After clinching a 4-1 series win in the one-day leg, India A have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Test series, courtesy Priyank Panchal’s twin fifties

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2019

KCA

After clinching a 4-1 series win in the one-day leg of the tour, India A have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match unofficial Test series against West Indies A. The visitors sealed a seven-wicket win with a resounding bowling performance despite conceding a 128-run lead in the first innings. India A then went on to chase 278 for the loss of only three wickets with half-centuries from Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Anmolpreet Singh.Panchal was the top-scorer of the match, following up on his first-innings 58 with a 68 in the second dig. During the chase, he stitched together a 150-run opening stand with Agarwal whose 81 featured 10 fours. The duo fell within the space of five overs and No. 4 Hanuma Vihari followed suit, falling for 1, but an unbroken 100-run stand between Easwaran and Anmolpreet, who struck 59 and 51 respectively, blunted the West Indies A attack and helped wrap up the win.Chemar Holder, the pick of the West Indies attack, took 2 for 51 in the second innings to add to his first-innings returns of 5 for 54, his second first-class five-wicket haul. In the first innings, the right-arm fast bowler ran through the India A top five as they rolled over for 190, with Easwaran, Vihari and Anmolpreet falling for ducks. Save for Panchal, and No. 7 Shivam Dube (79 off 85), no India A batsman could go past 20. Holder was ably supported by fellow quicks Romario Shepherd and Raymon Reifer, who bagged three and two wickets respectively. This was in reply to the hosts’ 318, which they put together on the back of half-centuries from Montcin Hodge, Shamarh Brooks and Rahkeem Cornwall, who scored an unbeaten 56 at No. 8. Mohammed Siraj and Mayank Markande took three wickets each.West Indies A, however, could only add 149 to their lead as offspinner K Gowtham, who went wicketless in the first four-dayer, took 5 for 17 in only 7.5 overs, helping skittle out the home side inside 40 overs. The early damage, however, was done by Sandeep Warrier, who reduced the opposition to 12 for 4 in the sixth over. Had it not been for Sunil Ambris’ 71 and Jermaine Blackwood’s 31, the hosts might have struggled to put on a competitive total.

Those who witnessed Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc in tandem at Worcester got confirmation – if no actual match play evidence – that the former fast man is better suited to Australia’s Ashes plan than the latter as the right armer was included in the team for the Lord’s Test in place of the rested James Pattinson.Starc’s expensive first spell in the tour game, bowling four overs at a cost of 27 albeit with one wicket, provided a reminder of the regular boundary release balls he is always in danger of bowling in England, while Hazlewood’s far more economical effort (4-2-2-2) in the same passage of play late on day one offered all the evidence the tour selectors required to choose him once it became clear that Pattinson still had some residual stiffness from his Edgbaston efforts.”He’s got an outstanding record. He’s built up over the past few months,” Langer said of Hazlewood. “He missed out on the World Cup because we felt he hadn’t played much cricket. We know he’s an outstanding bowler, we know that the style of play against England that his best he should execute those plans really well. He has bowled well the last couple of weeks and we hope he does a good job this Test match.”Just the style of play we want to play here against England, he hits a great length, he’s usually pretty miserly with his economy rate, that’s what gave him the edge in this game. Don’t get me wrong, it was a hard decision. If it comes off we know what we are doing, if it doesn’t we don’t, that’s just the business we are in. It was a tough call.”Less demanding was the discussion with Pattinson that led to his resting, after prior history indicating that asking the 29-year-old to play two Tests in a row can often have highly damaging consequences.Tellingly, Langer indicated that Pattinson needed some assuaging of his own doubts about how he had been managed in the past.”We collaborated on that one,” Langer said. “And I think it’s been important for him in his return to cricket, I think in the past he’s felt a bit that he had to play and had to play and had to push and had to push and in those instances he usually broke at some point. It was really good collaboration between the two of us, that was our deal in Hampshire when we talked about what his progress would be at Notts and we have had really good communication with Notts as well so yeah he’s fine.”We talked about it. He was a little bit stiff after bowling on Monday morning. We knew he would only bowl one of the two back to back games, and whilst he’s had eight or nine days, we knew he couldn’t play back to back Test matches. We just felt that having pulled up a little stiff after bowling and we thought it would be common sense to keep getting himself hungry and prepared for the third Test.”ALSO READ: Langer lauds fast-bowling depth but warns against complacencyThe Pattinson example may be part of a wider evolution of fast bowler management in Australia, coinciding as it does with the appointment of two new Cricket Australia team performance chiefs in Ben Oliver (national teams) and Drew Ginn (high performance). Their predecessor Pat Howard helped advance the conversation on how to manage fast bowlers in the face of plenty of criticism, and a deep Ashes squad of six pacemen capable of being rotated according to fitness and match conditions is part of his legacy.”It’s the first time in however long I’ve been coaching that we’ve actually had the luxury of having six high class fast bowlers fit up and running,” Langer said. “We’re lucky to have the situation to be able to do that but it doesn’t happen very often. That’s the truth, and maybe that’s why a number of bowlers break down over time, because you’ve got to keep pushing and pushing and pushing, particularly in series, particularly with the schedules as they are now.”We’ve got five Test matches in six weeks, plus a couple of county games in between, so if you have got guys fit you’re not constantly pushing them, which ultimately leads to breaking them and with the unnatural action of a bowler, if you keep doing the same thing over and over, history will tell you that’s what happens. So if we’re lucky enough to have guys we can keep bringing in and out and firing, that’s a real luxury to have.”Tim Paine prepares for the toss-that-wasn’t•Getty Images

