Alan Gardner and Andrew Miller are joined by The Final Word’s Adam Collins and Geoff Lemon to talk about their new book and help preview the forthcoming Ashes

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2025England have gathered in Perth ahead of their warm-up game against England Lions and with Ashes coverage beginning to ramp up. In a special edition of the pod, Alan Gardner and Andrew Miller were this week joined by the Final Word’s Adam Collins and Geoff Lemon, with plenty to discuss ahead of the series – from England’s hopes of an upset, Ollie Pope clinging on at No. 3 and a potential Australia debut for Jake Weatherald. The Final Word boys also talked about their new book, .

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Os times União e Esperança se enfrentam neste domingo (26), em um jogo solidário em prol das vítimas das chuvas no Rio Grande do Sul. O Maracanã será o palco da ação que vai juntar diversas personalidades do futebol e celebridades para arrecadar e incentivar doações aos gaúchos. A bola vai rolar a partir das 16h (de Brasília), com transmissão da TV Globo.

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As melhores e mais variadas ofertas para o Brasileirão estão no Lance!Betting! Abra já a sua conta!

Confira todas as informações que você precisa saber sobre o confronto entre o time União e o time Esperança (onde assistir, horário, escalações e local).

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
UNIÃO X ESPERANÇA
FUTEBOL SOLIDÁRIO
🗓️ Data e horário: Domingo, 26 de maio de 2024, às 16h (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Maracanã (RJ)
📺 Onde assistir: TV Globo
🟨 Árbitro: Raphael Claus e Anderson Daronco

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

⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES:

TIME UNIÃO (Técnico: Mano Menezes)
Carlos Germano, Ludmila, Fred Bruno, Juan, Tamires, Belo, Djalminha, Diego Ribas, Petkovic, Ronaldinho e José Loreto.

TIME ESPERANÇA (Técnico: Dorival Jr)
Fernando Prass, Cafu, Alline Calandrini, Lucy Ramos, Junior, Vampeta, Thiaguinho, D’Alessandro, Roger Flores, Nenê e Wesley Safadão.

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Futebol NacionalMaracanãOnde assistir

Liverpool are preparing a club-record offer to sign Vitinha in January, with Paris Saint-Germain’s stance on letting one of their star players leave now clear.

FSG broke the bank to make a number of big signings during the summer transfer window too, but it would be fair to say a number of them haven’t exactly hit the ground running, with Alexander Isak yet to reach the heights he did at Newcastle United.

Indeed, it has been a slow start for the Swedish striker, who has just one goal to his name in eight matches in all competitions, while he has also missed the last four matches due to injury, with Arne Slot providing an update prior to Real Madrid.

Slot said: “He definitely is not starting on Sunday, but maybe he can be in the squad. But he is still not training with the team so we have to wait and see.”

Florian Wirtz has also flattered to deceive, with the German attacking midfielder yet to register a goal or an assist in the Premier League, calling Slot’s summer recruitment policy into question.

Liverpool preparing club-record offer for Vitinha

However, the Liverpool manager remains keen on adding proven top-level players to his ranks, with a report from Spain revealing a club-record €150m (£132m) offer for PSG star Vitinha is being prepared for the January transfer window.

The Reds are putting in work to become serious contenders for the midfielder’s signature, having identified the need to strengthen their options in the engine room, but it could be difficult to get a deal over the line.

The Portuguese maestro is under contact at the French club until 2029, which puts them in a strong negotiating position, and they currently remain determined to retain his services, although a substantial offer could be tempting.

FSG clearly mean business, given that a monumental bid is being prepared, and the Reds could be getting their hands on a top midfielder, considering the 25-year-old has been one of PSG’s key players for quite some time, receiving very high praise from Luis Enrique.

Paul Scholes has also named the 33-time Portugal international among his top five midfielders in the world, ahead of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, with the Manchester United legend saying: “Vitihna at PSG is brilliant, he is amazing.”

Last season was arguably the former FC Porto man’s best to date, playing a major role in PSG’s Champions League triumph by featuring in 17 matches and providing two goals and two assists.

Vitinha could be a statement signing for Liverpool, but it could be very difficult to prise the defensive midfielder away from PSG, given his importance to Enrique.

Liverpool planning bids for Camavinga and Bastoni FSG in overdrive as Liverpool to bid over £120m for Camavinga and Bastoni

Arne Slot could be set to build something of a superteam at Liverpool.

