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There has now been a new update on Crystal Palace’s pursuit of a “true warrior”, with it being revealed a “good value” January deal is possible.

Palace on course to push for Europe

Palace remain in a strong position to push for European qualification, having taken 20 points from their opening 13 Premier League games this season, although they will be frustrated about Manchester United coming from behind to win at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

The Eagles fell to a 2-1 defeat against Ruben Amorim’s side, but they will have the opportunity to put things right tonight, when they travel to Turf Moor to take on an out-of-form Burnley side, who have lost their last four Premier League matches.

However, with the likes of Sunderland, Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion all in European contention after impressive starts to the campaign, it is getting congested at the top of the table, and Oliver Glasner’s side are now looking at new additions for the January window.

Last week, it was revealed that a concrete offer had been made for Bayern Munich’s Sacha Boey, who Glasner is a big fan of, according to a new update on their pursuit of the defender from TEAMtalk.

In an interview, journalist Dean Jones said: “Palace have been made aware that there could be a possibility for this one on a permanent deal and it actually could be a good value one. I’m told that is the preference at the moment.

“They [Bayern] don’t have much interest in letting him out on a loan. In the case of a loan offer they may well just hold on to him until the summer instead.

The journalist also went on to clarify that negotiations aren’t currently at an advanced stage, saying: “At this stage I think Palace are just feeling out the terms and understanding the player’s situation.”

Crystal Palace star who "they don't want to lose" now has his agent testing an exit

The Eagles must look to keep hold of their star striker.

ByHenry Jackson Nov 25, 2025 "True warrior" Boey could be exciting addition for Palace

The right-back certainly caught the eye during his time with Galatasaray, having been hailed as a “true warrior” by members of the Turkish media, and he is very assured in possession of the ball, as displayed by his performance across some key metrics over the past year.

Sacha Boey’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Passes attempted

73.18 (97th percentile)

Pass completion %

90% (99th percentile)

Progressive passes

6.31 (95th percentile)

That said, the 25-year-old, who rakes in £80k-a-week should probably seek a move this winter, given that he has fallen down the pecking order considerably, being benched for the last three Bundesliga games.

With Palace competing in Europe this season, it would be a smart move to bring in additional strength in depth at right-back this January, and a long-term replacement for Daniel Munoz may be needed regardless, amid interest from Chelsea and Barcelona.

As such, Glasner’s side should make a move for Boey, and it is promising news that a deal could be possible for a reasonable price.

Kemar Roach chips in with three as Sri Lanka collapse around Lahiru Thirimanne’s battling 70

Madushka Balasuriya21-Mar-2021Kemar Roach and Jason Holder combined for eight wickets between them as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 169 on the opening day of the first Test in Antigua. Lahiru Thirimanne top scored for the visitors with a hard-fought 70 off 180 balls, but only three other Sri Lankan batsman would get to double digits, as they crumbled against a disciplined bowling performance from the hosts.While it was Roach that was arguably the more impressive of the two, with his impeccable lines and lengths, it was Holder that would reap the benefits of the pressure created, picking up his eighth five-wicket haul in Tests. Roach, meanwhile would finish with figures of 3 for 47. John Campbell and Kraigg Brathwaite saw off an hour without any hassles, with West Indies ending on 13 without loss.While Holder had been tight throughout the day, it was in an uninterrupted spell after tea that he burst into life. He picked up four of his five wickets during this spell, including the wickets of both Dickwella and Thirimanne – Sri Lanka’s last two recognised batsmen – just as the pair would have been harbouring hopes of fashioning an unlikely rearguard salvo, having put on 58 for the sixth wicket.The first to go was Dickwella, who up until that point had played an uncharacteristically reserved innings. Having left several wide outside off alone, and having flayed a couple somewhat fortuitously backward of square on the offside, Dickwella finally produced the edge he had been teasing as Rakheem Cornwell completed a comfortable take at slip.That would put a considerable dampener on an already slow scoring rate, the pressure of which would tell a few overs later as Thirimanne played on to his stumps, to one that was angled in from around the wicket – a tactic that the West Indies had employed across the board to Sri Lanka’s left-hand batsmen.Holder would then have Suranga Lakmal out caught in his next over before trapping Lasith Embuldeniya lbw to close-out the innings, either side of Roach producing an absolute ripper to oust Dushmantha Chameera’s off peg.Roach had undoubtedly been the standout performer until that point, exemplified by his spell after the lunch break, when he picked up the wickets of both Dhananjaya De Silva and Pathum Nissanka.His first victim was De Silva; having got a few to move away past the outside edge of the right-hander, he eventually got his man, luring him into the drive but this time seaming the ball back in past the inside edge to clip the top of off stump. It was a well setup wicket, and one that was just reward for a consummate Test-match spell.And it was more of the same for Roach’s second. Immediately after the drinks break, he would get another good length delivery to move ever-so-slightly away from the batsman – this time Nissanka – whose gentle defensive prod could only find its way to first slip.Much of the damage for the visitors however took place in the morning session when they yet again lost their top-order for barely 50 runs on the board. Cornwall and Holder had picked up a wicket a piece, while Kraigg Brathwaite had effected a splendid runout.

Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal says it’s unfathomable IPL will move out this year

Shashank Kishore19-Feb-202114:30

We were thrilled to get Steven Smith just above his base price – Parth Jindal

The IPL is mulling the possibility of conducting the entire league stage of the 2021 season in Mumbai before moving to Ahmedabad for the knockouts. This is according to Parth Jindal, co-owner of the Delhi Capitals, during a chat with ESPNcricinfo soon after Thursday’s auction in Chennai.”From what I’m hearing and seeing, if England can come and tour, if the ISL (Indian Super League) can happen all in Goa, if Vijay Hazare Trophy (domestic 50-over competition) and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20 competition) can happen across venues, I can’t fathom the IPL moving out of India,” Jindal said. “I do believe the IPL will happen in India.”I believe they’re contemplating whether to have the league phase at one venue (city) and playoffs at another venue. There’s a lot of chatter about Mumbai being possibly being one venue because it has three grounds (Wankhede Stadium, Brabourne Stadium, DY Patil Stadium) and enough practice facilities, and Motera (Ahmedabad) hosting the knockouts, but it’s all unverified, it’s all just what I am hearing.”Jindal further stated having the league phase in Mumbai, for example, could be advantageous to the Capitals, who have a number of players from the city in their mix. Although the possibility of playing in Mumbai could be slim given Maharashtra’s recent spike in Covid-19 cases which has prompted a new round of lockdowns.”If you look at our selection of Steven Smith, we felt the wickets in Mumbai will suit his style of batting.””The fact that we have so many Mumbai boys – Prithvi [Shaw], Jinks [Ajinkya Rahane], Shreyas [Iyer] helps. Mumbai has true bounce, the ball moves a bit because it’s on the coast, and all that played a role. The other option is being mulled right now is, why not open up all venues, go everywhere and show the world we’re ready for the T20 World Cup? They [BCCI[] are still unsure, I think it all depends on how the covid situation plays out in India over the next two weeks.”A few other key personnel from other franchises offered a straight bat. VVS Laxman, mentor of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, said “things were still uncertain regarding venues”, while Venky Mysore, chief executive of Kolkata Knight Riders, echoed Laxman. Anil Kumble, head coach of Punjab Kings, meanwhile, said they’d picked a composition of their squad keeping “all options” and conditions in mind.”We’re extremely delighted with what we could manage,” Kumble said. “We had the largest purse which meant people would chase us and keep upping the price, but the squad looks like what we wanted. We have all bases covered. If the tournament’s going to be in India, we have all options covered. If in case it moves out, we wanted to cover those options as well [at the auction].”Mysore, meanwhile, said: “Every team you can see has gone for that balance to adapt to whatever conditions we’re given. These are unusual times and we’re all very supportive of the BCCI. That the IPL was held itself was fantastic given the pandemic. If it happens in India, we’re supportive of working through that and if it’s elsewhere too. Most important the collective effort towards the tournament happening and in the most unimpeded way.”The ongoing England series is BCCI’s first full International series at home since the pandemic broke out in February last year. After hosting the first Test in Chennai behind closed doors, they opened up the venue for the remainder of the series with crowds up to 50% of the stadium’s capacity, despite the Indian government allowing outdoor sports events to have capacity crowds. England are scheduled to play five T20Is in Ahmedabad followed by three ODIs in Pune to wind off the tour on March 28.”This year is going to be big as well because of what it is,” BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said earlier in the week, without divulging further details on the venue. However, over the past few months, he has been vocal about prioritising hosting the tournament in its entirety in India. “We’ll see whether we can get the crowd back into the IPL, it’s a decision we’ll have to take very shortly. But it’s going to be another great tournament.”

Paul Pogba and Juventus are reportedly set to agree on the termination of the midfielder's contract as he bids to restart his career.

