أصبح تشيلسي يضع أنظاره على ضم لاعبين آخرين من برشلونة بعد فشله في التعاقد مع لاعب خط الوسط الشاب فيرمين لوبيز خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الماضية.
وكان تشيلسي قد ارتبط أيضاً بالتعاقد مع مارك كاسادو لكن جوهرة برشلونة بفضل البقاء مع النادي الكتالوني هذا الموسم.
ويبدو أن العملاق اللندني قد حول أنظاره إلى خط دفاع برشلونة، ويرغب تشيلسي في التعاقد مع إريك جارسيا قلب دفاع البلوجرانا لتدعيم صفوفه.
ووفقاً لـ جرايم بيلي مراسل “TBR FOOTBALL” فإن تشيلسي يراقب موقف إريك جارسيا في ظل محادثات تجديد عقده مع برشلونة.
أقرأ أيضاً.. منهم لاعب ليفربول.. القائمة النهائية للمرشحين لجائزة الفتى الذهبي 2025
وذكر بيلي: “إريك جارسيا لاعب يرغب تشيلسي في ضمه من برشلونة في يناير، ولكنه على الأرجح سيوقع عقدًا جديدًا مع فريقه”.
وينتهي عقد إريك جارسيا مع برشلونة بنهاية الموسم الحالي، وهذا ما يثير اهتمام تشيلسي للحصول على خدماته، حيث سيصبح اللاعب حراً في التفاوض مع أندية أخرى بدءًا من يناير 2026.
ويراقب تشيلسي أيضاً رونالد أراوخو أحد قائدي برشلونة، على الرغم من أن النادي اللندني يعتقد بأن المدافع الأوروجوياني لن يغادر صفوف البلوجرانا.
وأكد بيلي: “لو أوضح أراوخو رغبته في الرحيل عن صفوف برشلونة، فإن الأمور قد تتغير لكنه حالياً ليس مهتماً بالرحيل بعد”.
Ahead of Nottingham Forest’s opening game of the Premier League season, the club has been very active in the transfer market.
This season, the club will be competing in the Europa League alongside the domestic competitions, leading to manager Nuno Espirito Santo expressing concern about the team’s squad depth in his pre-match press conference: “The players are not supermen, we are going to need to rotate them. That’s a major problem with the intensity and demands of the games.”
Since these comments, Forest have unveiled Omari Hutchinson as their most expensive signing of the summer player. The addition of Hutchinson to the squad may go some way to easing Espirito Santo’s depth anxieties, and the player has already shared his willingness to contribute: “I’m going to give it my all, and I’m looking forward to the challenge as it’s a new chapter for me, but I feel ready.”
The club is also on the verge of signing Arnaud Kalimuendo from Rennes, pending a medical. These signings should go some way to helping Espirito Santo’s squad depth concerns, and the club is now looking to add a cherry on top of their recent transfers by signing an impressive youth star.
Nottingham Forest set to sign Celtic "sensation"
Football Insider have reported that Nottingham Forest are also closing in on a deal to sign 15-year-old Celtic academy star Dara Jikiemi.
Pete O’Rourke, who shared the transfer story, has described the defender as a “teenage sensation”. Jikiemi has been involved with youth football for Scotland and has captained the under-15s side despite being one of the younger members of the team.
Jikiemi is equally well regarded in the Celtic academy as he is in the Scotland youth system and has been on Forest’s radar since April. O’Rourke has said that Forest are currently “advancing in talks” with the defender to poach him from the UK giants’ academy.
Forest's next generation of talent
At only 15 years old, it may be a few years before fans start hearing about Jikiemi being considered for the first team; however, Forest do have some impressive talents that may be called up to the first team this season to help with the heavy schedule.
19-year-old Zach Abbot has already started breaking into the Forest first team, having made two League Cup and one FA Cup appearances over the last two seasons. While the path into the first team is blocked by players like Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and new signing Jair Cunha, there may once again be minutes for him in the early rounds of the domestic cups or if Forest face any weaker sides in the Europa League.
