La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are eyeing a 2025 move for one Arsenal mainstay, as it is believed he’s now “almost certain” to leave the club.

Arsenal prepare for Southampton after 2-0 win over PSG

Mikel Arteta watched his side put on an imperious display against French champions PSG on Tuesday night in the Champions League, a result which extended the club’s unbeaten run so far this term and made a real statement.

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The two teams only played the other night.

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By
Emilio Galantini

Oct 3, 2024

The Premier League title hopefuls were rarely threatened by Luis Enrique’s side – which is a testament to Arsenal’s all-round solidarity and big game management – with Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka’s quick-fire first-half goals enough to seal a crucial three points in Europe.

Saka was bizarrely criticised for a “fringe” performance against PSG by pundit Darren Bent, despite his goal. That verdict aside, every Arsenal player, including the England international, contributed during an evening to remember at the Emirates Stadium.

Next, Arsenal take on Southampton at 3pm on Saturday, and it is a match which Arteta’s side are expected to win comfortably with the Saints bottom of the table. Arteta will be able to call upon summer signing Mikel Merino again, following the Spaniard’s debut against PSG and after his recovery from a shoulder fracture.

Merino’s absence left Arsenal short in midfield for a time, and sporting director Edu Gaspar will be thankful that he didn’t green-light an exit for midfield general Thomas Partey as a result.

Partey was heavily linked with a summer exit from Arsenal since late last year, but the Ghanaian remained in north London and has since been handed the nod by Arteta in each of Arsenal’s league games so far – starting every single one.

The 31-year-old’s stellar partnership with Declan Rice in midfield looks unbreakable right now, with Partey winning all of his duels against PSG during an excellent display against a star-studded team.

It is quite the return to form for a player who started just nine times in the league last season, and the former Atletico Madrid star is on course to smash past the number of appearances he made over 2023/2024.

Partey "almost certain" to leave Arsenal as Barcelona eye move

However, there is the matter of his contract lingering in the background. The £200,000-per-week mainstay’s deal expires next summer, putting a host of clubs on alert over his potential availability in 2025. Unless Edu and Arteta opt to negotiate fresh terms, the African could be on the move sooner rather than later.

Despite his value to the team this season, journalist Jorge Asensio claimed this week that Partey is “almost certain” to leave Arsenal. Understandably, clubs are queuing up to sign him for a potential bargain price.

Barcelona are understood to be one of the interested sides, alongside Juventus, Inter Milan and Saudi Pro League clubs. Many more teams could register their interest soon, with Arteta facing the prospect of losing a “really important” player at the end of this season.

Celtic return to action in the Champions League this evening as they prepare to travel to Bergamo to take on Atalanta away from home in their third league game.

The Hoops are looking to bounce back from their last away day in Europe after they were hammered 7-1 by Borussia Dortmund in Germany in their second outing.

Brendan Rodgers’ side had beaten Slovan in their opening game at Parkhead, with a convincing 5-1 scoreline in Glasgow, before they were humbled by the Bundesliga giants, who raced to a 5-1 lead by half-time.

The Scottish Premiership champions will be hoping to offer a better account of themselves when they come up against the Serie A outfit tonight, whilst also putting in a strong performance than they did at the weekend.

On Saturday, Celtic were held to a 2-2 draw at Parkhead by Aberdeen, to keep the two sides locked on points at the top of the table, after going 2-0 up ahead of half-time.

They let their lead slip and must avoid those defensive frailties to be on show against the likes of Mateo Retegui, Ademola Lookman, and Charles De Ketelaere.

Celtic's top performers against Aberdeen

There were plenty of impressive performers on the pitch for the Hoops against the Dons on Saturday, though, and they should keep their places in the starting line-up.

One player who must stay in the team is centre-forward Kyogo after his impressive contributions during the first-half of the game against Aberdeen.

Firstly, the Japan international made a fantastic run down the right channel and played the perfect pass across the box for Hatate to find the back of the net.

Then, Kyogo pounced on a loose ball in the box, after a shot was deflected into his path, to find the bottom corner to make it 2-0 to the Hoops.

The scorer of the opening goal, Hatate, is another player who was a top performer on Saturday and should start tonight. He produced a fine finish to find the far corner from the striker’s cutback to open the scoring.

Along with his strike, the central midfielder won five of his seven duels and created two chances for his teammates, which shows that he was combative and creative in the middle of the park.

Rodgers must, however, make a change at the other end of the pitch by bringing centre-back Maik Nawrocki in for a rare start, after the disaster in Europe last time out.

The player who should be dropped for Maik Nawrocki

Celtic have been playing with two left-footed centre-backs – in Auston Trusty and Liam Scales – in recent weeks and this means that either of them could drop out to allow Nawrocki to play on the right side.

It should be Trusty, however, who is dropped back down to the bench by Rodgers, as Scales had partnered Cameron Carter-Vickers with success at the start of the season, keeping five clean sheets in five league games.

Whereas, the summer signing from Sheffield United has only helped to keep one clean sheet in his four starts for the club since Carter-Vickers’ injury.

