Has Viktor Gyökeres lived up to pre-season expectations at Arsenal?

Well, so far, the Swedish international striker has scored six times for the Gunners, most notably bagging a brace during the 4-0 Champions League demolition of Atlético Madrid.

However, as the saying goes, in absence the heart grows fonder.

Gyökeres hobbled off at half time against Burnley, having opened the scoring at Turf Moor, thereby sitting out subsequent trips to Prague and Sunderland, his absence truly felt during the 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light, with Mikel Arteta really lacking someone capable of running in behind, as well as reinforcements off the bench, so perhaps his importance was only crystallised when he wasn’t there.

Before suffering this injury, Gyökeres had started all 13 of Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League fixtures, completing 90 minutes on nine occasions due to a lack of alternatives, with Kai Havertz having not been seen since sustaining a knee injury at Old Trafford on the opening weekend.

Ahead of a North London derby following the international break, Arteta is hoping to have the cavalry back, with all six of Arsenal’s injured attackers nearing a return, so could “the best finisher at the club” challenge Gyökeres for his previously undisputed starting spot?

Kai Havertz's importance to Arsenal

If Arsenal are going to pip Manchester City to the Premier League title, they’re going to need their key players to remain fit and available.

For Arteta, these are William Saliba, Gabriel, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka; one could argue Jurriën Timber has entered this exclusive group too, while Martin Ødegaard was certainly there too prior to his injury issues both this season and last.

If you ask the manager, if not certain onlookers, even if this zeitgeist has changed for most supporters, Kai Havertz is in Arteta’s top-tier of importance too.

So far in 2025, the German international has played just 817 competitive minutes, 754 of which came prior to a serious hamstring tear during the warm-weather training campaign in February before, just when he had got an entire pre-season under his belt, a knee injury picked up against Manchester United in August required surgery.

Initially signed to play a completely different role, Arteta stating upon his arrival that “he will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield”, after the Havertz as a left-eight experiment did not go as planned, he thrived as a centre-forward, scoring 29 goals for the Gunners to date.

So, what Arteta has shown is that, if Havertz is available, he is going to find a place in his team for him, so the idea that Gyökeres’ arrival would end his Arsenal career was never going to be the case.

Clearly, the pre-season plan was for the pair to timeshare the centre-forward role which, who knows, may have prevented Gyökeres’ injury, but certainly would have benefited him, given that the Swede’s best two performances, coming at St James’ Park and Turf Moor, both occurred after EFL Cup ties where he had been afforded a rest.

However, once Arteta has his full complement of forwards available again, the fabled ‘when everyone is fit’ bliss managers rarely ever enjoy, could there be another challenger for the number nine spot?

Why Mikel Arteta's "best finisher" could lead the line

As already outlined, Gyökeres, Havertz and Ødegaard as well as Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus are all hoping to make their eagerly-anticipated returns in the coming weeks.

Down to threadbare options, Arteta has been forced to return to the well that never seems to run dry that is Mikel Merino up front, something Gooners thought they had seen the end of after last season, but all the absentees have given Leandro Trossard the opportunity to seriously stake a claim.

The Belgian leads the way at Arsenal in terms of combined goals and assists so far this season, having bagged four of each, while this is also the case across 2025 to, as the table below documents.

Leandro Trossard

10

10

Mikel Merino

11

6

Declan Rice

9

10

Martin Ødegaard

5

9

Gabriel Martinelli

9

3

Bukayo Saka

9

Zero

Ethan Nwaneri

5

2

Viktor Gyökeres

6

Zero

Trossard has scored crucial goals on the road against both Fulham and Athletic Club this season, before firing home this absolute rocket on Wearside last Saturday night.

Ever since he joined the club from Brighton for £27m in January 2023, probably a better signing than Mykhailo Mudryk would have been, Trossard has been prolific in front of goal, scoring 32 goals and accumulating 27 assists, the most of any Arsenal player during this timeframe.

