Liverpool return to EFL Cup action this evening as they travel away from Anfield to take on Premier League rivals Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Jurgen Klopp's men dispatched Championship side Leicester City 3-1 in the previous round and they will now be looking to progress through to the next stage tonight.

The Reds are coming into this match off the back of a comfortable 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest last weekend, with goals from Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Diogo Jota securing all three points.

This cup clash with the Cherries now provides the manager with an opportunity to rotate his side and offer chances to other players to impress.

With this in mind, Klopp must move Ryan Gravenberch aside in order to unleash young ace Harvey Elliott from the start in the middle of the park.

Gravenberch's performance against Nottingham Forest in numbers

The impressive summer signing from Bayern Munich did not enjoy his best afternoon against the Tricky Trees as he struggled to make an impact on the game.

Gravenberch lost four of his seven duels throughout his 59 minutes on the pitch and lost three of his five battles on the ground, which shows that he was not able to impose his physicality on the match.

The ex-Ajax star did complete 95% of his attempted passes but did not manage to create a single chance for his teammates at the top end of the pitch.

This performance came after the midfield general scored one goal, after Nunez's staggering miss, and created three opportunities against Toulouse in his previous outing for the club.

The 21-year-old ace could be rested in order to keep him fresh and ready to bounce back with an improved display against Luton Town in the Premier League on Sunday.

Harvey Elliott's season in numbers

Klopp must now unleash Elliott in place of Gravenberch, who could be benched after his lacklustre showing against Forest, in midfield this evening.

The England U21 international played 30 minutes off the bench over the weekend and completed 100% of his attempted passes (15/15) along with a ground duel success rate of 100% (1/1).

He also caught the eye in the last round against Leicester with three chances created in 90 minutes against the Championship leaders in September.

Elliott recently impressed on international duty with his country as the 20-year-old magician scored two goals and provided two assists in two games for England's U21s – against Serbia and Ukraine.

The £40k-per-week whiz, who was hailed as an "incredible" talent by coach Paul Dalglish after his performances for England, is a midfielder who has the quality to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

He can be a difference-maker with his energetic and dynamic displays in midfield to create opportunities for his teammates whilst also being able to offer a goal threat of his own.

Whilst the former Fulham prodigy is yet to prove himself at Premier League level on a consistent basis, Klopp must unleash him from the start in this cup clash to provide him with another chance to impress and continue his development at senior level.

Dani Alves will reportedly spend the weekend in jail after failing to come up with the €1 million bail sum amid an appeal over his rape conviction.

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• Alves to spend weekend in prison
• Failed to come up with €1m bail sum
• Awaits result of rape conviction appeal

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Barcelona full-back was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison, before a Spanish court ruled the 40-year-old would be conditionally released after serving more than a year of his sentence. The ex-defender was granted bail on Wednesday but according to ESPN, after he failed to come up with the money (£858,055/$1.08m), he will remain behind bars for the time being.

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  The report adds that Neymar's father said neither he nor his son would help with Alves' bail. Neymar Sr confirmed he has helped the ex-Paris Saint-Germain man with money since his arrest but said that was before his sexual assault at a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022 was confirmed. Alves reportedly hopes to have the money ready by Monday or Tuesday.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  ESPN state for Alves to be released, he has to hand over his Brazilian and Spanish passports, on top of posting bail, and he cannot leave Spain. Incidentally, the Barcelona resident cannot go within 1,000 metres of the victim, nor try to communicate with her, and he must make weekly check-ins at the courthouse.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The victim's lawyer, Ester Garcia, called the decision to grant Alves bail as a "scandalous" decision, saying it was "justice for the rich" – while confirming she will appeal the result. Alves will now await the result of an appeal to his rape conviction.

Barcelona will face Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals after beating Brann 5-2 on aggregate in the last-eight.

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Barcelona ease past BrannWon 3-1 to complete 5-2 aggregate triumphWill now play Chelsea in last fourPAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona set up a last-four clash with Chelsea on Thursday evening with a 3-1 win over Norwegian side Brann. Goals from Aitana Bonmati, Fridolina Rolfo and Patricia Guijarro proved decisive, despite a late strike from Tomine Svendheim for Brann. Barcelona won 2-1 in Norway, and have thus secured safe passage into the last four, where they have already been drawn against the Blues.

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Barcelona are the reigning Champions League holders and they have a remarkable record in the competition. They have reached the final in each of the last three seasons, winning it twice, and losing to Lyon in 2021-22. They were also runners-up in 2018-19, again losing to Lyon. By comparison, Chelsea have reached the final once, in 2020-21, but Barcelona beat them 4-0 in a humiliating defeat.

