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Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz was announced Tuesday as the fifth participant in this year's Home Run Derby, bringing one of the game's biggest sluggers to the forefront of MLB's ultimate test of power.

Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes, who will be making his second All-Star appearance this year, offered some words of excitement after news of Cruz's addition to the player pool was announced.

Skenes has watched his teammate take batting practice many times over the past year, and he described it as being "the most impressive batting practice I've ever seen in my life."

"My pick is Oneil to win (the Home Run Derby). The BP he takes everyday is the most impressive batting practice I've ever seen in my life. Just some of the balls he hits––he mishits balls and they go into the fifth row and the second deck at some of these stadiums. I think he hit a ball over the Chop House when were in at Atlanta last year, so he's gonna be doing that a lot," Skenes said via MLB Network Radio.

"I think I'm as excited about that as I am about the actual All-Star Game. It's going to be pretty dang cool."

Cruz is frequently listed atop or near the top of Statcast's tracked data for hardest hit baseballs. On May 25, he mashed the hardest hit home run in Statcast history, cranking a 122.9 mph blast into the seats against the Milwaukee Brewers. That type of power is rare to find, and Cruz will be looking to showcase all of it at the derby.

Skenes seems to already know what's coming next Monday, and he's eager for the rest of the baseball world to get a glimpse of what he's seen regularly from his slugger of a teammate.

Chelsea are thought to be leading the race to sign FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, and a January transfer is now a possibility.

The Blues bounced back from the home defeat to Sunderland with an impressive victory on the road on Saturday, defeating London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the Premier League, with Joao Pedro scoring what proved to be the winning goal in the first half.

Enzo Maresca will no doubt be happy with the result, while the manager will also be pleased that Pedro managed to break his duck, having failed to score since the 2-0 victory against Fulham at the end of August.

BlueCo invested heavily in the frontline in the summer, with Liam Delap also arriving from Ipswich Town, but the Englishman struggled with injuries at the start of the campaign, and Maresca wasn’t impressed with his red card against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Maresca said: “We had a very stupid red card that was completely unnecessary and was absolutely deserved,

“After the first yellow card I told him [Delap] four or five times to keep calm. But Liam is a player who, when he’s on the pitch, is probably playing the game for himself and struggles to realise and listen to those around him.”

Chelsea in pole position to sign Aghehowa

It has now emerged that Chelsea are looking to sign a new striker, having moved into pole position in the race for FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, alongside London rivals Spurs.

That is according to a report from Correio de Manha (via Sport Witness), which states the Blues are in the lead in the race for Aghehowa, with Porto now willing to sanction a departure as early as January.

Club president André Villas-Boas is prepared to cash-in for a fee of €80m (£70m), so the west Londoners will need to spend big in order to get a deal over the line.

That said, there are signs the Spaniard could be worth splashing the cash on, having maintained a fantastic record in front of goal across his opening two seasons in Portugal.

Season

Appearances (all competitions)

Goals

2024-25

45

27

2025-26

11

9

At 21-years-old, the youngster could be capable of leading the line at a top club for over a decade, with scout Ben Mattinson of the belief he is too good to be playing in Portugal.

There are question marks over whether Aghehowa would be a necessary signing, given that Maresca already has Delap and Pedro at his disposal, but he would undoubtedly be an exciting addition to the squad.

Joao Pedro named as one of the best strikers in the world The Best 15 Strikers in World Football Ranked (2025)

Who is the best number nine right now?

ByCharlie Smith Nov 20, 2025

After all the joy they experienced in Perth, day one in Adelaide served as a wake-up call for the visitors

Alagappan Muthu06-Dec-20240:45

Pujara: India should have got 250 on this pitch

“Get ready for a broken …” This Australia team don’t say things like that. But Nitish Kumar Reddy managed to get a rise out of their captain when he bailed out of facing the first ball of the 35th over on day one of the Adelaide Test.Pat Cummins has spent this news cycle dealing with questions about the unity of his men and the way they play. He’s been met with whispers of his own decline and insinuations that he takes defeat too easily. None of them seemed to wind him up as much as seeing a perfectly good ball go to such waste. He immediately went bouncer, at 143 kph, and Reddy, despite being ready this time, was barely able to duck for cover. The Adelaide Oval loved that.Related

