He is set to feature in domestic cricket between two ODI series, against South Africa and New Zealand
Daya Sagar02-Dec-2025Virat Kohli is set to return to domestic cricket for Delhi in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, the domestic 50-over competition, the DDCA has confirmed.Kohli, 37, plays only one format now for India – 50-over cricket – and since the BCCI has made it a mandate for contracted India players to feature in domestic cricket, Kohli will represent Delhi when the tournament starts on December 24 in Ahmedabad.”He will definitely play a few games, but not sure about the entire tournament,” DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma told ESPNcricinfo. “It will depend upon his India matches too.”Related
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Kohli recently struck his 52nd ODI century, against South Africa in Ranchi, and was named the Player of the Match for his knock of 135 that was studded with seven sixes.Once the last ODI of the ongoing series finishes on December 6 in Visakhapatnam, Kohli will have enough time before the start of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, it is not clear yet if he will play all of Delhi’s seven league matches, which will go on till January 8, just three days before the start of the ODI series against New Zealand in Vadodara.Delhi will play five league matches in Alur, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, and the other two at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli’s home ground for his IPL team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).Kohli last played 50-over cricket for Delhi in September 2013, in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy which had India Blue and India Red as the other two teams. The last time Kohli played the Vijay Hazare Trophy was in the 2009-10 season. He led Delhi in both those tournaments.In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – the domestic 20-over competition – Delhi have won two of their four games under the leadership of Nitish Rana.
Over the years, Manchester United have become known for their impressive young talents, with many of whom cementing their place within the first-team squad.
From players breaking through the academy to big-money additions, the Red Devils faithful have been truly blessed and have had the chance to experience numerous elite-level talents.
At present, Ruben Amorim has massively utilised Leny Yoro, after the Frenchman joined the club in a mammoth £52m deal last summer despite being just 18.
However, his importance to the manager simply cannot be overstated, with the 20-year-old featuring in every single Premier League game of the 2025/26 campaign.
The same can’t be said for every youngster currently in the first-team at Old Trafford, especially with one talent who is seemingly out of favour at present.
The future of Kobbie Mainoo at Man Utd
Just a couple of years ago, Kobbie Mainoo was one of, if not the most important player within the Manchester United first-team squad, but he’s endured a huge decline in recent seasons.
He made his breakthrough in the 2023/24 campaign, scoring vital goals against Manchester City in the FA Cup final and even netting a worldie against bitter rivals Liverpool.
Such form enabled him to secure a place at Euro 2024 with the England squad, subsequently featuring in all but two matches during the competition.
However, Amorim’s arrival at Old Trafford last November has seen a huge drop in his first-team minutes, with the manager evidently not a fan of the 20-year-old.
In 2025/26 alone, Mainoo has failed to make a single league start, subsequently being restricted to just eight appearances – totalling just 170 minutes to date.
As a result, a permanent exit has been mooted for the academy graduate, with Italian side Napoli just one of the clubs reportedly interested in a deal ahead of January.
Amorim spoke in the summer, stating that he didn’t want the player to depart Old Trafford, but given the lack of change in his first-team action, it could lead to a move this window.
The United player who has shades of Pogba & could end Mainoo’s stay
Paul Pogba is another youngster who managed to make the jump into the United first-team ranks, with the midfielder joining from Le Havre at the tender age of 17.
Paul Pogba at Manchester United.
However, his career at Old Trafford wasn’t straightforward, with the Frenchman even leaving on a free transfer before re-joining in a club-record deal back in the summer of 2016.
He managed to rack up a total of 233 appearances during his two separate spells at the Theatre of Dreams, often catching the eye with his ball-striking ability from distance.
However, his spell was marred with attitude and fitness issues, which ultimately led to yet another free transfer departure – subsequently moving back to Juventus in 2022.
Regardless of the issues behind the scenes, he gave the supporters countless moments to remember, with the Frenchman being one of the most technically gifted players to wear the shirt.
In the present day, Amorim may have landed his own version of Pogba, with a deal for teenager Cristian Orozco completed ahead of the January window.