1 BySean Markus Clifford Nov 4, 2025

Chelsea have already reached out for discussions with the representatives of Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz, with Enzo Maresca hatching a new tactical plan involving Cole Palmer.

The west Londoners have lost three out of their last five Premier League games and narrowly escaped with a thrilling 4-3 win away to bottom side Wolves in the Carabao Cup earlier this week.

Despite spending nearly £300 million in the summer transfer window, there is clearly still work to be done from Chelsea’s perspective, and reports suggest that Juventus are even taking an interest in Maresca ahead of next summer.

The Old Lady appointed Luciano Spalletti on an interim basis until the end of the season, but if that doesn’t work out and Maresca fails to turn the tide at Stamford Bridge, a move to Juve could be on the cards in 2026.

In the meantime, Chelsea’s manager is surely tasked with finishing in the top four at the very least, and preferably adding more silverware to the club’s trophy cabinet after their Conference League and Club World Cup triumphs earlier this year.

According to some reports, Maresca is still quite unhappy with the options he has at Chelsea right now, so January could be a key month despite heavy summer backing in the market.

The most obvious area Chelsea are short in is centre-back, with ex-midfielder John Obi-Mikel claiming that the Blues will get nowhere near a Premier League title boasting that backline.

Ahead of the winter window’s opening, reports suggest that Chelsea are prioritising a new centre-back, with Levi Colwill expected to be out until spring 2026 after rupturing his ACL in pre-season.

However, they could also land a new forward, and have been linked with Yildiz as a serious option.

Chelsea make "very exciting" Yildiz offer amid Cole Palmer plan

Fabrizio Romano says that Chelsea “really like” the Turkey international who’s dazzled as Juve’s star attacker since the beginning of last season.

Yildiz racked up 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions across 2024/2025, finishing the campaign as their best-performing regular with over 10 starts, going by average match rating per 90 minutes (WhoScored).

The 20-year-old also made more key passes per 90 and completed more take-ons in the final third than any of his teammates, with Yildiz starting 25/26 in equally imperious fashion.

Juventus 2-0 Parma Calcio

8.88

Juventus 4-3 Inter Milan

8.51

Juventus 3-1 Udinese

7.55

Atalanta 1-1 Juventus

7.10

Genoa 0-1 Juventus

7.04

via WhoScored

He has seven goal contributions in 12 appearances already this term, attracting serious interest from Stamford Bridge.

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea have “discreetly” reached out to Yildiz’s camp with a “very exciting” offer to join them, and Italian insiders are adamant that Maresca’s side are in pole position to land him.

This comes as Maresca hatches a plan to partner the young Turk with Palmer up front, as Chelsea see him as the “ideal” player to link up with their England superstar.

However, there are major obstacles to overcome in this would-be transfer — mainly Juve’s minimum demand of around £79 million — with Real Madrid also in the race.

Los Blancos are described as a “major threat” to Chelsea in pursuit of Yildiz, and the player is apparently very enticed by Xabi Alonso’s side as a possible destination.

There is also the matter of Juve apparently stepping up new contract talks to keep him out of rival clutches, so Chelsea could have to launch the kitchen sink if this move has any chance of happening.

Chelsea have been offered another Juventus star too

Aston Villa scouts are being put through their paces ahead of the January window and may now have found a player worth pursuing in PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ismael Saibari.

The Villans struggled for goals in the early part of the campaign, and it is fair to say that their efforts to hit the target need to improve, given they are one of the lowest-scoring sides in the Premier League table.

Yet to hit double figures on that front, at the time of writing, much has been made of Ollie Watkins’ poor form at Aston Villa this season. The England international has hit the target in just one of 13 this campaign, failing to repeat the stellar form he showed in 2024/25.

Undoubtedly, January will be a time where finding potency will be prioritised. Hoffenheim striker Fisnik Asllani is on the Villans’ radar and may be pursued, with Unai Emery set on achieving even loftier goals than the accomplishments he has met during his three years in the West Midlands.

He said before the clash with Liverpool: “Still work to do, still objectives to set and work hard to achieve those objectives – collectively and myself as well, individually.

“One of them is some titles, but of course the title only is winning one, Premier League, the cups in England, and Europe, is the target we can set through to achieve some titles, and we are in this way.”

PSR may force Aston Villa’s hand as Liverpool plot a move for Ezri Konsa. Even then, there will be room to recruit more additions to offer Emery a greater sense of potency in his side’s hunt for continental qualification, something he may now find in his latest target.