Stats – Starc gets to Adelaide fifty, Bumrah to 2024 fifty

Starc uses his favourite combination to give Australia just the day they needed

India were finally in the Australia they would have expected before coming here. Loud. Demanding. Hostile. Frustrating. Stingy about rewarding good work and gleeful in punishing mistakes. Towards the end of the day’s play, when Mohammed Siraj expressed his annoyance at having to expend more energy than he needed to for the same reason – a batter pulling away from his stance at the last moment, because of a fan running into his line of sight with a beer snake no less – he was told off by 50,186 people and then laughed at when he conceded a four off the next ball.A lot of the talk leading into this game was about India’s batters having to adjust to the pink ball, given how little they play this flavour of Test cricket. But it seems the bowlers had just as much to get used to. In a strange way, just like in Perth where they got a chance to bowl when the conditions were still helpful, a blessing in disguise if there is such a thing when you’re all out for 150, Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj got to use the pink ball just as twilight was about to hit.Nathan McSweeney and his top-order colleagues employed the leave to telling effect•Associated PressA lot of Australia’s success in these games has been built on batting first, batting big, and sticking the opposition in during the final session (usually of day two) when the floodlilghts take effect and wield a strange power over the game. In 2022, they had West Indies 102 for 4 at stumps on day two after declaring their own innings close to the final session’s play. Their fourth wicket had fallen at 428. In 2021, they took the fairly straightforward call to give up the runs their last two batters might have been able to add to their 479 in order to unleash Mitchell Starc at the England top order, and he delivered with a wicket in his second over, with Michael Neser backing him up before stumps. Australia had had 176 on the board before going two down. England had 12.India would have been hoping for something similar; to leverage the twilight session to make their way back into the Adelaide Test. But it felt like they were getting too much movement and struggled to calibrate their lines and lengths to make it count. An under-fire Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney were able to leave 18 of the first 30 deliveries they faced, and that trend continued. Australia didn’t play at half the balls they faced in the first 20 overs. They had a better understanding of the bounce available off the pitch, which made India look like they were missing their marks.”The lengths could have been slightly fuller to encourage more play,” India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said. “I thought Australia left very well as well. It seemed to be a trademark of the way they play, those two [McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne, who have put on an unbroken 62 for the second wicket]. They left on length very well. We kind of feel the swing and the seam was a little bit inconsistent which makes it difficult for both parties.”India batted to a plan too. They discerned that the good-length ball contained the potential to cause the most problems, and looked to be proactive against anything either side of that. It was in the course of this that KL Rahul and Virat Kohli fell to balls they realised they could leave but not until it was too late. This may have been a mix of what happens in Australia and what happens with the pink ball.”From Tests gone past, and probably no different today, there’s times in a pink game where the ball can get soft and it’s hard to score, hard to take wickets, a dead patch in the game,” Starc said, “Then for whatever reason the ball starts to do a little bit more again.”India have their task cut out after 77.1 gruelling overs in Adelaide•Associated PressIndia left for their hotel at the end of day one with a sense of what could have been. Another feeling well-known among away teams that come here. Shubman Gill missed a straight ball that he could have driven for four. Yashasvi Jaiswal wandered too far across his crease to be able to connect with a ball on leg stump. Rahul and Kohli were indecisive.”Obviously to lose a wicket of the first ball, sort of sends jitters through the change room,” ten Doeschate said, “But we recovered really well and [from] 69 for 1 we probably feel like we missed a chance there. I also feel that’s the nature of the pink ball. Things can happen quickly. Things happen in clumps, we lost wickets in clumps which we wanted to avoid. There’s lessons to be learned in that first innings and we’ll go away and look how to play in the second innings.”Even their most eye-catching spell of play – when Harshit Rana seemed to get inside McSweeney’s head by asking him to use the bat and when Bumrah found his usual control to beat Labuschagne’s bat – didn’t really amount to anything. They felt something might happen. It didn’t.”I don’t think 86 for 1 is a true reflection of how we bowled,” ten Doeschate said. “I thought there were a lot of played-and-misses. Obviously the edge [that we dropped in the seventh over]. I know the score looks like there’s a big gap between the two teams but we still feel we’re in the game and with a few tweaks tomorrow, if we bowl slightly better, we feel like we can get back in the game tomorrow.”India have loved being in Australia. They’ve had things to do at every turn, literally. The e-scooters available for rent on the streets were a huge hit with the team in Perth. There, at the end of every single day, they found themselves in a pinch-me-I’m-dreaming situation. After 77.1 overs in Adelaide, they’ve received a bit of a wake-up call.

