No person inside Old Trafford would have been more relieved than Ruben Amorim when Bruno Fernandes scored the winning goal for Manchester United against Burnley on Saturday.

The United captain smashed the ball into the bottom corner from the penalty spot after VAR helped to award a penalty for a pull on Amad Diallo in the box.

It was a huge win for the club and for Amorim after the loss to League Two Grimsby on penalties in the League Cup earlier in the week, possibly putting any talk about the manager’s future on hold until after the international break.

The BBC reported before the clash with Burnley that the Portuguese boss has the backing of the board, but another poor result before the break could have put pressure on them to make a call.

Man Utd make offer for Premier League star

The win over Burnley has ensured that Amorim’s future is safe for now and that means that he now has an opportunity to add more signings to his squad on deadline day to bolster his chances of turning things around.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to the Mirror, Manchester United are pursuing a last-minute move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez as a possible alternative to Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens.

The report claims that the Red Devils are set to submit an official offer of £40m in an attempt to sign the World Cup-winning shot-stopper before the deadline.

It reveals that Amorim does not trust Altay Bayindir or Andre Onana to be his number one this season, which is why the club feel that they have to make a short-term move to bring Martinez to Old Trafford.

The Mirror does not state whether or not £40m will be enough to tempt Villa into cashing in on him, but it does claim that the Villans are open to his exit because of his age.

Why Emi Martinez could save Ruben Amorim's job

It is fair to say that goalkeeper has been a problem position for Manchester United in recent seasons, and in recent weeks, with Altay and Onana both struggling.

Onana made errors for both of Grimsby’s goals and conceded 12 penalties in the loss to the League Two outfit, whilst Altay made a very high-profile error for Arsenal’s winning goal on the opening day.

These mistakes have been costly and resulted in losses that have put Amorim into the difficult position he has found himself in, which is why signing a top-quality goalkeeper like Martinez could save his job.

Appearances

34

37

Sofascore rating

7.10

7.07

Save percentage

66%

69%

Clean sheets

8

8

Goals prevented

+4.57

+1.16

Error led to goal

2

1

As you can see in the table above, the Argentina international has consistently been a top-quality shot-stopper for Aston Villa, preventing almost seven more goals than expected in the last two seasons.

Onana, meanwhile, only prevented 0.53 goals and made three errors that led to goals in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign for the Red Devils, which suggests that Martinez would come in as a big upgrade on him.

This is why the Villa star, who was hailed as “unbelievable” by Nigel Spink, could save Amorim’s job by coming through the door to be a huge presence between the sticks for United.

Having Martinez in goal could lead to fewer losses and more wins because, put simply, he makes higher quality saves than Onana and Altay and does not make as many errors that lead to goals.

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This is why the Villa star could save Amorim’s job because the improved results that his signing could lead to may take the pressure off the Portuguese boss and fire United up the table.

After yet another Glasgow Rangers defeat, former Scotland and Gers striker Steven Thompson revealed what he noticed about under-pressure Ibrox manager Russell Martin.

Martin "disappointed" by Genk defeat

Last weekend’s Scottish League Cup victory over Hibernian was billed by some as the beginning of a stunning turnaround for Martin, whilst many others assumed it was simply a glimmer of hope. Now, having watched on as his side suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Genk in the Europa League, the pressure is once again increasing on the Rangers manager.

The 1-0 defeat means that the Gers have won just four of the 14 games that they’ve played during Martin’s tenure in a record that many around the Ibrox faithful of course deem unacceptable.

It will now be all eyes on Rangers’ trip to Livingston this weekend. Lose that, and they could move as many as 12 points adrift of leaders Celtic and may even move level on points with bottom side Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership. That would surely be that for Martin.

From Loch Lomond trips to endless defeats, there’s been a lot to forget about the manager’s time at Ibrox so far and former Scotland striker Thompson has already noticed one thing from last night’s game.

What Thompson noticed about Martin in Rangers' defeat

Watching on as the manager explained to the press why his side came up short yet again, this time against Genk, Thompson claimed “there was an acceptance” to Martin as the pressure continues to grow. He told BBC Sport:

Whilst he has previously stated that he still has the full backing of the 49ers, even Martin may know that the defeats are piling too high now. The big question now centres around his potential replacement if the owners decide to pull the trigger in the coming weeks.