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Pogba cleared to play again from MarchPoised to leave JuventusAiming to join new club swiftlyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per the , Pogba is in talks with Juventus over terminating his contract in Turin. The former Manchester United midfielder's doping ban has been reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport from four years to just 18 months, and he can recommence his career in March.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Pogba's second stint at Juve is set to end, though, as he has opened talks with the club over a mutual termination. The star's current deal expires in June 2026, and once his exit is confirmed, he will aim to find a new club as he bids to get his career back on track.

DID YOU KNOW?

Pogba has not kicked a ball competitively since September of 2023, in a substitute appearance against Empoli. He turned 31 in March and is aiming to complete a remarkable comeback to top-level football. According to , Pogba believes a "fresh start" away from Juventus is the best solution for his career.

DAZNWHAT NEXT?

CAS are set to officially announce their ruling on Monday. Thereafter, Pogba will have the chance to find a new club.

Eddie Howe deserves a statue outside St. James’ Park. After all, he has been the purveyor of a new order at Newcastle United and has been described as “one of the best managers out there” by his assistant coach Jason Tindall.

But Newcastle are in a rut. To say the wheels have come off would be a step too far, but the turbulence of the summer transfer window has put a spoke in the club’s wheels all the same, with United down in 14th place in the Premier League, three away defeats on the bounce and without a win on the road all season in the league.

The word from those connected to PIF, as per The Athletic, is that Howe’s job is under no immediate threat, but there’s an acceptance that results and performances have been well below expectations, and that needs to change.

The likes of Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga are struggling down the flanks, and the problems on the tactical front can be found across all areas of the field. This is a big concern and needs rectifying quickly.

Talk of Howe’s dismissal is premature, but it has raised the question as to who could succeed the English coach if the Magpies fail to fly out of the hole they have fallen into.

Why Newcastle could consider Howe's future

Howe arrived at St. James’ Park shortly after the epoch-shaping PIF takeover, to say the club have gone from strength to strength since would be quite the understatement.

Two Champions League qualifications in three years and triumph in the Carabao Cup last season have immortalised this man, but he won’t be at the helm forever, with recent results and performances indicative of deeper issues than a mere skid of form.

Particularly, the Toon have lacked confidence and coherence on the road, having won only once away from home all season – a 4-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League.

10

Games

7

7

Wins

1

0

Draws

3

3

Losses

3

20

Goals scored

7

9

Goals conceded

8

2.1

PPG

1.16

If the almost unthinkable event of Howe’s departure were to come to pass, newly-appointed technical director Ross Wilson may well set his sights on Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, who has been riding the crest of a wave on the English south coast these past few years.

According to The Mirror, the Spanish tactician is among the most likely candidates for the Newcastle hot seat, should a decision be made on Howe’s future in the coming months, should improvements not be found in the matches ahead.

But given former Barcelona boss Xavi and Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, who won last season’s FA Cup, are also named, what is it about Iraola that demands such respect? Why, indeed, would he be the perfect manager to replace Howe at the helm?

What Andoni Iraola would offer Newcastle

Iraola was given the keys at Bournemouth at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. Gary O’Neil had done good work at the Vitality Stadium, keeping the Cherries in the Premier League after their promotion, but Iraola’s progressive and exciting style was viewed as the perfect fit for an ambitious outfit.

Bournemouth haven’t looked back. The 2023/24 season was one of stability, Iraola sticking his roots into the soil, but last year he made proper headway and garnered respect for his tactical acumen, matching Howe’s record ninth-place finish (the difference being that Iraola finished with 56 points, whereas Howe collected only 46 during the 2016/17 term).

Journalist James Horncastle has gone as far as to hail the 43-year-old as being the “best coach in the Premier League” for his resourcefulness and shrewd coaching style. The sharp-minded manager labelled his vision as being one of “rock and roll”, with such intensity and fury sure to be facets that endear Iraola to the Newcastle fanbase, should he be appointed down the line.

Should Newcastle make this move, it might help someone like Gordon return to top form. The Three Lions star struggled last season and has slipped further down a slope this year, yet to score or assist in the Premier League, albeit with four goals and an assist from four matches in the Champions League.

This is a winger who considers himself to be among the top brass, a “nightmare for anyone” he comes up against, words straight from the horse’s mouth. So much more is needed.

