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Everton currently find themselves in the mire having lost four of their last five – including a 3-2 defeat to Millwall in the FA Cup – as pressure mounts on Marco Silva to start delivering the results.

The Portuguese has impressed in his last two roles – he couldn’t prevent Hull’s relegation in the 2016/17 season but ensured it went down to the wire, while he also did a good job at trigger-happy Watford the year after until a poor run led to his dismissal in January.

However, the 41-year-old is currently facing what is arguably his biggest challenge in the Premier League yet as he looks to take Everton to the next level – he is failing thus far.

Taking over from Sam Allardyce, who was sacked in May 2018 despite taking the Toffees from 13th to 8th, Silva has hardly been an upgrade on his predecessor from what we’ve seen despite there being such staunch resistance to the former England boss from those in the stands at Goodison Park. Win, lose or draw, Allardyce always seemed to end up the pantomime villain.

What could have been, then, if unpopular Allardyce was still at the helm?

Defence sorted & through in the FA Cup

Allardyce received criticism during his six months in charge of the Merseyside outfit for his direct approach, despite getting the results required to achieve an eighth place finish.

Say what you want about Big Sam, but one thing he guarantees when taking a job is that he will sort out the defence and it is highly unlikely that, had he been kept on for this season, Everton would be conceding in the manner they are under Silva.

The defeat to Millwall epitomised the struggles Everton have had at the back – all three goals were conceded from set-pieces as Silva opts for a zonal marking approach that clearly isn’t working.

Allardyce, while it might not be exactly what the fans want, would rather forego attractive football in favour of defensive solidity to avoid the kind of simplistic lapses that cost the Toffees so dearly against Millwall. Everton would likely still be in the competition with Allardyce at the helm, while also climbing the Premier League table.

Lukaku replaced instead of signing Richarlison

The area most in need of improvement is Everton’s strike force – Richarlison has been deputising up front in the absence of a quality striker but a man of his talents should be on the wing, driving at players rather than occupying the centre-backs.

Silva brought his former Watford colleague to Goodison Park in the summer, with the Brazilian commanding a £50m fee. There is no doubt that he is a good signing and possibly the best they’ve made in recent years, but Marcel Brands and co would have been better served addressing the lack of a clinical centre-forward first – something Allardyce would surely have been keen to address as powerful front-men have been a hallmark of his most successful teams.

The Toffees have been crying out for a striker of Romelu Lukaku’s ilk since the big Belgian departed in 2017 and, had Allardyce still been in charge for the summer transfer window, it’s certainly less likely that Everton would have signed Silva’s golden boy, Richarlison.

Instead, that huge sum, or even half of it, could have been spent on a new centre-forward to lead the line and provide Allardyce with the kind of target man that suits his game-plan. Despite Allardyce’s reputation for defensive football, Kevin Davies, Andy Carroll and Christian Benteke have all enjoyed affluent spells under him.

Changing stereotypes

When he succeeded Ronald Koeman in November 2017, Allardyce was presented with a squad that at face value was simply underachieving, but was a complete mess in reality.

The club had spent £145m on new arrivals, only two of which have been consistently solid performers – Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jordan Pickford – while others are no longer in Everton blue having flopped completely.

Allardyce managed to turn things around and guide the Toffees to an eighth place finish, despite the preconceptions about how his tenure would turn out.

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accessory. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

The former West Ham and Crystal Palace boss has garnered a reputation for being a relegation-beater and not much more than that. But had he been in charge of Everton for the 2018/19 season and kept getting the results, then that stereotype of his style of football would be getting debunked right now.

Ultimately, the aim at Goodison Park is to take the step up that would see them challenge the Big Six and, while Allardyce might not have done so in the most fashionable way, it is possible that he would be far closer to doing so this season than Silva currently is.

Tottenham supporters have been in high spirits in recent times after seeing their team get back to winning ways in the Premier League over the weekend.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men went into their encounter with newly-promoted Wolves off the back of losing 1-0 to champions Manchester City last time out, which brought to an end their four-match winning run in the league. Yet the North Londoners got back on track at Molineux on Saturday as goals from Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura, and Harry Kane inspired the visitors to a 3-2 win in the West Midlands, although they did have to withstand a second half comeback from Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to move above Arsenal into the Premier League’s top four.