Names such as Steven Gerrard have found themselves in the headlines as a result, and he’s now free to return to management following previous contractual issues with Al-Ettifaq.

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If the Gers are looking for a manager who knows how to put a winning side together at Ibrox, then welcoming their last Scottish Premiership winner back to Ibrox wouldn’t exactly be a bad idea.

MatériaMais Notícias

No último fim de semana, o jogo entre Atlético-MG e Flamengo foi recheado de polêmicas. Enquanto torcedores do Rubro-Negro reclamaram de uma falta sobre Bruno Henrique no início da jogada que resultou em gol do Paulinho, os fãs do Galo pediram falta de Arrascaeta em Jemerson no lance que resultou no gol do meia uruguaio.

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No programa “Papo de Arbitragem”, Wilson Seneme, presidente da Comissão de Arbitragem da CBF, analisou e destrinchou os lances que mais geraram debate. Em relação ao gol do Atlético-MG, o ex-árbitro vê uma possível infração de Paulinho em Bruno Henrique, mas não condena a decisão de seguir a jogada.

– É unânime? Não é. Que existe o contato, existe. Temos que avaliar a força, se é proporcional para uma infração ou não. Na minha visão, tinha potencial para infração sim, mas eu respeito a decisão do Flávio (árbitro de campo) e do Peixoto (árbitro de vídeo) quando eles analisam que era um contato de raspão, não muito forte no pé.

Em relação à falta sofrida por Arrascaeta, Seneme afirmou que a jogada é interpretativa e concorda com a decisão dos árbitros de campo.

– O Flávio está muito bem relacionado e interpretando. Quando o Peixoto começa a interpretar a falta, ele vê um pisão de Arrascaeta em Jemerson, mas se olhar em detalhes, novamente vamos ter uma situação interpretativa. É uma disputa leal, os dois estão brigando pela bola e, a partir disso, terão movimentos para realizar. Não tem onde por o pé. Se a gente para em fotos, é uma infração, mas o jogo não é de fotos.

O duelo encerrou com uma vitória do Flamengo de virada por 2 a 1 sobre o Atlético-MG. Neste momento, o Rubro-Negro está focado no confronto contra o Cuiabá, enquanto o Galo visita o São Paulo em busca da primeira vitória desde que Felipão assumiu o comando da equipe.

Glasgow Rangers have struggled to score goals in the Scottish Premiership under Russell Martin so far this season, with three goals scored in five matches.

Only Aberdeen, who have failed to score any goals in their four outings in the division, have scored fewer goals than the Light Blues, which speaks to how impotent they have been in the final third in the opening weeks of the campaign.

It is not good enough, hence why the Gers have not picked up a single win yet, and Martin must find a way to get his strikers firing in front of goal if he wants to turn his fortunes around at Ibrox.

How the strikers have performed for Rangers this season

None of the club’s centre-forward options have got off the mark in the Premiership so far this season for the Light Blues, which is a cause for concern.

Bojan Miovski

0.55

0

Danilo

0.5

0

Cyriel Dessers

0.0

0

Youssef Chermiti

0.0

0

As you can see in the table above, only Bojan Miovski and Danilo have accrued any xG, as Dessers did not before his exit, and Chermiti has only had a cameo against Hearts so far.

This suggests that Rangers need to create more for their strikers, or that the strikers need to start making better runs, because they do not have a reliable goalscorer at the moment.

Given their lack of potency up front, Rangers may still regret the fact that Michael Beale and the club allowed Alfredo Morelos to move on from Ibrox on a free transfer.

Rangers fumbled their own Harry Kane

Back in 2019, former Light Blues striker Jermaine Defoe compared the Colombia international to his former teammate Harry Kane, who went on to become Tottenham Hotspur and England’s all-time top scorer, with 280 goals for Spurs and 74 for England, per Transfermarkt.

Defoe told the Daily Record: “I remember at Tottenham, when we had Harry Kane as a youngster, he went out on loan to different clubs. I remember saying to one of the players that I believed he should play more and that, at some point, he would go on to score a lot of goals for this football club.

“What he has done is unbelievable and Alfredo’s got that. He’s a goalscorer. When you’re a goalscorer, you score goals at any level in any league.”

