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ICC shortlists venues for 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The 20-team tournament will be played at three venues in Sri Lanka and five in India

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2025The ICC has finalised Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai as the venues in India for the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka as well. It is understood the ICC has shortlisted two venues in Colombo and Kandy as the three venues in Sri Lanka.The T20 World Cup is set to begin on February 7 and will conclude with the final in Ahmedabad on March 8. According to PTI, the ICC is likely to release the schedule next week, with just about three months to go for the start of the tournament. It is understood that the majority of the participating countries have been waiting for the ICC to inform them about the grouping of teams as well as the schedule. The ICC is also yet to release ticketing information for the tournament.Pakistan will play all their games in Sri Lanka as per the agreement reached between the BCCI and PCB for India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues during multi-nation tournaments hosted by the other country. If Pakistan make the final, the fixture will be held in Sri Lanka.The 2026 T20 World Cup will have the same format as the previous edition – 20 teams split into four groups of five each, with every team playing the others once. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super-eight stage, where they will be placed into two groups of four. The top two sides from each Super-eight group will then qualify for the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-final will meet in the final.Apart from hosts India and Sri Lanka, the other teams with automatic qualification to the tournament were the top seven teams from the 2024 T20 World Cup – Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, United States of America and West Indies. The three teams that qualified on the basis of their T20I rankings were New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland.Canada took the lone spot from the Americas Qualifier. Italy, first time T20 World Cup participants, and Netherlands qualified from the five-team tournament in Europe. Namibia and Zimbabwe grabbed the two spots from the eight-team Africa qualifier before Nepal, Oman and UAE made it from the Asia-EAP round.India are the defending champions, having beaten South Africa in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados.

How many times have the top three scored hundreds in an ODI like Australia's did in Mackay?

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

And does Sunil Gavaskar hold the record for scoring the lowest percentage of career runs in wins?

Steven Lynch26-Aug-2025Matt Breetzke just scored his fourth half-century in his fourth ODI. Has anyone else done this? asked Harvey Osborne from South Africa
By scoring 88 against Australia in Mackay last week, South Africa’s Matthew Breetzke became the first man to reach 50 in all of his first four one-day internationals: he started with 150 against New Zealand in Lahore in February, added 83 against Pakistan two days later, and then started last week with 57 against Australia in Cairns.Although Breetzke is the first to reach 50 in his first four ODI matches, there is another man who did it in his first four innings: India’s Navjot Singh Sidhu started his ODI career during the 1987 World Cup with innings of 73, 55, 51 and 55 – but that run included a match against Zimbabwe in which he did not bat.Only two other men have scored half-centuries in their first three ODIs, and both were representing Netherlands: Tom Cooper and Max O’Dowd.Australia’s top three all made centuries in the recent ODI in Mackay. Was this a first? asked Mike Roberts from Australia
Australia’s huge total of 431 for 2 against South Africa in Mackay last weekend included 142 from Travis Head, a round 100 by captain Mitchell Marsh, and an unbeaten 118 from Cameron Green. It was the fifth ODI innings to contain three centuries, but only the second time these had come from the top three in the order, after South Africa (439 for 2) against West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015, when Hashim Amla made 153 not out, Rilee Rossouw 128 and AB de Villiers 149 from 44 balls at No. 3. De Villiers’ century needed only 31 deliveries, the ODI record: Green’s 47-ball ton in Mackay puts him joint 11th on that list.Here are some more statistical highlights from the weekend’s match.No batter is repeated in Kraigg Brathwaite’s (left) haul of 29 Test wickets so far•AFP via Getty ImagesWhen Sam Konstas made his Test debut he was the youngest player in the side by about 11 years. Was this a record? asked Dean Harrison from Australia
Sam Konstas made his Test debut for Australia in Melbourne last year at 19: unusually, there was no one in their twenties in that Australian side; the next youngest was Marnus Labuschagne, who was 30 at the time.The age difference between Konstas and Labuschagne (about 11 years three months) is indeed a record for the youngest member of any Test side. Previously the record was nine years four months, between Aaqib Javed (aged 16) and Saleem Malik (25) for Pakistan against New Zealand in Wellington in 1989.There are a few bigger gaps between the most senior member of a Test team and the next oldest. The biggest of all is 17 years nine months, between Miran Bakhsh (aged 47) and Pakistan’s captain Abdul Hafeez Kardar (30) in two Tests in India early in 1955.In the very first Test, against Australia in Melbourne in 1877, England’s James Southerton – the oldest Test debutant of all, at 49 – was nearly 14 years older than his team-mate Tom Emmett, who was 35.Although Sunil Gavaskar scored more than 10,000 Test runs, only 1671 of them came in winning causes. Is that the lowest in terms of percentage in a career, among players who scored a minimum of 3000 runs? asked Kumar Bhagat from the UAE
You’re right that only 1671 of Sunil Gavaskar’s 10,122 Test runs came in victories. That’s 16.51%, which actually isn’t too bad for a time when India won rather less often than they do now. Among those who scored 3000 Test runs, there are 11 men whose percentage in wins is lower than Gavaskar’s: they include four other Indians – Vijay Manjrekar (270 out of 3208, or 8.42%), Polly Umrigar (456/3631, 12.56%), Ravi Shastri (492/3830, 12.85%) and Chandu Borde (504/3061, 16.47%).Lowest of all is Bangladesh’s Habibul Bashar: he scored 3026 Test runs, but only 149 (4.92%) came in wins. Two famous names come next: Hanif Mohammad made 3915 Test runs for Pakistan, but only 285 (7.28%) in wins, while John Reid’s 3428 runs for New Zealand included just 297 (8.66%) in victories.Who has taken the most Test wickets without ever dismissing one batter more than once? asked Ayan Ghosh from India
The leader here is a current player, although he’s out of favour at the moment and so might not get the chance to add to his tally. The West Indian opener Kraigg Brathwaite has taken 29 Test wickets so far, all of them different batters.Mohammad Ashraful of Bangladesh dismissed 21 different batters, and Sajeewa de Silva of Sri Lanka 16. Travis Head of Australia has dismissed 16 different men so far. The Surrey and England pair of Mark Butcher and Gareth Batty both took 15 Test wickets, all different people.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Striker admits joining Chelsea was a "big mistake" and he had no other options