As for the first day one of an Ashes Test to be abandoned without a ball bowled since the 1998 Boxing Day Test at the MCG, and the first at Lord’s since 1997, Langer said the awkwardness of a possible toss of the coin at 3pm had raised some intriguing conversation.”We had a joke there for a moment, if the captain tosses the coin and he wins the toss can he ask the opposition to make the choice,” Langer said. “I think we decided you can’t do that. A couple of the umpires weren’t sure, but they checked for us, but you have to make a decisions. It is going to be a tough call. Today would have been tough, we knew there was a bit of rain around, some overhead conditions, the grass is wet and knowing the Dukes ball gets a bit soft when it gets a bit wet. Lucky Tim didn’t have to make the decision. We’ll see how it pulls up but it looks like a pretty good cricket wicket. Quite dry through underneath.”At this stage we’ll only lose two hours in the Test match so it won’t affect too much. Depending on weather, which we can’t control, we’ll still, there’s plenty of time. Two hours in the Test match isn’t much in the overall, in the bigger picture of it. There’ll be longer sessions we’re going to have to deal with but our guys have said all along we have to keep adapting and be ready with whatever the conditions or the situation of the game throws up at us.”

Romania's Euro 2024 campaign is off to a stunning start as they ran out 3-0 winners against Ukraine – with a bit of help from goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.

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Stanciu stunner opens scoringRomania go on to claim big winLunin at fault for two goalsGettyTELL ME MORE

The goalkeeper had a vital role in the game, but not in the way he would have wanted as he put Romania in the ascendancy in the first half despite his Ukraine dominating possession with 76 per cent in the first 30 minutes. Lunin's terrible clearance fell to Dennis Man outside the box and he squared it to Nicolae Stanciu for the captain to send it sailing into the top corner with a perfect finish.

Ukraine pushed forward after the opener but were unable to get a dangerous shot off and ended up finishing the half without a shot on target. Instead, it was Romania who came closest again as Denis Dragus' long-range effort was knocked wide of the post. His team almost netted another stupendous goal when the subsequent corner caught Lunin off guard and hit the woodwork.

Eight minutes into the second half, Romania doubled their lead when a challenge saw the ball fall in front of Razvan Marin and he smashed it first time from outside the box, sending it low under the hands of Lunin and into the bottom corner.

The fun kept coming for Romania after that. They were full of confidence against a Ukraine team whose belief had plummeted and before long it was 3-0 as Man's low ball into the middle of the box was diverted in by Dragus.

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Dennis Man is the first Romania player to provide two assists in a game at a major tournament since national hero Gheorghe Hagi did so against Colombia in the 1994 World Cup. Also, this game is just the second in which Romania have scored two or more goals in a game at a European Championship, having previously done so in a 3-2 win against England at Euro 2000.

GettyTHE MVP

Parma forward Man was a vital figure in Romania's impressive victory. Not only did he set up the first goal, he jinked his way into the Ukraine box and laid off a perfect pass to Dragus to knock home the third and truly wrap up the win. His movement into the box helped Romania find a way to threaten the Ukraine goal throughout the match.