In the more attacking areas, Isaac Davies is a player who could make the step-up this season. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder has impressed in the Under 18’s Premier League, with a notable appearance being when he came off the bench to score a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over Leeds. In his 39 appearances in the youth league, Davies has managed eight goals and six assists, making him a prime candidate for first-team promotion.
Aside from the players in Forest’s youth system, the club have also focused on signing players on the younger side for the first team in this summer’s transfer window. This indicates that the Jikiemi signing, the development of the aforementioned youngsters and Forest’s first-team transfer business are all part of an overall club focus on developing younger players and bringing longevity to the team.
O clássico com o Palmeiras neste domingo (11) pode garantir mais um recorde para a torcida do São Paulo. De acordo com as parciais divulgadas pelo clube, cerca de 44 mil ingressos já foram vendidos para o confronto no Morumbi, válido pelo Campeonato Brasileiro.
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De acordo com o historiador do Tricolor, Michael Serra, será o sétimo jogo consecutivo no estádio do Morumbi com mais de 40 mil presentes, e desta forma, iguala mais um recorde na história do clube. Contra o Palmeiras, atingirá a mesma marca de 2018, com sete jogos perdurando esta quantidade de pessoas presentes.
Mas pelo andar da carruagem, é capaz que ultrapasse esta marca em breve – até porque, casa cheia tem sido algo recorrente para os são-paulinos, ainda mais com a sequência de partidas disputadas no estádio e com o desempenho de Dorival Júnior. Vale ressaltar que nem mesmo as duas derrotas consecutivas – contra o Sport (em casa) e contra o Grêmio (fora) prejudicaram estas marcas.
ATUAÇÕES: Em noite de golaços, ataque do São Paulo brilha em classificação na Copa Sul-Americana
Além do impulso que a torcida presente traz, tais resultados em bilheteria também têm sido positivos aos cofres do São Paulo. Nos últimos seis jogos disputados no estádio, quase 234 mil pessoas marcaram presença e cerca de R$ 14,07 milhões em renda foram arrecadados. Com o sétimo desta sequência, contra o Palmeiras, o número deve aumentar mais ainda.
+ Todos os jogos do Brasileirão você encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o seu time do coração!
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+ Confira os jogos e classificação resultados do Brasileirão-23 na tabela do LANCE!
A premissa é que o São Paulo rompa o recorde de 2022. No último ano, o clube do Morumbi bateu recordes ao levar 1.245.901 pessoas e ultrapassar um feito que durava mais de 40 anos. Em 1980, o local recebeu 1.194.361 torcedores.
Veja os borderôs desta sequência do São Paulo:
São Paulo 3 x 0 América-MG – 41.006 torcedores – R$ 1.554.942,00 São Paulo 2 x 0 Internacional – 46.093 torcedores – R$ 2.274.810,00 São Paulo 4 x 2 Vasco da Gama – 57.399 torcedores – R$ 3.335.063,00 São Paulo 2 x 1 Goiás – 45.249 torcedores – R$ 2.214.024,00 São Paulo 1 x 3 Sport – 49.752 torcedores – R$ 2.494.311,00 São Paulo 5 x 0 Tolima – 44.102 torcedores – R$ 2.201.501,00
Chelsea have now joined the race for a second Barcelona player who has “infinite” talent, alongside Fermin Lopez, it has been revealed.
Blues enter race for another Barcelona player
Right the way through the summer transfer window, the Blues were credited with an interest in Lopez, with Fabrizio Romano revealing an official proposal was even submitted at the end of August.
However, the west Londoners were unable to get a deal done, in part because the attacking midfielder had little interest in leaving his boyhood club, saying: “My priority has always been Barcelona. This club is my dream since I was a kid.
“It is always a compliment that there is interest from other clubs, but the truth is that I always wanted to stay and succeed at Barça”.
FC Barcelona'sFerminLopezis presented with the MVP trophy after the match
It remains to be seen whether Enzo Maresca’s side make another approach for the 22-year-old in the future, but in the meantime they have been credited with an interest in a different Barcelona player…
Indeed, according to a report from Spain, Chelsea have now joined the race to sign Dro Fernandez, who has become one of the most watched players in Europe, while also regarded as one of the most exciting youngsters in Spain.