Thus, the Belgian has been labelled “the best finisher at the club”, while Tim Stillman of Arseblog agrees, describing him as an ‘excellent shooter and finisher’, something Arsenal’s squad lacks in general, praising his ‘positional versatility’.

Thus, given his output, Arteta is going to want to have Trossard on the pitch somehow.

With Madueke and Martinelli vying for minutes on the left-wing, could we see Trossard challenging for minutes as the centre-forward, certainly offering something different to Gyökeres, at the very least putting pressure on the Swede to perform, something he has not had due to the lack of a genuine alternative up until this point?

£150k-p/w star who's "better than Saka" could end Trossard's Arsenal stay

No Arsenal player has more goals & assists in 2025 than Leandro Trossard, but does Mikel Arteta boast a star “better than Saka” that will replace him?

Nov 12, 2025

With this being a dead rubber, Suryakumar did not bat at all despite India losing eight wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2025

Sanju Samson scored a stop-start 56 off 45 balls•Associated Press

Innings Abhishek Sharma’s speedy 38 in the powerplay, in which India scored 60, and Sanju Samson’s stop-start fifty took India to 188 for 8 against Oman in the last league fixture of the Asia Cup after they had decided to bat in Abu Dhabi.With this being a dead rubber, India experimented with their combination ahead of the Super Four, resting their bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and newly minted No.1 T20I bowler Varun Chakravarthy. India also fiddled with their batting line-up, with their captain Suryakumar Yadav not batting at all despite India losing eight wickets. The returning Harshit Rana managed an unbeaten 13 off eight balls from No. 8. He closed out the innings with a scythed six over point.It was Abhishek who made the early running for India, clattering five fours and two sixes during his 38 off 15 balls. He got a reprieve on 21 when he tickled Mohammad Nadeem down the leg side, but Vinayak Shukla, the Oman keeper, shelled the catch and umpire Raveendra Wilalasiri eventually deemed it as a wide ball.Abhishek added 17 to his tally before nicking another one behind, Shukla making no mistake this time. Samson had a slow start – he was on 13 off 14 balls at one point – but a six and a four off Madhya-Pradesh-born wristspinner Samay Shrivatsava got him out of first gear. Samson proceeded to crash Zikria Islam for a straight six in the tenth over, but slowed down once again thereafter.Then, after bringing up his half-century off 41 balls, Samson holed out in the 18th over. India cobbled together 21 off the last three overs and managed to find the boundary just once during this period.Faisal Shah, Jiten Ramanandi and Aamir Kaleem shared six wickets among them for Oman.

MatériaMais Notícias

A nova comissão técnica do São Paulo, liderada pelo treinador argentino Luis Zubeldía, custará R$ 1 milhão por mês ao Tricolor. A quantia é o dobro em relação ao recebia Thiago Carpini e a sua equipe, mas ainda é inferior ao que Dorival Júnior e os seus auxiliares ganhavam: R$ 1,2 milhão mensais. O comandante do título da Copa do Brasil na temporada passada deixou o clube do Morumbi no início deste ano para assumir a Seleção Brasileira.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSão PauloConheça Luis Zubeldía, o novo técnico do São PauloSão Paulo19/04/2024São PauloSão Paulo fecha contratação do técnico argentino Luis ZubeldíaSão Paulo19/04/2024Fora de CampoEx-São Paulo critica demissão de Carpini e aponta culpados: ‘Cultura do Brasil não vai mudar’Fora de Campo18/04/2024

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Zubeldia é aguardado no Brasil neste sábado (20) e a tendência é que ele chegue acompanhado de um trio de auxiliares: Carlos Gruezo, Lucas Vivas e Maximiliano Cuebras. Os três profissionais estiveram com Luis no último trabalho do treinador, dirigindo a LDU. Na equipe equatoriana, a comissão foi campeã nacional e da Conmebol Sul-Americana em 2023, mas não chegou a um acordo pela permanência nesta temporada.

