Nottingham Forest hero Brice Samba was a key figure just a few days ago as Ligue 1 Lens put themselves back into the British consciousness following their impressive Champions League qualification.
Indeed, Samba's new side beat Premier League high-flyers Arsenal., as he made six integral saves in the 2-1 win. His performance was one of great intrigue and continued to cement how much of a brilliant acquisition he's been since leaving the City Ground for just £4.3m.
When did Nottingham Forest sign Samba?
Brice Samba signed for Forest in 2019. Joining for an undisclosed fee on a four-year-deal, the Congolese-born stopper came from Caen initially as a backup for Manchester City loan keeper Arijanet Muric. However, with steady performances when given the chance, and Muric displaying a series of costly mistakes – Samba became the first choice between the sticks.
The season prior, he had proven his worth at Caen as they fought for Ligue 1 survival: he made more saves (142) than any other 'keeper and helped limit them to conceding just 54 goals over the course of the campaign. This was a total fewer than the surrounding teams.
How did Samba play at Nottingham Forest?
Samba enjoyed a solid three Championship seasons as an assault on the Premier League slowly came to fruition. In his first season, he took little time to get acquainted with the City Ground faithful – as top form led to receiving the Championship POTM award for November 2019. Later that term, he even found a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.
The pinnacle of Samba's Forest career arrived when he was a key part of Steve Cooper's team that gained playoff promotion – and his impact in the semi-finals live long in fans' memories. Against Sheffield United, 6 foot 2 Brice saved three spot kicks before playing the majority of the final against Huddersfield until he withdrew with a groin injury.
He'd given everything for the club and it was ultimately his last Forest outing. He turned down a new contract to go to Ligue 1 with Lens for a mere £4.3m. His decision was based on the raw desire of the French club despite labelling the Premier League being "a dream".
Back in his first season, then-teammate Matty Cash – seemingly anticipated Samba's growth and impact.
“His distribution is just ridiculous. His shot-stopping is brilliant — he is a fantastic goalkeeper and a big, big signing. He is a legend, he is a proper funny guy. He is professional, he does everything right on and off the field. He is a great asset to the club."
How good is Brice Samba now?
Well, to bookend this article, it's clear that Samba has grown exponentially from Championship-grade to Champions League-grade. He also popped onto the international radar, as back in March 2022 he received his first call up for the French national team.
2021/22s complete progress saw Lens jumping at the signature of the would-be-promoted keeper, and he took to Ligue 1 again similarly to how he had adapted to second-tier life in England.
In the first half of the campaign, he had nine clean sheets in just 19 games. Pushing this total to 15 in 38 games at the end of the season, he was included in the Ligue 1 TOTS as the best goalkeeper.
Samba had helped the dynamic Lens to only their third-ever Champions League participation as they finished third. His form has continued as according to FBref and FootballTransfers, the now-£22m-rated man provides outstanding numbers.
Compared to similar-level keepers, Samba sits in the top percentiles for multiple attributes. Goals against (his 0.95 per 90) reflect a top 9%. 78.1% save percentage puts him in the top 8%, and 7.8% of crosses stopped see him in the top 16% percentile. Quite the numbers; you may well suggest that Forest rue letting him so cheaply.