It’s been reported in the last couple of days, that the Red Devils have paid a fee in the region of $1m (£750k) for the 17-year-old from boyhood side Fortaleza.
He may be seen as a player for the future, but there’s no reason why he can’t be catapulted into the first team in the near future, which could end Mainoo’s stay at Old Trafford.
Orozco’s stats in the early stages of his career reflect his talents, with the Colombian’s move handing the fanbase another reason to be excited about a new addition.
The youngster, who’s been dubbed “generational” by one Colombian analyst, starred at the U17 World Cup over the last couple of months, which has no doubt led to his transfer to join United.
He won the Man of the Match award against El Salvador, subsequently registering two shots on target despite operating as a holding midfielder in front of the back four.
Minutes played
90
Touches
107
Pass accuracy
75%
Passes completed
63
Tackles made
2
Duels won
9
Recoveries made
9
Dribbles completed
2
Orozco also completed 67 passes at an accuracy rate of 75%, whilst also completing two dribbles within his total of 107 touches during the 0-0 stalemate.
His tally of nine duels won, nine recoveries and two tackles made further highlights his all-round quality, with the midfielder undoubtedly having a huge future at Old Trafford.
He will replicate Pogba in moving to the club as a 17-year-old, with many fans hoping he can match the levels produced by the Frenchman during his own spell at the club.
However, should Orozco continue on his current development path, there’s no reason why he can’t become a key member of Amorim’s squad – potentially ending Mainoo’s stay with his boyhood club.
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Manchester United have a new top target ahead of the January transfer window.
Manchester United have now received an offer for an “insane” player ahead of the January transfer window, and he’s said yes to the move…
Man Utd could offload "insane" player in January
Just when Man United were looking like they might have turned a corner, they were brought crashing back down to earth against Everton on Monday night, with the Toffees emerging as 1-0 winners, in what was David Moyes’ first-ever win as a visiting manager at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils were unable to take anything from the game, despite playing against ten men for the majority of the night, with Idrissa Gueye being shown a straight red card after striking his own teammate, Michael Keane.
Having gone the five previous Premier League games undefeated, the loss serves as a reminder that the current squad is still some way off being able to compete for major honours, as pointed out by Ruben Amorim in his post-match interview.
As such, there is work to be done in the January transfer window and beyond, and Man United now have a decision to make when it comes to Joshua Zirkzee’s future, as AS Roma have submitted a loan with an option to buy offer for the striker.
That is according to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), which states Zirkzee is now edging closer to joining Roma, having ‘said yes’ to the January move, although it is currently unclear whether United are willing to sanction a departure.
The Dutchman is valued at €40m (£35m), with the Italian club willing to include an obligation to buy if they qualify for the Champions League, but it is not specified what sort of fee they would be willing to shell out.
Man Utd should cash-in on Zirkzee this winter
The 24-year-old has flattered to deceive ever since his arrival at Old Trafford, scoring just three Premier League goals in 37 appearances, and his recent performance against Everton was less than impressive.
The Netherlands international squandered one big chance and received a SofaScore match rating of just 6.3, the joint-lowest of any player, excluding Gueye, who was dismissed after just 13 minutes.
Alongside Zirkzee: Man Utd's "waste of time" must not start again for Amorim
Ruben Amorim has a bold decision to make over the future of one Manchester United flop.
By
Ethan Lamb
Nov 25, 2025
Having been lauded as “insane” by scout Ben Mattinson in the past, the £105k-a-week forward could succeed elsewhere, and he may have a part to play until Benjamin Sesko returns from a knee injury.
However, Amorim should definitely move Zirkzee on in the January transfer window and bring in a new striker to rival Sesko for a starting spot, with Man United recently renewing their interest in Bayern Munich star Harry Kane.
On Sunday, Danny Röhl’s perfect start to life in the Premiership continued, making it three league wins out of three, with goals from Nicolas Raskin, Mikey Moore and then Djeidi Gassama downing Dundee at Dens.
Despite this, the Gers remain fourth in the table, level on points with Hibs, five points below fierce rivals Celtic and a whopping 12 adrift surprise leaders Hearts.