Thus, there have been many thrilled Spurs fans up and down the country in recent times, several of whom have been taking to Twitter to laugh off rumours linking Victor Wanyama with a move to Premier League rivals Manchester United.

And while the reports suggest that the Kenya international could be a replacement for Paul Pogba, which itself is laughable given they are different types of central midfielders, the overall links with Jose Mourinho’s side aren’t as ridiculous as they might seem.

Yes, there is little doubt that the wording in the piece, in that the Red Devils are reportedly looking at Wanyama as a possible replacement for France World Cup winner Pogba, is indeed ludicrous – they aren’t the same type of midfielder.

However, everything else surrounding the story, namely that Wanyama is struggling for fitness and form at Tottenham and has been on the peripheries for some time now, alongside United’s likely need for greater midfield strength, suggests that it’s a move which isn’t totally out of the question.

The Kenyan star was a revelation at Spurs in his first season at the club back in 2016/17 following his arrival from Southampton, with the 27-year-old striking up a sensational partnership with Mousa Dembele to help inspire Pochettino’s men to second place in the Premier League table behind Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.

Since then though, Wanyama has seriously struggled with injuries in making just 18 Premier League appearances for Tottenham last time round, while he has had some niggling problems this term as well to further restrict his game time, appearing just six times in all competitions.

As such, a move away from Spurs could be what he needs to get his career going once again, and Old Trafford could be the ideal destination given their seeming need for greater strength in that midfield area.

Nemanja Matic hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to the new season to suggest that he could be past his best, while summer signing Fred has hardly pulled up any trees following his move from Shakhtar Donetsk – thus, further depth could be required.

So while Spurs fans are right to laugh at the suggestion that Wanyama would be the ideal replacement for Pogba at Old Trafford, everything else surrounding the story, namely the Kenyan’s situation at Tottenham and United’s need to bolster the midfield, suggests that the links aren’t quite as ridiculous as they seem.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Southampton held their first official fans’ forum in three years at St Mary’s on Thursday night, and Saints fans were quick to have their say on what vice-chairman Les Reed said throughout on Twitter.

Reed was one member of the quartet – Ralph Krueger, Mark Hughes and new boy Danny Ings were the others – on the four-man panel, and both he and Krueger were targeted by those present following a disappointing couple of years that has seen two managers sacked, a 17th-placed finish last term and some below-par transfer buys.

The 65-year-old spoke on a number of subjects, but the unhappiness with him was clear to see as he was heckled by some throughout the hour show.

Southampton supporters, some of whom have tipped a previously-critcised 24-year-old to bounce back under Hughes this season, took to social media to give their thoughts on what Reed had to say, and while one said “we’d soon be sorry if he did leave”, another said “Les is just the definition of clueless”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Troy Deeney’s scathing assessment of Arsenal following Watford’s 2-1 victory over the Gunners on Saturday evening seems to have opened up a can of worms.

Some (admittedly very few) will claim he should not have been so honest on live television, but most will be applauding the Watford striker for being so honest and shedding some light on what way be going on behind the scenes at Emirates Stadium.

It’s clear there is a lack of heart and passion in the Arsenal training room and Deeney spoke of how he ensured he took full advantage of that on Saturday.

Unsurprisingly, Deeney has caught the attention of many pundits in the media, not least former Arsenal defender Martin Keown, who has called upon Arsene Wenger to listen to Deeney’s comments and learn from them in his MailOnline column.

We asked our writers what they thought of the striker’s damning comments…

Oliver Huddlestone

Deeney’s comments are spot on. You used to face Arsenal and know it was going to be a tough, battling game with the likes of Adams, Keown, Ashley Cole, Vieira all in your face.

These days they are too soft, and Wenger’s team has proved over the last few seasons that outplaying teams and dominating possession in the Premier League isn’t enough anymore; there’s a lot more to the game than fancy flicks and rehearsed celebrations.

