Tag Futebol

Celtic head into Wednesday night's clash with Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership knowing that even a point would be enough to secure the title.

The Hoops are currently six points clear of their closest rivals in second place and would need to go through a stunning collapse to throw the division away from this point.

They now travel away from Parkhead to take on Kilmarnock in their penultimate league fixture of the season, and will hope to celebrate the title in style with an emphatic win.

Brendan Rodgers' side come into this match off the back of a 2-1 win over Rangers in the Old Firm clash at Paradise on Saturday, thanks to a strike from Matt O'Riley and an own goal from John Lundstram in the first half.

The Northern Irish head coach could, however, look to make some alterations to his starting XI, and Reo Hatate is one player who could be dropped out of the lineup.

Why Reo Hatate should be dropped to the bench

The Japan international was selected to start in the middle of the park, alongside Matt O'Riley and Callum McGregor, and endured a difficult afternoon at Parkhead.

Hatate was on the winning side in midfield but his performance left a lot to be desired as he struggled in and out of possession throughout the match.

On the ball, the central midfielder created one chance, which was not a 'big chance', for his teammates, failed in both of his attempted crosses, and failed with his only attempted dribble. He also lost possession 13 times in total – more than both O'Riley (12) and McGregor (six) – in 80 minutes on the pitch.

The right-footed lightweight also lost four of his six duels and did not make a single tackle against Rangers, which shows that opposition players dominated him in the physical battle.

His underwhelming showing in the Old Firm clash on Saturday came off the back of another below-par display against Hearts at Parkhead in the previous league match.

Hatate did assist the opening goal from Kyogo Furuhashi, with a hooked cross into the middle of the box for the striker to score with a header, but the rest of his game was concerning.

As you can see in the table, the Japanese dud was completely dominated in physical duels against the Jam Tarts players as he lost all six of his contests.

The 26-year-old midfielder also lost the ball a staggering 25 times, taking his total to 38 times over the last two matches, and only completed 71% of his attempted passes.

These statistics show that Hatate has been off the pace in the last two games for Celtic, as he has lost possession 38 times and lost ten of his 12 duels against Hearts and Rangers combined.

This is why Rodgers must brutally drop him to the bench and now finally unleash Portuguese starlet Paulo Bernardo from the start against Kilmarnock.

Why Paulo Bernardo should be unleashed

The Benfica loanee has not started a match for Celtic since the 3-1 win over St Johnstone on the 16th of March and must finally be unleashed in the XI ahead of Hatate on Wednesday night.

His last four appearances in the Premiership have come as a substitute and the talented youngster has still managed to produce one goal and one assist in that time.

Bernardo produced a crisp finish into the bottom corner against Livingston at the end of March and followed that up with a progressive pass into the feet of Adam Idah, who then worked room to find the back of the net in the 3-3 draw with Rangers at Ibrox.

The 22-year-old maestro has shown glimpses of quality throughout the 2023/24 campaign, since his move to Scotland on loan from Benfica, and he could offer more than Hatate in and out of possession.

Celtic's Japanese gem lost 83% of his duels and lost possession 19 times per game on average across his last two appearances, whilst Bernardo's form in the Premiership indicates that he could be an upgrade in the middle of the park.

As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese whiz has the quality to provide goals and assists – with more than one contribution every other start on average – and can hold his own in physical battles, whilst also retaining possession well.

Bernardo, who was once hailed as "gifted" and a "baller" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, should now replace Hatate in the starting XI against Kilmarnock to improve Celtic's use of the ball in midfield, and how they cope in duels against opposition players.

The alternatives to Paulo Bernardo

If Rodgers wants to drop Hatate and look at options beyond Bernardo, Tomoki Iwata and Odin Thiago Holm are two other midfielders who could step up.

Holm appears to be the least likely candidate to feature against Kilmarnock as the 21-year-old starlet has only made nine appearances in the Premiership this season and his last outing was against St Johnstone in March.

The Norway U21 international has only played one league match for the club in 2024 and appears to be one for the future, at the age of 21, rather than a player who is going to make an immediate impact on the pitch.