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Chelsea have made a solid start to the season under Enzo Maresca despite being presented with a fair few obstacles, and the Blues briefly climbed to second in the Premier League table last weekend.

Maresca’s approach has been defined by extensive squad rotation, a strategy that has drawn both praise and criticism.

The Italian has made 93 changes in total this season, a staggering number and more than any other Premier League side. This rotation policy could reflect Chelsea’s depth and ambitions to compete on all four fronts, even if Maresca reportedly isn’t completely satisfied with the squad right now.

That being said, injuries and suspensions have significantly tested that depth this term.

Levi Colwill remains a long-term absentee after sustaining an ACL injury during pre-season training in August, ruling him out for most of the campaign and likely England’s Euro 2026 preparations. Superstar forward Cole Palmer has also been sidelined with a niggling groin injury since September, with Maresca initially expecting him to return shortly after the last international break before the recovery timeline was extended by six weeks.

The England international missed a full month of action and was targeting a return in December, but he is now expected to return before the end of this month and could feature against Barcelona in the Champions League.

The striker department has been particularly affected by injuries. Summer signing Liam Delap sustained a hamstring problem early in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August, leaving him out for two months, and following his return from a lengthy layoff, the forward’s comeback quickly turned into a disaster.

Delap picked up two needless yellow cards against Wolves, prompting fury from Maresca, who labelled his conduct ’embarrassing’.

After Roméo Lavia’s latest in a long line of injuries since joining from Southampton, Chelsea’s medical room is starting to feel overcrowded again, but the west Londoners have done well to navigate it with Colwill, Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernández, Pedro Neto, Dario Essugo, Delap, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos and Josh Acheampong all missing at various points.

Chelsea became the first team in history to win all five UEFA club tournaments back in May, and as Maresca looks to build upon that feat, their form on paper suggests the club have every chance of doing so.

BlueCo’s ownership appears to finally be reaping dividends, but it hasn’t always been this way.

There’s been a fair few trial and error, high-profile mistakes since Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly took over the club in 2022, not least their deal for ex-Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang admits Chelsea transfer was a "big mistake"

Speaking to YouTube content creator Troopz, via ESPN, Aubameyang himself has now admitted that joining Chelsea was a “big mistake”.