Chris McMullan

I really hope that Troy Deeney’s comments don’t get broadcast as anything other than a refreshingly honest reflection from a football player. So often, we are submitted to dull and cliched interviews from footballers after games, but this time the Watford striker spoke honestly and openly, giving us all an insight into the game that we rarely get from what was, essentially, a post-match interview.

It will, of course, be used as another stick with which to beat Arsene Wenger. That’s perfectly fair. But perhaps the reason why this sounds like such a visceral criticism of Arsenal is because it’s such an obvious thing that we can all see.

Sometimes, the obvious criticism misses the point. Sometimes, there’s a tactical reason behind a supposed problem that gets sorted out in the long term. Not at Arsenal: it’s clear that the lack of spine, fight and passion are just that. And without any of those things, fundamental to the game, there’s no hope of Arsenal winning the title.

Christy Malyan

In every aspect imaginable with the exception of conning supporters into paying premium ticket prices, Arsenal are a weak club.

Their board is too weak to sack a manager who hasn’t won the title since 2004, their manager is too weak to sell players who don’t want to play for him (Ozil and Sanchez) and to not play players he was happy to sell during the summer (Elneny), which is a farcical situation in itself, and even their most experienced defenders are too weak to contain a striker who can’t even get into the Watford starting XI.

There was a time when Vicarage Road was dubbed Arsenal’s second home, because it’s five minutes down the road and they always won there. Now they’re being mocked by the Hornets’ back-up centre-forward.

There are many types of Fantasy Football Manager – ones who exude confidence like Jose Mourinho; ones who refuse to pick players from their team’s rivals, despite the fact they’re guaranteed over 50 points each week; ones who set their line-ups at the start of the season, forget their password and still frustratingly finish in the top half – usually above you.

Then there are the tinkerers. These are the most common breed of Fantasy Football Managers. They are unsure. They fear too many options. They shuffle their pack at the slightest sign of a potential better result with another player in their team. They are, in one word, indecisive.

There was once a time where these types of managers were derided – think Claudio Ranieri in his original reign as Chelsea Manager. Now-a-days, for the top gaffers in the world, picking a different line-up is often considered to be part of a tactical geniuses’ repertoire.

However, for us mere mortals, indecisiveness when choosing our line-ups are usually a reflection of our lives away from the Fantasy Football League and can often lead to hesitation and missed opportunities. From asking a girl out to putting a bet on a horse – indecisiveness can be a cruel pill to swallow.

Luckily, bookmaker Ladbrokes has saved the hassle for Football Managers and non-Football Managers alike having to pick a horse for one of the biggest racing events of the year – The Grand National – this Saturday. Their Grand National Horse Generator makes the whole process very simple.

Just pick a horse’s age, choose your favourite colour and decide how much you’d like to win! Ladbroke’s Grand National Horse Generator randomly selects a horse for you to bet on and you do the rest.

Now if only your Fantasy Football Team could select a winning line-up for you…

Rumours are surfacing that Arsenal are finally close to completing a move for a striker. But Alvaro Morata is not the man supposedly heading to the Emirates Stadium, nor is Gonzalo Higuain. Instead, the Gunners are set to spend £15m on young Brazilian striker Gabriel Barbosa.

Arsenal fans have been longing for a forward man for some time, after yet another season of Olivier Giroud leading the line, with minimal success. Now, with Danny Welbeck out for the majority of next season and Giroud fast running out of supporters in north London, a new striker has to be priority for Wenger this summer.

While this may not be the big name signing that will thrill the masses at Emirates, there is plenty to like about this young Brazilian Prodigy.

Here are Five things Arsenal fans need to know about Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa…

A Senior International

After impressing in the Brazilian Premier League with Santos, Barbosa received his first international call-up in March and scored on his debut in a 2-0 Brazil win over Panama.

Incredibly, in his very next game in the famous yellow, Gabriel scored yet again, the time against Haiti in the Copa America.

The New Neymar

With so many obvious similarities to his compatriot, it is no wonder ‘Gabigol’, as he is affectionately nicknamed, is being touted as ‘the new Neymar’ in his homeland.