O intuito de Luis Zubeldía era se transferir para o mercado europeu em 2024, mas o estafe do técnico recebeu apenas contatos de clubes do Oriente Médio, que não agradaram o profissional, que voltou a priorizar ofertas de times sul-americanos. Assim, fechando com o São Paulo em contato feito nesta quinta-feira (18).

continua após a publicidade

O treinador argentino tem acordo firmado com a diretoria do Tricolor. O planejamento é que ele assine o contrato definitivo e seja anunciado assim que chegar em territóriobrasileiro.

Tudo sobre

Luis ZubeldíaSão Paulo

NEW YORK — Garrett Crochet recoils at the premise. At 26, after 205 ⅓ innings (most in the American League), 255 strikeouts (most in the majors) and a 2.59 ERA (third in the AL) for the 89-win Red Sox, on the cusp of starting Game 1 of the American League wild-card series against the Yankees, he’s finally the guy he always knew he could be, right?

“Um,” he says quickly. “Becoming it.” 

For starters, he didn’t always know he could be this kind of starter. Not until he began throwing 91 mph as a left-handed high school senior did any Division I programs show interest, and even at Tennessee, he spent half his time pitching in relief. When the White Sox drafted him No. 11 in June 2020 and promoted him to the big-league bullpen three months later, he was just thrilled to be in the majors. So he was not exactly clawing at the walls of the bullpen asking to be unleashed on the rotation. 

“I thought that I could do it,” he says slowly. “I wasn’t sure.”

Even that degree of faith began to feel misplaced. In 2021, he threw 54 ⅓ innings in relief and felt gassed. “And I’m, like, last on my team!” he recalls. He set for himself the goal of hitting 80 or 90 innings in ’22, then putting himself in position for a few spot starts in ’23. “And then I blew out [my elbow],” he says. “It was like, ”

The Chicago brass knew he had the talent to be a frontline starter—a four-seamer that touches 100 mph plus perhaps the best slider in the game will usually play—but they wanted to see if he could develop the stamina. So after he finished rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, they let him spend the winter before the 2024 season stretching out. He was so dominant in spring training that they made him the Opening Day starter—his first major league start. 

“I was just like, ” he recalls. “”

Last June, he threw seven innings of one-run, 13-strikeout ball against the Mariners. “And I was like, ” he recalls. That made the subsequent three months even more frustrating. At the All-Star break, his 107 ⅓ innings easily surpassed his career high—in the previous three seasons combined, he’d logged 73—and he and the team decided to limit him to four innings or 65 pitches per start. He felt like every five days, he’d get through the first three cleanly, then give up two in the fourth, then head for the bench. “That’s a four-and-a-half ERA,” he says. “So I’m like, ” He always wondered what he could have done with another two or three innings. 

But then he started thinking about it differently: He finished with 146 innings. Another frame and change per start in the second half and he would have qualified for the ERA title. Two per start and he would have been closing in on 180 innings. “I was like, ” he says. “”

He entered the offseason sure of two things: He would be traded, and he wanted to throw 200 innings for his new team. The White Sox had tried to trade him during the season, but he had made clear to contenders that he wanted a contract extension before he agreed to blow through his innings limit and pitch into October. In the end, he stayed in Chicago. 

But entering 2025, he felt healthy. So as soon as he was traded to the Red Sox in December—and especially after he signed a six-year, $170 million extension in April—he started doing some campaigning. “Every time that we talked about preparing for the season, I always made sure to throw in there,” he says. “Like, ‘Yeah, whatever I’ve got to do to throw 200 [innings]!’ Just kind of slipped that in there.” The Red Sox were happy to accommodate him: He averaged 6.4 innings and 98.5 pitches per start, and he even threw a complete-game shutout against the Rays in July. 

“I don’t want to say I can’t believe I actually did it,” he says. “I can believe it, but it is still like, ” 

He became not just the workhorse he had envisioned but the ace he wondered if he could be. He liked being the pitcher his team could rely on instead of one whose innings it monitored. 