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GettyTHE BIG LOSER

Despite coming off the back of a fine season in which he won La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid, Ukraine goalkeeper Lunin could hardly have had a worse opening game to Euro 2024. He needlessly gave away the ball to provide Romania with the chance to go ahead through Stanciu's stunner and then let the ball slip below his hands to put Romania well and truly in the driving seat of this game.

عبر جناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي إنتر ميامي، ليونيل ميسي، عن سعادته الكبيرة بعد حصد درع المشجعين في الدوري الأمريكي. 

وقاد ميسي وزميله، لويس سواريز، إنتر ميامي للفوز بالبطولة بعد التغلب صباح اليوم، الخميس، على كولومبوس كرو بنتيجة 3-2.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيديو | رسالة مؤثرة من ميسي لـ سواريز بعد اعتزاله دوليًا

وتحدث ميسي مع تطبيق “Apple TV” بعد نهاية المباراة، وقال: “سعيد للغاية لأننا حققنا هذا الإنجاز”.

وتابع: “في بداية العام، كنا نعلم أن لدينا مجموعة من اللاعبين القادرة على القتال من أجل تحقيق الدرع”.

وأضاف: “لقد تولينا مسئولية المنافسة على اللقب منذ بداية العام، لذلك أنا سعيد بتحقيق هدفنا الأول هذا الموسم ونبحث عن المزيد”.

وواصل تصريحاته: “منذ وصول المدرب تاتا مارتينو ونحن اللاعبين مثل جوردي ألبا، لويس سواريز، سيرجيو بوسكيتس كانت الفكرة الواضحة أن نكون أبطالًا لتلك البطولة”.

واختتم: “نجيد الاستحواذ على الكرة ونخلق العديد من الفرص على مرمى المنافس، أصبحت هناك شخصية قوية للفريق”.

Southampton have made a move for a "fantastic" Premier League player as the transfer deadline looms next week, according to an update from Sky Sports presenter Mark McAdam.

Southampton transfer news

Saints have been linked with a host of different players in the January transfer window, as Russell Martin looks to bring in individuals who can give his side the best chance of being promoted from the Championship this season.

One exciting report has claimed that Southampton are looking to make an audacious move for Juventus ace Matias Soule, although a move to St Mary's would arguably be a surprise. Meanwhile, West Ham defender Ben Johnson has emerged as a potential replacement for Kyle Walker-Peters, should the Saints right-back join a Premier League club this month.

Burnley attacker Manuel Benson is another player who has been tipped to seal a switch to Saints, and the same applies to young Porto midfielder Ussumane Djalo.

It would certainly be a surprise if new faces didn't arrive between now and the end of the current transfer window, and it looks as though Southampton have made further efforts to bring in one of their aforementioned targets.

Southampton make move for Manuel Benson

According to Sky's McAdam, speaking on X, Southampton have made an approach for Burnley ace Benson, as they look to get a deal over the line before the end of the month.

"Southampton have approached Burnley over the signing of winger Manuel Benson. The Championship club are looking to add a wide forward to their squad this month and Benson has had a limited role in the Premier League this season. Leeds also keen on the player."

Benson could be a brilliant addition by Southampton in January, and if they managed to beat Leeds United to his signature it would be an added bonus, considering the Whites are promotion rivals this season. This update comes as such a relief, too, seeing as a recent report suggested the move could fall through because of a potential hijack from other clubs.

The 26-year-old has admittedly found it really tough to make an impression in the Premier League for Burnley this season, only starting once in the competition, but he has shown what a force he can be in the Championship in the past, scoring 11 goals and registering three assists in 2022/23, helping the Clarets win the title.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has praised him as well, describing him as "fantastic", and he could provide Martin with that extra bit of quality in attacking areas.

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At 26 years of age, Benson is at a good point in his career to come in and make an immediate impression, remaining in and around his best for the foreseeable future. The fact that he is barely playing for Burnley also means that he will surely be desperate for a new challenge, not wanting to waste some of the best years of his career.

One Rangers player is reportedly looking to leave Ibrox at the end of the season and can actually secure his next move now.

Rangers January transfer window

Philippe Clement’s first transfer window as Rangers boss ended up being a productive one, with three new players being brought in on loan.