Not only does the 19-year-old play his trade at Santos, he also possesses Neymar’s light-footed speed, an eye for both a goal and an assist and the sort of versatility that allows him to play as winger, No.10, or a slightly withdrawn centre-forward.

Goals, Goals, Goals

There is a reason why he is nicknamed ‘Gabigol’!

While the young star is yet to have a Ronaldo-like season of scoring, he has been a consistent threat in front of goal since the tender age of 16 and looks more threatening with every passing season.

In his 148 appearances for Santos, Barbosa has netted 54 times are an average of a goal scored every 2.7 games.

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Physical Weakness

One major flaw to Gabriel Barbosa’s game is his physical strength. At just 5ft.9″, the Premier League could well be a land of giants for the youngster next season.

Commentary from his home nation has highlighted his struggle against strong, physical teams in the Brazilian League; if this is the case, he will need to work on this part of his game regularly before the new domestic season in England.

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The Praise of a Nation

In the most football-mad nation on this planet, stars are often born, and Brazil think they have found another one.

Not only have former coaches and players come out praising Gabriel but one of the chief scouts in Brazil, Betinho, has given rave reviews of the 19-year-old to the media:

“Many have said that he has no strength and resistance to make it as a professional, but I think he will be the idol of his generation. He is a healthy, dedicated and focused boy, born with the gift of goals.”

Let’s hope so, Arsenal fans.

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Jonny Evans thought he had scored his first Manchester United goal in over nine years on Saturday, only for it to be ruled out after a VAR review.

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• Evans scored header
• Goal ruled out for offside
• Man Utd fans raged at VAR

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Evans got on the end of a corner and headed it beyond Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford to break the deadlock. The defender's celebrations were cut short though, as VAR intervened.

  The goal was not allowed to stand because a VAR review revealed that striker Rasmus Hojlund was in an offside position and interfering with play. The Denmark international was in Trafford's way and prevented him from getting to the ball.

  The officials' decision will also come as a big blow to Evans, who last scored for United in January 2014 in an EFL Cup clash against Sunderland. The game against Burnley is the first that Evans has started for United since 2015.

  Evans did go on to provide an assist for Bruno Fernandes just before half-time, however.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The goal being chalked off infuriated Red Devils fans, who pointed out that Manchester City scored a similar goal against Fulham earlier in September that was allowed to stand.

  Howard Webb, chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, later admitted that Nathan Ake's goal should not have been allowed to stand because Manuel Akanji was blocking the Fulham goalkeeper.

  He said on : “From the outset, I want to say this should have been disallowed. These are not always easy to call because you are trying to get two pieces of information together. Is the player in an offside position, which official is in a good position to see, and what consequence was there of the player being in that position and how it impacts the opponents?

  “It certainly appears that Akanji has an impact on Bernd Leno, the goalkeeper seems to hesitate. The officials on the field gave the goal, they did not see the obvious action that impacted Leno’s ability to play the ball. They did not feel it was clearly impactful on Leno’s ability to play the ball but when you see it, you can see that hesitation by the goalkeeper who was waiting to see whether the ball made contact with Akanji, which would have deflected the ball."

• WHAT THEY SAID

  United fans expressed their anger on social media, with some going as far as to hint at a conspiracy against their team.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  After the Burnley clash, United will turn their attention to the Carabao Cup match against Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

MatériaMais Notícias

As declarações de Eduardo Bandeira de Mello – que disse que, “se ainda fosse presidente” do Flamengo, o incêndio no Ninho do Urubu provavelmente não teria acontecido – não foram bem recebidas pela atual direção do clube. Após resposta em nota oficial, Rodrigo Dunshee, VP Geral e Jurídico, também se posicionou sobre o ex-mandatário, um dos indiciados pela Polícia Civil em inquérito entregue ao Ministério Público do Rio de Janeiro sobre o ocorrido.

