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Sunrisers Hyderabad are the form team, but Delhi Capitals can create a ripple, if they play it right

Nagraj Gollapudi and Gaurav Sundararaman07-Nov-2020The Capitals’ ideal XI – Plan A
Drop the out-of-form Prithvi Shaw, open with Marcus Stoinis. Drop Daniel Sams, bulk up the middle order with Shimron Hetmyer. Opening with Stoinis and Shikhar Dhawan could allow the Capitals to get off to a quick start, something that has been missing for them after the first half of the league phase.Stoinis was the Capitals’ best batsman in their humbling defeat against the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1. He is a proven opening option in T20 cricket, having done it successfully in the Big Bash League since 2018, where he has struck ten half-centuries and a century with an average of 52 and a strike rate of 133.By accommodating Hetmyer, ideally at No. 4 or No. 5, the Capitals can give a bit of freedom to Rishabh Pant, asking him to play game and perform the finisher’s role. Also, bring back Harshal Patel for Shaw, who can be a handful if the Abu Dhabi pitch continues to play slow and low as in the Eliminator.The Capitals’ ideal XI – Plan B
Open with Stoinis, replace Shaw with Harshal Patel, hand legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane his first match of the competition as replacement for Sams. It might be a left-field as suggestions go, but might not be, if you consider that Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa were the best bowlers, along with Rashid Khan, in the Eliminator between the Sunrisers and the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday evening on a slow pitch in Abu Dhabi.The Capitals have sorely missed Amit Mishra, who was forced to return home after breaking his finger in the early half of the tournament. While R Ashwin will remain the key spinner, Lamichhane can operate in the middle overs along with Patel, allowing the fast-bowling pair of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada to bowl enough overs at the death. It will be a brave call, but the Capitals have to think out of the box.ESPNcricinfo LtdDon’t let Rashid Khan settle down
The Capitals batsmen go quiet when Khan is in front of them, like a bunch of students when the headmaster walks into class. In five matches in IPL 2019 and 2020, the Capitals have scored just 76 runs from 120 deliveries against him. In this period, Khan has taken ten wickets at an economy rate of 3.8. Six of those wickets came this year, in threes, including the 3 for 7, one of the best spells of the tournament so far.Khan will bowl in the middle overs, so it will be the responsibility of Dhawan, Iyer, and Ajinkya Rahane, most likely, to find ways to attack him. It is one of the toughest one-on-one battles in T20 cricket, but it might not hurt the Capitals to get up to a little mischief against Khan.Stir it up for David Warner
In case Wriddhiman Saha does not play, again, Warner will take the lead in making the bold opening statement in the powerplay, as the Sunrisers have in their four successive wins in the last two weeks.Warner will want to attack Rabada and Ashwin in the first six overs. Now, Rabada has got Warner out twice in the IPL, but has conceded 57 runs from 34 deliveries in the process. Ashwin has got Warner out thrice in the IPL, giving away 92 runs from 82 deliveries. Both of them will aim to cramp Warner for any room and prise him out.That said, if the surface remains slow, then the Sunrisers batsmen will play percentage cricket, thereby making it a more even contest.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe Capitals’ openers must stay the course
Dhawan and Shaw were among the best opening pairs at the beginning of the tournament, scoring 226 runs, including three 50-plus partnerships, in the first five matches. Shaw has fallen off miserably after that, while in the Capitals’ last five matches, Dhawan has scored three ducks. In those, the Capitals have lost at least one wicket before getting to double-digits. Since October 20, which is when their slide started, the Capitals have lost eight wickets in the first two overs of a match, the poorest among all teams.Bring Axar Patel on to attack Manish Pandey
Pandey has shown a lot of positive intent in key moments for the Sunrisers this IPL. Luckily, in Patel, the Capitals have the right bowler to challenge Pandey. In the 61 deliveries he has faced from Patel in T20s over the years, Pandey has been conservative, picking only 38 runs at a strike rate of 64, while losing his wicket twice.Getty ImagesBack to the start – what about the toss?
Keep chasing? It is a bigger question for the Capitals. In the two matches in the league phase, which the Sunrisers won, Iyer had elected to chase and that backfired on both occasions. Warner has won three tosses in a row now, and elected to field first. It is not just going by the trend at the venue, which tilts in favour of batting second, but the Sunrisers have been the best bowling unit in their last six matches – since October 20. Warner would want to chase again if he calls the coin right on Sunday, keeping in mind a low-on-confidence opposition and his strong bowling unit.

Like father, like son.

Twenty-seven years after his father, Matt Holliday, was drafted by the Rockies in the seventh round of the 1998 MLB draft, Ethan Holliday was taken by Colorado with the fourth pick of the 2025 MLB draft.

One of the most talented prospects in this year's draft, Ethan fell to the No. 4 pick, allowing him to play for the same team his dad started and ended his career with.

"This is a really incredible opportunity," Holliday said on MLB Network. "I'm so driven by faith, I'm so grateful. The Lord has really been the centerpiece of my life. I don't even know what words I can put to this. The Rockies organization, I'm so thankful, obviously with the family, the background, and my dad being drafted by them, that just adds such a cool thing. Knowing everyone in the organization since I was born, I'm just so grateful."

Ethan was born in 2007, ahead of his dad's fourth season in the majors and second straight All-Star season. That proved to be a lucky year for Matt, who went on to lead the National League in batting average and RBIs before claiming the MVP award that season.

Matt spent five seasons with the Rockies to begin his career, andEthan adorably got to know the organization he will now play for early on as a baby. Matt would go on to play for the Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Yankees—winning a World Series with the Cardinals in 2011—before returning to spend his final MLB season in Colorado.

