All posts by h716a5.icu

Liverpool will be hoping to make it two wins from two in Group B of the Champions League when they take on Porto at the Estadio do Dragao this evening.

The Reds saw off AC Milan 3-2 in their opening fixture of Europe’s elite cup competition while their Portuguese opponents held Atletico Madrid to a goalless draw.

Ahead of the trip across the continent, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp claimed only Thiago and Harvey Elliott were unavailable through injury, saying: “A big squad will travel.

“Twenty-three are with us, and apart from the longer-term injuries, they are all in. No, Thiago, Harvey (Elliott), and the rest are available. No new concerns at the moment,” Klopp said in Monday’s press conference.

However, since then, it’s been revealed that first-choice right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold did not travel with the first-team squad, thus ruling him out of action too.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the German tactician to line up against Porto, with two changes from the side that drew 3-3 with Brentford over the weekend…

The virtually ever-present Alisson Becker will take up his usual residency between the sticks for this midweek encounter, and he’ll be hoping for a more comfortable evening than the one he endured against Milan.

Ahead of the South American shot-stopper may well be a rather unfamiliar back four. While experienced centre-back’s Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip keep their place at the heart of defence, the two full-back positions could see some fresh faces return to action.

James Milner is set to replace the absent Alexander-Arnold at right-back while Konstantinos Tsimikas comes in for the £58.5m-rated Andy Roberston on the opposite flank after the Scotsman’s underwhelming start to the campaign.

In midfield, an impressive showing from 20-year-old Curtis Jones against Brentford should ensure he features from the off once more, despite the return of Naby Keita, meaning he’ll join Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in the engine room.

Completing the lineup will be a forward line consisting of Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah. Although Roberto Firmino made his return from injury over the weekend, this evening’s fixture may come too soon for the Brazil international.

And, in other news…Liverpool receive huge double injury boost ahead of Porto, Klopp will be buzzing

An update has emerged on Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips, regarding Manchester City’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Fichajes, Manchester City are lining up a swoop for Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips at the end of the season as a potential Fernandinho replacement.

The report claims that Pep Guardiola has asked the club to secure a deal for the England international, who is said to be valued at around £25.6m (€30m).

Fans would love it

Txiki Begiristain must work hard to reach an agreement with Leeds to sign Phillips next summer as he would be a solid addition to Guardiola’s midfield options. The Spanish head coach directly recommending the player also suggests that he has faith that Phillips would be able to come in and make the step up from Leeds, which should give supporters the belief that it would be a shrewd piece of business.

City fans would love it if this deal went through as Phillips has seemingly been identified by Guardiola and he could be an excellent addition to the squad. He has proven himself for Leeds in the Premier League and for England at the international level, recently winning BT England Player of the Year for his efforts for his country.

Former Liverpool player Danny Murphy hailed the 25-year-old as unbelievable and backed him to play in an advanced midfield position. He told TalkSport, via FanBanter:

“To play one season in the Premier League and then build up your international experience while you’re doing that… it’s hard enough adapting just to play in the Premier League.

“I was probably two years at Liverpool before I started even becoming used to and started playing regularly and actually thinking I’m worthy. He’s gone into the Premier League comfortable and confident, he’s just adjusted so easily.

“He’s just taken it all in his stride: unbelievable. Temperament, fitness, quality.

“And I actually think although Leeds play him in that holding role, I like him a bit further ahead with the insurance with someone behind him.”

This highlights the quality the £36m-rated beast has, as he has been able to adapt to playing regular international football for England alongside delivering excellent performances for Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa.

He played seven games at the European Championships and averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.82, making 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game.

Therefore, City fans would be delighted with his arrival. He has shown that he can compete in the Premier League and at a major international tournament, suggesting that he has the potential to make the step up to City.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Rodri: Man City can seal perfect midfield by signing Pep’s £80m target…

Crystal Palace shared a lengthy interview with attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze on Monday evening.

And, as to be expected, a number of Palace fans have been giving their thoughts to the club’s official Twitter post.

He’s been out of action since May after suffering an Achilles injury in training, which, at first, may have kept him out until 2022.

However, reports last month suggested that Eze is ahead of schedule when it comes to his recovery.

The 23-year-old recently shared a teasing update on his fitness with a seven-second clip online. He was seen running freely on the training pitch, giving Patrick Vieira a possible boost in the near future.

Eze opened up about his injury came about, his possible England call-up for the European Championships and his rehabilitation, with the full video available to view here.

Palace fans react

Palace’s tweet received plenty of interaction, with a number of positive replies from numerous Eagles supporters available to view below.

“I’m seriously in love with this man”

Credit: @robertmeilak

“What a fantastic attitude he has. Brilliant interview.”

