On the TNT Sports panel for Liverpool’s Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, Steven Gerrard was hesitant to say that Arne Slot’s side are in a crisis.

But after being dispatched 4-1 by Peter Bosz’s Dutchmen, it’s difficult to argue anything even bordering the contrary. That was Liverpool’s ninth defeat in 12 matches across all competitions, and the crisis – yes, crisis – is deepening.

The most concerning thing is that there is so much talent in this side. Liverpool are chock-full of elite talent. But synergy and belief are in short supply at Anfield.

Slot is steadfast in his belief that he can craft an exit from this rut with the tools at his disposal, but sporting director Richard Hughes is gearing up for a January signing nonetheless.

Who Liverpool need to sign in January

There has been plenty of chatter relating to the need for a centre-back at Liverpool. It’s true. Despite Real Madrid ending their interest in Ibrahima Konate, the Reds are still short at the back after missing out on Marc Guehi last summer.

However, Slot has suggested that Liverpool have another area of the field on their mind, his frontline so imbalanced this season.

As per i News, Liverpool are leading the race for Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, following initial enquiries, with David Ornstein previously confirming the Reds’ interest and that the Ghanaian winger has a £65m release clause in his contract that becomes active this January.

Semenyo is also courting intrigue from the likes of Manchester City, but Liverpool feel they have a good chance of bringing him over to Anfield after opting against signing a like-for-like Luis Diaz replacement this summer.

What Semenyo would offer Liverpool

It is promising to note the incremental progress Semenyo has made since joining Bournemouth from Bristol City in the Championship for about £10.5m in January 2023.

Last season, he was lauded for going to “another level” in the Premier League by teammate Lewis Cook, growing into his skin under the tutelage of Andoni Iraola, instrumental in the Cherries’ 56-point finish.

Ferocious and powerful, he has only gotten better since the summer, notching six goals and three assists across his first 11 matches in the division this term.

There is far more to the 25-year-old’s game than just goal contributions, but he has still managed to post more than all of his teammates at the Vitality Stadium.

Antoine Semenyo

27 + 13

40

Justin Kluivert

23 + 11

34

Dominic Solanke

21 + 4

25

Marcus Tavernier

10 + 11

21

Evanilson

13 + 6

19

His talismanic qualities and “world-class” form, as said by another teammate, Justin Kluivert, underscore Semenyo’s suitability at Liverpool, especially as his pace and power and burgeoning prolificacy has led Reds analyst Josh Williams to dub him “the closest you’ll find to peak Mane right now”.

This, and Semenyo’s big-game ability, suggests he could be one of the Anfield side’s finest signings in a long time, perhaps even since £60m was paid to RB Leipzig to bring Dominik Szoboszlai over from Germany.

Szoboszlai has had his ups and downs in a Liverpool shirt, but has bloomed into a superstar of a midfielder this season, stepping up and becoming a leader of men while applying his tireless energy and sharp technical skills at a time when ailing Liverpool desperately need them.

Liverpool’s Hungarian general is a masterful midfielder, cut and dry as the outfit’s best player this term; it is not even close.

While he is a wholly different type of player from Semenyo, they share an athletic likeness and have both established themselves as leading lights at their respective sides.

If Liverpool can both add balance to their side while infusing the squad with more in-form ability than has been on show this year, it will only be a good thing as Slot and Szoboszlai and the rest fight to steer the club out of the ditch they have slipped into.

Such a signing could be a catalyst for change, and at a comparatively shrewd £65m figure, Semenyo might just prove to be one of Liverpool’s best signings in a number of years.

Better than Isak: Liverpool join race for "one of the best RWs in the world"

Arne Slot’s Liverpool tenure is crumbling before him, and FSG are considering changes.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 28, 2025

A turning point, or another false dawn at Liverpool?

The relief was palpable when Cody Gakpo swept home at the London Stadium on Sunday, confirming in the late stages Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over West Ham United, arresting a landslide in form that had seen nine defeats dished out across 12 matches in all competitions.

Arne Slot is still a man under pressure, and no mistake. But it’s important to remember the Dutchman has FSG’s backing at this stage. That could change, however, if the Reds sink back into negative habits over the coming weeks, and that win over the Hammers stands as a lonely winter outlier.

