David “Syd” Lawrence, the former Gloucestershire and England fast bowler, has passed away at the age of 61 following a year battling motor neurone disease (MND).A strapping fast bowler, Lawrence played five Tests for England and making 280 appearances for Gloucestershire, taking 625 wickets for the county. In 1988, he became the first British-born Black cricketer to represent England. In 2022, he became his county’s first Black president. This month, Lawrence received an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours, having been named as one of the inaugural Honorary Life Vice-Presidents of the ECB earlier in the year.Lawrence was diagnosed with MND in 2024, a degenerative condition that affects the brain and nerves, causing muscle wastage. There is no cure, and Lawrence was working to raise money and awareness of the condition.Related

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In that time, he remained an inspirational figure at the club, sharing in their Vitality Blast success last summer. Gloucestershire assisted fundraising efforts with a “Pink 4 Syd” evening at the club, honouring Lawrence with a pink kit to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) during their men’s fixture with Hampshire Hawks in the Vitality Blast. Last week, his autobiography, “In Syd’s Voice”, written in partnership with his friend and former Mirror cricket correspondent, Dean Wilson, was published.A statement from Lawrence’s family read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dave Lawrence MBE following his brave battle with Motor Neurone Disease.”‘Syd’ was an inspirational figure on and off the cricket field and no more so than to his family who were with him when he passed.”A proud Gloucestershire man, Syd took on every challenge with everything he could and his final contest with MND was no different. His willingness to encourage and think of others right up to the end was typical of the man he was.”As President of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, Syd took on the role with incredible pride and passion and loved every minute of it.”Syd’s wife Gaynor and son Buster thank everyone for the kindness and support that has been shown to them and the family so far and would ask that they are now given some time and space to grieve in private.”Lawrence played his five Tests and single ODI between 1988 and 1992. A genuine quick bowler, he debuted at Lord’s against Sri Lanka and went on to take 18 wickets, including his best of 5 for 106 against West Indies at The Oval in 1991.His career was cut devastatingly short when, in 1992, he fractured his kneecap as he ran in to bowl against New Zealand in Wellington. Though a comeback never truly materialised, barring a four-game stint for Gloucestershire five years later, he used retirement as a springboard to expand his horizons, becoming a nightclub owner and later a competitive bodybuilder.He was also a leading advocate for inclusion and diversity in cricket. In 2021, he spoke openly of his experience of racism at Gloucestershire, for which the club offered an unreserved apology. He was also involved with the African-Caribbean Engagement programme (ACE) in Bristol.”Everyone connected with Gloucestershire County Cricket Club will be devastated with the news of Syd’s passing, and we send all our love to his incredible family and friends,” said Gloucestershire Cricket chief executive Neil Priscott.”The executive team at the Club were of course aware of his fine record as a one-county man but we all got to truly know and love him as our current President. He was so passionate about the power of cricket and how our sport can touch people’s lives. Syd pushed us to reach out to communities far and wide and we shall continue to do that in his honour. Friday night’s ‘Pink 4 Syd; match was a fitting tribute to a Gloucestershire great, and we are very sad to have lost someone so special.”In a statement released by the ECB, chair Richard Thompson said: “David ‘Syd’ Lawrence was a true trailblazer of English cricket and a man of immense courage, character, and compassion.”His impact on the game extended far beyond the boundary ropes. As a fast bowler, he thrilled crowds with his pace and passion. As a leader and advocate, he broke barriers and inspired change, becoming a powerful voice for inclusion and representation in our sport.”Even in the face of his illness, David showed extraordinary strength and dignity, continuing to uplift others with his resilience and spirit. He leaves behind a legacy that will endure in the hearts of all who love cricket.”Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the entire cricketing community at this time.”