“It’s not something that I want to admit, because I don't want to be, like, arrogant or cocky or anything, but I feel like I was—see, I’m still trying to figure out how to say it without saying it!—I feel like that’s what I was this year, and I was very pleased with how I was responding to my own expectations,” he says.

This is something of an unusual way for an elite athlete to talk about his performance. More often they discuss the haters and the doubters. But for Crochet, this journey has not been about proving anyone wrong. It hasn’t even really been about proving himself right. 

“I just want to see,” he says. “I just want to know." He answered some of his own questions this year. But he can only answer the last one in the postseason. “That’s kind of the fun part,” he says. “There’s only one way to find out.”

The Chicago Cubs acquired pitcher Mike Soroka on July 30, one day before the MLB trade deadline, and the starter made his Cubs debut on Monday. Unfortunately, his first start with the Cubs was cut very short.

The Cubs pulled Soroka after just two innings vs. the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night as he was dealing with right shoulder discomfort, ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported. Manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game that Soroka will land on the injured list, but it's unknown for how long or what the severity of his injury is at this time.

In his short outing, Soroka struck out three batters, gave up one run, which was a home run hit by Tyler Stephenson, and walked one batter.

Soroka was seen speaking to Counsell in the dugout ahead of the third inning.

Cubs starter Ben Brown jumped in for Soroka in the third inning as he's been resting since July 27.

The Cubs will surely hope that Soroka's soreness doesn't turn into a more serious issue. The team was in dire need of some star aces ahead of the trade deadline, and Soroka was their answer. Chicago also traded for some relievers, but Soroka was the "big name" starter the team secured.

The 2025 season hasn't been Soroka's best by any means. In 16 starts with the Nationals this season, Soroka was 3-8 with a 4.87 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 87 strikeouts against 24 walks in 81 1/3 innings.

The pressure is growing on Arne Slot to turn things around at Liverpool and Michael Edwards could now reportedly hire a former Premier League manager.

Arne Slot admits "shock" as Liverpool crisis mounts

The 3-0 defeat at Anfield against Nottingham Forest signalled that Liverpool were in a crisis, but last night’s 4-1 defeat against PSV Eindhoven signalled that Slot may not be able to find his way out of that crisis. The Reds are on a historically disastrous run, having smashed their transfer record twice in the summer to back their Premier League title-winning manager.

It’s the most unexpected run from a side that many backed to retain the English crown and Slot admitted that it’s also been a “shock” to him in recent weeks.

Liverpool aren’t a sacking club, historically speaking, but reports have now claimed that Edwards admires Ange Postecoglou and the pressure is growing on Slot to turn things around.

Liverpool eyeing Postecoglou as Joyce reveals crisis talks

Paul Joyce revealed on social media that the hierarchy have held talks with Slot on Thursday.

And according to TeamTalk, Edwards is an admirer of Postecoglou and has not been deterred by the Aussie’s failure at Nottingham Forest or by how his final Premier League season ended at Tottenham Hotspur.

Postecoglou, who deploys an attack-minded 4-3-3 formation with a high defensive line and has publicly stated he demands “relentless” pressing from his sides, has been out of work since an 8-game spell with Forest which returned just 0.25 points per game.

Sources at Anfield told TeamTalk that Slot is “under pressure” but not in immediate danger of being sacked.

Xabi Alonso makes decision about Liverpool role if he is sacked by Real Madrid

The Spaniard is also under pressure in Spain.

1 ByTom Cunningham Nov 26, 2025

It’s a tough situation for Liverpool chiefs. Slot became just the second manager to give them a Premier League title last season, but there’s no denying that recent results have been unacceptable and there are serious questions as to whether he can turn things around given his side make the same mistakes week in week out.

Slot must drop 3/10 flop who was just as bad as Konate vs PSV

Nottingham Forest have begun to see an excellent upturn in their form since Sean Dyche took over the club. He’s won three from his first six games, including Saturday’s exceptional 3-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield. It has certainly been a positive start to his tenure.

