at 20:00 on Saturday evening, and all signs point towards this being a routine three points.
Lucas Bergvall has been one of Tottenham’s players of the season and will likely be given the nod against Vitor Pereira’s visitors, while Micky van de Ven is attracting interest from Real Madrid as he continues to showcase his defensive prowess in Lilywhite.
Pape Sarr is also attracting praise for his brilliant midfield displays, and striker Richarlison has looked transformed since Frank’s arrival at N17.
The list goes on and on. However, one player has struggled under Frank – £100,000-per-week midfielder Yves Bissouma.
Reports earlier this month suggested that Tottenham were prepared to listen to offers for the Mali international, back when the Turkish, Saudi, Greek and Portuguese transfer windows remained open after the UK deadline.
Frank omitted Bissouma from his 22-man Champions League squad and publicly criticised him for showing up late to training, but since then, the Dane has stated that there is still a place for the 29-year-old in his first team.
He is currently on the comeback trail from injury and yet to make a single competitive appearance since Frank took charge, but the Tottenham manager has now been told to U-turn on his promise and make a bold Bissouma move.
Tottenham told to axe Yves Bissouma and drop him to Under-21s
Speaking to Tottenham News, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King tipped Frank to drop Bissouma to the club’s Under-21s, before he sells the Brighton star at the nearest opportunity.
Bissouma played a key role in Tottenham’s run to the Europa League final last season, and has displayed flashes of real quality throughout his stay at the club.
However, with the midfielder’s contract expiring at the end of the season, and summer signing Joao Palhinha seriously impressing in his stead, the writing is perhaps on the wall for a player who seems destined to leave.
Shohei Ohtani and his agent are being sued by a Hawaii real estate investor and a broker who were fired from a $240 million luxury housing development, according to the Associated Press.
Some very expensive homes are being built on Hawaii's Big Island on the Hapuna Coast at the Mauna Kea Resort and Ohtani bought one of those homes for about $17 million. He was apparently asked to get involved because of his "celebrity and promotional value." Reports of his buying one of the homes first surfaced in April 2024.
According to the lawsuit the Dodgers star and his agent, Nez Balelo, are accused of "tortious interference and unjust enrichment." Balelo allegedly kept asking for concessions until the point where developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto were both pushed out.
In a statement emailed to on Tuesday, Kingsbarn Reality Capital called the allegations “completely frivolous and without merit.”
“Kingsbarn takes full responsibility for its actions regarding Kevin Hayes and for removing Tomoko Matsumoto as the project’s broker. The Mauna Kea project is world class, and we look forward to welcoming our final group.”
You can check out the area and some of the houses on the project's website.
According to the Associated Press, Ohtani plans to live there in the offseason and will "construct a small hitting and pitching facility for preseason training."
Chelsea have been handed an injury blow ahead of their Women's Champions League clash against St Polten as first-choice goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has been ruled out of the match due to injury. Swiss international Livia Peng is set to take Hampton's place in the starting XI for the match in Austria as Sonia Bompastor's side aim to maintain their unbeaten start to the league phase.
Chelsea lose Hampton to injury
Bompastor has confirmed that Hampton has been sidelined with a minor quad injury and will undergo further tests to determine the severity of the problem. Hampton has therefore been left out of Chelsea's 22-strong travelling squad for the game in Austria. Peng and Becky Spencer are the two goalkeepers named in the travelling party for the Blues, while Lauren James and Naomi Girma are also involved again after recovering from injury. Here's the squad in full:
Forwards: Lauren James, Sam Kerr, Catarina Macario, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Alyssa Thompson.
Advertisement
Getty Images Sport
Blues aiming for back-to-back European wins
Chelsea will be hoping to make it back-to-back wins in the Champions League campaign after opening up their campaign with a 1-1 draw away at FC Twente, followed by a 4-0 win over Paris FC. The Blues will be hot favourites for victory against St. Polten but will have to make at least one change to their starting XI with Peng coming in to replace Hampton. Peng moved to Chelsea in the summer from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, after featuring for Switzerland at Euro 2025, and made her debut for her new club in the draw at Twente. That Champions League outing is her only appearance so far this season but she will surely be relishing the chance to take over from Hampton again on Tuesday night at the NV Arena.