Iwata, on the other hand, has been a regular member of the squad and has made 19 appearances in the Premiership, starting nine of those games.

The Japanese star, however, is more defensive-minded, with just one goal and one assist in his 19 outings, and the Hoops should look to go with a front-footed option to replace Hatate, should he be dropped.

Celtic hit gold with "magnificent" star who'd be worth £20m in 2024 money

The Scottish giants struck gold when they signed the impressive ace for just £2m.

By
Dan Emery

May 14, 2024

Celtic should be wanting to secure a win to seal the title in style and Bernardo, given his three goals and three assists in 11 starts, could provide an attacking threat from midfield, which is why Rodgers must finally unleash him from the start.

MatériaMais Notícias

Defendendo as cores do Vitória, o atacante Paulo Victor segue evoluindo com a camisa do Leão neste ano. Feliz com esse crescimento, o jogador revelou que quer fazer um segundo semestre de muitos gols com a camisa rubro-negra.

Guga, do Galo, é flagrado em festa: veja atletas que aprontaram na pandemia

– Hoje estou muito bem em todos os sentidos e isso me deixa feliz, motivado. Estou trabalhando para buscar o meu espaço no clube para ajudar neste segundo semestre. Tenho me dedicado ao máximo para que as coisas saiam como estou planejando com a camisa do clube. – afirmou.

VEJA TABELA E SIMULE OS JOGOS DO LEÃO NA SÉRIE B DO BRASILEIRÃO

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasBotafogoApós recusa de Lisca, presidente do Botafogo garante que vai anunciar novo técnico nesta quarta-feiraBotafogo20/07/2021AvaíAvaí mostra bom desempenho defensivo em recuperação na tabelaAvaí20/07/2021CoritibaCoritiba é o pior ataque do G-4 da Série BCoritiba20/07/2021

O atleta destacou, ainda, a felicidade de atuar no futebol brasileiro após muito tempo fora do país.

– Passei muito tempo fora do país e retornar em um clube grande como o Vitória tem sido importante. Senti falta disso. Espero evoluir mais e mais para que eu possa construir uma história no clube. – concluiu.

Ben White is reportedly set to continue his self-imposed England exclusion as interim boss Lee Carsley prepares to name his first squad on Thursday.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• White falls out with Southgate's assistant Holland
• Defender rules himself out of England selection
• Three Lions exile expected to continue under Carsley

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to the , the Arsenal star's England exile is expected to continue, despite former manager Gareth Southgate and his assistant, Steve Holland, moving on from their roles this summer. Interim boss Carsley will name his group for their Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland but it is understood White will not make himself available for selection for the time being.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  White left England's World Cup 2022 camp midway through the competition due to "personal reasons", with reports later suggesting he had fallen out with coach Holland. The 26-year-old has not played for England since and ruled himself out of selection for Euro 2024, too. The report adds that he is not fussed about adding to his four international caps for the time being.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  White made his England debut in 2021 following a successful season at Brighton, before signing for Arsenal in a £50 million ($66m) move. Since then, the versatile ex-Southampton academy player has featured 136 times for the Gunners and become an accomplished right-back.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  All eyes will be on who Carsley, who has had a successful spell managing England's under-21 side, names in his Three Lions squad for the Nations League games. They face the Irish on September 7 and Finland three days later.

This season, Liverpool Football Club, like many other sides in the Premier League, have been swamped with injuries.

Currently, they have key players including Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota all sidelined until April, with Joel Matip out for the season and Thiago Alcantara injured for an unspecified time.

However, this has allowed outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp to give Liverpool’s academy players a chance to prove themselves in the first team. This season, Conor Bradley has been one of the breakout stars from the bunch of youngsters dubbed as “Klopp’s Kids”, with the likes of Jayden Danns taking his opportunity by scoring twice already in just four first-team appearances.

It was “Klopp’s Kids” who put in major contributions to help Liverpool beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final in February, to begin Klopp’s farewell tour in ideal style. They could well help the Reds win other titles, with Liverpool still competing for the Europa League and the Premier League.