Fabio Silva, Mohamed Diomande and Oscar Cortes joined from Wolves, Nordsjaelland and Lens respectively, whereas Sam Lammers, Jose Cifuentes and Adam Devine headed out on temporary deals until the end of the season. Talking about the club’s business last month, Clement seemed fairly happy, saying:

“Great and I'm happy that it's finished and we know what the squad is to go on for the next four months. It's almost going to be a sprint now in the next four months with a lot of games and we know what the squad is.

“We adjusted a few things to get balance in the squad, we added some young and talented players who can raise their game here and add value to the club and also, in the future, to bring more money into the club. It's not the main concern, the main concern is to get results but with a good business plan.”

As we know, Rangers are pushing rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership, while also still being in the Europa League and Scottish Cup following their League Cup triumph.

It looks set to be a frantic final few months of the season, however, it seems as if one player already has his mind on a move away from Glasgow.

Borna Barisic transfer update

According to Football Insider in the last 48 hours, left-back Borna Barisic is on course to leave Ibrox for free at the end of the current campaign and already appears to have his eye on a “bigger deal” elsewhere.

“Rangers left-back Borna Barisic is ready to quit the club this summer when his contract comes to an end, sources have told Football Insider. The 31-year-old’s deal is up in May and he is now looking to take advantage of his free agent status in the off-season. Barisic is aware he can get a bigger deal elsewhere if he leaves Ibrox for free.”

Barisic has been at Rangers since 2018 and enjoyed plenty of success at Ibrox, but it looks as if his days in Scotland are now numbered.

Borna Barisic Rangers stats

Appearances

228

Goals

10

Assists

54

Borna Barisic Rangers honours

Scottish Premiership

1

Scottish Cup

1

Scottish League Cup

1

He’s previously come in for praise from former managers Steven Gerrard and Michael Beale, with Gerrard saying: "Borna was outstanding last night, he is the Croatian left-back and he is used to these high-pressure games. "He is very highly respected by the staff and in the dressing room."

Beale said last year: “I think Borna must have sensed he [Yilmaz] was getting fit because Borna has been consistently our strongest player over the last few weeks.”

The tables have turned and Ridvan Yilmaz is first choice under Clement, and with links to left-back Jefte not going away, losing Barisic might not be the end of the world for Rangers.

Manchester United have already looked a couple of Brighton players during Erik ten Hag's reign, only to lose out to their Premier League rivals in the end. The Red Devils held a long-standing interest in Moises Caicedo, but he wound up joining Chelsea for the most expensive fee in the competition's history.

United were also keen to sign his midfield partner Alexis Mac Allister, but the Argentine ultimately chose to join arch-rivals Liverpool instead, forcing Ten Hag to explore alternative targets.

Another Seagulls star who has plenty of admirers at Old Trafford is wide player Kaoru Mitoma, and the race to sign him is very much on. United are one of the sides in contention, but they face plenty of competition for the deal.

Osman deal could free up Mitoma

According to reports in Spain, Brighton will consider offers for Man Utd target Mitoma after signing Ibrahim Osman from Nordsjaelland for £16m ahead of the summer. Osman's arrival apparently "opens up the possibility" of Mitoma moving on in the off-season, a "boost" for suitors like United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Brighton are expected to demand €60m (about £51m) to part with Mitoma, a fee that may be beyond another interested party in Barcelona. The Blaugrana had hoped to use Ansu Fati, who's currently on loan at the Amex Stadium, as a bargaining chip, but Osman is already there to fill the void.

Mitoma would be amazing signing for Man Utd

Mitoma joined Brighton from Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale in 2021 and spent the following season on loan at Union SG in Belgium before Roberto De Zerbi unleashed him upon the Premier League last term. He would score ten goals and notch eight assists in 41 games all competitions, and he'll be aiming for similar numbers by the end of the current campaign (with three goals and six assists on the board already).

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Named Japan's player of the year for the past two years, Mitoma is one of the most effective dribblers in European football right now. As you can see in the table below, he ranks fifth in the big five leagues for carries into the penalty area this season (57), despite missing the last five games because of injury and his participation in the Asian Cup.

