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Celtic will look to strengthen in several areas of the pitch during the summer transfer window, reports reliable journalist Kieran Devlin.

The Lowdown: Big summer ahead

The Hoops may be the newly-crowned Scottish Premiership champions but Ange Postecoglou is unlikely to be resting on his laurels.

The Australian has a good squad at his disposal but new faces are required in order to make it even more formidable in the coming years, especially with Champions League qualification sealed and battles against Europe’s elite to come.

Now, a new update has emerged outlining the specific areas where Celtic will be looking to strengthen.

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The Latest: Devlin makes key claim

Taking to Twitter, The Ahletic‘s Devlin said that Postecoglou wants two players in every position moving forward, with centre-back, left-back, right wing and central midfield all points of focus:

“Looks like CB, LB, RW, and CM are priority targets assuming Jota and CCV sign permanently, and another CB and winger if they don’t. That strengthens the squad but to specifically improve in Europe, personally think one or two other areas could be targeted.”

The Verdict: Build a Champions League squad

This is an encouraging update that suggests Celtic will continue to go from strength to strength, with the finances now there to significantly enhance their squad.

While the current crop are already good enough to be Scottish champions, the big task now is to compete in the Champions League, rather than be blown away in the group stage.

By bringing in several top-class new signings, Postecoglou would be able to rotate his squad regularly across various competitions, retaining freshness in the process and ensuring a challenge on multiple fronts.

In other news, a pundit has dropped another Celtic claim regarding one player. Find out who it is here.

Everyone loves an underdog, especially one dressed in green. From Italia ’90 in football to West Indies 2007 in cricket, Ireland have long been the neutral’s favourite World Cup team, and four years on from their extraordinary Caribbean campaign, they are back in the mix and hungry to prove their credentials once again.Everyone loves an underdog – except, that is, the sport’s administrators. The magnificence of Ireland’s performance in Jamaica four years ago came at a price. By dumping Pakistan out of the competition with a gripping three-wicket victory in their group-stage encounter at Sabina Park, they eliminated one of the tournament’s major drawcards, just as Bangladesh were accounting for India over in Trinidad.The upshot of that remarkable day – St Patrick’s Day, no less – has been a rehashed competition, with more group stage games designed to safeguard against a repeat of Ireland’s heroics, a fact conceded by the tournament director, Prof Ratnakar Shetty. And if that seems harsh, then worse is to follow in 2015, when the format is set to eliminate all non-Test playing nations, even those like Ireland with some pedigree at this level.It means, therefore, that for Ireland, this time, it’s personal. They have six matches in Group B in which to make as big a splash as possible, and prove that the administrators have got their priorities badly wrong. The core of the contenders from 2007 are back for another go, and while the injured Eoin Morgan has long since thrown in his lot with England, their batting has been bolstered by the return of Ed Joyce.Ahead of the tournament four years ago, Ireland’s tally of official ODIs was a measly eight – seven of which had come against fellow minnows. Now they are relative veterans, with 58 official contests under their belts, and a wealth of reasons to give it their best shot. It is asking too much to expect a repeat of the Kingston miracle, but with six opportunities to make their presence known, they’ll be gunning for at least one sizeable scalp.World Cup pedigreeJust the one tournament, but what a tournament. Ireland showed their mettle with an agonisingly close-fought tie against Zimbabwe, then held their nerve in a fraught finale to eliminate Pakistan in that unforgettable three-wicket triumph. The Super Eights were a let-down on many fronts, as their lack of experience took its toll, but they at least managed to win their mini-World Cup, by downing Bangladesh in their penultimate appearance, at Bridgetown.Form guideA little patchy in recent months. A shared series in Canada was followed by a 2-1 defeat in Zimbabwe, and their warm-ups on the subcontinent haven’t gone entirely to plan either, with consecutive losses to Zimbabwe and Kenya in Dubai. They may be saving their best for when it matters, but they’ll need to raise their game soon.Where they’re likely to finishProgression to the quarter-finals would be a miracle given the format, but they’ve got a few teams in their group that they are sure to target – England, West Indies and Bangladesh, to name but three.WatchabilityMore doughty than flamboyant, Ireland at their best are a team with tenacity who refuse to accept when they are beaten. Their bowling attack relies on diligence above all else, with Trent Johnston setting the example and Boyd Rankin providing the height and a touch of class.Key playersGeorge Dockrell is just 18 years old, but already he’s a player with an immense future ahead of him. In the World Twenty20 back in May, he blended nous with audacity as his flighted twirlers saw off Netherlands in the qualifying tournament, before taking 3 for 16 against West Indies and choking England’s middle-order with four overs for 19 in the main event. His school exams ruled him out of an ODI against Australia, but a two-year deal with Somerset was ample consolation. Another mature performance, and it might even be England who come sniffing next …Ed Joyce has made more trips across the Irish Sea than your average RyanAir flight. Born in Dublin, he set about qualifying for England during his county stint with Middlesex, before eventually making his debut in June 2006 – against Ireland in Belfast, no less. Soon afterwards, he travelled to the 2007 World Cup on the back of an ODI century against Australia, but having been jettisoned by England in the wake of that disastrous tournament, he decided to requalify for his native land. At the age of 32, he is arguably in his prime, and his experience will be invaluable.