However, football is not always easy and can often be incredibly unforgiving, especially as a young player breaking through. “Klopp’s Kids” have performed incredibly well this season, but there have been occasions where it has not quite gone to plan.

Jarrell Quansah's difficulties against Man Utd

Frustratingly, the above notion is something that young Liverpool centre-back Jarell Quansah can relate to. It was his mistake against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon which allowed their big rivals back into the game.

It was Quansah’s poor pass on the halfway line, which was meant for Virgil van Dijk, which Red Devils captain Bruno Fernandes intercepted, taking a shot on first time and lobbing Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher from just inside the Reds’ half. It was a superb finish from Fernandes, but a poor mistake from Quansah which allowed it to happen.

Mark Doyle of Goal ranked Quansah a 4/10 for his performance at Old Trafford, although did note that before his mistake, the young defender “looked very comfortable”.

Klopp himself had a message of support for the 21-year-old, explaining in his post-match interview he believed Quansah “dealt extremely well with it”, and ensuring there would be “absolutely no blame or whatever, not at all, no criticism. That just happens, he will learn from it”.

It was a frustrating moment for Quansah, who has made 27 appearances for Liverpool this season, and aside from his error on Sunday, has not put a foot wrong at the heart of their defence.

That said, after a tough game on Sunday, it might well be a good time for Quansah to sit out of the limelight on Thursday night, in Liverpool’s crunch Europa League match against Atalanta.

The perfect replacement for Quansah

If this were the case, it would give Klopp the chance to unleash “monstrous” centre-back Ibrahima Konate, as one football writer once described the Frenchman.

Konate, like many Liverpool players, has had injury problems this season and has missed eight games for Liverpool and France so far. Whilst Klopp preferred Quansah over his fellow centre half on Sunday, Konate is an experienced player despite being just 24, and has featured in a World Cup final already. It could well be the case he comes back into the side against Italian outfit Atalanta with that big game experience sure to help..

The centre-back is very dominant in the air, and standing at 6 foot 4 means he wins many of his aerial duels. According to Fbref, Konate wins an average of 4.02 aerial duels per 90 minutes this season, ranking him in the top 3% for centre-backs in Europe. This is only slightly worse than Van Dijk, who on average wins 4.29 aerial duels per 90 minutes, placing him in the top 2%, as per Fbref.

That is certainly a handy asset for Klopp to have in his centre-back pairing, particularly in knockout football, if Liverpool are trying to hold onto a late lead and are constantly having to defend crosses in the penalty box.

Konate is also a wonderful progressive passer, averaging 5.62 per 90 minutes, placing him in the top 9%. This is slightly better than his captain Van Dijk. The Dutchman averages 5.05 progressive passes per 90 minutes which ranks him in the top 15% of positionally similar players.

It is hard to argue against Konate’s inclusion against Atalanta. He is a perfect modern centre-back and compliments Liverpool captain Van Dijk perfectly. Combined, they make one of the best defensive pairings in world football and the experience they both possess could prove to be crucial as Liverpool hunt down two more trophies to give Klopp the perfect send-off.

ارتفعت وتيرة أزمة الأخطاء التحكيمية في مباراة الزمالك والبنك الأهلي في أولى جولات الدوري المصري الممتاز، بعد تسريب مقطع صوتي لمحادثة بين حكام المباراة.

المباراة التي أدارها تحكيميًا الدولي المصري محمد عادل، وعاونه محمد سلامة على تقنية الـvar، قد أثارت جدلًا واسعًا، بسبب القرارات وانتشار تسريب صوتي منسوب للحكمين السابق ذكرهما خلال اللقاء.

مصدر بلجنة الحكام يكشف عبر بطولات نتيجة تحليل أداء مباراة الزمالك والبنك الأهلي

وتضمن التسريب الصوتي المنسوب للحكمين اعتراف محمد عادل بعدم أحقية الزمالك في ركلة جزاء خلال مشاهدة اللعبة في شاشة الـvar، ومن ثم إصدار قرار باحتسابها.

وعلم بطولات أن اتحاد الكرة قرر فتح تحقيقًا رسميًا في تسريبات محادثة الڤار في مباراة الزمالك والبنك الأهلي.