Iraola could be the man to rekindle the 24-year-old’s finest form, with his high-pressure and high-speed attacking plan something that could work a treat for a pacy player like Gordon. After all, just look at the gains Antoine Semenyo has made at Bournemouth over the past few years.

Gordon could match him, eclipse him. Even so horribly out of sorts in the Premier League, the £150k-per-week talent ranks among the top 8% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for carries into the penalty area and the top 14% for successful take-ons per 90 (data via FBref).

For sure, this is the kind of electric pace and athletic application that Iraola loves from his wide attackers.

Of course, this comes with the huge caveat that Howe himself enforces a game built on effective transitional play, and Gordon is flattering to deceive in this system.

But maybe this is merely a life force reaching its end. Newcastle have achieved great things under Howe’s wing, but the boss will be defined by the stability he has created, able to pass the torch onto someone like Iraola.

Newcastle are not at the point where Howe’s future must be considered with a view toward a decision, but Newcastle have not been good enough this season, and if they fail to escape from the hole into which they have fallen, Iraola would be the perfect coach to lead them forward and into an exciting new chapter.

PIF must cash in on Newcastle "legend" who is becoming the new Sissoko

This Newcastle star appears to have gone past his sell-by date.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Nov 12, 2025

The story of how two men got together to make a 6’4″ fast bowler go from delivering magic balls to being ready for the grind of Test cricket

Deivarayan Muthu13-Oct-2024One session was all it took for Canterbury to realise they needed Will O’Rourke.At the time, he had just moved from Auckland to Christchurch for his tertiary studies, but he had informed Paul Wiseman, New Zealand cricket’s talent identification manager, that he was also seeking opportunities to bowl during the winter. So Wiseman called up Peter Fulton, the former New Zealand batter and current head coach at Canterbury. Fulton and Brendon Donkers, the high-performance development coach, were immediately impressed with what they saw. At 6’4″, O’Rourke had the potential to be their brand-new cutting edge.Fulton had first met O’Rourke when he was in charge of New Zealand at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa. He was a moments bowler back then, capable of creating ooohs and aaahs, but that rarely wins cricket matches.Related

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“I think when he first started playing first-class cricket for Canterbury, he probably bowled too short and he beat the bat a lot, but didn’t necessarily take a lot of wickets because he wasn’t always threatening the stumps,” Fulton tells ESPNcricinfo.In a sign of things to come, O’Rourke’s first three Test wickets were lbw, bowled, and bowled. Everybody sees the height and the pace – including the batters – and maybe that’s why they aren’t expecting him to pitch it up.O’Rourke was perhaps the only positive to come out of New Zealand’s tour of Sri Lanka last month. He took eight wickets, including a five-for, at an average of 23.12 and a strike rate of 39.62, even though he is extremely new to international cricket and was playing on pitches designed to nullify his kind of bowling. That display confirmed what Fulton had thought all along. It also highlighted another strength of O’Rourke’s: he’s a quick learner.”For all the improvements he’s made over the last three-four years, I still feel he’s got a lot of improvement in him,” Fulton says. “He’s played some white-ball cricket – a little bit of 50-over cricket against Bangladesh – he’s probably just scratching the surface in terms of his white-ball game and T20 game as well. No reason to think that he won’t be able to adapt over the years as other teams scout him a bit better and he works out what he has to do to evolve his game.”O’Rourke has already had some practice in that regard. While working with Donkers, he realised there were some technical flaws in his bowling action and worked to remedy them.

“He may not take a whole lot of wickets on this tour, but if he doesn’t, he will again at some stage in the future. He will learn and will work out what he needs to do. So, really excited to see him go over there in India and see how he bowls against some high-class players”Peter Fulton on Will O’Rourke’s tour of India