Goals though remain a problem for this team, having bagged only 15 in 11 Premiership outings to date, netting just 31 times in 24 fixtures across all competitions, with Sunday only the fourth time they’ve scored three or more in a match, despite doing so on 21 occasions last season.
Strikers Danilo, Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti continue to be, at best, inconsistent, but could Rangers’ youngster with “huge potential” solve this attacking issue?
Rangers' recent loan stars
While Rangers’ recent recruit has rightly come under scrutiny, with serious questions being asked of sporting director Kevin Thelwell, the club remain excellent in one particular area; identifying attackers on loan.
Vaclav Cerny
In the last four seasons, Rangers have signed a high-quality attacker on loan each time, as the table below documents.
52
18
9
39
16
2
43
12
5
13
3
Zero
As the table highlights, in each of the last four seasons, Rangers have brought in a high-class attacker on a season-long loan.
Amad is probably the outlier on this list, making little impact during his six months in Glasgow, albeit he’s since become a key figure for Rúben Amorim at Manchester United.
Since, Malik Tillman, Abdallah Sima and Václav Černý have all registered at least 17 combined goals and assists during one season at Ibrox, with the latter the most productive of the lot, starring during a season on loan from Wolfsburg, a major loss having joined Beşiktaş instead of returning this summer.
Now, could a current member of the Rangers squad keep the streak of outstanding attackers on loan going?
Rangers' latest loan star
Of course, the entire Rangers team has improved since Röhl replaced Russell Martin last month, an admittedly low bar, but the player who has thrived the most is Mikey Moore.
The teenager scored his first goal for the club at Dens on Sunday, doubling the Gers lead with this strike which flew into Jon McCracken’s bottom corner.
Even before opening his account, the Englishman had looked sharper since Röhl’s arrival in Glasgow.
Speaking during Sky Sports’ Coverage, Chris Sutton asserted that he is “flourishing” into his full potential under Röhl, while James McFadden notes that he is enjoying a lot more freedom with the German coach at the helm, forecasting that he will only continue to get better in the coming weeks.
When the 18-year-old arrived from Tottenham Hotspur in August, he did so with a massive reputation for someone who had only played 815 minutes at senior level.
Upon joining, then manager Martin praised his “huge potential”, while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labelled him “the English Neymar”.
Despite his slow start to life at Ibrox, only two Rangers players, namely Gassama and Thelo Aasgard, have registered more successful dribbles on a per 90 basis in the Premiership, early signs that he is ready to make a significant impact.
As already alluded to, scoring goals is one of this team’s primary issues.
Across all competitions, only captain James Tavernier, Gassama, Danilo and youngster Findlay Curtis have bagged more than two goals thus far, with that strike against Dundee the first of Moore’s campaign.
Thus, there is a spot up for grabs for the 18-year-old to take responsibility and become a truly integral figure in this team’s attack, following in the footsteps of Sima, Tillman and Černý, the other high-class loan attackers who have come before.
Move over Moore: Rangers star proved why he's their "best player" vs Dundee
Rangers demolished Dundee 3-0 at Dens on Sunday and Danny Röhl’s “sensational” star was as key as Mikey Moore in this Scottish Premiership victory.