As we head into the November international break, it's time to review the Premier League season so far. Each side has played 11 games out of 38 and we've got a rough idea of who will be fighting for what this year. Arsenal boast a four-point lead at the top and even have half an eye on Chelsea's record of 16 goals conceded in a single campaign, while Wolves already seem destined for relegation.

However, only 10 points separate Chelsea in third place from West Ham down in 18th. With money flying around from all clubs, there's greater parity than ever. The Premier League is indeed the 'Super League'.

We at GOAL are ready to pause and reflect on the best players to date, with so much quality now splattered across the division, from the leading scorer to towering defenders, from midfield metronomes to total destroyers:

Getty Images Sport10Jeremy Doku (Manchester City)

You can see why Pep Guardiola has been so enamoured with the idea of Jeremy Doku since he arrived from Rennes in 2023. The Belgian winger is easily among the best one-v-one dribblers in world football, though this standout talent has often proven frustrating when trying to turn chances into goals, either himself or by setting up others.

The stats this season aren't too different to his usual numbers – one goal and three assists in 11 Premier League games – but Doku is doing far more to aid Manchester City's recent uptick. Rather than being marooned on an island by the touchline, he's playing far more centrally and getting into the tight spaces only he can expertly navigate so effortlessly.

Bumping Doku into the top 10 is partially grounded in recency bias, but his Player-of-the-Match performance in Sunday's 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool was too difficult to ignore and was one of the finest individual performances of the season.

"I want to play without any fear or doubt or anything," he told reporters. "I'm 23 years old. I hope this is not my peak level. I hope I can still improve, improve my finishing, improve my movements in the box, improve my decision-making, improve on my awareness when I have the ball – a lot. This is an unfinished product and I hope with these team-mates, and a very good coach like Pep, I can still improve."

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport9Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal)

Of all the signings Arsenal made this summer, the ones who excited supporters most upon announcement were Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze. They haven't, however, quite hit the ground running in N5, but Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi certainly has.

He's immediately brought a heads-up attitude that has been missing from Arsenal's midfield since Granit Xhaka departed the club in 2023. Just like the days of Arsene Wenger, the Gunners' No.6 can break the lines with pinpoint passing so effortlessly. Backed up by the muscle of Declan Rice, Mikel Arteta has a rather complete duo on his hands.

After scoring twice in a 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest back in September, Arteta said of Zubimendi: "Certainly he's given us a lot of positive things, his presence, his authority on the pitch, the way he connects with the players and that composure that he's having. If he starts to add assists and goals like this, it's another dimension of a player… He was unbelievable, the two goals are very difficult to score. Martin is bringing such a presence, composure and understanding of the game that makes the team flow and play better. And on top of that, he's adding goals and assists, so that's the trajectory that we have to maintain with him."

AFP8Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United)

It was hard for Manchester United to sink any lower this season, but they gave it a bloody good go for a few weeks. A slow start to the Premier League campaign, coupled with a humiliating exit to League Two side Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup, followed a year that saw them finish 15th () and lose the Europa League final to Tottenham ().

Ruben Amorim hasn't totally 'turned the Reds around' quite yet, but there are reasons to be positive, none more so than the acquisition and integration of Bryan Mbeumo, a big-money signing who is actually thriving in the intense Old Trafford spotlight. The forward already has five goals in 11 Premier League games for United – a tally which would have ranked as the squad's third-highest for all of last season – and looks every bit a player worthy of representing a club with 20 titles to their name. The Homer Simpson-inspired celebration is a bonus.

Even United's all-time leading scorer has been hugely impressed by Mbeumo, with Wayne Rooney commenting: "Mbeumo has been consistent with his performances, I think that's the main thing. If you're consistently getting in the right positions, getting chances, you will score. When you're a forward and you score goals, you enjoy scoring goals and that feeling keeps going. His confidence is very high at the minute. Hopefully that continues because he's certainly been the best signing for United this season."

Mbeumo took home the Premier League Player of the Month award for October and United fans must already be dreading how they may cope without him when he joins up with the Cameroon squad for their Africa Cup of Nations campaign this winter.

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Getty Images Sport7Declan Rice (Arsenal)

Such has been the success of Declan Rice at Arsenal that nobody even bothers to debate whether the Gunners were right to break the nine-figure mark to sign him from West Ham. "We got him half price," Gunners supporters gleefully sing from the terraces.

This hasn't even been that outstanding of a season for Rice, not by his standards. Nonetheless, he's still providing the midfield steel that protects their dominant backline and is as important an offensive weapon – a huge part of their , if you will – as anyone else in their squad, terrorising opponents with his wicked corners and free-kicks.

