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Ibrahima Konate will be left out of Liverpool’s starting lineup to face Manchester City this weekend, according to reliable journalist James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Konate impresses despite error

The Frenchman started alongside Virgil van Dijk at Benfica in midweek, as the Reds won 3-1 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg clash.

Konate may have made an error for Darwin Nunez’s goal, air-kicking an attempted clearance, but he produced a superb overall performance in Portugal, drawing praise from Alisson for his display.

The 22-year-old made two tackles and one interception on the night, as well as the small matter of opening the scoring with a well-taken header – his first-ever goal for Liverpool.

The Latest: Pearce makes key claim

Despite this, Pearce believes Joel Matip will come in for Konate for Sunday’s huge trip to City, taking to Twitter to provide his thoughts:

“Some big decisions for Klopp v City. Matip back in for Konate pretty clear.”

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The Verdict: Correct decision

While Konate undoubtedly impressed against Benfica, bringing Matip back in for him is still the right call, should Jurgen Klopp do that.

He possesses more experience in such big games and he has been the superior player this season, performing magnificently next to Van Dijk and averaging 3.9 aerial duel wins per game in the league.

It would be a big shock if Konate was now picked, given his rawness, and his pace isn’t needed as much against a City side who are more intricate than fast.

In other news, Pearce has also made an exciting Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.

Celtic centre-back Stephen Welsh was forced off for Scotland’s U21 side with what appeared to be a groin problem, The Daily Record report.

The Lowdown: Welsh under Postecoglou

Welsh began the campaign as a regular under Ange Postecoglou and has made 22 appearances in all competitions this season.

The 21-year-old, who Celtic youth coach Martin Miller hailed as a ‘fan favourite’ and ‘phenomenal’, made his last start in green and white back in February against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League.

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Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt have established themselves as Postecoglou’s first-choice pairing, with Welsh and Christopher Jullien on standby.

The Latest: Welsh’s injury

Welsh was one of a number of Celtic players who have been away on international duty and captained Scotland’s U21 side against Kazakhstan on Monday.

The Daily Record revealed that the centre-back had to be taken off shortly after half-time with what appeared to be a groin injury days before a crucial Glasgow Derby with Rangers.

The Verdict: Never ending

You’d expect that Welsh wouldn’t have started at Ibrox on Sunday, however, it would have been handy for Postecoglou to be able to call upon the defender from the bench if needed.

He may not get that luxury following this injury update, with Postecoglou already having concerns over Daizen Maeda and Tom Rogic during the current break.

The Celtic boss hasn’t had the best of luck when it comes to injuries during his first season in charge, and unfortunately, they aren’t showing any signs of slowing up.

In other news: ‘As well…’ – Journalist drops claim on more exit news at Celtic Park; it’s a potential ‘bonus’. 

ScorecardDurham were denied a victory that would move them closer to the top of the County Championship First Division table following a final-day washout againstWarwickshire at Edgbaston.Champions for the past two years, Durham were in a good position to revivetheir bid for a title hat-trick until the rain returned immediately after anoptimistic mid-afternoon report by the umpires.Peter Willey and Rob Bailey initially planned a re-start at 3.45pm, which wouldhave given Durham 36 overs in which to wrap up the six wickets they required forvictory.But Warwickshire remained on their overnight score of 229 for 4, after beingasked to follow on 279 behind, when further downpours resulted in the matchbeing called off at 4.30pm. Ian Westwood therefore remained 14 runs short of his century while debutant wicketkeeper Richard Johnson was on 20.Durham took 10 points from the draw to be fifth, while six points for the hostsmoved them above Hampshire at the foot of the table.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians tem como objetivo no mercado contratar mais um atacante que atue pelos lados do campo para 2018. Uma opção poderia estar no próprio clube: é o caso de Lucca, que voltará de empréstimo da Ponte Preta. O jogador possui as características pretendidas pelo técnico Fábio Carille, mas no momento a diretoria do Timão tem outros planos para ele: é considerado a melhor moeda de troca e trunfo para reforçar o time para a temporada do ano que vem.