DID YOU KNOW?

Barcelona and Chelsea will contest one semi-final and the other will be between Lyon – who beat Benfica 6-2 on aggregate in the last eight – and Paris Saint-Germain, who beat BK Hacken 3-0 on Thursday to seal a 5-1 aggregate win.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Chelsea are fighting on multiple fronts and will take on Arsenal in the FA WSL Cup final this weekend. They are also top of the WSL table, so they remain on track for a historic treble; they will, though, have to exorcise the ghost of their Champions League final defeat if they are to secure all three trophies.

Manchester United may soon be on the search to replace manager Erik ten Hag, and one reporter has claimed the ‘hottest property in management’ could be a target.

Man Utd update – Erik ten Hag

Ten Hag enjoyed a productive first season in charge at Old Trafford, winning the EFL Cup, finishing in the Premier League top four and reaching the final of the FA Cup, however, he hasn’t had the same success so far this season. The Dutchman watched his side lose 3-0 to rivals Manchester City on Sunday and were dumped out of the EFL Cup by the same scoreline to Newcastle United. Prior to their cup exit in the week, there were reports claiming that both the Glazers and Ratcliffe were in agreement that Ten Hag’s position in charge was safe for now.

However, with the club now losing eight of their first 15 matches in all competitions, something they last suffered in the 1962/63 campaign, Ten Hag’s days could be numbered if he fails to turn things around quickly. As a result, talkSPORT reporter Callum Vurley shared a story following the defeat on Wednesday evening, looking at who could possibly replace Ten Hag as Man Utd manager. He identified a number of potential contenders, one of which being Brighton & Hove Albion’s Roberto De Zerbi, saying:

“Arguably the hottest property in management right now, De Zerbi has turned Brighton into a force to be reckoned with despite regularly losing players and coaches. Their attractive style of football is easy on the eye and has taken them to the Europa League where fans have dreams of going far. Several clubs have already been keeping tabs on the Italian while some have even mentioned him as a potential Pep Guardiola replacement at Manchester City. If United could snap up the Brighton boss instead, it would be hailed as quite the coup.”

Roberto De Zerbi profiled

De Zerbi has made an eye-catching impact on the south coast after taking over from Graham Potter last year. In total, the Italian, formerly of Palermo, Benevento, Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk, has won 25 of his 53 games in charge of the Seagulls so far. (Roberto De Zerbi stats – Transfermarkt)

Roberto De Zerbi against Man Utd

Date

Brighton 0-0 Man Utd (6-7 on penalties)

April 2023

Brighton 1-0 Man Utd

May 2023

Man Utd 1-3 Brighton

September 2023

The 44-year-old guided Brighton to the semi-finals of the FA Cup against Man Utd and into the Europa League last season and recently came in for praise from Pep Guardiola, who admitted De Zerbi is one of the coaches that he admires the most in world football. There have even been discussions that the Brighton boss could go on to become the best manager in the world, so if Man Utd do decide to part ways with Ten Hag in the near future, it wouldn’t be a shock if someone like De Zerbi is on their radar.

India captain Virat Kohli moved back to the top of the ICC Test rankings for batsmen after his Man-of-the-Match performance at Trent Bridge. He has amassed a career-best 937 rating points and is one point shy of breaking into the top 10 batsmen in rankings history.Donald Bradman is No. 1 having achieved a rating of 961 points in February 1948 followed by Steven Smith (947), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs and Ricky Ponting (both on 942), Peter May (941), and Garry Sobers, Clyde Walcott, Vivian Richards and Kumar Sangakkara (all on 938 points).Virat Kohli on top of the world•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kohli is placed 11th on that list after his knocks of 97 and 103 in Nottingham as India beat England by 203 runs to make the series scoreline 2-1 with two Tests to play. He had previously reached the top of the rankings after the first Test at Edgbaston, before ceding it to Smith after low scores in the second Test at Lord’s.Among other Indian players who made big moves in the rankings were Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.Pandya moved up 23 places in the bowlers’ rankings to No. 51 after taking five wickets in six overs on the second day at Trent Bridge. He occupies the same spot on the batsmen’s charts after his second-innings fifty to set up India’s declaration. Those performances have placed him at No. 17 on the allrounders’ list.Bumrah, who sat out the first two Tests with an injury, took a five-wicket haul in England’s second innings and is now at No. 37 among the bowlers after just four Tests.For England, the biggest move was made by Jos Buttler, whose second-innings 106 took him up 22 places to be No.47 among the batsmen.

