Arsenal are set to make another bid for Jurrien Timber, and the player is keen to move to the Emirates, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

What's the latest on Arsenal and Timber?

Mikel Arteta is keen to sign the Ajax defender to add another option to the right side of his backline. The 22-year-old has played at both centre-back and right-back in his career, and will add quality depth following Arsenal's collapse after injuries to William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Arsenal reportedly are close to agreeing personal terms with the Dutch international, and have already had a bid knocked back, but seem confident that they will land their target.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano claimed that Timber is excited for the move, and that a new offer is being prepared.

"To close in on Arsenal situation, they will bid again also for Jurrien Timber, Arsenal are preparing a new proposal," he stated.

"They want to bid again, they want to reach an agreement with Ajax, they already have an agreement with the player [approval]. Timber considers the Arsenal project perfect for his idea and [he's] really excited."

Where could Timber play for Arsenal?

Given that both William Saliba and Ben White were outstanding for Arsenal last season, it will be a big ask for Timber to arrive as an immediate starter ahead of either established defender.

However, Arsenal's defensive vulnerabilities were shown when Rob Holding had to take Saliba's place following his long-term injury, and this was arguably the main reason for their collapse in the title race.

The Gunners conceded 13 goals in six games with Holding in the starting XI, a rate of 2.16 per game, compared to 30 in the 32 matches without him, a rate of 0.93 per game, and this significant difference is an area of weakness that needs addressing this summer.

Between White, Tomiyasu, Saliba and Timber, minutes on the right-side can be shared around, which will be particularly important as Arsenal return to the Champions League, and extra rotation may be necessary.

Timber ranks near the top of his peers for his ability on the ball as per FBref, and this could prove crucial in both defensive positions as he aims to cover one of Saliba or White.

At 22, the Ajax vice-captain will be a signing who can make an impact in the long-term, and he could prove to be a vital option within the squad as Arsenal aim to challenge Manchester City for the title again.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second ODI between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at Dambulla

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Mar-2017Match FactsMarch 28, 2017
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)Bangladesh won only their second ODI in Sri Lanka to take a lead in the series•AFPBig PictureA win in a landmark Test, post-match calls from the prime minister, outstanding performances from debutants, seniors producing their best work – this hastily arranged tour was only supposed to be the postscript to Bangladesh’s high-profile visits to New Zealand and India, but now has the makings of a dream tour.Consider how dominant Sri Lanka have been against Bangladesh in the past. Muttiah Muralitharan’s record is sometimes attacked for containing too many Bangladesh wickets. Kumar Sangakkara looked bored while hitting half of his hundreds against them. Now, tables are turned, boots have switched feet, and the vanquishers are on the verge of becoming vanquished. Before Saturday, Bangladesh had won only one ODI in 15 attempts in Sri Lanka – and that, too, a rain-affected match that became a little chancy towards the end. Now they have crushed Sri Lanka by 90 runs, have players in form, and have possibly become favourites on an away tour.Not that Sri Lanka balk at the underdog tag. Often it’s when little is expected of them that they are at their most stirring. But in reality, this is a team that have now lost six ODIs in a row, have been defeated in five of their last six home one-dayers, and are operating without their best player – Angelo Mathews.Failed strategies have been curiously persisted with too. Sri Lanka have stacked their XI with allrounders, which seems to routinely leave them a bowler short in the death overs. They seem to constantly try to make limited-overs stars out of promising Test players, who might be better left to develop in one format (20-year-old Lahiru Kumara being a prime example). There is also the fielding, which we won’t go into again, because if you are a Sri Lanka fan, it will only want to make you cry.Form guideSri Lanka LLLLL (completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh WLLLLIn the spotlightIt is time to talk about Thisara Perera – perhaps Sri Lanka’s best batsman of the first ODI, where he hit 55 off 35 balls. Is he a batsman who can bowl a bit? Well, in 18 innings since the start of 2015, he has averaged 14.23 with the bat. Is he then a bowler who bats a bit? This seems even less likely, as since the start of 2015, he averages 54.33 with the ball, and concedes runs at 6.63 an over. His role in the team seems unclear.He has often found ways to be overshadowed in Sri Lanka, but Mehedi Hasan has been consistently effective, and has been a key contributor to Bangladesh’s success through this tour. On ODI debut on Saturday, Mehedi took the new ball – a task only experienced spinners are usually saddled with – and delivered a five-over spell that yielded one wicket and cost only 17, helping sink Sri Lanka’s chase early. Mehedi has also been an enthusiastic contributor with the bat and in the field. Here is a player worth keeping tabs on.Team newsNiroshan Dickwella was set to be available after suspension, only he has got himself injured and is now out of series. In his place Sri Lanka have drafted in offspinner Dilruwan Perera, while also strengthening their fast-bowling options with the addition of Nuwan Pradeep and Nuwan Kulasekara to the squad. There is a chance one of these new additions will play – Kulasekara the most likely. There is also some concern about a niggle to Suranga Lakmal.Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Upul Tharanga (capt), 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Asela Gunaratne, 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva/Sachith Pathirana, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal/Nuwan Pradeep, 10 Nuwan Kulasekara, 11 Lakshan SandakanBangladesh may retain their winning XI, although Mashrafe Mortaza said he was not afraid to make changes if conditions demanded.Bangladesh: (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mehedi Hasan, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Taskin AhmedPitch and conditionsA little extra grass has been left on the Dambulla surface, so it may not be as given to turn as the previous one. The weather is expected to be mostly fine.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka have now lost their last three matches at Dambulla. They had lost two ODIs to Australia there last year. If Bangladesh whitewash Sri Lanka in the series, they will move to sixth on the ODI rankings list, and displace Sri Lanka to seventh.Quotes”We have [previously] broken our winning combination against India and South Africa in 2015. The wicket tomorrow may be different, so we have to keep that in mind.”