Aston Villa scouts blown away by Ismael Saibari

According to TBR in conversation with Graeme Bailey, Aston Villa scouts were blown away by PSV midfielder Ismael Saibari after watching him in action against Feyenoord last weekend, where he scored a hat-trick.

Bailey said: “Saibari is attracting a lot of attention and his treble last week was special. He is one to keep an eye on for January, getting goals in January is something Premier League clubs especially are looking for and he could offer that.”

With ten goals and an assist to his name this term, the engine room operator is also wanted by Leeds United, West Ham United, Everton, Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Aston Villa eyeing Joshua Zirkzee to fill attacking void

Versatility is a key part of his game, something that could potentially signal several arrivals are imminent, given Saibari can feature as a ten, in central midfield or in a role shielding the back four.

Nevertheless, PSV hold the cards in negotiations due to having the Morocco international under contract until 2029. Aston Villa may need to shell out a premium to land his services, though could now be tempted by the prospect of a January bid.

Durham 322 for 7 (Bedingham 93, Raine 87*, Rhodes 50) vs Yorkshire South Africa Test batter David Bedingham hit a season’s best 93 off 195 balls to steer an impressive Durham recovery from early strife against fellow relegation candidates Yorkshire on day one of the final-round Rothesay County Championship clash at Headingley.Durham, having elected to bat, slipped to seven for two inside five overs, bringing Bedingham in. He determinedly batted through until late evening and shared in a series of crucial partnerships, chiefly 101 for the fourth wicket either side of lunch with Will Rhodes, 50.The second-bottom visitors closed on 322 for seven from 96 overs. They will be delighted with the outcome, especially considering Ben Raine’s counter-attacking 87 not out off 85 late in the day. His was also a season’s best score.Yorkshire came into this fixture seventh in the table on 146 points, Durham ninth on 140. Sandwiched in between, Hampshire on 142.The White Rose need 10 points to assure survival – they have gained two today – while it is looking likely that Durham will have to win to stay up after Hampshire started strongly at home to Surrey.Just before play, a minute’s applause in memory of the late Dickie Bird was observed.England Test captain Ben Stokes, here working on his fitness following a shoulder injury, paid his respects from the Dickie Bird Players’ Balcony alongside fellow international Brydon Carse. Both then bowled at lunch.Yorkshire made a start their former president Bird would have been proud of, reducing Durham, who elected to bat, to that aforementioned seven for two as new-ball seamers Matt Milnes and Jack White struck on a lovely late summer’s morning.Alex Lees and opening partner Emilio Gay were caught at third slip by Fin Bean, the former defending at one he could have left alone and the latter driving at one he also needn’t have gone after.Ben McKinney and Bedingham tried to steady through a 44-run stand. But George Hill broke their alliance when McKinney was caught behind pushing forwards – 51 for three in the 20th over.A couple of catches went down at first slip, including Rhodes on 17 shortly after lunch.But, by and large – against an attack who kept things tight – Bedingham and Rhodes turned the tide very impressively.During the heart of the afternoon, both reached their fifties. Bedingham’s came first off 105 balls before Rhodes got there off 96. By that stage, the visitors were in a much healthier state at 152 for three after 50 overs.However, trouble was just around the corner as Rhodes miscued the off-spin of Dom Bess to midwicket in the next over and Ollie Robinson offered no stroke to Hill in the 54th and was bowled – 155 for five.Bedingham’s contribution was clearly key to keeping Durham afloat and was a far cry from his regular aggression, surviving as Yorkshire chipped away at the wickets on what looks to be a placid, hybrid pitch.The 31-year-old is playing only his sixth Championship match of the summer, owing much to Test commitments.This, his sixth season at Durham, could yet be his last given no deal has been finalised for next season and beyond.Bedingham, particularly strong on the back foot, also added 48 for the sixth wicket with Graham Clark, who was trapped lbw for 27 playing to leg in the early stages the evening, leaving the score at 203 for six in the 72nd over.Raine hoisted Bess for a couple of sixes, the first drilled over long-off and the second slog-swept over midwicket.He shared 42 with Bedingham, who fell to a beauty of a catch from Hill running back from first slip towards third-man following a top-edged pull against White.That left Durham at 245 for seven in the 83rd over.Raine reached his fifty off 58 balls inside the day’s final 10 overs and cleared the ropes twice more amidst an unbroken 77-run stand with Matthew Potts, 23.