Aubameyang signed for Chelsea in September 2022 for a reported fee of around £10 million, reuniting with his former boss at Borussia Dortmund, Thomas Tuchel. However, Tuchel was sacked just days after the Gabonese’s arrival, setting the tone for a disastrous spell.

He was handed his first Premier League appearance in October, scoring his first goal for the club in a 2-1 away victory over Crystal Palace. The now-Marseille striker made 21 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, scoring just three goals, and all three of them came in the space of ten days that October.

Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

By February, he was dropped from the Champions League squad by Graham Potter, highlighting his fall from grace, and he didn’t fare any better under Frank Lampard either. Aubameyang struggled for form and consistency, and just 10 months after signing, the 36-year-old left Chelsea and signed a three-year deal with Marseille on a free transfer.

He’ll go down as one of, if not the worst signing of BlueCo’s tenure — so the feeling of regret will be pretty mutual in London.

Reactions to Kohli's Test retirement: 'You made fitness, aggression and pride in whites the new standard'

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

How the cricketing world reacted to the news of Kohli’s Test retirement

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-20251:38

AB de Villiers: ‘I did get a hint that Kohli would retire’

Virat Kohli on Monday announced his retirement from Test cricket, sparking reactions from the rest of the cricketing world. Cricketers, both current and retired, took to social media to pay tribute to Kohli, who played 123 Tests in 14 years.

'This is the start of an important year for our team' – USWNT set to close January camp with friendly against Chile

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The U.S. women’s national team will close out January with a friendly against 45th-ranked Chile in Santa Barbara, Calif., marking the program’s first international match in the city. The USWNT will face Chile at UC Santa Barbara, the same campus where the team first held a training camp in 1991 before winning the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in China.

Getty Images Sport'Not a common occurrence'

While Santa Barbara is new for a match, the USWNT have frequently held training camps at the college campus and even played the UCSB women's soccer team that same year they went on to win the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup title. 

“Playing in a city for the first time is not a common occurrence at this point in our history," Hayes said, "So I know our players will enjoy being in beautiful Santa Barbara and our staff are really looking forward to January camp and these matches against two tough South American countries."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesUSWNT's history with Chile

While the USWNT do not have a long history with Chile, the teams have met before – just three times. Chile are ranked 45th in the world and fifth in CONMEBOL, behind Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay. Their last meeting came in the group stage of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, when the U.S. won 3-0. Before that, the sides played two friendlies in 2018.

Getty Images'Focused on maximizing every minute'

It’s no surprise that 2026 will carry plenty of weight for the USWNT, who will soon enter the countdown toward the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. To set the tone early, Hayes’ side will play two January friendlies – first against Paraguay and then against Chile.

The Americans enjoyed a historic 2025, finishing with a 12-3-0 record. Hayes also capped her first full calendar year in charge with 25 wins.

“This is the start of an important year for our team, and as always, we’re focused on maximizing every minute we get with the players,” Hayes said.

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Getty ImagesWhat will 2026 bring?

The USWNT finished the 2025 calendar year with back-to-back victories over Italy. Hayes once again experimented with new players and personnel to close out the year, and admirably gave 43 players their senior debuts in 2025, the most in a single year since 2001. 

There will likely be a shift to more familiar rosters through 2026 as Hayes fine-tunes her playing pool.

Australia U-19 star Harjas Singh smashes triple century in 50-over grade game

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The left hander, who doesn’t hold a state contract, hit 35 sixes in a remarkable display in Sydney on Saturday

Andrew McGlashan04-Oct-2025Former Australia Under-19 batter Harjas Singh, who was part of the side that won the World Cup in South Africa last year, produced an extraordinary display in Sydney grade cricket on Saturday with 314 off 141 balls, including 35 sixes, for Western Suburbs.The phenomenal display from the left hander, who top-scored with 55 in the World Cup final against India, came against Sydney Cricket Club at Pratten Park. The next highest score in the innings was 37.For a little while there was a discrepancy with the online scoring available – perhaps Singh’s onslaught had created a meltdown – but his final tally was confirmed as placing him third on the all-time list in New South Wales Premier first grade history, behind Victor Trumper’s 335 in 1903 and Phil Jaques’ 321 in 2007.It is also comfortably the highest limited-overs score in first grade premier cricket anywhere in Australia.The match was available to follow on YouTube via a single-camera stream (it’s worth noting the current India A vs Australia A series isn’t available to watch) and there was a roar of delight from Singh when he brought up his triple century with a six off left-arm spinner Tom Mullen.