A section of Zimbabwe players have threatened to boycott the series unless their match fees dating back to their tour of Sri Lanka last year are settled
Firdose Moonda14-Jun-2018Uncertainty continues to cloud next month’s T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe, also involving Australia and Pakistan, which remains at risk of a Zimbabwe player boycott.Less than a day after sources told ESPNcricinfo Zimbabwe’s players “understood,” they would not be paid until at least July but acknowledged the importance of playing in the tri-series, the same sources confirmed the players demand for outstanding salaries to be paid by June 25 remains in place.Zimbabwe’s players are owed two months of salary and match fees dating back to their tour of Sri Lanka last year and a section of players remain adamant they will make themselves unavailable for international duty unless the bills are settled.However, some players have relaxed their view on taking part in the on-going warm-up matches against Kenya and have chosen to use the fixtures as practice in the event the tri-series goes ahead.As reported on Wednesday, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, John Nyumbu, Richmond Mutumbami, Tendai Chatara, Natsai M’shangwe, Donald Tiripano and Chris Mpofu played in games against Kenya but Hamilton Maskadza, Peter Moor, Brendan Taylor, Kyle Jarvis, Ryan Burl and Sean Williams had not. Former captain Graeme Cremer, allrounder Sikandar Raza, batsman Craig Ervine and fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani were not named in the practice squads.Raza and Muzarabani are currently playing overseas. There were no fixtures scheduled for Thursday but Friday’s matches may reveal more about which players intend to avail themselves for the national side.Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has acknowledged that they are in a financially precarious position and have not been able to meet their commitments. Ten days ago, in a comment to ESPNcricinfo, ZC said it was “top priority,” to settle its bills and would begin processing payments. Since then, the players have received one month’s worth of salary but are still owed another two, as well as the long-overdue match fees.ZC have also since appointed Vince van der Bijl as a consultant to assist in plotting the way forward, while the players are operating through a representative Gerald Mlotchwa. The players are working on reforming an assoication, which became defunct in 2015, in order to negotiate with ZC.The tri-series is due to start on July 1 and then Zimbabwe are set to play five ODIs at home against Pakistan.
Wolverhampton Wanderers made a host of squad changes this summer, as the Old Gold battled financial restrictions with maintaining a Premier League worthy side.
Many big names bid farewell to Molineux to both begin new chapters of their careers and generate profit for the club to balance the books with, with the club’s record departure fee broken twice in the window.
Former club-captain Ruben Neves joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal for £47m, which was a figure blown out of the water on deadline day as Manchester City obtained Matheus Nunes for £53m.
As well as generating money through sales, Fosun will be spared millions in wages for those that have departed, with some players earning far more than what their performance levels portray.
One player that left Molineux this season temporarily is Daniel Podence, who joined former club Olympiacos on loan after his contract in the Midlands was extended to 2025.
How much has Daniel Podence cost Wolves?
Signed for £17m in 2020, Podence has had three and a half years to impose himself in the Premier League, with him leaving on loan this summer suggestive of the fact that he hasn’t quite made the impact that was expected.
Earning £60k-per-week at Wolves, the 27-year-old has so far collected over £12m in wages representing the Old Gold, amounting to 105 appearances in all competitions.
At the point of his arrival in England, the Portuguese winger had an expected transfer value (xTV) of just €8.1m (£7m), a figure that has alarmingly decreased to €5.6m (£4.8m) as it is today, telling of the needless expense Fosun spent to welcome and maintain him, via FootballTransfers.
Taking into consideration his wages plus his transfer fee, Podence has cost Wolves £29m in total, a price that will rise at the point of his return.
Another worrying element of the deal is that it’s highly unlikely that the Midlands side will generate any profit from a future sale, despite him extending his contract prior to his temporary exit, considering the decline in his market value.
Has he been worth it?
In 105 appearances for Wolves, Podence has scored just 16 goals, with his highest scoring tally coming last season where he netted six in 32 Premier League games.
Prior to the 2022/23 campaign, the 27-year-old’s highest scoring Premier League season was in 2020/21, where he was on the score sheet three times in 24 appearances, highlighting his lack of contribution in the final third.
Dividing the total expense that Fosun have spent on the Portugal international with the number of goals he has scored, it works out that Wolves have paid £1.8m-per-goal for the dud, who has been previously dubbed as “frustrating” by The Athletic journalist Steve Madeley.
What is particularly frustrating for the Old Gold is that the winger has got off to a flying start to life at his former club, scoring three in four appearances for Olympiacos in the Stoiximan Super League.
It’s destined to be a long way back for Podence at Wolves, who was criticised by Gary O’Neil before his exit for his ambition not being “aligned” to that of the squad, making any return look increasingly unlikely after the 2023/24 campaign.
While his future is unpredictable, one thing that is certain is that Fosun have been rinsed of millions by the forward, who has failed to repay such debts through his performances on the pitch since his arrival.