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Manchester City are also in the race for the 17-year-old, so there could be competition for his signature, although Barça are reluctant to sanction a departure.
Fernandez would initially be brought into the reserve side, given that he is yet to make a senior appearance for Barcelona, but there would be a clear pathway to the first team.
Fernandez could be future star for Chelsea
Former coach Javi Roxo clearly believes the teenager is destined for future success, saying: “Dro was always very special, he has a gift for touching the ball and has always been very creative.
“Dro is capable of everything and if Flick puts him on the wing he can also do well, it won’t be Raphinha but he can look like the Iniesta who played on the left. If he relieves himself of pressure and plays freely, he is capable of anything, his talent is infinite.”
The young Spaniard is yet to be called up to the Barcelona first team, but he has started to catch the eye at youth level, scoring twice in the UEFA Youth League last season, while also bagging two goals in six appearances for Spain U17s.
As such, Fernandez is clearly capable of becoming a future star for Chelsea, but it may be difficult to lure him away from Barcelona, who will surely be reluctant to sell one of their most exciting young talents.
O Palmeiras está muito próximo de acertar o empréstimo de Rafael Navarro com o Colorado Rapids-EUA. Os clubes ajustam os últimos detalhes para fecharem a negociação que levará o atacante a atuar pela Major League Soccer (MLS), nos Estados Unidos. A informação foi publicada primeiramente pelo jornalista Venê Casagrande e confirmada pelo Lance!.
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+ Veja tabela da Copa do Brasil-2023 clicando aqui
De acordo com a apuração da reportagem, a negociação seria por um ano de empréstimo e opção de compra fixada em 5 milhões de dólares (R$ 24 milhões na cotação atual) por 80% dos direitos do jogador. Há ainda alguns detalhes a serem resolvidos, além da troca de documentação para sacramentar o negócio.
A transferência é considerada boa para todas as partes e foi bem recebida pelo jogador, que agora busca o visto de trabalho para atuar nos Estados Unidos. Seu contrato com o Alviverde termina em dezembro de 2026. Abel Ferreira sempre confiou no trabalho do centroavante, mas Endrick e Flaco López aparecem na frente na disputa por uma vaga na ausência de Rony, o titular absoluto.
continua após a publicidade
O atacante deve se despedir do elenco ainda nesta quarta-feira (5) e pode nem ser relacionado para o duelo das 19h30 com o São Paulo, no Morumbi, pelas quartas de final da Copa do Brasil.
+ São Paulo x Palmeiras: onde assistir ao vivo, horário e escalações do jogo de hoje da Copa do Brasil
Aos 23 anos, Navarro terá sua primeira oportunidade de atuar fora do país. O atacante chegou ao Palmeiras no fim de 2021, sem custos, depois de encerrar seu contrato com o Botafogo. De lá para cá, ele disputou 65 jogos pelo clube e marcou 11 gols. Em 2023, ele atuou em 17 partidas e deixou a sua marca quatro vezes. No período, ele conquistou dois Paulistas (2022 e 2023), uma Recopa Sul-Americana (2022), uma Supercopa do Brasil (2023) e um Brasileirão (2022), além do vice-Mundial (2021).
Following Edson Alvarez’s move to Fenerbahce on loan, West Ham United have reportedly submitted an opening offer to sign an instant replacement in the form of a 6 foot 2 midfielder.
Alvarez completes Fenerbahce move
After just two years at the London Stadium, Alvarez has completed a loan move to join Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce. The Hammers were reportedly keen to clear his hefty £100,000-a-week salary off their wage bill to make room for further, much-needed recruits, and have seemingly managed to do exactly that courtesy of the Turkish club.
With room to maneuver following the midfielder’s departure, the Hammers could be an interesting club to watch as the deadline approaches. It was clear for all to see against Sunderland on the opening day that Graham Potter still needs a number of reinforcements, but whether West Ham have time to welcome those additions is another question entirely.
The West Ham boss told reporters when questioned about transfers this week: “We need a few silver bullets, not just one. We analyse where we think the improvements can be and then we have to try to work within the financial position of the club to make the right decision to bring the right player and the right person here.
Edson Alvarez.