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A Arena Corinthians receberá o clássico decisivo entre Timão e São Paulo nesta quarta-feira, mas no último sábado foi palco de descontração. O torcedor que comprou o ingresso número quatro milhões do estádio, Maurício Ajzenberg, foi premiado com um tour especial para ele e alguns convidados, como forma de homenagear todos os torcedores que já compareceram aos jogos do Corinthians.

Durante a manhã, ele participou do tour Casa do Povo, a visita guiada pela Arena que já recebeu mais de 50 mil torcedores em pouco mais de dez meses de funcionamento. O passeio, que tradicionalmente leva os torcedores para conhecer os detalhes do estádio, passando pelos camarotes, sala de imprensa, pré-aquecimento, vestiário e campo, ganhou ainda mais atrativos para Maurício, que pôde visitar outros espaços da Arena, acessados normalmente apenas pelos responsáveis técnicos e profissionais que atuam na casa do Corinthians.

Na sala de controle do gramado, o torcedor entendeu como funciona o sistema de resfriamento e manutenção da grama, nos túneis, todo o sistema de abastecimento, aquecimento, e reutilização de água. Nas cabines de rádio, conferiu a visão destinada aos profissionais que transmitem as partidas.

– Eu venho aqui na Arena praticamente todo jogo, e fico sempre no mesmo lugar, ali você imagina como são as coisas, mas poder entender e ver os detalhes é muito diferente. Dá pra perceber que a tecnologia é de ponta, dá muito orgulho – disse Marcelo.

continua após a publicidade

Assim como Marcelo, todos os torcedores podem conhecer os bastidores da Arena Corinthians no tour Casa do Povo. A visita é de domingo a domingo, e os ingressos custam 40 reais durante a semana, e 60 reais aos finais de semana e feriados. Crianças de 4 a 12 anos, idosos acima de 60 anos e estudantes pagam meia-entrada. Crianças até 3 anos não pagam.

A compra pode ser realizada pelo site tour.arenacorinthians.com.br, ou diretamente na bilheteria do tour – localizada no portão A da Arena Corinthians.

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Thilan Samaraweera helped rescue Sri Lanka from 34 for 3, and improved his chances of securing a place in Sri Lanka’s 2011 World Cup squad