The latest on Arne Slot's future at Liverpool

Slot definitely has credit in the bank after his incredible Premier League triumph last season, taking Jurgen Klopp’s squad and fashioning them into champions once again.

However, the owners’ leniency will only stretch so far, and forthcoming Premier League fixtures against Sunderland (H) and Leeds United (A) feel significant. Liverpool won at West Ham, but they must prove that they have stopped the rot.

And if this doesn’t prove the case, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been earmarked as the perfect successor.

As per Spanish reports, the 43-year-old Spaniard is very much on FSG’s radar, and, moreover, he would consider an approach from the English champions.

Bournemouth would require compensation for Iraola’s departure, but if push does come to shove, he might be the perfect option for Richard Hughes, formerly sporting director at the Vitality Stadium, to lure to Anfield.

Why Liverpool are considering Andoni Iraola

Iraola’s Bournemouth system is built on high-energy, aggressive principles. These are key tenets of his philosophy.

This bespeaks his players’ elite physicality, and that is a product of his schooling.

This young manager is the real deal, and if Liverpool were to complete his signing, they would land themselves the next version of Mikel Arteta, who is working wonders with Arsenal in north London.

Praised as “the best coach in the Premier League” by journalist James Horncastle, Iraola might not have the same calibre of players as teams like Arsenal and Liverpool, but he’s whipped his Cherries into shape, alright, creating a front-footed and aggressive outfit that rival the Gunners for actions in the offensive third.

Premier League 2025/26 – Most Touches in the Final Third

Club

Total Touches

Touches (Final 3rd)

Man City

9095

2463

Liverpool

9001

2410

Arsenal

8384

2348

Bournemouth

7977

2191

Nott’m Forest

7927

2127

Data via FBref

Indeed, Iraola may hail from the same Basque region as Arteta, but there is also a likeness in regard to the managers’ respective tactical visions and the way they tackle obstacles in the Premier League.

There’s also Iraola’s ability to craft a special, close-knit feeling at his club, something Arteta has masterfully achieved at the Emirates, so miserable were Arsenal at the end of Unai Emery’s tenure.

Liverpool are already known admirers of Bournemouth talisman Antoine Semenyo, and Milos Kerkez was purchased from the south coast side this summer.

Whether the Redmen manage to string together a run of consistency under Slot’s wing remains to be seen. Fans will reserve judgement until the win over West Ham is followed by a series of wins that propel the Merseysiders back into something resembling the ascendancy.

But Iraola could be the perfect fallback, if things don’t improve. He is young and hungry, and the tactical similarities with his Basque peer Arteta suggest he could be the long-term solution at Liverpool, a club looking to cement their position at the very top.

Related Gakpo upgrade: Liverpool open surprise talks to sign "magic" £70m PL star

Liverpool are planning to strengthen their flanks after a tough start to the season.

Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair Dec 1, 2025

Everton have now been told that they’ll have to pay a record price to sign an attacking reinforcement, who’s also in the sights of German giants Bayern Munich.

Everton plotting attacking additions

Whilst Thierno Barry certainly did his job against Manchester United, his run for a first Everton goal only continued. The fact that the Toffees were down to 10 men didn’t help his chase for that vital goal, but questions about continuing to arrive as to whether David Moyes should look to January for key reinforcements in the striker’s position.

Ahead of the winter window, several names have already been linked with a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, including Troy Parrott. The Republic of Ireland striker has been in sensational form for club and country this season and grabbed Everton’s attention by scoring five goals in two games to help Ireland into the World Cup playoffs earlier this month.

The former Tottenham Hotspur youngster would be an excellent addition, but so would Celtic’s Daizen Maeda. The Japan international reportedly wants to leave the Scottish club and could do so for as little as £15m in January – allowing Everton to land a bargain deal.

At his best, Maeda scored 33 goals in all competitions for Celtic last season, before struggling to replicate that in an inconsistent side in the current campaign.

So, Everton certainly have options if they do want to add competition to Barry and Beto this winter. So much so that they may not even need to turn towards Parrott or Maeda. Instead, they could sign Franculino Dju from Midtjylland.

Everton told to pay record fee to sign Franculino Dju

According to Danish outlet Tipsbladet, as relayed by Sport Witness, Everton have been told to pay €35m (£31m) to sign Franculino in January, which would break Midtjylland’s transfer record.