Trusty, who was handed a player rating of 6/10 by The Scotsman, was part of the leaky defence that let in two goals against Aberdeen on Saturday, the second of which deflected off him and in after he turned away from the ball in a weak attempt to block the shot.

In his four appearances for Celtic, the American has been part of a team that has shipped ten goals – including seven in the heavy defeat to Dortmund.

The Hoops have let in three goals in his three starts in the Premiership, after zero goals in Carter-Vickers’ five starts, which suggests that the team was far more defensively secure with the former Tottenham man at the back.

Trusty has yet to prove that he has what it takes to be a key part of Rodgers’ team, given the team’s struggles defensively since his introduction to the side, and that is why he should be ruthlessly ditched from the starting XI for the clash with Atalanta tonight.

Therefore, with Carter-Vickers still missing from injury, the manager should turn to his other available central defender and unleash Nawrocki in his place.

Why Maik Nawrocki must be unleashed

The Polish colossus, who was once hailed as “aggressive” by Rodgers, has yet to start a game in any competition this season, but can offer a natural option on the right side of the defence, instead of having a left-footed player – in Trusty – attempting to play out on his weaker side.

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The giant, signed from Legia Warsaw in the summer of 2023, is comfortable on either foot but is predominantly right-footed, which means that he can open up and play passes into midfield or down the line on the right with ease, which could allow Celtic to bypass the Atalanta press more efficiently than they would with a left-footer in that role.

Last season, Nawrocki did not make a single appearance in the Champions League for the Hoops last season, which could give him added motivation to make his mark if he is selected this evening.

The central defender won 78% of his duels across four appearances in the Europa League for Legia Warsaw in the 2021/22 campaign, which was his last attempt at competing on the continent, and this shows that the potential is there for him to be a dominant figure at the back.

Nawrocki only made ten appearances in the Premiership during his debut season with the Scottish giants last term, but did show signs of promise in that time.

23/24 Premiership

Maik Nawrocki

Appearances

10

Sofascore rating

6.97

Pass accuracy

88%

Clearances per game

3.2

Ground duel success rate

69%

Aerial duel success rate

50%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Polish ace was incredibly dominant in his duels on the deck, winning 69% of his ground battles against Premiership attackers.

Nawrocki, however, has yet to be tested in the Champions League or the Premiership this season and it could, therefore, be a risk to bring him in from the start.

Trusty’s disappointing form, and the seven goal concession against Dortmund, suggests that there is not much to lose from the Hoops giving him a chance, in the absence of Carter-Vickers, and that is why Rodgers must take the plunge and hand him an opportunity.

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Posts 1 ByDan Emery Oct 22, 2024

Sunderland’s rollercoaster ride of a Championship season reached new highs this mid-week, with the Black Cats now three points clear at the top of the league after a determined win away at Luton Town.

It wasn’t a vintage performance from Regis Le Bris’ men by any stretch of the imagination – with the Hatters registering 19 shots to the away side’s lesser nine – but the Wearside outfit managed to dig deep in the end to clinch another three points in a dogged 2-1 victory.

Of course, there was some magic in the attacking areas for the away masses to hang onto at Kenilworth Road, as Romaine Mundle and Chris Rigg dazzled down the wings for the league leaders all night long.

Rigg & Mundle's performances vs Luton

With Wilson Isidor having a quiet time of things versus the Hatters as the lone striker, it was time for both Mundle and Rigg to come to the fore for their side to ensure another three points was forthcoming, and they very much delivered.

Rigg would open the scoring with a calm finish under pressure, with the 17-year-old only registering one shot all game but coming up trumps when it mattered, alongside his equally clinical teammate scoring this sublime winner past a helpless Thomas Kaminski to seal the hard-fought win.

Demonstrating their no-nonsense approach defensively with a fierce Trai Hume tackle kickstarting the move, Le Bris’ men also showed off their quality in attack with the finish, after Mundle left various Luton shirts in the dust before hammering home the goal.

Now sharing seven goals between them in the Championship this season, both on-fire forwards will be crucial as matches come thick and fast, with Sunderland aspiring to stay at the top of the second-tier pile for as long as possible.

Away from both the teenage starlet and the former Tottenham Hotspur youngster picking up those all-important strikes, it was also very much a night for the defenders to shine, as Chris Mepham in particular stood firm to whatever Luton threw at him in an imperious showing.

Mepham's performance in numbers

To win promotion out of the unforgiving league that the Championship can be, Sunderland know that the entertaining attacking performances have to meet in the middle with some resolute displays at the back, with the decision to pick up the Welshman on loan from AFC Bournemouth helping them to enhance that staunchness in their game.

Starring alongside another experienced EFL head in Luke O’Nien in the centre-back spots, Sunderland could well have the makeup of a back four that knows how to shut up shop when needed, with the new Black Cats number 26 almost faultless at points at Kenilworth Road in thwarting the likes of Carlton Morris and Co.

