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This wasn’t a day for the spinner, but it was certainly a day for India’s greatest spinner, with the bat, on his home ground

Alagappan Muthu19-Sep-20241:08

Why was Ashwin more comfortable than the top-order batters?

It’s lunch. The crowd is quiet. Maybe even bored. A bunch of them have come wearing Virat Kohli shirts. The silence when he fell is already in talks to get a guest spot on the next Quiet Place movie. Someone steps out of the Indian dressing room and begins walking on the field. That’s it. Just putting one foot in front of the other. People have been doing that since before the stone age. But it is enough to shoo the sombre straight off this morning.R Ashwin doesn’t need to do much to make this place come alive.

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It’s nearly stumps. India’s score has been given a touch-up, from 34 for 3 to 329 for 6, and those same Kohli jerseys are up off their seats, swarming against the railings, phones out, horns blaring.Ashwin is on strike. Ninety-nine not out. He clips one of the easier balls he’s had to face for a single, in conditions that are, to put it mildly, not usual for the start of a new Test season in India. Fast bowlers have taken five of the six wickets that have fallen, and they have found sideways movement all through the 80 overs of play. This is not a day for the spinner. But it does become a day for India’s greatest spin-bowling pair. Ashwin punches Ravindra Jadeja’s gloves on his way to the other end as the applause flows uninterrupted.

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India were 144 for 6 when Ashwin came in to bat. Bangladesh had let some of their good work slip in the morning session but weren’t quite so generous now. There was pressure from both ends. Hasan Mahmud’s skill at getting the red ball to nip both ways had catapulted him into rarefied space occupied only by Dale Steyn. From 2006, for almost two decades, the South African had been the only visiting seamer to pick up four or more wickets on the first day of a Test match in India. This was not a day for the spinner. Ashwin got on top of a 142kph Nahid Rana delivery and punched it hella smoothly in front of point to move from 1 to 5. This was already his day.Related

Ashwin: 'Bowling and batting are very separate sports in the same game'

Stats – Another Ashwin special at home

Sparkling Ashwin-Jadeja rearguard hurts Bangladesh

Mahmud keeps it simple to stand out in Bangladesh's attack

Ashwin: In the last IPL, I felt like I needed to widen my game

There aren’t a lot of centuries by Indian batters from No. 8 and lower. Only 19. And of those, only two had faced worse odds. Harbhajan Singh made 115 after walking in with the score on 65 for 6 against New Zealand in 2010, and Ashwin himself made 106 after walking in with the score 106 for 6 against England in 2021. It is remarkable that he pulled off this rescue act while looking like he was having a net. He was in control of 86% of the balls he faced even while scoring over half his runs in boundaries. He just has this feel for conventional attacking shots.There were some chart-toppers here. One – an imperious, on-the-up cover drive off Mahmud – quickly erased the fact that he could’ve been dismissed the previous ball. Another – a cheeky little upper cut off Nahid Rana – had similar effect, supplanting any memory of how he couldn’t get out of the way of a previous bouncer from Taskin Ahmed. Two were shots that he had paid particular attention to in the week leading up to the game – sweeps. One went for six, the other for four. When the host broadcaster asked him about all this positivity, Ashwin said, “it helps that I’ve come off the back of a T20 tournament. Worked quite a bit on my batting and playing a few shots and of course, I’ve always been wafting my bat around outside off stump, not giving it a full monty, but on a surface like this with a bit of spice, if you’re going after the ball, might as well go after it really hard.”ESPNcricinfo LtdIndia’s lower-middle order has been the difference in several Test matches, helping them preserve an impeccable home record over the last 12 years. So the dressing room was pretty chill, none more so than the captain, Rohit Sharma who took in part of the action while lying down on the floor.It is learnt that neither the BCCI nor the team management had asked for seamer-friendly surfaces for this series, even though they are facing the prospect of five massive Tests in Australia at the end of the season. Still, the local officials were quite deliberate in preparing this pitch, hiding it from the heat which has reached levels never before seen in Chennai in the month of September. The only time it was exposed to the elements was when it was being watered. It seems they felt, really strongly, that India would be well served having recent experience of playing against a red ball that refused to stop jagging about. #KnowledgableChennaiGroundstaff.Ashwin couldn’t have been happier for the way he had been tested. “I think it’s the old Chennai surface with a bit of bounce and carry. The red-soil pitch allows you to play a few shots. If you’re willing to get in line and sort of, whenever there’s width, if you can give it a bit of a tonk, it really helps. I love playing when there is bounce and carry so yeah, really enjoyed myself today.”R Ashwin and Chepauk: a match made in heaven•BCCITwo partnerships took India to 339 for 6 and both of them stood out for how there was no thought of taking a backward step. Yashasvi Jaiswal represented that quite literally by walking at Mahmud – from a starting position well in front of his crease too – to force the bowler to shorten his length and deny him the movement he was so adept at getting. Rishabh Pant looked extraordinary for time he was out there. He was sent in ahead of KL Rahul to present Bangladesh with a new challenge, bowling at two left-handers after they had made short work of three right-handers. India were in strife but they were switched all the way on and that made a big difference.By the end, Ashwin and Jadeja were scoring at nearly a run a ball, feasting on the kind of bowling that was never going to trouble anybody on day one of this pitch – spin. India actually scored more than a third of their total (127) against Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan even though they bowled a little more than one-fourth of the overs (29). Another example of their sharpness despite being under the pump.The Chennai crowd was ecstatic. At 38 years old, it is uncertain if Ashwin will play another Test in front of them. He had his family here. His friends were here. He saluted all of them when he reached his century – first the dressing room – and then to all corners. He averages 55.16 at this ground. His home ground. That’s not far off Sunil Gavaskar and way better than Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohammad Azharuddin. This was always going to be his day, two days after his birthday.