Thanks to Shaheen Shah Afridi’s reverse-swing heroics, they might just have found the blueprint to win even outside spin-friendly conditions
Danyal Rasool15-Oct-2025Twenty wickets. Pakistan captain Shan Masood has concerned himself with no other number ever since England inflicted a chastening innings defeat on his side a year ago, running up the fourth highest total in Test history in the process. It was, according to Masood, the only way to win Test matches, and thereafter, Pakistan began preparing spin tracks which would just about guarantee the fall of 20 wickets.It has turned around the fortunes of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who took almost every one of those wickets in the past four home Tests, but Masood will take those wickets however they come. The denouement to the first Test, which Pakistan won by 93 runs, was dominated by Shaheen Afridi, who exploited the old, reversing ball, taking four in the innings – more than Pakistani pace bowlers have taken in the last four home Tests combined. It included the final three, Afridi trapping Kyle Verreynne before making a mess of the stumps for the final two.Related
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For Masood, this offered evidence that there was more than one way of breaking through on this surface. “It’s simple for me,” he said after the game. “Shaheen took four wickets [in the fourth innings]. He’s put in the effort and bowled extraordinarily well. He’s shown why he’s in the world’s best fast bowlers. On these pitches, fast bowlers don’t vanish, their role changes.”The World Test Championship will not be played in uniform conditions; they will be played in different conditions against different teams. We can’t look at one Test and extrapolate to the next two years. We have to play in England and the West Indies with the Duke ball. Bangladesh beat us in seam-friendly conditions so maybe they’ll give us seaming conditions there too. Fast bowlers’ role is not being phased out; we’re expanding the ways we can win Test matches. That’s why we played two fast bowlers, and Shaheen showed us exactly how.”On more than one occasion in the fourth innings, Masood admitted to some degree of “anxiety” after Pakistan had repeatedly failed to put the visitors away once and for all. Overnight, Ryan Rickelton and Tony de Zorzi had gutsed their way to an unbeaten overnight stand after the pair offered the most potent resistance in the first dig. Masood started the day with Afridi, who found reverse to bring the fourth ball in, hitting de Zorzi dead in front.Three hours later, South Africa had begun to sneak back into contention with another little stand for the eighth wicket, compiling 29 runs as the target neared double digits. Once more, Afridi’s introduction brought immediate relief; he would need 11 balls to take three wickets.”When we were discussing the game on the field, Shaheen said “I will turn this match around for you”. We waited for the ball to get older. Obviously not bowling him with the new ball is a big decision. We trusted him, and he demanded the ball, and then he delivered for us. The way he bowled, we’re all excited; it was a superb fast bowling display.”Masood also pointed to his team’s composition as evidence that Pakistan were not looking only to spin their way to victory. He said they had unwittingly ended up going overboard in the series against the West Indies, where prodigious turn on surfaces in Multan that broke up right from the outset ended up with the side that won the toss winning the game. Spin operated almost exclusively from start to finish that series, which ended square 1-1.In Lahore, Pakistan believed there was enough in it for the quicks to field two of them, with Hasan Ali also taking part. It is a combination Masood hinted they might stick with for the second Test in Rawalpindi, calling them “the best exponents of reverse swing in Pakistan.””We’ll collectively admit that the conditions against the West Indies were too extreme. The bowling attacks were evened out because of the conditions. Batting was difficult, and the toss and the first innings lead mattered a lot. This pitch was very similar to the Test we played in Pindi. When a batter set himself he had an opportunity to go on and get good runs here. South Africa also showed when batters are set, it looks like batting is straightforward.Shaheen Shah Afridi struck early on day four•Getty Images”When Brevis and Rickelton were batting and the target dropped below 150, that felt like a stressful situation. But the bowler’s always in the game. Our pacers also contributed. Shaheen bowled extraordinarily well. If you want to do well in the WTC and the Test team, we will need performances from all departments, and we got that this Test.”Masood knows the challenge his side has just overcome, and while much of it does come down to the toss, South Africa are coming off the best winning run in their team’s history. They had won 10 Tests on the trot, including two against Pakistan at home as well as the World Test Championship final against Australia, and gave Pakistan the biggest fright of a side losing the toss since Pakistan started preparing wickets of this nature.For the Pakistan captain, it was proof both of the strides he is convinced his side is making, as well as the notion that the toss does not decide the game. “Our focus has always been on how we’re improving as a side. Getting a result is a huge deal. We’ve taken a strong start in the WTC final, and we need to build on it.”In the last year, when we played against England in Multan, we won the toss on a used pitch. When we won the match, England said it’d be interesting what happens when Pakistan lose the toss, and then we still beat them. The toss isn’t in our hands or South Africa’s hands. It evens out in cricket long-term. In Pindi, I challenged the side to reveal their character even if we lost the toss. And we did showcase that with one of our best Test performances last cycle with Saud Shakeel playing an excellent knock and the lower order complementing him. I’ll always tell the side to show how we can play our first innings well even when we lose the toss. If we lose the toss, we’ll have a plan for how to win the next game.”Whatever that plan is, 20 opposition wickets is set to be at the heart of it.
