يشهد فجر الإثنين الموافق 20 أكتوبر، موقعة كروية من العيار الثقيل، حيث يلتقي منتخب المغرب تحت 20 عامًا بنظيره منتخب الأرجنتين في نهائي بطولة كأس العالم للشباب 2025 المقامة في تشيلي.
تنطلق صافرة بداية المباراة فجر الإثنين في تمام الساعة الثانية صباحًا بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وفي تمام الساعة الثانية عشر منتصف الليل بتوقيت المغرب.
وكان المنتخب المغربي قد تأهل إلى المباراة النهائية بعد مشوار مميز، حيث تصدر مجموعته برصيد 6 نقاط، ثم تخطى عقبة كوريا الجنوبية في ثمن النهائي (2-1)، وفاز على أمريكا في ربع النهائي (3-1)، قبل أن ينتصر على فرنسا بركلات الترجيح في نصف النهائي.
طالع أيضًا | ليكيب: المغرب أضاع حلم فرنسا في كأس العالم للشباب.. ويجب الندم
على الجانب الآخر، وصل منتخب الأرجنتين، بقيادة نجومه الشباب، إلى النهائي بعد صعوده بالعلامة الكاملة من دور المجموعات، ثم اكتسح نيجيريا برباعية نظيفة في دور الـ 16، وهزم المكسيك بثنائية في ربع النهائي، ليقصي كولومبيا في مباراة نصف النهائي الثاني.
ويسعى المنتخب المغربي لتحقيق إنجاز تاريخي بالتغلب على الأرجنتين والتتويج بلقب بطولة كأس العالم للشباب تحت 20 عامًا. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة المغرب والأرجنتين اليوم
وتُذاع المباراة عبر قناة “بي إن سبورت” المفتوحة على قمر النايل سات، وأيضًا قناة الرياضية المغربية الأرضية “TNT”.
ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث المباراة لحظة بلحظة من خلال الضغط هنـــــا
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has claimed one player is “not good enough” and part of a “massive problem” after the 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
Man Utd fall to 14th after Manchester derby defeat
It was always going to be a difficult task for Man United to get something from Sunday’s game, but the manner of the defeat is likely to be particularly concerning, with Ruben Amorim’s side suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Manchester City.
Speaking after the game, Paul Scholes suggested a simple lack of quality on United’s behalf was the difference between the two sides, with the club legend particularly critical of the midfield.
Scholes said: “I don’t think the quality is there. “Whatever two out of the four or five they have got in [midfield] – Casemiro, Bruno [Fernandes], [Kobbie] Mainoo – whatever combination he seems to try doesn’t seem to work.
“That’s a big issue. I thought all summer the absolute priority was a centre midfield player with legs, who can play and can control a game.”
With the Red Devils falling to 14th after the heavy defeat, Neville was also left unimpressed, and the former right-back singled out a midfielder for criticism on his podcast after the match (via GiveMeSport).
The Sky Sports pundit said: “The midfield is a massive problem, and we’ve known that. United fans know that. Ugarte And Fernandes today, I think you mentioned it early, about an hour before the game, that Ugarte and Fernandes played in this fixture last year from start to finish, and United won the game, but Ugarte is not good enough.”
It's not Sesko: £25m Man Utd flop is quickly becoming Amorim's new Hojlund
Manchester United were thrashed by their city rivals to increase the pressure on Ruben Amorim.
ByAngus Sinclair Sep 15, 2025 Ugarte fails to impress once again
Unfortunately for Amorim, Ugarte seems to be yet another player who has failed to adapt to life at Man United, despite exhibiting very promising signs before making the move to Old Trafford.
In fairness, the Uruguayan wasn’t one of the worst performers for Amorim’s side on Sunday, receiving a SofaScore match rating of 6.8, but he struggled to have any real impact on the match, being dribbled past on one occasion and losing possession eight times.
Neville is not the only person to have called out the £120k-a-week midfielder this season either, with football writer Muhammad Butt very critical of the 24-year-old’s performance in the embarrassing EFL Cup defeat at the hands of Grimsby Town.
As such, it is little wonder Man United are looking to strengthen their midfield in January, with Al-Hilal’s Ruben Neves and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba among the targets.