However, if he’s picked in India’s squad for the Asia Cup, Shubham Rohilla will replace him for the zonal tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-20252:40

Gill: England-India series a great learning curve for me

India’s Test captain Shubman Gill will lead North Zone in the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy, which will kick off the domestic season in Bengaluru later this month.Seamers Anshul Kamboj and Arshdeep Singh, who were recently part of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, were also named in the North Zone squad. Harshit Rana, who made his Test debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, will add more depth to North Zone’s seam attack.However, if Gill, Arshdeep or Harshit get picked in India’s squad for the Asia Cup, Shubham Rohilla, Gurnoor Brar and Anuj Thakral will replace them for the Duleep Trophy. The Asia Cup, which will run from September 9 to September 28 will overlap with the Duleep Trophy, which will start on August 28, with the final scheduled between September 11 and 15.Ankit Kumar, who was the top scorer for Haryana with 574 runs in 14 innings at an average of nearly 59 in the previous Ranji Trophy season, was appointed North Zone’s vice-captain. His Haryana team-mate Nishant Sindhu, the left-arm spin-bowling allrounder, also found a place in the squad.Apart from Harshit Rana, Yash Dhull, the former India Under-19 World Cup-winning captain, and Ayush Badoni are the only Delhi players in the squad. The trio is currently in action in the second season of the Delhi Premier League T20 tournament.Related

Kuldeep, Khaleel in Jurel-led Central Zone squad for Duleep Trophy

Tilak Varma to lead South Zone

Iyer, Sarfaraz in West Zone squad

Mohammed Shami in East Zone squad

Five players from Jammu & Kashmir made the cut for the Duleep Trophy, including opener Shubham Khajuria and seamer Auqib Nabi, who was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, with 44 wickets in eight matches at an outstanding average of 13.93.Services’ Ravi Chauhan and Chandigarh’s Nishunk Birla are among the stand-bys.The Duleep Trophy has reverted to its traditional format of a zonal contest after a season where four teams – A, B, C and D – comprising players in the Test fray were picked by the Ajit Agarkar-led senior men’s selection committee. Teams for this year’s tournament will be picked by zonal selection committees, comprising one member from each of the state sides from the zone.North Zone will play the domestic season’s opening game against East Zone from August 28 at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.North Zone squadShubman Gill (capt), Shubham Khajuria, Ankit Kumar (vice-capt), Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, Ankit Kalsi, Nishant Sindhu, Sahil Lotra, Mayank Dagar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Kanhaiya Wadhawan (wk)Replacements: Shubham Rohilla to replace Gill, Gurnoor Brar to replace Arshdeep and Anuj Thakral to replace Harshit in case of any India commitments during the tournament.Stand-bys: Shubham Arora, Jaskaranvir Singh Paul, Ravi Chauhan, Abid Mushtaq, Nishunk Birla, Umar Nazir, Divesh Sharma

There is a lot to be delighted about for Arsenal fans at the moment.

In the Champions League, they have won all four of their games; in the League Cup, they’re through to the quarter-finals, and in the Premier League, they’re top of the table.

Moreover, they’re defensively out of this world, unstoppable at set-pieces and have once again introduced another world-class prospect to the squad in Max Dowman.

The 15-year-old looks destined for greatness, and now Hale End appears to be brewing another supreme talent for Arsenal, who could be Bukayo Saka 2.0.

Dowman's rapid rise

There is no getting away from the fact that, for Arsenal, this season is primarily about finally getting over the line in the Premier League.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

However, one of the secondary stories has been that of Dowman’s rapid rise from 15-year-old academy gem to semi-regular first-teamer.

The Chelmsford-born gem was first introduced to the fans during pre-season, where his eye-catching performances led respected analyst Ben Mattinson to claim he was “humiliating Premier League players.”

The youngster was then given his first taste of competitive football against Leeds United, where he once again ran senior defenders ragged and won his side a penalty.

The next step was his first start in the League Cup against Brighton, a game in which he completed the most dribbles of anyone on the pitch and officially became the youngest player to start for Arsenal.

Then this week, he broke another record, becoming the youngest player to ever make an appearance in the Champions League, coming on in the 72nd minute and once again looking right at home.

After the match, Arteta was full of praise for the youngster, saying: “What he’s done on the pitch – he comes in, the first ball he takes is he takes people on, he starts to dribble and gets a foul. That’s personality, that’s courage – and you cannot teach that.”