Credit: @cmhufc

“Wonderful stuff. Thank you for this”

Credit: @Matchday365

“A young & fantastic player in the making but what an absolute lovely, grounded & decent bloke. Also a fantastic role model & not just as a footballer. We are truly lucky to have him on a number of levels”

Credit: @HC15OnTour

“I’m not sure I’ve heard many players of his age, speak so eloquently. If you get a chance, watch the full interview. It’s more than worth your time!”

Credit: @Pets93

“I love this man…can’t wait to see you back on the pitch”

Credit: @cpfc7791

In other news: ‘Lots of CPFC fans flock to shock Conor Gallagher transfer update. 

Aaron Bird, the New South Wales fast bowler, has been reported for a suspect action for the second time in three seasons

Cricinfo staff30-Jan-2009
The umpires have raised concerns over Aaron Bird’s action three times this season © Getty Images
Aaron Bird, the New South Wales fast bowler, has been reported for a suspect action for the second time in three seasons and faces a minimum three-month suspension if it is illegal. Bird is capable of bowling in the high 140kph range and is the leading wicket-taker in both the Twenty20 and one-day competitions this season.Bird surprised Victoria’s batsmen in the Twenty20 final and picked up three wickets, but it was one of three matches where the umpires raised concerns. The officials also reported him following FR Cup matches as far back as October due to Bird “displaying a doubtful bowling action with some of his deliveries”.He will be free to continue playing for New South Wales, but was left out of the Sheffield Shield match starting in Newcastle on Friday. “Within 21 days of being notified of a report, a bowler must make himself available to undergo an analysis of his bowling action at the Australian Institute of Sport biomechanics laboratory in Canberra,” a Cricket Australia spokesman said. “An assessment report, stating whether his action is legal, will be sent to Cricket Australia within 14 days of the completion of the testing.”If Bird’s action is found to be illegal he will be suspended for at least 90 days. After that period he will be able to undergo more analysis in a bid to be cleared.This season he has 13 Twenty20 wickets at 14.07 and 20 victims in the FR Cup. He was reported in 2006-07 but the testing on his action, which was eventually cleared, was delayed by a season due to stress fractures.

West Bromwich Albion fans are not best pleased with comments from Callum Robinson, who said he has not taken a Covid-19 vaccine and does not plan on doing so.

Over the past year and a half, the world has been ravaged by the coronavirus. Football, too, has been heavily affected – the 2019/20 season was delayed by three months (thefa.com), while supporters were not allowed to attend grounds during the 2020/21 campaign as it was not safe for people to congregate together in big groups.

The vaccines have enabled the world to return to normal somewhat, although a minority remain sceptical as to the scientific benefits of the jab. £5.4m-valued Robinson (Transfermarkt) is one of those, with the Ireland international saying he has decided not to take the vaccine after contracting the virus twice (Sky Sports).

His comments have been doing the rounds on Twitter, and they attracted plenty of attention from the Baggies supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from Robinson

“No great”

Credit: @Stevotop

“I love Callum, but that is a truly selfish decision, getting vaccinated isn’t just about helping yourself, it helps everyone. Can’t support that at all, however CR7 is still one of my favourite people in football, and ultimately it is his choice.”

Credit: @joshwbWBA

“A bit selfish from him. It’s as much about protecting others as himself. Given he’s had Covid twice it’s an odd decision.”

Credit: @baggiedave70

“Idiot”

Credit: @ChrisHackett68

“Silly fool”

Credit: @SamuelRoberts01

“Shouldn’t be able to play risky the team in selfish way. Why is it only footballers get away with murder”

Credit: @baggiebubble

In other news, West Brom fans love this man’s return from injury.

Antigua-based billionaire Allen Stanford has been charged with fraud by US authorities according to the Reuters agency