The 38-year-old thought he would finish his career at NSW having played the last two seasons there but returns to Tasmania, where he played most of his career
Alex Malcolm10-Apr-2025
Jackson Bird will play for Tasmania again in 2025-26•Getty Images
Jackson Bird will return to Tasmania for one more Sheffield Shield season after thinking his career was going to finish with New South Wales.Bird, 38, started his Shield career in Tasmania way back in 2011-12 having moved down from NSW to begin a career that saw him play nine Tests for Australia.He returned to NSW two seasons ago with a view to finishing his career in Sydney. He took 34 wickets at 17.20 in seven games last season to finish fourth among the Shield’s leading wicket-takers for the summer. He will now get the chance to finish career where he started in Hobart.Related
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“Two years ago, I probably didn’t think I would get the opportunity to play for Tassie again,” Bird said. “I am really grateful to be able to come back here and finish my career with Tassie after spending so many years here.”Bird is one of only five bowlers in Shield history to have taken 400 wickets and is only 35 wickets shy of going second on the all-time list while he is seven games away from playing 100 Shield matches. He is already Tasmania’s all-time leading wicket-taker in Shield cricket with 350 and will likely add more.Tasmania’s high-performance manager Salliann Beams said Bird’s return would be invaluable for Tasmania after they had injury issues among their fast-bowling ranks last year, and also lost star allrounder Beau Webster to Test duty at key times.”I’m so pleased we’ve been able to find a role for Jackson that has been mutually beneficial,” Beams said. “His talent and bowling expertise around our group once again should excite all of Tasmanian cricket.”Our bowling stocks were tested last season through injury, and the experience of Jackson will give us another reliable option in a bowling line up, while being able to provide his mentorship to a bowling group that has an exciting future.”Tasmania have signed tall left-arm quick Marcus Bean after his surprise emergence in the BBL for Hobart Hurricanes while Riley Meredith has also signed a new deal to remain with Tasmania after being linked with a move to Victoria.
As it is every year, this summer has been a hectic one for Chelsea.
On top of winning the Club World Cup and making a reasonably good start to their Premier League campaign, the Blues have been very active in the transfer market.
The board has backed Enzo Maresca with several exciting additions, including Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, and Liam Delap.
However, much to the disappointment of some fans, they do appear to have missed out on Xavi Simons, although if reports are to be believed, they’re now targeting someone who’d be an even better signing.
Chelsea target better signing than Simons
Chelsea have been involved in several transfer sagas this summer, and one of the most protracted concerned Simons, who at one point looked destined to join the club.
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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
However, after waiting for months and then finding out the Blues weren’t all that sold on him, the RB Leipzig gem decided to move to Tottenham Hotspur and put pen to paper on a seven-year contract.
Now, some sections of the fanbase are understandably upset about seeing such a talented player join their rivals, but it now looks like the West Londoners are eyeing an even better signing.
RB Leipzig'sXaviSimonsreacts after the match
At least that is according to Ben Jacobs, who has claimed Chelsea are interested in Adam Wharton.
The journalist has revealed that the Crystal Palace gem is now on the club’s list of targets, but that he will be incredibly difficult to sign this summer.
Moreover, reports from earlier this summer claimed that it could cost as much as £100m to get him out of Selhurst Park this year.
With that said, even if Chelsea have to wait a year, Wharton would be an incredible pick up and a better signing than Simons.
Why Wharton would be a better signing than Simons
So, the first reason Wharton would be a better signing than Simons for Chelsea, and a hugely significant one, is that he’s already proven in the Premier League.
Despite still being only 21 years old, the “generational” talent, as dubbed by Matthew Stanger, has already made 38 appearances in the competition and looked like he belonged from the very first one.
Now, it is undoubtedly the case that the Dutchman has more top-flight experience under his belt, but that has come in leagues which are considered to be significantly weaker.
For example, Opta Analyst ranks the English top-flight as the toughest in the world, by quite some margin.
At the same time, the Bundesliga ranks fourth, Ligue 1 fifth, and the Dutch Eredivisie tenth, trailing the Brazilian, Belgian, and Portuguese top flights.
In other words, we know that the former Blackburn Rovers gem is more than capable of becoming a superstar in the Premier League, which cannot be said about the former PSV Eindhoven ace, especially when numerous players have looked outstanding in Germany but flopped in England, such as Timo Werner.