For the India allrounder, it’s mainly a matter of backing your strengths but “making sure to use it very wisely”

Shashank Kishore29-Aug-20224:15

‘Hardik Pandya in the side means India almost have 12 players’ – Mickey Arthur

Mohammad Rizwan had struggled to force the pace in front of square. So, when Hardik Pandya bowled a short ball into him, trying to arch back and ramp the ball fine was a legitimate call. Except, he may have underestimated Hardik’s pace.This wasn’t the old Hardik. This was Hardik the fast bowler, who can crank up the intensity when required, bounding in and bending his back. The same back that had nearly given up four years ago at the same venue against the same opponents, and in the same tournament.On that September afternoon of 2018, Hardik had to be stretchered out, after clutching on to his back, in severe pain. So many questions. Would Hardik ever be able to bowl full tilt again? If he can’t, can he hold his place in the team as a batter alone? What does that do to team balance?Related

• India vs Pakistan – cricket, not hype, takes centre stage ahead of Round 2

• Hardik Pandya breaks into top five in ICC rankings for T20I allrounders

• Explainer – Why did India and Pakistan have five fielders inside the circle in the death overs?

• Jadeja at No. 4 forced Pakistan to change plans, and it 'ultimately cost them'

• Hardik stays cool to ace a tense chase for India

Until February this year, it was all shrouded in mystery, especially the bowling part. Obviously, he hadn’t spoken about it publicly. At a Gujarat Titans press event, where he was named the captain, Hardik stoked the fire even more when he said the answer to it “will be a secret”.After last year’s T20 World Cup, where Hardik played as a specialist batter, he decided to take time off. He went off the grid, even social media. He worked out a robot-like schedule with a focus on sleeping and training. Every ball he bowled, every ball he batted, every lap he ran around the ground, every squat he did was mapped.Then came a time when Hardik feared getting hit by the short ball.He wasn’t used to wearing a chest guard, which he realised was an “ego issue”. Once he was made to understand by former India wicketkeeper Kiran More, his mentor, that it was perfectly acceptable for batters to wear a chest guard, and that even great batters of the past had done it, Hardik relented.What happened at the IPL then is fresh in the memory. He batted at the top, in the middle, as a finisher, put himself under the cosh in tough situations and came out on top. Hardik’s work behind the scenes as a bowler, too, bore fruit. The zip was back, he was bowling full tilt and without the worry of someone who is always afraid of breaking down. It was Hardik 2.0 unleashed.It’s this version we saw on Sunday night in Dubai, when he had Rizwan completely off balance with the short ball. As Rizwan arched back, he had gotten into a position where it was impossible to bail out. The ball kept coming at him and flew off the bat face as Avesh Khan came around and put in a dive to hold on at deep third. This was a classic fast bowler’s wicket.