Scott Currie and Chris Wood impress with ball as hosts struggle to 141 for 7 from 20 overs

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay05-Jun-2025Hampshire secured a rare win against Surrey in the Vitality Blast when rain brought an early close to their game at the Kia Oval with the visitors 15 runs ahead under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.Miserly bowling from Scott Currie and Chris Wood restricted a subdued home side to an underwhelming 141 for 7, Jason Roy top-scoring for the third time this season with 37, while Sam Curran and Laurie Evans made 34 and 33 not out respectively.Hampshire were cruising at 63 for 0 in reply when the rain came with skipper James Vince 33 not out and Toby Albert unbeaten on 28. It was only Hampshire’s second win in their last 11 meetings with Surrey in the Blast.As with their first two batting efforts in the Blast this season, Surrey struggled for fluency after being put in by Vince. Dom Sibley smote an early six, but the former England Test opener fell in the next over, a wicket for debutant South African slow left-arm bowler Bjorn Fortuin.Ollie Pope, unsure if he’ll retain the England No. 3 shirt for next week’s first Test against India, was starved of strike and made only 11 before an attempted ramp off Currie found the gloves of wicketkeeper Albert.Even Roy with scores of 92 and 69 behind him in the Blast struggled to break the shackles, two successive fours off John Turner from the last over of the powerplay the best of his contribution.Eyes were now on captain Curran, who laboured until unleashing successive sixes off Turner, the first of which disappeared down the exit steps beyond the midwicket boundary onto the concourse. He too though fell attempting a third big hit on the spin and only some late blows from Evans carried Surrey to a third successive score in the 140s.The first over of the chase brought drama, Dan Worrall finding the edge of Albert’s bat, only for Roy to grass the chance at second slip.Vince’s dismissive cover drive to end the over though suggested he was in the groove and he soon caressed another from Nathan Smith to the fence at point.Rain was now falling but three boundaries, one from a misfield on the fence helped raise the 50 partnership and put Hampshire well ahead of the DLS par score. Albert, growing in confidence, cut one from Surrey debutant, Kiwi international Mitchell Santner, to the fence just before the increasing rain brought a halt to proceedings.

Shohei Ohtani is not messing around in his pursuit to become the first member of Major League Baseball's 50-50 club.

On Tuesday night, Ohtani hit his 48th home run of the season and he thoroughly punished the baseball. The blast came with Ohtani's Los Angeles Dodgers trailing the Miami Marlins 4–0 in the top of the third inning. On a 1-1 pitch, Darren McCaughan threw an 82 mph sweeper to the soon-to-be National League MVP.

That was a mistake.

Ohtani absolutely demolished the ball, launching it into the upper deck at LoanDepot Park. It flew 402 feet out to right field and left the bat at 105.3 mph. An absolute laser.

Footage is below, but beware it could be disturbing if you're protective of baseballs.

It was hit so hard Ohtani even admired his work afterwards. As he should have.

That home run gave Ohtani 48 on the season to go along with 48 stolen bases. It would be incredibly surprising if he didn't hit the 50-50 mark by the end of the season with 12 games left to go.

Barcelona's incredibly dominant women's team suffered their earliest Liga F defeat in 11 years on Sunday as they were shockingly beaten 1-0 at Real Sociedad. The hosts have made a flying start to the new campaign, sitting third in the table after this win, but this was a hugely surprising result – representing just a fifth league loss for the Catalans since the beginning of the 2019-20 season.

A very rare sight: Barcelona lose and fail to score

The game was decided by a somewhat harsh penalty, given against Barca defender Laia Aleixandri in the first half for a handball. There was no intent from the Spain international and she had little time to react, as she jumped to head away a ball into the box only for it to deflect off a team-mate less than a yard away and strike her arm. After consulting VAR, it was awarded as a spot-kick and Edna Imade made the most of the opportunity when she wrong-footed Cata Coll from 12 yards and gave La Real the lead.

What will frustrate Barca more than that decision is that they were unable to render it meaningless by scoring one of the many chances created at the other end. The Catalans had 16 shots to their hosts' six, but only forced opposing goalkeeper Julia Arrula into one save all afternoon as they failed to net in a league game for the first time since January 2020.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWhy some expected Barca to suffer more upsets this season

While this result is undoubtedly a surprise, it is not in the sense that some expected more results like this to go against Barca this season, because of the depleted squad the Spanish champions have at their disposal this time around. The financial situation at the club made headlines again this summer, with the men’s side facing frustratingly familiar issues when it came to meeting financial fair play rules and being able to register all their first-team players on time. In years gone by, these problems have spread to other sections of Barca, a multi-sports club, but never to the women’s team.