Everton line up January move for England international who Alan Shearer called "world class"

The Toffees have spotted a low-cost opportunity.

ByHenry Jackson Nov 22, 2025

Joined by Bayern Munich and Manchester United in pursuit of the forward, it remains to be seen whether the Toffees are willing to pay such a price to secure his signature after sending scouts to watch him recently.

The Friedkin Group certainly weren’t afraid of splashing the cash in the summer, having made Tyler Dibling their second most-expensive ever signing at £42m and spent £27m on Barry’s arrival.

Dubbed “unstoppable” by scout Jacek Kulig earlier this month, Franculino is well worth the chase for Everton. The 21-year-old has recently taken his total to 19 games in 28 games for the season and that clinical form makes him someone to watch ahead of January.

Everton ready to replace £120,000-a-week star with key January signing

“I am not using that as an excuse. I still think that the onus is on the players to find some way to churn up runs and wickets”

Ashish Pant04-Oct-20255:49

Bishop: Want WI batters to stop being satisfied with 20s and 30s

Roston Chase has voiced concerns about the “infrastructure problems” and the continuous “struggle for finances” in the Caribbean, but said that he didn’t want to use that as an excuse for West Indies’ poor performances in Test cricket in recent times.West Indies have lost five of their six Test matches this year. This includes being bundled out for 27 in the third Test against Australia in July. On Saturday, they went down by an innings and 140 runs to India on the third day of the opening Test in Ahmedabad.”I think the systems in the Caribbean are a bit poor in terms of training facilities and stuff,” Chase said after the game. “I am not using that as an excuse or something to hide behind for poor performances that we’ve been putting out lately. I still think that the onus is on the players to find some way to churn up runs and wickets and stuff.Related

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Jadeja, Siraj wrap up India's innings win inside three days

“But what I would say is yes, there is obviously a struggle in the Caribbean for finances. So whatever help we can get, if they are planning to get the help, I hope that we do get it so that we could strengthen the infrastructure for cricket.”While West Indies still have good fast bowlers in their set-up, their batting has been in freefall. In their last 15 innings in Test cricket, they have crossed 250 only once. Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s first-class average of 34.80 was the best among the top six batters in the West Indies’ XI for the first Test against India. Chase attributed the low averages to the pitches in the Caribbean not being batting-friendly.”Yeah, that is some of the infrastructure problems that we do have,” he said. “The pitches in the Caribbean are not really batsman-friendly. So guys don’t really bat for long periods and score those big scores. And then, too, the outfields in the Caribbean are really slow. When you hit the ball in the gaps, you probably end up struggling to get two. Those are just some of the problems that we are faced with in the Caribbean.”That’s why you see guys averaging so low. If you look at the past series we had against Australia, I think that was the first time I’ve ever played an international series where a batsman never scored a hundred in three matches. Obviously, we had a poor batting display. This has been something that has been plaguing us for the past two series.”In Ahmedabad, West Indies won the toss and batted first. They were bowled out for 162 in 44.1 overs in their first innings, and for 146 in 45.1 in their second.”We’ve not been able to at least bat 80 overs, bat a day or even get at least 250 or 300 runs on the board,” Chase said. “Anytime you win a toss in a Test match and bat and you don’t bat out the first day, you’re always going to be in trouble.”We saw the wicket. Although it had a bit of moisture, we still thought that it was a good wicket to bat first on. We thought that once we batted well and the openers went out there and just softened that moisture, then it would have been a good wicket to bat on, as we did see coming on later into the first day. But we didn’t start well and we never really put any partnerships in place. We never really got back into the game.”Chase suggested the only way for the batters to improve was to tighten and trust their defence. “We gifted some of the wickets too easily,” he said. “For me, it was a bit of rough and some balls were spinning up the rough. But there wasn’t any devils in the wicket. I still thought that it was a wicket that you could stand up and bat on as shown by the Indian batters.”But we need to trust in our defence a bit more. I can’t say that we weren’t scoring because the run rate was still good. But I just think that we need to be a little more solid in our defence.”West Indies are missing two of their three main fast bowlers in the series against India•AFP/Getty Images