“The calmer I can stay, it’s going to help me execute all the plans. Those executions, the 50-50 chances that I take, if I am calmer, it helps me to pull it off. Obviously, it was just seven runs [needed in the final over], even if it was 15, I would have fancied my chances”Hardik Pandya

You didn’t need to see the speed gun to tell you that it was a fast one. Only an over earlier, he had rushed Iftikhar Ahmed into a hook that was caught by the wicketkeeper. Two balls after Rizwan fell, he had Khushdil Shah’s attempted slash to a heavy ball finding Ravindra Jadeja at deep cover. All his three wickets had come off effort balls.As per ESPNcricinfo’s logs, all of Hardik’s deliveries were in the short-of-a-length zone. Nothing full. Each of his three wickets came with the short ball. Each of his deliveries also touched, and crossed, 140kph.”In bowling, my plans were pretty simple,” Hardik told Star Sports after the match. “I always tell the same thing. It’s just how I use it. I tell that it’s important to kind of assess the situation and conditions, and use your weapon which I feel, you know, hard lengths and hitting the length is my strength. But I make sure I use it very wisely, put some doubt in the batter and ask them to play the wrong shot.”Yet, for all the work with the ball, the game was on a knife’s edge when India needed Hardik the batter to stand up. It had been a difficult chase on a tacky surface. And it wasn’t until Hardik’s three fours in the penultimate over, bowled by Haris Rauf, where he played to the field and took advantage of Pakistan having only three fielders outside the ring – because of their slow over rate – that the game was in India’s control.This was a chase right down MS Dhoni’s alley. One where he knew the bowlers were under as much pressure, or maybe more, as he was. And one mistake was enough. Then, with six needed off three, Hardik swatted a flat six over long-on to finish it off. There were no fist bumps or angry growls – just a sense of calm all around and the acknowledgement of having done a job he always knew he could.Hardik Pandya finished the match for India with a six•AFP/Getty Images”In batting, over the years, I have understood [that] the calmer I can stay, it’s going to help me execute all the plans,” Hardik said. “Those executions, the 50-50 chances that I take, if I am calmer, it helps me to pull it off. Chases like this, you always plan overs. For me, it started from the 15th over. I knew we’re running short, but there’s one guy who is making his debut [Naseem] and there’s one left-arm spinner [Mohammad Nawaz]. Obviously, it was just seven runs [needed in the final over], even if it was 15, I would have fancied my chances.”I try to keep [my mindset] as clean as possible. I don’t try to put a lot of thoughts because I feel the bowler is much more under pressure than me. I don’t have anything to lose. I know it’s just one six. It’s not an ego thing. Against spinners, I fancy my chances more than fast bowlers.”Rohit Sharma was happy with the new and improved Hardik, and spoke of the work behind the scenes.”He’s a lot calmer, yes, but is very confident of what he wants to execute on the field, whether with the bat or ball,” Rohit said. “He’s quite confident, he understands what sort of field placements he needs to have. And he can bowl quick. We saw that today with those short balls. Obviously, a lot of hard work goes into it.”It was more about understanding his own game. With the bat as well, he was quite calm in the middle, trying to guide the team through it and when we were in a situation like that, high-pressure game, to get 10 runs in an over, there are times where you can panic too. But he didn’t show that at all, he was quite calm and took us through.”

According to ESPNCricinfo’s Luck Index, at least two of the four chances the batsman enjoyed could’ve flipped the result