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Colombo24-Nov-2010

Thilan Samaraweera wouldn’t have done his chances of securing a place in Sri Lanka’s 2011 World Cup squad any harm when he scored a well-paced 80 off 170 balls against West Indies on the second day of the second test at the R Premadasa Stadium. With Sri Lanka struggling at 34-3, Samaraweera joined his captain, Kumar Sangakkara, to pull the side out of trouble, and at the end of another rain-hit day, Sri Lanka were sitting pretty on 294-5.He was eventually out caught pulling a short ball from Dwayne Bravo down long leg’s throat to end a record 170-run fourth wicket stand with Sangakkara, who was unbeaten on 135 when rain stopped play. With a leg gully, short leg, square leg and long leg in place, Bravo peppered Samaraweera with the short stuff, hoping the batsman would fall for it, and Samaraweera was all too happy to oblige.”On this type of wicket you will be playing and missing a lot outside the off stump,” Samaraweera said. When you try to be too defensive also that happens. At the end of the day I missed another hundred. It was lack of concentration. I am really disappointed because I fell into their trap.”Yesterday (first day) when I came at the close everyone appreciated my knock of 25 not out. That gave a lot of confidence for me. We knew if we could survive the first hour today we could dominate the bowling, and that is what happened.”Samaraweera was the more enterprising of the pair, beating his captain to his half-century. When questioned whether he was trying to prove a point that he could score fast and be in contention for a place in the World Cup squad, he replied, “This year my one-day average is 49, I don’t why I didn’t go to Australia. My duty is scoring runs. I am hoping for the best.”Samaraweera was confident that weather permitting, Sri Lanka had the bowling armoury to win the Test. “We have to bat well tomorrow and if we can get 400 plus it is a big score on this wicket. After that the new ball bowlers and two spinners should be able to do the job.”

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Ao vencer o clássico, o Cruzeiro deixou o Horto com a sensação de dever cumprido. Além do triunfo por 1 a 0, a equipe garantiu a liderança do primeiro turno com duas rodadas de antecedência e agora precisa jogar contra a URT e Patrocinense.

Com a necessidade de substituir o lesionado Fred, Mano Menezes surpreendeu ao deixar Rafael Sobis no banco e escalar Raniel entre os titulares. Autor do único gol da partida, o jovem atacante agradeceu a confiança da comissão técnica e o apoio recebido pelos torcedores presentes.

– Primeiramente, quero agradecer a Deus, a essa torcida maravilhosa, à comissão. Se ele (Mano) optasse por Sóbis, também ia dar trabalho. Eu consegui fazer o gol, e junto com meus companheiros batalhar, guerrear – declarou o jogador.

Apesar do bom desempenho em campo, que deu trabalho aos defensores alvinegros, Raniel foi escolhido para dar lugar a Lucas Romero, na etapa final. Mesmo com a vontade de continuar em campo, o jogador entende que por ter levado um cartão amarelo na partida, o Cruzeiro não podia arriscar ficar sem dois jogadores.

– Eu queria ter ficado no jogo. Estava com confiança. Mas a gente entende, era a substituição certa. Eu estava com amarelo e era o mais avançado – finalizou.

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O domingo foi marcante para Vinicius Junior. Pedido pela torcida no Estádio Kleber Andrade, em Cariacica (ES), o garoto entrou na segunda etapa e ajudou com um gol na vitória do Flamengo por 2 a 0 sobre o Boavista, que garantiu ao Rubro-Negro a conquista da Taça Guanabara, o primeiro título no profissional do atacante.Ainda no gramado, o menino comentou a emoção da conquista.

– O primeiro de muitos títulos com a camisa do Flamengo. Queria agradecer a toda comissão. E para o time não tenho palavras – afirmou o garoto, antes de comentar o lance do gol, em que desviou levemente a bola, com sinceridade:

– Ali eu não sei se tocou (lance do gol), mas o mais importante foi o Flamengo ganhar e agora é focar no próximo jogo – resumiu o atacante do Flamengo.

O Flamengo retorna ao Rio de Janeiro e já estreia na Taça Rio na quarta-feira. O duelo é contra o Madureira, às 19h30, no Estádio Nilton Santos.

RelacionadasFlamengoNúmeros da Bola: Estatísticas de Boavista 0x2 FlamengoFlamengo18/02/2018FlamengoFlamengo supera o Boavista em Cariacica e leva a Taça GuanabaraFlamengo18/02/2018

Tottenham return to Premier League action today as they look to bounce back from their 3-2 defeat to Southampton in midweek.

Antonio Conte’s side were stunned by a quickfire double from the Saints as they gave up a 2-1 lead to end up losing the match, with Che Adams heading in the winning goal.

