Neither team looks settled, and for the team that loses this, the table will not look pretty at all

Sreshth Shah17-Oct-20207:41

Moody: Russell needs to prove his worth with the bat

Big pictureThe Kolkata Knight Riders and the Sunrisers Hyderabad enter their face-off with a difference of only two points on the points table, but they are both in precarious positions. Depending on other results, by the time Sunday’s games are done, things might not look pretty at all for the team that loses this game.Both the teams have soft middle orders. The Sunrisers have chopped and changed positions four and below through the tournament, and those batting slots are still not firmed up. The Knight Riders have the experience there, but the consistency is missing.ALSO READ: SRH vs KKR Fantasy Pick – If KKR bat first, replace Mavi with CumminsThat said, both teams have reasons to feel confident. From the Sunrisers’ point of view, the Knight Riders are likely to be without Sunil Narine, have a new captain, and are trying to avoid a third straight loss. The Knight Riders know they won the last time these sides met, and like them, the Sunrisers enter the contest on the back of two defeats.Therefore, it will come down to which team hides their weaknesses better. Apart from the middle-order issues, the performance of the two Indian pace attacks will be important. Neither team is settled, they are both missing momentum, and for the winning team it can be a massive morale-booster.Previous meetingManish Pandey hit a half-century for the Sunrisers, but they could score only 142 for the loss of four wickets on the back of impressive spells from Pat Cummins and Varun Chakravarthy. Shubman Gill then struck a 62-ball 70, while Eoin Morgan crunched a 29-ball 42 to seal the Knight Riders’ win with two overs to spare.Likely XIsKolkata Knight Riders: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Andre Russell, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Pat Cummins, 8 Lockie Ferguson, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Shivam MaviSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Kane Williamson, 5 Priyam Garg, 6 Vijay Shankar, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Shahbaz Nadeem, 9 Sandeep Sharma, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 T NatarajanVarun Chakravarthy and Andre Russell are key to the Knight Riders’ plans•BCCIStrategy punts The Sunrisers shouldn’t necessarily save Rashid Khan up for Andre Russell. That’s because they have two left-arm seamers who can bowl those wide yorkers that Russell struggles against. While Khan has dismissed Russell in the IPL thrice, the West Indian has a strike rate of 184 against him. Instead, Khan could tear into the other Knight Riders batsmen who score much slower against his kind of bowling: Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana all have strike rates of less than 120 against Khan. The pitches are slowing down every day now, and the Knight Riders’ Indian pacers aren’t screaming for attention. So why not bring back Kuldeep Yadav? Although Yadav has struggled, the Sunrisers top four has three overseas batsmen, and each of them prefer pace. The Sunrisers are also Yadav’s favourite opponents too – he has taken ten wickets against them, the most for him against any team. Pat Cummins should look to bowl the incoming delivery to Jonny Bairstow at the top, the way he did in the earlier fixture, when he bowled the opener. It’s a glaring weakness in Bairstow’s game, as he averages 18 to the ball that comes into him. Cummins has bowled in three T20s to Bairstow, and has dismissed him twice. Bairstow averages only 3 against Cummins.Stats and trivia Entering the weekend, the Knight Riders are the slowest team in the powerplay, scoring 7.1 per over. The Sunrisers are third-slowest, at 7.3 per over. Overall, too, they are the two slowest batting teams, with the Knight Riders scoring at 8 an over, and the Sunrisers scoring at 8.2. Given a minimum of 30 balls, Russell has the poorest batting average (7.9) against pacers this IPL. David Warner (106) and Bairstow (112) are third and fifth, respectively, on the list of poorest powerplay strike rates this season (minimum five innings). Dinesh Karthik has struggled against legspinners this season. In six innings and 15 deliveries, he’s been out to them four times. He falls to a legspinner every 3.8 deliveries. Warner needs ten runs to reach 5000 IPL runs. He will become the first overseas player to reach the landmark, and fourth overall.