-Já estávamos notando há alguma tempo as declarações do Eduardo Bandeira. Como gestor do Flamengo, recebeu críticas da autoridade policial pois não fez o TAC, que fizemos em três meses, e até mais rigoroso. Ele disse que não queria fazer, até assinou um documento com o juiz e se comprometeu a melhorar. Foi criticado também pois havia um edital de interdição que não teria sido respeitado por ele. Notamos que a autoridade policial colocou Eduardo em uma situação complicada. Jamais fizemos qualquer comentário ou jogamos culpa e responsabilidade nele. Continuamos não jogando. Entendemos que deveria ter defendido sua inocência no processo, como todos têm direito – afirmou Dunshee em entrevista à FlaTV, nesta segunda-feira, antes de seguir:

– Acho que tem interesses pessoais, é candidato ou pré-candidato, porque jogou uma responsabilidade em cima da nossa gestão que não existe. Na verdade, é quem está com maior peso nas costas. Entendemos a insatisfação dele, mas, como o Braz (VP de futebol) disse, foi uma questão oportunista.

RelacionadasFlamengoIncêndio do Ninho: VP afirma que Fla não oferecerá valor maior e diz que ‘oportunidades estão sendo perdidas’Flamengo27/04/2020FlamengoZico avalia sequência de Jorge Jesus no Flamengo: ‘Situação mudou muito’Flamengo27/04/2020FlamengoGrupo oficializa pedido que pode expulsar Bandeira do quadro social do FlamengoFlamengo27/04/2020

Na entrevista á FlaTV, Rodrigo Dunshee foi questionado sobre os impactos do coronavírus nas relações comerciais e contratuais do Flamengo. O dirigente falou sobre as possíveis reduções de vencimentos que serão feitas no clube, além de comentar a rescisão anunciada pelo patrocinador Azeite Royal.

-O impacto nas relações comerciais é inevitável. Não sabemos quanto vai durar a pandemia. 90% dos setores estão sofrendo restrições financeiras. Quem tem dinheiro está preservando o caixa.Tem gente usando a alegação de força maior para não cumprir as suas obrigações, como foi o caso de um patrocinador do Flamengo. Rescindiram com o Flamengo, Vasco e Fluminense alegando que a pandemia e a força maior dá o direito de rescindir o contrato. Não, não dá. As atividades do futebol voltarão, os jogos voltarão quem alegar isso terá problemas. É preciso sentar na mesa, negociar, de boa fé, e adimplir as suas obrigações – afirmou o VP Rodrigo Dunshee, antes de complementar:

Entendo que todo mundo precisa ter uma dose de colaboração, inclusive os funcionários. Quem ganha menos sofre mais. O Flamengo está consciente disso. O presidente Landim não vai deixar de considerar isso – finalizou.

Goal looks at the form for each team in the knockouts for the most recent 10 games in all competitions ahead of the last 16 second legs…

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  16. Basel | 10 points | ⬇️ 4 places

  UCL last 16 first leg result: Basel 0-4 Manchester City

  dabblebet odds to win UCL: 3000/1

  So used to having it all their own way in Switzerland, this season has been a rude awakening. They will relinquish their Super League crown to Young Boys and are about to tumble out of Europe with a heavy defeat.

  However, they should take encouragement from their qualification to the knockout phase given their original goal of the season was any sort of continental football after the winter break. And they will have learned plenty from playing against Guardiola. 

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  15. Chelsea | 13 points | ➖

  UCL last 16 first leg result: Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona

  dabblebet odds to win UCL: 33/1

  The Antonio Conte era – not yet two seasons old – appears to be coming to an end. Defeats to Manchester United and to Manchester City in the Premier League in recent weeks were shocking in their manner with Conte even taking criticism from his own goalkeeper.

  Chelsea are big underdogs and short of confidence after their trip to the Etihad on Sunday. A remarkable turnaround and mounting problems for a coach who last season could do no wrong. 

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  14. Roma | 14 points | ⬆️ 2 places

  UCL last 16 first leg result: Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Roma

  dabblebet odds to win UCL: 66/1

  Paulo Fonseca is winning plenty of credit – and being linked to bigger jobs than his current one – for the work he's done this season. Now Ukraine's runaway leaders, Shakhtar have stormed back from their long winter break in sensational form.