Lucca tem contrato com o Corinthians até julho de 2019. O Timão é dono de 60% de seus direitos econômicos, enquanto o restante está dividido entre Cruzeiro e Criciúma, seus ex-clubes. Como o atacante marcou 13 gols no Brasileiro pela rebaixada Ponte, está valorizado no mercado e a diretoria quer explorar bem isso para oferecer melhores opções a Carille.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansDestaque do Corinthians, Clayson recebe homenagem inusitadaCorinthians12/12/2017CorinthiansEleição no Vitória adia tratativas por Tréllez; Corinthians segue em cimaCorinthians11/12/2017CorinthiansCandidato no Corinthians, Andrés é denunciado por crime tributárioCorinthians11/12/2017

O ideal, na visão da cúpula, seria uma transferência para aliviar o caixa, mas a possibilidade de o jogador ficar no Brasil é considerada maior. Por isso, a intenção é envolvê-lo em alguma troca. Algumas possibilidades já foram trazidas por Fernando Garcia, empresário do jogador. Porém, não avançaram, Uma delas foi pelo lateral-esquerdo Júnior Tavares, do São Paulo, mas o modelo de negócio não agradou ao rival. Também pesaram as declarações da mãe de Tavares, que menosprezou o Corinthians nas redes sociais.

Outro jogador também empresariado por Fernando Garcia e com situação semelhante à de Lucca é Marlone. Atua pelos lados, mas tem características diferentes. Neste caso, o técnico Fábio Carille não pretende utilizá-lo, já que espera um jogador mais agudo, com facilidade para marcar e também chegar à frente. Marlone terminou o ano na reserva do Atlético-MG e também pode ser envolvido em troca. Seu nome foi cotado para ser moeda na possível negociação com o centroavante Tréllez, do Vitória, mas ainda não há nada concreto.

Até o momento, o Corinthians contratou o atacante Júnior Dutra, que disputou o Brasileiro pelo Avaí. Ele, de certa forma, preenche uma das lacunas de atacante pelos lados, podendo atuar aberto, mas Carille também o vê como meia-atacante e centroavante. O Timão também deixou tudo certo com o volante Renê Júnior, que assinará por três anos quando voltar de férias e procura um lateral-esquerdo para a vaga de Guilherme Arana e pelo menos mais um zagueiro para a vaga de Pablo.

No momento, as opções para o ataque são: Jô, Kazim, Carlinhos, Clayson, Romero, Marquinhos Gabriel e Pedrinho, além de Dutra.

Tudo sobre

CorinthiansFabio Carille

Lots of Everton fans have been left buzzing over some injury news that has emerged ahead of their game away at Norwich City in the Premier League.

As per The Athletic journalist Patrick Boyland, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Yerry Mina are all now back in training for the Goodison Park faithful, meaning that they could all feature against the Canaries if deemed fit enough.

All three of them rank among the Merseyside club’s ten best players so far this season, according to WhoScored, with Calvert-Lewin number one.

The striker has scored three goals in the four matches that he has played in the Premier League this term, and having him back with Richarlison will certainly give Rafa Benitez’s team more of a goal threat, while Mina provides another solid option defensively.

Everton fans on injury news

These Toffees buzzed as the injury news was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that it was a ‘huge boost’:

“Good news Boyland at the back post!!!”

Credit: @EFCMatt1

“Huge boost for weekend hopefully”

Credit: @GraemeMcV

“Yesssssss”

Credit: @Foxy0580

“Cracking news this”

Credit: @Byrdsman75

“Brilliant. Start all 3 on Saturday imo”

Credit: @CBobblers1878

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @JGreenway8

In other news, find out which EFC ace’s claim has fans speculating here!