“I won’t claim to be an expert in fast-bowling actions; Brendon Donkers made some good adjustments,” Fulton says. “Will probably fell away a little bit at the point of release in his action. They [Donkers and Co.] just worked on trying to maximise the attributes that he already had. He’s already tall, so he tried to get him nice and tall at the crease so that he’s delivering the ball as high as possible.”They also tinkered around some things with his wrist and, at times, he moves the ball back into the right-hander. But when he gets his wrist right, he also has the ability to swing the ball away from the right-hander. It didn’t take him very long to pick that up and understand that there’s a difference between being told something and actually understanding something.”When O’Rourke started his domestic career, he largely operated in the 130kph range, but he can now crank it up towards 140kph and also move the ball both ways at that pace. Prioritising fitness and working in a competitive environment like Canterbury, which has a number of other international fast bowlers like Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Henry Shipley and Zak Foulkes, have accelerated O’Rourke’s growth.”That work ethic, and the attention O’Rourke has paid to the S&C [strength and conditioning] side of the game is what has taken him from bowling maybe 120ks-early 130ks to now touching towards 140,” Fulton says. “When he first started to come to our trainings, he wasn’t unfit, but he wasn’t that strong and hadn’t spent a lot of time in the gym. But now if you compare him to all our contracted players at Canterbury, he’s probably the one leading the running sessions and fitness.Brendon Donkers and Peter Fulton have played key roles in shaping Will O’Rourke’s career at Canterbury•Getty Images”Don’t think he’s played with Kyle yet. Kyle’s obviously injured now – so they haven’t crossed paths much on the field as yet. But definitely being around other guys like Matt Henry as well [helps]. O’Rourke has picked up a lot from some of those guys. Also, the competitive environment in Canterbury with other good players and other good bowlers around you, I guess it raises the standard of all the players and O’Rourke has certainly been a beneficiary of that.”O’Rourke isn’t getting “carried away” by the success in Sri Lanka, Fulton says, and he had hit the Canterbury nets along with the likes of Henry and newly appointed New Zealand captain Tom Latham before flying out to India. Facing India in India can be as unforgiving as it gets – more experienced fast bowlers have struggled against gun batters in this part of the world – but it could prove to be an important learning curve in his fledgling career.”He [O’Rourke] is pretty excited about the challenge of going to India, which probably along with playing Australia in Australia is the two toughest challenges in world cricket,” Fulton says. “You can’t guarantee results; you just have to try and stick to the process and hope the results come. I’ve got no doubt whether he takes a lot of wickets in the first Test or the second or third… I have no doubt that he will bowl well and learn.”He may not take a whole lot of wickets on this tour, but if he doesn’t, he will again at some stage in the future. He will learn and will work out what he needs to do. So, really excited to see him go over there in India and see how he bowls against some high-class players.”

Liverpool slumped down to eighth in the Premier League table after they were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City at The Etihad in the last game before the international break.

The Reds have now lost seven of their last ten matches in all competitions and five of their 11 games in the Premier League, in what has been a dismal defence of their title so far.

Arne Slot will be disappointed with his side’s dreadful run of form and should use the international break to come up with a new way of approaching matches to turn the season around.

One thing that the Dutch head coach must look to do is to revive Mohamed Salah’s form, because the reigning Premier League Player of the Year has not been at his best.

How far Mo Salah's numbers have fallen this season

The Egypt international won the Player of the Year award by delivering 29 goals and 18 assists in the top-flight last season, helping the Reds to the Premier League title.

Unfortunately, the left-footed superstar has not quite been at his sparkling best for Slot in the current campaign, although he has still delivered four goals and two assists in 11 league games.

Appearances

38

11

Goals

29

4

Minutes per goal

116

246

Big chances missed

24

6

Conversion rate

22%

15%

Key passes per game

2.4

1.9

Assists

18

2

As you can see in the table above, Salah is scoring and assisting goals less frequently than he did last season, with a lower conversion rate, which is why the manager needs to find a way to get him back to his best.

Per Sofascore, the winger registered three shots without any going on target and created three chances without any of them being ‘big chances’, but he was not the only Liverpool forward who failed to deliver.

Why Hugo Ekitike's place in the XI should be on borrowed time

Hugo Ekitike put in a disappointing performance in the number nine shirt and his place in the starting line-up may be on borrowed time come the other side of the break.

The France international was given the nod to lead the line for the Reds against the Cityzens, but he was just as ineffective as Salah at the top end of the pitch.

Per Sofascore, Ekitike did not take a single shot in the match and only made one key pass, whilst he also lost 100% (2/2) of his duels, which speaks to how underwhelming his display was.

In his 11 minutes on the pitch after the post above, the former Eintracht Frankfurt centre-forward did not take any shots or attempt any dribbles, but he did create one chance in what was an “anonymous” performance.

Ekitike has now failed to score in his last five appearances in the Premier League for the Reds, per Sofascore, and has only scored three goals in ten games in the division in total.

Unlike Salah, the French striker does not have an incredible career at Liverpool to buy him more time in the starting XI if performances like his one against Manchester City persist, which is why he may be on borrowed time in the XI.

On top of that, Alexander Isak returned from injury to make the bench on Sunday, which puts further pressure on Ekitike. The former Newcastle man scored 23 goals in the Premier League last season, per Sofascore, and could take his place in the starting line-up unless the ex-Bundesliga star improves his performances.