Peng living the dream at Chelsea
Peng admitted that moving to Chelsea was a dream after putting pen to paper on a four-year contract in the summer. She told the club's media: "It feels so good to be here. When I was 10, I dreamed of playing for Chelsea. Now, my childhood dream has come true and it's so exciting. I'm really happy to join the Chelsea family and get started. It's such a big club. Chelsea want to win titles and so do I. We're a good match. I'm hungry to win here."
Chelsea complete a domestic treble (WSL, FA Cup, League Cup) last season without losing a game and will be hoping for more silverware in 2025-26. The Blues have made a strong start to their Women's Champions League campaign and sit in second place in the Women's Super League table, just one point behind current leaders Manchester City after eight games played.
"I think we are still early on in the season and I'm not worried about where we stand right now in the table," Bompastor has said of her team's start. "We always want to be the leaders and leading this league but the most important thing for us is to be leading the race at the end of the season. I trust my squad – the quality I have in the squad to be able to do that. Not the result we wanted to have coming into the game, but we are still in control and I am quite confident."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
AFP
Big win on the cards for Chelsea?
Chelsea head into the match off the back of a controversial draw with Arsenal which extended their unbeaten run in the WSL to 33 games. The Blues now switch focus to continental competition and will be hoping to win a maiden European crown in 2025-26. Bompastor's side will certainly be expected to make light work of St. Polten. The Austrian side have conceded nine goals in their two Champions League outings so far, and anything but an away win will be a big surprise.
Somewhere amid their 36 all out at Adelaide Oval, the remarkable comeback at the MCG and the rearguard for the ages at the SCG, the story of India’s Test tour of Australia has been about the injuries.There was a short list even before India left for Australia, with the names of the Sharmas – Rohit and Ishant – in it, but since then, the number has increased alarmingly. So much so that the team for the series-deciding final Test at the Gabba will likely look very different from anyone’s idea of the best Indian Test XI.Virat Kohli was always going to leave after the first Test, and Rohit was going to be available for the third and fourth Tests – nothing has changed there. But elsewhere…Yes, that was the first of those. Pat Cummins making sure Mohammed Shami – the new-ball partner to Jasprit Bumrah – isn’t around to trouble them for the remainder of the series, adding injury – a fractured forearm – to insult as India completed their 36 all-out show.Mohammed Siraj replaced him for the second Test, but then it was Umesh Yadav’s turn to limp out. Not an impact injury, but a calf strain. And Yadav was back home not long after.Worried Indian faces all around as Umesh Yadav hobbles off the field•Getty Images
The pace attack would ideally have had Bumrah, Shami and Ishant, with Yadav the spare. Bumrah had a group of rookies to do the job with him after that and, it appears, he might himself miss the final Test now because of what might be an abdominal injury.Poor KL Rahul, he wasn’t even out in the middle, just a back-up, when his tour was cut short by a training injury. And it appears that Mayank Agarwal is injured too, while R Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari, who were so heroic on the final day at the SCG, are not fit enough to play the final Test. Wait and watch on those for now…It’s the hamstring for Vihari… and the back for Ashwin.Vihari couldn’t run because of a hamstring injury… Ashwin couldn’t sit down because of a tweak in his back•Getty Images
But before Ashwin and Vihari did what they did, there were Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja.Pant copped a blow to his elbow while batting in the first innings in Sydney, didn’t keep in the Australia second innings, and then came out to play a remarkable knock on the final day. He should make the XI for Gabba.But Jadeja won’t. That was a first-innings injury too. He didn’t bowl in the Australia second innings. Was possibly not in a condition to bat on the final day. And has since had surgery to fix a dislocated thumb.That’s the story so far… one Test to go, but more than winning the match, and the series, getting a fit XI on the field might be India’s bigger worry.
Ajax’s turbulent search for a new technical director has taken an interesting turn after a leaked photo revealed a secret meeting with Jordi Cruyff in Barcelona. The son of club icon Johan Cruyff spoke with Ajax chiefs Menno Geelen and Marijn Beuker as the Dutch giants accelerate plans to rebuild their collapsing football department.