“If I look historically, West Ham have spent money, have signed players. Signing players is easy. It doesn’t mean that they’re going to be the right ones.”
With less than two weeks until the transfer window closes, there remain several targets on West Ham’s reported radar. Names such as Jamie Vardy and Artem Dovbyk have been among those mentioned as of late, although it’s unclear whether the Hammers push on to secure either of their arrivals.
Instead, their focus seems to be set on finding an instant replacement for Alvarez this month.
West Ham submit first Magassa offer
According to Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian, West Ham have now submitted an opening offer to sign Soungoutou Magassa from AS Monaco this month. The 6’2 midfielder has reportedly been identified as a replacement for Alavrez and also very much represents a player whose best is yet to come at just 21 years old.
A defensive midfielder who would also offer Potter an extra centre-back option, Magassa was described as someone with a “really exciting raw profile” by analyst Ben Mattinson, who also praised his passing range.
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Given that he’s already got Champions League experience to his name at such a young age on top of that “exciting” profile, West Ham would be landing an undeniable gem if they managed to sign Magassa in the next two weeks.
Huge excitement has been building at Tottenham Hotspur over the last couple of days, and understandably so, given the news breaking out of North London.
Xavi Simons looks set to be the latest player to join Thomas Frank’s squad this summer, after a €60m (£52m) agreement was reached with RB Leipzig for the Dutchman’s signature.
The player himself has been in London over the last couple of days, even having his medical with his Lilywhites, with a deal expected to be completed before Monday’s deadline.
Such a move will see the club finally land the attacking midfielder that the hierarchy have been constantly hunting for over the last couple of months.
However, despite the big-money addition of the former PSG youngster, further additions appear to be in the pipeline, with Daniel Levy looking to hand the new boss the tools he needs for success.
The latest on Spurs’ hunt for new additions
Leicester City star Bilal El Khannouss has been a name constantly mentioned with a move to Spurs this summer, after suffering relegation to the Championship at the end of last season.
A fresh report has stated that the Lilywhites could yet make a late move for the Moroccan international this summer, adding further depth to Frank’s attacking department.
However, he’s not the only player currently in their sights, with Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers another star they’re considering a move for, according to Football Insider.
Their report states that the Lilywhites have been in discussions with Unai Emery’s men, but a deal could be an expensive one, given their stance on the player not being for sale.
It also claims that Spurs are confident are taking advantage of the Villans’ PSR standing, potentially completing a deal which could cost as much as £80m before the transfer deadline.
Why Spurs’ £80m target is a bigger talent than Simons
The pending addition of Simons is a huge signal of intent from the Spurs hierarchy, landing a talent who has been hugely in demand throughout the current window.
RB Leipzig'sXaviSimonsreacts after the match
Chelsea were one side said to be interested in the Dutchman’s signature in recent weeks, with talks for his services even being at an advanced stage – but Frank’s side appear to have hijacked the move.
The deal has seen the Lilywhites complete their own overtake for a transfer, after losing out on deals to sign Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze earlier in the window.
Such a deal will massively improve the options currently at the manager’s disposal, especially after the injuries suffered to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.
However, a late move for Rogers would undoubtedly trump a deal for Simons, having experience in England’s top-flight, whilst also starring in such a division in recent seasons.
When comparing the pair’s respective stats from 2024/25, the Englishman managed to outperform the pending new addition in various key areas for attacking areas.
Rogers, who’s been labelled as “phenomenal” by Lee Hendrie, posted a higher tally of goals and assists, whilst also registering a better shot on target accuracy rate – offering Frank’s side an added threat in front of goal throughout 2025/26.
How Rogers & Simons compared throughout 2024/25
Statistics (per 90)
Rogers
Simons
Games played
37
25
Goals & assists
18
16
Goals per shot on target
0.5
0.4
Key passes made
2.4
2.1
Take-ons completed
1.9
1.3
Take-on success
41%
33%
Carries into the opposition box
1.1
0.9
Progressive carries
3.7
3.5
Stats via FBref
He also completed more of the key passes he attempted per 90, an asset that would add a needed creative presence to the midfield department.