وطلب من الشركة المنوطة بالإشراف على تشغيل التقنية في المسابقات المصرية النسخة الأصلية من التسجيل الصوتي للمحادثة.

الجدير بالذكر، أن محمد عادل قد نفى في تصريحات عبر بطولات صحة التسريب الصوتي مؤكدًا لجؤه للمباحث التكنولوجيا لتقديم بلاغات ضد ناشري المقطع الصوتي.

Government official wants board to discuss conflict charges filed by Sanjeev Gupta, among other issues

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Jan-2020The BCCI has been asked to convene a meeting of its Apex Council at the earliest by Alka Rehani Bharadwaj, the nominee of the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG), to look into the conflict of interest complaints filed by Sanjeev Gupta, a life member at the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA). The Apex Council is one of the most powerful committees of the board. It is tasked with the governance of the BCCI and ranks second after the general body.According to , on Monday, Bharadwaj, who was appointed by the CAG to be part of the BCCI’s Apex Council in December, sent an email to all the board’s five office bearers, including president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, along with Rahul Johri, the chief executive officer.Ganguly, Shah and the other three office bearers – Arun Dhumal (treasurer), Jayesh George (joint secretary) and Mahim Verma (vice-president) – are part of the Apex Council along with Bharadwaj, two representatives from the Indian Cricketers’ Association (Aunshuman Gaekwad and Shanta Rangaswamy) and an elected representative nominated by the general body. The Apex Council has met just once (November 30) since Ganguly’s administration took charge in October, and as per the board’s constitution, it is supposed to meet every three months.In the email, Bharadwaj reportedly listed five different conflict charges Gupta had filed since Ganguly’s administration was elected. In his latest complaint, filed on Monday with the BCCI Ethics Officer, Gupta has said former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir is ineligible to be part of the cricket advisory committee (CAC), which is tasked with picking the men’s selection committee. The BCCI recently approached Gambhir, along with former India seamer Madan Lal and former India women’s cricketer Sulakshana Naik, to be part of the CAC which has been defunct since last November.In his complaint Gupta said Gambhir, being a Member of Parliament, was ineligible as per the rules listed within the BCCI’s constitution. It is not known whether that complaint is on the shortlist of conflict charges that Bharadwaj wanted to discuss with the rest of the Apex Council.One complaint that Bharadwaj did point out concerns the appointment of the former MPCA secretary Milind Kanmadikar as the team manager of the India A team, currently in New Zealand.Gupta said that Kanmadikar was ineligible because he had served as MPCA secretary until October 2019, and hence had to serve the mandatory cooling off period of three years as per the rules which were approved by the Supreme Court in 2018. As per the rules, an office bearer or an administrator needs to serve a three-year cooling off period after serving two consecutive terms (6 years).”Mr Kanmadikar is in compulsory cooling period ( he was Office Bearer of MPCA for 7 years in succession from Aug 2012 till 1 Oct 2019 ),” Gupta had said in his complaint, sent on January 9. “He stands disqualified to occupy any post whatsoever till he completes his cooling period on 1 Oct 2022 , including post as Team Official of Indian A Team.”Kanmadikar’s appointment was made by the BCCI, but Bharadwaj wanted to know the details because, as she pointed out, the office bearers did not have the power to do it themselves without discussing the matter at the Apex Council. “In terms of BCCI Rule 8 and 15, there is no provision through which either BCCI AGM or BCCI Apex Council can delegate their powers to BCCI office-bearers,” Bharadwaj said in the email, according to .Bharadwaj said she had already sent two other emails to the office bearers in which she had also asked for the minutes of the November 30 Apex Council meeting to be sent to her in addition to uploading the annual reports of the previous two years on the board’s website. “Thus, as requested on 7 January 2020, I again request for early convening of Apex Council meeting. Request you, as per my earlier mails dated 20 December 2019 and 3 January 2020, to share and also upload the Annual Reports for last 3 years on BCCI Website, in compliance with Rule 37(5) & (6) of the Constitution.”You are also requested to share the Agenda, Explanatory notes, Minutes of Apex Council meeting of 30 November 2019 and also [IPL] Governing Council meeting, last held.”Bharadwaj’s email is a significant development. The RM Lodha Committee had recommended that the CAG representative needed to be part of the Apex Council to help provide transparency and accountability in the world’s richest cricket board. The BCCI opposed the move when it was suggested, with former board president Anurag Thakur (Dhumal’s brother) controversially suggesting the CAG nominee appointment could not be allowed. Thakur was later sacked by the court for failing to implement the reforms.