Newcastle United need to keep hold of influential figures at the club, but one has been tipped to seal a possible move away by journalist Dean Jones.
Who are the key figures at Newcastle?
This is special period in the Magpies' recent history, with genuinely exciting times returning to St James' Park for arguably the first period since the 1990s. Eddie Howe and his players secured a fourth-place finish in the Premier League last season, and it afforded them the luxury of returning to the Champions League after 20 years away.
There have been so many important figures at Newcastle in recent times, helping them achieve this success, with Howe doing a superb job as manager, not to mention recruiting the right players.
The likes of Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman and Bruno Guimaraes are just a few of the additions who have made a huge impact for the Magpies, not only bringing undeniable quality to the team, but also a lot of fight. Others such as Nick Pope, Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak are also worthy of a mention, and it is hoped that new summer signings Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento will also have a big impact.
A worrying exit rumour has now emerged regarding one influential individual, in what would be a major blow for Newcastle.
St James' Park
Which key figure could leave Newcastle?
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones claimed that he can envisage a scenario where Howe becomes England's next manager after Gareth Southgate:
"Yeah, I think Eddie Howe will be a contender to replace Gareth Southgate, whether or not he's Newcastle manager. I mean, we'll imagine for the time being, he is still Newcastle manager at the end of the season, and I think there's little doubt that his personality and what he's achieved so far, would make him a good fit to replace Southgate.
"But there is also the potential that if Newcastle did go through a really bad period, that Eddie Howe did lose his job this season, but even in that worst case scenario, I think probably even more so actually, he would be a shoo-in to actually go in and replace Gareth Southgate, if he does step down at the end of the Euros.
"I think that everything about Howe, the way that he talks, his demeanour, the way he treats footballers the way he can just talk to people one on one and bring through young talent, makes him pretty much the most obvious target in my eyes to actually replace Southgate."
Losing Howe would be a significant setback, considering the job he has done, and while this season hasn't necessarily got off to a perfect start, he has more than enough credit in the bank to suggest that he is still very much the right man for the job.
The lure of becoming England manager may well be huge, however, and if Southgate does depart after Euro 2024, the Newcastle boss could find it difficult to turn down an offer, should one arrive. The hope is that he remains loyal to the Magpies, though, and keeps improving as a manager, with the 45-year-old lauded as "fantastic" by Graham Potter and still seemingly one of the brightest young managers in the English game.
A Celtic player has been persuaded to leave the Scottish Champions and join a new club after a promise from his potential new manager, according to a recent report.
Celtic suffer Champions League heartbreak
The Hoops suffered Champions League disappointment on Tuesday night, as they were denied extra time as Bayern Munich scored in the dying moments of the game to secure their place in the last 16 of the tournament.
Celtic took a shock lead through Nicolas Kuhn to make the game 2-2 on aggregate, but Alphonso Davies was on hand to deliver the sucker punch in the fourth minute of injury time.
Better than Maeda: Celtic have unearthed a £124m-rated star in the making
Celtic have hit the jackpot with the forward who is even better than Daizen Maeda.
2 ByDan Emery Feb 19, 2025
Despite being knocked out of the Champions League, Brendan Rodgers was left proud of his team’s performance, and he wants to make Celtic a seasoned club at this level.
“It’s a mixture of pride, firstly in the performance level. We have to remember this is Bayern Munich, and everyone talked about that before the game,” Rodgers told the media.
“Performance-wise, we were outstanding, played without any fear. Defended so well, with discipline, pressed at the right moments, gave them issues on that side, and able to be compact and tight in the right moment.
Celtic managerBrendanRodgerscelebrates after winning the League Cup
“Our European credibility was always going to be important. That’s my main takeaway from this campaign. We learned some valuable lessons along the way, played some amazing football, and taken on a club of this size and magnitude – a club where one of their players is more than our budget.
“It allows us to build. Last year I felt we developed even though we never got the points. Performance-wise, I thought it was good. This season it’s been very good. We’ve made the progress that made me want to come back, and now we have to finish the season off strong. My unswerving plan is to make it a seasoned club at this level, where we can go and really hurt big opponents like Bayern Munich.”