Right at the end of the third day’s press conference, Matthew Humphreys was asked what could be expected from Ireland on the fourth morning. They need another 215 runs to make Bangladesh bat again and have five wickets in hand.Humphreys saw the humour in the question. “I think me and Andy [McBrine] walk off 200 each,” he said.Ireland manager Chris Siddle then referred to Ireland’s previous Test in Bangladesh, when Lorcan Tucker held back the home team that had all but checked out of their hotel on the third day.”I remember the last time we played here in Dhaka,” Siddle said. “The Bangladesh team were checking out of the hotel on the morning of day three, and they still had to come back for day four, so maybe, you never know.”Related
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Ireland can only hope for a miracle that would delay Bangladesh’s charge towards a 1-0 lead. After Bangladesh declared on 587 for 8, the experienced Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz and debutant Hasan Murad reduced Ireland had Ireland on 86 for 5 at stumps.The Bangladesh bowlers generally dominate at home, but their batting has also looked encouraging this year. The top three finally came together with Mahmudul Hasan Joy making a career-best 171 and Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque scoring 80s.Mahmudul, though, was disappointed after missing out on a maiden double-hundred. “I’m happy to return to the Bangladesh team after quite some time,” he said. “I was able to play a big innings for the team. It would have been better if it were a double-hundred. A little disappointed on that front.”Najmul Hossain Shanto completed his century in 112 balls•Bangladesh Cricket Board
Mahmudul, who was dropped from Bangladesh’s previous Test series due to a long lean patch, said that his recent form in domestic cricket helped him recover his confidence.”The NCL T20 hundred helped me boost myself more, because I performed very well there, and then I also had a good performance in the NCL four-day matches,” he said. “I am trying to do the same thing here as I did there – carrying the innings. I won’t do anything different. I’ll just carry on in the same way I played in the last NCL.”Mahmudul said that much of his batting form recovery came in an off-season camp with the Bangladesh Tigers programme.”I worked hard in the Tigers camp. I got a lot of help from the local coaches. [Mohammad] Ashraful has just joined us. I haven’t worked much with him before. He gave a couple of points. [Mohammad] Salahuddin sir knows me well. I didn’t make any big changes. They just told me to play my natural game, and to keep performing the way I have been.”Mahmudul, however, fell quickly on the third morning, though Bangladesh didn’t back down. Najmul Hossain Shanto slammed his eighth Test century, while Litton Das blazed his way to a neat 60.Shanto and Litton added 98 runs at 5.49 per over during their fifth-wicket partnership. It is exactly what Bangladesh wanted from them – particularly after the top three had provided such a solid foundation.”Shanto bats very aggressively whenever he comes in,” Mahmudul said. When we give a good start from the top, it becomes easy for those who bat later, like Mushfiq[ur Rahim] , Shanto , and others. The scoring option is very good then. I’d say his was a very good innings.”
Tasmania 171 and 244 for 5 (Weatherald 94, Silk 51*) lead Western Australia 172 (Hope 4-51, Meredith 3-36, Bird 3-38)Jake Weatherald missed his century but landed a fresh blow in his battle for a Test debut in the Ashes series.The Tasmania opener raced to 94 off just 99 balls on day two of the the Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia in Hobart before he was caught in the deep hooking.Related
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He had made 18 in the hosts’ first-innings total of 171, as no other player passed 41 on the tricky Bellerive Oval track until Jordan Silk (51 not out) late on day two.Tasmania were 244 for 5 when rain stopped play slightly before stumps were due to be called.Left-handed Weatherald, 30, topped last year’s Shield run-scorers’ list with 906 at an average of 50.33, and remains in the frame for a call-up for the first Ashes Test.His commanding strokeplay, particularly square of the wicket, was impressive and potentially the perfect complement to the more sedate Usman Khawaja, who is all but assured of one opening spot at Optus Stadium against England next month.Weatherald, a promising emerging talent at South Australia who has reignited his career with a move south, struck 13 fours and a six in his brisk knock on Thursday.It came after the visitors had taken a lead of just one run on the first innings, at one stage losing 3 for 3 to be all out for 172 after beginning the day 107 for 4.Brad Hope ran through the tail, while Riley Meredith and Jackson Bird both finished with three wickets.Matthew Kelly (3-47) was the pick of the WA bowlers in Tasmania’s second innings.