That is until now. In the summer, the three-time European champions had a difficult transfer window, watching the likes of Fridolina Rolfo, Ingrid Engen and Jana Fernandez leave while Laia Aleixandri was their only senior recruit. It left head coach Pere Romeu with a squad of just 18 senior players ahead of the 2025-26 season, a difficult number to fight on four fronts with.

Small squad made even smaller by key injuries

Those issues have been exacerbated in recent weeks as Barca have lost a flurry of key players to injury. It is the last thing they needed given how small the squad is already.

Ewa Pajor, who scored more than 50 goals for club and country last season, is out for at least another few weeks with a knee injury; Patri Guijarro, arguably the best holding midfielder in the world, won’t play again until the New Year; and Salma Paralluelo may well be on the sidelines with her until 2026, after suffering an injury on international duty with Spain last week. That Kika Nazareth also picked up a knock while away with Portugal added salt to Barca's wounds.

It left the Spanish champions with just seven players on the bench for Sunday's clash with Real Sociedad, just four of whom were senior outfield players. The likes of Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, with five Ballons d'Or between them, were still able to start and play 90 minutes, but they unfortunately could not inspire their side to a better result as La Real enjoyed a memorable outing.

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Getty ImagesBig fixtures looming: Real Madrid and Chelsea soon on Barca's schedule

Despite this setback, Barca are still four points clear at the top of the Liga F table with nine games played. They will hope this is just a blip and not the start of a worrying inability to rotate and still get results with this smaller squad, as there are some big matches on the horizon for Romeu's charges.

Home games against Deportivo La Coruna and OH Leuven follow and will be seen as games the Catalans should absolutely win to bounce back, with victories in those feeling particularly important given the games that follow. Barca host Real Madrid, second in Liga F, on November 15 and then visit Chelsea, the dominant English champions, in the Champions League on November 20. The hope will be that Pajor and Kika are back fit for those fixtures, able to at least boost the bench if not the starting XI.

يلتقي منتخب الكاميرون اليوم الخميس، مع نظيره الكونغو الديمقراطية، ضمن ملحق إفريقيا المؤهل لكأس العالم 2026.

ويواجه الكاميرون منتخب الكونغو الديمقراطية، في نصف نهائي ملحق إفريقيا المؤهل لكأس العالم 2026 المقام في المغرب.

وتأتي هذه المباراة في إطار منافسات الملحق والذي يضم أفضل 4 منتخبات احتلت المركز الثاني في مجموعات التصفيات الإفريقية، والتي ستحدد الفريق المتأهل للملحق العالمي.

الفائز من الكاميرون والكونغو الديمقراطية سيواجه الفائز من نصف النهائي الآخر بين نيجيريا والجابون في المباراة النهائية يوم الأحد 16 نوفمبر 2025 على ملعب الأمير مولاي الحسن، لتحديد المنتخب المتأهل للملحق العالمي. موعد مباراة الكاميرون والكونغو الديمقراطية

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة 9:00 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، و10:00 بتوقت السعودية على ملعب البريد في الرباط. القناة الناقلة لمباراة الكاميرون والكونغو الديمقراطية

يمكن متابعة اللقاء مباشرة عبر تطبيق شاهد. معلق مباراة الكاميرون والكونغو الديمقراطية

ويعلق على المباراة رياض حمروني.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا

Former Celtic centre-forward Chris Sutton was particularly scathing of the club’s recruitment after they lost 2-0 to Dundee in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, the pundit said: “Celtic have massive problems. They have to get to January and still stay in touch. This is a bang average Celtic team and I think Brendan recognises that.