Players face pay cut as ECB comes to terms with Covid’s financial crunch

Andrew Miller30-Sep-2020

Ashley Giles says that England’s players are “not blind to the reality” of English cricket’s financial situation amid the Covid-19 outbreak, as their representatives continue talks with the ECB over the prospect of pay cuts to their newly announced central contracts for 2020-21.Despite praising the efforts made by England’s players to “keep the lights on” during a pandemic-blighted summer, Giles warned that the new contracts – a total of 24 across red- and white-ball cricket, plus four incremental deals – would “not be worth the paper they are written on” if a spate of cancellations of future series caused the board to receive no income.And with this winter’s itineraries, against South Africa in December and Sri Lanka and India in the new year, still awaiting confirmation by their respective boards, Giles urged England’s players to remain flexible and open-minded about the challenges that still lie ahead for the sport, and the impact that may have on their remuneration.ALSO READ: Pope, Crawley, Sibley win first central contracts”We are still in those discussions, and they are really positive discussions,” Giles said of the ECB’s negotiations with the Team England Player Partnership (TEPP). “Although the players have been in a bubble for the majority of this summer, they’re not blind to the reality of what’s going on out in the world.”England’s players donated a combined sum of £500,000 when the start of the English season was postponed in April, at which point most of the counties chose to furlough their playing staff. And by agreeing to put up with life inside biosecure environments at the Ageas Bowl and Emirates Old Trafford, the Test and white-ball squads helped ensure that all 18 of the men’s scheduled internationals were played to fulfil their broadcast deal with Sky Sports.Had no international cricket been possible this summer, the ECB’s projected losses of £100 million could have been more than three times worse, and Giles acknowledged that the board’s duty of care to their players was more important than ever as a consequence – in particular the threat of burn-out, which is one key reason why this year’s list of contracts has been expanded by two from last year’s figure of 22.ALSO READ: Giles backs Bairstow to fight for Test place”The players have done a huge amount this summer, saving a lot of money for cricket across the board, and in some aspects, keeping the lights on,” Giles said. “But they understand they’ve still got a part to play. We’re getting very close to reaching a conclusion, at which point we will make another statement.”The players are at that very pointy end of everything we do,” he added. “The county game appreciates that, and this year probably more than any other time. It’s one of the reasons we were looking to diversify our cricketing revenue streams with the Hundred. But right now, in terms of income, what these guys do on the field is paramount, not just us as the ECB, but the whole system, right down to grassroots, women’s cricket, disabilities. They are absolutely crucial.”The ECB announced a total of 62 redundancies in a major restructuring earlier this month, while Giles and other senior management, including Tom Harrison the chief executive, also took pay cuts at the start of the pandemic. However, Giles insisted that the board was still looking to fill vacancies on the England coaching team – in the batting, bowling and fielding roles – that have been covered by a series of short-term appointments since Chris Silverwood took over as head coach last year.Darren Gough was one short-term appointment as a fast-bowling consultant on last year’s tour of New Zealand, while Richard Dawson, Glenn Chapple and Chris Read were used during the West Indies series. A visa issue kiboshed the ECB’s hopes of recruiting Jeetan Patel during the Pakistan series outside of his playing commitments with Warwickshire after his stint over the winter, with Graeme Welch, Jonathan Trott and Azhar Mahmood among those stepping in. With enlarged squads of players likely to enter team bubbles for the foreseeable, Giles recognised the need to move on from such short-term arrangements.”I know we’re making redundancies but these are not additional positions: they are important for us to be able to function,” he said. “When we had two bubbles running, we recruited help from the counties which was fantastic. But that isn’t really sustainable on a 12-month basis, particularly when cricket returns to some normality.”We want these positions to work up and down the system, not just Team England, but our development teams and the counties as well. This year we showed we could operate with bubbles of 30, so we’ve got a lot of players out there who need attention and servicing.””We’ve had to make efficiencies across the business. We have all got to share the load and be leaner. But it won’t hamper Chris, it won’t tie his hands. He’ll get the support he needs to help England be successful.”

Erling Haaland apologised for his individual performance in Norway's 5-1 defeat to Austria in the Nations League.

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Haaland's Norway beaten 5-1 by Austria24-year-old captained his countryMan City star aiming for six points next monthFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Norway were trounced 5-1 by Austria in the Nations League on Sunday in an embarrassing evening for Haaland his team-mates. Stale Solbakken's side had made an unbeaten start in the competition but were outclassed by their opponents at Raiffeisen Arena, conceding four goals in the second half.