For Arsenal and England, Rice has been afforded a bit more freedom this term and for good reason. "I can play No.6 or No.8," he said recently. "I think now I am more of a box-to-box No.8. The manager has adjusted my position at Arsenal a bit this year, given me a bit more freedom to drop deep, but also get in the box when I can. It is the same with Thomas [Tuchel]. I think that really suits me on that left side of midfield. Being able to get back to being an all-round action midfielder is what I want to be, and I am just enjoying my football.

"I have got two managers who lay it out really easy with the game plan, what I have to do and where I have to be. Obviously, I am the one that has to go and execute it, but when you have confidence in football, you feel unstoppable at times. I ended the season really strong last year and probably didn’t start one or two games of this season as good as I wanted, but I have picked up my form now. I feel really strong. I feel fit, really confident in my game, and hopefully the only way is up from here for England and Arsenal."

Former Manchester United star Mason Greenwood has been told he is 'becoming a complete player' after starring with a brace in Marseille's 5-1 demolition of Nice in Ligue 1 on Friday. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Timothy Weah and Igor Paixao were also on target as Robert De Zerbi's side registered a thumping victory and climbed up to the top of the table, overtaking Paris Saint-Germain.

Greenwood's purple patch continues

Greenwood has been in prolific form for Marseille since joining the club from Manchester United. After ending his maiden campaign in France with 22 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions, the former Red Devils star picked up where he left off last season. The 24-year-old has already scored 10 goals in Ligue 1 this season and 11 in all competitions. He also recently won the Ligue 1 Player of the Month award for October, marking the second time he has received the accolade since his move to the French league. 

On Friday, Greenwood hit the target twice as Marseille leapfrogged PSG in the Ligue 1 table to clinch the top position after a magnificent 5-1 win over Nice away from home. 

AdvertisementGettyDe Zerbi praises Greenwood after Marseille win

Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi was understandably elated after the brilliant result as he hailed Greenwood's performance by saying: "We played well against a tough team, Nice. For them, it's a derby. It was a very tense match; we needed to play better in the second half. Everything's fine, we scored 5 goals and we're provisionally top of Ligue 1. We need to get some injured players back (Aguerd, Medina). That shouldn't be an excuse. We have to see what we can do in these circumstances. Greenwood? He's doing a good job. He's scoring goals, providing assists. He's more involved in the game. He's becoming a complete player."

The former Brighton manager added: "I was hoping for this result. It was a tough match, a derby. Both teams wanted to do well. We can still play better. I'm not satisfied with the quality of our play. Even though we won 5-1, we can do better. I'm certain this team can and must play better because it has more quality than it showed tonight. Despite the 5-1 scoreline, I expect even more. I'm thinking about the number of people we made happy. We have strong players; the only thing that worries me is the injury list. It's a real morale booster, we're top of the league tonight. We need to put that aside, there's Newcastle on Tuesday, Toulouse this weekend. We need to remember how we can improve. We need to maintain this momentum. We can't always play at the same level with the succession of matches. It's up to me and the physical staff to manage it. Weah? We missed him against Atalanta; he's a unique player, with a different profile than Murillo. We have a lot of respect for him; he needs to play with more courage and personality."

Greenwood's goal sparked mass brawl

Greenwood doubled his team's lead just past the half-hour mark after Aubameyang opened the scoring in derby. Following his first goal, the entire Marseille team celebrated in front of Nice Ultras, which triggered an extreme action. According to , Marseille defender Emerson Palmieri was struck with a lighter that was thrown by a Nice supporter.

The violence at the stand soon entered the pitch as a melee broke out involving Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and Nice defender Ali Al-Abdi. The two substitutes were then cautioned. 

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GettyGreenwood still dreams of playing for England

Earlier this month, the reported that Greenwood still dreams of making a comeback for the England national team despite being blacklisted by the FA and head coach Thomas Tuchel from selection. The winger's last and only appearance for the Three Lions came in 2020 in a Nations League clash against Iceland.

However, with only months left before the 2026 World Cup, Greenwood's comeback into the national team looks improbable currently, with Tuchel having said back in September he is not being considered for selection.