It's been a long and eventful Premier League season for Crystal Palace fans this year. However, the appointment of Austrian manager Oliver Glasner in February signaled the start of a new era at the club.

The 49-year-old has five points from his first four games in charge and started winter signing Adam Wharton in each one.

The youngster looks like he could have an incredibly bright future at Selhurst Park, although he's still worth significantly less than one of his teammates.

What Crystal Palace paid for Adam Wharton

After a month of back-and-forth negotiations, the Eagles finally completed the £18m signing of Wharton from Blackburn Rovers on February 1st, agreeing to a five-and-a-half-year deal with the highly-rated youngster.

Despite being 19 at the time, the Blackburn-born gem had already made 51 appearances for Rovers' first team and was described as "one of the most exciting English U-19 talents around" and the "The English Cambiasso" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

The now 20-year-old has already made six appearances for the south Londoners in his short time at the club, five of those starts, and looks relatively comfortable in the Premier League.

His rapid rise from academy gem at Ewood Park to first-team regular at Palace has been mirrored by the rise in his valuation, with Football Transfers' Expected Value model pricing the young Englishman at just around €1m – £860k a year ago. The £18m man still has a way to replicate the rise of homegrown talent, Tyrick Mitchell, however.

Tyrick Mitchell's valuation at Crystal Palace

Mitchell joined Palace as a youngster after Brentford dissolved their youth setup in 2016. After spending a few years working his way up through the various youth sides, he made his full debut for the first team in a 2-0 Premier League defeat away to Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2020.

In the three and a half years since that game, the Brent-born full-back has made 134 appearances for the south Londoners. In September 2023, he became the youngest player in the club's history to make 100 Premier League appearances.

The 24-year-old's importance to the team has been undeniable in recent seasons, and with new boss Glasner continuing to start him since taking over, it looks as if the "technically super-gifted" left-back, as ex-youth coach Gabriel Flores described him, will keep his place in the team for some time to come.

Appearances

134

Goals

2

Assists

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.06

His consistent performances in arguably the toughest league in world football have also impacted his valuation. In January 2021, Football Transfers' Expected Value model priced him at just €3 – £2.5m, whereas he's now valued at around €25m, which is about £21m, or more than Wharton's £18m transfer fee.

Crystal Palace were rinsed by £170k-p/w signing who earned more than Eze

The highly-rated star cost the clubs millions and offered nothing in return.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 22, 2024

Ultimately, Palace have a young star on their hands in the former Blackburn gem, but they have arguably done even better in nurturing Mitchell from the academy up to a £21m Premier League-level left-back.

They had few alarms completing a seven-wicket victory over Leicestershire

ECB Reporters Network13-Sep-2019

Northamptonshire moved into second place in Division Two after completing a seven wicket victory over Leicestershire in the Specsavers County Championship match at the Fischer County Ground.Beginning the day on 22-0, with a target of just 141 to win, openers Ben Curran and Rob Newton extended their partnership to 68 before Newton went leg before to an Alex Evans delivery that came back in to the right-hander.Curran, on 40, edged a flat-footed drive at Will Davis to Colin Ackermann at second slip, and Ackermann picked up a second catch when first innings centurion Rob Keogh edged a drive at left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson.The odd ball was beginning to turn for Parkinson, but by that stage Alex Wakely was well established, and the vistors’ former skipper saw his side across the line with an unbeaten 40.

It's crunch time for Arsenal on Sunday, with the Gunners taking on rivals Liverpool in what could prove to be a pivotal showdown in the Premier League title race, with just five points currently separating the two sides in third and first, respectively.