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Haaland had a night to forget, as his individual stats from the match prove. The City star again served as Norway's captain in the absence of Martin Odegaard, but this one didn't go as well as his previous outing with the armband – a 3-0 win against Slovenia in which he scored a brace to become Norway's all-time leading goalscorer.

WHAT HAALAND SAID

"Sorry everyone, this was far too bad on my part," Haaland wrote on Instagram after the defeat. "In November, we go for six points."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR HAALAND?

The 24-year-old, who also received criticism for his behaviour after the match, is eyeing six points when Norway face Slovenia and Kazakhstan in next month's international window. Before then, he'll hope to maintain Manchester City's unbeaten start to the season, with a trip to Wolves to come on Sunday.

Jason Holder, West Indies’ captain, has expressed his disappointment that the gesture of taking a knee before each match of their Test series against England this summer, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, was discontinued for the subsequent visits of Pakistan and Australia, and overlooked for this year’s IPL.Holder was speaking to the Cricket Writers’ Club after he and his West Indies team were this year’s recipients of the prestigious Peter Smith Award – an annual honour which recognises outstanding contribution to the presentation of cricket to the public – following their efforts in ensuring that England’s international season was able to take place in spite of the Covid-19 outbreak.Holder himself was also singled out for particular praise in the club’s citation for “conducting himself with grace on and off the field, speaking eloquently on race and racism and the need for education and unity, during a period of turbulence precipitated by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.”A significant aspect of the response came in the gesture of taking a knee, which occurred on the first day of each of the three West Indies Tests, and was also continued for England’s subsequent white-ball series against Ireland, as well as West Indies’ women’s five-match T20I series later in the summer.However, the gesture was not a part of the Test series against Pakistan, or Australia’s white-ball tour. That oversight drew a strong rebuke from Michael Holding, the Sky Sports commentator, who condemned the reasoning offered by the respective boards as “lame”, and Justin Langer, Australia’s coach, subsequently acknowledged that his team “should have thought and talked a bit more about it”.”I was following a little bit of what Michael Holding was saying regarding the Pakistan and Australia tours, which followed ours,” Holder told the CWC website. “It’s difficult to be able to get people to see the importance of it, and that’s where the education has to be filtered through.”It’s really important people understand where we as black people are coming from, and understand the harsh reality of how the world is set up. There are inequalities out there, some of them are very much in our faces, some are done discretely, but there are inequalities and I think it’s just a level of education.ALSO READ: Crawley, Cook, Ecclestone lead Cricket Writers’ Club awards“I personally was a bit disappointed to see how the Pakistan and Australia tours went on after us and they’re not showing their solidarity. But it’s a long debate, a long hard challenge, a long road, we as people need to continue to come together, put our minds together and genuinely find ways to fix the inequalities in the world.”It’s not an overnight fix, this is something that is going to be ongoing for maybe a number of years. But I think the most important thing is that we need to come together, we need to see each other as all equal human beings and treat each other that way, and be your brother’s keeper in this world.”Holder is currently in the UAE, where he is part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad in this year’s IPL. However, there has been no recognition of the Black Lives Matter movement at any stage of that competition, either, a situation which he acknowledged was “sad”.”To be honest I haven’t had one conversation up here around it,” he said. “Sometimes it seems it has gone unnoticed, which is a sad thing. I guess it’s for us to re-highlight the importance of it, for people to understand what is happening in the world.”Covid has obviously caused a lot of attention around it, there’s suddenly a lot of attention on the elections in America as well, too. But for us, particularly as black people in the Caribbean, a black-dominant society, it’s for us to continue the education.”Cricket West Indies has done an excellent job in continuing awareness of it. The women had a series in England where they wore the Black Lives Matter logo and continued to push the movement as well.”

Nottingham Forest have a huge summer ahead of them to avoid any further breach of the Premier League’s PSR rules whilst improving their squad to maintain their top-flight status.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side endured a tricky second half of the 2023/24 campaign, especially considering a four-point deduction which plunged them into fresh relegation woes.

With the summer transfer window now open, the club will undoubtedly need to bolster their ranks if they are to build on the end of the season which saw Nuno’s side win two of their last three matches.

However, given their financial troubles, they may have to sell multiple players to cut the wage bill and give themselves a huge chance of avoiding a second PSR punishment in as many seasons.