Haris and Nawaz bring some respectability to Pakistan’s first-innings performance in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2025Bangladesh seemed to have one foot in the Asia Cup final, for which India have already qualified, after keeping Pakistan to 135 for 8 on a used Dubai surface. Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain shared the spoils for Bangladesh.It was Taskin, who had been rested for Wednesday’s match against India, who had struck in the very first over when he had the in-form Sahibzada Farhan carving a catch to point for a run-a-ball 4. In the next over, Saim Ayub holed out to mid-on off Mahedi Hasan, who was also back in the team, bagging his fourth duck in six innings at the Asia Cup. In all, it was Ayub’s ninth duck in 45 T20I innings; only Umran Akmal has bagged more ducks (10 in 79 innings) for Pakistan in the format.Fakhar Zaman was going nowhere in the powerplay – he managed only 12 off 18 balls during this phase. Then, when he tried to hit his way out of trouble, he sliced Rishad to wide long-off for 13 off 20 balls. In his next over, Rishad removed Hussain Talat with a wrong’un, leaving Pakistan at 33 for 4 in the ninth over.After taking two catches, Rishad had struck twice with the ball, having the Bangladesh fans in the crowd dancing to his tunes. Rishad could’ve also had Afridi, who was dropped twice off him in the 12th over. Rishad gave away just a single boundary, finishing with figures of 4-0-18-2.Afridi hit the first six of the innings in the 13th over and struck one more in the next over before miscuing a knee-high full-toss off Taskin to the keeper. The fast bowler came away with figures of 4-0-28-3 and along the way became only the third Bangladesh player, after Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman, to 100 T20I wickets.That Pakistan crossed 120 was down to late cameos from Mohammad Haris (31 off 23 balls) and Mohammad Nawaz (25 off 15 balls). Eleven runs off the final over pushed Pakistan past 130, but it was still Advantage Bangladesh at the halfway stage.Regular captain Litton Das, who missed a second game in two days with a side strain, knew it and warmly welcomed back his bowlers.

A little over 11 points separate first from bottom as Australia’s first-class tournament resumes after the BBL

Andrew McGlashan07-Feb-2025Points table | Leading run-scorers | Leading wicket-takers | Fixtures1. South AustraliaLeading the table, South Australia can dream of playing in their first Sheffield Shield final since 2016-17 and pushing for their first title since 1995-96.After winning two of their first three matches, SA bounced back from an innings defeat against New South Wales with a hard-fought draw against reigning champions Western Australia before one of the most thrilling wins in Sheffield Shield history when they edged Tasmania by two runs off the final ball of the game. Their penultimate-round match against Victoria shapes as potentially vital.Related