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2009
Allen Stanford outside his cricket ground last October – the name he chose for the venue might come back to haunt him © PA Photos
Antigua-based billionaire Allen Stanford has been charged with fraud by US authorities according to the Reuters agency. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said that it was “alleging a fraud of shocking magnitude”.Linda Chatman Thomsen, director of the SEC’s division of enforcement, said: “As we allege in our complaint, Stanford and the close circle of family and friends with whom he runs his businesses perpetrated a massive fraud based on false promises and fabricated historical return data to prey on investors. We are moving quickly and decisively in this enforcement action to stop this fraudulent conduct and preserve assets for investors.”Rose Romero, regional director of the SEC’s Fort Worth regional office, added: “We are alleging a fraud of shocking magnitude that has spread its tentacles throughout the world.”A US district judge granted the SEC’s request to impose a temporary restraining order on the Stanford operations and to freeze the defendants’ assets, and appoint a receiver to marshal those assets.Federal agents were also reported to have entered the Houston office of Stanford Financial Group, according to a Reuters eyewitness.In Antigua, the country’s prime minister, Baldwin Spencer, said the case had “profound, serious implications” for Antigua and Barbuda and its fallout threatens “catastrophic and immediate consequences”. The government, he said, was putting in place a contingency plan and there was no need to panic.‘We are alleging a fraud of shocking magnitude that has spread its tentacles throughout the world’ Rose Romero, regional director of the SEC’s Fort Worth regional officeEarlier on Tuesday the SEC had filed a complaint in federal court in Dallas accusing Stanford, the head of the Stanford Financial Group, of fraud in the sale of about US$8 billion of high-yielding certificates of deposit held in the firm’s bank in Antigua. James M. Davis, a director and chief financial officer of Stanford Group, was also arrested.The SEC said it could not account for the US$8 billion in assets that were housed in the Antigua bank after issuing subpoenas for bank records and to various witnesses. Most of those subpoenaed, including Davis and Stanford, failed to testify or produce documents relating to the assets. The group as a whole has 30,000 clients and investments totalling around US$50 billion.The SEC went on to describe claims by the bank that it paid “significantly” higher returns on its CDs because of the high quality of its investments as “improbable, if not impossible”.The SEC’s investigation into Stanford Financial Group comes at a time it is under considerable pressure inside the USA for its inaction regarding the multi-billion Bernard L. Madoff case.

Cricinfo previews West Indies’ prospects for the women’s World Cup 2009

Cricinfo staff07-Mar-2009
The retirement of Nadine Geroge leaves West Indies with a young and inexperienced side for World Cup © Getty Images
West Indies made it to this World Cup on the back of their fifth-place finish in the previous one. After beating South Africa 2-1 in a one-day series immediately after the 2005 World Cup, West Indies vanished from the face of international cricket. They resurfaced only in 2008 – having to make up the number of matches played before the world tournament in Australia – with a tour of Europe, followed by Sri Lanka.There was no rustiness in view on the first leg of their Europe trip – West Indies won all their matches against Ireland and Netherlands but lost to England. They also played impressively in Sri Lanka, losing a close series 3-2. But the young squad has not had a lot of time to train together before leaving for Australia.Add to that, the retirement of their captain Nadine George and West Indies are facing a tougher challenge of qualifying for the 2013 edition. While the top four make it automatically, No. 5 and No. 6 have to play the qualifiers. This will also be West Indies’ first trip to Australia and getting used to the conditions may take a while.Know your competitionAustralia: West Indies have played them twice since they began playing ODIs in 1979. The hosts are in top form and have a quality pace attack that the West Indies batsmen won’t be used to facing. West Indies lost both their warm-ups – against New South Wales and England. New Zealand: This team of big-hitters will be difficult to contain and will test West Indies’ young bowling line-up.South Africa: Having beaten them in the previous encounter, West Indies will have the upper hand. But South Africa made a better show in the warm-ups.Stars of 2009Seventeen-year old opener Stefanie Taylor is an explosive batsman who made 90 off 49 balls in her Twenty20 debut last year. She has two half-centuries from 10 ODIs and can be expected to give West Indies some solid starts.Stacy-Ann King was West Indies’ top run-getter in Sri Lanka with 124 runs from five Odis, with one half-century. She will play a vital anchoring role in the middle order.Afy Fletcher can give important breakthroughs to her side with her offspin. She has taken nine wickets in her eight ODIs, with a best of 4 for 22.Squad: Merissa Aguilleira (capt), Stefanie Taylor, Stacy-Ann King, Danielle Small, Afy Fletcher, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Geneille Greaves, Cordel Jack, Pamela Lavine, Debbie-Ann Lewis, Anisa Mohammed, Shakera Selman, Charlene Taitt.Group fixturesMarch 8 – South Africa v West Indies, Newcastle
March 10 – New Zealand v West Indies, Bankstown Oval
March 12 – Australia v West Indies, Drummoyne Oval.