They now come up against a Wolves team who are two points and one place behind them in the Premier League table. Bruno Lage’s men have won five of their last eight games in all competitions but did lose 1-0 to Arsenal last time out.

How many changes will Conte make to the team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski and Matt Doherty coming in.

Conte has confirmed that Eric Dier will not be fit enough to make his return from injury. This means that he will not be available for selection and, therefore, the back three may remain the same from the defeat to the Saints, with Christian Romero, Davinson Sanchez and Ben Davies lining up in defence.

At wing-back, Doherty could replace Emerson Royal after the Brazilian’s disappointing showing earlier this week. He only completed 73% of his passes and made one error leading to a show, registering a SofaScore rating of 6.4. This could lead to the Irishman being handed an opportunity to play against his former side.

In midfield, Bentancur could come in for Harry Winks. The £91k-per-week Englishman was dreadful against Southampton and deserves to lose his place for this match. As per SofaScore, he was dribbled past three times, made one error leading to a shot and made one tackle, whilst failing to make an interception or block.

This could open up the door for the January signing to make his first Premier League start for Spurs. In 30 minutes off the bench in midweek, he made one tackle and one interception whilst also winning two of his three duels and completing 100% of his attempted dribbles – as per SofaScore. This suggests that he could impress if given the chance to play a full match as he was able to make a solid contribution off the bench.

Finally, we are predicting that Kulusevski will start on the right of the front three. With games coming thick and fast, Conte may look to rotate his attack in order to avoid burnout and potential injuries, which could see the Sweden international make his full league debut for Spurs.

AND in other news, Body blow: Spurs suffer major setback before Wolves, Conte will be fuming…

With Aston Villa being rather busy in the January transfer window bringing the likes of Lucas Digne, Robin Olsen and Philippe Coutinho to Villa Park, it seems as though one reported transfer target for the Midlands club will not be following in the footsteps of their new trio of winter signings this month.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent transfer report from Birmingham Live by journalists Ashley Preece and John Townley, a deal to bring in Atletico Madrid and former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez is now unlikely.

The Uruguayan is set to stay with the La Liga club for the remainder of the season after it was previously reported that the Midlands club had sent a proposal to the striker to make a move to Villa Park.

The report also added that Suarez “will assess his options when he becomes a free agent in June.”

Gerrard will be gutted

Having scored a total of 433 goals in 683 club appearances throughout his career, it’s not hard to see what Suarez would be able to offer Villa if he made the move to the Midlands club this month.

Labelled as an “assassin” in the past by former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique in terms of his clinical nature to finish chances in the penalty box, Suarez would have been an exciting prospect for the Villa fans see at their club given his previous experience in the Premier League with Liverpool and clear ability to score goals on a regular basis.

The idea of seeing the forward not only play alongside his former Liverpool and Barcelona teammate Coutinho, who have played together on 115 occasions but also seeing him feature under Gerrard who he played with at Liverpool as well, would have been an incredibly exciting idea for Villa.

With the Midlands outfit aiming to end the season as high up the table as possible, the boss will surely be absolutely gutted to miss out on the chance to add a deadly striker such as the 35-year-old to his ranks.

With a January move for the veteran attacker now unlikely, Gerrard will have to make do with Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings as his two senior strike options and hope they can end the season strongly with plenty of goals under their belts.

Looking beyond that, Villa should still keep an eye on Suarez’s situation in the summer when his current contract runs out to see if the £9m-rated striker would be willing to make a return to the Premier League.