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A despedida de Zé Roberto aconteceu nesta segunda-feira, na partida do Palmeiras contra o Botafogo. O craque deu adeus aos gramados e deixou como legado uma história de glórias. Nas redes sociais, companheiros e ex-companheiros de equipe se despediram de Zé Roberto prestando homenagens. Um dos ex-companheiros que se despediu do meia foi Gabriel Jesus:

— Pra mim foi uma honra jogar ao seu lado! Um craque dentro e fora de campo, não é à toa que conquistou tudo o que tem hoje! Uma carreira brilhante, digna de muito respeito e admiração! Obrigado por todas as nossas conversas e todas aquelas resenha no lanche 😂😂😂! O futebol perde um craque incrível, porém agradece por você representar tão bem a profissão 👏🏽 Eu já era seu fã, depois que te conheci passei a te admirar muito mais! Sou seu fã ⚽️😍 Uhuuuuuuuuulllll 🕺🏽 — publicou Gabriel Jesus

RelacionadasFora de CampoConheça alguns carros dos jogadores de futebol!Fora de Campo27/11/2017Fora de CampoCantora apontada como affair de Paquetá bomba na web após foto nuaFora de Campo27/11/2017Fora de CampoJogadores do Corinthians comemoram entrega da taça na baladaFora de Campo27/11/2017

Moisés também homenageou Zé Roberto nas redes sociais. O meia deixou seu agradecimento ao jogador, agora aposentado e postou fotos da camisa autografada que recebeu de Zé Roberto.

— QUE DIA!!! Hj tive a felicidade de participar de um momento histórico, marcante, que eu jamais irei esquecer. Zé Roberto vc me fez emocionar, hj senti um frio na barriga, tremedeira na perna assim como na minha estreia como profissional e tbm na conquista do título do ano passado… Confesso q joguei alguns minutos chorando e não consegui me concentrar no jogo, jamais irei esquecer esse dia. Zé, o seu caráter, humildade, profissionalismo e amizade eu irei levar como exemplo para o resto da minha vida. Serei eternamente grato a Deus por me permitir estar nesse dia tão especial da sua vida. Que Deus continue te abençoando cada dia mais e eu tenho certeza que oq vc vier fazer a partir de agora vc será bem sucedido. Torço muito para q vc continue no futebol, pq vc pode ajudar de varias maneiras. Fica aqui o meu eterno agradecimento. AUAUAU ZÉ ROBERTO É ANIMAL! #Exemplo #SouSeuFã #MuitoObrigado #DiaInesquecivel — publicou Moisés.

Outro que também prestou homenagens ao Zé Roberto foi Dudu. O jogador fez muitos agradecimentos a Zé Roberto e publicou fotos de momentos juntos.

— Zé, obrigado por tudo o que fez por mim durante esses 4 anos que jogamos juntos. Obrigado pelos conselhos e por me ensinar a ser um profissional melhor. Tenho certeza de que você será muito feliz nessa nova etapa de sua vida. Que Deus continue te abençoando muito. Foi uma honra ter jogado ao seu lado em dois clubes diferentes. Espero que nossa amizade cresça cada vez mais. Grande abraço e muito obrigado 🐷7️⃣ — publicou Moisés

Confira as fotos em nossa galeria e também o vídeo da última preleção de Zé Roberto!

A major update has emerged on the future of Steve Hitchen at Tottenham Hotspur this week…

What’s the word?

According to a Spurs inside source speaking to Football Insider, the technical and performance director is likely to remain in any potential stuff and recruitment cull at Hotspur Way due to his relationship with chairman Daniel Levy, on whom he has often relied in recent times.

Hitchen was responsible for transfers prior to the arrival of sporting director Fabio Paratici and notably recruited no fewer than £150m worth of talent during the summer of 2019 and January 2020.

It is believed that the Italian head coach wants to take full control of the Lilywhites’ transfer process this winter as his anger and disappointment at the club’s poor recruitment in recent years has been revealed.

He is said to have confidence in Paratici but does not trust some long-standing members of staff in north London.

This won’t go down well

Hitchen and his decision-making has often been criticised by large sections of the Spurs faithful over the years, which is hardly a surprise given his attitude when the transfer window swings around twice a year.