Mitchell Johnson has no doubt Australia will win the exciting battle of speed with South Africa at the WACA from Wednesday

Cricinfo staff11-Dec-2008
Mitchell Johnson, who now lives in Perth, is preparing for his first Test against South Africa © AFP
Mitchell Johnson has no doubt Australia will win the exciting battle of speed with South Africa at the WACA from Wednesday. Five of the world’s top ten bowlers will be on display in the opening Test of the series on what should be the quickest pitch of the contest.”I back our attack,” he said in the Australian. “There’s obviously going to be a little bit of niggle there with their pace, our pace, their top order, our top order. They can talk as much as they like but we’re just going to go out there and bowl like we’ve been bowling.”Johnson, who is ranked No. 8, said the attack improved during the 2-0 win over New Zealand and was comfortable in home conditions. “I’m looking forward to the contest,” he said. “I know it’s going to be a great series. They’ve been talking up their bowlers a little bit but I think our attack is something to look forward to as well. You’ve got Brett Lee and Stuart Clark – two classy bowlers.”Clark is third on the Test rankings, two spots ahead of Lee. The South Africans have Dale Steyn, who is in second, and Makhaya Ntini (fourth) alongside Morne Morkel, who picked up an ankle injury in the tour opener against Western Australia.The WACA is now Johnson’s home ground after an off-season move from Queensland to Western Australia and one of his new bosses is Dennis Lillee, the man who spotted him as a teenager in Townsville. Johnson saw Lillee on Thursday and asked for advice on dealing with the pitch.”We just spoke about how things have been going for me at the moment and also just bowling at the WACA,” he said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s somewhere where you’ve got to make the batsmen play. If you’re bowling outside the off stump, it’s pretty easy to leave here. We just spoke about a few little things like that.”It will be the first time Johnson, who has played 15 Tests, will face South Africa in the long form of the game. “I guess it’s going to be pretty exciting for me to bowl to their top order,” he said. “They’ve had some good performers there. It’s a bit of a look-and-see for them. They’ve only faced me in the one-day [arena].”

Sheffield United have been handed a major boost in their bid to bring Matty Longstaff to Bramall Lane.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail, who relayed recent comments made by Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce regarding the future of the 21-year-old, amid reports of interest from both Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town.

The 60-year-old admitted that he needs to move a few players out on loan in order for him to make moves for his own targets in the remainder of the summer transfer window, and suggested that Longstaff will be one of the players to leave St. James’ Park.

In his comments, Bruce said: “It’s something that we have decided might be best for Matty. I have had that conversation with him. We have had one or two enquiries and hope something happens in the next couple of days.”

Jokanovic will be buzzing

Considering the fact that Slavisa Jokanovic’s Sheffield United side is lacking a considerable amount of depth in the middle of the pitch, as well as the sheer amount of potential Longstaff appears to possess, the news that Bruce is willing to sanction the temporary departure of the midfielder is sure to have left the Serbian boss buzzing.

Indeed, following the departures of both John Lundstram and Jack Rodwell earlier this summer, the 53-year-old currently only has two natural central midfielders in his first-team squad, in the shape of John Fleck and Oliver Norwood.

As such, while both Sander Berge and Regan Slater can operate in the position, it would nevertheless appear wise for United to bring in at least one more option, with an extremely long and arduous Championship campaign ahead of the Blades.

Furthermore, after bursting onto the Premier League scene by scoring the winner against Manchester United on his top-flight debut, pundits and teammates alike were quick to heap praise on the 21-year-old – with Sean Longstaff dubbing his brother an “outstanding” talent, Graeme Souness complimenting the midfielder’s ability to pick out players with “30 or 40 yard passes” and Jamie Redknapp claiming that the “game stands still” when the youngster is on the ball.

So, should Longstaff indeed go on to complete a switch to Bramall Lane in the coming days, it would very much appear to provide Jokanovic’s midfield with a very welcome boost – at a time when the Serbian desperately needs one.

In other news: Jokanovic drops Sheffield United transfer claim that’ll be music to the ears of fans

Newcastle United are now reportedly keen on signing Amadou Diawara before the summer transfer window ends.

The Lowdown: Diawara impresses

Diawara has come off the back of an impressive individual 2020/21 season with AS Roma, helping them finish in seventh spot in the Serie A table.

The Guinea international was particularly impressive in their UEFA Europa League campaign, winning no fewer than 3.1 of his duels per game in the competition, as well as averaging 2.3 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 1.3 clearances per match (Sofascore).

The Latest: Newcastle keen

As per Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the St. James’ Park faithful are now ‘interested’ in a potential move for Diawara, who needs to be sold by Roma to make room for a new central midfield player.

Wolves are also reportedly keen on his signature, but he has turned down the option of joining the Midlands club.

The Verdict: Sign

The North East club could certainly do with some more bodies in the middle of the park ahead of the new 2021/22 Premier League season, and Diawara would fit the bill.

Once dubbed a ‘phenomenon’ by Italian agent and scout Robert Visan back in 2018, the 24-year-old still has a lot of potential, and has already shown that he is more than capable of playing at a high level with his performances in European competition.

Currently rated at just £12.6m by Transfermarkt, Diawara could turn out to be an absolute bargain, should the Tyneside club be able to sign him of course.

In other news, find out which ‘exciting’ international NUFC have made an offer for here!