In other news: Lange can replicate Digne masterclass as AVFC plot move for “phenomenal” £10m dynamo – opinion

Steven Finn again caught the eye of England’s chairman of selectors Geoff Miller with a stunning haul of 4 for 19 to help ease Middlesex to an emphatic innings and 35-run win over Derbyshire in their County Championship Second Division match at Lord’s

12-May-2010
Scorecard
Steven Finn destroyed the Derbyshire top-order with a hostile spell•PA Photos

Steven Finn again caught the eye of England’s chairman of selectors Geoff Miller with a stunning haul of 4 for 19 to help ease Middlesex to an emphatic innings and 35-run win over Derbyshire in their County Championship Second Division match at Lord’s.Despite being a former Derbyshire player Miller watched from the Middlesex dressing room balcony as the 21-year-old from Watford ripped through Derbyshire’s top-order to dismiss them for 143 and clinch victory with four sessions to spare.Having played both Tests on England’s winter tour of Bangladesh, Finn strengthened his chances to win his third cap against the same opponents back at St John’s Wood in a fortnight’s time. In two fiery stints from the Pavilion End, Finn put the result beyond doubt as Derbyshire, batting for a second time by 11.30am having conceded a first innings deficit of 178, capitulated within three hours.The gangly right-arm firebrand made the first breakthrough in his fourth over when Wayne Madsen (two) fended at a lifter to steer a comfortable catch to Owais Shah at third slip. Two balls later Paul Borrington (duck) played around a shooting off-cutter to go leg before.Having already taken a blow on his right glove when attempting to drop his hands on another spitting delivery from Finn, Derbyshire skipper Chris Rogers attempted to pull a good length ball from Tim Murtagh only to sky a catch to Scott Newman at cover point and went for 10.The slide gathered momentum when Greg Smith (eight) aimed to on-drive a Finn off-cutter and edged low to first slip where Andrew Strauss pocketed a sharp chance to his right then, just before lunch, Garry Park (19) allowed a Gareth Berg in-ducker through the gate.Four overs after the interval Berg bagged another when John Sadler (five) pushed away from his body when following a lifter to be caught behind then, in the next over, Iain O’Brien trapped Lee Goddard (one) leg before on the back foot and flush in front.Finn replaced Berg and was soon back amongst the wickets when left-handed Tom Lungley (four) was drawn into one angled across him to again edge to the wicketkeeper John Simpson. Derbyshire’s plight would have been even worse but for a counter-attacking 59 from 55 balls by debutant left-hander Chesney Hughes, who hit nine fours and a six to dominate a ninth-wicket stand of 72 in 12 overs with Tim Groenewald (27).Hughes, the 19-year-old from Anguilla, doubled his side’s score but lost Groenewald to Shaun Udal’s fifth ball of the day when he skied a catch to deep square leg. Last man Mark Footitt (duck) was then yorked by Murtagh to wrap up a second-successive Middlesex win after they beat leaders Sussex last time out.

A major update has emerged on Rangers and Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s attempts to bring a new forward to Ibrox this month…

What’s the talk?

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, via VoetbalKrant, the Gers are set to miss out on a deal for winger Andreas Skov Olsen.

The report claims that the Scottish giants placed a £4.1m (€5m) bid for his services before Club Brugge came in with an offer of £5.8m (€7m) to oust them, with the winger now poised to join the Belgian club as an agreement is close with the Serie A outfit.

Infuriation for Van Bronckhorst

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst will surely be left infuriated by this latest update, as it suggests that the club will not be able to bring in Olsen this month.

The Dane could have been a fantastic addition to the squad and the Dutchman will be gutted that he will not be able to work with the 22-year-old in Glasgow. Olsen has shown enough at senior level to suggest that he would have been able to make an impact in the short term, and he is at an age where he could have the potential to improve even further in the future.

He has already played 70 times for Bologna in Serie A, which shows that he has a solid bank of experience in a top European league. In those games, he has racked up three goals and five assists, with two assists in 18 matches this term as he tests himself against the likes of Juventus, Inter, Milan and Atalanta.

The forward has also shown promise for Denmark at international level, with five goals and three assists in 10 World Cup qualifiers. This suggests that he presently has the ability to arrive at Ibrox and make an impact on the first team this season, which is why Van Bronckhorst will be infuriated by the club missing out on his signature, as he would be deprived of a player who could strengthen his side immediately.

At the age of 22, Olsen has scope for further improvement and could increase his value down the line. This means that Rangers could be about to miss out on a forward who would have offered a short-term and long-term benefit to the club on and off the pitch.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst can jettison Rangers liability in swoop for “phenomenal” 18y/o with a “big future”…