He did it on Thursday. He did it on Friday too. This time he got to triple digits with shots all around the park, and celebrated in style after what’s been a tough cricketing period for him
Vishal Dikshit24-Jan-2025Shardul Thakur likes batting in difficult situations. He had said as much on Thursday, after he had put together 51 off 57 after coming in with Mumbai 42 for 6 against Jammu & Kashmir. On Friday, he took the rescue act up a notch, delivering an unbeaten century at almost a run a ball having come in at 91 for 6, with Mumbai leading by just five runs.All this when the recent past has not been kind to him. Shardul the allrounder was a regular in and around the India set-up at the end of 2023 before a foot surgery kept him out for more than half of 2024, and he hasn’t found a way back in since. Even though he has added consistency to his batting: four of his 14 first-class half-centuries and both his centuries have come in the last two domestic seasons. And much of this has been crisis batting, including 109 off 105 from 106 for 7 against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy semi-final last season, followed by 75 off 69 from 111 for 6 against Vidarbha to set up the title win.And he went unsold at the mega auction ahead of the IPL 2025 season. “You have to forget whatever has happened in the past,” he had said on Thursday. It is perhaps this practicality that helps him stay in the present when he walks out to bat in tough situations.Related
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Shardul Thakur on his rescue act: 'I like batting in difficult situations'
What worked in his favour on Friday was that the ball was more than 25 overs old when he came out, and had lost all its swing. So, when he saw width on offer, he didn’t shy away from slashing over the infield on the off side. When the fast bowlers pitched it short, he middled his pulls. And the shots kept coming.First ball after tea, when Mumbai were 174 for 7, Thakur punched Umar Nazir Malik through the off side for four and, three balls later, pulled a short ball to the boundary. In the next over he swept left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq for another four to get to a 59-ball half-century. What did slow him down a bit was cramps; he had to call out the physio a couple of times after he crossed 50 and was clearly struggling between the wickets.The worst of it seemed to have passed by the time he got into the seventies, and his strokes reflected that. He pounced on fast bowler Yudhvir Singh outside off on 80 with such timing that he made it look like he was picking the length against a spinner. Two balls later, he clobbered Yudhvir over the covers with disdain to take the lead past 150 in style. On 94, he hooked Auqib Nabi and got a leading edge, but also four more. He was on 98, his team was still not on top of the game with the lead only 162, but Thakur kept going for it. He lofted the next ball straight down the ground, didn’t middle it at all, but it landed just beyond mid-off’s reach.
When Shardul Thakur saw width on offer, he didn’t shy away from slashing over the infield on the off side. When the fast bowlers pitched it short, he middled his pulls. And the shots kept coming.
Next over, against Mushtaq, he brought out the sweep on 99 and got the run that cued telling celebrations: he ran at speed (what cramps?) with his bat held high, punched the air, let out a scream, and pointed to the sky. It showed what the knock meant to him.The Mumbai dressing room, which had been dour and gloomy for most of the day, broke into rapturous applause, acknowledging a rare feat from a No. 8: Thakur was only the 13th player to score a fifty and a hundred in the same first-class match batting at No. 8 or lower since 2006.The J&K bowlers knew the pitch had nothing to offer now and they started peppering him with short balls. He took a blow on his chest near the left shoulder, got some ice treatment on the field, and still went on. He ramped Nabi’s short ball over the keeper for four, and eventually walked back unbeaten on 113 off 119 with Tanush Kotian – again, his support act from the semi-final last season – for company on 58 off 119.It was another Thakur knock that will go down as one that saved Mumbai’s blushes, even putting them a little in front after they’d been far behind. Maybe it will serve Thakur well to remember these bits of the past.
It’s safe to say it has been a topsy-turvy few weeks for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta.