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One player in particular must be sold, especially considering his lack of impact since his move to the East Midlands last summer.

Odysseas Vlachodimos’ stats at Forest in 2023/24

After arriving in Nottingham following a £7.7m move from Portuguese side Benfica, goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos had ambitions of becoming the club's number one despite the addition of Matt Turner just a couple of weeks prior.

The 30-year-old, who is Greece's number one, had to bide his time before making his debut for the club, failing to make a single appearance until the 2-0 win over Aston Villa in November.

His clean sheet against Unai Emery's side is his only during his time in the Premier League, with his game time decreasing massively since the turn of the year.

Vlachodimos has only featured twice under Nuno, with both starts coming in the FA Cup against Blackpool. Insteaad, January addition Matz Sels started every Premier League match after his move to the City Ground.

The former Benfica shot-stopper has since become the third choice behind Sels and Turner, failing to appear in a single matchday squad since the 2-1 defeat against Arsenal in January.

A summer move must be on the cards for the 30-year-old, with the club needing to shift his hefty wages to avoid another punishment from the Premier League for breaking their PSR rules.

How the Forest 'keepers compare in 2023/24

Statistics

Turner

Sels

Vlachodimos

Games

17

16

5

Clean sheets

2

1

1

Goals conceded

28

27

12

Save percentage

66%

59%

46%

Pass accuracy

64%

65%

79%

Stats via FotMob

How much Odysseas Vlachodimos earns at Forest

A recent report from Football Insider claims that the Reds are willing to part ways with the shot-stopper this summer, hardly a surprise given his hefty wages at the City Ground.

The goalkeeper signed a four-year deal upon his move to the East Midlands, on a reported £45k-per-week, as per Capology – a huge figure given his lack of impact on Trentside.

His weekly wage of £45k-per-week sees the Greece international take home £2.3m a season, with the club needing to cut such a figure off the bill this summer.

Vlachodimos’ subsequent wage sees him earn nearly two times more than attacker Anthony Elanga, who only earns a reported £25k-per-week, despite his stellar first campaign at the City Ground which saw him register 14 goal contributions.

Whilst at the time it was seen as a brilliant piece of business signing a player of his calibre, it has, unfortunately for both parties, been a complete disaster.

Given his experience in Portugal and internationally, he certainly won’t be short of interest, with the Reds needing to cash in as soon as possible to avoid missing the June 30th PSR deadline.

Related What Forest's starting XI could look like after £77m spending spree

The Forest boss has a huge transfer window ahead of him this summer.

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With Anthony Martial's contract up and the Frenchman leaving Old Trafford this summer, Manchester United have reportedly turned their attention to landing an impressive replacement for the forward.

Man Utd transfer rumours

The Red Devils are in for a busy summer as Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks to help the club finally turn a corner and into the direction of success once and for all. The minority owner has quite the task on his hands on that front, however, following United's eight-place finish in the Premier League. That said, a shock victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final highlighted the bright sparks that United have to build from this summer in a transfer window they must get right.

Despite that FA Cup win, which made it two trophies in two seasons under Erik ten Hag, the Dutchman's Old Trafford future is still in doubt, with the likes of Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel, among others, linked with the Manchester United job. And whoever is in charge next season could finally be handed an upgrade on Martial.

INEOS eyeing Man Utd swoop for "crazy" Luke Shaw clone

He had a “hell of a game” vs United this season…

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Joe Nuttall

Jun 2, 2024

According to Sky Sports' Florian Plettenberg, Manchester United have enquired about Benjamin Sesko and have a concrete interest in the RB Leipzig forward as they look to beat Chelsea and Arsenal to his signature. Any deal won't come cheap, however, given that Sesko's current release clause reportedly sits at as much as €65m (£55m) until the end of June and he earns a reported £58k-a-week.

As many wonder what might have been for Martial though, United may well find themselves splashing the cash once more to land a player who can become the striker they once believed the Frenchman would evolve into.

"Strong" Sesko scored more than Rashford last season

After a frustrating campaign which cost him his place in Southgate's England squad for the Euros this summer, Marcus Rashford will be desperate to return to his best form next season. And that's something Sesko can play a part in given just how clinical he is in front of goal.