The Englishman’s dominance with the ball at his feet is further highlighted by his higher take-on success rate – subsequently able to drive past the opposition and put the final touches on any driving run into attacking areas.
Whilst £80m would be yet another expensive addition this summer, it’s one that could add further quality and versatility to the Lilywhites’ potent front line.
The prospect of Rogers linking up with Simons in North London is certainly one for the fanbase to get excited about, having the chance to play a huge role in their ability to build on last year’s Europa League success.
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أعرب طارق قنديل، المرشح على عضوية مجلس إدارة النادي الأهلي فوق السن ضمن قائمة الكابتن محمود الخطيب، عن فخره واعتزازه بالثقة التي حظي بها من رئيس النادي والجمعية العمومية على مدار دورتين متتاليتين، معتبرًا هذه الثقة مسؤولية كبيرة وشرفًا يسعى للحفاظ عليه من خلال مواصلة خدمة الأهلي وأعضائه في أي موقع.
وقال طارق قنديل في تصريحات إعلامية: “تشرفت بإدارة ملف العضويات خلال الدورتين الماضيتين، حيث كنت متعاونًا مع إبراهيم الكفراوي في الدورة الأولى (2017-2021)، ثم توليت المسؤولية الكاملة في الدورة الحالية، ونجحنا، بالتنسيق مع الإدارة التنفيذية وإدارة الاشتراكات، في إنشاء منظومة احترافية متكاملة لإدارة العضويات الجديدة”.
وأشار إلى أن اللجنة نجحت في ابتكار أساليب جديدة لتسويق عضوية الأهلي خارج مصر في دول مثل الإمارات وقطر، ما أسهم في تحقيق إيرادات بالعملة الصعبة من المصريين العاملين بالخارج، إلى جانب الإقبال الكبير داخل مصر على العضوية بفضل الطفرة الإنشائية والخدمية التي شهدها النادي في جميع فروعه.
وأضاف قنديل أن مشروع استاد الأهلي يمثل حلمًا لجميع الأعضاء والجماهير، موضحًا أن المجلس الحالي وضع الأساس الأول لهذا المشروع الاستراتيجي، وتم بالفعل تحقيق خطوات كبيرة على طريق التنفيذ.
وتحدث عن إنجازات النادي في مجال الاستثمار: “اعتمدنا في إدارة ملف الشركات على مبادئ الحوكمة والشفافية التي يقوم عليها النظام داخل الأهلي، وهو ما ساهم في تحقيق طفرة حقيقية على مستوى الإدارة والاستثمار”.
طالع أيضًا | أحمد حسام عوض يوضح دور شركة الكرة في عقود لاعبي الأهلي.. وكواليس اختياره ضمن قائمة الخطيب
وعن الملف الإنشائي، أوضح أن السنوات الأخيرة شهدت قفزة نوعية في البنية التحتية للنادي، سواء في المقر الرئيسي بالجزيرة أو فرعي الشيخ زايد ومدينة نصر، بجانب إنشاء فرع التجمع الخامس على أعلى مستوى، مؤكدًا أن خطة التطوير لن تتوقف، إذ يسعى المجلس خلال الدورة المقبلة إلى إنشاء فروع جديدة خارج القاهرة لخدمة أكبر عدد من الأعضاء.
وأكد قنديل أن أعضاء وجماهير الأهلي يمثلون القوة الحقيقية للنادي، مضيفًا: “نحرص على تقديم خدمات تليق باسم الأهلي، إلى جانب دعم كل الألعاب الرياضية للحفاظ على ريادة النادي في مختلف المنافسات”.
وكشف أن ميزانية الأهلي تجاوزت 8 مليارات جنيه، وهو رقم غير مسبوق في تاريخ المؤسسات الرياضية المصرية، مشيرًا إلى أن هذا الإنجاز يعكس حجم العمل والجهد المبذول على مدار السنوات الماضية، ويؤكد أن الأهلي يحتل المراكز الأولى في معظم الألعاب.