“The signing of Kelechi Iheanacho summed everything up. That was desperation. I’m not saying he’s a bad player but you think back to when Celtic were rotating Giorgos Giakoumakis and Kyogo Furuhashi, that quality, that’s the difference.”

It is hard not to point to the recruitment department when looking for the reason why Celtic have failed to score in six competitive matches already this season.

Celtic needed a striker in the summer, before they sold Adam Idah, and they failed to bring in Kasper Dolberg from Anderlecht, before selling Idah without getting a replacement in. Kelechi Iheanacho then arrived on a free transfer, but they were still down another forward.

Meanwhile, Hearts signed Claudio Braga from Aalesund on top of keeping Lawrence Shankland, and have fired their way to the top of the Premiership table.

What Celtic can learn from the recruitment at Hearts

Tony Bloom invested in Hearts and brought his data expertise with him to bolster their recruitment, and it already looks to have paid off big time for the Jam Tarts.

Braga scored 11 goals and provided six assists in 37 appearances in the second tier of football in Norway in the 2025 and 2024 campaigns for Aalesund, per Sofascore, before his move to Scotland in the summer.

The versatile forward, who can play as a number ten, a second striker, or as a centre-forward, scored two goals against Kilmarnock on Saturday to take his tally to eight goals in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

Braga’s highlights from their win over Kilmarnock in the clips above show that he can operate in positions all over the pitch, with almost a free role because of Shankland’s presence as the focal point for the team.

The Portuguese star is free to roam around the pitch and drop deep when needed to get touches of the ball to make things happen for Hearts, as evidenced by his statistics.

Appearances

8

Touches per game

42.8

Goals

5

Big chances missed

4

Key passes per game

1.1

Assists

1

Successful dribbles per game

0.9

As you can see in the table above, Braga takes around 43 touches per game on average and has been directly involved in six goals in eight matches to show that he is making the most of those touches.

Celtic can learn from the recruitment that Hearts have done for multiple reasons. One, that they do not need to splash £10m on a player from a major European league, as Braga was picked up from the second tier in Norway and has outscored every Celtic player in the Premiership.

Two, that the recruitment needs to be well thought through. Hearts knew they had Shankland leading the line, so they signed the Portuguese ace to be the perfect partner for him.

Celtic, meanwhile, signed two left-wingers, despite Daizen Maeda scoring 33 goals as a left-winger last season, and did not sign a right-winger to replace Nicolas Kuhn, whilst they also sold Adam Idah, a target man and physical presence, and signed Iheanacho, who does not have a similar profile to Idah.

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Despite being signed to be the main number nine, Iheanacho has the attributes and the quality to be Brendan Rodgers’ own version of Braga, but the Hoops do not have their own Shankland.

Why Kelechi Iheanacho can be Celtic's own Claudio Braga

For all of the former Manchester City man’s strengths, the Nigeria international is not a target man. He is not going to cause too many problems for opposition defenders with his physicality.

Per Sofascore, Iheanacho has won 1.5 duels per game and won just 38% of his duels in total, whilst Shankland has won 4.4 duels per game and 44% of his total battles on the pitch.

He does not look suited to being the sole number nine for Celtic as a target man, because of his lack of physicality, and that is not his fault, because it is something that the recruitment team should have factored in when they made the signing.

Last season, Michael Carrick utilised Iheanacho as a second striker behind another number nine, which meant that he had the license to drift around the pitch and get involved in the game, instead of being isolated up front.

This means that he has the potential to be Celtic’s own Braga because of his ability to play off another striker. Meanwhile, Maeda is more suited to playing out wide, and has been utilised on the left and right flanks this season, after scoring 33 goals as a left winger last term, per Transfermarkt.

Chances created

1.77

Top 1%

xA

0.17

Top 24%

Pass accuracy

79.5%

Top 12%

Long pass accuracy

100%

Top 1%

Dribble success rate

100%

Top 1%

Touches in the opposition’s box

8.15

Top 12%

As you can see in the table above, Iheanacho has shown great technical ability and link-up play in the Premiership this season, but he has yet to score a goal from open play.