Celtic gem has been persuaded to join a new club
As well as disappointment on the pitch, the Hoops have now suffered more off it, as according to Hammers News, Daniel Cummings’ rumoured move to West Ham is even closer after Graham Potter made the player a promise of first-team minutes.
The Hammers were keen on signing the young striker in January, while Celtic have been keen for Cummings to remain with them, as Rodgers has pleaded with the player to remain patient in his wait for a senior breakthrough.
However, he has become unhappy with the lack of opportunities in the first team, and despite Celtic trying to tie him to a new contract, Cummings looks set to join West Ham, as Potter has promised the player he will be part of the club’s first team squad next season.
The 18-year-old came through the ranks at Celtic Park, scoring 34 goals in their B team. However, that hasn’t done anything for him to get regular opportunities in Celtic’s first team, as he’s only made one appearance. That appearance came in this season’s Champions League, as he was brought off the bench for the final 11 minutes against Aston Villa last month.
Apps
50
Goals
34
Assists
0
The Hoops are well gifted in the attacking area, as shown in the game against Bayern Munich, as they had Adam Idah and Johnny Kenny both on the bench. So, with his contract coming to an end, Celtic can’t be surprised that the player is looking at options elsewhere, as he clearly feels moving on is the best for his career.
A hundred for Asad Shafiq and fifties for Haris Sohail and Babar Azam moved Pakistan into a dominant position on the second day against Northampton
Alex Winter in Northampton05-May-2018 Asad Shafiq keeps an eye on the movement of the ball•Getty ImagesAfter so little first-class cricket in the past 12 months, batting practice is what Pakistan are most in need of before the opening Test of their UK tour that begins on Friday. They were handed a perfect chance on a golden second day in Northampton and Asad Shafiq took advantage of the conditions – as well as two dropped catches – to make his 20th first-class century and hand his side a sizeable lead by the close.Shafiq has not only the second-highest number of Test caps in the Pakistan squad but has played more first-class cricket than most of the touring party in recent months. By complete contrast, before last week’s match at Kent, Haris Sohail’s last domestic first-class match was all the way back in 2014. The pair shared a stand of 136 for the third wicket to set the day up for their side.As preparation for the Test matches to come, this has been a true assignment for the tourists and they were kept in check for two-thirds of the day. Northamptonshire took two early wickets and had Shafiq been held by Ricardo Vasconcelos in the gully on just 13 – a sitter straight to the fielder at chest height – Pakistan would have been 70 for 3 and three of their top order left with successive failures to begin the tour.But the partnership steadily built either side of lunch. Sohail, despite – or perhaps because of – his recent experience being almost exclusively against the white ball, was initially the more fluent of the pair. He began with a back-foot punch and a front-foot drive through extra cover before skipping down to Rob Keogh’s offspin to lift another boundary over mid-off. And after being struck a nasty blow on the neck ducking a Gareth Wade short ball that didn’t get up, he went through to fifty in 107 balls with seven fours.A century loomed for Sohail but he produced a leading edge to point trying to flick Keogh over midwicket against the spin. Steven Crook took a smart diving catch and should have taken Shafiq’s top-edged sweep diving in the opposite direction next ball. But the second chance Shafiq offered went down and he was left to dominate the day.Shafiq made 363 runs at 30 in Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy last season without a century but here took his chance to reach three figures. He slog-swept his second six off Keogh before clipping the same bowler to long-on to raise fifty in 98 balls. A steer behind point moved Pakistan into the lead shortly after tea before a fine sweep brought up his century, Pakistan’s first of the tour.Later, just when Northants had ambitions to limit the deficit after three wickets with the second new ball, Shafiq took three boundaries in an over off Wade with a leg glance, a fierce pull and an uppercut over cover.But the innings of the day belonged to Babar Azam, who breathed life into a sleepy afternoon with a bright, punchy 57. Azam already has seven ODI centuries and could become one of world batting’s stars. Three of his first four scoring strokes were boundaries and as he cut Luke Procter wide of third man to raise fifty in just 61 balls with six fours, the day began to drift from Northants. One hundred and forty three runs came in 33 overs after tea as the lead approached three figures and Pakistan achieved the solid batting day they had hoped for.It did not appear that would necessarily be the case as both opening batsman failed. Imam-ul-Haq, having scratched around for 60 deliveries for only 11 runs, was beaten on the inside edge by Keogh to be trapped lbw and Azhar Ali, the most experienced member of the Pakistan squad, fell lbw to Wade. The wicket was just Wade’s second in first-class matches, having missed the majority of last season with a stress fracture of the back. He said he enjoyed the challenge of bowling to a high-class batting line up but it was a challenge successfully met by Shafiq, Sohail and Babar.