Finally, when you step back and take a look under the hood, the already-capped international’s underlying numbers scream that he’s destined for greatness.
According to FBref, he ranks in the top 5% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for expected goals and ball recoveries, the top 7% for crosses into the penalty area, the top 8% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for key passes and more, all per 90.
Not only are these numbers elite, but they paint a picture of an all-action midfielder who’s as brilliant at starting attacks as he is snuffing them out.
GCA (Dead-ball Pass)
0.14
Top 3%
xAG: Exp. Assisted Goals
0.21
Top 5%
Ball Recoveries
6.79
Top 5%
Crosses into Penalty Area
0.34
Top 7%
Shot-Creating Actions
3.94
Top 8%
Key Passes
1.83
Top 9%
SCA (Dead-ball Pass)
0.81
Top 9%
SCA (Live-ball Pass)
2.92
Top 10%
Goal-Creating Actions
0.48
Top 10%
Inswinging Corner Kicks
1.15
Top 11%
Passes into Penalty Area
1.29
Top 12%
GCA (Live-ball Pass)
0.34
Top 12%
Progressive Passes
6.92
Top 13%
Dribbles Challenged
2.65
Top 14%
Through Balls
0.34
Top 15%
Ultimately, Simons appears to be a great player for Spurs, but Wharton seems destined to become a superstar; therefore, he would be the far better signing.
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Gary Neville has said one of Arsenal’s summer signings is “a lot better” than he imagined, after making an impressive start to the Premier League season.
Neville left impressed after Arsenal thrash Nottingham Forest
The Gunners sent out a message with a 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres getting on the scoresheet, while fellow summer signing Eberechi Eze grabbed his first assist since arriving from Crystal Palace.
Speaking after the game, Mikel Arteta praised the impact his summer signings made against the Tricky Trees, saying: “The new ones that started, five for them today, really impressed with them. I think you can sense and feel that there are new relationships flourishing there that are going to give us different things.”
Zubimendi stole the headlines, after finding the back of the net twice, either side of Viktor Gyokeres’ third goal of the season, with the Spaniard most notably firing home a volley from just outside the box.
However, goals and assists are not the only metrics on which players should be judged, with Neville taking the time to praise Noni Madueke, who is yet to get off the mark in an Arsenal shirt.
The Sky Sports pundit said: “Madueke is a lot better than I imagined and thought he would be. And certainly a lot better than Arsenal fans thought he would be.
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“A couple of runs that he made for England on Tuesday night were a different level, they’re runs I thought, ‘ooh’. They’re runs… Arjen Robben used to make those runs against me.
“His movement and the things that he’s doing are very, very good, and I’m talking from a full-back’s perspective playing against it.”
Madueke deserves the plaudits after fantastic performance
While the winger was unable to open his account, he undoubtedly put in a fantastic performance against Forest, winning more duels than any other player on the pitch, and making a number of important attacking contributions.
Statistic
Number completed
Successful dribbles
5
Key passes
5
Big chances created
1
Accurate crosses
4
Neville is not the only person to have been left very impressed by the £52m summer signing’s display either, with Arteta adding: “Noni – I thought he was exceptional. We played a front three that had never played [together] before. Overall I am very happy.”
Last season, Arteta was left very short on options in attacking areas at times, with Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka all spending time on the sidelines, which arguably made a major difference in the Premier League title race.
The problem this season, however, is a much nicer one to have, as Arteta may find it difficult to fit all his forwards into the side, given that Saka is expected to return later this month.
Both Pat Cummins and Nitish Reddy and fit and “very keen to go”
Shashank Kishore22-Mar-20253:14
Cricinformed – SRH’s six-hitters set for a new IPL high?