Cruyff meets Ajax top brass in Barcelona
The race to find Ajax’s next technical director intensified this week after Geelen and Beuker were photographed holding talks with Cruyff at the Torre Melina a Gran Melia hotel in Barcelona. The meeting, initially intended to be discreet, became public when an observant Dutch resident living in Spain captured the photo of Cruyff and his manager with Ajax bosses, the image was shared by .
Ajax more or less acknowledged that negotiations are underway. When approached, Geelen said: “It's true that we're working on important projects. We'll comment on that when there's news to report. That's not the case yet.” Cruyff also declined to go into details, insisting: “This isn't the time to say anything.”
The secretive nature of the meeting highlights Ajax’s urgency as the delegation flew from Amsterdam early on Monday despite the club preparing for a Champions League match against Benfica the following evening. It signals that Cruyff is not only a leading candidate, but potentially the leading candidate to replace departing technical director Alex Kroes.
Advertisement
Kroes' exit and club crisis push Ajax toward a new era
Ajax’s pursuit of Cruyff comes amid institutional chaos as Kroes, who was originally hired to stabilise the sporting department, announced earlier this month that he would step down after taking responsibility for the team’s alarming decline. Prior to this, he had been suspended following a Supervisory Board ruling that he purchased up to €190,000 worth of club shares one week before officially taking office.
Although he later returned in a technical capacity, his decision to leave has forced Ajax to scramble for solutions. At the club’s annual stakeholders’ meeting, Geelen confirmed that recruiting a technical director takes priority over appointing a permanent manager.
Ajax explored several options, reportedly including former sporting director Marc Overmars, but he dismissed the approach, calling his Amsterdam chapter “closed.”
Cruyff, meanwhile, arrives with a notable resume, he previously held technical roles at AEK Larnaca, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Barca, where he assisted Xavi Hernandez during the club’s squad rebuild. Since early 2024, he has served as an advisor to the Indonesian FA. In the Dutch press however, he is now viewed as a serious contender to restore direction to a club drifting both on and off the pitch.
The legacy weight
Should Cruyff accept the role, he would inherit a challenge reminiscent of his father Johan's famous Velvet Revolution. In 2010, the elder Cruyff wrote that “Ajax was no longer his Ajax” and declared the situation “even worse than the period before Rinus Michels joined the club in 1965.” His intervention triggered a structural overhaul that led to seven Eredivisie titles, a Europa League final and a Champions League semi-final run.
Ajax have since disintegrated in recent years and failed to arrest their decline this season. They brought back former player and coach John Heitinga to lead the team for a second time this season, though he was recently sacked. They are currently sixth in the Eredivisie following a shock defeat to Excelsior at the weekend and sit bottom of the Champions League with zero points, one goal scored and 14 conceded from four matches.
Jordi would now be tasked with rescuing Ajax from a similarly bleak state. Like his father, Jordi is known to value the presence of club DNA, and many within Amsterdam believe he could help restore the familiar Ajax identity that has faded since Overmars' departure.
Cruyff’s network also allows for modern solutions. While he respects Ajax traditions, he may not hesitate to appoint a foreign coach if required, “a Spanish coach from his network,” as Dutch reports put it, pointing to success stories such as Francesco Farioli in the Eredivisie.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
AFP
Why Ajax are moving fast?
This week’s Barcelona meeting shows that Ajax are not willing to wait until the January window to put the club back on track. With the team tumbling down the league and European results inconsistent, the management believes the new technical director must arrive before the winter break so he can immediately initiate structural reforms.
Cruyff is seen as someone who understands both Ajax’s traditional principles and the demands of modern football. And. the fact that Geelen and Beuker travelled personally, despite the Champions League fixture against Benfica looming, underlines that the Amsterdam giants want a resolution quickly. If Cruyff is appointed, he will oversee managerial recruitment, squad planning, youth integration and long-term strategy.
Ajax aim to make an appointment before the winter break, and Cruyff is firmly among the frontrunners, if not the favourite. The Supervisory Board will now evaluate the Barca discussions before deciding whether to proceed to the final negotiation phase.