Stat

Mepham

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

57

Accurate passes

32/41 (78%)

Clearances

11

Blocked shots

1

Interceptions

1

Total tackles

2

Total duels won

10/12

Mepham definitely wasn’t the flashiest performer on the ball, but he more than made up for an odd wayward pass here or there with a combative display that shut out the Hatters over and over again in the second 45 minutes, winning ten of the duels that fell his way.

Moreover, the Welshman would clear the ball away from danger 11 times in total as the clock nervously ticked down, with his partner in the heart of defence in O’Nien also tremendous in that respect with six of his own clearances managed.

His manager would wax lyrical after the 2-1 win about his side’s battling spirit, with Le Bris ensuring that Mepham is picked week in week out if he keeps up these stellar displays, knowing he has a promotion up to the Premier League on his CV with the Cherries.

Winning himself an 8/10 match rating after the contest by Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith, who labelled his presence as key as Luton ‘bombarded’ the Black Cats, the ingredients look to be there in Le Bris’ XI to give promotion a real go.

Three points clear now at the top of the league, confidence will be sky high at the Stadium of Light, as another league win is eyed up when Oxford United come to Wearside on Saturday.

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ByKelan Sarson Oct 18, 2024

Domestic season is facing significant challenges trying to get a fixture list together

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2021

Victoria and New South Wales are hoping they will be able to travel to South Australia to quarantine for two weeks in an attempt to begin their domestic seasons.With the Covid-19 situation in the two states and the associated travel restrictions various options have been on the table, but there is yet to be confirmation that the South Australia option will be viable and on Thursday evening the reported that talks between Cricket Australia and the state government had stalled.If it does come together, the squads would likely be free of quarantine by late October. They would then need at least week to prepare for matches which could involve them traveling to the other open states of Western Australia and Tasmania with the hope of playing up to four Sheffield Shield and five Marsh Cup games before the Big Bash starts in early December.”I think the plan is still for us to quarantine somewhere, and once we’re ‘clean’ so to speak, we’ll travel around and play in different places. But that’s not set in stone,” Victoria head coach Chris Rogers told radio earlier on Thursday. “It looks like we’ll be going to Adelaide, and from there we’ll wait to see when the fixtures come out.Related

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“I think we’re hoping that we go into quarantine not this weekend, the weekend after and then have we’ll have two weeks of quarantine. We’ll probably need another six to seven days of getting the bowlers back up and prepared. We’re probably looking at about four weeks from now.”Victoria had to quarantine before last season’s Sheffield Shield hub in Adelaide and ended up trimming their fixture list due to concern over player workload after the difficult build-up.Speaking to Fox Cricket, New South Wales and Australia offspinner Nathan Lyon said he expected to be heading to Adelaide on Monday.So far there has only been one Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup match played with South Australia facing Western Australia last week. The scheduled Queensland-Tasmania fixture, which had been due to start in Brisbane on Tuesday, was called off shortly before the toss when Tasmania made the swift decision to return home due to Covid cases emerging in the city and concerns of being caught in border closures.There is a significant impact on those players hoping to push their claims for a Test spot. Victoria have Marcus Harris, Will Pucovski and James Pattinson in their ranks while Lyon would hope for plenty of overs for New South Wales. The Queensland postponement means that Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser are yet to start their season.The original domestic fixture lists had to be torn up after the Covid outbreaks in Victoria and New South Wales. The WNCL has been pushed back to start after the WBBL which itself has had the first 20 matches shifted entirely to Tasmania.

Defending champions Sydney Thunder lost their last seven wickets for just 17

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2021Adelaide Strikers 7 for 140 (McGrath 42) beat Sydney Thunder 110 (Hall, 38 McGrath 3-17)Tahlia McGrath’s outstanding start to the season continued with a vital all-round display as Adelaide Strikers toppled defending champions Sydney Thunder.McGrath, who is captaining Strikers in the absence of Megan Schutt, top-scored with 42 off 34 balls before claiming 3 for 17, starting with the scalp of Smriti Mandhana, then the match-securing brace of Corinne Hall and Anika Learoyd in consecutive deliveries when they had given Thunder a glimmer after losing early wickets.Strikers were in trouble at 4 for 46 – which had included losing Laura Wolvaardt for a first-ball duck – but were rebuilt by a fifth-wicket stand of 69 in 10 overs between McGrath and Madeline Penna.They were both set to cut loose in the closing overs but fell in the space of three deliveries against Lauren Smith. However, Amanda-Jade Wellington was able to edge the total to 140.Hannah Darlington, in her first game as Thunder captain at the age of 19, took 1 for 22 with the a sharp inswinger removing Bridget Patterson.Thunder’s chase started poorly when Sammy-Jo Johnson, opening to try and make use of the Powerplay, was brilliantly caught at midwicket by Penna off a powerfully-struck pull. McGrath, after an expensive start to her first over, then had Mandhana caught at backward point with the first delivery to her – coming round the wicket and luring a drive as the Australians had tried to do with mixed results during the multi-format series.Phoebe Litchfield briefly timed the ball very nicely before edging a cut in Jemma Barsby’s first over and though Hall and Learoyd rebuilt the asking rate was always rising. McGrath claimed them both in the 15th over and the lower order fell away. In all, the last seven wickets fell for 17.