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will maintain their ultra-aggressive batting approach from last season, head coach Daniel Vettori has said ahead of their IPL 2025 opener against Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad.”Whatever ground we go to, we have an understanding that the batting team is going to be aggressive,” Vettori said. “The only thing that can mitigate that is the pitch, but most times, the pitches in IPL are very flat.”When you come to these grounds, you know exactly what to expect. You know how the batsmen are going come against you. It’s quite…..maybe not fun is the right word, it’s a good challenge for a bowling group to try and work their way through that.”That’s what Pat [Cummins, the captain] addressed the bowling group the other day. He said the expectation is on the batters to do all the work, score the runs and the bowlers can sort of feed into that. If we get those days to make it all work, it’s going go a long way in us winning games. The onus on batting group to score runs and for the bowlers to be able to mitigate that.”Vettori expressed excitement about the expectations surrounding the team and hoped they could replicate the intensity that took them to last year’s final.”Expectations bring some excitement,” he said. “Expectations are built around the performances of last year and the quality of the team we’ve been able to put together at the back end of last season and into the auction.”As a franchise, we’re really excited about the season because we have that foundation from the five players [Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma] we retained and how well they performed last year, hopefully we have the squad to perform as well this year if not better.”Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, who claimed the second-highest run tally for an opening pair last year, will continue at the top for SRH. Vettori also welcomed Ishan Kishan into the side, calling him a “huge addition”.”Don’t think we’ll be changing the opening combination, Ishan complements them as well as anyone,” Vettori said. “He has a similar stye of game, left-handed, the ability to take on all types of bowlers. We’re very lucky to have him part of the squad to complement those two, then have Nitish and Klaasen and few of our younger batters to be able to come into the squad as well. We look at that as a huge addition to the team.”Vettori was pleased to see a fit-again Cummins and Nitish, with Cummins recovering from an ankle issue that forced him to miss the Champions Trophy. Meanwhile, Nitish, one of their breakout stars from IPL 2024, comes back following a rehab from a side strain that kept him out of action for a month.”They’ve come through their training sessions really well,” Vettori said. “They had injuries around January, it’s been an extended period since they played but they’ve also had time to recover. When they play as much cricket as they do, it’s sometimes nice to be able to get the chance to refresh.”Both of them are eager and excited about the season. That’s a great position to have. Sometimes when you come into the IPL, it’s the end of a very long season, players can be slightly jaded, but those two are very keen to go.”Cummins will lead a strong pace battery that has two other prolific performers in Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel – bowlers who won the purple cap in IPL 2023 and 2024 respectively.”Shami two years ago was purple cap winner, Harshal [won it] last year – they are two big additions,” he said. “We know it is big shoes to fill from Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] and Nattu [T Natarajan] – stalwarts of the Sunrisers, who mean much to the franchise.”It was hard to see them go, but that’s the dynamic of the auction. You have to be as nimble as possible to take opportunities. To see Shami come to us, bowl so well in the Champions Trophy is fantastic, those two can complement what Pat brings to the table.”
If Arsenal’s biggest flaw this season has been that they came undone at Anfield due to a late set-piece that unravelled plenty of good work beforehand, Mikel Arteta must be pretty chipper about his team’s chances.
And not just in the Premier League. Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon to return to winning ways, piling the pressure back on Liverpool, taking first place, albeit on goal difference, albeit having played a game more.
Forest, newly led by Ange Postecoglou, were no match for the Gunners, who won with ease at the Emirates thanks to a brace from Martin Zubimendi and a tap-in from Viktor Gyokeres after fine work from Eberechi Eze.
New recruits all, and players who look set to play pivotal roles for many years in north London, and that’s without even mentioning 21-year-old centre-back Cristhian Mosquera, who was immense against the Tricky Trees.
Mosquera's performance vs Forest
Arsenal’s transfer chief Andrea Berta signed Mosquera from Valencia in July for an initial €15m (about £13m) fee, packing in some more depth to complement the world-class surface of the club’s defensive ranks.
But the Spaniard proved against Postecoglou’s side that he’s not just here to make up numbers, hailed in fact as “one of the best signings in the PL” by pundit Leo DaSilva, who was speaking on the Gunners’ shrewd summer business.
According to Sofascore, Mosquera won both of his ground duels and matched Gabriel Magalhaes’ defensive numbers, looking commanding in the air and stepping in with some key defensive contributions.
It’s rather clear that the £13m price tag will soon look a bargain, if it is not already. Soon, Mosquera might just find himself pressing against Arsenal’s elite and demanding a regular starting berth of his own.