Liverpool have been in fine form this season and Jurgen Klopp will be delighted with the resurgence after last year's issues, with cautious optimism that a title charge can be mounted over the coming months.

The Premier League giants wiped away the stain of last season's sapped midfield and replaced the central ranks with some exciting additions, but there is work still to be done and Klopp appears to have his sights set on further improvements in the winter transfer window.

Liverpool transfer targets for January

As relayed by This Is Anfield, Fluminense midfielder Andre has hinted at a January transfer after being made to wait in the summer, claiming that his manager has promised he can leave after the Brasileiro Serie A season's culmination.

Andre confessed recently that he rejected Liverpool in the summer after promising his homeland outfit to fight for success in the Copa Libertadores, having reached the final against Boca Juniors, which will be played on November 4th.

Regardless, the Brasileiro Serie A season finishes in December and the Reds will then have the perfect opportunity to seal a swoop for an exciting talent.

Valued at £34m by his side, Liverpool have already demonstrated willingness to pay such sums to secure midfielders of prodigious potential, with Ryan Gravenberch joining from Bayern Munich for £34m in August, and Andre could now be next in line.

Andre's best qualities

Andre, aged 22, has played his entire career with Fluminense and has chalked up 160 appearances across all competitions, posting four goals and three assists, praised for his "combative" skill by reporter Neil Jones.

The two-cap Brazil international has been at the heart of his side's exploits this season and has been immense in the league, playing 24 matches, remarkably completing 95% of his passes, averaging 0.8 key passes from his deep-lying role and making two tackles and 7.8 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore, also winning 62% of his ground duels.

As per FBref, the midfielder ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across divisions similar to the Brasileiro Serie A for pass completion and passes attempted, while also ranking among the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90, highlighting his immense ball-playing ability and robustness.

He is a tenacious, tough-tackling menace on the pitch and a "leader" within his squad, as was claimed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and he would be a brilliant addition to a Liverpool side lacking a starring specialist No. 6.

Fabinho was sold in the summer and Wataru Endo was brought in as a replacement, joining from Stuttgart for £16m, but he is not quite at the requisite level to star unwaveringly in the first team and Klopp will be eager to bring in a first-class addition.

Starting berth unlikely for eager Endo

Endo is swiftly becoming a bit of a cult hero on Merseyside, and if Klopp constructs a silver-laden crescendo to this rebuilding season then the Japan star could be etched into the club's lore in the same way that Divock Origi is heralded.

Only several days ago Endo deftly guided Trent Alexander-Arnold's curling delivery into Toulouse's goal in the Europa League to to reclaim the lead for the hosts after 30 minutes.

Speaking after the game, The Athletic's James Pearce wrote that he "kicks on impressively", acclimatising to life in such a high-octane and demanding system, but having yet to receive another start in the Premier League since his first, against Newcastle United.

It does seem that his opportunities in the top flight will be limited and restricted to scant moments of need when others have fallen to injuries and suspension, but he will at least play a prominent role across cup competitions.

That being said, with the possible arrival of Andre in January, Klopp could unearth a No. 6 worthy of a place in the biggest moments, and it would unfortunately hammer Endo down the pecking order.

Chances will come his way for the duration of his Anfield career, but the 30-year-old is not going to secure a regular starting berth in the crucial stages any time soon and Andre's arrival would illuminate this.

Chelsea forward Aggie Beever-Jones is hopeful of earning her maiden international cap soon.

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Beever-Jones reveals discussions with WiegmanHopeful of making England debut soonHas performed consistently for Chelsea this seasonWHAT HAPPENED?

The 20-year-old Blues forward, who was included in England's squad for their friendly clash against Austria in February, revealed that during her time with the senior national team, she had a chat with Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman and she is hopeful of earning her maiden international cap soon.

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The youngster has been a revelation for Emma Hayes' side this current season, having scored eight goals across all competitions including six in the Women's Super League. Along with Lauren James and Mayra Ramirez, Beever-Jones has formed a formidable connection up front.

WHAT BEEVER-JONES SAID

Speaking to , the young attacker said, "I always love coming to camp and just seeing seniors around today, it's nice to have that close connection but it's always good to be around friends and playing good football."