واختتم: “نتمنى أن يكون يوم 31 أكتوبر عرسًا ديمقراطيًا يليق بتاريخ الأهلي. نثق في أن الجمعية العمومية ستؤدي دورها كالعادة، لأن غياب النصاب قد يؤدي إلى سابقة تاريخية بتعيين لجنة مؤقتة لإدارة النادي، وهو ما لا نريده. لذلك نناشد الأعضاء بالحضور والمشاركة الفاعلة في الانتخابات”.
Wayne Rooney claims that under-fire Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim would be “absolutely slaughtered” if he made selection calls similar to those which saw Arne Slot’s Liverpool suffer a disappointing Champions League defeat at Galatasaray. The Reds have now come unstuck in their last two fixtures, with the odd question being asked of why a Dutch tactician at Anfield is tinkering so much.
AFPWinning start over: Back-to-back defeats for Liverpool
Liverpool remain top of the Premier League table, with five successive victories seeing the reigning champions of England get off to a perfect start. They did, however, require a number of late goals to keep that winning run intact. Slot eventually saw the wheels fall off when suffering a 2-1 loss at Crystal Palace. Said setback was followed by another in European competition.
A Victor Osimhen penalty condemned Liverpool to a 1-0 reversal in Istanbul, with the Reds struggling to find an attacking spark. Some of the blame for that is being placed at Slot’s door. He opted to field Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai as a right-back again – where he has filled in at times this season – with Jeremie Frimpong operating on the wing. Szoboszlai ended up conceding the decisive spot-kick.
AdvertisementRooney takes aim at some of Slot's selection calls
Slot is facing accusations of trying to be too creative and clever with his selections. Amorim has faced similar criticism across his time in charge of Manchester United, with the Portuguese desperate to make his favoured 3-4-3 system work despite positive results proving hard to come by.
A Red Devils legend has told podcast of why Slot should be facing some uncomfortable questions of his own: “I thought they [Liverpool] were really poor. I think the worry for me would be, they’re losing the game and it looked like even with still quite a bit of time left to go, he just put every attacking player on the pitch and said like ‘go and figure it out’. And then, it could have got a lot worse for Liverpool during the game because with the amount of times they gave the ball away at the back and losing it and getting broke on and Alisson getting injured.
“I think when you win the league like Arne Slot did with Liverpool last season then sometimes some of the decisions you make get overlooked. I think his decision to play a midfield player at right-back and a right-back and right-wing. For instance, if that was Amorim at Manchester United, he’d get absolutely slaughtered.”
AFPSlot explains Liverpool selection decisions
Slot explained the decision to shuffle his pack in Turkey when telling reporters: “What you see is, and I think I explained this many times, is that there are a few players from us that missed pre-season so you simply cannot play them every single [game]. Well, you can but then that could become a risk of players becoming injured. We have seen this more and more because the demands go up more and more, and if the demands go up you have to prepare players for these demands.
"That means that it is not always that I want to rotate but sometimes I need to because a player is not ready to play three times 90 minutes in seven or eight days. I like my squad so much, but we don’t have 25 or 26 [players], so if we end up with two, three or four injuries, 15 or 16 players, where Rio and Trey are two of these 15 or 16, then need to play almost all the minutes and then things can become complicated.
“But this is a decision we have made together, I completely believe in this, because if you have 25 [players] it’s very hard to manage your squad. But as a result of that, with Hugo, Alex, Conor and Mac Allister not having the pre-season a player should have, that also results in the fact that I cannot play them every time.”
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Liverpool fixtures: Tests either side of international break
Liverpool will be back in domestic action on Saturday when taking in a testing trip to Chelsea. A number of their players will then head off with their respective countries during the international break, with the Reds welcoming Amorim and United to Anfield on October 19.