While imperious champions Manchester City are also firmly in the mix and with a game in hand on the two teams either side of them, a win tomorrow would help to lay down a marker for either the north Londoners or the Anfield outfit amid their own pursuit of glory.

The recent announcement of Jurgen Klopp's impending departure from the Merseysiders has likely only heightened their desire for the German to go out with a bang at the end of the season, although those at the Emirates can help to spoil the party by picking up a positive result on home soil.

Having now won their last two games since losing to Klopp and co in the FA Cup at the start of January, there could well be just one change made by Mikel Arteta from the side that saw off Nottingham Forest in midweek.

1 GK – David Raya

There have been shaky moments for David Raya this season – including his two notable errors away to Luton Town back in December – although the Spaniard appears to be truly finding his feet in an Arsenal shirt, having produced 'one of his best performances' in the 5-0 win over Crystal Palace, as per the Standard's Simon Collings.

While Aaron Ramsdale will be chomping at the bit to get back into the side, there would be no rhyme or reason for Arteta to usurp the Brentford loanee.

2 RB – Ben White

The major talking point may have been the Englishman's post-match row with teammate Oleksandr Zinchenko in midweek, although prior to that it had been another smooth outing for the former Brighton and Hove Albion man.

The 26-year-old notably enjoyed an 88% pass accuracy rate and provided one key pass against the Tricky Trees, although will now face a far tougher test up against the lively Luis Diaz.

3 CB – William Saliba

The towering Frenchman could have perhaps done better to prevent Taiwo Awoniyi from firing home amid a nervy climax at the City Ground, yet that was a rare blip in an otherwise "exceptional" spell in north London to date – as lauded by his manager.

If the Gunners are to keep a frontline that has scored 14 goals across their last four games quiet, they will need Saliba to be at his brilliant best.

4 CB – Gabriel

The surprise goalscorer in the reverse fixture at Anfield, Gabriel has 'quietly been one of Arsenal's better players this season' – according to Collings – shaking off summer reports that he looked set for an exit.

Although it is his centre-back partner who usually gets most of the plaudits, the Brazilian brute is seemingly just as important to a backline that has shipped just 21 league goals thus far – the second-best record in the division.

5 LB – Oleksandr Zinchenko

The Ukrainian ace won't have fond memories of this fixture having been branded a "liability" by pundit Gary Neville during the 1-1 draw back in December, yet with Takehiro Tomiyasu still at the Asian Cup and Jurrien Timber still edging his way back to fitness, he'll simply have to start once again.

6 CDM – Declan Rice

It came as no real shock when Arteta confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Thomas Partey had endured a "setback" in his recovery from injury, with that news ensuring that Declan Rice will once again operate in that deep-lying midfield berth.

Although there has been a clamour to see the former West Ham United skipper unleashed in a more advanced number eight role, he has previously outlined his preference for operating as the six, and will be looking to make another big impact in that position tomorrow.

Arsenal may already have their own Onana in Hale End sensation

The failure to land the Everton star could be the catalyst for Arsenal to unleash one of Hale End’s most exciting talents

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 2, 2024

A previous match winner in a crunch clash with Manchester United at the Emirates, could the 25-year-old replicate such heroics against Klopp's men?

7 CM – Martin Odegaard

The Gunners skipper has only recorded victory once in his career against tomorrow's opponents – while also failing to score in those eight meetings – yet he could be instrumental in changing those fortunes and helping to maintain his side's title charge.

Now without a goal or an assist in his last four league games, the Norwegian maestro needs to step up on the big stage on Sunday.

8 CM – Emile Smith Rowe

Having 'looked sharp' against Forest last time out – as per Collings – Emile Smith Rowe could be deserving of another chance to shine from the start this time around, ahead of summer signing Kai Havertz.

Despite being the subject of interest from West Ham last month, the 23-year-old playmaker could now have a central role to play for the Gunners over the coming months.

9 RW – Bukayo Saka

Another Hale End graduate, Bukayo Saka has begun to hit form again after providing three goals and assists across his last league games, netting what proved to be the decisive goal in Nottingham.