When asked about her experience of being part of the senior squad in February, she added: "It's a good feeling. I've had a few good chats with Sarina which is also nice and I think it's just making that jump from one point for me it was such a good experience to be with the girls and they were so welcoming and I think it was just surreal to be sat watching England play and thinking how close I am."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

The Lionesses will be next seen in action on April 5 as they take on Sweden in a Euro 2025 qualifying game before facing the Republic of Ireland four days later.

عقد الدكتور أشرف صبحي، وزير الشباب والرياضة، جلسة مع ثنائي منتخب السلاح زياد السيسي ومحمد عامر، من أجل رفع روحهما المعنوية، والتأكيد علي ضرورة تعويض ما فاتهما في منافسات الفرق.

وتابع وزير الرياضة تدريبات فريق رفع الأثقال والتأكد من استخدامهم أحدث الأجهزة التدريبية.

ومر الوزير على منطقة الطعام للتأكد من جاهزيتها على أعلى مستوى، واحتوائها على كافة المستلزمات الخاصة بالأبطال.

ووجه أشرف صبحي، هشام العامري دكتور التغذية للبعثة المصرية، بتوفير نظام غذائي يحتوي على البروتين النباتي والحيواني.

طالع أيضًا | أمين عام “الأولمبية المصرية” يُعلق على استبعاد يمنى عياد وخسارة زياد السيسي برونزية باريس 2024

وعقد وزير الرياضة جلسة مع منتخب كرة اليد، والمدير الفني الذي أشاد بكافة الترتيبات، وأكد عل تركيزه مع اللاعبين في تحقيق إنجاز.

بالإضافة إلى ذلك، قام أشرف صبحي بالمرور في منطقة التدريبات البدنية ومكان إقامة البعثة المصرية، وحث المجموعة الإدارية على توفير كافة سبل الراحة للأبطال المصريين.

جدير بالذكر أن مصر تشارك في أولمبياد باريس بـ148 لاعباً ولاعبة أساسيًا و16 لاعبا احتياطيا بإجمالي عدد لاعبين 164 لاعبًا في 22 رياضة، وتعد بعثة الفراعنة الأكبر في تاريخ العرب وإفريقيا.

وتقام فعاليات أولمبياد باريس 2024 خلال الفترة من 26 يوليو الجاري، وحتى 11 أغسطس في العاصمة الفرنسية باريس.

The South Africa coach said that his team has moved on from the mishappenings of their previous series, and hoped their opponents would be able to do the same

Liam Brickhill30-Oct-2018Amid the soul-searching around the results of Australia’s Longstaff review, visiting South Africa coach Ottis Gibson pointed to something that was lost in the unfolding uproar since the cataclysmic ball-tampering incident at Newlands in March. When all eyes are focused on events happening off the field, no-one’s talking about the actual cricket.”It’s disappointing when cricket gets lost among all the other stuff, because at the end of the day that’s why we’re all here: to play some cricket,” Gibson said. “When you look at the cricket that was played in that series, after every game there was some sort of incident and the standard of cricket never got mentioned. I thought in the first Test in Durban, [Mitchell] Starc was fantastic and bowled really well. In Port Elizabeth, we were backs against the wall and AB de Villiers makes a brilliant hundred, then you had another incident at the end of that game.”The independent review has suggested that a bullying corporate culture within Cricket Australia contributed to the errant player behaviour that came to a head during a bad-tempered series. Gibson also pointed out another truth that doesn’t fit within an ultra-competitive, win-at-all-costs mindset: ultimately, it’s just a game.”Guys are making friends and playing together in other teams around the world. So when it comes to playing for the national team, you don’t expect them to take that friendship onto the field, but obviously, you don’t want it to boil over into some of the shoulder brushing and all the stuff that happened in South Africa. It’s just a game,” he said, repeating: “It’s just a game”.Gibson refuted the suggestion that there had been especially intense scrutiny of Australia’s handling of the ball during that series, saying that South Africa were well aware that the ball “is being followed all the time”, even before the infamous Cape Town Test. “The international game now, the way cricket is going even in the IPL and other leagues, there’s so much television and so much coverage that the ball is being followed all the time, is what we’ve been told, even before the Cape Town [Test]. So it just seemed like a silly thing to do, bearing in mind the number of cameras and the number of eyes that are on the game at the moment.”We moved on a long time ago. It happened many months ago now. Obviously, it shouldn’t have happened, we all accept that it shouldn’t have happened.”While South Africa might have moved on, that hasn’t been possible for their hosts. The Australian Cricketers Association has reiterated its call for a reconsideration of the harshness of penalties handed down to Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft in light of the findings of the review. Gibson said that hindsight might have changed perceptions about the players’ bans, adding that culpability must fall to CA to decide whether the punishment still fits the crime.”What happened called for strong action and, I guess, that’s what the people who made the decision at the time thought was strong enough,” Gibson said. “Now we’re six months down the road, and everybody has had a bit of time to step back and see what’s going on, and obviously, some people think that it has been too harsh. But was that their same opinion six months ago when it all unfolded? Hindsight gives us the opportunity to step back and look at things, but what happened shouldn’t have happened, and therefore, it called for an action and that’s the action that was taken. It’s up to those people to decide whether it’s too harsh.”Gibson empathised with Australia coach Justin Langer, and admitted that the team South Africa will face in three ODIs and a T20I over the next two-and-a-half weeks have “had their issues”.”It’s been well-documented, and still being documented even now. I’m sure Justin Langer and his coaching team would like to put it all behind them and focus on cricket, and that’s what we’ll be focusing on.”Gibson’s squad has been in Australia preparing for nearly a week, and their tour match against a Prime Minister’s XI will be their first – and only – opportunity for some time in the middle before the opening ODI in Perth on Sunday.”We have had a couple of good days in Perth and we are looking forward to this game,” he said. “It is our first actual match, the guys get tired of net sessions, so we want to get out in the middle.”South Africa are without the experienced pair of Hashim Amla and JP Duminy for this series, with both recovering from injuries, and while they used their limited-overs games against Zimbabwe earlier this month to field-test new options, these ODIs against Australia signal the start of an important next phase of their preparation for the World Cup.”We are halfway to our preparation for the World Cup, that is what we are focusing on,” Gibson said. “This is the next step on that World Cup journey. We have been trying to play a certain brand of cricket, a little bit more positive and aggressive, and we would like to test that out.”The team that Australia has put out, despite what is going on off the field, we have to respect them. They still have quality players. This will be an opportunity for us to test ourselves against them and to see where we are.”

