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After reaching an agreement to sign Fer Lopez to get their summer business underway, Wolverhampton Wanderers are now reportedly showing “intent” in the race to sign a veteran defender.

Premier League fixtures confirmed as Wolves plot signings

Whilst the chaos continues in the transfer window, the Premier League fixtures have now officially been announced. Discovering their fate, Wolves will have an interesting reunion on the opening day of the 2025/26 season, with the visit of Rayan Ait-Nouri and Manchester City kicking things off in difficult fashion for Vitor Pereira’s side.

Of course, the last thing that Wolves will want is to get sucked into another relegation scrap – especially after Pereira’s instant progress after taking the job last season. But if they do find themselves in trouble, then relegation six-pointers against Leeds United in April and then Sunderland and Burnley in May stand out as crucial fixtures.

Burnley away on the final game of the season could be particularly decisive and already looks like one to watch in the relegation battle. As much as Wolves are keen to avoid another season in and amongst the dropzone, there’s no denying that they could face a tough transition into life without Matheus Cunha and Ait-Nouri.

On that front, however, those at Molineux are already working on replacements. The big question will be whether the likes of Lopez and Evann Guessand are capable of replicating Cunha’s crucial output in the Premier League, which singlehandedly carried Wolves’ frontline at times.

It’s not just attacking additions that the Midlands club need either. Pereira and Wolves have also reportedly set their sights on some key defensive reinforcements and could even reunite with a familiar face as a result this summer and one that Molinuex would need no introduction to.

Wolves show "intent" in Conor Coady race

Just two years on from his departure, Molineux could have one of their favourites back this summer. According to Sky Sports (17:10pm), Wolves are now showing “intent” in the race to sign Conor Coady in a transfer battle against Scottish giants Rangers. The veteran defender has been shown the door at Leicester City, handing Wolves the chance to secure an important reunion with their former captain.

By rejoining Wolves, Coady would instantly become the most experienced Premier League player in the current squad and could even go on to break the record for appearances in the club’s Premier League history, jumping ahead of Ruben Neves in the process.

The veteran defender experienced it all at Molineux, from Championship failure and then Championship promotion all the way to a European tour. Now, at 32 years old, he could return to ensure that Wolves steer clear of the dropzone and so much more once again.

Molineux chiefs scrambling as Club World Cup side Benfica set to raid Wolves

A major European side have their eyes on an important member of Wolves’ team.

By
Brett Worthington

Jun 16, 2025

Whilst it remains to be seen how much Leicester demand to sell their defender, reports that they have opened the door for the £75,000-a-week defender to leave suggest that they’d be willing to accept a relatively cheap price this summer.

Not sure which midfielders to pick in fantasy football? GOAL takes a look at the best options.

Midfielders are arguably the most important players in fantasy football and if you can pack your team with goalscoring wingers or playmakers, then you're in with a good chance.

Fantasy Premier League tips, best players & guideRead more

Generally speaking, it is best to select attacking midfielders, but traditionally defensive players have been popping up with high scores in recent years too.

Here, GOAL takes a look at the best midfielders to choose in FPL, including the top picks, mid-price options and bargain players.

Getty Images SportMohamed Salah | Liverpool | £14.5m

Mohamed Salah is the most expensive midfielder on FPL at £14.5 million and with good reason – he scores and sets up lots of goals. The Egypt international has surpassed the 200-point mark in each of the last eight seasons, with his highest ever tally coming last term, with 344 points accumulated despite his advancing years. Salah penned a new deal with Liverpool last year, underlining his commitment to delivering more success at Anfield.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportCole Palmer | Chelsea | £10.5m

Fresh from propelling Chelsea to Club World Cup glory, Cole Palmer returns to the Premier League with something of a point to prove. The England international faltered somewhat in his second season at Stamford Bridge, but it says a lot about his quality that he still managed 214 FPL points (making him the third-highest scoring midfielder) in an underwhelming campaign.