Shankland’s presence and physicality occupy opposition defenders and create space for Braga to ghost into and score, but Celtic do not have a number nine like that who can take the pressure off Iheanacho.

Instead, it currently looks like he has to play the role of Shankland and Braga on his own, which may be why the Hoops have struggled so much in front of goal.

Iheanacho’s position for Middlesbrough and the qualities that he has shown in the Premiership so far suggest that he is more suited to playing like Braga, off another striker, but Rodgers does not have that outlet in the centre-forward position that Hearts do.

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Maeda is a winger, not a target man, so he is not the answer. Therefore, the Hoops need to dip into the market in January to sign a striker who can complement Iheanacho and get the best out of him in the second half of the season, so that he can be as effective as Braga.

Celtic dropped some shocking, yet also unsurprising, news on Monday night when they confirmed that Brendan Rodgers had tendered his resignation.

The Northern Irish head coach has stepped down as manager of the Scottish Premiership champions, shortly after his side lost 3-1 to Hearts on Sunday.

The timing of the decision came as a shock, as there had not been any prior indication that he was likely to step down from his position, at least in the public domain.

However, it was also not a surprise because talkSPORT’s Alex Crook recently explained that the manager was likely to leave next summer, saying: “I have just been hearing a lot of whispers that maybe Brendan Rodgers could decide at the end of the season not to renew his deal, and that the time is right to leave Celtic for a second time.”

Instead of waiting until his contract expired next summer, though, the former Leicester City and Liverpool boss decided to walk away from it at the start of this week.

Only Rodgers will be able to give his full reasoning behind the decision, if he decides to speak about it publicly, but it could be the right decision for the club.

Why Brendan Rodgers leaving may be the right decision

The former Hoops manager won four Premiership titles, three SFA Cups, and four League Cups across two spells with the Scottish giants, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he had a lot of success at Parkhead.

There can be no denying that Rodgers will go down as a great Celtic manager, given his achievements, but all things come to an end, and the team’s form this season suggested that it was the end of an era in Glasgow.

The Hoops lost their last two Premiership matches under Rodgers and currently find themselves eight points adrift of Hearts in the league table, which is not a position that the ex-Bhoys manager was used to being in.

25/26

9

1.89

24/25

38

2.39

23/24

38

2.45

18/19

27

2.33

17/18

38

2.16

16/17

38

2.79

As you can see in the table above, Rodgers ends his second Celtic spell with only one Premiership season averaging below 2.16 points per game, which is the current campaign.

Of course, the head coach may have turned things around and gotten over that two points per game mark later in the season, but the side’s current form shows that they were on a downward trajectory under the Northern Irishman, which is why his exit from Parkhead may be a good call for all parties.

Martin O’Neill is back in interim charge, for now, but the attention will turn to who the club are going to appoint as their next manager, and a former player has told them who to go for.

Celtic plot approach for new manager

It looks as though O’Neill will be in charge for the club’s clash with Falkirk at Parkhead on Wednesday night, but they will need a longer-term solution in the dugout.

Former Celtic centre-forward and current Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton has urged the Premiership champions to go and bring Ange Postecoglou back to Glasgow.

The Australian boss, who left Celtic in the summer of 2023, was recently sacked by Premier League side Nottingham Forest and that means that he is available and potentially ready to step into a new job.

In fact, Football Insider reports that the Hoops may make contact with the former Tottenham Hotspur head coach to discuss a sensational return to Parkhead.

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However, Football Insider does not reveal whether or not the former Celtic manager wants to make such a quick return to the game, or if he wants to return to Glasgow for a second spell at the club.

They do appear to be planning to make an approach to speak with the Europa League winner, though, which shows that they are interested in appointing him as Rodgers’ replacement.

Why Celtic should push for Ange Postecoglou to return

The Hoops board should be pushing to bring Ange Postecoglou back to Parkhead in the coming days because he could return to Scotland as an upgrade on Rodgers.

In his two seasons in charge in Glasgow, the Australian boss, whose football was hailed as “breathtaking” by Gary Neville, racked up a whopping 192 points in 76 Premiership matches, per Transfermarkt, which works out at 2.52 points per game.