ESPNcricinfo stats team17-Oct-2020Chennai Super Kings needed to do well in all the three disciplines if they had to beat a strong Delhi Capitals side to retain a more-than-mathematical chance of making the playoffs in this year’s IPL. Their batsmen gave them a realistic chance by setting a target of 180 for the Capitals to chase down. On a night when there was a dew on the ground in Sharjah, their bowlers needed all the support they could get from their fielders. However, Super Kings dropped an in-form Shikhar Dhawan at least three times. Four, if you consider the chance to Shane Watson a catchable one. Dhawan capitalised on those chances by hitting his first century in the IPL and steered his team to a win.The first of the four drops happened as early as the seventh over when Dhawan was on 25 off 17 balls. According to ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index, that drop cost Super Kings 34 runs. That means, had Deepak Chahar caught caught Dhawan off Ravindra Jadeja, the Capitals would’ve got 34 fewer runs than what they eventually got, which considering that the match was alive even after the 19th over the chase, would’ve flipped the result in Super Kings’ favour.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe value of a drop is estimated by allocating the balls faced by Dhawan after the drop to batsmen who didn’t get to bat and to those who were unbeaten at the end of the innings. So in this case, the 40 balls faced by Dhawan after the drop would be distributed among Axar Patel and the other Capitals batsmen who were yet to bat. Considering the Capitals’ had proper T20 batsmen only till No. 7 including an out-of-form Alex Carey, Luck Index reckoned that the Capitals batting order wouldn’t have been able to cover for the 41-ball 76 that Dhawan made after the drop.The second drop, by MS Dhoni, was estimated to cost Super Kings 8 runs, still enough to turn the result in favour of last year’s runner-ups. But the third clear chance, by Ambati Rayudu in the 16th over, had no bearing on the result. Because according to Luck Index, by then Capitals had enough on the scoreboard for their remaining batsmen take their team to a win.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em partida válida pela primeira rodada da Copa Sul-Americana, o Fortaleza venceu o Sportivo Trinidense-PR por 2 a 0. Thiago Galhardo e Yago Pikachu marcaram os gols do Laion no Defensores del Chaco, em Assunção.

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Com o resultado, o Fortaleza assume a liderança do Grupo D na Copa Sul-Americana, que também conta com Boca Juniors e Nacional Potosí.

➡️ Aposte R$50 no Lance! Betting e ganhe R$160 se Caracas x Atlético-MG tiver quatro gols ou mais!

O próximo compromisso do Fortaleza é no sábado (6), contra o Ceará, pela decisão do Campeonato Cearense. O primeiro jogo terminou empatado sem gols,

➡️ Veja tabela com datas, horários dos jogos da Libertadores

Ficha Técnica – Sportivo Trinidense 0 x 2 Fortaleza
Data e horário: 3/4/2024, às 21h
Local: Estádio Defensores del Chaco, em Assunção
Árbitro: Francisco Gilabert
VAR: Rodrigo Carvajal

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FortalezaSul-Americana

ودع منتخب مصر الثاني بطولة كأس العرب 2025، من دور المجموعات، بعد الخسارة أمام الأردن بثلاثة أهداف نظيفة، اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات.

وتواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الثالثة رفقة منتخبات الأردن والإمارات والكويت.

وتعادل منتخب مصر في الجولة الثانية أمام الإمارات بهدف لكل فريق، كما تعادل بنفس النتيجة أمام الكويت في الجولة الأولى.

طالع|فيديو | الأردن يسجل الهدف الثاني أمام مصر في كأس العرب

وجاء هدف الأردن الأول عن طريق اللاعب محمد أبو حشيش في الدقيقة 12، بعد تسديدة قوية ارتطمت بدفاع المنتخب المصري، لتصل إلى أبو حشيش الذي تابعها ووضعها في شباك محمد بسام.

أما الهدف الثاني، فقد جاء عن طريق محمد أبو زرايق في الدقيقة 41 بعد تسديدة من داخل منطقة الجزاء، فيما سجل علي علوان الهدف الثالث من ركلة جزاء في الدقيقة 92.

وودع منتخب مصر بطولة كأس العرب بعد احتلاله المركز الثالث برصيد نقطتين، بينما الأردن حقق العلامة الكاملة بتسع نقاط، فيما صعد الإمارات في الوصافة، برصيد 4 نقاط، بعد الفوز على الكويت 3-1 في لقاء أقيم في نفس الجولة اليوم. أهداف مباراة مصر والأردن في كأس العرب 

Eddie Howe says there is “no chance” Newcastle will accept a draw as he plots a first Premier League derby victory over Sunderland in ten attempts.

Newcastle prepare for Tyne-Wear derby

The sides meet in the top flight for the first time since March 2016 on Sunday, when the Magpies will make the short trip to the Stadium of Light looking to end a wait for a win in the fixture which dates back to August 2011.

Head coach Howe and many of his players had a taste of what to expect in January last year when they went to Wearside and emerged with a 3-0 FA Cup third round success over the then Sky Bet Championship Black Cats, and he is conscious of the need for balance in their approach.

He said: “If you don’t get the arousal levels right, if you hype the players up too much, then you can go out and not perform because you’re over-thinking things, you’re not playing the game, you’re playing the atmosphere.