It wasn’t just the Gunners’ boss who was impressed, though, as Slavia Prague’s David Zima went so far as to call him “a miracle player.”

In all, Dowman appears to be on track to reach the very top with Arsenal, and now there is another young talent making waves in the academy who could be the next Saka.

Arsenal's new Saka

There are more than a handful of exciting talents coming through Hale End at the moment, with Brando Bailey-Joseph being one of them.

The 17-year-old only signed scholarship terms with the club a few months ago, but due to his impressive performances, he put pen to paper on a professional deal last month.

There is a chance he could be a future Saka-esque player for the club, as, like the talismanic number seven, he has shown an ability to play on both sides of the attack.

In fact, like the Hale End icon, he has also played deeper, on both the right and left of the midfield.

Moreover, while he’s not as prolific as Dowman, he’s shown an ability to score and assist goals.

Appearances

13

Minutes

901′

Goals

4

Assists

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.61

Minutes per Goal Involvement

112.62′

For example, in 13 appearances this season, totalling 901 minutes, he has put the ball in the back of the net four times and provided four assists for good measure.

In other words, the “explosive” attacker, as dubbed by Hale End expert Will Balsam, is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.62 games, or every 112.62 minutes, which is seriously impressive for a winger.

Moreover, what makes him such a “menace” for opposition defenders is, per Balsam, his “quickness & sharp cuts” with the ball at his feet.

Finally, according to Mattinson, what makes the youngster such an exciting prospect is his “good ball manipulation” and the fact that he “releases shots quickly in and around the box.”

Ultimately, he has a long way to go to become the next Saka, but as things stand, Bailey-Joseph appears to have all the raw materials necessary to succeed.

Forget Merino: Arsenal star who's "like Wilshere" can fix Gyokeres blow

The incredible talent could be the perfect solution to Arsenal’s Gyokeres problem.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 6, 2025

Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are riding high at the top of the Premier League table, and supporters have been told one player doesn’t get the praise he deserves.

Arsenal's set-piece kings on course to win the Premier League

Their explosive start has not just positioned them as Premier League title favourites, but also as the current kings of set pieces — a deadly weapon that’s wreaking havoc on opposition sides domestically and in Europe.

Arsenal have scored more goals from dead-ball situations than any other top-flight side so far (11), with star defender Gabriel at the heart of it with four contributions to those strikes as the Gunners make their best weapon known.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Corners, free kicks and even throw-ins have become golden scoring opportunities, as Arsenal turn these situations into major results with surgical precision.

Their aerial strength, combined with clever routines, has made them a nightmare for defenders who can’t afford to lose focus for even a moment.

However, at the heart of Arsenal’s success is their impenetrable defence which has conceded the joint-fewest goals, not only in the Premier League, but across Europe’s top leagues (3), with Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma also conceding just three.

The arrival of no-nonsense new backroom coach Gabriel Heinze is viewed as a real contributor to Arsenal’s increasingly water-tight backline, which has somehow become even more solid, despite already leaking the fewest league goals of any Premier League side in each of the last two seasons.

David Raya is in line for this third-successive Golden Glove award, and only a complete disaster in terms of injuries to key defenders would disrupt Arteta’s side right now.

That being said, even when William Saliba was briefly forced out of the side through injury, Cristhian Mosquera performed exceptionally well next to Gabriel at the heart of Arsenal’s defence, and fellow summer signing Piero Hincapie is also on hand to step in.

Given their imperiousness at the back, Viktor Gyokeres has been somewhat overshadowed.

The Swede, who was brought in to take the mantle of Arsenal’s new prolific number nine, got off to a flying start but went seven games without a goal before his much-needed brace against Atlético Madrid last week.

Gyokeres has attracted some criticism for his fairly underwhelming return so far, but journalist Graeme Bailey insists that he’s actually a pretty underrated new member of the team.

Viktor Gyokeres adds extra element to Arsenal that people don't see

Speaking to TBR Football, Bailey says that Gyokeres brings an “extra element” to Arsenal that “people don’t really see”.

Interestingly, this thought is echoed by Arteta, who says that Gyokeres makes Arsenal a much more “unpredictable” side.

His in-game play is there for all to see, and the former Sporting CP star has already proved a handful for defenders since his blockbuster summer switch.

Now, Gyokeres just needs to add more goals, then the critics will soon be silenced.