“The January transfer window is the worst transfer window. It’s a window of opportunity, it’s a window of panic, it’s never a window to plan… I hate it,” he claimed during Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Meanwhile, some supporters have deemed his recruitment “shocking” and have regularly taken fire whenever his name crops up in the media.

Indeed, it’s hard to disagree as his major splashes of Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso (around £55m apiece) have failed to justify their club-record price tags, with other signings like Ryan Sessegnon, Steven Bergwijn and Jack Clarke all raising further question marks.

Throw in players like Davinson Sanchez, Serge Aurier, Matt Doherty and Juan Foyth over the years, and it’s not a great track record whatsoever.

Also, the fact that Conte does not have faith in him speaks volumes, so the Premier League and FA Cup-winning head coach should ultimately be heeded – if he does not want Hitchen, then Levy must ignore his loyalties for the sake of the club. Failure to do so would only anger the fanbase even more.

This latest behind-the-scenes development will surely leave Conte and those around N17 absolutely fuming.

AND in other news, Conte dealt further Spurs injury setback amid Cristian Romero update…

West Brom face another test in the Championship tonight with a home clash against Nottingham Forest to try and get their season back on track after weeks of mixed results.

Their previous league outing saw them draw 0-0 against Blackpool, leaving the Baggies without a win in their last three games.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players West Brom manager Valerien Ismael could pick for his starting XI to take on Forest, one man who featured in the draw against Blackpool but should not be in the team on this occasion is Cedric Kipre.

In the match at Blackpool in midweek, the centre-back – who is currently earning a weekly wage of £14k-per-week according to Salary Sport – was something of a liability at the back for the Baggies, even though they managed to keep a clean sheet on the day.

In this regard, the 24-year-old managed to get dribbled past on two occasions, gave three fouls away (which led to him being handed a yellow card), lost possession 13 times, misplaced 11 passes and lost seven of his 12 duels.

This performance ultimately earned the centre-back, who has been previously described as an “assassin” by former Baggies manager Slaven Bilic, an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.5/10 from SofaScore, making him the joint-lowest rated West Brom player on the day alongside Karlan Grant.

Looking ahead to tonight’s match, perhaps it could be the best option for Ismael to take Kipre out of the team so that he doesn’t end up potentially costing the Baggies the game, especially when they could really do with a win to keep them in the race for promotion by the end of the campaign.

In terms of who Ismael could utilise instead of Kipre tonight to help Albion to another clean sheet, perhaps it could be the right time for Semi Ajayi to come back into the team after being an unused substitute for their four previous league games.

In other news: West Brom could soar to promotion by signing this MLS star

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is reportedly leading the race to be named the new manager of Rangers following Steven Gerrard’s departure from Ibrox to Aston Villa last week.

According to The Athletic, discussions are ongoing between the two parties as the Dutchman attempts to piece together a backroom staff, as the ex-Liverpool man left alongside a number of key staff members.

If appointed, van Bronckhorst will be thrown in at the deep end as Rangers look to compete in the domestic cups, Premiership and Europa League in the coming months.

Save millions

He could also have key decisions to make when it comes to transfers. One call he could make in the January transfer window is to recall forward Cedric Itten from his loan spell with Greuther Furth in Germany.

Ianis Hagi and Alfredo Morelos have both been linked with Ibrox exits in recent months and Ross Wilson could need to dip into the transfer market to replace them if moves materialise.

However, van Bronckhorst could save the Gers chief plenty of cash by unleashing Itten and attempting to get the best out of him in Glasgow instead of splashing out on fresh additions to the squad.

The Swiss international was sent out on loan to Furth in the Bundesliga in the summer and has shown signs of promise for the German side. He has scored two goals in eight league appearances, starting six, and won 28 aerial battles, averaging 3.5 per game.

This highlights the physical quality he offers at the top end of the pitch, whilst also showing that he can score goals in one of Europe’s top divisions.