“You need cool heads, but you also need to have the fire in there. If the fire’s not there in this type of game, then you’re not going to perform either. It’s a balancing act of trying to get the players in the right frame of mind.”

Newcastle will arrive on Wearside on the back of a four-game unbeaten run in all competitions to face a Sunderland side who have confounded those who predicted they would go the way of many promoted sides and struggle to keep their heads above water.

Despite last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, Regis Le Bris’ men sit in ninth place in the table on 23 points – one more than their neighbours – after 15 games, and it would take a major collapse for them to slip into trouble.

However, asked if he would take a point, Howe, whose side drew 2-2 at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, replied swiftly:

He continued: “We prepare every game to win. This will be no different.

“We’ve got to get the preparation right in a very short period of time. That’s been a challenge we’ve had all season, and I think we’re doing okay at this moment in time.

“We know we can improve, there’s areas to get better in and we’ve got minimal training time to get those tweaks adjusted. But by kick-off, I can assure everybody that we’ll be ready.”

Newcastle star could miss Sunderland game after new injury "issue" emerges

An ill-timed blow for the Magpies.

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Tom Cunningham

4 days ago

Sunday’s game will be the first clash between Howe and Le Bris – Michael Beale was in charge at Sunderland for the FA Cup tie – but the Newcastle boss has been impressed by what the Frenchman has achieved since taking the helm in July last year.

He said: “I don’t know him and it’s my first time going up against him, but I think they’ve done well this season. I’ve been impressed by how they’ve played.”

The New York Yankees have already explored a handful of different lineups early into the 2025 MLB season, and they'll once again trot out a new-look batting order for Thursday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Hitting atop the order will be Ben Rice, who will take over at first base while veteran Paul Goldschmidt gets the night off. Rice has primarily served as the Yankees' designated hitter, but will move to first base and bat leadoff for the first time in his career on Thursday night.

Asked about his decision to bat Rice first, Boone gave the perfect one-word response.

"Rakes," said the Yankees' skipper.

Sometimes, it doesn't take a long-winded answer to explain a decision from a manager.

In five games this year, Rice, 26, is slashing .385/.429/.923 with two home runs, two RBIs and five strikeouts in 13 at-bats. He's been seeing the ball well early into the campaign, and Boone is seemingly hopeful that Rice can provide an early spark from atop the batting order.

After sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers in their season-opening series, New York has lost each of its last two games against the Diamondbacks, and will look to salvage a win in Thursday's series finale.

Being the massive club they are, Arsenal have had some genuinely world-class players represent them.

From the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp in the Invincibles era, to Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and their backline today.

However, the Gunners also have more than their fair share of cult heroes, such as Sunderland’s current captain, Granit Xhaka.

The Swiss international left Arsenal in the summer of 2023, but it looks like Mikel Arteta might have someone in his squad today who could be the club’s next Xhaka.

Xhaka's turbulent Arsenal career

It’s summer 2016, and after a reasonably impressive Euros with Switzerland, Arsenal opt to splash around £34m on Xhaka.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Unfortunately, while he certainly wasn’t one of the team’s worst players, the former Borussia Mönchengladbach ace was fairly underwhelming over the following few years.

However, given his experience, combative nature, and general personality, he was chosen by his teammates to become the club’s captain in September 2019, under Unai Emery.

It was a decision that would cataclysmically backfire just a month later, when, during a game against Crystal Palace, he was substituted off to a jeering crowd, to which he responded by throwing the shirt and armband to the floor and swearing.

At that point, it looked like his Arsenal career was well and truly over, but once he was appointed manager, Arteta was able to convince the fiery midfielder to stay and fight for his place.

Over the next two years or so, that is exactly what the Basel-born titan did, and finally, against all the odds, away to Brentford in September 2022, the fans began to sing his name once more.

The tough-tackling, all-action international had his best campaign in red and white that season, ending it with nine goals and seven assists in 47 games as the club launched a surprising title charge.

16/17

46

4

3

17/18

48

3

8

18/19

40

4

5

19/20

41

1

2

20/21

45

1

2

21/22

30

1

2

22/23

47

9

7

It would prove to be his final year with the club, but instead of leaving in disgrace like so many thought he would, the Swiss icon was serenaded by an adoring Emirates crowd as he grabbed a brace and said his goodbyes.

Now, two and a half years later, it looks like Arteta could have his own Xhaka-type player in his Arsenal squad.

Arsenal's new Xhaka

Now, arguments could certainly be made for either Declan Rice or Martin Zubimendi becoming the next Xhaka for Arsenal, but instead, it’s actually Myles Lewis-Skelly.

It might sound a little out there at first, but there are a few reasons, such as the youngster’s natural position.

Yes, the teenager has played at left-back for the first team, but spent most of his time in the academy playing as either a defensive or central midfielder.

Moreover, when you watch him play, it is so apparent that he’s more of a central player, as not only does he have the spatial awareness and range of passing to thrive there, but he also has the carrying ability.

In fact, it was his incredible drive and assist for Gabriel Martinelli against Atletico Madrid that led one content creator to label him as one of the best in “world football” when it comes to carrying.

Furthermore, the 19-year-old has already shown the physical and mental strength Xhaka possess, and as Rice has pointed out, he seems utterly “fearless” on the pitch, regardless of the opposition.

Finally, in addition to the fiery attitude, the Hale End gem also has a wand of a left foot, and has already chalked up a few assists thanks to his weight of pass.

Ultimately, it is still so early in his career, but it’s clear that Lewis-Skelly shares some of Xhaka’s best traits and could become Arsenal’s new version of the Swiss monster.

Forget Dowman: Arsenal's "explosive" Hale Ender looks like another Saka

The impressive youngster could be the next Saka and the next talent off the block for Arsenal after Dowman.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 7, 2025

سجل المغربي أشرف بن شرقي، الهدف الأول لفريق الأهلي أمام الزمالك، في المباراة الجارية بينهما حاليًا، على ملعب محمد بن زايد، في نهائي كأس السوبر المصري.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع الزمالك، في إطار المباراة النهائية من بطولة كأس السوبر المصري 2025، المقام في الإمارات.

طالع.. جميع معلقي مباراة الأهلي والزمالك اليوم في نهائي السوبر المصري

وأحرز أشرف بن شرقي هدف الأهلي الأول في الدقيقة 44 من تسديدة من داخل منطقة الجزاء بعد استلام لتمريرة رائعة من زميله أحمد سيد زيزو، ليمنح التقدم للأحمر في الديربي. هدف الأهلي الأول أمام الزمالك.. أشرف بن شرقي

وكان الأهلي تأهل إلى نهائي كأس السوبر المصري، بالفوز على سيراميكا كليوباترا 2-1، بينما الزمالك تغلب على بيراميدز بركلات الترجيح 5-4 بعد انتهاء الوقت الأصلي للمباراة بالتعادل السلبي.

تحدث الدولي الفرنسي إبراهيما كوناتي، مدافع الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول عن لقاء مانشستر سيتي ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي.

ومن المقرر أن يخوض ليفربول مباراته أمام نظيره مانشستر سيتي مساء اليوم، الأحد، في تمام الساعة السادسة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، السابعة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.

ويستضيف ملعب “الاتحاد” مباراة ليفربول ومانشستر سيتي في الجولة الحادية عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “بريميرليج”.

وقال كوناتي، عن فوز ليفربول في ملعب الاتحاد الموسم الماضي: “أعتقد أن وقتها لم نفُز على ملعب الاتحاد لمدة 9 مواسم”.

اقرأ أيضًا | هالاند: ليفربول مرشح للتتويج بالدوري الإنجليزي.. وليس لديه نقاط ضعف

وأكمل: “عندما سجلنا عليهم الموسم الماضي، جميعنا كان يعلم إذا واصلنا الدفع والعمل معًا كفريق واحد، يمكننا تحقيق لحظة رائعة وعظيمة هناك”.

وأردف: “بالنسبة للمدافع، من المهم أن تُعطي الثقة للفريق، وهذا يحدث عندما تشتت كل المحاولات الهجومية للخصم، بكل بساطة عليك التواجد في كل مكان”.

وأتم عن دعم الجماهير: “بصراحة هذا شيء مميز جدًا، لأنهم لا يفعلون ذلك لأي لاعب وهذا شيء أعتز به كثيرًا، دعمهم لا يُصدق ويُعطيني المزيد من الثقة والمزيد من الطاقة والمزيد من الحب لهذا النادي والجمهور”.

Ibou recalls a big win at Manchester City last season ✊@KODANSHA_EN | #Ad pic.twitter.com/oGkKRTRm0I — Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 9, 2025