The last time Australia successfully batted out the final day of a Test to secure a draw was in 2011, and Steven Smith and Darren Lehmann were hopeful the wait would end in Ranchi

Daniel Brettig19-Mar-2017Australia haven’t played in a drawn Test since a rain-blighted meeting with West Indies in January 2016. But to find the last time they managed to successfully bat themselves out of trouble on the final day, it is necessary to go further into the past. All the way to the 2011 Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.Michael Clarke, on his maiden Test tour as captain, made a hundred back then to keep out Rangana Herath and make the series safe. The loss of David Warner and Nathan Lyon in the eight overs before stumps in Ranchi meant that his successor Steven Smith needed a similar performance to prevent Australia from falling behind in the battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Head coach Darren Lehmann said the team’s Dubai preparations had included discussion and training for exactly the scenario they found themselves in. “Obviously we’ve got to save the game. Tough to lose those two wickets tonight, there were some good balls from them. Good challenge for the group to put it into practice tomorrow and we’ve got to do that and deliver on the big stage. Once the ball gets a little bit softer it plays pretty well so there’s no real demons in the track. It’s obviously a case of applying ourselves.Lehmann also emphasised the importance of combating Ravindra Jadeja as a key part of emerging with the 1-1 series ledger intact. The left-arm spinner was responsible for taking both wickets to fall so far, and was able to make balls explode off the pitch.”Going to have to come up with a plan to combat Jadeja but we’ve worked on that and you’ll probably see it tomorrow, I would think,” Lehmann said. “They’ve got to believe in what they’re doing as a group and a couple of good balls like tonight, that can happen in a game of cricket. For us it’s a great challenge. The challenge for our group is to put on a couple of partnerships and really get ahead of the game.”You’ve got to prepare for all scenarios here in India. As you’ve seen the wickets start to wear on day four, day five, [but] this has been a really traditional Indian wicket, a good wicket. It’s quite a challenge. Preparing in Dubai, that’s what we did and now it’s putting it into practice.”A possibly tired Australian team – Steve O’Keefe bowled 77 overs and Steven Smith had to deal with 210 overs of setting the field – was up against a seriously difficult task to save the Ranchi Test•Associated Press