Indeed, there have been some excellent individual performances since the Englishman became the Forest manager. Morgan Gibbs-White has been one of the standouts, with three goals in his last three Premier League games. The likes of Nicolo Savona and Igor Jesus have also been in impressive form.

With his side in excellent form, Dyche could well turn to the transfer market as he looks to add more quality to the Forest squad.

The latest on Nottingham Forest's transfer plans

It seems like the East Midlands side are looking to add depth in midfield. Reports in the past few days suggest they are plotting a move for talented Belgian midfielder Nathan De Cat, although the likes of Bayern Munich are challengers for the 17-year-old’s signature.

Transfer Focus

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

However, if that move does not materialise, Forest are also considering Everton midfielder and former loanee James Garner.

According to a report from Football Insider, the club are “looking at him” and could make a move, with his contract up in 18 months.

However, this will not be an easy deal to do. There are a host of Premier League clubs interested in the former Manchester United man, with Newcastle United, Aston Villa and West Ham United all keeping tabs.

As for the price, he could cost upwards of £20m, according to a report in mid-November.

Why Garner would be a good signing for Forest

24-year-old Garner has been pivotal for the Toffees this season. He has excelled as a full-back and in the middle of the park, with Everton gaffer David Moyes relying on that versatility several times this season.

Indeed, Garner has played 11 times in the Premier League, operating in different areas of the pitch. He’s played three games as a left-back, scoring a thunderbolt in one of those, seven times in the heart of the midfield, and once at right-back.

Of course, a move to Forest would see Garner return to the club. He played a historic part during his first stint, a loan from Man United.

He played 69 times in Garribaldi Red, scoring and assisting 18 times, and helping Forest return to the Premier League. Statman Dave described him as a “special” player during his time at the club.

If Garner was to make a move back to the City Ground, and Dyche utilised him in midfield, he might well form a strong partnership with Gibbs-White. Unsurprisingly, the England international is a key player under Forest’s new boss.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder has been in excellent form under Dyche, with the third of his three goals in the top flight coming last weekend at Anfield. However, he has been a consistent performer in Garibaldi Red his whole time at the club.

He’s recently brought up his 50th goal contribution for the club, and has 22 goals and 31 assists in 135 games. Gibbs-White excels as a number 10, but there are times when he needs to play deeper to help Forest out defensively.

The signing of Garner, however, could change that. The Everton man is someone who could play with Gibbs-White in midfield and take some of the defensive responsibility off the Forest number 10. His defensive numbers are impressive, averaging four tackles and interceptions per game this season, for example.

Defensive 3rd tackles won

1.36

Top 11%

Interceptions

1.45

Top 11%

Clearances

2.73

​​​​​​​Top 9%

Blocks

1.64

Top 19%

This sort of defensive nous could make Gibbs-White unplayable for Dyche’s side. With a player like Garner behind him, and Elliot Anderson of course, it might mean he is less shackled defensively, thus being able to be more effective going forward.

This midfield dynamic could hugely benefit Forest, and make them a more potent team in attack. In this market, £20m is a nominal fee for a player who knows the club and can benefit the side.

Not Zinchenko: Dyche could now drop “incredible” Nottingham Forest star

Sean Dyche could ditch this Nottingham Forest star alongside Oleksandr Zinchenko for his Premier League return.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 26, 2025

Former Tottenham star Ramon Vega has launched a scathing attack on Spurs boss Thomas Frank after their 5-3 loss to PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Tottenham show flashes but fall to PSG defeat in Paris

Spurs’ unbeaten European run came to a grinding halt in spectacular fashion as the European champions powered to a thrilling victory at the Parc des Princes, with midfielder Vitinha stealing the headlines by scoring a sensational hat-trick.

Frank’s young side showed tremendous character by twice taking the lead in a pulsating encounter, only to be overwhelmed by PSG’s attacking quality during a devastating second-half spell.