Palmer is capable of scoring goals from anywhere and he has an eye for a pass, which he demonstrated with double figures in assists last term. He also hits exceptional penalties and takes free kicks. The kid has it all. Plus, he is £4 million cheaper than Salah and if it is a toss-up between the pair, Palmer is a superb alternative.

Getty Images SportBukayo Saka | Arsenal | £10m

Unfortunately for Arsenal and Bukayo Saka, the 2024-25 season was a disappointment, with injury disrupting the star winger's campaign and restricting him to just 127 FPL points. Now that he is fit and firing again, Saka will still be a key component to Mikel Arteta's designs on glory. When Saka is motoring, he will almost guarantee you 200-plus points and for £10m, that's not a bad deal.

Getty Images SportBruno Fernandes | Man Utd | £9m

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is relatively cheap when compared to the likes of Salah, Palmer and Saka, especially when you take into account his importance to the Red Devils.

Not only is Fernandes a guaranteed starter most weeks, but he is the chief creator in the team as well as the man who takes free kicks and penalties. He's not quite what you would call a bargain choice, but he is practically guaranteed to get you around 150 to 200 points a season – his average points haul is 170. However, you will have to pay close attention to how he is used, now that Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have arrived to take the creative pressure off him.

His skills aren’t in question, but his fitness is, and the mystery spinner must prove he is finally good to go

Deivarayan Muthu24-Jul-2021Varun Chakravarthy – here we go again! After missing out on selection for the T20I leg of the Australia tour and the home series against England because of fitness issues, the mystery spinner is braced for his international debut, one more time. With the T20I series in Sri Lanka being India’s last before the T20 World Cup, this will be Chakravarthy’s first – and probably last – chance to stake a claim for the tournament, to be held in the UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14.The last time Chakravarthy was in the UAE, he married his variations with control to emerge as the Kolkata Knight Riders’ highest wicket-taker, with 17 strikes in 13 matches at an economy rate of 6.84. The national selectors were so impressed that they immediately rewarded him with a place in the T20I side.Chakravarthy has had a roller-coaster ride since.Related

• Va-va-Varunnn! Crafty Chakravarthy could be India's trump card at T20 World Cup

• Varun Chakravarthy's checklist: IPL playoffs, T20 World Cup

• Dhawan eager to make his place 'stronger for World Cup' with Sri Lanka T20Is

• Spin is Sri Lanka's best bet against India's IPL superstars

• The architect drawing up KKR's blueprint for success

He watched his Tamil Nadu mate T Natarajan take his place in the T20I side and make a big splash in Australia. He met his idol, actor Vijay, and got married to his girlfriend Neha during his time away from the game. He then underwent rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, but wasn’t deemed fit enough for selection for the T20Is against England. It was then time to prove he was no one-season IPL wonder, fronting up to bowl in the powerplay, middle overs, as well as at the death earlier this year – with or without Sunil Narine. IPL 2021 was later postponed after he was among the people to test positive for Covid-19.While Chakravarthy has recovered and continues to upgrade his skills – he is working on adding to his seven variations, according to the Knight Riders’ spin-bowling coach Carl Crowe, who is now with the Manchester Originals for the Hundred – there might still be question marks over his fitness.Reacting to Chakravarthy failing a fitness test ahead of the England T20Is, Virat Kohli had stressed that fitness could not be “compromised” in this Indian set-up. There is a school of thought – that Crowe subscribes to – that players like Chakravarthy, who come from a non-professional background, could be given some leeway.