Whereas, Rodgers won 453 points in 188 games in charge of the club across two spells at Parkhead, per Transfermarkt, which is an average of around 2.41 points per game.

These statistics suggest that the former Spurs boss got even more out of the team domestically, despite both managers winning titles in all of their full seasons in charge, as his sides won more points per game on average.

Hamish Carton, in the clip above, explains how impressive Postecoglou’s achievements at Celtic were off the back of the situation that he inherited when he first arrived, as Rangers had run away with the league title in the previous season.

This means that his dominance at Celtic was even more impressive than Rodgers’ was, because the 4-3-3 boss had to turn a bad situation around, whilst Rodgers came into a club that had just won the domestic treble in the summer of 2023, and he was able to build from that.

Postecoglou’s domestic treble in the 2022/23 campaign was not repeated by the Northern Irish boss in the 2023/24 or the 2024/25 seasons, which also shows that he had more success, in terms of trophies, than the recently departed manager.

Therefore, pushing to bring Postecoglou, who Carton also described as a “better manager” than Rodgers, back to Celtic could result in the club having an upgrade in the dugout for the rest of this season, and beyond, which is why they should take Sutton’s advice and make a serious move for his services.

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche is now plotting a shock January transfer raid to sign a “magic” £20m forward, who could be the new manager’s first signing.

Forest keen to strengthen attacking options amid Kalimuendo uncertainty

Despite spending just a few months at the City Ground, it has recently emerged that Arnaud Kalimuendo’s future is already up in the air, with Forest now in talks over a deal to sell the striker to AS Roma, having made just a handful of substitute appearances.

It could be difficult for Kalimuendo to force his way into contention, given that Dyche knows he can trust Chris Wood from their time working together at Burnley, with the new manager taking the time to praise his former player for a top performance last season.

After Everton’s 2-0 defeat against the Tricky Trees, the former Toffees boss said: “I thought he was excellent today, doing all the hard yards. Not touching the ball very often, but doing everything he needs to to be a handful. He was the difference in my opinion today.”

As such, the 54-year-old is likely to be excited by the prospect of working with Wood once again, and he is also looking to seal a reunion with another former player.

That is according to a report from Sports Boom, which reveals Dyche is now plotting a shock January transfer raid to sign Everton winger Dwight McNeil, with the manager determined to reunite the 25-year-old with Wood.

The duo formed a successful partnership at Burnley, which the new Nottingham Forest manager is aiming to replicate, although McNeil has since gone on to struggle at Everton, having failed to force his way into David Moyes’ plans so far this season.

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Having arrived on Merseyside for a fee of £20m back in 2022, the 25-year-old still has two years remaining on his deal, but a move to the City Ground could be tempting, given that he arguably played his best football under Dyche…

"Magic" McNeil could kickstart his career at Forest

The forward has impressed at times since moving to Everton, chipping in with 12 goal contributions in 21 Premier League matches last season, while also once being lauded as “magic” by reporter Joe Thomas.

owever, game time became much more limited after Moyes’ arrival, and it is clear that Dyche has a lot of trust in the former Burnley man, who missed just two Premier League games for the Clarets across three seasons from 2019-20 to 2021-22.

Season

Premier League appearances

Combined goals and assists

2019-20

38

8

2020-21

36

7

2021-22

38

1

McNeil hasn’t always been the most prolific of attackers, but having sacked two managers already this season, Evangelos Marinakis needs to back Dyche, who is evidently a huge admirer of the winger.

MatériaMais Notícias

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Além disso, questões extracampo também vieram à tona. O fato principal é a briga da presidente Leila Pereira com a torcida do Palmeiras, mais especificamente com a Mancha Verde, principal organizada do clube. Recentemente, inclusive, a dirigente concedeu entrevista coletiva e deu declarações que irritaram a torcida, estremecendo ainda mais a relação entre as partes. Sem contar, também, pichações em sedes da Crefisa e protestos incessantes contra a diretoria alviverde.