“Definitely that’s the cleanest ball-striking I’ve ever witnessed from myself, for sure,” Singh told after the match. “It’s something I’m quite proud of because I’ve worked in the off-season quite a bit on my power-hitting, and for it to come off today was quite special.”Singh had reached his century in the 35th over, from 74 balls, before making 214 from his next 67.In 2023, Singh made a century in a Test against England U-19s in Northampton. Many of Singh’s U-19 team-mates have gone into state cricket, including captain Hugh Weibgen who made his first-class debut for Queensland on Saturday, but Singh was overlooked for a NSW rookie contract.”I’ve missed out the last season or two, worrying about stuff outside my own game,” he said. “But I feel like I’ve brought myself to just worrying about what’s going on with my own game.”

WATCH: Folarin Balogun scores USMNT game-winner after Gio Reyna’s buildup sparks decisive goal

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Folarin Balogun scored a crucial goal to put the United States Men’s National Team ahead 2-1 against Paraguay during the November 2025 international window. The strike was Balogun’s third goal in his last four appearances, with Gio Reyna creating the chance moments after ending his own scoring drought with the USMNT’s opener – his first goal since March 2024.

GOALUSMNT’s aggressiveness

The goal originated from Diego Luna’s aggressive pressing, which forced Paraguay into a turnover deep in their own half. Luna’s pressure allowed the USMNT to regain possession in a dangerous area, setting the stage for a swift counterattack. Reyna picked up the ball from Balogun’s hold-up play and attempted a cutback pass. Although the initial pass was blocked, it deflected back to Balogun, who quickly slashed a left-footed shot into the net.

AdvertisementWatch the goalGetty ImagesBalogun’s scoring form

Balogun’s goal reinforces his growing importance to the USMNT attack. With three goals in his last four appearances, the Monaco forward continues to show reliable scoring form at the international level. His link-up with players like Reyna also underscores the expanding attacking options for Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

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Getty Images SportUSMNT builds momentum

The goal against Paraguay and their subsequent 2-1 win reflects the USMNT’s growing confidence and attacking dynamism under Pochettino’s guidance. They will face Uruguay next on Nov. 18 in their final international game of the calendar year.

South Zone and Central Zone set for Duleep Trophy final with fresh faces in the mix

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Big names are missing due to the Asia Cup and India A’s multi-day series against Australia A

Ashish Pant10-Sep-2025Big picture: Big names missing in finalWith a host of big names either playing the Asia Cup or getting ready for India A’s red-ball series against Australia A, the Duleep Trophy 2025-26 final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru is expected to be a low-key affair. Both South Zone and Central Zone have brought in reinforcements after their respective semi-finals.Central Zone have made four changes, with Vidarbha seamer Nachiket Bhute, Madhya Pradesh’s Kumar Kartikeya and Kuldeep Sen, and Rajasthan’s left-arm spinner Kukna Ajay Singh getting into the mix. They come in for Yash Thakur, Harsh Dubey, Khaleel Ahmed and Manav Suthar, who have departed for the four-day series against Australia A in Lucknow.South Zone, meanwhile, have brought in Karnataka’s R Smaran and Tamil Nadu’s C Andre Siddarth in place of Devdutt Padikkal and N Jagadeesan.Related

'Cricket's just a game' – How Tanmay Agarwal's new mindset is fuelling his run spree