Morelos certainly was a goalscorer. The prolific forward scored 30 goals in 48 matches in the 2018/19 campaign, per Transfermarkt, which led to that comparison to Kane from Defoe, and rightly so after that incredible return.

He went on to score 124 goals and provide 67 assists in 269 appearances in all competitions for Rangers, per Transfermarkt. This shows that he was consistently reliable in front of goal for the Scottish giants.

Morelos, whose physicality was hailed by former boss Steven Gerrard, recorded 12 goals and seven assists in all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign, which turned out to be his final season at the club.

The Colombian number nine’s contract at Ibrox expired in the summer 2023 and Beale, who was the manager at the time, did not offer him a new contract at the club.

Beale decided to go in a different direction with the striker department at the club, signing Sam Lammers, Danilo, and Dessers after releasing Morelos, who was the club’s own version of Kane.

Two years on, Lammers and Dessers have been sold by Rangers and Danilo currently finds himself behind Miovski and Chermiti in the pecking order to be the first-choice number nine at Ibrox.

This suggests that Beale had a howler by deciding not to attempt to convince Morelos to stay at Ibrox because he was a proven goalscorer who had shown that he could score goals at an impressive rate for the Gers in Scotland.

Instead, the manager released a pure goalscorer, who was like Kane, and went with a clutch of strikers who failed to bring success, with no league titles won, back to Ibrox in the last two years.

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من المنتظر أن يتم الإعلان عن جائزة أفضل لاعب كرة قدم في العالم في يناير المقبل، ويشتعل السباق على الفائز بهذه الجائزة.

ويعد عثمان ديمبلي نجم باريس سان جيرمان وبطل دوري أبطال أوروبا هو المرشح الأوفر حظاً للفوز بها، لكن لامين يامال يتواجد أيضاً وقد تزداد فرصه لهذه الجائزة.

ونشرت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية أن صاحب الـ18 عاماً هو أهم لاعب في خط هانز فليك الهجومي وأحد أكثر اللاعبين حسماً في أوروبا في عام 2025.

أقرأ أيضاً.. لجنة الاستئناف تحسم موقف فليك من قيادة برشلونة أمام ريال مدريد

وتبقى فرص لامين يامال في الفوز بجائزة أفضل لاعب في العالم قائمة بعد أدائه في الدوري الاسباني ومساهمته في فوز برشلونة بكأس السوبر وكأس الملك.

ومن المعروف أنه يتم التصويت على جائزة أفضل لاعب في العالم من جانب مدربي المنتخبات الوطنية والقادة والصحفيين أيضاً.

وتقدم مباراة الكلاسيكو فرصة لا مثيل لها يوم الأحد المقبل، حيث ينتظره كيليان مبابي النجم الفرنسي الدولي والذي يعد مرشحًا مباشرًا آخر للفوز بجائزة ذا بيست.

وتعزز استعراضات لامين يامال وأداؤه القوي أمام ريال مدريد من فرصه ومكانته، وسيضعه ذلك بالفعل بين أقوى المتنافسين للفوز بالجائزة.

ولا يزال كل شيء غير معروف بعد، حيث تتبقى ثلاثة أشهر على حفل توزيع الجوائز، وقد استعاد مبابي فورمته وعاد عثمان ديمبلي لباريس سان جيرمان ويمتلك لامين يامال فرصة مثالية لترتفع حظوظه في الصراع على الجائزة.

Liverpool staved off the Everton threat to maintain their perfect record in the Premier League, winning the Merseyside derby

And Everton really did threaten. Liverpool blew their city rivals out of the park in the first half, romping to a two-goal lead thanks to fine strikes from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike, but haven’t looked convincing when defending a lead this term, and Idrissa Gueye’s powerful finish set the nerves jangling.

These two were the stars of the show, and it’s curious that the latter should have started his Liverpool career on such strong footing, as he looks undroppable right now.

Liverpool haven’t been at their best so far this season by any stretch, but then they have stormed into a perfect lead at the top of the league table, and they won their Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid too.

With players like Ekitike packing a new punch to the squad, there’s plenty reason to be optimistic for the term ahead.

Hugo Ekitike's start to life at Liverpool

When Liverpool announced the initial £69m signing of Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer, it looked for all the world like FSG had closed the door on an ambitious effort for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak.