Among the batsmen, New Zealand captain Suzie Bates overtook her counterparts Meg Lanning and Mithali Raj to claim the No. 2 spot
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2018Australia left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen has climbed to the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings for women bowlers after she took eight wickets in three matches against India recently. Jonassen’s team-mate and opening quick Megan Schutt rose to No. 2 as the duo overtook Marizanne Kapp and Jhulan Goswami, who are third and fourth respectively.Jonassen has a career-best 676 points after she ended as the leading wicket-taker in the 3-0 series win in Vadodara. Right behind her was legspinner Amanda-Jade Willington with five wickets who is yet to break into the top 20.”Coming over to India as a spinner is always an exciting time. For me, I’m just happy I’ve been able to contribute to the team’s success,” Jonassen said.Schutt, on the other hand, took four wickets but was the most economical bowler in the series, conceding only 3.87 runs per over with four maidens overall.”She’s been our strike bowler. She really sets the tone for us early. She’s playing on a different wicket at times. She just puts so much pressure on the batters,” team-mate Ellyse Perry said.Among the batsmen, New Zealand captain Suzie Bates overtook her counterparts Meg Lanning and Mithali Raj to be placed at No. 2, just behind Perry. In the three ODIs against West Indies at home, Bates scored 89, 101* and 44 in their series whitewash to also go past 4000 ODI runs. She batted in the series with a strike rate of 102.18 but was behind her opening partner and vice-captain Sophie Devine for both strike rate and on the runs charts. Devine scored 261 runs compared to Bates’ 234 and had a strike rate of 103.57.Australia opener Nicole Bolton jumped nine places to fourth spot right behind Perry, Bates and Lanning by scoring 195 runs against India, including an unbeaten 100 in the first ODI. She was named the Player of the Series in her first series in India, where she played the spinners and pacers with equal ease. Harmanpreet Kaur dropped to ninth place, Smriti Mandhana, who scored two half-centuries, went up to 14th place whereas Alyssa Healy rose to 16th spot with her maiden international hundred in the third ODI.
Brighton & Hove Albion host Bournemouth this weekend and it's something of a unique Premier League fixture. After all, how many top-flight fixtures do you get these days where they've mainly met in the third tier?
That's the case here, though. Brighton and Bournemouth have undergone transformations over the last decade, rapidly climbing up the leagues and meeting one another along the way.
They met in League One as recently as 2011. Now they're ready for meeting number nine at the Premier League level.
So as they prepare for that, we at Football FanCast have had a little look into the history books to see what you can expect. Here's everything you need to know about Brighton vs Bournemouth.
Brighton vs Bournemouth: What's their head-to-head record?
While this is a relatively new Premier League fixture, the two clubs do have a history that dates a little way back. Only to 1988, mind, but there's at least something to look at here.
That first meeting as an FA Cup clash that saw Brighton run out 2-0 winners. They'd meet in the league for the first time the following season – in the old Division Two. Eight games came in what's now the Championship before the pair crossed paths in League One back in 2001.
That's the division where they've played most of their fixtures, 10 in total, so it's up to you whether you count them as particularly relevant ahead of the weekend's game.
By 2017, though, both were Premier League sides and that's where the really relevant stuff comes in. But these are two clubs who have competed five domestic competitions – and 30 times in total.