That ensures that the Englishman has now already reached double figures for both goals and assists in all competitions this season, continuing his sparkling rise in an Arsenal shirt.

10 ST – Gabriel Jesus

There were no doubt concerns when Gabriel Jesus limped off in midweek, although having trained with the squad all week, the fleet-footed Brazilian should be fit to feature tomorrow.

With no new striker coming in the door, the Gunners' number nine – who kicked things off against Forest after prodding through the legs of former teammate, Matt Turner – will need to find a clinical edge if the club's long wait for Premier League glory is to come to an end.

Lancashire and Sussex are guaranteed home quarter-finals ahead of the final round of games

Matt Roller30-Aug-2019After a whopping 126 games over six weeks, the Vitality Blast’s group stage will finally draw to a close on Friday night. The qualification picture is crystal clear in the North Group, with the only complication regarding which team will join Lancashire in the top two and earn themselves a home quarter-final. In the South, it is complete carnage, with two teams through, two teams out, and five scrabbling around for the final two spots. The team finishing first in the North Group will host the team that comes fourth in the South, then second hosts third, and so on. The quarter-finals will be held on consecutive nights from next Wednesday, with the order set to be confirmed by Saturday. The winners of those will then progress to Finals Day, at Edgbaston on September 15, for which the draw will take place after the quarters have been held.South GroupSussex are definitely through. Regardless of their result against Gloucestershire, they will top the group, and play at home in their quarter-final.Gloucestershire are through, and likely to have a home quarter-final. If they beat or tie with Sussex, they will play at Bristol in the next round. If they lose, and if Kent beat Essex convincingly enough to overturn a substantial gap between the sides’ net run rate (NRR), then Gloucestershire will play away from home with Kent hosting a quarter at Canterbury.Kent will qualify if they beat Essex at Chelmsford, and could get a home tie if they win convincingly and Sussex thrash Gloucestershire. If they lose, they will be eliminated, despite having started the tournament with six wins from seven games.Somerset’s NRR is second only to Sussex’s in the South Group, meaning a win by any margin against Middlesex should be enough for them to progress.Hampshire must beat whipping boys Glamorgan to stand a chance, but their qualification will depend on other results. Their best-case scenario would be to win convincingly, and for Essex to beat Kent. Alternatively, if Hampshire win, Kent win and Middlesex win (but not by much) then Hampshire can still get through on NRR. If Kent and Somerset both win, Hampshire are effectively out regardless of their result in Cardiff.For Middlesex to stand a chance of qualifying, they must beat Somerset at Taunton, but that may not be enough depending on other results. They will need either Kent or Hampshire to lose, or to win by a big margin while Hampshire only win by a small one, and will definitely be knocked out if they lose.Essex need a lot to go their way, even after beating Surrey at The Oval on Thursday, on account of their poor NRR. Their best chance is to beat Kent at Chelmsford, and then hope that winless Glamorgan can turn over Hampshire. If Hampshire win, and the Somerset-Middlesex game ends in anything other than a tie, Essex will need to win by a ludicrous margin to qualify.Surrey and Glamorgan are both out of the qualification race.Matt Parkinson belts out an appeal•Getty ImagesNorth GroupThe four quarter-finalists have already been confirmed.Lancashire will finish in the top two, but due to a date clash with the fourth Ashes Test, will play their ‘home’ game at Chester-le-Street. A win at home to Leicestershire would secure top spot and (supposedly) the easiest draw, though the South Group is so tight that it is hard to tell which team would be best to face.Nottinghamshire host Durham, and will play their quarter-final at Trent Bridge if they win. If they lose, while Worcestershire win at Northamptonshire, then Notts will play away from home with New Road hosting Worcestershire’s quarter.Derbyshire have already played all 14 games. The only way they can play at home in the knockouts is if Leicestershire completely obliterate Nottinghamshire, overturning a substantial difference in the teams’ NRR.Worcestershire, the defending champions, will host a quarter-final if they win and Notts lose.Birmingham’s game against Yorkshire is a complete dead rubber.