“If you have a cricketer who comes from a low-base background and when he does not have support for fitness growing up in his formative years, I think you give a little bit of leeway as long as you see the fitness level improve as he goes along”Carl Crowe

“In the modern era of sport, particularly cricket, it is very fitness-driven. You could argue that it’s over the line on fitness and I might be in that camp,” Crowe tells ESPNcricinfo. “Cricket is a skill sport, but fitness is crucial for maximising performance, longevity and resisting injuries and so many reasons. When you have someone with the high skill level that Varun brings – different shades that he has – it’s not made up by extra fitness. If you look at how he’s bowled in the last two IPLs…. I think it was a game in Sharjah where he played the previous IPL on a small ground and flat wicket, he went for 24-25 runs in his four overs. Even this time, he got Virat out very quickly against RCB.”My view is – I’m not in charge of BCCI to tell them to do things at all – if you have a cricketer who comes from a low-base background and when he does not have support for fitness growing up in his formative years, I think you give a little bit of leeway as long as you see the fitness level improve as he goes along.”I don’t think Varun gave much away in the field ever. You don’t want too many fielders in the hot spots who can’t field out there, he wasn’t there; he often fields at 45 to maybe spinners and fine leg to seamers. There was no error that you could put down to fitness. You’re bowling four overs, fielding 16 overs and he can hold a bat down the order, so there’s nothing to me that suggests that he’s probably below the level of acceptability for fitness. At the same time, if the team is trying to drive a culture of fitness, it’s difficult to bring in a player who doesn’t meet the standards. But for me as long as the player works incredibly hard at fitness and keeps improving and has that skill level, I’d like to see a bit more leniency.”Among Chakravarthy’s unique skills is the carrom ball, which he flicks out with his ring finger as opposed to others who bowl the variation with the middle finger. He also has the ability to gather pace off pitches that aren’t as quick, something that puts him in the company of the best T20 spinners, according to Crowe.He has a knack of picking up the big wickets•BCCI”I can’t certainly say what is more difficult to pick than a standard carrom ball delivered from the middle finger, but what, I think, it does do is it makes the batters around the world looking and guessing what’s coming next,” Crowe says. “I think I know he’s working on at least one more delivery. Once the batter gets better at facing the carrom ball from the middle finger, they now have to be prepared and adapt to face the carrom ball off the ring finger. What matters ultimately is the ball spinning to the left, right, or over the top or underspin and there are obviously different degrees of that. How you go about doing that is up to you as an individual.”Gathering pace off the pitch for me is what separates the very best spinners from the rest. There’s less time for [batters] to adapt and then it spins past the bat quicker. It might look nice on TV – that ball breaking off the pitch – but if it doesn’t gather pace, good players will be able to adapt and play with the spin. If you look at the pace that the best T20 spinners bowl at – Rashid [Khan], Narine and like Varun – they are pushing close to 100ks and turning the ball both ways.”Crowe, who has overseen the progress of spinners in various leagues around the world, also believes that the presence of a mystery spinner in a global tournament, like the World Cup, could potentially give India a distinct advantage over the other teams.”In my experience at the IPL, the Indian players – they play mystery spin and any kind of spin the best and the overseas players not quite so much. Some of them like Jos Buttler play them well individually, but not across the board; the overseas players aren’t quite as skilled against mystery spin,” he says. “You think about a World Cup, where non-Indian players play against a mystery spinner… there might be a few sleepless nights for the batters, trying to see which way the ball is spinning . I’m really excited to see him play and it [playing for India] means a lot to him.”I get so many youngsters who contact me via my social media saying: ‘Sir, I want to be given a go or have an opportunity by only playing here’ and I always come back to Varun. I say this is the man you got to follow and dreams can come true. You play gully cricket, do some net bowling somewhere and be seen – it’s a story for all of us to learn and be inspired by.”India’s spin attack is already well-stocked with Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Krunal Pandya, but they don’t quite have X-factor, which Chakravarthy could bring to the table. If he can pass the test in Sri Lanka, and add another chapter to his fascinating story, who knows what might happen.