C Andre Siddarth sets sights on Ranji Trophy glory

Shubham Sharma – a low-profile red-ball warrior in the T20 era

Danish Malewar's bright start and big ambitions

Central Zone’s batting looks formidable. Three of the four highest run-scorers in the tournament belong to them: Danish Malewar (294), Rajat Patidar (268) and Shubham Sharma (252). The bowling, however, is severely depleted, with four of their frontliners out of the final.The onus will be on offspinner Saransh Jain, who got a match haul of 8 for 205, and, with that, the Player-of-the-Match award in the semi-final against West Zone, to continue his form. Central Zone will also hope for Deepak Chahar to get back among the wickets. The seamer has had a lukewarm Duleep Trophy so far – two wickets in three innings at 58 – and hasn’t found much movement with the new ball.South Zone have an inexperienced batting unit, and will bank on Tanmay Agarwal, Ricky Bhui and captain Mohammed Azharuddeen to get some runs. The bowlers, led by quick Gurjapneet Singh, were impressive in the semi-final against North Zone, and will hope to continue their wicket-taking form.Central Zone have only played at Ground B, which has a black-soil pitch, while South Zone have previous experience of playing at Ground A, which will host the final, and has a red-soil pitch. Both teams dominated their respective semi-finals, qualifying by virtue of a first-innings lead.The Duleep Trophy final will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app.Rajat Patidar has a strike rate of 106.34 in the Duleep Trophy this season•PTI In the spotlight: Rajat Patidar and Mohammed AzharuddeenWith scores of 125, 66 and 77, Rajat Patidar has been in impressive form in the Duleep Trophy. He is third on the run charts, while his strike rate of 106.34 is the highest for any batter to have played more than six balls in the tournament. Patidar’s captaincy has also stood out in both games, but with many of his frontline bowlers missing, it will be tested in the final.South Zone captain Mohammed Azharuddeen missed out on an excellent batting pitch in the semi-final. He will want to make amends. Azharuddeen, who will also keep wicket with Jagadeesan away, had a terrific Ranji Trophy 2024-25, scoring 635 runs at 70.55 in Kerala’s run to the final. He also entered the Duleep Trophy on the back of a decent Kerala Cricket League, where he recorded 253 runs in eight innings.Team news: Central’s new bowlersSouth Zone could send Shaik Rasheed to open alongside Tanmay, while Smaran could come into the middle order. Salman Nizar was struck on the knee during the semi-final, and had to be carried to the dugout. If he fails to recover in time, they could bring Siddarth into the XI.South Zone (probable): 1 Shaik Rasheed, 2 Tanmay Agarwal, 3 Mohit Kale, 4 R Smaran, 5 Ricky Bhui (vice-capt), 6 C Andre Siddarth/Salman Nizar, 7 Mohammed Azharuddeen (capt, wk), 8 Tanay Thyagarajan, 9 Gurjapneet Singh, 10 Vasuki Koushik, 11 MD NidheeshDeepak Chahar has two wickets at an average of 58 in this season’s Duleep Trophy•PTI Central Zone are unlikely to tinker with their batting order, but will have to field almost a fresh bowling unit. While Chahar is likely to hold on to his place, Kartikeya, Kuldeep and Aditya Thakare could all come into the side.Central Zone (probable): 1 Aayush Pandey, 2 Danish Malewar, 3 Shubham Sharma, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Yash Rathod, 6 Upendra Yadav (wk), 7 Aditya Thakare, 8 Saransh Jain, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Kumar Kartikeya, 11 Kuldeep SenPitch and conditions: Runs galoreThe surface at Ground A has been excellent for batting. Neither of the two Duleep Trophy games played there had a fourth innings, with only 45 wickets falling across the quarter-final and the semi-final. According to the weather forecast, there could be a mix of cloudy skies and rain showers throughout the five days of the final.Quotes”There was something for the fast bowlers, especially when they were hitting the seam – it was moving in and out. But we need to be really patient for that one ball. We know that it is a flat wicket, but we also know that there will be something in between.

Ruben Amorim admits Matheus Cunha still has 'so much to grow' in brutally honest assessment of Man Utd forward's first few months at Old Trafford

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Ruben Amorim has challenged Matheus Cunha to raise his game after a slow start to his Manchester United career and to avoid being too affected by social media criticism over his lack of goals and assists. Cunha has scored only one goal for the Red Devils following his £62.5m move from Wolves in the summer but will have the chance to increase his account against West Ham on Thursday.

  • Cunha set to return against West Ham

    Cunha missed United's last two games against Crystal Palace and Everton due to a knock to the head he sustained in training but was seen back with his team-mates at Carrington on Wednesday preparing for the next game against the Irons. It is the second spell Cunha has had on the sidelines following his big-money move from Wolves and Amorim admitted that the Brazilian forward has a lot more to give.