A few weeks ago, the Gunners had played out an unbeaten week against Spurs, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
Well, it would appear that the intense period has rather taken it out of them. The Gunners did beat Brentford but a defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, their first loss in 18 games, has raised questions.
Arteta’s squad may be full of depth but any team would struggle with the number of injuries they have suffered this season.
Sadly, that trend is only continuing ahead of their Champions League clash with Club Brugge on Wednesday night.
The latest injury news from Arsenal
Arsenal headed to Villa Park last weekend without a number of key players. Kai Havertz was absent once again, while William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes were both unfit to play.
Arteta stressed over a week ago that Saliba’s injury was only a ‘matter of days’ but he is still missing from the squad ahead of Arsenal’s encounter with Brugge in midweek.
Given the club’s defensive frailties against Villa a few days ago, another missed match for Saliba is a hefty blow. Arsenal need to return to form and without their two defensive warriors, they are struggling.
Also missing from the squad to face Brugge will be Leandro Trossard. The Belgian has been one of Arsenal’s key men this term, scoring six goals and supplying five assists in 17 matches. It’s a huge blow, really. He’s been a clutch player for a long time but he’s been in the form of his life throughout 2025/26. Dare we say it, he may well be the club’s most important forward right now.
The Belgian returned to the squad following a small injury against Villa and did score, although he has now suffered another setback.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta said: “Obviously when you are missing players, you are loading other players and there is a consequence to that, and it’s a really dangerous circle.
“You have to separate the kind of injuries. Some of them have been long-term, and some have been acute injuries. It’s something that we are constantly looking at. We have played a lot of games with a lot of players missing and that puts a lot of stress, and then you get more injuries.”
While setbacks for Trossard and Saliba are key blows, it’s also disappointing that Max Dowman has picked up a longer-term problem. The teenager was likely set to feature in the remaining league games of the Champions League but is unlikely to be seen again in 2025.
Most injuries in the PL this season
Club
# of injuries
1. Leeds
28
2. Arsenal
26
2= Aston Villa
26
4. Crystal Palace
25
5. Chelsea
23
Commenting on that blow, the manager stated, “When you play in the position that he plays, when you play the manner that he plays, it was going to happen, and it has happened.
“It’s not ideal. He picked up weeks, it could have been worse, and we learn from that and now use this time to continue to improve in his education, in everything that is related to professional football, his habits, the way he needs to develop his physicality as well and the understanding of the game.”
That blow has, at least, allowed the club to replace Dowman with Gabriel Jesus in their Champions League squad. He could be in line to feature for the first time in nearly a year following an ACL injury.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Brugge
With Saliba, Gabriel and summer signing Cristian Mosquera all missing through injury, the backline likely picks itself with Ben White featuring at right-back alongside a centre-back pairing of Jurrien Timber and Piero Hincapie.
Riccardo Calafiori is suspended for Arsenal’s clash with Wolves at the weekend and thus, Arteta may use this as an opportunity to get minutes into the legs of Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back.
In midfield, Declan Rice will be missing with illness. Martin Zubimendi is also due a rest, meaning we could see a midfield three of Christian Norgaard, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze.
In the forward line, Viktor Gyokeres could start for the first time since returning from injury, playing ahead of Mikel Merino. He is likely to be flanked by Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli with Bukayo Saka handed a rest. Expect to see him feature from the bench.
Ethan Nwaneri and Kepa Arrizabalaga are set to be in contention for rare starts but it feels more likely that they will be among the subs again.
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India have exposed weaknesses in the Australian side before and they have to do it again in the second Women’s World Cup semi-final
S Sudarshanan28-Oct-20251:08
Mithali: ‘Game awareness’ will be key against Australia
Familiar foes Australia and India will face off in the second semi-final of the Women’s World Cup 2025 in Navi Mumbai. India remain the last team to beat Australia at the ODI World Cup – in the 2017 semi-final – with the defending champions unbeaten in 15 completed matches since. Here are a few areas of tactical interest ahead of this huge clash.