The Leipzig man already has some fans in the Premier League too with Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic telling Nogomania via The Metro: "I know [about the rumours] and have been following him. He’s having a good half-season, he’s in great scoring form.

"I read that he’s scored in his last seven matches in a row. He seems to have gained strong momentum for the Euros. He’s a forward who has everything a modern player needs. He’s tall, strong, fast and intelligent."

كشف وليد الترهوني مدير الكرة بنادي السويحلي الليبي، النقاب عن أسباب فسخ التعاقد مع المدافع محمود علاء لاعب الزمالك الأسبق.

وقال الترهوني في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “الأولى” عبر برنامج “رقم 10”: “محمود علاء كان له بصمة ودور مع الفريق وتم فسخ العقد معه بالتراضي”.

حازم إمام: القندوسي جودة نادرة في الدوري المصري.. وهذه نصيحتي لـ إمام عاشور

وأضاف: “فسخ التعاقد كان ضربة موجعة، كان كابتن كبير ونجم من نجوم الفريق وكنا نعول عليه في الموسم”.

وأردف: “أما عن أسباب فسخ التعاقد مع علاء، فاللاعب كان لديه ظروف عائلية، وغير صحيح وجود خلاف مع الطاقم الفني”.

واستكمل: “كنا نعول عليه ولم نكن نريد فسخ التعاقد معه، كما أن الجهاز الفني كان مصمما على التعاقد مع محمود علاء”.

واستكمل: “أما عن إمكانية التعاقد مع مدافع مصري آخر، فلا يزال الأمر مبكرًا سنبحث الأمر حتى فترة الانتقالات، خسارة محمود علاء لم يكن أمرًا متوقعًا وكان لاعبًا محترفًا”.

واستطرد: “ملف التعاقد مع عمرو السولية تم إغلاقه تمامًا، كنا قد وصلنا لمراحل أخيرة وكان قريبًا من توقيع العقد”.

وأتم: “كنا نبحث الموسم الماضي مع الجهاز الفني مدى إمكانية ضم محمود كهربا لاعب الأهلي وتم اختيار محمود علاء”.

واختتم: “أسمع بعض الأنباء بخصوص وجود عرض ليبي لكهربا ولكني لست متأكدًا منها”.

Ipswich Town have had great luck buying a number of Welsh gems in recent times, with both Wes Burns and Nathan Broadhead standing out as glowing examples in the current squad.

Both Burns and Broadhead, who were born in Cardiff and Bangor respectively, were key parts of the Tractor Boys puzzle that won promotion up to the Premier League as plucky underdogs, with a combined 27 goal contributions tallied up between them in the second tier.

This evident success, with Burns scoring a crucial goal on the final day of last season to secure a richly deserved promotion no less, could mean Ipswich shop in the Welsh market once more soon, with this Bluebirds youngster potentially taking their fancy.

Ipswich looking at young Cardiff midfielder

Football journalist Darren Witcoop took to social media in recent days to confirm Premier League interest is there for homegrown Cardiff prodigy Rubin Colwill this summer, with Ipswich outright named as an interested party.

Labelled as being 'admirers' in the 22-year-old attacking midfielder, Witcoop did reveal that Colwill is likely to stay put regardless of this new interest, but Ipswich might well be too tempting for the 6 foot 2 talent to resist, who has even reportedly had Arsenal sniffing around for his services in the past.

In and around the first team in the Welsh capital for Erol Bulut's men over a number of seasons, Colwill will also be intrigued at the prospect of testing himself in the division above, as opposed to sticking it out with the Bluebirds routinely finishing in mid-table.

How Colwill would fit in at Ipswich

Colwill could find it hard to break into McKenna's settled first-team, however, but he could shine alongside his fellow compatriot Broadhead when given a chance to impress, and also be direct competition to Conor Chaplin just behind the lone striker spot in that number ten role.

Colwill and Broadhead have even recently been together in the same Wales camp, in rather drab circumstances in a 0-0 draw versus Gibraltar unfortunately, but the 22-year-old could opt to move to Suffolk to link up with his international teammate at club level.

Ipswich would hope this connection would take Colwill up a notch on the pitch subsequently, with the exciting attacker registering nine goals and six assists when donning a Bluebirds strip, from 107 total games to date.