Their record is very even, too, with Brighton picking up 11 wins and Bournemouth 13. That leaves six draws, of course.
Brighton wins
11
Draws
6
Bournemouth wins
13
Brighton vs Bournemouth: What's their record at Brighton?
Brighton have only actually won 50% of their home games against Bournemouth – 7 of 14. Bournemouth have picked up three wins there in response.
Historically, then, you're just as likely to see Brighton drop points at home to Bournemouth as you are to see them win. That's not the case for the Cherries' home fixtures (which we'll get to in a minute).
The goal tally is surprisingly even, too. Brighton's 22 sees 19 Bournemouth goals in reply, which is as narrow as it gets over 14 games. Neither side really gets close to averaging two there but both comfortably push past one.
Brighton wins
7
Draws
4
Bournemouth wins
3
Brighton vs Bournemouth: What's their record at Bournemouth?
As we mentioned, Bournemouth tend to do a little better as the home side. They've played two games more in this fixture at home, thanks to cup ties, with 16 in total.
And they've won 10 of those. It means that historically – and unlike Brighton – you are more likely to see the Cherries win this one at home than for the Seagulls to get anything.
Brighton do have more wins as the away side, however. They've got four, albeit having played as the away side more often. It leaves only two draws – this one nearly always provides a positive result for someone.
Brighton wins
4
Draws
2
Bournemouth wins
10
Brighton vs Bournemouth: What's their Premier League record?
The entire top-flight history of this fixture has come under the Premier League banner and all have been since 2017. It's a relatively new one, then, certainly by the standards of some that date back to the late 1800s.
Instead, the history here is all just about relevant. Both clubs have players who have been around since that first meeting, even if the fortunes of both have changed.
Brighton, of course, have consistently progressed since 2017. They're now competing up in the European places, having just beaten Manchester United with style. Bournemouth, in contrast, are attempting to consolidate their place in the league after promotion in 2022.
What's quite surprising here, then, is that despite Brighton's rise and Bournemouth's fall, it's the Cherries who boast the better Premier League record. In eight meetings, they've won four to the Seagulls' three.
They've also scored a lot more goals – 14 to Brighton's nine. It means while Bournemouth are close to averaging two goals per game here, their opponents barely average one.
Brighton wins
3
Draws
1
Bournemouth wins
4
Brighton vs Bournemouth: What's the biggest win margin?
Once again, it's Bournemouth who come out on top here. They hold the record win in this fixture and it's still relatively fresh in the memory, too.
It happened in 2019 and, quite remarkably, was at Brighton. They traveled up there that April and absolutely smashed the hosts, winning 5-0.
And as is always nice, they did it with five different scorers. Dan Gosling, Ryan Fraser, David Brooks, Callum Wilson and Junior Stanislas all found the net in an emphatic win.
Brighton vs Bournemouth: What are the recent results?
Bournemouth's promotion in 2022 means only two results are really relevant here and that's last season's. Those certainly give us an idea of how these two teams match up – though, even then, Bournemouth have changed manager since then.
But these two met twice last season and Brighton came out on top both times. In fact, they didn't even concede a goal to Bournemouth.
The first was in February earlier this year and an 87th Kaoru Mitoma goal settled things at 1-0. They met at Bournemouth two months later and, once again, Brighton picked up a win. Evan Ferguson and Julio Enciso both scored in a 2-0.
Including further fixtures means going back to the 2019/20 campaign – one where these two were slightly different sides. They split the points that time out, with both teams winning by two goals at home (Brighton 2-0, Bournemouth 3-1).
Brighton vs Bournemouth: How have they started the season?
Brighton have gone into this campaign with some big question marks on them. Alexis Mac Allister and Moisés Caicedo – key players from last year's charge into the European places – both left the club. Rebounding from that was never going to be easy.
But five games in, they have done. Brighton have beaten Luton Town 4-1, Bournemouth 4-1, Newcastle United 3-1 and Manchester United 3-1. The only blip was a disastrous performance against West Ham that saw the Seagulls lose 3-1.