The visiting attack shared the wickets around while they were gifted two run outs by Tasmania

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2025Tasmania teenager Aidan O’Connor posted a half-century on debut but couldn’t prevent Victoria taking honours on day one of their Sheffield Shield clash in Hobart.O’Connor top-scored with 53 as the hosts were bowled out for 236 on Saturday after being sent in to bat. The 18-year-old allrounder struck six fours and a six in his 92-ball innings.Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald (41) and Tim Ward (45) both got starts but couldn’t go on with the job as regular wickets fell. Ward’s dismissal – run out from cover after a horrid mix-up with Jordan Silk – sparked a middle-order collapse, with Tasmania losing 4 for 31 in the space of 10 overs.Victoria’s bowlers spread the workload. Captain Will Sutherland, veteran Peter Siddle, Sam Elliott and Fergus O’Neill all claimed multiple wickets.Siddle had Silk caught at second slip shortly after he was involved in the run out of Ward. Jake Doran was bowled when he shouldered arms at Will Sutherland.O’Connor is one of two first-class debutants for last-placed Tasmania alongside 20-year-old Raf MacMillan.

MatériaMais Notícias

da heads bet： Domingo (29) tem Londrina e CRBem jogo válido pela34ª rodada do Brasileirão Série B. A partida está marcada para às18h30(de Brasília), noEstádio do Café.

da roleta： +Dicas de aposta, Odds e mais em nosso canal de WhatsApp. Siga a Lance! Betting

AINDA DÁ?

OLondrinaaposta nos dois jogos seguidos que fará no Estádio do Café como uma “última cartada” para permanecer na Série B do Brasileiro. Faltando cinco rodadas, o LEC é o penúltimo colocado, com 26 pontos, nove abaixo da Ponte Preta, que é o primeiro time fora da zona de rebaixamento. O Tubarão faz dois jogos seguidos em casa: além do CRB, pega depois o Guarani, na próxima sexta-feira (3). No cenário atual, o Londrina precisa vencer e secar os concorrentes diretos nesta disputa – Tombense, Chapecoense, Sampaio Corrêa, Ituano e Avaí. Segundo o site Infobola, o Tubarão tem apenas 1% de chance de permanecer na Série B.

+Confira a classificação do Brasileirão Série B, clicando aqui!

NA ‘COTA’ DO MILAGRE

A derrota do Galo da Pajuçara para o Criciúma, dentro de seus domínios, foi muito frustante. A margem de erro, que já era praticamente nula, agora deixa de existir. Atualmente com 49 pontos, o CRB precisa vencer os seus cinco jogos restantes para chegar a 64 pontos e precisa também secar os demais adversários. Complicou. Essa dificuldade agora é traduzida nas chances de acesso do Alvirrubro. AUFMGaponta chance de 0,87% para o time regatiano, enquanto oInfoboladá 1% e oChance de Gol, 1,3%.

Relembre a partida entre as equipes pelo primeiro turno:

LONDRINA X CRB
34ª RODADA DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO DA SÉRIE B

Data: 29/10/2023
Horário: 18h30 (de Brasília)
Local: Estádio do Café, em Londrina, no Paraná.
Árbitro: Ivan da Silva Guimaraes Junior (AM)
Assistentes: Schumacher Marques Gomes (PB) e Daniella Coutinho Pinto (BA)
VAR: Elmo Alves Resende Cunha (GO)
Onde assistir: SporTV e Premiere

Provável escalação do Londrina:

Neneca; Lucas Mendes, Gabriel, Rafael Vaz e Salomão; Vitão, Rodrigo e Ariel; Iago Dias, William Barbio e Peu (Marcos Pedro ou Everton). Técnico: Roberto Fonseca.

Provável escalação do CRB:

Diogo Silva; Matheus Ribeiro, Fábio Alemão, Ramon e Guilherme Romão; Lucas Lima, Falcão e Juninho Valoura; João Paulo, Léo Pereira e Anselmo Ramon. Técnico: Daniel Paulista.

تحدث سامي قمصان المدير الفني للمقاولون العرب، عن فوز فريقه على مودرن سبورت في الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وحقق المقاولون العرب فوزه الأول هذا الموسم على حساب مودرن سبورت بهدفين مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما في الجولة الثانية عشر من الدوري الممتاز.

طالع.. المقاولون العرب يُعلن تعيين سامي قمصان مديرًا فنيًا للفريق

وقال قمصان في تصريحات عبر قناة “أون سبورت”: “فوز اليوم جاء في توقيت جيد جدًا بالنسبة لنا، هذا أول فوز لنا منذ حوالي 11 مباراة”.