Punjab Kings have problems of their own, but their Indian core – led by Shreyas Iyer – has been firing all season
Shashank Kishore07-Apr-20252:44
Cricinformed – Why CSK will benefit from Gaikwad opening
Big picture – 2025 going the 2020 and 2022 way for CSKTwice in the last five years, poor starts have spelt doom for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). IPL 2025 is showing signs of heading the same way.In 2020, CSK lost three of their first four matches and stumbled to a seventh-place finish with just six wins. In 2022, they opened with four consecutive defeats and ended ninth again, this time with only four wins.Everything that could go wrong for them this season has, starting with the apparent lack of home advantage, according to coach Stephen Fleming. Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda, two big Indian signings, have failed to deliver and have already been dropped from the XI.Related
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Their refusal to back young Indian talent – like Shaik Rasheed and C Andre Siddarth – has left CSK’s batting heavily dependent on their overseas signings and Ruturaj Gaikwad. To make matters worse, Gaikwad isn’t even batting in his preferred position at the top of the order, where he won the Orange Cap during CSK’s title-winning campaign in 2021.Punjab Kings (PBKS) may not be in as deep a hole as CSK, but have had their own battles, particularly at home. Mullanpur hasn’t been a high-scoring venue, and PBKS have managed just one win in six matches there in two seasons. Unlike CSK, they split their home games across two venues, making the task of adapting even more demanding.PBKS are coming off a tough home loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR), but they started the season with two commanding wins. Unlike CSK, their Indian core – led by Shreyas Iyer – is firing. Under new coach Ricky Ponting, there’s a clear belief in youth, with players like Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya and Nehal Wadhera getting consistent backing. It’s a stark contrast to CSK’s cautious approach.CSK thrive on slower conditions, and the surface in Mullanpur could play right into their hands. RR showcased how effective spin could be here, using all three of their spinners – Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya and Wanindu Hasaranga – to great effect. Even Sandeep Sharma’s mix of slower balls and yorkers proved difficult to put away.Maybe CSK will feel a lot more at home here?Form guidePunjab Kings LWW Chennai Super Kings LLLNew loyaltiesSam Curran, who captained PBKS last year after Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out injured, is now back at CSK. Curran, signed by CSK for INR 2.4 crore at the mega auction, was the costliest overseas signing when PBKS signed him ahead of the 2023 auction for INR 18.5 crore.Nathan Ellis, a specialist death bowler who played 16 games for PBKS between 2021 and 2024, is now part of CSK.4:07
Bangar: Surprised that PBKS haven’t used Brar yet
Team news and likely XIIsMukesh Choudhary, the left-arm quick, looked off the pace and undercooked in his outing against Delhi Capitals (DC) three days ago. That could open the door for fast-bowling allrounder Anshul Kamboj to make his debut for CSK.Likely XII: 1 Rachin Ravindra, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Anshul Kamboj, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Matheesha Pathirana, 12 Khaleel AhmedSuryansh Shedge has the potential to be a finisher, but at PBKS, he has so far had very little to do. He has batted just once and hasn’t bowled a single over. Perhaps there’s a case for them to consider Harpreet Brar, who offers batting depth in addition to his left-arm spin.Likely XII: 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nehal Wadhera, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Lockie Ferguson, 12 Yuzvendra ChahalThe big questionShould Gaikwad, currently batting at No. 3, return to open where he’s had most success? This season, he’s come out to bat in the second over three times, and once in the first over.In the spotlight: Yuzvendra Chahal and Shivam DubeYuzvendra Chahal hasn’t bowled his full quota in two of the three games so far this season, while picking up just one wicket. Chahal’s lack of assistance off the surface in a game where RR employed three spinners with winning returns could potentially be worrisome. Against CSK, he’ll have to counter the possibility of bowling to a succession of left-handers which could add to his challenge.CSK have been the slowest scoring side in the powerplay this season. It’s against this backdrop that Shivam Dube’s lack of runs make their situation quite dire. Dube has a top score of 19 in four innings, and hasn’t been able to stamp his authority against spin, a role he thrived in during their title-winning season in 2023.Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni have a lot of questions to answer•AFP/Getty Images Pitch and conditions RR breached the 200-run mark at the venue in the previous game. Mullanpur is among the bigger venues in terms of ground dimensions. Also, temperatures in the region have touched 37 degrees Celsius. Sunil Joshi, PBKS assistant coach, expects the surface to play slower, but not necessarily lower. Stats and trivia CSK have lost five out of their last six matches against PBKS. CSK have the lowest powerplay run rate (7.5) and overall run rate (8.1) in IPL 2025. The three wickets picked up by PBKS spinners are the least among all teams this season. Arshdeep Singh has had a favourable match-up against Devon Conway, having dismissed him three times in four innings.