Before this series, Smith had said one of the qualities he wanted to see in his team was the ability to scrounge a draw from a difficult situation. “Obviously you want to win first and foremost, but a draw’s a much better result than a loss. If the game’s dead and buried and we can’t win, you want to see the fight and the willingness to put your natural game away and do everything you can to stay out there and get a draw.”That’s something we haven’t done overly well in the past. When we’re a long way behind the game and chasing 500 or something in the last innings, guys have still just gone out and played, rather than do what Faf [du Plessis] did in Adelaide a few years ago and just block it until the game’s gone, and give yourself a chance to survive.”Some observers, including Clarke, have wondered whether the allrounder Glenn Maxwell could have bowled more overs, but Lehmann defended Smith’s judgment in relying heavily on the frontliners Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon. O’Keefe equalled the 18th longest spell in all of Test cricket, bowling 77 overs for three wickets, and at times the Australians appeared somewhat limited in their plans and tactics.”I think [it’s the] captain’s call obviously,” Lehmann said. “We did speak about it, chopping and changing a little bit. The game was always on a knife’s edge so you always want your best spinners going. And we chopped and changed a little bit, probably could have bowled a few more overs [of part-timers] but I thought the spinners toiled really hard as well so that’s a call the captain makes out there and really happy with that.”The physical toll on the pacemen Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood also had Lehmann pondering whether it would be possible to pick them for the final Test in Dharamsala next week. “When you bowl 210 overs, I don’t think that’s happened too often, and India do that well, they bat long periods of time here in India.”If anything it heightens our first innings where we needed to bat a little bit longer. But the bowlers worked really hard and I thought they were fantastic. Chopped and changed as best as they could in the conditions. We’ll see how they pull up and make a decision. But we’ll worry about tomorrow first.”

Aston Villa could start "making offers" for players, according to journalist Dean Jones, with the club linked to £35m midfielder Manu Kone.

Are Villa interested in Kone?

One of the names hot on the lips of transfer experts everywhere is Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone, with the young Frenchman having been linked with a move away from the Bundesliga this summer.

Even Gladbach's director of football has admitted as much, telling kicker (via 90min): "Our attitude is well-known. If there are sums involved that a club like Borussia has to think about, we will do it."

Gladbach have already lost Marcus Thuram to Inter, Ramy Bensebaini to Borussia Dortmund and Lars Stindl to Karlsruher, all on free transfers, and are expected to have to cash in on some of their saleable assets this summer.

This will likely be great news for clubs around Europe, one of whom might be Aston Villa.

According to Dean Jones, Unai Emery's side could start making offers for unsettled players, one of which could be Kone.

He told GIVEMESPORT: "There's been a lot of umming and ahing over targets like Manu Kone, and I feel like at some point Villa are just going to go in there and start making offers for these players to really give them something to think about and see if those other clubs react."

Having been frequently linked with Liverpool, although a move to Anfield is now "unlikely", Villa would have to fend off some of the world's biggest clubs to acquire the 22-year-old's signature. It would certainly be a huge statement of intent if Emery could lure him to Villa Park.

Why do Villa want Kone?

Currently at the U21 European Championship with France, Kone enjoyed an impressive season in an underperforming Borussia Monchengladbach team that slumped to 10th under Daniel Farke.

A robust defensive-midfielder, Kone, who has been hailed as a "one man army", is something of an all-rounder in the centre of park, excluding goals and assists.

Compared to other Bundesliga midfielders last season, Kone made 1.28 tackles in the defensive third per 90 (top 10%), 2.55 overall tackles per 90 (top 18%) and 1.52 blocks per 90 (top 25%), highlighting his ability to win the ball back and stop danger.

He also boasts a good passing ability, sitting in the top 9% for average passing accuracy (86.2%), and he very rarely loses the ball, being dispossessed just 1.73 times per 90.

One of his key strengths is his dribbling ability and press resistance, sitting in the top 11% per 90 for successful take-ons, carries and progressive carry distance. This would be incredibly useful for someone like Villa, given the high-intensity pressing of many Premier League teams.