وأضاف: “فريق المقاولون كبير ويمتلك تاريخًا كبيرًا، وهو أكثر فريق بعد الأهلي والزمالك يمتلك بطولات”.

وتابع: “كان من المهم عودة الثقة للاعبين، والمباراة الماضية لم يحالفنا التوفيق، لكن الحمد لله ربنا أكرمنا اليوم”.

وواصل: “كانت لدينا فترات كبيرة طول المباراة كنا فيها الأفضل، وعندنا ثقة كبيرة في اللاعبين، وأضعنا أهدافًا كثيرة، وأعتقد أنها كانت ممكن تحسم المباراة مبكرًا، لكن في النهاية أشكرهم على الجهد”.

واختتم: “لاعبو الفريق كانوا يلعبون تحت ضغط عصبي كبير، من أجل عودة الثقة والانتصارات وعودة الفريق لمكانه الطبيعي”.

Sometimes the eagerness to do well can be counterproductive

Aakash Chopra19-Aug-2021Right from his first day at the highest level, KL Rahul came across as a batter who would fit the bill for all three formats without compromising the foundation of his game. His stance, feet movement, back lift and the downswing of his bat were all in perfect sync. Even though it took him some time to meet the demands of T20, there was no looking back from the day he cracked its code.There’s a mysterious element to competitive cricket – when everything seems to be moving smoothly in the desired direction, something will threaten to derail the train. It happened to Rahul too. There were injuries and then a loss of form.It’s important to understand why and how one loses form, for even its presence is something you can’t put a finger on. One day you are so comfortable with your game that you are not thinking about your responses, and on another day, it’s the only thing you’re thinking about. Of course, the former happens when you are in form and the latter, when you are out of it.Cricket skills are like a wheel in motion and while you’re constantly attempting to upgrade your skills, sometimes it’s tough to just hold on to what you thought was your core strength. Minor errors find ways to creep into your game like uninvited guests and before you acknowledge their presence, they start controlling the way you think. In fact, you reach a point when you are thinking only about them.Related

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Rahul was going through a lean patch and spending countless hours in the nets between games, but the hard work wasn’t translating into runs in the middle. From the outside, you could see he wasn’t sure about his trigger movement – while in England (in 2018), he was out poking at deliveries, in India, he was getting trapped in front. Both sorts of dismissals often stem from how much you are moving and the timing of that movement.When you’re in “form”, this movement happens almost unconsciously, because your focus is on the ball coming your way. But when you’re not in “form”, you end up thinking about the same trigger movement and that leads to a delayed response to the incoming delivery.Sanjay Bangar, India’s former batting coach, recounts how after getting dismissed in a Test during that horrid run between 2018 and 2019, Rahul couldn’t wait to get into the nets to iron out his mistakes. He had just been dismissed, had seen the dismissals a few times on the screen and perhaps revisited it a hundred times in his head, but he wasn’t willing to let it sink in. He was eager to get to the nets while India were still batting in the Test.While there’s nothing wrong with the intent to identify and rectify mistakes, too much of anything, even training, can be counterproductive.That day Rahul was eager to iron out his flaws. Once he was dropped from the Indian team, he must have felt eager to get back into it. That’s a natural human reaction to rejection, even more so when you have already tasted success at the highest level. You seem to know the secret to success but have temporarily forgotten the username and password. You try different combinations, only to draw blanks.Rahul is bowled by a Josh Hazlewood yorker in Perth, December 2018•Ryan Pierse/Getty Images”Eager” has two very different meanings – keen and anxious. When you start, you are keen. But little do you know when keenness turns into anxiety. You start thinking too much about the result and too little about the process. It’s not that you aren’t putting in the hours, but you stop noticing the joy of playing the game, the melody of ball hitting the bat. And then one day, you stop obsessing about the result and things start to fall in place again.Of course, there’s a lot of conjecture in my reading of how it must have panned out for Rahul, but I won’t be surprised if it wasn’t too dissimilar to what I have described.It’s true that the IPL is a big part of a modern cricketer’s career, but I can bet my last dollar on the fact that Rahul isn’t one to be satisfied by just the IPL reward. His bigger goal was not just playing for India again but to play for India in all three formats. He re-established himself in white-ball cricket when he assumed the roles of keeper and finisher. And while he had prepped for a middle-order role in Tests, life played a trick to get him back to where he belongs – as opener.Rahul’s comeback as an opener in Test cricket wasn’t so much about his ability to succeed at the top – you don’t score five Test tons (four of them away from home) if you don’t have the skills. For me, it was about his eagerness to do the right thing. Was he keen or was he anxious?If his first innings of the tour, 84 at Trent Bridge, showed that he’s trusting his skills against the new ball, Rahul’s century at Lord’s established that he is back for good.It takes a lot of patience and self-belief to hang around for 18 runs off 100 balls when you know you have the shots to score faster, and to also insulate yourself from the fact that your opening partner has outscored you massively (at that point, Rohit Sharma was on 81 of 122 balls).Rahul isn’t anxiously eager to get bat on ball and is in a happy place while leaving a lot of deliveries alone. He isn’t anxiously eager to hit an extra shot on the up either. Instead, he’s willing to bide his time and wait for the right moment to up the ante. It’s not that minor errors will never find their way into his batting or that he’ll never go out of form again, but it’s very heartening to see him bat the way he is right now. The next challenge for him is to extend this good form for as long as possible.