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Opening batter Henry Hunt is currently the leading run-scorer for the season with 537 including three centuries.Who will they be missing?Travis Head, Alex Carey and captain Nathan McSweeney are all in the Sri Lanka, although the latter should be available for the round seven match against Tasmania and the remainder of the season. Head and Carey will both be at the Champions Trophy and how deep Australia will progress will determine which games they may be available for in March.Carey, in theory, should make the last round and be available for any potential final but there will be interesting decision looming around Head, and others with IPL deals, as that tournament starts just before the final although a precedent was set last season when Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green were in India while WA were playing the decider. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Spencer Johnson have been called up to Australia’s ODI squad and could both feature at the Champions Trophy before heading to the IPL.Scott Boland could add crucial firepower for Victoria after the Sri Lanka tour•Getty Images2. VictoriaSitting a little over a point behind SA, Victoria are again well-placed for a spot in the final for the third time in four years having narrowly missed out last summer.They lost out on a chance to go top when they fell to Queensland by 23 runs in the round before the BBL having overturned a deficit of 109 to beat the same opponents in Brisbane. They have three away trips in the final four rounds.Peter Handscomb and Marcus Harris have led their run-scoring with over 400 runs apiece and Campbell Kellaway struck a maiden first-class century in the last round. Fergus O’Neill is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker with 22 at 19.31Who will they be missing?Scott Boland and Todd Murphy will miss this round of games but should be available after that following the Sri Lanka tour although there may be some workload management for Boland. Matt Short is part of the Champions Trophy squad so will miss at least two rounds and potentially three.Kurtis Patterson has been prolific since returning to the NSW side•Getty Images3. New South WalesHow vital will their victory over Western Australia at the SCG with minutes to spare prove? They dominated the game throughout but nearly ran out of time before Jack Edwards finished the job.NSW were declared champions in the Covid-disrupted 2019-2020 season but have not won the Shield in a full campaign since 2013-14. The game against Victoria in Sydney in round eight could be critical for them.Kurtis Patterson’s return to the side with 527 runs at 105.40 has been one of the stories of the domestic season but they will need more from the rest of the top order. Jackson Bird is equal with O’Neill with 22 wickets at 14.86 although will miss the Queensland game due to injury.Who will they be missing?Sam Konstas has been released from the Sri Lanka tour early so that he can face Queensland at the Gabba and should be available for the rest of the season in a boost to NSW’s hopes. However, Sean Abbott is still in Sri Lanka and may also be added to the Champions Trophy squad. Nathan Lyon could potentially be available after the Sri Lanka tour although he has been carrying a hip injury this season. Tanveer Sangha is currently on tour and may travel to the Champions Trophy as a reserve, which would rule him out of at least two rounds.There is a tantalizing prospect of Steven Smith being available for the last round and the final should NSW qualify. Mitchell Starc played a Shield game earlier this season but has an IPL deal, as do Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood although that duo are currently carrying injuries.Western Australia’s depth will be tested as they hunt for another final•Getty Images4. Western AustraliaThe defending champions have given themselves a bit to do if they want to make it four titles in a row after suffering two defeats in their first six matches.They had been looking good after an opening-round draw was followed by big back-to-back victories against Tasmania (who they beat in last season’s final) but Victoria toppled them in Melbourne and they were just unable to hang on in Sydney.Hilton Cartwright has led the way in the runs with 530 at 53.00 and Cameron Bancroft had managed to turn a corner with a century after a horror start to the season although was part of that awful collision in the BBL. Joel Paris has been impressive in his three outings with 15 wickets 12.80 but they may have hoped for more from Corey Rocchiccioli whose 14 wickets have come at 44.14.Who will they be missing?Marsh (back) and Jhye Richardson (shoulder) are out for the remainder of the season, Bancroft (shoulder) is still recovering from the injury sustained at the BBL and captain Sam Whiteman has a foot infection. Josh Inglis will go from Sri Lanka to the Champions Trophy while Aaron Hardie is also part of the ODI squad as is Cooper Connolly at least for the two games in Sri Lanka. There is, however, the prospect of Green being able to play as a batter in the final round.Michael Neser will hope for an injury-free end to the season•Getty Images5. QueenslandQueensland kept their season afloat with the 23-run victory over Victoria at the MCG but there remains a significant gap to make up to reach the top two.They had the better of a draw against NSW in Sydney where they weren’t helped by the weather but were on the back foot against Tasmania after being made to follow-on. They have two home games during February before finishing on the road in March.Angus Lovell has impressed since coming into the side but so far only Ben McDermott has scored over 400 runs. Quick bowler Tom Whitney has started with 10 wickets in his first two Shield matches and a fit-again Michael Neser will be a big boost.Who will they be missing?Marnus Labuschagne is in Sri Lanka and then part of the Champions Trophy group but, given his hunger for batting, it would not be a surprise if he is available after that even if Queensland aren’t in the mix for the final. In theory, Usman Khawaja will be available after the Sri Lanka tour although he has managed his workload in recent seasons.Finalists last year, Tasmania are currently bottom but Tim Ward has impressed•Getty Images6. TasmaniaThree defeats, including the last-ball meltdown against South Australia, and just one win in six leaves Tasmania at the foot of the table the season after they reached the final last summer.Back-to-back defeats against Western Australia hurt them early in the season but they played superbly to beat NSW in Sydney with only 13 minutes remaining on the final day. In their favour for the latter part of the summer is that they have three home games out of four.Jake Weatherald is the leading run-scorer with 424 at 42.40 while Tim Ward is averaging 77.60 from three matches. Matt Kuhnemann stands as their leading wicket-taker while Riley Meredith’s 15 wickets have come at 20.00.Who will they be missing?Kuhnemann and Beau Webster are part of the Test squad in Sri Lanka but both should be available for round seven onwards unless Webster is a late addition for the Champions Trophy. Nathan Ellis hasn’t played a first-class game since 2023 so isn’t part of Tasmania’s red-ball plans. BBL breakout star Mitch Owen will miss this round as he’s at the SA20.

Newcastle United are in an unusual position at the moment, as Eddie Howe’s long-standing position as manager is now under threat.

Howe has been in the Magpies’ hot seat since October 2021, when the hugely unpopular Steve Bruce was ditched, and it’s fair to say the 47-year-old has been a resounding success, for the most part, finished twice inside the Champions League places and securing an EFL Cup triumph.

Still, with just three wins from 11 in Premier League action this season in isolation, it’s right that the beloved Toon boss is facing scrutiny currently.