But that hasn’t been the case, with the goalscoring duo united under Arne Slot’s wing at Anfield. The 25-year-old Isak is billed as the more refined and accomplished, having ripped the Premier League apart at the seams over the past several years with the Magpies and joined the club for a British record fee, but four goals and an assist for the Reds mark a rather fruitful start for Ekitike.

(GK) Alisson Becker

6/10

(RB) Conor Bradley

6/10

(CB) Ibrahima Konate

8/10

(CB) Virgil van Dijk

7/10

(LB) Milos Kerkez

6.5/10

(CM) Ryan Gravenberch

9/10

(CM) Alexis Mac Allister

6/10

(RW) Mohamed Salah

7/10

(AM) Dominik Szoboszlai

7.5/10

(LW) Cody Gakpo

6/10

(ST) Hugo Ekitike

9/10

Isak, who completed his transfer on deadline day, made his league debut for Liverpool against Everton, coming off the bench in the second half.

Last season, he was the villain down Anfield Road after scoring the winning goal in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, bagging what proved to be the most important of a 27-strike haul. Now, he is Liverpool’s.

The Swedish superstar will be expected to bring the goals in their droves this term, and Ekitike’s fast start only heightens the noise around the decision to bring both to the fold.

If the plan is to weave the duo into the same starting line-up, one would likely be required to drop onto the left flank. That would appear to be Ekitike, and should that happen, it would come at the expense of Cody Gakpo’s berth, with the Dutchman playing out a quiet game against the Toffees.

Why Slot should drop Cody Gakpo

Gakpo has impressed throughout the opening weeks of the campaign, invariably placed on the left wing and posting a goal and two assists across his first two Premier League outings of the campaign.

However, the well of potency has since dried up, and he toiled somewhat against the resilient Jake O’Brien, albeit winning the ball back in the build-up to Gravenberch’s opening goal.

FFC’s 6/10 match rating for Gakpo was determined after an assessment of what was an indifferent display, but one which also demonstrated the deeper tenacity of his skillset, with data platform Sofascore revealing he won four duels, made three clearances and created two passes across his hour on the field.

Curiously, Gakpo also looked to cut inside when Ekitike drifted wide. The 26-year-old shimmies inside with regularity anyway, but you can’t help but wonder if this is a tactical tweak on Slot’s part.

There were indeed a series of sequences which saw Gakpo and Ekitike move interchangeably. These movements were performed with practised coordination, and that makes a comment on Slot’s orders as Isak warms to life on Merseyside.

Might it be a system in the works to accommodate both Isak and Ekitike in the same starting line-up? The Frenchman’s vast ground-covering display certainly suggests that this could be so, with former goalkeeper Ben Foster remarking during the contest that he “looks like prime Fernando Torres”, so complete and deadly did he look in the final third and around it.

Gakpo, conversely, was quiet, with his 41 touches across the match the fewest of any Liverpool forward starting from the opening whistle. This actually put him behind the shot-stopping Alisson Becker for touches on the afternoon, who might have conceded but didn’t actually have all that much to do, making only one save besides and two punches to deal with aerial threats.

Given that Gakpo has been a fixed feature in the starting XI for Liverpool so far this season, and has perhaps petered out after an electric start, it might be time for Slot to make a change, having already shown a newfound willingness this term to enforce rotation as he hasn’t before, sticking with the same bunch for most of the title-winning 2024/25 campaign.

While a midweek clash against Championship side Southampton, struggling after their relegation from the Premier League, will see the boss ring wholesale changes, there’s a chance next weekend against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park for Ekitike and Isak to be unleashed in a partnership, thus pushing Gakpo to the bench.

This, if anything, is a glowing testament to Liverpool’s strength in depth. And Gakpo, should he be dropped, will pop up with pivotal moments over the year.

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Former U.S. goalkeeper Tony Meola has questioned why Borussia Mönchengladbach right back Joe Scally was left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for the USMNT’s October friendlies. While Meola understands Yunus Musah’s absence, he suggested that, in his view, Scally’s omission may involve factors beyond on-field performance or tactical fit.

Getty Images SportSurprising exclusion

Meola expected Scally to make October's squad based on his consistent performances in the Bundesliga. The American defender has started in five of Gladbach's six matches, notching two assists in that stretch. 