Man City fans' brutal chant sums up Florian Wirtz's time at Liverpool

The German struggled, yet again, for the Reds against Manchester City.

ByJames O'Reilly Nov 9, 2025

Mathews will play as specialist batsman; Chandimal set to return after missing second Test in South Africa

Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Jan-2021Batsman Angelo Mathews and fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep are among five players who have joined the Sri Lanka bio-bubble since their return from South Africa. They, along with batsman Roshen Silva, spin-bowling allrounder Ramesh Mendis, and left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan have now officially been named in the squad to play England, in the Test series that starts Wednesday. The squad announcement was delayed until it was ratified by the country’s sports minister.Dhananjaya de Silva, who tore a ligament in his thigh on Boxing Day, and Kasun Rajitha, who injured his groin the next morning, are both out of the series altogether.But Mathews’ return in particular will hearten a Sri Lanka side that had been struck down by injury in South Africa. He is likely to take up a middle-order position, with Dinesh Chandimal also set to slot back in after missing the last Test.Sri Lanka’s team manager Asantha de Mel said that Oshada Fernando was not a certainty to play in the first Test in Galle, however, because although he has recovered from the injury that kept him out of contention for the South Africa series, he has not had substantial practice yet.Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Kumara have also recovered from the various strains that had plagued them in South Africa, but according to de Mel, both may be short of conditioning. Like Oshada, they are technically available, but are not certain to be in the XI.On the spin-bowling front, Sri Lanka have legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya, offspinner Dilruwan Perera, and Sandakan to choose from. Aside from Lakmal and Kumara, the available quicks include left-armer Vishwa Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera and Asitha Fernando.Squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Kusal Janith Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Oshada Fernando, Niroshan Dickwella, Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Thirimanne, Lasith Embuldeniya, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Dasun Shanaka, Asitha Fernando, Roshen Silva, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Ramesh Mendis

The Dodgers are gearing up for a title defense, slated to take on the Reds in MLB's National League Wild Card. With the series is set to get underway on Tuesday, Sept. 30, the team got some injury news on a pair of key players on Monday.

Max Muncy spoke to reporters and informed them that he'd be available for L.A. on Tuesday. Muncy had missed a chunk of the season with an oblique strain, but returned from the IL on Sept. 8. He's since been hit by multiple pitches, all against the Giants, and ended up missing the final few games of the season while dealing with a bruise on his leg. Fortunately, he appears to be good to go for Tuesday's playoff opener.

The other update the team received was to do with catcher Will Smith. The 30-year-old hasn't played since Sept. 9 and is dealing with a fracture in his right hand. Per Fabian Ardaya of Smith is expected to swing a bat Monday and could face live pitching Monday evening, if swinging feels okay. His status for the series remains uncertain.

The Dodgers finished the 2025 season as the No. 3 seed in the National League, and winners of the NL West. They're looking to become the first team since the 1998-2000 Yankees to win consecutive World Series titles, and having stars such as Muncy and Smith available will be critical towards achieving that goal.

First pitch for Tuesday's game in L.A. is slated for 9:00 p.m. ET.

Manchester United youngster James Scanlon caught the eye on Saturday by scoring four goals in a 9-0 demolition of Blackburn on his 18th birthday.

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Scanlon stars in big Man Utd winBags four goals for Red DevilsAlso celebrating his 18th birthdayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils' Under-18 team romped to an emphatic 9-0 win over Blackburn with Scanlon catching the eye on his 18th birthday. United's teenage star celebrated in style by scoring four of his team's goals, with Gabriele Biancheri, Zachary Baymann, Dante Plunkett and Godweill Kukonki the other scorers for the hosts.

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Scanlon is certainly one to keep an eye on at Manchester United and was part of the Under-18 squad that enjoyed a stunning season last time out by winning the Premier League North, Premier League Cup and the national title. The team appear to have picked up where they loft off in the current campaign, as they have won all five league games so far and netted 22 goals along the way.

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

Scanlon is already a full international for Gibraltar. The Manchester United youngster made his international debut back in February in a 1-0 defeat to Lithuania.

WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD

Scanlon will be hoping to continue his form with the ultimate aim of attempting to convince Erik ten Hag he deserves some first-team minutes. Meanwhile, Manchester United's youth ranks have been boosted this week by the arrival of highly-rated talent Chido Obi-Martin from Arsenal.