They're conceding goals at a rate they won't like, of course – zero clean sheets. But Brighton appear to be a force once again this season. Three points off the top of the Premier League and the competition's top scorers after five games. Can't ask for more.
Bournemouth have come into this season differently, of course. They're looking to consolidate a place in the league under a new manager. Exactly how well they've started isn't clear.
They're yet to actually win a game – one of five teams to fail in that regard. Losing 3-1 to 10-man Liverpool was a blow, too, especially after taking the lead. However, a 2-0 defeat against Tottenham just is what it is.
Those are the only defeats and Bournemouth have drawn three times already. That's the joint-most, alongside Brentford, and it does suggest the Cherries just need a little more luck for things to look quite rosy.
Brighton vs Bournemouth: Who are the favourites?
Brighton & Hove Albion'sEvanFergusoncelebrates scoring their fourth goal
Brighton will go into this one as favourites, certainly, given their current standing. There's a sense that they'll firmly compete for the European places this season, while Bournemouth will hope to finish a solid 13th or 14th.
But there is one factor here that must be accounted for – Brighton in Europe. They've never played in European competition before and will debut in the Europa League on Thursday. Exactly how their squad handles Thursday-Sunday football is anyone's guess – but it's a fixture list that can spring up some surprising results.
If Brighton don't handle the extra game well, then Bournemouth will fancy their chances of getting something. Possibly even their first Premier League win of the season.
Brighton vs Bournemouth: When is it?
Brighton host Bournemouth at 14:00 UK time on Sunday, September 24th. It'll be each side's sixth game of the Premier League season and one where a win would mean a lot for both teams.
Brighton will want to recover quickly from their European debut on Thursday. Beating Bournemouth will set them up with confidence that they can handle the extra football for the rest of the season. On the other hand, losing or drawing could cause a bit of a mental block – they certainly wouldn't be the first team to suffer from that.
Bournemouth don't have too much to lose. Few expect them to get a result and even just a point would feel very positive. They are still searching for their first win of the season, however, and could really do with that streak ending quickly. Sunday would be perfect.
This should be an interesting one, then. Either way, one of these two teams is making a little bit of a statement.
While Newcastle United have strengthened midfield and attack this summer with the additions of Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes, injury to star defender Sven Botman has left them short on options defensively.
Despite bringing in Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall, who are hot prospects at full-back, the Magpies felt adding quality cover at centre-back wasn't a priority, and they are already paying the price.
Newcastle were outclassed by Brighton on Saturday evening, and they were torn to shreds by teenage sensation Evan Ferguson, who became only the fourth player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick at 18-years-old.
With the Seagulls inflicting a third defeat in four matches on Eddie Howe's side, the most alarming issue to come from the match was how easily they were cut apart defensively, leaving them fearing the worst ahead of their Champions League campaign.
The devastating injury to Botman meant Howe had to shuffle Dan Burn into a more familiar role at centre-back, partnering Fabian Schar, but on the evidence of his performance, Newcastle's unwillingness to strengthen that position has cost them.
How did Dan Burn perform against Brighton?
Having starred as a left-back throughout last season, Burn's return to centre-back was unsuccessful as the 6 foot 6 colussus struggled to live with Brighton's attacking trio of Koaru Mitoma, Solly March and Ferguson.
The Seagulls' agile and quick forward line exploited Burn's immobility by launching a number of attacks down the right flank while the piercing runs of March in behind dragged him out of position with Ferguson taking full advantage of the space afforded to him centrally.
Burn's struggles defensively were highlighted in several departments as the 31-year-old only won one of his seven ground duels, committed four fouls, lost possession five times and was dribbled past twice, according to Sofascore.
While this performance is a cause for concern moving forward, it also lays as a reminder that Newcastle could rue not moving for one of their defensive targets and one of those was Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba, who would have been a huge upgrade on Burn.
How good is Edmond Tapsoba?
Newcastle were in the race to sign centre-back Tapsoba earlier on in the summer as Leverkusen slapped a £50m price tag on their star defender, who was deemed as a long-term successor to Fabian Schar.