He’s not the only one. Bukayo Saka has been out injured for the past few weeks, and he will be unavailable for several more matches. Even so, the attacking talisman’s absence hasn’t been too keenly felt, with Noni Madueke thriving in his place.
Arsenal have hit the jackpot on Madueke
Madueke has been around in the Premier League for a while, but the 23-year-old ebbed and flowed at Chelsea and perhaps has shown signs throughout his first month at Arsenal of progression.
Certainly, he’s needed to step up, with Saka’s injury fast-tracking him into a role of significance. And he’s up to the task. Yet to get off the mark, Madueke has looked dangerous and purposeful in Saka’s stead, creating five key passes and winning nine duels against Nottingham Forest alone.
Football.london handed Madueke a staggering 9/10 match rating after the win, drawing attention to his technical skills and his tenacity across the 90 minutes.
Saka is peerless, but Madueke’s recent showings suggest he can deputise perfectly. Let’s look at how the two compare.
Matches (starts)
4 (3)
2 (2)
Goals
0
1
Assists
0
0
Touches*
34.5
33.5
Pass completion
73%
90%
Big chances created
1
0
Key passes*
2.0
1.5
Dribbles*
1.5
1.5
Ball recoveries*
2.0
3.0
Tackles*
0.8
1.5
Duels won*
4.0
3.5
The data pool is limited, to be sure, but it still emphasises the exciting start to Madueke’s Arsenal career, so confident when carrying the ball forward and taking on opponents and looking to create openings for his teammates.
Berta might have shelled out £48.5m for Chelsea’s rising winger, but that hasn’t stopped content creator Rory Cook from remarking that Arsenal “might’ve underpaid” for the versatile forward, who has since excelled on Three Lions duty and indeed looks a star in the making at the Emirates.
In any case, Arsenal have certainly struck gold on their new winger, who has yet to tap into his full potential and who has undoubtedly proven himself worthy of a starting role in this Arsenal team.
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South Africa’s Test captain Temba Bavuma has suffered an elbow injury again and will miss the domestic first-class final which starts in Johannesburg today. Bavuma was due to join up with the Lions team on Tuesday from Cape Town, but did not arrive in Johannesburg.The Lions found out late on Wednesday that Bavuma would not play the match because of the niggle, which has taken place just over two months before the World Test Championship final in June.ESPNcricinfo has ascertained Bavuma’s injury is on the left elbow – the same one he has injured before. The Lions are unaware at this stage how serious the injury is and were caught off guard by Bavuma’s late withdrawal. On Wednesday morning, Lions captain Dominic Hendricks told the media he was looking forward to playing with Bavuma in the marquee game.Bavuma fractured his left elbow in 2022, which forced him out of South Africa’s tour to England that year and sidelined him for three months. He then reinjured the same elbow when he fell awkwardly while completing a single against Ireland in an ODI in Abu Dhabi last year and missed South Africa’s Tests against Bangladesh. He had no red-ball match practice before the home summer and spoke openly about battling mental demons after a wretched run with his fitness, which also included injuries to both hamstrings. Despite that, Bavuma made a stirring comeback with two centuries in four Tests and a run of four fifty-plus scores against Sri Lanka. He also captained South Africa to the Champions Trophy semi-final but has batted with heavy strapping on his elbow throughout the season.Since the Champions Trophy, Bavuma has played no competitive cricket but was present with the Lions for their final first-class league match in Bloemfontein last week, which was completely rained out. He then traveled to Cape Town and was due to rejoin the team ahead of the final against the Titans but news of his injury has since emerged.South Africa have just over eight weeks before the WTC final against Australia which starts on June 11. They are planning practice matches from mid-May, including a game against an international opposition in England, ahead of the final. They will not play any cricket before then with several players involved at the IPL 2025 and others on the county circuit. Bavuma does not have any overseas engagements and the final was due to be his last match of the season, but the latest niggle has scuppered those plans. He was named on CSA’s central contract list this week.
Alvaro Negredo has blasted Manchester United's approach towards £74 million ($99.5m) striker Benjamin Sesko, warning them that expecting him to win games on his own is unfair and will only hinder his development. The Slovenian forward has been under the microscope since his big-money arrival from RB Leipzig this summer, but he has struggled to deliver the goals expected of him.