Manchester United have initiated contact to enquire about a deal to sign a new central midfielder who could replace Casemiro, according to a fresh report.

Casemiro could leave Man Utd in 2024

Despite only joining the club last summer from Real Madrid, Casemiro is currently facing an uncertain future after his poor start to the new season in the Premier League because he has emerged as a serious target for the Saudi Pro League. The Red Devils aren’t actively looking to sanction his sale, as per the same above outlet, but it’s claimed that chiefs would be open to a deal if they received an offer that would see them get their money back, so this could be one to watch in the coming months.

Should he depart, Erik ten Hag will have to enter the market to search for a suitable replacement in defensive midfield, and it appears that he’s identified Fluminense’s Andre as a potential candidate, despite him having three years remaining on his deal (Fluminense contracts).

The Brazilian has firmly established himself as Fernando Diniz’s top-performing defensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Fluminense statistics), and the 22-year-old’s impressive form has caught the eye of the hierarchy at Old Trafford.

Man United make first move for Andre

According to Football Transfers, Man United have held preliminary discussions for Andre and have made Fluminense aware of their admiration for their prized asset, despite the fact the details of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's takeover are still yet to be confirmed.

"Manchester United have made an approach for Fluminense midfielder Andre amid talks that Casemiro is set for an exit next year, FootballTransfers can reveal. Premier League clubs have spoken to the Copa Libertadores champions over a move for the 22-year-old, though no proposal has been forthcoming just yet.

"Man Utd's immediate future in terms of who will be driving recruitment looks uncertain amid the looming 25 percent takeover of Sir Jim Ratcliffe of Ineos, but we understand that Red Devils executives have made their interest known to Fluminense over a possible move."

Andre could be Ten Hag's new "leader"

With Andre’s natural role being to protect the defensive backline, he’s much stronger in that aspect of his game having won 35 out of his 49 tackles made so far this season, which is the highest total and best success rate throughout the whole of his squad (FBRef – Fluminense statistics).

Sponsored by Nike, Diniz’s £25k-per-week earner (Fluminense salaries), is also extremely calm and composed in possession, as he’s currently recording a 94.6% pass success rate (WhoScored – Andre statistics), highlighting his ability to dictate the game on the ball.

Passing

Aerial duels

Dribbling

(Data via WhoScored)

Through balls

Andre has been described as a “leader” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig and there’s no doubt that his authoritative qualities recently helped his side win the Copa Libertadores trophy (Transfermarkt – Andre statistics), so for such a well-rounded player, he could be a fantastic recruit for Man United should he put pen to paper.