Sunderland are now only one nail-biting clash away from finally returning to the Premier League.

Of course, this isn’t going to be a straightforward passage back up to the promised land, as Chris Wilder’s intimidating Sheffield United will be aiming to make the Wearside outfit’s day out to Wembley dour by securing their own reentry to the exclusive division.

If Regis Le Bris’ side do perform to the heights they know they’re capable of and hold their nerve, however, top-flight football could finally be back on the menu at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland's key stars at Wembley

The Blades might well boast the Championship’s Player of the Season in Gustavo Hamer among other standout performers, but the Frenchman will back his own set of stars to get the job done regardless.

After all, Le Bris has his own creative menace down the left flank too in Enzo Le Fee, with the slick loanee’s excellent corner kick delivery against Coventry City last time out sealing Sunderland’s dramatic progression to Wembley.

Of course, Daniel Ballard also had to be in the perfect spot to power home the 25-year-old’s cross, with this ability to pop up with a moment of magic an effective weapon to call upon in the nerve-wracking final.

Alongside both Ballard and Le Fee, Le Bris also has Jobe Bellingham, Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda at his disposal in attack, with both Mayenda and Isidor getting in on the goalscoring action during the first leg victory over the Sky Blues.

But, Patrick Roberts might not be as fortunate as the tricky trio when it comes to making the starting XI for Wembley.

Consequently, the Black Cats boss could now be tempted to start Sunderland’s new version of Jack Clarke for the one-off tie over the hit-and-miss 28-year-old.

Clarke has history in the play-offs, albeit in League One, notably playing at Wembley on that day in 2022 when the Black Cats defeated Wycombe 2-0 courtesy of goals from Elliot Embleton and Ross Stewart.

While Clarke didn’t start, he did come on as a second-half substitute for Embleton. On this occasion, however, their new Clarke must be given his big day out in the capital.

Sunderland's new Jack Clarke

In an ideal reality, the promotion-chasers would still have their former hero around as they attempt to navigate a passage back up to the Premier League.

But, Clarke chose to join Premier League-bound Ipswich Town last summer instead. Yet, that doesn’t diminish his superb tally of 23 goals and 28 assists for the Black Cats when he was performing at the peak of his powers.

Whilst Roberts has shown throughout his long stay on Wearside to date that he can also conjure up moments of quality like Clarke before him – with nine goals and 17 assists coming his way from 144 games – Sunderland’s next iteration of their revered ex-number 20 could instead be Romaine Mundle.