Nick Woltemade could well be the man to guide Newcastle up the league in the coming weeks to keep Howe situated on Tyneside, though, with the 6-foot-6 goal machine continuing on his fine run of goalscoring form in England on the international stage for Germany during the break.

How Woltemade can save Howe's job

Off the back of bagging three goals for Germany during the recent stage of World Cup qualifying, the £69m summer recruit is now up to a stunning ten goals this season for both club and country.

If he keeps up this blistering form, the results will turn in the Toon’s favour in time, with Woltemade’s 12 goals for Stuttgart last season pushing them far away from the lower reaches of the Bundesliga and into European conversations.

On top of being clearly potent, which will hopefully stand the underachieving Newcastle in good stead during tense matches to come, Woltemade was also purchased this summer for that high amount for how he stylishly links up with teammates around him.

That was seen in him cleverly flicking a ball through to Harvey Barnes to score in the Champions League in October.

Journalist Adam Clery would even go out of his way to state that the much-loved German “made this entire goal” with this ingenious bit of skill, with this unselfish approach perhaps getting the best out of the likes of Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga down the line to rise the league standings.

Of course, he isn’t superhuman, with Woltemade frustratingly amassing no shots on goal against Brentford and West Ham United in back-to-back defeats when managing just 45 touches of the ball.

So, perhaps a different manager could get even more out of the clinical marksman if Newcastle were to replace Howe. After all, Toon reporter Craig Hope has already noted that ‘a 6ft 6in striker who plays with his back to goal & drops so deep was never the plan.’

Why a new manager can get more from Woltemade at Newcastle

The Mirror has speculated who could come in for Howe if he is to be relieved of his long-standing duties very soon, with the likes of Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner named.

But, if Newcastle want a manager in the same mould as the 47-year-old, they could look to hire Kieran McKenna, with the Ipswich Town boss making a name for himself from a very young age in the main management game, much like Howe did when managing AFC Bournemouth.

McKenna would transform the Tractor Boys’ faltering fortunes when taking them up all the way from League One to the Premier League via back-to-back promotions, leading to former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt lauding the ex-Red Devils coach as “one of the best coaches” in England.

Woltemade would surely love to work alongside the 4-2-3-1-focused manager if he were to swap Suffolk for St James’ Park, with his Ipswich sides over the years centring on some explosive, yet team-oriented attackers, much like the German has already shown in spades at his new home.

Games managed

188

Wins

88

Draws

50

Losses

50

Goals scored

340

Goals conceded

239

Points accumulated

314

Indeed, from 188 games in charge of the Tractor Boys, McKenna has overseen 88 wins with a mighty 348 goals scored along the way.

Up in the Premier League last season, the Northern Irishman would turn Liam Delap into a Chelsea-bound centre-forward, having got 12 top-flight strikes out of the ex-Manchester City striker from 40 games, even as his side languished near the drop zone all campaign long.

Therefore, with Delap also coming in a slick, yet imposing presence like Woltemade at a 6-foot-2 frame, it’s intriguing to see what McKenna could do to Woltemade if he were handed the Newcastle reins, having further got an impressive haul of 73 goals out of Conor Chaplin and George Hirst in the EFL and above.

The worry here would be that McKenna’s only Premier League season to date as a manager resulted in relegation, but having been previously tipped to go to “the very top” by podcaster Dave Hendrick, this could be the 39-year-old’s chance of becoming an established boss in the big time.

With his glittering track record with strikers, Woltemade could come even more into his own under his fresh set of ideas if he does surprisingly succeed Howe, as the powers that be at Newcastle continue to ponder whether a change is the correct call right now.

Better deal than Woltemade: Newcastle among favourites to sign £100m star

Newcastle need to add some more quality to Eddie Howe’s side in 2026.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Nov 18, 2025

With the postseason looming, the Padres have lost a key piece for the short term.

San Diego outfielder Ramón Laureano has been diagnosed with a fractured finger and will miss the first round of the playoffs, manager Mike Shildt said Wednesday evening via Dennis Lin of . Laureano, 31, has hit well since being acquired from the Orioles on July 31—slashing .271/.325.492 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs.

In total, Laureano has slashed .282/.343/.514 with 24 home runs and 76 RBIs. His 3.6 bWAR are a career high, surpassing a 3.5-win campaign with the Athletics in 2019.

The Padres are squarely in the middle of the National League's crowded postseason picture; they currently trail the Dodgers by two games in the West Division race and the Cubs by two games in the wild-card race.

San Diego, sans Laureano, is scheduled to play three games against the Diamondbacks this weekend to conclude its 2025 regular season.