While West Indies’ batting has been an issue, they are also missing two of their key fast bowlers in Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph through injuries. Jason Holder also declined to be a replacement, citing a planned medical procedure. Players picking and choosing formats has also been an issue with West Indies, but Chase said that “a guy is going to try to earn his living”.”I can’t really speak on another man’s body,” Chase said. “One thing I can say is that there’s a lot more cricket being played. There’s not a lot of rest for a player, especially if he’s playing all formats of the game. And then, especially with the leagues around the world, guys are looking to earn their money. They’re not really resting, getting adequate rest that their body may need.”But if they can try to stay as fit as possible and do a lot of gym work and not get too bulky but be strong enough that they can handle the load or in the case where they can pick and choose certain formats of the game and be available, I think that would be obviously better for us. But it is what it is. A guy is going to try to earn his living.”So I can’t really fault a guy for trying to go there and be available for whatever cricket it may be that he’s given the opportunity to play.”

Dele Alli has been warned that his future may now rest on the outcome of trial spells, with it “scary” how far he has fallen. That is the opinion of former Tottenham star Stephen Carr, who has been telling GOAL about what happens next for an ex-England international who has suffered a humbling tumble from grace and finds opportunities “very slim” despite becoming a free agent.

Free agent: Why Dele finds himself without a club

Dele has been without a club since seeing his contract at Serie A side Como torn up in September 2025. He had taken in just one substitute appearance for the Italian outfit, with said outing lasting less than 10 minutes after he picked up a red card against AC Milan.

The former Spurs star was also released by Everton when seeing his deal on Merseyside come to a close, with an injury-ravaged spell with the Toffees being endured. Dele has not played on a regular basis since early 2023, during a forgettable loan spell at Turkish side Besiktas.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWhat next: Where does Dele end up?

He is not ready to hang up his boots just yet, at 29 years of age, but is finding it difficult to drum up interest. Individual training programmes have been worked through, but match fitness and sharpness will be lacking.

With that in mind, Dele has been told that he may have to go on trial somewhere. Former Tottenham defender Carr – speaking in association with Casino.org, where you can find online poker – told GOAL when asked if the 37-cap England international has entered the last chance saloon: “It’s scary how he’s fallen. He’s only 29, just gone past being in his peak, but the amount of football he has played in the last few years is very low.

“It’s very hard. It’s no different to when you get injured, you do all the training and getting back fit takes time. He’s missed a lot of football. The way he sounds, it seems he still has the hunger. But his chances are getting very slim now.

“He’s had a few opportunities, it didn’t work out at Como. It’s very difficult to get back up to that pace, that standard, because the body gets used to that level and when you aren’t playing it, it’s very hard to catch up again. I think that’s where he’s at. I don’t know the ins and outs with him. He will pick up injuries. His body isn’t used to playing at the highest level now. Very difficult time. His body might be completely gone.

“Whether somebody else gives him an opportunity… He is a top player, has played for England, but that’s the past now. It’s about now and he hasn’t been playing, hasn’t been performing. It is last chance saloon for him. Whether he gets another very good opportunity, or whether his desire is there…

“Wherever he ends up, he isn’t going to get to pick. It could be a trial where you have to prove it. It’s whether he has the stomach for that. I’ve done it myself, going for a trial. For me, it didn’t bother me. It’s very difficult, it’s a different situation. I don’t know the lad, his personality or the people around him. He has fallen from grace dramatically. It’s very difficult to get back in. I know your head says it, but his body won’t be saying it because he hasn’t played in so long and he’s not used to it.”

On trial: Does Dele have hunger left?

Dele has been linked with a number of EFL clubs, including Wrexham and Birmingham. Quizzed on whether he needs to take a step back in order to move forward again, Carr added: “That’s the mentality thing. Do you have it in you to take a step back? I hope that he has. He is a top player, but on paper now you aren’t a top player and you have to prove yourself again. That comes down to the mental strength.

“Can you go out there and prove yourself? Maybe he can. He’s going to have to earn it again. Whether he is up to the task, who knows, but it is definitely getting to the end now. His chances are going to be slim, very slim.”