The 24-year-old has risen to prominence as one of the Bundesliga's brightest talents and having starred in his side's run to the Europa League semi-final last season, it is clear to see why clubs are circling for his signature.
Edmond Tapsoba
Tapsoba excelled against his positional peers when comparing various parts of his game across last season, including his ability to carry the ball long distances, defend in one-vs-ones and provide an exquisite passing range to his side.
The £43k per-week "monster", as lauded by scout Antonio Mango, ranked in the top 2% for ball recoveries (8.46), top 10% for progressive passes (5.30), top 13% for progressive carries (1.25) and top 14% for successful take-ons (0.50), all per 90 via FBref.
Despite playing at left-back last season, Burn falls well below Tapsoba in each of those key metrics, recording 4.8 ball recoveries, 3.41 progressive passes, 0.84 progressive carries and 0.32 successful take-ons.
Newcastle are transitioning into a side that has more possession as confirmed by their average of 49.5% this season and Howe needs players who are comfortable in possession, but at present, they don't currently have that, especially in defence.
Without ball-playing defender Botman in their side, Burn is attempting to fill a void that he isn't capable of filling, especially when it comes to progressing play from deep, spraying long passes and driving his team forward.
For the short-term, while the Netherlands international is absent, Newcastle are going to be held back by their inability to build from the back and having already suffered for their defensive misunderstanding against Brighton, ignoring their need for defensive cover is costing them.
Although signing Tapsoba would have cost upwards of £50m, he would have brought his ball-playing capabilities and European experience to the party, placing Newcastle in good stead for their Champions League challenge.
Rashid Khan endured a difficult captaincy debut, getting out for a first-ball duck and conceding 68 in nine overs as Scotland chased down 256 with 16 balls to spare
ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2018IDI/Getty ImagesIt only took one match to affirm the wide-open nature of the World Cup Qualifier. In a spectacular opening-day heist, Scotland downed Afghanistan by seven wickets, with Calum MacLeod scoring his sixth ODI hundred and subjecting Rashid Khan, the world’s No. 1 ODI bowler, to one of his worst days as an international cricketer.Chasing 256, Scotland got there with 16 balls to spare, with MacLeod scoring an unbeaten 157 off 146 balls. He scored 108 off 118 against Afghanistan’s other bowlers, and 49 off 31 against Rashid’s legspin, off which he hit eight of his 24 boundaries. Rashid finished with figures of 1 for 68 in nine overs – this was the first time he had ended up with an economy rate of above 7 in his 38-match ODI career. He also scored a first-ball duck. All this happened on a day when, at 19 years and 165 days, he became the youngest man to captain an ODI side.MacLeod came in with Scotland 16 for 1; they lost their other opener two overs later to slip to 21 for 2. Both wickets had fallen to the mystery spin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman. It was here that Richie Berrington joined MacLeod. The two proceeded to add 208 in 223 balls, with MacLeod by far the dominant partner, Berrington scoring 67 off 95 balls before falling lbw to Rashid in the 43rd over of Scotland’s innings. By then, they only needed 27 off 44 balls, a task MacLeod and George Munsey completed with ease.Sent in to bat, Afghanistan made a plodding start, losing three wickets – two to Berrington’s medium-pace – while only scoring 49 in their first 15 overs. Berrington picked up his third wicket in the 19th over, getting Mohammad Shahzad out for an uncharacteristic 30 off 54 balls, leaving Afghanistan 71 for 4.Afghanistan needed to stop losing wickets, but they also needed some urgency. Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran achieved both, putting on 149 for the fifth wicket in 136 balls. At the end of the 41st over, Afghanistan were 219 for 4, and a total in the 280-300 range seemed within reach. But both set batsmen fell off successive balls, Najibullah for 67 off 69 balls and then Nabi – run out – for 92 off 82.The back-to-back wickets were a body blow to Afghanistan’s innings, their lower order collapsing in a heap to Safyaan Sharif and Brad Wheal. In all, the last six wickets fell while adding only 35 runs in 51 balls, leaving Scotland a far smaller target than they might have envisioned chasing at one point.