Games played

36

Games started

14

Minutes*

45

Goals

1

Assists

2

Big chances created

4

Not even a main starter for Cardiff a lot of last season, Colwill still managed to amass some encouraging numbers for his boyhood club regardless – as can be seen looking at the table above – with Ipswich now looking towards the 22-year-old as a way to add strength in depth to the attacking positions, with limited numbers at McKenna's disposal in Chaplin's spot in the side.

Colwill has played all across the attack for Cardiff when needed, even playing as a centre-forward on occasion, with McKenna and Co admirers of the 22-year-old's versatility presumably as much as his raw talent.

With a close-knit team environment crucial in Ipswich upsetting the odds to pull off back-to-back promotions last season, Colwill will hope he can instantly blend in if he does join, with a familiar face in Broadhead beside him.

Ipswich could sign a "top-class" Carter-Vickers alternative

Ipswich Town could forget all about Cameron Carter-Vickers and sign this centre-back gem instead.

ByKelan Sarson Jun 20, 2024

Travis Head batted throughout the final day against Tasmania, in front of his Test captain Tim Paine, to salvage a draw for South Australia after they were in danger of starting their Sheffield Shield season to back-to-back heavy defeats.Head finished unbeaten on 171 when he shook hands with Paine in the final session having taken his team to safety alongside young allrounder Liam Scott. Jackson Bird had put life back into Tasmania’s victory push with two wickets in an over when South Australia still trailed by 40 in mid-afternoon.However Head, who was among the more culpable of batsmen on the final day against Western Australia when South Australia could not save the game, flashing a top edge after reaching a half-century, stood firm as new Redbacks coach Jason Gillespie watched on having completed his quarantine earlier in the match.South Australia lost just one wicket in the first half of the day as Head resumed his rescue mission which had begun the previous evening. Peter Siddle produced an excellent delivery to clip Henry Hunt’s off stump before the experienced duo of Head and Callum Ferguson joined forces in a fourth-wicket stand of 129 which spanned 40 overs during which Head reached his century from 120 deliveries – a good clip given the match-saving scenario.Then, however, Ferguson played around a full delivery from Bird who followed up in a lively over by having Harry Nielsen caught behind to leave South Australia on 5 for 258. Head and Scott, who is highly regarded, got through to tea and the Redbacks’ tensions started to ease when they wiped out the deficit. Nathan Ellis produced a sharp late spell to try and crack things open for Tasmania but it was not to be.

Alex Greenwood has spoken to England team-mates Keira Walsh and Ellie Roebuck before Man City face Barcelona – but not about what many would expect.

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Man City preparing to Barca in the Champions LeagueFixture will see three Lionesses face offGreenwood reveals the trio's conversationsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Greenwood's Man City will host Barca, the European champions, on Wednesday night as the group stage of this season's Women's Champions League gets underway. It's a fixture that will see two familiar faces return to Manchester, in Walsh and Roebuck. The pair broke into the senior game with City and helped the club win its only Women's Super League title to date before departing for Catalunya.

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Walsh left the club in the summer of 2022 but has seen Greenwood plenty in the two years since, as the pair are regulars under Sarina Wiegman with England. Roebuck, meanwhile, only made the switch earlier this summer.

WHAT GREENWOOD SAID

Speaking ahead of Barcelona's visit, Greenwood was asked if she had spoken to either of her former club-mates ahead of the clash. "Yeah, but absolutely nothing about football actually," she said with a laugh. "I speak to Ellie every day. She's one of my best friends anyway, so I obviously speak to her about how she is in general. Keira, the same. Honestly, if you go back through our chat history, I think absolutely nothing is about football."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Roebuck has yet to make her Barca debut as she continues her rehabilitation process, having suffered a type of stroke during her final season at Man City, but she is in the squad for this week's game. Walsh, on the other hand, is expected to play a significant role in this fixture and Greenwood is fully aware of the quality she could bring to the table for City's opponent.

"I could speak about Keira all day," the defender said. "I think she's an incredible footballer. I've been lucky enough to play with her here at City, I get to play with her for England. What she does off the ball, on the ball, she's so intelligent as a player and I think she's improved since she's moved. I think off the ball, definitely, and she's now added goals and assists – hopefully not tomorrow – to her game. She's a top player and I have so much respect for her."