Mandhana vs Schutt and Gardner
Smriti Mandhana is the leading run-scorer at this World Cup with 365 runs at a strike rate of 102.52. Her latest ODI avatar features her as the enforcer with the bat, which comes across in the numbers as well.Till 2024, Ashleigh Gardner vs Mandhana went the offspinner’s way – five dismissals in eight innings, an average of 13.60 and a strike rate of 89.47. Megan Schutt vs Mandhana was not too dissimilar – four dismissals in 12 innings, an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 70.50.Related
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In four matches against Australia in 2025, Mandhana has two centuries and two half-centuries. She has faced 71 balls from Gardner and scored 96 runs (135.21 strike rate) and hasn’t been dismissed yet. Against Schutt, she has scored 41 off 28 balls (146.42 strike rate) for zero dismissals. Mandhana has also been severe on the legspinners Alana King (225 strike rate) and Georgia Wareham (176.19) as well as on left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux (164.70), with only Molineux dismissing her earlier in the World Cup.
The caveat here is that Mandhana has shape-shifted per the nature of her opening partners. Pratika Rawal, who has been ruled out of the World Cup due to ankle and knee injuries, has been the anchor in her partnerships with Mandhana. Shafali Verma, Rawal’s replacement, is a naturally attacking batter. So while Mandhana has been the enforcer with Rawal, she has often played second fiddle to Shafali. But if recent patterns are anything to go by, Shafali would know she can afford to take her time and explode later than she usually does.
Australia bowlers vulnerable?
The tracks in New Chandigarh and Delhi on which India and Australia played a bilateral series just before the World Cup were flat. The pitch in Visakhapatnam when they met two weeks ago was also batting-friendly with India posting 330. The semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium is likely to be a high-scoring affair too.India have previous experience of putting Australia’s bowlers under the pump on flatter surfaces. Schutt (6.46), Kim Garth (6.66), Gardner (6.06) and Tahlia McGrath (7.05) all have a high economy rate in games against India this year. In this World Cup, against other oppositions, their corresponding economy rates are 3.78, 4.90, 5.46 with McGrath not even needing to bowl. Some of those non-India games, like Pakistan in Colombo, were in bowler-friendly conditions, which have contributed to this trend.King’s numbers reflect the biggest variance – her 12 wickets against other teams at this World Cup have come at an economy of 2.85 as opposed to just one wicket at an economy of 7.08 against India. In their group stage game, with Mandhana batting for as long as she did, Australia were forced to delay bringing King on. They also had to hold Wareham back in the matches they played both the leggies in.India have struggled to deal with Annabel Sutherland’s change-ups•Getty ImagesAustralia being Australia still have one star performer who has been able flummox India’s batting on whatever kind of pitch they’ve played on – Annabel Sutherland. She is the top wicket-taker (15) in the competition, her change-ups proving particularly effective. India had first-hand experience of that in Visakhapatnam. Sutherland has also had the better of Harmanpreet Kaur (three dismissals in seven ODI innings) and Richa Ghosh (five in seven). India would be well served to watch out for her sleight of hand.
Renuka, Deepti and left-arm spin
Renuka Singh and Kranti Gaud know what to expect of Australia openers Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield. Healy strikes at 80.76 against Renuka in ODIs, who primarily operates in the powerplay, for one dismissal. Gaud dismissed the Australia captain three times in the series they played before the World Cup. Using the early movement, India must try to get the Australian top order out early to control the game.They have the spinners to do it. Deepti Sharma has the wood over McGrath (five dismissals in nine innings) and has a history of keeping Gardner (94.54 strike rate) and Beth Mooney (90.84) relatively quiet. India also have left-arm spinner N Shree Charani, who picked up three wickets in the league game between the two teams.Australia have lost ten wickets to left-arm spin in this World Cup. That’s roughly one in five overs, which is a drop from where it was for the year 2025, before this tournament began (one wicket for every seven overs faced). Two left-arm spinners Nashra Sandhu and Sadia Iqbal had them reeling at 76 for 7. India will have taken note of that but they also have to balance that against other aspects – like having Sneh Rana’s batting down the order (she also matches up well against Litchfield, strike rate of 74.62 with two dismissals) and Navi Mumbai being the least spin-friendly venue (1.6 degrees of turn on average) at this World Cup.