Switzerland under-21 boss Mauro Lustrinelli previously hailed Itten’s strength and work rate on the pitch. He said:

“Itten is a player with incredible physical strength and a great mentality.

“He proved to have a great mentality and personality. He worked a lot and never gave up.

“Cedric is very quiet and intelligent but on the pitch, he changes completely; he fights for every ball, giving everything for the team.”

This aligns with his impressive aerial success with Furth and shows the qualities van Bronckhorst could get from him.

The Dutch manager could bring him in from the cold over in Germany and reintegrate him into his side to unlock his full potential. His statistics in the Bundesliga suggest he has the quality to potentially be a key player for the Gers and the 46-year-old would surely come in and give him the confidence to hit his top form.

Therefore, the £14k-per-week beast who was once dubbed “superb” by Gerrard, could potentially end up saving Wilson and Rangers millions if van Bronckhorst is able to extract his quality and inject it into the XI at Ibrox.

If Itten is able to become a regular goalscorer for Rangers, as he was at St Gallen with 36 goals in 63 games, then they may not need to buy a replacement for Morelos, should he leave the club.

AND in other news, Deadline set: Report details Rangers manager timeline that’ll surely have fans excited…

MatériaMais Notícias

A vitória por 1 a 0 sobre o Sport, no Morumbi, pode ter sido um divisor de águas para o São Paulo. O time ficou sem levar um gol após dez partidas, conseguiu segurar o resultado em casa e saiu do Z4 após sete rodadas consecutivas na zona da degola.

No entanto, o resultado pode ter sido uma mudança especialmente para Sidão, herói do jogo com duas defesas incríveis já nos acréscimos do jogo. Contestado por uma parte da torcida são-paulina, ele garantiu o placar e recebeu o apoio dos companheiros de clube.

RelacionadasSão PauloDorival admite jogo ruim, mas diz que saída do Z4 tira peso do TricolorSão Paulo01/10/2017São PauloHerói no fim, Sidão divide os méritos com a equipe: ‘Somos todos São Paulo’São Paulo01/10/2017BrasileirãoATUAÇÕES: Sidão brilha no fim e garante a vitória para o São PauloBrasileirão01/10/2017

Hernanes foi um dos que fizeram questão de abraçar o goleiro após apito final do árbitro. Para o meio-campista, Sidão foi o responsável pela vitória.

– Com certeza dei abraço no Sidão. Ele foi bem e conseguiu garantir o resultado para a gente – destacou.

E não foi só o camisa 15 do Tricolor que se manifestou. O atacante Lucas Pratto também fez questão de elogiar a atuação do companheiro. Para o camisa 9, Sidão foi determinante para os três pontos.

– Sidão e todos os goleiros do time merecem todo o respeito. Tentam fazer o melhor, como todo mundo. Graças a Deus hoje o Sidão está com uma regularidade boa, e parabéns para ele, porque hoje a gente venceu graças a ele – comentou o argentino.

Por fim, o elogio do comandante. Dorival Júnior mostrou confiança na evolução e viu participação essencial de seu goleiro titular no resultado contra o Sport.

– Sidão foi fundamental na manutenção do nosso resultado. Ele vem crescendo. Espero que mantenha e melhore. É uma condição que cabe a ele, de ir buscando gradativamente – avaliou Dorival.

Depois de momentos de desconfiança nas últimas rodadas, Sidão põde respirar aliviado, sair de campo satisfeito e abraçado por companheiros e torcidas, algo que o arqueiro comemorou.

– É muito gratificante. Passei por um tempo difícil aqui no São Paulo. Hoje é meu trabalho ajudar. Estou muito feliz – finalizou o titular da meta são-paulina.

Fora do Z4, o São Paulo volta a campo no próximo dia 11, às 21h45, contra o Atlético-MG, em confronto direto para se afastar do perigo da queda. Até lá, por conta da pausa para os jogos das Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo, terá dez dias para encarar novamente o Brasileirão.