This could result in Mundle coming in for Roberts down the right, despite the ex-Standard Liege man being more of a natural option on the left flank. But, after the 29-year-old failed to register a single on-target effort on the Sky Blues goal across two legs, drastic measures might be deemed necessary.

This suggestion doesn’t even look that radical when you assess the table above with Mundle actually playing 35 career games down the right wing previously, culminating in a healthy six goals and five assists coming his way.

Away from his overall career numbers, however, and he’s already showing why he could be the most fitting recipient of the baton from Clarke when donning a Black Cats strip, with Mundle tallying up five goals and two assists across 23 league contests this season when injury-free.

Previously hailed as “brilliant” by Sunderland skipper Dan Neil, Mundle could well find he’s chucked out to the right flank for his team’s all-or-nothing playoff final, therefore, with the Frenchman having to play his best possible XI no matter what.

Le Fee 2.0: Sunderland set sights on signing "fantastic" star from France

Sunderland could be about to pick up their next Enzo Le Fee with this summer buy.

By
Kelan Sarson

May 21, 2025

West Indies had done well to recover from a poor start and make 162, but it wasn’t nearly enough

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Oct-2024

Pathum Nissanka sent Sri Lanka’s chase screaming out of the blocks, before Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera put on a clinical and unbeaten 106-run stand for the second wicket. For a team that had never before beaten West Indies in a T20I series, this chase was almost too effortless to believe. Each of the top three produced sparkling innings, as the hosts galloped to the target of 163 with 12 balls remaining, in front of a packed Poya-day crowd in Dambulla.West Indies had earlier done well to get to 162 themselves, though they largely have a late assault from Gudakesh Motie – who bludgeoned 32 off 15 – for getting to what was perhaps a higher-than-par score on a spin-friendly track.Though Dunith Wellalage went for runs, Sri Lanka’s remaining spinners kept a lid on the scoring. This too, was a key difference between the teams.Kusal Mendis went on to register the game’s highest score, with 68 not out off 50. Perera crashed 55 off 36. Nissanka had played the most aggressive innings, plundering 39 off 22.The 2-1 result is a further sign of resurgence from Sri Lanka, in the format in which they have arguably struggled the most in the last two years. They have this year won five Test matches, and had in July beaten India in a bilateral ODI series as well. This win also sees new coach Sanath Jayasuriya’s stock rise further.Sri Lanka attack earlyWest Indies bolstered their spin atttack by bringing Fabian Allen into the side for this match, but Nissanka ensured Sri Lanka’s batters established their dominance early. He cracked three fours off the first over, bowled by Allen, before launching seamer Alzrri Joseph for two sixes and a four next over – the runs coming all around the ground, though he did favour the square region on the offside. By the time Nissanka was bowled by a Motie slider after 5.2 overs, Sri Lanka had already sped to 60.Kusal Mendis and Perera consolidate, then accelerateThe early middle overs were quieter than what had come before. But soon, Perera began to find the boundary particularly off his legs, and the Sri Lanka run rate was off again, before West Indies could apply serious pressure. Kusal Mendis, who had begun to score rapidly towards the end of the powerplay, continued to strike regular boundaries as he strode to a 15th T20I fifty. Perera reached his half century – also his 15th – in what became the final over of the game.Pathum Nissanka came out of the blocks firing•Getty Images

West Indies miss chancesWest Indies had chances to dent the chase. Rovman Powell could have caught the dangerous Nissanka in the first over, but misjudged the high ball and palmed it into the rope instead. Later, Roston Chase dropped a straightforward return chance off Kusal Mendis on 44 – though Sri Lanka were well en route to victory by then. Shai Hope could have run out Kusal Mendis on 34 too, had he hit the stumps with a throw in the ninth over.Motie’s maulingThe high-point of West Indies’ innings, was the 15th over of the match, in which they reaped 25 runs. Their innings had been flagging at 86 for 5 after 14 overs, with plenty of spin to come from Sri Lanka. But Motie would lay into left-arm spinner Wellalage to revive the innings. His first boundary came off the outside edge, but the next three were towering, successive sixes – the first down the ground, the next two over deep midwicket. He was out soon after, but set West Indies on a better course.