Paris Saint-Germain loanee Randal Kolo Muani shone against his parent club with two goals and an assist, but his heroics ultimately counted for nothing as Tottenham slumped to a comprehensive 5-3 defeat at the reigning European champions. Spurs went ahead twice in the game. but were undone by some dismal defending as PSG scored five times and took home all three Champions League points.

Tottenham took a shock lead on 35 minutes with a well-worked goal. Archie Gray did well to get down the left flank and dig out a cross for Kolo Muani, who rose well to power a head back across goal and give Richarlison the simple task of nodding into an empty net.

The goal looked to have stunned the visitors, but they were back on level terms before the break. A corner in from the left was only cleared as far as Vitinha on the edge of the box, and the Portugal midfielder was not closed down quickly enough and smashed home a ferocious strike that flew past Guglielmo Vicario and in off the underside of the bar.

The two sides traded goals again at the start of the second half. Kolo Muani volleyed home from inside the penalty area after PSG failed to clear a corner, before Vitinha grabbed his second of the match three minutes later with a curling effort that beat Vicario. 

PSG then took control of the game, although they were given a helping hand by Spurs. Cristian Romero's ball to Pape Matar Sarr saw the midfielder gift possession away in a dangerous area, allowing Fabian Ruiz to sweep home and put the visitors in front for the first time. More disastrous defending allowed Willian Pacho to make it 4-2 from a corner, before Kolo Muani grabbed his second of the night after a rare poor moment from Vitinha.

However, the Portuguese had the last laugh by walking off with the match ball. Romero conceded a penalty for handball as he tried to block a shot, allowing Vitinha the simple task of completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot. PSG were reduced to 10 men in added time when Lucas Hernandez elbowed Xavi Simons in the face, but it was too late for Spurs to capitalise on this advantage.

GOAL rates Tottenham's players from Parc des Princes…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Guglielmo Vicario (6/10):

Conceded five goals but couldn't do anything about Vitinha's first two strikes and was let down by his team-mates for the other three

Pedro Porro(6/10):

Put some great deliveries into the box going forwards and kept Barcola fairly quiet but, like the rest of the Spurs defence, was guilty of some poor moments after the break.

Cristian Romero (4/10):

Sloppy second half from the captain. Put Sarr in trouble for the third goal that saw PSG finally take the lead and gave away the penalty for the fifth.

Micky van de Ven(6/10):

The pick of the bunch when it comes to Tottenham's defence, but that's not saying much.

Djed Spence (5/10):

Came up against Kvaratskhelia and did a good job in the first half, though did have a few lazy moments after the break.

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Rodrigo Bentancur (6/10):

Should have blocked Vitinha's shot for PSG's second goal but seemed to move out of the away and could only watch in dismay as it flew past Vicario. Made amends somewhat by robbing Vitinha and finding Kolo Muani for Spurs' third.

Archie Gray (7/10):

Put in a strong display and covered so much ground. Played a key role in two of Tottenham's goals and showed why he should be playing more.

Lucas Bergvall (7/10):

Back in the team and made a real difference. His flair and quality on the ball has been badly missed and he was excellent, particularly in the first half.

Pape Matar Sarr (4/10):

Disastrous second half from the midfielder. Caught in possession just outside the box for PSG's third goal and failed to clear the ball as the hosts made it 4-2.

AFPAttack

Richarlison (7/10):

Nodded home an easy finish from two yards for his third goal in three games. Also played a big part in the second goal, heading the corner back across goal and causing panic in the PSG defence.

Randal Kolo Muani (8/10):

Showed up against his parent club with two goals and assist. Teed up Richarlison with a great jump and header and then reacted quickly to fire home the second. Made Vitinha pay for a poor moment with Tottenham's third of the night.

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AFPSubs & Manager

Joao Palhinha  (6/10):

Brought on to freshen the team up but the game was already gone.

Mohammed Kudus (6/10):

Also arrived too late to make an impact.

Destiny Udogie (N/A):

A late sub who contributed little.

Xavi Simons (N/A):

A few lively moments after arriving late in the day. Also took a painful-looking elbow to the face that saw Hernandez sent off in stoppage time.

Wilson Odobert (N/A):

Didn't see much of the game as a late sub.

Thomas Frank (6/10):

Made five changes to his team from the dismal derby defeat to Arsenal and saw his team give it a good go. Twice Spurs went in front, but they were left down by some really poor defending which will be a major source of frustration for the boss.