The match showcased both the promise and vulnerability of Spurs’ inexperienced squad, with teenagers Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray impressing before defensive lapses proved costly.

Vitinha’s treble told the story of the evening. The Portuguese thundered home a spectacular long-range equaliser just before halftime, curled in his second to restore parity after the break, then sealed his hat-trick from the penalty spot following Cristian Romero’s handball, with his performance epitomizing PSG’s clinical edge when opportunities arose.

Randal Kolo Muani was another positive for Tottenham, scoring twice against his parent club and notching an assist for Richarlison to briefly give Spurs hope of an unlikely win.

Randal Kolo Muani

8.7

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

8.4

Vitinha

8.4

Willian Pacho

8.1

Joao Neves

8.0

via WhoScored

However, Fabian Ruiz’s composed finish and William Pacho’s close-range effort during PSG’s dominant period ultimately proved decisive.

The defeat leaves Tottenham precariously positioned sixteenth in the league phase standings after five games, significantly increasing pressure on Frank ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Fulham.

The Dane has attracted, to say the least, very mixed reviews since replacing Ange Postecoglou in the summer. Frank’s spell has been marred by concerns surrounding creativity and a ‘boring’ style of play, with Spurs nearly bottom of the pile for numerous attacking metrics so far this season.

This includes an expected goals (xG) of just 11.0, which is the fourth worst in the entire Premier League.

xG

11.0

17th

Non-penalty xG

11.0

16th

Progressive passes

413

12th

Shots

110

19th

Shots on target

40

15th

Average shot distance

15.6 yards

17th

Many are wondering if Frank really is the right man to take them forward, and their crushing North London derby loss last weekend didn’t exactly plead his case.

Ramon Vega makes scathing Thomas Frank claim after Tottenham defeat

Speaking to talkSPORT, former Lilywhites player Vega made his thoughts on Frank crystal clear this morning — even stating that Postecoglou was the better man for the Spurs job.

Vega also says that the dressing room doesn’t appear to have that same respect for Frank, with the pundit questioning his ability to be a leader.

Given Frank is now starting to attract these kinds of opinions, absolutely nothing but a win will do at Fulham this weekend.

However, he’ll have to make do without star defender Cristian Romero, who’s suspended for the clash.

Neymar went against advice from doctors to play through on for Santos as they secured a crucial win in their bid to beat the drop from Brazil's top flight. Santos hosted Brasileirao footers Sport Recife and secured what could prove to be a vital three points as they look to stave off the threat of relegation. And Neymar was key in a 3-0 victory that may have ended the forward's season.

Neymar influential as Santos down Sport Recife

Neymar fired Santos ahead midway through the first half and the hosts were two goals to the good 10 minutes later after a Lucas Kal own goal doubled Santos' advantage. And the three points were sewn up midway through the second half as Neymar turned provider for Joao Schmidt to confirm a 3-0 victory.

The win extended Santos' unbeaten run to four matches as they secured just their 10th league victory of the season. Santos now sit two points above the relegation zone ahead of their final two games of the campaign as they look to beat the drop.

Relegation rivals Vitoria host high-flying Mirassol, while Fortaleza host Atletico MG on Sunday evening as the battle to beat the drop goes to the wire. Neymar, though, has done all he can at the risk of aggravating a knee injury that could now rule him out for the final two games of the season.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSantos had a 'plan' for their talisman

Neymar has endured an injury-hit campaign, meaning he has been restricted to just 15 league starts this season. The Brazilian missed the recent 1-1 draw with Internacional with a knee issue, though the plan had always been for Neymar to play some part against Sport Recife over the weekend.

Speaking after the 1-1 draw with Internacional, Santos manager Juan Pablo Vojvoda revealed what he had in mind for Neymar, stating: "The plan is for him to be in the match against Sport. I have to talk to him, I'm not in his physical presence and I will respect Neymar's decisions.