“Joe Scally, that’s the one that surprises me,” Meola said . “This has been a sort of a merit-based roster. Guys have earned this. Joe Scally plays week in and week out in the Bundesliga. And I’m getting the sense that could it really come down to a golf cart ride, in the end?"

Meola could be referring to comments made by Pochettino in May when he announced his roster for June friendlies and the Gold Cup.  Following the U.S.'s disappointing fourth-place finish at the Nations League Finals, the Argentine questioned some habits of some players on the squad without naming anyone. 

"If you arrive to the camp and you want to spend nice time, play golf, go for a dinner, visit my family, visit my friend, that is the culture that we want to create?" Pochettino said in May. "No, no, no, no, no. What we want to do is to go to the national team, arrive and be focused and spend all my focus and energy in the national team…If we want to be good in one year's time, we need to think that today is the most important day."

Meola speculated that Pochettino potentially doesn't see Scally as a fit into the culture he's trying to build. 

"Maybe it can, maybe that’s a sign for a manager that says ‘this guy is not good enough for my locker room’ or something, I don’t know," he said. "I’m just throwing ideas out in my head because the Scally one to me is the one that ‘you don’t bring him into this camp when he’s played already, essentially, in a back three for you?’

“That one I’m a little bit surprised, I think if he doesn’t come in in November, Joe Scally, and he’s still playing at his club, I think then maybe we can start to read that he’s not a Mauricio Pochettino guy.”

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMeola finds Pochettino's roster explanation lacking clarity

Meola was also critical of Pochettino's handling of questions revolving around the omissions of Scally and Atalanta's Yunus Musah, stressing it is typical for national team managers to explain their squad decisions. 

“His answer’s a little bit odd to me,” Meola said. “We’ve seen managers, including Mauricio Pochettino, who have answered that question before this camp. I think he kind of said now it’s time to talk about the guys that are here moving forward, that’s kind of what I got out of it….I don’t know if he caught him in the moment, I don’t know if he caught him at the time in his career where he said enough was enough. I was a little bit surprised.”

Musah's Atalanta struggles make his omission understandable

While Meola questioned Scally not being a part of the squad, he was aligned with Pochettino with leaving Musah out of the October friendlies. 

“I’m not surprised about Yunus Musah,” Meola said. “Because he hasn’t really settled in just yet to become the player we think he can be at Atalanta. He’s still got some work to do, although he’s getting some minutes now.”

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Getty ImagesTexas and Colorado ahead

Despite questions over some of the omissions on the squad, the U.S. are full speed ahead with their October friendlies starting on Friday. The U.S. face Ecuador in Austin, Texas, before flying to Colorado to take on Austin in Commerce City. 

Tottenham Hotspur could now emerge as serious contenders for the signature of an “unstoppable” £100m star following the departure of long-serving chairman Daniel Levy.

Levy's Tottenham era comes to an abrupt end

Levy’s 25-year tenure as Tottenham chairman came to an abrupt end earlier this week, with the 63-year-old choosing to step down, although there have been suggestions the decision came from above.

The businessman has been subjected to widespread criticism during his time as chairman, having overseen just two major honours in 25 years, while also making some very questionable managerial appointments.

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Peter Charrington has since been named as the new non-executive chairman, and said: “This is a new era of leadership for the club, on and off the pitch.

I do recognise there has been a lot of change in recent months as we put in place new foundations for the future. We are now fully focused on stability and empowering our talented people across the Club, led by Vinai and his executive team.”

With Levy gone, there will be hope that Spurs can now finally achieve their potential as a club, but in order to make that dream a reality, new additions will be needed to the squad, and there has now been a new update on their pursuit of Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Tottenham could now re-emerge as serious contenders for Rogers’ signature following Levy’s departure, with the Aston Villa star still greatly admired by the north Londoners.

With Levy gone, the Lilywhites may now choose to be more ambitious in the transfer market, which means they could compete for Rogers’ signature, although a deal will be on the expensive side, with it previously being reported Villa are looking to receive £100m.

"Unstoppable" Rogers would be statement signing for Spurs

It would be a real statement of intent if Tottenham were able to win the race for the Villa star’s signature, given that he is also in Chelsea’s sights, while the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal have previously been named as potential suitors.