  Their intricate play was too much for Roma to handle in the first leg. If they can hold their nerve and play to their values in the Italian capital, they will go through. 

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  13. Sevilla | 18 points | ⬇️ 3 places

  UCL last 16 first leg result: Sevilla 0-0 Manchester United

  dabblebet odds to win UCL: 150/1

  Vincenzo Montella's side will be kicking themselves that they didn't find a breakthrough in the first leg even if they managed to avoid conceding an away goal.

  They will be well aware that most observers will be expecting United to have a much easier ride at Old Trafford and fighting against that perception with belief will be key to progress. Their form has been up and down. Maintaining confidence even if they concede will be vital. 

Rising Pune Supergiants have lost two games since their win in the tournament opener, and require a victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore to get their campaign back on track

The Preview by Nikhil Kalro21-Apr-2016Match factsFriday, April 22, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Big pictureRising Pune Supergiants’ inaugural IPL season got off to the perfect start with a thumping win over defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener. Supergiants have lost two games since, and require a victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore to revive their campaign.Royal Challengers, who also won their first game before losing two consecutively, have depended on a strong top order to mask their bowling fragility. Chris Gayle, who did not feature against Mumbai Indians, having flown to Jamaica to be with his partner for the birth of their first child, will miss this game too. Till Gayle returns, Royal Challengers could persist with KL Rahul opening and Travis Head at No. 5.Royal Challengers have failed to find a settled bowling combination. Barring Harshal Patel, no other specialist bowler has played all three games. West Indies legspinner Samuel Badree has been ruled out of the tournament after failing to recover from an injured shoulder, and has been replaced by the South African chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi.Supergiants haven’t found their best combination either. It isn’t often that MS Dhoni makes wholesale changes after two matches – Supergiants made three against Kings XI Punjab, including drafting in Thisara Perera and Irfan Pathan for Mitchell Marsh and Rajat Bhatia as like-for-like replacements. The batting has been held together by Faf du Plessis’ consistency (170 runs in three matches), but a misfiring middle order has been shown up. Supergiants have the personnel, but need to perform consistently to bid for a playoffs spot.Form guideRising Pune Supergiants: LLW (most recent matches first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: LLWIn the spotlightAjinkya Rahane is a vital cog in Supergiants’ batting order. He started the season with an unbeaten 66 against Mumbai, but has scored only 30 runs over his next two games. A solid start could help an unsettled middle order come into its own.Shane Watson was the most expensive purchase at the IPL auction (INR 9.5 crores), and his all-round abilities have made a telling difference to the Royal Challengers line-up. He has bowled four overs in all games, taken four wickets, and scored 57 runs at a strike rate of 154.05. With his experience, he will be asked to bowl at crunch times and provide Royal Challengers with impetus towards the end with the bat.Team newsSupergiants brought in Perera and Pathan against Kings XI, but neither enjoyed a productive game. Dhoni may be forced to make changes again.Rising Pune Supergiants (probable): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Steven Smith, 5 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 6 Mitchell Marsh/Albie Morkel/Thisara Perera, 7 Rajat Bhatia/Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Ankit Sharma, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 M AshwinRoyal Challengers made six changes for the match against Mumbai. Head and Rahul’s cameos mean they are likely to retain their place. Iqbal Abdullah picked up three wickets, but conceded 40 off his four overs. Will Yuzvendra Chahal return?Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable) 1 Virat Kohli (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Travis Head, 6 Sarfaraz Khan, 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Kane Richardson, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal/Iqbal Abdullah, 11 Varun Aaron/S AravindPitch and conditionsIn the last T20 that Pune hosted, India were bowled out for 101 on a seaming deck against Sri Lanka. The pitch may not be as green as that night, but could retain its seam-friendly nature. There is no rain forecast.Stats and trivia In 15 innings since the start of 2016, MS Dhoni has scored 190 runs at an average of 47.30, with a highest score of 30. He has only been dismissed four times. In the same period, Virat Kohli has scored 812 runs in 15 innings with an average of 101.50.