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GettyProven pedigree: Dele was once a global superstar

Dele is a two-time PFA Young Player of the Year and took in over 260 appearances for Tottenham during his time in north London. Issues on and off the field have made life difficult for a man that once attracted interest from Real Madrid, and it remains to be seen if he has another challenge left in him.

MatériaMais Notícias

De virada, o São Paulo venceu o Águia de Marabá por 3 a 1 em Belém do Pará, pela partida de ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. Wender abriu o placar para a equipe da casa, e Juan (2x) e Luiz Gustavo marcaram os gols do Tricolor no Mangueirão.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFora de CampoTorcedores do São Paulo vão do inferno ao céu com Juan: ’Superou Ronaldo Fenômeno’Fora de Campo02/05/2024São PauloÁguia de Marabá x São Paulo: onde assistir ao vivo, escalações e horário do jogo pela Copa do BrasilSão Paulo02/05/2024

➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta!

Águia de Marabá e São Paulo voltam a se enfrentar no Morumbis no dia 22 de maio. A equipe de Luis Zubeldía pode perder por até um gol de diferença que irá se classificar às oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil.

➡️ Siga o Lance! São Paulo no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Tricolor

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
ÁGUIA DE MARABÁ 1 X 3 SÃO PAULO
COPA DO BRASIL – TERCEIRA FASE – IDA

🗓️ Data e horário: quinta-feira, 2 de maio de 2024, às 19h30 (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Mangueirão, em Belém (PA)
Gols: Wender / Juan (2x) e Luiz Gustavo
🟨 Árbitro: Arthur Gomes Rabelo (ES)
🚩 Assistentes: Guthieri Javarini Rodrigues (ES) e Adilson Gomes de Oliveira (ES)
🖥️ VAR: Pablo Ramon Goncalves Pinheiro (RN)

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➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários dos jogos do Brasileirão

⚽ ESCALAÇÕES
ÁGUIA DE MARABÁ (Técnico: Mathaus Sodré)
Axel Lopes; Bruno Limão, David Cruz, Betão e Alan Maia; Wender, Junior Dindê e Mariano; Hitalo, Braga e Wander.

SÃO PAULO (Técnico: Zubeldía)
Jandrei; Moreira, Ferraresi, Diego Costa e Patryck; Luiz Gustavo, Galoppo e Rodrigo Nestor; Erick, Juan e Michel Araújo

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Copa do BrasilSão Paulo

Mitchell Swepson has claimed 10 wickets for the match to lead Queensland to a comfortable fourth-day Sheffield Shield victory over South Australia

AAP18-Oct-2025Mitchell Swepson has spun Queensland to a seven-wicket win over South Australia, producing the finest match of his Sheffield Shield career in Adelaide.Swepson ran through the hosts’ tail on Saturday to have them all out for 308 in their second innings, leaving Queensland a fourth-innings chase of 139.Usman Khawaja fell for a duck and Marnus Labuschagne was lbw for 18 following his first-innings century, but 72 not out from Angus Lovell ensured the Bulls won easily.From day one at Adelaide Oval, Swepson was at the centre of Queensland’s success, with 10 wickets for the match and second-innings figures of 6 for 109.The former Test spinner did the bulk of the damage on the opening day for the Bulls, taking four wickets in a collapse that left South Australia falling from 133 for 2 to 188 for 7.And after Labuschagne’s 159 gave Queensland a 170-run first-innings advantage, it was Swepson who again did the damage on days three and four.The legspinner took apart South Australia’s top three, trapping both Conor McInerney (46) and Henry Hunt (36) lbw, before Nathan McSweeney (26) edged him to slip.Then on Saturday Swepson beat Nathan McAndrew in flight to have him well caught by Hugh Weibgen running back at mid-off.He also removed a sweeping Wes Agar caught behind on 19, before Lloyd Pope hit him straight to Weibgen at cover to end South Australia’s second innings.Swepson’s haul was his second 10-wicket haul, after doing likewise against New South Wales in 2020.At that point Swepson was considered the country’s second-choice spinner, before falling back down the pecking order in recent years.The 32-year-old’s 6 for 109 in the second innings also marked his career-best figures, as Queensland made it one win and one draw to start the season.

A new update has now emerged regarding the managerial situation at Norwich City and Jon Dahl Tomasson’s chances of taking charge at Carrow Road.

The search is on to find Liam Manning’s successor at Norwich, with the Canaries languishing in 23rd place in the Championship table, with only Sheffield Wednesday below them ahead of the return of domestic action next weekend.

A host of managers have been mentioned as options to come in and take charge at Carrow Road, including Will Still, following his dismissal at Southampton earlier in the campaign.

It is claimed that talks have taken place with the Englishman, who will no doubt be desperate to rebuild his reputation after a disappointing spell at St Mary’s.

The same reportedly applies to Gary O’Neil, who has been linked with making a return to Wolves recently, only for Rob Edwards to come in and replace Vitor Pereira at Molineux instead.

New Tomasson to Norwich update

According to reliable reporter Samuel Seaman, Tomasson remains “in contention” to be Norwich’s next manager, with sporting director Ben Knapper “whittling down his shortlist of potential new head coaches to a small number who will meet the club’s owners.”

O’Neil is also considered an option for the Canaries, but the same doesn’t apply to Still anymore, with the former Southampton boss seemingly out of the running.

Tomasson stands out as a good option for Norwich, with the Dane most recently in charge of the Sweden national team, being sacked last month.

Sweden

18

1.61

Blackburn Rovers

90

1.51

Malmo

91

1.8

Granted, the idea of bringing in a recently dismissed manager may not be ideal in the minds of some Canaries supporters, but he has a strong knowledge of the Championship, which can only be a good thing as they look to get out of the relegation mire.

The 4-2-3-1-playing Tomasson took charge of Blackburn Rovers for 90 matches, averaging 1.51 points per game, and he also won two Swedish league titles in charge of Malmo, showing that he has an ability to win trophies. He has tasted victory three times at Carrow Road as a manager, too.

Norwich City in talks with manager who has 100% win record vs Liam Manning

He’s available right now.

1 ByCharlie Smith Nov 13, 2025

Opinion is sure to be split among the Norwich fanbase over whether he is the right man for the job, but he has managed international players recently, so can deal with big characters, and he may feel that he has unfinished business in the Championship.

Norwich set 10-day deadline as Carrow Road chiefs open talks with O'Neil

Manchester United are reportedly inching towards recruiting rising Colombia star Cristian Orozco. The Red Devils have been looking to try and strengthen their midfield as Casemiro heads into the final years of his career, and academy product Kobbie Mainoo struggles to force his way into Ruben Amorim's plans. Now, they look set to sign the 17-year-old ahead of a switch next summer.

• Man Utd near €1m transfer

  According to Fabrizio Romano, United's next signing will be Orozco, who will be in England in the next few days to complete his Old Trafford move. He adds that the Red Devils will pay $1 million to Colombian side Fortaleza to join from June 2026. He will be able to link up with his new team then as he will have turned 18.

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• Young recruitment drive from Man Utd

  Ever since Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a minority stake at United in early 2024, the club have shifted their transfer priorities towards signing younger players who might have a big sell-on value. And the pursuit of this teenage defensive midfielder is the latest example of that. In addition to the Colombia Under-17 international, United raided the South American market earlier this year for 18-year-old left-back Diego Leon, and in 2024, director of football Jason Wilcox was instrumental in securing the signing of Mali midfielder Sekou Kone. 

• AFP
  

  Ratcliffe's Man Utd challenge

  One big downside of Ratcliffe's reign has been the widespread redundancies as the club bids to cut costs. Going forward, the INEOS owner has challenged the Red Devils to be as cost-effective as possible in order to ensure long-term success. 

  "I'd rather find the next [Kylian] Mbappe than spend a fortune trying to buy success," Ratcliffe told The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club Podcast last year. "It's not that clever, is it, buying Mbappe, in a way? Anyone could figure that one out. Much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or Jude Bellingham or the next Roy Keane."

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• What comes next for Man Utd?

  As this transfer heads towards its apparent conclusion, Ruben Amorim's side will look to bounce back from their disappointing 1-0 loss at home to Everton when they round off the month with a trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday. The visitors are five places behind the Eagles in 10th but could overtake the south London outfit by a point if they win at Selhurst Park this weekend.

Big picture – tackling spin top of teams’ agenda

How to bat on this Mirpur pitch is a question that might be baffling both Bangladesh and West Indies ahead of the second ODI, to be played on Tuesday. The Bangladesh batters spent a long time in the middle, visualising, the day before the game, all standing in a circle, with head coach Phil Simmons providing the sermon. West Indies have suggested that they picked up a clue or two by watching their opponents in the first ODI, which produced just 340 runs in 88.4 overs.What’s for certain is that Bangladesh will double down on their spin-to-win strategy after they added Nasum Ahmed to the ODI squad. The left-armer picked up five wickets in three T20Is against Afghanistan recently, a tally bettered only by Rashid Khan in that series. He will complement Tanvir Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Rishad Hossain, who took a six-wicket haul this weekend.Related

• 'I stuck to my process' – Rishad makes light work of dark pitch

Bangladesh, however, are looking for improvement in the batting. They put up a modest 207 in the first ODI, with Towhid Hridoy the only half-century-maker. Newcomer Mahidul Islam also made an important contribution (46 off 76). But, overall, Bangladesh batted slowly. They are yet to get out of the habit of playing too many dot balls and finding too few boundaries.West Indies will also look for batting improvement after getting bowled out for 133. Brandon King and Alick Athanaze went after the spinners in the first game but both of them fell to Rishad, and that was followed by a collapse. There was not much resistance from even the likes of Shai Hope and Roston Chase, the only batters in the line-up to have previous experience of playing ODIs in Bangladesh.The bowlers therefore will once again have to keep West Indies in the contest. Jayden Seales took three wickets while Khary Pierre, playing his first ODI in five years, bowled well for just one wicket. But Chase and Gudakesh Motie have to get among the wickets, especially in these conditions.

Form guide

Bangladesh WLLLL
West Indies LWWLLRishad Hossain picked up six wickets in the first ODI•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight – Rishad Hossain and Brandon KingRishad Hossain coming to Bangladesh’s rescue both with the bat and the ball in the first ODI is exactly what is expected of him. Six wickets and a quick 26 would be too much to ask of him every day, but a legspinner has to provide breakthroughs where other bowlers fail. Another bag of wickets could bring the ODI series to a favourable end for his team.Brandon King was one of the few West Indies batters to show a positive mindset in the first ODI. He struck boundaries with ease until Rishad had him caught behind for 44 off 60. As long as King was at the crease, West Indies had hope. He added 51 runs for the opening stand with Athanaze, who also attacked the Bangladesh spinners while the ball was new. King, though, carried on for a bit more. The problem was King getting out after getting set, something he can’t afford to do.

Team news – WI lose Shamar, Blades to injuries

Bangladesh usually rotate their fast bowlers every game so Hasan Mahmud or Tanzim Hasan Sakib are likely call-ups.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Soumya Sarkar, 2 Saif Hassan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Mahidul Islam, 6 Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 10 Tanvir Islam, 11 Mustafizur RahmanA day out from the game, West Indies appeared likely to trust the same batters to do better on this difficult Dhaka pitch. Can they cope with the injury-enforced absences of Shamar Joseph and Jediah Blades? Akeal Hosein and Ramon Simmonds have been added to the squad as their replacements for the remaining two ODIs.West Indies (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Alick Athanaze, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Shai Hope (capt, wk), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Gudakesh Motie, 8 Justin Greaves, 9 Romario Shepherd, 10 Khary Pierre, 11 Jayden SealesKhary Pierre came away with figures of 10-2-19-1 on Saturday•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions – complexion of the pitch in focus

There is unlikely to be much change in the pitch, which looked unusually dark, for the second ODI. There is dry weather in the forecast.

Stats and trivia – Pierre returns after five years

• Tanvir Islam bowled his most expensive over in international cricket in the first ODI, when he conceded 18 runs.
• Bangladesh used just seven (of 39) overs of pace in the first ODI, only the fifth occasion they have bowled seven or fewer overs in a match that they won.
• Khary Pierre returned to the West Indies playing XI after missing 73 ODIs since January 2020.

Quotes

“It is a lot of pressure if you don’t do well on these kind of surfaces. I just try to keep it simple and stick to my plans. I think once you put the ball in the right areas and do not go wicket-hunting, I think it will be the best suitable for the wicket. You can leak runs if you try to go wicket-hunting.”