Rank

Player

Club

Carries

1

Jeremy Doku

Man City

84

2

Dejan Kulusevski

Spurs

66

3

Gabriel Martinelli

Arsenal

60

=3

Rodrygo

Real Madrid

60

5

Kaoru Mitoma

Brighton

57

"I have no words left for Mitoma," De Zerbi said in the autumn. "He's really underrated but trust me, he's so so underrated. The world of football hasn't understood the value of Mitoma. He can be an incredible player for any manager, not just for me. He's insane."

£51m would represent a huge bargain for a player with this level of ability, and, given that Mitoma is already proven in English football, it would also be the perfect deal to launch the Jim Ratcliffe era at Old Trafford.

CSA also name a mix of experienced and upcoming players for spin camp in India

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2019Rassie van der Dussen has earned a Cricket South Africa contract for the 2019-20 season, having met the criteria to qualify during South Africa’s World Cup 2019 campaign.In an otherwise lacklustre campaign, van der Dussen was among South Africa’s bright spots, scoring 311 runs at an average of 62.20 and a strike rate of 90.40. He will become the 17th player on a national contract, taking the spot left vacant following Duanne Olivier’s decision to take the Kolpak route.In the women’s team, wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta is one point away from qualifying for a full 12-month contract. She could earn that point if she is selected for the women’s upcoming tour of India in September and plays in at least one match.”Rassie’s promotion is thoroughly justified on the back of a brilliant debut season at international level and has also served as an inspiration to all aspiring cricketers at domestic level of what can be achieved by showing top-class form on a consistent basis,” CSA chief Thabang Moroe said.Spin camp in India
South Africa will also be sending several players, including those who have played for the national team and those who are viewed as potential candidates, to a spin camp that will take place in Bengaluru from August 17 to 23. Both South Africa A and the national team will be touring India in the final quarter of the year. But Moroe indicated that the move to familiarise themselves with subcontinent conditions was also keeping in mind the long term, with the 2023 World Cup scheduled in India.The group of players includes Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma and Dane Piedt, who will be accompanied by a number of coaches and technical staff. Former national coach and current South Africa A coach Russell Domingo will head the support staff, and he’ll have former players Ashwell Prince and Paul Adams as batting and spin consultants with him.”We have identified Aiden Markram, Zubayr Hamza and Temba Bavuma as key Proteas batsmen to benefit from this project and we have also included some of our potential stars of the future such as Janneman Malan and Sinethemba Qeshile, who have already both played for the Proteas, as well as Matthew Breetzke,” Moroe said.”The batting group is completed by two of our most consistent runs scorers in franchise cricket in Pieter Malan and Edward Moore. The bowling group is headed by the experience of Dane Piedt and includes highly promising talents, among them being Bjorn Fortuin, Tsepo Ndwandwa and Senuran Muthusamy.”It is a fact that most international cricket is played on the subcontinent these days and we have to look ahead not only to the tours on the immediate horizon but the next edition of the World Cup in India in 2023.”Batsmen for spin camp: Aiden Markram, Janneman Malan, Zubayr Hamza, Matthew Breetzke, Sinethemba Qeshile, Edward Moore, Temba Bavuma, Pieter Malan.Bowlers for spin camp: Dane Piedt, Bjorn Fortuin, Tsepo Ndwandwa, Senuran Muthusamy, Thomas Kaber, Dyllan Mathews, George Linde.Support staff for spin camp: Russell Domingo (South Africa A coach), Ashwell Prince (batting consultant), Paul Adams (spin consultant), Sidwe Hadebe (physio), Vincent Barnes (high performance manager).

Derby County will have been relieved to finally come out the other side of a blip in form last match, scraping past a dogged Cheltenham Town side 2-1 courtesy of a late James Collins goal.

This was a crucial victory for Paul Warne's men to get on the board in their continued aspirations to break into the automatic promotion spots come the end of the campaign, the ambitious Rams now just three points off Portsmouth at the top of League One.

Regardless of getting back on track in the league this weekend with a win, Derby will still want to bolster up top especially with a worrying injury development coming out of Pride Park weakening Warne's men going forward.

Derby going after former League One promotion winner

With young Arsenal recruit Tyreece John-Jules potentially needing surgery after picking up an untimely hamstring injury versus Lincoln City recently – Warne even commenting that the injury blow has 'destroyed' the up-and-coming striker – the Rams are now arguably light on numbers in the striker positions.