"But his commitment is to be there, he always wants to be there. Before the Mirassol game, he felt discomfort in his knee. He also felt it during the game. The following day he was experiencing significant discomfort in that knee. We know we have games every three days. With travel, we'll arrive in Santos tomorrow afternoon… He's a player we need for all three rounds and he'll help us. He's our leader on the field. He'll be there. He felt he wouldn't be able to meet the demands of today's game."

Neymar to miss the final two games

Neymar trained ahead of the game against Sport Recife even after it was recommended that he undergo an arthroscopy in order to repair a tear in the meniscus region of his left knee. The issue is said to be causing Neymar persistent pain, but he was willing to play through the pain in order to boost Santos' survival chances.

And while he defied medical advice to play a vital role in Santos' win over Sport Recife, earning a standing ovation has he exited the field, Neymar will miss the final two games of the Brasileirao season due to the meniscus injury.

Santos see out the campaign with a trip to relegated Juventude next week before the welcome of Cruzeiro in a potential relegation decider in the final round of Brasileirao fixtures. Rivals Vitora follow up their welcome of Mirassol with games against Red Bull Bragantino and Sao Paulo, while Fortaleza take on Corinthians and Botafogo following Sunday's game against Atletico MG.

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Getty Images SportInjury will impact 2026 World Cup spot

Neymar's latest setback may impact his Brazil chances with head coach Carlo Ancelotti previously stating what is required for the 33-year-old to secure his Selecao spot in North America next summer.

"Neymar is on the list of players who can go to the World Cup. He has six months to make the final list," Ancelotti said earlier this month. "Neymar has recovered, but he needs to show performance. When the Brazilian league ends he'll have some vacation time, and then he must show his quality and physical condition again," the Italian stated elsewhere.

The former Barcelona and PSG forward's current Santos deal expires at the end of the year, and the club is in a dilemma over the player's future.

"Neymar’s project is the 2026 World Cup," Santos club President Marcelo Teixeira said recently. "If we find common ground, his continuity will be confirmed. As long as Santos and Neymar, who have a strong and positive understanding of trust, reach a common ground. I believe we will resolve this situation at the right time."

Teams to play one Test and three T20Is, instead of a second Test and ODIs as well

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2025Zimbabwe will host Afghanistan for one Test and three T20Is in October, a reduced itinerary from the two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is that were on the FTP.All four matches will take place at Harare Sports Club, which will host a Test for the first time in four years. Zimbabwe’s last nine home Tests have been played in Bulawayo, and they have lost them all. Zimbabwe have played Afghanistan in four Tests between 2021 and 2025, with one win, two defeats and a draw. Their most recent fixtures were in December-January 2024-25, when Afghanistan won the two-Test series 1-0. They also beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in the T20I series and 2-0 in the ODIs.The Test from October 20 to 24 against Afghanistan completes a busy year for Zimbabwe, who are not part of the World Test Championship but are playing 10 matches in 2025. They were initially scheduled to play 11 but ESPNcricinfo understands the second Test against Afghanistan, and the ODIs, will be moved to 2026. The three T20Is will be played on October 29, 31 and November 2.Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has chosen to prioritise T20Is, as the team may need the fixtures to prepare for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Zimbabwe are in the semi-finals of the Africa Regional Qualifier, currently underway, and if they beat Kenya on Thursday, will qualify for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February and March. Zimbabwe missed the 2024 T20 World Cup after losing to Uganda in the qualifiers. They have played in only one of the last three T20 World Cups – in 2022 – where they reached the Super 12.Should Zimbabwe secure their spot at the 2026 T20 World Cup, ZC will also seek additional fixtures, with nothing on Zimbabwe’s calendar between November this year and April next year. With all Full Members, except Ireland, occupied over that period, Zimbabwe may look to engage a team like Namibia (also in the semi-finals of the T20 qualifier) and are understood to be considering teams like Netherlands and Nepal for fixtures. After a torrid run earlier in the year, when Zimbabwe lost five T20Is on the bounce, they have now won six of their last nine games.