Liverpool are set to hold talks with the agents of Federico Chiesa, after they flew out to England, according to Corriere dello Sport, via Paisley Gates.

What is the latest Liverpool transfer news?

The Reds have been busy already this summer, having added both Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to their ranks. It now appears as though they are targeting other areas of the field to strengthen for the time being, with plenty of names still being linked with an Anfield switch.

One of the latest targets is seemingly Marc Guehi at Crystal Palace. Liverpool have been named as one of the teams contemplating a bid for the defender and it seems they are ready to go head-to-head with other Premier League sides in an effort to tempt him into a move to them.

Perr Schuurs is another player who has entered their transfer wishlist, with the Torino man having already had a bid lodged for his services from the Anfield outfit. That offer was rejected, but the club are ready to go back in with another approach in order to try and get him to England, so it certainly seems like they are after a centre-back.

Are Liverpool signing Federico Chiesa?

At the other end of the pitch, it seems things are moving forward in terms of a potential move for Federico Chiesa. According to Corriere dello Sport, via Paisley Gates, the winger's agents have flown to England to enter talks with all interested parties, which includes Liverpool.

His representatives have flown to the UK in a bid to hash out terms over a potential move and to try and increase the interest in his services, and the Reds have apparently already had a 40 million Euros (or £34m) bid turned down.

Liverpool are one of those teams who will be speaking to his agents over a potential transfer, which would allegedly cost around 60 million Euros (or £51m) – the player is apparently keen on a move away from Juventus this summer, which could help find a middle ground between those two prices.

Chiesa started only six Serie A games for the Turin side in 2022/23, but that largely comes down to a number of injury issues. He was mainly used as a substitute and was able to contribute two goals and five assists despite a lack of first-team minutes. No longer a guaranteed starter and said to be falling out with Massimiliano Allegri, it makes perfect sense that the 25 year-old wants to jump start his career elsewhere.

He still possesses plenty of talent despite his recent injury issues and struggles at Juventus too. Football journalist Josh Bunting recently stated that Chiesa is a "wonderful footballer" after a display for his country and added that it was a "special" finish from the winger to help his side to a win.

The Italy star then is still well capable of producing the goods at the highest level if you can play him and help get the best out of him – and that could benefit Liverpool should they sign him.

أكد شادي محمد، قائد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي السابق، أنه كان يشعر من بعض زملائه السابقين في القلعة الحمراء بـ الغل منه، بسبب أنه القائد التاريخي للمارد الأحمر.

وقال شادي محمد في تصريحات عبر برنامج “وان تو”، على إذاعة “أون سبورت إف إم”: “كان البعض بيغل من فكرة إني كابتن الأهلي التاريخي، وكنت أرى هذا في أعينهم، ولكني أحترم الجميع”.

وتابع: “أنا مررت بمحنة شديدة جدًا ولا أحد سأل عني إلا قليلين مثل ياسر ريان ووليد صلاح الدين وهشام حنفي ومحمد عمارة وأحمد عادل، وأنا لا أنتظر شيئًا من أحد”.

طالع أيضًا | ضياء السيد يشيد بلاعب الأهلي ويوجه نصيحة لـ كولر قبل مواجهة سيمبا

واختتم: “أقسم بالله أن 50% من الذين حول محمود الخطيب رئيس النادي الأهلي لو نجح محمود طاهر سيلتفون حول الأخير، وأعرفهم بالاسم، هم مع الخطيب من أجل المناصب”.

وفي سياق آخر، نجح الأهلي في تحقيق فوز هام على سيمبا التنزاني، في ذهاب دور ربع نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بهدف نظيف سجله أحمد نبيل كوكا.

ومن المقرر أن يستضيف الأهلي نظيره سيمبا، يوم الجمعة المُقبل الموافق 5 أبريل، من أجل حسم بطاقة التأهل لدور نصف نهائي البطولة القارية.

The saga is finally nearing its closure, much to the bemusement of West Ham supporters.

After endless months of speculation that has seen Declan Rice linked with every top club in the country, it emerged as a straight shootout for his signature between Arsenal and Manchester City.

However, it was confirmed that the Premier League Champions weren’t prepared to enter into any kind of bidding war, which ceded momentum to the high-flying Gunners, who agreed to a £105m move for the Englishman.

This has presented the West Ham hierarchy and David Moyes with a monumental budget to reinvest in the inexplicable gap that the club captain is set to leave.

With this sort of money and the attraction of yet another year of European football, the Irons could tempt a huge pool of irresistibly talented players.

One man who has been tipped to replace and has enjoyed a magnificent season is Joao Palhinha.

What’s the latest on Joao Palhinha to West Ham?

According to TheSecretScout, the Irons have made the Fulham midfielder their “top priority” this summer as talks between the club and the player’s representative have already taken place.

However, a stumbling block remains due to the size of the fee being asked.

It was previously revealed by Football Insider that the Cottagers will only consider his sale for around £60m.

For other clubs, this figure is a startling and unmanageable price tag, but with the East London outfit financed and buoyed with the money acquired from Rice, a deal is definitely possible.

How good is Joao Palhinha?

In his debut season in England, the 27-year-old has forged a tremendous reputation as one of the division’s most influential and commanding forces – a crucial component of a Fulham side that has massively overachieved.

This is reinforced by the fact that the Portuguese made the most tackles (147) in the Premier League, which was comfortably more than second-placed Moises Caicedo (100).

This remarkable statistic means that the former Sporting Lisbon star also ranks impressively across the continent, as he sits in the top 1% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for tackles per 90. But, his status as an authoritative pivot is also cemented by his position within the best 12% for clearances per 90 and aerials won per 90.

With this tough-tackling, physically imperious profile, Palhinha could fill the boots of former Hammer Scott Parker.

Across four seasons for the East Londoners, between 2007 and 2011, the former Bournemouth manager made 129 appearances and won Hammer of the Year on two occasions.

During the 2009/10 season, when Parker secured the award on the second occasion, he mirrored the assets that Palhinha has expertly displayed.

Indeed, the 5 foot 9 man recorded similar stats to the Fulham star in the Premier League for tackles per game (3.3 vs 4.2), interceptions per game (2.4 vs 1.3), and clearances (1.4 vs 1.7).

Described as “fantastic” by Gary Neville, Palhinha has already shown he is a commendably reliable player in English football and would be an excellent way to ease the woes surrounding Rice’s exit.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRashid Khan’s variations were too much for a floundering Ireland middle-order•Getty Images

In the world of the Chinese zodiac, 2017 is the year of the rooster. If the first three months of the Gregorian calendar are anything to go by, this is also shaping up to be the year of Rashid Khan. As if he hasn’t given Afghanistan team-mates and fans enough to crow about – a record IPL bid, series-winning efforts in T20s and ODIs – Rashid kicked off his Intercontinental Cup career with a five-wicket haul against Ireland on Wednesday to keep Afghanistan on course for a crack at Tests in 2018.On a pitch that rendered the Irish fingerspin duo of George Dockrell and Andy McBrine impotent for four and a half sessions, Rashid’s wristspin was a virile antidote to spice up the final three hours of play on day two. The smoothness with which he set up his dismissals might cause even the most confident Don Juan to sit up and take notes for future conquests.Rashid entered the Afghanistan attack in the sixth over with the score 10 for 1, Mohammad Nabi having dismissed William Porterfield leg before to a missed sweep in the third over, and spent four overs in the post-lunch session tangoing mainly with Ed Joyce. Rashid nearly plucked Andy Balbirnie with his first ball in the 14th but a bottom edge went through the legs of Mohammad Shahzad at slip. In the last over before the break, he continuously teased Joyce but couldn’t dislodge him as Ireland went to tea in a relatively strong position at 67 for 1, scoring at better than four an over.After play resumed, left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan was introduced and also began causing problems with his sharp turn and bounce, eventually nabbing Balbirnie for 62 in the 34th over with an inside-edged prod off the pad to Shabir Noori under the helmet at forward short leg. If Rashid has a type that he fancies, it’s certainly lefties and the arrival of Niall O’Brien meant he now had two to toy with.Sure enough, Rashid claimed Joyce in the following over. After defending the first two balls, Rashid sent down a googly that Joyce fanned on as it spun past his drive for four byes. Another attempted drive from the fourth ball resulted in an inside edge just past leg stump. Playing for another googly, Joyce plonked his front foot in forward defense to shield off stump only for a legbreak to strike him in line with middle and an appeal was upheld to send him off for 45.With the googly firmly entrenched in the minds of the entire Ireland dressing room, Gary Wilson entered and lasted a few overs before falling for 4 when he played for the googly and was defeated by the legbreak. Umpire Ahmed Shah Pakteen judged that an edge carried to Shahzad – who had taken over from a sloppy Afzar Zazai behind the stumps after the 36th over – rather than the ball clipping Wilson’s trousers.O’Brien, who was nearly bowled first ball by Zahir and survived a drop off the same bowler at forward short leg when he still had yet to score, began the 45th against Rashid by lunging forward four times in a row to googlies that beat the outside edge. Deciding to go onto the back foot to another ball pitching on a good length on the fifth delivery, O’Brien was deceived as Rashid went the other way with a legbreak, trapping him in front of the stumps for 17.In Rashid’s next over, Dockrell fell to the googly while playing for a legbreak, lbw for a duck. It forced Paul Stirling to come out to bat having spent the majority of the Afghanistan innings off the field with a left index finger injury that required a splint and prevented him from opening the Ireland innings. Stirling soon found himself jilted much like Rashid’s first three manipulative trysts: playing for the googly, done in by the legbreak, defending down the wrong line and bowled without scoring.The five notches in Rashid’s belt helped to redirect attention away from an incident that detracted from Afghanistan’s otherwise splendidly dominant performance over the first two days. Just as he had been in Belfast last summer, Nabi was at the centre of controversy in the 21st over for claiming a catch at second slip from Balbirnie off Dawlat Zadran’s bowling which replays clearly showed Nabi had grassed before flinging it into the air in celebration.Balbirnie, on 40 at the time, stood his ground and it took only a few seconds for the umpires to confer before confirming a not out signal. Nabi got into hot water for his actions in the fourth ODI against Ireland in July when photographic evidence showed his entire body was over the rope when attempting to save a boundary struck by Joyce, with the subsequent relay resulting in Joyce being runout. Nabi was reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct as a result. On that occasion, the umpires did not catch Nabi whereas the on-field officials in Greater Noida nipped this incident in the bud.The speed with which Ireland hurtled to 170 for 7 was in stark contrast to Afghanistan’s leisurely stroll to a declaration earlier in the day. Captain Asghar Stanikzai ended with a first-class personal best of 145 after resuming overnight on 110. He gave his wicket away seemingly in an effort to hasten toward a declaration, stumped after charging Dockrell. Rashid replaced him at the crease but also fell quickly after a shimmy down the pitch to Dockrell went awry.Zazai, who had been unbeaten on 11 overnight, took a methodical approach after the two quick wickets and was mostly untroubled in his 154-ball knock. The only blemish on his maiden first-class century came in the 135th over when he edged Peter Chase behind to O’Brien, who took a clean catch diving to his right. Zazai stood his ground on 78 and with the umpires unsure of whether the ball had carried, and without the benefit of access to TV replays, erred on the side of caution.It only took Zazai four more overs to reach three figures. On 93, he stepped down the pitch to loft Chase’s medium pace over mid-off for six, then charged him again next ball and swatted a short delivery through the leg side to bring up his century.As Zazai took his helmet off to celebrate with Dawlat, who teamed with Zazai for Afghanistan’s best-ever ninth wicket stand in the I-Cup with an unbeaten 109-run partnership, Stanikzai waved them in. A few more days like today and Afghanistan may soon be waving goodbye to the Intercontinental Cup and hello to Test cricket.

The opening weekend of the new Premier League season will see a London derby showdown between Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Here is Football FanCast’s preview ahead of the action…

When is the match and is it on TV?

Kick-off in west London is slated for 2pm on Sunday the 13th of August.

The game will be part of the first Super Sunday doubleheader of the season, and will be the first of two live games shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League on the Sunday.

Who is Brentford’s key player?

Brentford’s key man is Ivan Toney, but the England international striker will be suspended until mid-January after breaching FA betting rules, leaving others to step up to the plate.

In his place, Cameroon forward Bryan Mbuemo is likely to step up to become Brentford’s main threat. Mbuemo finished the 22/23 season strongly, scoring twice against Spurs in the final weeks of the season.

Who is Spurs’ key player?

Despite speculation linking him with a move away, Spurs' record goalscorer and captain Harry Kane is undoubtedly the key man in Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Kane scored 30 goals in 38 Premier League games last season, scoring in 26 individual matches. He will surely be crucial to any success Spurs have on the pitch in the upcoming season – as long as they can hold onto him.

How will Brentford line up?

Brentford recently completed the permanent transfer of German youngster Kevin Schade in June for a fee around £22m. Schade should go straight into the lineup in Toney’s absence, along with new goalkeeper Mark Flekken who looks to replace the departing David Raya:

Flekken; Hickey, Zanka, Mee, Pinnock, Henry; Jensen, Janelt, Onyeka; Mbuemo, Schade

How will Spurs line up?

Spurs are chasing want-away Brentford keeper David Raya this summer, and it is likely they get the transfer done. If they get their man, he should make his debut against his former side on opening weekend. Spurs have also been linked with a double move for Leicester attackers James Maddison and Harvey Barnes who would also go straight into the starting XI:

Raya; Royal, Dier, Sanchez, Porro; Hojberg, Bissouma; Son, Maddison, Barnes; Kane

What were the last league meetings between the two teams?

Brentford and Spurs have only faced off four times in Premier League history following the Bees’ promotion in 2021. No team has managed to get an upper hand in this London rivalry so far:

December 2021 – Spurs 2-0 Brentford April 2022 – Brentford 0-0 Spurs December 2022 – Brentford 2-2 Spurs May 2023 – Spurs 1-3 Brentford

Every Premier League opening day fixture in full

Who is going to win?

It’s a difficult fixture to predict.

Brentford were a difficult test for the top 6 clubs last season, while Spurs will be looking to get off to a fast start under new manager Postecoglou. However, we’re going to back the men in white to get their season off to the perfect start.

FFC predicts: Spurs win.

CSA has announce eight marquee international players to be drafted to the franchises in its new T20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2017

Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Kevin Pietersen are among the marquee international players who have been signed up by Cricket South Africa (CSA) for its new T20 tournament, scheduled to begin in 2017-18.CSA has announced that the eight players – Gayle, McCullum, Pietersen, Dwayne Bravo, Lasith Malinga, Eoin Morgan, Kieron Pollard and Jason Roy – have agreed to two-year contracts and will go into a mini-draft, with the franchises each bidding to be allocated one. Franchise owners will be asked to consider which cities certain players already have links to before making their picks.”We are thrilled by the calibre of the top eight international players we have lined up to participate in our new T20 League,” CSA chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, said. “They are all stars in their own right and will add great value to the franchise teams they will represent.”This top quality list of players will set a high standard for our tournament. With each one of them [being] a household name in the world of cricket, we can certainly look forward to some enthralling contests that will grip the imagination of fans in South Africa and around the globe.”The high level of interest from players and sponsors to participate in our league is proof of the great attraction of South Africa as a global destination. This is indeed very exciting for the country.”CSA is hoping to completely overhaul its domestic T20 offering, creating a competition similar to the IPL and Big Bash, with private ownership, foreign investment and a roster of international names. The eight franchise teams will also be allocated a marquee South Africa player.The threat of Kolpak departures to England was also behind CSA’s planning for the league, which is expected to run in November-December this year.