Showing flickers of his immense quality with two strikes registered in a Derby strip, which has seen the 22-year-old striker score goals for fun at U23 level back in north London, this is a disorientating blow at Pride Park that will hopefully be swiftly put to one side by the third tier outfit swooping back in for long-term target Michael Smith.

With the stumbling block between Sheffield Wednesday and Derby seemingly centring on the nature of the deal – the Rams only wanting Smith to come in and be a short-term hero on loan – this is a move that could well be finally completed on deadline day or agonisingly falls through at the death.

If the first option comes to fruition, the current Owls man could add another promotion to the Championship onto his resume at Derby with the 32-year-old attacker a lethal finisher at the level.

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ByCharlie Smith Feb 1, 2024 How Smith slots into the Derby team

Warne would have to slightly tweak with his formation if Smith was to finally arrive on the scene, with John-Jules operating more as a second striker compared to Smith's prowess as an out-and-out centre-forward.

Derby won't complain about having to make a slight change, however, with Smith and James Collins potentially forming a terrifying strike partnership to fire the Rams to promotion.

Scoring 75 times in League One across his esteemed career to date, Collins equally as potent with 69 strikes next to his name, the current Owls man could more than make up for the loss of the injury-stricken John-Jules by making goalscoring look effortless again on his return to the division.

Once described as a "game-changer" style figure by ex-Wednesday boss Darren Moore, a successful deal for Smith this window could really give the Rams an edge in the ongoing promotion fight at the top of League One.

A star previously in the third tier under current Derby manager Warne when the pair were both at Rotherham United, the 32-year-old bagging 33 goals along the way to two promotions with the Millers, this match made in heaven could prove to be fruitful again as Derby prepare to do everything in their power to try and break out of League One.

Last time out, Chelsea picked up an extremely impressive 3-1 victory at Villa Park.

Mauricio Pochettino will be delighted with the way his side bounced back from their 4-2 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, and he will hope to build on that performance.

This time around, Chelsea travels to Selhurst Park on Monday, where they will face a struggling Crystal Palace.

The pressure to perform consistently is increasing on the Blues, and therefore, this is a must-win game.

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Minimal changes to the starting XI are expected to occur, but let's take a look at who the Argentine could put his trust in from the off.

1 GK – Dorde Petrovic

With Robert Sanchez still out injured, Dorde Petrovic will continue in between the sticks for the 14th consecutive game.

2 RB – Malo Gusto

Malo Gusto has been a liability at times in defence this season, as highlighted by the penalty he conceded versus Wolves.

However, he showed his quality going forward against Aston Villa as he picked up an assist.

3 CB – Axel Disasi

The French defender scored an own goal last weekend, but he will start once again.

Axel Disasi has been one of the most reliable defenders for Pochettino, starting 21 games in the league already.

4 CB – Thiago Silva

39-year-old Thiago Silva will return to the side on Monday.

The Brazilian is set to replace Benoit Badiashile in the starting lineup, who picked up a groin injury in the week.

5 LB – Ben Chilwell

Levi Colwill is in contention to return, but Ben Chilwell should continue to captain the side at left back.

6 DM – Moises Caicedo

Moses Caicedo has started 18 Premier League matches this season, and he will look to boss the midfield again.

In the week, the 22-year-old had an 95% pass accuracy, and his control will be needed against the Eagles.

7 DM – Enzo Fernandez

Enzo Fernandez will continue to partner the Ecuadorian in the middle of the park, and he will make his 19th start of the campaign.

The Argentine also scored an unstoppable free-kick against Villa in what was one of his best displays since signing for the club from Benfica.

8 RW – Cole Palmer

Cole Palmer has been Chelsea's best player this season by a mile, and Pochettino cannot afford to bench him.

In the league, the former Manchester City gem has netted ten goals and provided four assists in 15 starts.

9 AM – Conor Gallagher

The midfield three will remain unchanged from Wednesday, with Conor Gallagher completing the trio.

The former Eagle scored his first goal of the season against Villa, and he has played every game bar one this season due to suspension.

10 LW – Nicolas Jackson

Nicolas Jackson is a striker by trade, but he was impressive off the left against Villa, scoring and making four key passes.

The 22-year-old has also netted seven goals in 16 Premier League starts this campaign.