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Everton will host Manchester United in an important clash at Goodison Park this afternoon, and Frank Lampard must do everything he can to keep his team’s relegation fate in their hands by taking all three points from today.

Conceding their third consecutive defeat this afternoon could send the Toffees into the bottom three by the conclusion of the weekend if Burnley defeat Norwich City at Carrow Road on Sunday.

Despite the pressure mounting, Everton have received a triple boost as both Allan and Michael Keane return from suspension for the match today and Seamus Coleman is also available following a bout of illness which has ruled him out of the last two games.

Having these three experienced players available for selection again will definitely be a relief to Lampard as they take on a difficult challenge against Ralf Rangnick’s side in the early kick-off.

The injury table is unchanged for the fixture, with Yerry Mina, Nathan Patterson and Andros Townsend still unavailable, whilst Man United loanee Donny Van de Beek is ineligible for the fixture against his parent club.

With that in mind, this is how Football FanCast expect Everton to line up against their opponents at Goodison Park today…

Predicted XI: Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Godfrey, Kenny; Doucoure, Allan, Iwobi; Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin, Gordon

We predict that the Everton boss will make three changes to the team which lost to Burnley on Wednesday night, playing a 4-3-3 formation against the Red Devils.

We expect to see two changes in the back four to accommodate the return of Keane and Coleman, with Kenny moving into the left-back role to replace Vitaliy Mykolenko. That sees the captain resume duties at right-back, while Keane will be restored to the centre-back partnership alongside Ben Godfrey, taking the place of Jarrad Branthwaite.

One player we predict to be axed from the team today is Mason Holgate, who was labelled “poor” by Paul Robinson and endured a shocking performance against Burnley this week. The 25-year-old makes way for Allan to return following his three-game suspension.

The £120k-p/w Brazilian, who was hailed as “vital” by BT Sport commentator Darren Fletcher, has been a crucial component in Everton’s midfield this season, starting in the defensive role in all of their victories this season, so it is a no-brainer that he makes an instant return to the team this afternoon.

Lampard must capitalise on the advantage of playing at home for this fixture, especially given the Toffees’ dreadful away record, and will be hoping that the team can salvage one of their few remaining chances to secure safety in the Premier League for next season.

In other news: Lampard drops injury update ahead of today, it’s great news for Everton

Wolverhampton Wanderers host Premier League rivals Norwich City in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon, with Bruno Lage’s men looking to go far in the competition.

The West Midlands side have enjoyed a strong first half of the Premier League campaign and sit eighth in the top-flight table whilst the Canaries are one point clear of the relegation zone.

Having beaten Championship outfit Sheffield United 3-0 with a very strong side in the previous round, we expect no different this time around. Here is how Football FanCast expects Wolves to line up on Saturday.

The main change from Wolves’ last game, a 2-1 league win at Brentford, is in between the sticks as John Ruddy gets his fourth first-team appearance of the season, replacing first-choice Jose Sa as he did in the previous round.

There is also a change in defence, as Marcal replaces 23-year-old Toti Gomes. The Portuguese defender has made two Premier League appearances so far, winning both games, but must be managed efficiently and giving Marcal a chance shouldn’t cause any complications.

In terms of midfield and wing-backs, the only change is in shape as a 3-5-2 shifts to a 3-4-3 with Joao Moutinho dropping out. The midfielder is 35 and therefore has to also be managed properly in order to continue performing at the high level he has been in the league all season.

Daniel Podence and Fabio Silva keep their places whilst Francisco Trincao comes in on the left-wing. The 22-year-old certainly has potential, with Match of the Day pundit Gary Lineker labelling the Barcelona loanee as a “very promising young player” on his Twitter account after an impressive performance against Manchester United earlier this season.

However, the £19.8m-rated Portuguese winger’s spell at Molineux hasn’t exactly gone to plan so far, with the 22-year-old still yet to score in the league whilst scoring his sole goal in an EFL Cup win over Nottingham Forest.

Striker Raul Jimenez is expected to be available after returning from international duty with Mexico, however, it seems unlikely that he’ll be fit to start and therefore 19-year-old Fabio Silva will have another opportunity to impress his manager.

In other news: Alex Crook drops “interesting” Wolves transfer claim which will surely have fans sweating

تحدث يورجن كلوب، مدرب فريق ليفربول، عن تأهلهم إلى ثمن نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا عقب فوزهم مساء أمس على أياكس.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الجولة الخامسة من دور مجموعات البطولة، على ملعب “يوهان كرويف”، حيث فاز ليفربول بثلاثة أهداف دون رد.

وقال كلوب في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “لقد كان لديهم نصف ساعة في القمة من لحظة محددة حيث تسببوا في الكثير من الضغط وقدموا أداءً جيدًا وكان علينا الدفاع بشغف كبير”.

وأضاف: “سجلنا هدفًا كان استثنائيًا (هدف محمد صلاح)، رؤية هندرسون كانت استثنائية، في الشوط الثاني كانت بداية جيدة حقًا وسيطرنا على المباراة منذ ذلك الحين”. هدف محمد صلاح أمام أياكس

وواصل: “فرصة نونيز المهدرة؟ أعتقد أنه تفاجأ أيضًا! هذا هو فيرمينو باختصار (تمريرته للكرة تجاه نونيز)، لقد مرر الكرة وأعتقد كما قلت أن نونيز تفاجأ بهذا الموقف”. فرصة نونيز المهدرة أمام أياكس

واستكمل: “لقد لعب مباراة جيدة في كلا الاتجاهين (الهجوم والدفاع)، وساعد في الدفاع ولعب بقلب كبير اليوم، أعتقد أنني قمت باستبداله في وقت مبكر بدرجة كافية!”.

وأردف: “لقد غيرنا النظام مرة أخرى قليلاً، كان علينا ذلك، اعتقدنا أنه سيكون منطقيًا، أياكس فريق كرة قدم جيد ومليء بالثقة دائمًا وعليك التكيف، لقد فعلنا ذلك وبشكل جيد”.

وفيما يتعلق باستبدال جوردان هندرسون، قال الألماني: “أعتقد أنه بخير، لقد شعرت بالقلق عندما رأيت الموقف لأنه كان أمامي، تعرض لكدمة في الركبة، هذا شئ مؤلم حقًا، ولكن بقدر ما أعرف فمن المفترض إنه بخير، لا شئ آخر”.

واختتم: “لقد وصلنا إلى مرحلة خروج المغلوب، ولن أعتبر ذلك أمرًا مفروغًا منه أبدًا، إنه أمر مفيد حقًا للنادي، بالطبع إنه يعطي دفعة، الليلة نشعر جميعًا بالارتياح ولدينا بضعة أيام للاستعداد لمواجهة ليدز”.

حقق منتخب مصر للكرة الشاطئية الفوز على المغرب بخمسة أهداف مقابل أربعة في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما اليوم ببطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية.

وأقيمت المباراة ضمن منافسات نصف نهائي بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا.

واستطاع منتخب مصر أن يتأهل بعد فوزه اليوم لنهائيات كأس العالم للكرة الشاطئية للمرة الأولى في تاريخه بعد بلوغ المباراة النهائية لأمم إفريقيا.

طالع أيضًا.. منتخب مصر يتأهل لنصف نهائي كأس الأمم الأفريقية للشاطئية ويواجه المغرب

وينتظر منتخب مصر الفائز من مواجهة منتخبي السنغال وموزمبيق، في المباراة النهائية لكأس الأمم الأفريقية للكرة الشاطئية.

The BCCI has appointed former IPS officer Ranjit Kumar Das as its full-time security advisor

Cricinfo staff18-May-2010The BCCI has appointed former IPS officer Ranjit Kumar Das as its full time security advisor. The move comes after the 2010 season of the IPL was threatened by terror attacks, and ahead of the ICC World Cup, due to be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2011. Das was also a security advisor to the organising committee of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi this year.The ICC had made it mandatory for all full members to appoint a full-time security manager or consultant before December 2009. While all other members had done so in good time, the BCCI is the last one to comply with the direction.”India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will co-host the ICC Cricket World Cup, cricket’s showpiece event, early next year. The addressing of security concerns is paramount,” the BCCI said in a statement. “The preparations for the same have begun, and no effort is being spared to put together an event that will not only enhance the image of the sport, but also that of the subcontinent.”Das is a retired IPS (Indian Police Service) officer and served on several security agencies in the country. He was director of the Special Protection Group of the Prime Minister of India and special director of the Intelligence Bureau. He also had a stint at the Indian embassy in Washington DC as liaison officer for international counter terrorism efforts.

Tottenham Hotspur may have advanced into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup for the second successive season but the form of Harry Kane is surely a major cause for concern.

It was another game in which the out-of-sorts England international completely misfired as his struggles continued in Spurs’ win over Premier League rivals West Ham United on Wednesday evening.

On the back of Euro 2020 heartbreak with the Three Lions and an intense transfer saga that linked him with a move to champions Manchester City, the 28-year-old has found life very tough since returning late for pre-season training.

Indeed, Kane has scored just twice from 14 appearances in the English top-flight all season. Meanwhile, six of his nine goals in all competitions have come against minnows in the Europa Conference League, which is hardly inspiring.

You could forgive manager Antonio Conte if he’s left with nightmares after yet another disappointing outing. He must find out how to get the English talisman firing on all cylinders and that’s simply yet to happen since his arrival last month.

Kane lasted the entire 90 minutes on Wednesday, where he managed only one shot on target.

His 40 touches of the ball not only saw him lose possession 13 times (once every three touches) but it was also the second-lowest of any Spurs outfield player, meaning he evidently struggled to garner much of an influence on the game.

And when he was involved, he was wasteful, as seen by him losing the ball so frequently. Furthermore, he made only 20 passes at an accuracy rate of 77%, as per SofaScore.

Elsewhere, the £108m-rated forward was weak against the Hammers’ backline, winning just 28% of his 14 duels, whilst he was dribbled past on two occasions.

Both football.london reporter Alasdair Gold and the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick were in agreement over Kane’s performance in their post-game columns.

‘Still nowhere near his best,’ wrote Gold, with Kilpatrick added: ‘Tested Alphonse Areola early on but otherwise had no chances of note as his finishing slump continued.’

It was another game without a goal and another weak and ponderous showing. Conte must be hugely worried by Kane’s disastrous form and it’s surely only a matter of time before something is done about it.

AND in other news, Spurs plan fresh transfer talks as inside source drops major January update, fans will surely love this one…

With an agreement in place to sign Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona and the emergence of reports suggesting that they are working on a deal to sign Lucas Digne from fellow Premier League club Everton on a permanent basis, Aston Villa have been pretty busy in terms of transfer business so far this month.

Taking into account how Coutinho and potentially Digne would presumably be first-team regulars in Steven Gerrard’s side, it seems as though the Midlands club have their eye on signing a player that could become a senior player for the future.

What’s the news?

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke in a recent Twitter post, Villa have made a bid to sign Dundee United’s 17-year-old defender Kerr Smith.

As a product of United’s youth academy, Smith has already made 12 senior appearances for the Scottish club, showing how highly rated he is by the coaching staff there.

In those 12 appearances, Smith has predominantly been deployed in his usual centre-back position but also as a right-back on occasion, showing his versatility at such a young age.

Future star?

If Villa do end up signing him this month, it seems unlikely that he will be thrown straight into Gerrard’s first team, even though they have said goodbye to Axel Tuanzebe recently.

That’s considering they’ve got the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Kortney Hause in their squad who are much more experienced than Smith in terms of age.

However, if Villa were to add him to their U23 squad or even loan him out to get some regular minutes elsewhere, this could be a good first step towards potentially becoming a first-team player for the Midlands club in the future, which would surely please a lot of Villa fans if he’s good enough.

However, he may be of better use acting as a fourth centre-back option now Tuanzebe has left. After all, there would be far worse candidates considering Smith has already gained senior experience in Scotland.

Either way, if Villa are interested in signing the teenager this month, it shows that the club’s owners are not just focused on signing players such as Coutinho and possibly Digne to help strengthen the team on a short-term basis, but that they are also keen on bolstering the club’s youth teams to develop players that can be real assets for them on a long-term basis.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops exciting AVFC transfer claim that’ll have lots of fans buzzing – opinion

Many Southampton fans have criticised the performance of Adam Armstrong in their 2-2 draw with Leicester City in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team found themselves pegged back not once but twice by the visitors with goals from Jonny Evans and James Maddison after Jan Bednarek and Che Adams had given them leads in the first half.

It was another frustrating night for Armstrong, who could not get himself on the scoresheet once more, meaning that he has still only managed to net two goals so far this season.

The striker lost out on four of his duels and only managed to conjure up one shot in the game, while he also lost possession of the ball 11 times (SofaScore).

Southampton fans slam Armstrong

These Southampton supporters slammed the 24-year-old’s performance on Twitter, with one fan going as far as to claim that he was ‘woeful’ against the Foxes:

“A Armstrong is no Danny Ings is he? Terrible distribution and Tella looks poor. A boy who’s not had much game time.”

Credit: @SFCforever1989

“My thoughts.. Adam Armstrong isn’t a Premier League player, Tella’s decision making in the final 3rd is shocking, McCarthy needs replacing, apart from that all good.”

Credit: @HackedOffStu

“Go back to the Championship Armstrong, not good enough and Broja might be”

Credit: @EdwinStreet123

“Armstrong is so selfish, the pass was on there”

Credit: @GIB10000

“Adam Armstrong has been very poor…”

Credit: @sjam29

“Adam Armstrong has been woeful, so he stays on & Tella comes off. Okkkay.”

Credit: @nicetrainers

In other news, one of Armstrong’s team-mates also came in for criticism last night

Aston Villa are interested in a deal to bring Borna Sosa to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

According to reports from Germany (via the Express & Star), Steven Gerrard is keeping a very close eye on the situation of the VfB Stuttgart left-back ahead of a potential move during the winter market, as the 41-year-old manager is keen to bring in a top-class addition to challenge Matt Targett for his starting spot in the position.

The report goes on to state that the 23-year-old would likely be available for a fee of around £25m, and, while Gerrard is also thought to be considering an £8m move for Rangers defender Borna Barisic, Sosa is believed to be Villa’s favoured option due to his potential resale value.

Lange must act

Considering just how impressive Sosa has been for Stuttgart this season, in addition to the fact that Gerrard currently lacks a considerable amount of depth at left-back, a deal for the Croatia international would appear to be a very wise piece of business for Johan Lange to get over the line in the January transfer window.

Indeed, over his 12 Bundesliga appearances this term, the £14.4m-rated man has already registered three assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.9 key passes, 2.4 crosses and 1.4 long balls per game.

These returns have seen the £15k-per-week defender average a SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as Pellegrino Matarazzo’s third-best performer in the top flight of German football.

Furthermore, the 23-year-old has also received extremely high praise for his style of play, with Stuttgart’s sporting director, Sven Mislintat, comparing Sosa to a very notable former England captain.

Speaking about the ability of the left-back, Mislintat said: “Borna’s said himself that David Beckham is his role model, and I think he has the same qualities. He puts in crosses from every angle: sometimes chipped, sometimes drilled, sometimes flat, sometimes in behind, sometimes to the front post, other times to the back post. His left foot is a real weapon.”

As such, considering all of the above, a deal for Sosa would indeed appear to be a very smart move for Lange, as the signing of a player who boasts the talent of the Croatian defender would very much appear to be one Gerrard would love.

In other news: “Some contact”: AVFC handed potential transfer boost that will leave Gerrard buzzing

Ricky Ponting would prefer an in-form Michael Hussey to hold his place rather than Phillip Hughes taking his spot for the first Test against West Indies. Hughes, who was dropped during the Ashes series, is being pushed strongly for the opening game at the Gabba on November 26 and both Allan Border and Dean Jones believe Hussey is the vulnerable one in Australia’s top six.However, Ponting remains a big supporter of Hussey, who has shown strong form during the India one-day series. “Not if he’s playing well enough, no,” Ponting told AAP when asked if Hussey should make way for Hughes. “That’s the decision that everyone’s going to have to make. If he’s playing well he’s one of those blokes who’s valuable to any team.”The thing is he’s been a great player. He probably hasn’t scored as many as he would have liked in his last couple of Test series but all that other stuff he brings is pretty vital to the team.”Hussey, 34, registered a hundred in his last game at The Oval to end a 16-Test streak without a century, but the selectors have already indicated they want Hughes back in the side as soon as he is in top form. Shane Watson filled in as an opener in England when Hughes was dropped and is expected to head to the middle order when a spot becomes available.In India Hussey has been a key figure, scoring 313 runs at 104.33 in the opening six games, and Ponting said he was at his peak. “One thing I know about him is, in the last few weeks especially, he’s playing as well as I’ve seen him play for a long time,” Ponting said. “He’s the leading run-scorer in this one-day series, and looking back to his last Test he made a hundred in his last innings.”Mike’s doing everything that he can. It’s been a long, hard road for him … he’s probably played more cricket that anybody else in this current group, so for him to have maintained his high standards through this series [has been great considering] how tired he’s been.”