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+ Leila quer abrir ‘leilão’ para novo patrocínio no Palmeiras; saiba como funciona o processo

O Verdão terá uma chance de retomar o caminho das vitórias nesta quinta-feira (19). Após a parada da Data Fifa, a equipe de Abel Ferreira entrará em campo para enfrentar o Atlético-MG, no Allianz Parque, às 19h, pela 27ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Tendo em vista que o Palmeiras não vence há três jogos no Brasileirão, o volante Zé Rafael afirmou que a partida diante do Galo é uma boa oportunidade para a equipe retomar a confiança.

– Não é uma eliminação que vai apagar todo o trabalho que a gente fez ao longo deste ano e dos anteriores. Não estamos satisfeitos com isso e nosso objetivo é, além de sempre estar evoluindo e melhorando, terminar o ano da melhor maneira possível. Se não for com o título, que seja com a nossa vaga direta na Libertadores – declarou o meio-campista.

+ Do amor ao ódio: o passo a passo da implosão da relação de Leila Pereira com organizada do Palmeiras

Na partida do primeiro turno, no dia 28 de maio, o Verdão empatou com o Atlético-MG em 1 a 1 no Mineirão, em Belo Horizonte (MG). O jogo ficou marcado pela anulação de um gol de bicicleta marcado por Rony que gerou bastante insatisfação por parte dos palmeirenses. No momento, o Palmeiras é o quarto colocado do Brasileirão com 44 pontos, 11 pontos a menos que o líder Botafogo.

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Chelsea have now opened talks to sign a “powerful” new forward who’s scored 15 goals this season, joining the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain in the race for his signature.

Blues open talks to sign new forward amid resurgent form

After a slow start to the campaign, there were a few questions asked about Enzo Maresca’s position as manager, but the Italian’s side have since returned to form, winning their last three matches on the spin in all competitions.

Most recently, the Blues picked up a 3-0 victory on the road against Nottingham Forest, which cost Ange Postecoglou his job, and Pedro Neto put in a very impressive display, chipping in with a goal and an assist, while also completing three dribbles.

Alejandro Garnacho’s performance, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as eye-catching, with the 21-year-old still yet to get off the mark in front of goal since arriving from Manchester United, and Jamie Gittens hasn’t exactly hit the ground running either.

The former Borussia Dortmund man is without a goal or an assist in his opening eight games this season, with the Englishman’s form likely to be a concern for Maresca.

That’s the risk clubs take when they decide to sign up-and-coming talents, rather than ready-made top players, and it is certainly a questionable approach from the west Londoners, who have the capabilities to attract some of the best wingers in the world.

However, according to a report from TEAMtalk, Chelsea have joined the race for a new youngster, having opened agent talks over a deal for Vasco da Gama starlet Rayan Vitor, who certainly isn’t short of potential suitors.

Barcelona, PSG, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are also named as interested parties, with the 19-year-old emerging as one of the best young talents to come out of Brazil in recent times, but a deal would be relatively expensive.

The teenager has a £35m release clause in his contract, although the Blues may be able to hash out a deal for closer to the £26m – £29m mark.

Chelsea now in pole position to sign £80m "key target" ahead of PSG and Liverpool

The Blues are looking to complete a statement deal.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Oct 18, 2025

"Powerful" Vitor could be a future star

Jamie Carragher has previously made it clear exactly what he thinks of Chelsea’s recruitment policy, saying: “The club hides behind a prolonged transitional period that keeps being extended, focusing on signing the same type of young players in every transfer window.”

In truth, the young Brazilian would probably fall into that category, but that’s not to say he wouldn’t be a long-term success at Stamford Bridge, having shown signs he could go on to become a future star.

The Vasco da Gama star has 15 goals to his name in 2025, and he has received plaudits from scout Ben Mattinson.

That said, having signed Garnacho, Gittens and Estevao in recent times, it would be a questionable decision to bring in yet another young winger, and signing a centre-back should be a priority, given that Maresca is light on options at the back.