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    Cunha 'thinking too much about numbers'

    Amorim told a press conference: "I think he has more levels to go. He's in the different club, different pressure, but I think he copes with that really well. He was struggling because he was not scoring and because of social media views, he was thinking too much about the numbers, but the influence that he has in the team is so important for us. But I think I think Cunha has so much to grow defensively and offensively."

  • Amorim addresses Yoro 'frustration'

    Amorim also addressed Leny Yoro, who was visibly distraught on the sidelines at Selhurst Park on Sunday after being hooked at half-time against Crystal Palace, having given away the penalty from which the Eagles took the lead in United's eventual 2-1 victory. Amorim welcomed Mason Mount giving support to Yoro but he also hinted that the defender is too sensitive. 

    The coach explained: "It's really important [the support from Mount]. Of course, I also spoke with him because he thinks too much. He makes some mistakes in the game, and then he struggles because he's too young and he wants to do everything so well. He’s growing, with games and with setbacks, it’s not easy for him as a young guy. 

    "He cannot give that to the people the way he came to the bench, he understands that but he was really frustrated. On the good side it shows that he cares, he knows it wasn’t his best game but he did some things well and I showed him that also. He’s fit and ready for the next challenge."

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  • AFP

    Cunha has opportunity to boost numbers in coming weeks

    Cunha's only Premier League goal for United came in the 4-2 win over Brighton in October but the Red Devils have a relatively kind set of fixtures coming up in which he can boost his numbers. On Thursday they host a West Ham side who are 17th in the Premier League table and have only one away match all season. Next Monday Cunha faces an emotional return to former club Wolves, who have fallen on hard times since he departed for Old Trafford.

    Wolves have taken just two points all season and are still without a victory. If they continue on their current rate of results they will break Derby County's unwanted record of taking the fewest points in Premier League history.

Marcus Rashford returns for Chelsea trip but Barcelona hit with bad Pedri news ahead of Champions League clash

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Barcelona have been handed both relief and pain ahead of their crucial Champions League tie against Chelsea. On one hand, they have Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford back in the squad, but they will yet again miss the services of their talismanic midfielder Pedri, who has been sidelined since late October.

  • Rashford's presence is important against Chelsea

    Rashford, after a decent outing with England in the November international break, missed Barcelona's 4-0 win against Athletic Club at Camp Nou due to illness. However, he has now recovered from the flu and has been included in Barca's squad that will travel to London to face Enzo Maresca's Chelsea. Rashford, who enjoyed a dismal last few days at United, is currently a menace to Barca's opponents. Ever since his loan move in the summer, he has secured six goals and nine assists across La Liga and the Champions League. In the latter, he has been in ecstatic form, nailing four goals and two assists in the four outings. His involvement against Chelsea will be crucial, and Flick will be dependent on him for goals, as he has already scored six times against the Stamford Bridge-based side. Adding to that, his five assists against the Blues will be a great statistic to keep Maresca's men on their toes.

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    Pedri remains a concern for Flick

    Pedri, who is not only admired by the Barca faithful but also by opposition managers, will be sidelined for this fixture too. He sustained a tear in the distal femoral biceps of his left leg in late October, and the Clasico was the last time he featured. He is a vital cog in Flick's machinery, as he has hardly missed games under the German coach. The femoral biceps are part of the hamstring group at the back portion of the thigh, and this is not the first time he has succumbed to such an injury. Previously, in September 2021, he suffered a hamstring injury, which kept him out for three months. However, he is said to be recovering well and, as per , has entered the final stage of his recovery.

  • Maresca hails Pedri and Flick before continental tie

    Maresca, a Spaniard himself, has been an admirer of Pedri, who is often treated as one of the finest midfielders of his generation. The Chelsea boss, before the Barca game, spoke highly about Pedri and also of Flick's Barca. 

    "It’s not only a loss for Barcelona, it’s a loss for football because he has incredible quality," he said. "Flick’s Barca looks spectacular to me. Whenever I watch them, you can always learn something. Last year, they won La Liga and reached the Champions League semifinals. They do many things well, and they are a team that always wants to take the initiative. We will try to do the same."

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    Two other crucial members reintegrated into the squad

    Club captain Frenkie de Jong, who has been one of Flick's most trusted personnel, served his suspension against Athletic Club and is set to make a return for the Chelsea game. Full-back Alejandro Balde, who received a blow to his head last week and was taken off at the lemon break, has travelled with the team to London.

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