After what was a dire season for Manchester City, they ruined their chance to end it all on a high note on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s side travelled to Wembley for the FA Cup final with Crystal Palace, but came out second best, much to the dismay of their manager come full time.

They will hope to right their wrongs just a few weeks on when the East Mancunian outfit travel to the United States of America for the Club World Cup, where they will compete for the competition for the first time in its 32-team format. Moroccan side Wydad AC, UAE outfit Al Ain FC, and Italian giants Juventus are their three group stage opponents.

One player who will play a huge role in any success over the next few weeks is Josko Gvardiol.

Gvardiol’s importance for City

There are not many players in the City squad whose form is as important to their success as Croatia international Gvardiol. The 23-year-old was described as a player who “does stuff very few can” by football analyst Umir, who also said the defender has been “brilliant” going forward this term.

There have been just four games in which Gvardiol has not appeared this term, further highlighting his importance to Guardiola’s side. In total, he has played 51 times across all competitions, including all but one in the Premier League.

One of the biggest benefits of the former RB Leipzig is his versatility. A centre-back by trade, he has featured more often than not at left-back for the Citizens this term, which has been important for Guardiola amid injuries and a lack of options.

The other thing that the 23-year-old offers to this City side is goals. He had found the back of the net six times this term, which has been bettered by just five players at City.

The fact that he is such a rich source of goals shows just how important the left-back is to Guardiola.

Interestingly, City are linked with a player who could join the club and become just as important to Guardiola as Gvardiol has this term.

Man City's search for a defender

If a report from Fabrizio Romano earlier this week is to be believed, then City are plotting a move for Newcastle United right-back Tino Livramento.

The 22-year-old is ‘under consideration’ at the Etihad Stadium, with City looking to sign a new right-back. A price tag is not clear at this time, but he cost the Magpies £40m including add-ons almost two years ago.

Described as a “superstar” by Newcastle content creator Kendall Rowan, Livramento has played an important role for Eddie Howe, in a side pushing for a second-place finish this season. That would see them leapfrog City in the Premier League.

The London-born right-back, who is a product of Chelsea’s academy, has played 44 games in all competitions this campaign for the Magpies. Perhaps one of the biggest worries for City is the fact that he has just one assist, which came in a 3-0 win away to Leicester City.

Like Gvardiol, Livramento is a versatile player. This term, he has featured at right-back, left-back and even as a wing-back for Howe’s side.

Admittedly, he has made 29 appearances on his favoured right side, but with another 12 coming on the left, it shows dependable versatility.

In fact, the similarities between the two players do not stop there. The underlying numbers on FBref highlight how alike they are, too. For example, the Newcastle star averages 0.78 key passes per 90 minutes, compared to 0.73 each game for Gvardiol.

Key passes

0.78

0.73

Passes into penalty area

0.88

0.58

Tackles and interceptions

2.53

2.7

Ball recoveries

5.98

3.84

Progressive carries

2.5

2.53

There is evidence to suggest that Livramento could be City’s best defensive signing since Gvardiol. Vitor Reis was one of two defensive signings in January, but he is unproven and has played just three first-team games.

Fellow winter addition Abdukodir Khusanov did well to bounce back from a nightmare start to his City career, following his error on debut against Chelsea, but is also largely unproven at Premier League level, despite glimpses of promise shown.

Matheus Nunes, a midfielder by trade, has been playing right-back this term but “doesn’t know how to defend”, according to Man City content creator Steven Mcinerney.

This could be a wonderful signing for City. There is no doubt about just how important Livramento can be under Guardiola, given his attacking capabilities and how reliable he is defensively. He could certainly be their best signing since Gvardiol, given the lack of experience or struggles those made since have experienced.

If he can replicate anywhere near the impact Gvardiol has had at the Etihad Stadium, this is a signing that City fans can surely get excited about.