AFPSesko's struggles at Old Trafford
When United splashed out a massive fee to bring Sesko to Old Trafford, expectations were sky-high. Yet, the 22-year-old has found the going tough. In a dismal 3-1 defeat to Brentford, Sesko finally scored his first goal, but the match summed up his struggles at the club. Against Manchester City in the derby one week prior, Sesko’s performance was nothing short of alarming. With only eight passes completed and a measly three duels won out of nine, he seemed a world away from the striker who was supposed to lead the line for United.
AdvertisementNegredo wants Sesko to play with more freedom
Negredo, who has himself experienced the pressures of a big-money move, insists Sesko needs time to adapt. Speaking about the young striker’s struggles at the former goalscorer made it clear that United’s demands for instant success may be harming his game.
"Benjamin Sesko is a young player. When I played for Man City we were winning almost every match, so it was much easier for me to adapt," he said. "When you sometimes start and sometimes don't, it’s hard. When a striker scores, he always feels better about himself and contributes much more to the team due to the confidence he has in himself. Above all, it’s about patience. They are young players who still have a lot to contribute and cannot be asked to win games alone.
"I think it is unfair to give so much responsibility to such a young boy. The situation is similar for Benjamin Sesko as it was for me because he's playing. He's been playing almost every game and has scored once."
Getty Images SportAmorim's big spending not yielding results yet
Amorim threw big money into the summer transfer market, bringing in three attacking players to try and bolster the squad, in the likes of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, alongside Sesko. But the Slovenian's failure to hit the ground running has put more pressure on Amorim, especially after the £74m price tag. With the expectations mounting, the striker must be given space to improve without bearing the weight of United’s attacking hopes on his shoulders.
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Time for Sesko to prove himself
With United’s next match against Sunderland on October 4, the spotlight is now firmly on Sesko to prove his worth. He’ll be desperate to silence the critics with a strong performance and help his team secure an important win. However, the pressure doesn’t end there. After the domestic clash, Sesko will turn his attention to international duty, with Slovenia set to face Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers on October 10 and 13. It’s a chance for him to get back to scoring ways, away from the intense spotlight of Old Trafford.
Greg Vanney knows LA Galaxy’s season has been a disappointment, with the reigning MLS champions bottom of the Western Conference and out of the playoffs. But on Wednesday at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Campeones Cup final against Toluca offers a chance to salvage something meaningful, with Vanney viewing a trophy as a vital boost for his players and the club.
Getty Images Sport
Contrasting champions
Vanney reflected on the team’s performance and the challenge ahead against Toluca.
“The first half of the season was a bit disappointing, but in the second half we’ve been much more solid and consistent,” Vanney said at the Campeones Cup media day. “We performed well in the Leagues Cup, our results and play have been steadier, and this is a great opportunity to finish the season strong.”
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Vanney eyes Champions Cup momentum
Vanney stressed that beating Toluca would be a valuable momentum boost.
“We’ve secured a spot in the next Champions Cup, which is definitely a positive. Now we have the chance to add another trophy to our cabinet – a milestone for the players who have been with us all season," Vanney said.
Getty Images Sport
'You have to respect their efficiency'
Vanney compared Toluca, the defending Liga MX champions, to Cruz Azul, a team they previously drew with in the Leagues Cup but ultimately lost to on penalties.
“They’re a team with quality across the pitch and presented some interesting challenges when we faced them. Defensively, they can be very aggressive and mark tightly, yet they maintain a solid structure. In attack, they have versatile players who can score with very few chances. You have to respect that efficiency.”
Toluca, for their part, have also stressed winning the Campeones Cup would be vital for their side.
“We’re motivated to keep competing for every trophy. There’s no clear favorite; it will be a very even match, but we trust in our strengths to reach the goal,” Manager Antonio Mohamed said. “We didn’t lose any game on the field, only on penalties.
"That was hard to take, but since then, the team has improved in many areas – competitiveness, fitness, and mentality. We’re in a much better moment now."
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Confidence is high
Galaxy midfielder Edwin Cerrillo, who helped the team lift the 2024 MLS Cup, echoed Vanney's sentiments.
“This is a big chance to win another title with this club. Thanks to our strong performance last year, we’re in this position. Toluca is a strong team that deserves respect, but we also have confidence in ourselves," he said.