It is no surprise the 23-year-old is attracting so much interest, given the level of some of his performances for Aston Villa, regularly providing goals and assists right the way through the 2024-25 campaign.

Competition	Appearances	Goal contributions
Premier League	37	19
Champions League	12	7
FA Cup	5	4

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher also singled out the Englishman for high praise last season, describing him as “unstoppable” after impressing in a 3-2 victory over Everton in September.

With Levy gone, it is exciting news that Tottenham are set to be a little more ambitious in the transfer market, and Rogers is exactly the type of signing who could turn them into real contenders for major trophies.

They must all be starting the games in IPL 2025 thinking they can have Gujarat Titans (GT) in trouble if they take two early wickets. Or two in the first half even. However, their top three just keep scoring big runs. All three of them now sit in the top six as GT ended with 209 on a typical low Jaipur pitch. Shubman Gill, the top-scorer with 84 off 50, told Jos Buttler 190 was going to be a good score, but Buttler said that despite low bounce it was a true pitch and a quick outfield. So he didn’t quite expect a cakewalk.Gill and the new orange cap holder B Sai Sudharsan got GT off to another measured start with a 93-run opening stand, their fifth of 50 or more in nine innings this IPL. RR had the chance to break this partnership early, but Sudharsan was dropped on nine by Shimron Hetmyer. With just one aerial hit in the powerplay, GT still managed to take 53, thanks to Gill’s 25 off 16.The easing of field restriction didn’t slow Gill down. He took the slog-sweep on even on this low track, and sent Riyan Parag into the stands. Wanindu Hasaranga then created some pressure with three boundaryless overs. It probably resulted in the wicket of Sudharsan for 39 off 30 and a slow start for Buttler, but Gill broke the shackles of four overs for 23 runs with two sixes off Yudhvir Singh in the 14th.Having got a sighter of 7 off 10 balls, Buttler then proceeded to ruin the analysis of Hasaranga with three sixes and a four in the 15th over. He scored 41 off the next 14 balls he faced, including a six over long-on and a reverse-ramped four off compatriot Jofra Archer. Buttler was denied strike in the last two overs, but Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan still managed to get 22 off them.

RCB hand a franchise debut to Ngidi, Bethell keeps his place in the team

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-20252:47

Chopra: CSK’s is a ‘flawed batting order’

Toss Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni opted to bowl against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on what he called a “tacky” Chinnaswamy surface, which he felt would get better for batting later in the evening.RCB captain Rajat Patidar said that they would have preferred to chase as well. They made one change, handing Lungi Ngidi a franchise debut in place of Josh Hazlewood. Paditar didn’t specify whether Hazlewood was injured or rested.Hazlewood’s absence is a significant setback for RCB: he is the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025, with 18 strikes in ten games at an economy rate of 8.44. Jacob Bethell kept his place in the team in the absence of Phil Salt, who had also missed RCB’s previous game with illness.Related

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Five CSK-RCB classics: from Morkel's takedown of Kohli to Dayal's epic last over

Hussey: 'We're not going to panic and throw everything out'

CSK were unchanged, which meant the likes of Vansh Bedi and C Andre Siddarth will have to wait further for their IPL debuts. Dhoni said that the CSK team management was seeing their remaining four games as an opportunity to build for IPL 2026. They became the first team to be knocked out of contention for the IPL 2025 playoffs after losing to Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Chepauk.If RCB beat CSK tonight, they will become the first team to 16 points this season. They are currently placed third, behind Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat Titans (GT) who also have 14 points each.For RCB, wristspinner Suyash Sharma might come in as an Impact sub when they bowl in the second innings. CSK are set to bring in Shivam Dube as their Impact sub in place of one of the bowlers when they chase.A rain threat hangs over the RCB vs CSK fixture in Bengaluru, with the met department predicting that “rain or thundershowers would occur towards afternoon or evening.” The weather was clear at the time of the toss.Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 1 Jacob Bethell, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Romario Shepherd, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Tim David, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Yash Dayal
Impact subs options: Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Liam Livingstone, Swapnil SinghCSK: 1 Shaik Rasheed, 2 Ayush Mhatre, 3 Sam Curran, 4 Ravindra Jadeja, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Anshul Kamboj, 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Matheesha Pathirana
Impact subs options: Shivam Dube, R Ashwin, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh