The Ecuadorian offers the biggest hope of shutting down one of the best teams around, but the Blues are sweating on his fitness

Chelsea will be rank underdogs when they line up against European champions Paris Saint-Germain under the blazing New Jersey sun on Sunday afternoon, local time. However, they will hope to have a significant trump card up their sleeves.

A combination of hard-fought victories and a somewhat fortunate tournament pathway after the group phase has seen the unfancied Blues reach the inaugural Club World Cup final in the United States, and now Enzo Maresca's budding squad will face the ultimate test of their credentials.

But where there is Moises Caicedo, there is hope. Quite simply, the midfield destroyer offers Chelsea's best chance of shutting down the finest central trio on the planet at the moment and pulling off what would be an incredible upset, but an untimely injury means the Premier League giants will be sweating on his fitness right up until the whistle.

Getty ImagesSlow burn

Chelsea's record-shattering £115m ($147m) spend on Caicedo in 2023 was the subject of widespread derision, especially after the new arrival initially struggled to settle in his new surroundings and began his time at the club with a number of high-profile errors.

"At the beginning of last season it was a little bit tough for me," he admitted last year. "It's a very big club and you have to get used to it. I learned a lot." The midfielder had previously referenced the weight of his astronomical price tag, admitting he lost belief in himself: "I have the quality and I know the player I am. But sometimes if you are not strong in your mind, it is difficult."

However, almost two years on, there's a reason no-one talks about that fee anymore; over the past 18 months or so, Caicedo has developed into exactly the midfield destroyer the Blues were quite literally banking on, emerging as arguably the finest No.6 in the Premier League as a statistical leader in tackles and interceptions, and placing himself among the very best on the entire planet.

AdvertisementAFPStellar tournament

Part of what makes Caicedo so good is his consistency, especially under Maresca in 2024-25, where he has been ever-present and pretty much guaranteed a 7/10 performance week in, week out. It's little surprise, then, that he has carried that form into the Club World Cup in the United States.

The 23-year-old absolutely dominated the middle of the park in a player-of-the-match display in the last-16 clash with Benfica, demonstrating his passing range – collecting a rare assist – and boundless energy in the weather-delayed 2-1 victory. Of course, he didn't shirk his defensive responsibilities either, winning the ball back 10 times.

Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream now

It was a performance that made him the only player at the tournament to have completed more than 10 tackles (12), the only player to have won more than 20 duels (22), and the only player to have had more than 300 touches of the ball (314).

Getty Images SportUntimely scare

As Cole Palmer scratches around for the kind of consistent impact that made him such a sensation in his first 18 months at Stamford Bridge, the truth is that Caicedo has emerged as Chelsea's most important player, with their defensive statistics vastly improved in general under Maresca thanks in no small part to the Ecuadorian's tireless screening in front of the backline.

A semi-final injury against Fluminense, then, was very bad news. In added time at the end of the game, with the English club heading for a relatively comfortable 2-0 victory over the Brazilian giants, the midfielder jarred his left ankle badly on the dry turf of New Jersey's MetLife Stadium as he attempted a typically committed challenge.

Caicedo was withdrawn immediately, leaving his side down to 10 men for the last knockings and throwing his involvement in Sunday's final into serious doubt as the Blues waited to discover whether they would face PSG or Real Madrid in the showpiece.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFP'He has to do everything to be on the pitch'

Maresca's initial reaction was pessimistic, as he admitted his key man was in "pain" after the apparent sprain just four days short of the final. "The priority was to avoid worsening the injury ahead of Sunday," the Italian tactician said. "He felt like he could continue, but once he tried, the pain returned. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious, and he can recover in time. We’ll assess it day by day." He added: "I told him that he has to do everything to be on the pitch on Sunday so we will see."

Meanwhile, a video shared on social media showed Caicedo hobbling badly as the players arrived back at the team hotel in Manhattan. It certainly didn't bode well.

Then, on Thursday, the news that even the most optimistic of Chelsea fans probably wouldn't have expected: Caicedo had miraculously returned to training ahead of the final. However, there are still question marks over just how fit he will be when kick-off rolls around on Sunday, although it has been reported that he is 'ready to play'.

Will Jacks was not told by the ECB that he had missed out on a central contract, saying “I just ended up seeing it on Twitter like everyone else.”Jacks, 25, has played in all three formats for England over the past 12 months and was a surprise omission from the ECB’s list of 29 players to receive a contract offer.”It was a bit of a difficult one,” Jacks said on the eve of England’s ODI opener against West Indies. “I didn’t really find out at all. I knew everyone was hearing and I was waiting to hope that I would find out and then I didn’t. I just ended up seeing it on Twitter like everyone else did and that was obviously disappointing. I was hoping to get one.”Jacks is in high demand on the T20 franchise circuit, with contracts to play in the SA20 in January and the IPL in March. As a result, the omission has been a double edged sword, with Jacks now able to pick and choose his winter commitments as he builds to his number one priority: making the squad for the 2024 World Cup.”The last two World Cup years I’ve just narrowly missed out on selection, so making the World Cup squad is a massive goal of mine and playing T20 cricket in South Africa against some of the best players will be perfect for that.”Related

• Will Jacks embraces 'clarity' at No.7 as second England coming begins

• Will Jacks shows his worth after sparse England opportunities

• Chris Woakes 'at ease' with India Test omission despite Ashes heroics

• England place attributes over averages to fill spinners' void for India tour

• Ben Duckett itching for opportunity as England begin new white-ball era

The difficulty for England and Jacks, is that the SA20 clashes with England’s Test series against India where, given the explosive batters’ ability with the ball and his strong performances in Pakistan last year, he would be a likely candidate for selection in the squad, if not the playing XI.”I wouldn’t say it’s changed my motivation to play for England,” Jacks said in regards to whether the snub has led to him re-jigging his priorities. “Obviously England is the pinnacle and I want to play as much as I can, but what it has done is managed my expectations.”The India Test matches have obviously been in the back of everyone’s mind for the recent period – it’s such a massive series and there’s all the talk about spin and the need for allrounders and having a deep squad. So it’s probably just that instead of me thinking that I was going to be picked I’m now thinking okay, if they wanted to pick me then realistically, I would have been given a contract. So the fact that they haven’t given me one, probably says something.”Where Jacks is definitely wanted, however, is here and now. Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott have confirmed to him that he will open in all three ODIs alongside Phil Salt, as they look to give their high-risk, high-reward openers as much opportunity for success as possible.”That [backing] is huge for everyone,” Jacks said. “If you bring in a fear of failure or worry about if you are going to play or not, obviously that hinders your performance and you won’t be able to go out there and play with 100 percent confidence. That is really important in any team you play for and especially for England. Everyone knows how high the competition is for places.”England are not expecting the three-match ODI series to be a high-scoring encounter, with the training wickets at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium taking a lot of spin and scores in and around the 250-300 mark assumed to be closer to par.”It’s going to be a bit more – not a grind – but you’re really going to have to think your way through an innings and treat it like it is a longer format…there’s no worries of it becoming an extended T20.”Sunday’s match kicks off at 9:30am, a non-issue for a group still just about on UK time and waking up at 6am naturally. But, on Saturday, the squad had an earlier wake up call than normal when an earthquake registering 5.2 on the Richter scale struck Antigua. No major damage on the island was experienced, but for a group of lads from Shires, Manchester and Surrey, it was a new experience.”We’re all claiming that we’re earthquake survivors now,” joked Jacks, who slept through the whole thing. “I woke up at about six, saw the messages on the group and couldn’t really believe it. Some of the guys said their whole room was shaking and everything.”With England staying at a resort on the south-east corner of the island that looks straight out across the ocean, some players were more concerned than others.”Brooky [Harry Brook] messaged me saying: ‘Is there going to be a tsunami?’ Jacks quipped at his mate’s expense. “That was the first thing we thought but it’s all good now.”

تشير التقارير الصحفية إلى أنه قد يكون هناك أحد اللاعبين الراحلين عن صفوف مانشستر سيتي خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية.

وقد ارتبط سافينيو جناح مانشستر سيتي بالانتقال إلى صفوف توتنهام، مع شرط بأن يلبي السبيرز طلب مسؤولي السيتيزن بدفع القيمة المطلوبة قبل الموافقة على بيع اللاعب.

أقرأ أيضاً.. جوارديولا يرفض رحيل لاعب مانشستر سيتي قبل بداية الموسم الجديد

وذكر الصحفي “جاك جوجان” في وقت سابق أن مانشستر سيتي لن يفكر في بيع سافينيو إلا مقابل مبلغ انتقال يتجاوز 50 مليون جنيه إسترليني.

وقد أكد مانشستر سيتي رفضه عرضاً من توتنهام بقيمة 70 مليون يورو للاستغناء عن سافينيو وتتردد أنباء أن وصيف السوبر الأوروبي سيعود بعرض أفضل لضم البرازيلي.

وأكدت تقارير “جلوبو سبورت” البرازيلية أن ممثلي سافينيو وصلوا إلى إنجلترا لتسهيل المفاوضات بين الناديين وأن هناك تفاهم جيد بين الأطراف المعنية بالمفاوضات الجارية.

وتتقدم المفاوضات بين مانشستر سيتي وتوتنهام بشأن سافينيو ويعتبر عرض السبيرز البالغ 70 مليون يورو للاعب البرازيلي الدولي كبيراً.

وينتظر مانشستر سيتي الحصول على عرض أعلى ويبدو أنها مسألة وقت قبل أن يعود السبيرز بعرض يلبي مطالب مسؤولي السيتيزن ويبقى معرفة ما إذا كان سيقبل فريق بيب جوارديولا هذا العرض أم لا.

South Australia opener Jake Carder took 120 balls to reach double figures as the visitors crawled through the first session

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2024Fringe Test quick Scott Boland will undergo scans on his knee after pulling up sore while bowling for Victoria in the Sheffield ShieldThe 34-year-old left the field after being unable to complete his 17th over on day one of Victoria’s clash with South Australia at the Junction Oval.”He’s got pain in his anterior knee/knee tendon,” a Cricket Victoria spokesperson said. “Precautionary MRI but we’re confident that he’ll bowl in the second innings.”Spinner Todd Murphy, who played six Tests in 2023, stepped up to bowl the final ball of the over after Boland had sent down five deliveries before going off.Boland has not played for Australia since the third Test of last year’s Ashes, but has remained around the squad during the summer.An injury would put Boland in doubt for Australia’s tour of New Zealand, with the first of two Tests starting in Wellington on February 29.Mitch Perry produced a brilliant piece of fielding run out Liam Scott•Getty ImagesThe 2021 Boxing Day Test hero claimed figures of 1 for 33 against the Redbacks, dismissing opener Jake Carder, who hung around for 131 balls to make 17 – he did not reach double figures until hitting his first boundary from the 120th ball he faced.Victoria were blazing towards securing a vital Shield win after completely dominating day one. They more than made the most of captain Peter Handscomb’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss.Traditionally one of the best batting wickets in the country, the Junction Oval offered plenty for the bowlers as the Redbacks were skittled for 173.SA’s top-order endured a torrid start, crawling to 9 for 3 after 19 overs. The run-rate increased slightly after lunch as Ben Manenti, Harry Nielsen and captain Jake Lehmann helped the visitors post a total that looked well beyond them early in the day.Mitchell Perry was the pick of Victoria’s bowlers with 3 for 43, while Xavier Crone finished with 3 for 46. Perry also produced a brilliant piece of work in the field to run out Liam Scott.In reply, Victoria raced to 71 for 0 stumps with Nic Maddinson and Marcus Harris at the crease.

Those are the fifth best bowling figures in all men’s ODIs

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Jan-2024

Wanindu Hasaranga wrecked the Zimbabwe batting order with 7 for 19 in his first international in seven months, his googly causing devastation on a major scale, his slider and legbreak not far behind. Through the course of an innings that was twice shortened by rain, Zimbabwe could muster only 96, succumbing after just 22.5 overs, when 27 were on offer.A target of 97 was unlikely to test Sri Lanka, and Kusal Mendis ensured it didn’t, blasting 66 not out off 51 balls. Though Sri Lanka lost both openers, they ambled home with more than 10 overs to spare, closing out the series 2-0.Having won the toss and batted first, Zimbabwe had in fact been traveling smoothly before the first rain interruption, their openers taking them to 40 off the first 7.4 overs. When play resumed, however, Hasaranga began his charge. Bowling the first full over after the break, he had Takudzwanashe Kaitano caught at short fine leg off a top-edged sweep – Hasaranga’s googly claiming its first victim. He took two wickets in his next over, both lbws. Joylord Gumbie missed the googly; Craig Ervine was struck in front by the fast legbreak. By the time the rain fell again, at 11.5 overs, Zimbabwe had slipped to 48 for 3.This interruption caused the major reduction in overs. But Zimbabwe’s slide was not arrested, nor Hasaranga’s rampage tempered by a break of more than two hours. He got Milton Shumba lbw in his first over back, before Zimbabwe had added another run. Janith Liyanage then took his first international wicket, before Maheesh Theekshana somewhat fortuitously claimed the wicket of Sikandar Raza (whose attempted lap sweep came back on to the stumps off wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis’ equipment). Hasaranga resumed his wicket-taking with the bowled dismissal off Clive Madande, it was his fifth of the evening.By this stage, Zimbabwe had plummeted to 67 for 7, having lost those seven wickets for 24 runs. Their tail would do little better. Thanks to a 14 from Luke Jongwe and an 11 from Wellington Masakadza, who had both come into this game after missing the previous matches in the series, they limped to their eventual target. Hasaranga claimed two more to rack up his best-ever ODI figures and the fifth best in history.The chase began shakily, with Richard Ngarava getting Avishka Fernando to feather one behind – the third time Fernando has been out in this fashion this series. But once Mendis was at the crease, Sri Lanka began to speed toward the small target. He was severe square of the wicket, hitting Ngarava for a four and a six in the cover region in the third over, before lofting him for another four, and eventually reaping 16 off that over.Mendis continued to cover drive, cut, and pull viciously, and by the time the eighth over was done, had raced to 39 off 26 balls, soon progressing to a 37-ball fifty. Debutant Shevon Daniel was caught chipping the left-arm spin of Masakadza to deep midwicket for 12, but by this time, Sri Lanka were only 22 runs away from victory. Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama sauntered to the finish.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na Vila Belmiro, o Fortaleza bateu o Santos por 2 a 0 e garantiu uma vaga na próxima edição da Libertadores da América.Com o 8º lugar assegurado no Campeonato Brasileiro, o time comandado por Pablo Vojvoda se credenciou como uma das melhores equipes do torneio, principalmente no returno e terá o calendário continental em 2023.

+Quanto de premiação vale cada posição do Brasileirão 2022? Veja os valores que seu time vai levar

RelacionadasBrasileirãoVÍDEO: os melhores momentos da vitória do Fortaleza sobre o SantosBrasileirão13/11/2022Humor EsportivoFora da Libertadores, São Paulo é alvo de memes dos torcedores rivaisHumor Esportivo13/11/2022VídeoVÍDEO: os melhores momentos da vitória do Fluminense sobre o RB BragantinoVídeo13/11/2022

Fase preliminar

Mesmo com a vaga garantida na Libertadores da América, o Fortaleza terá um desafio diferente para a próxima temporada.

Se em 2022 o time de Pablo Vojvoda entrou na fase de grupos, desta vez o Leão do Pici será integrante da fase preliminar do torneio continental.

Chelsea have confirmed they will be 'staying close to home' for a scaled-back pre-season after their Club World Cup exploits.

Chelsea win Club World Cup Faced with shorter break than rivals Blues confirm scaled-back pre-season Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After winning the Club World Cup, which only ended eight days ago, Chelsea have revealed they will play Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan on August 8 and 10, respectively, as part of the VisitMalta Weekender friendly tournament at Stamford Bridge. As a result, they won't be going on a pre-season tour this year.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT CHELSEA SAID

A post on Chelsea's website reads: "Having spent much of June and July in the USA competing in our glorious FIFA Club World Cup campaign, we will be staying close to home for pre-season this year. As well as training at Cobham, Chelsea will be hosting the 2025 VisitMalta Weekender friendly tournament at Stamford Bridge."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Chelsea's players are potentially at risk of burning out after a long season that was topped off by a lengthy Club World Cup campaign in the United States. Getting the necessary amount of rest ahead of next season will be vital if they want to compete on multiple fronts next term, including in the Champions League.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFPWHAT NEXT?

While other Premier League teams are already back in pre-season, Chelsea will have to play catch-up. After these upcoming warm-up fixtures, Enzo Maresca's side begin their league campaign at home to London neighbours and FA Cup holders Crystal Palace on August 17.

The Mexican club is seeking a permanent transfer for the Greek striker

• Would return to MLS as Zaha’s potential strike partner
• Negotiations are still ongoing
• Hasn’t trained with Cruz Azul in recent days

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Cruz Azul has reportedly turned down a loan offer from Charlotte FC for Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis, as the Liga MX side is only interested in a permanent sale. According to MLS insider Tom Bogert, the Mexican club made it clear they have no intention of sending the player out on loan.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Giakoumakis, who previously played for Atlanta United, has experience in MLS and could be on the move again. Reports out of Mexico indicate Cruz Azul is looking to offload the forward outright after an underwhelming run – just nine goals in 34 appearances since joining

  Despite the loan rejection, talks between the two clubs remain active, and Giakoumakis’ future is expected to be resolved in the coming days. The striker has also been absent from Cruz Azul training recently, reportedly without the club’s permission, signaling he’s no longer in manager Nicolás Larcamón’s plans.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Giakoumakis enjoyed a strong spell during his time in MLS, scoring 22 goals in 38 games with Atlanta United. His debut season earned him the 2023 MLS Newcomer of the Year award. Charlotte FC hope to pair him up front with Ivorian star Wilfried Zaha, creating one of the league’s most dynamic attacking duos.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR CHARLOTTE FC?

  Charlotte currently sit ninth in the Eastern Conference with 32 points and will face Giakoumakis’ former team, Atlanta United, this Saturday in MLS Week 24.

Rashid Khan hasn’t been named in Afghanistan’s 16-man squad for their one-off Test against Sri Lanka starting February 2, as he continues to recover from the back surgery he had last November.Rashid’s absence paved the way for the selection of legspinner Qais Ahmad, whose only Test was back in September 2019. Afghanistan also selected four uncapped players in batter Noor Ali Zadran, left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman, wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Ishaq and right arm medium-pacerNaveed Zadran for the Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.Related

• Afghanistan to play Tests against Sri Lanka and Ireland in February

• Trott to continue as Afghanistan men's head coach in 2024

Noor, an uncle of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, is the most experienced of the new entrants, having played 51 ODIs and 23 T20Is since his debut in 2009. Zia, meanwhile, boasts an enviable first-class bowling record with 159 wickets in 28 games at an average of 19.1. He could also provide handy lower-order contributions; his first-class batting average is 16.58.As for Qais, he had played the third T20I against India earlier this month, although he hasn’t played a first-class match since his Test debut. Eighteen-year old Naveed, who also earned his maiden call-up to the Test side, has taken 35 wickets in just seven first-class matches, including three five-wicket hauls.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rashid’s last appearance had come in the 2023 ODI World Cup in October-November, after which he had a back surgery. Since then, he has missed the BBL and Afghanistan’s tour to India, and has also opted out of the PSL, which begins on February 17.Afghanistan last played a Test in June 2023, when they lost to Bangladesh by a whopping 546 runs in Dhaka. From that tour, they have left out allrounders Karim Janat and Amir Hamza for the Test against Sri Lanka. However, their batting line-up remains the same; apart from captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, it includes Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik and Rahmat Shah.Afghanistan have played only seven Tests since their denut in 2018, and are yet to face Sri Lanka in the format. Apart from the one-off Test, their tour also includes three ODIs and T20Is.Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Bahir Shah, Nasir Jamal, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Qais Ahmad, Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masood, Mohammad Saleem and Naveed Zadran