Now, Matt's sons are carrying on his legacy. His eldest son, Jackson, was the No. 1 pick by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2022 MLB draft. He has another son that was a top-five draft pick in Ethan, who will also got to play for his former team.

Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful has been named as batting coach for the team’s upcoming series against Ireland.Ashraful was part of one of Bangladesh’s greatest moments in history. He was only 20 years old when he led the team to a stunning upset of Australia in 2005. That century was part of a career which spanned 177 ODIs and yielded 3468 runs, the fifth highest for his country. Ashraful also played 61 Tests – becoming the youngest player to score a hundred – and 23 T20Is and was active in domestic cricket as recently as two years ago.Mohammad Salahuddin resigned as assistant coach on Wednesday and will depart at the end of the Ireland series next month. He was brought in to support head coach Phil Simmons in November 2024. Salahuddin was in charge of the batting unit having spent nearly three decades coaching at various levels in Bangladesh and developing strong relations with the current group of players.Related

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• When Mohammad Ashraful took on McGrath and Gillespie

A difficult 2025, where the team suffered T20I series defeats to UAE, Pakistan and most recently West Indies, ODI series defeats to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka and Test match losses to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe added pressure on the team and its management. Salahuddin had pushed back against it during a press conference in July when he said “after coaching for 27-28 years, I am hearing that there are lots of complaints in the team against me. I really would like to know about those complaints. Best if it was given to me in writing.”Ashraful’s own career was not without its ups and downs. In 2013, he received a lengthy ban from all BCB related cricket activities for match-fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League. He was eventually brought back to the fold three years later and lately has branched out into coaching. Last month, Ashraful had voiced displeasure at the trend of Bangladesh top-order batters not providing enough for the team. Now he has been given the chance to do something about it.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed what he told defender Riccardo Calafiori right before his immediate impact off the bench against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Arsenal cruise to statement win over Bayern Munich

The Gunners enjoyed a night to remember in Europe on Wednesday after putting Vincent Kompany’s side to the sword over what was a phenomenal second-half display.

Heading into the game, Bayern were unbeaten in all competitions and had reigned victorious in every single game bar one, with Arsenal inflicting their first defeat of 2025/2026.

On paper, it was perhaps Arsenal’s toughest test of the season against Europe’s most in-form team, but the north Londoners still found a way to win and extend their own unbeaten run to an incredible 16 matches on the trot.

Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Bukayo Saka directed a corner towards the near post and Jurrien Timber glanced his header past the flapping Manuel Neuer to open the scoring, but out of nowhere Bayern conjured up an equaliser.

Joshua Kimmich pinged the ball out to former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry, who cushioned it first time into the path of Lennart Karl. Cool as you like, the teenager – who became Bayern’s youngest Champions League goalscorer against Brugge last month – did not break stride as he crashed his first-time volley into the roof of the net.

Moments later a Kane pirouette in the area had Arsenal flustered until William Saliba hacked the ball clear at the second attempt.

After the break, Saka, Noni Madueke and Mikel Merino all threatened for the hosts before the second goal arrived in the 69th minute.

Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano gave the ball away, substitute Calafiori swung in a low cross and Madueke pounced from six yards out – scoring his first ever goal for Arsenal.

Neuer then suffered a horrible moment as he came out to deal with Eze’s long ball, only for another sub, Gabriel Martinelli, to waltz past him and finish into an empty net.

Related "Magnificent" – Ally McCoist hails "out of this world" Arsenal star in Bayern Munich win

He was truly exceptional on a night to remember for the Gunners.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Nov 26, 2025

‘Are you Tottenham in disguise?’ and ‘Harry, what’s the score?’ were the predictable chants from the home fans as they revelled in their old foe’s misery, all while celebrating a deserved, statement win against the Bundesliga champions.

Declan Rice put on a man of the match display against Bayern, one of his best ever performances since joining the club, but Arteta’s substitutions were inspired and a key part of why they won the blockbuster clash.

Mikel Arteta reveals key Riccardo Calafiori message before Arsenal assist

Just one minute after being introduced by Arteta, left-back Calafiori, who replaced Myles Lewis-Skelly, put the ball on a plate for Madueke after darting in behind to whip in a low cross.

The Italy international played a major role in putting Arsenal back into the ascendancy, with Arteta revealing what he told Calafiori right before his game-changing assist against Bayern.

The £42 million signing from Bologna has further staked his claim as Arsenal’s undisputed number one left-back, and contributions like last night highlight exactly why Lewis-Skelly has struggled for minutes.

In the background, reports suggest that Chelsea are making a bold attempt to convince Lewis-Skelly to join them amid his lack of match action, but the Hale End sensation is determined to battle his way back into the starting eleven.

Unfortunately for him, the teenager might have a hard time doing so with Calafiori proving so instrumental for Arteta right now.

Glamorgan’s promotion bid encounters further resistance despite Crane taking five wickets

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Sep-2025Saif Zaib continued his prolific summer, becoming the first Northamptonshire batter to score six Championship tons in a season since Lance Klusener in 2006 as he posted 145 (186 balls) on day three of this Rothesay County Championship against Glamorgan at Wantage Road.Zaib, the second leading run-scorer in Division Two, extended his overnight score of 76, smashing a total of 22 fours and two sixes as he shared a ninth-wicket partnership of 56 in 15 overs with debutant Ben Whitehouse (6 not out).Despite Mason Crane taking 5 for 126, his second five-wicket haul this season, Zaib’s innings further held up Glamorgan’s promotion hunt as Northamptonshire moved to 413 for nine, 54 runs behind, when rain ended play early after just 95 minutes. With Ben Kellaway off the field injured, part-time spinner Kiran Carlson finished with 2 for 43.Earlier heavy morning rain prevented play getting underway until 1.50pm, Northamptonshire resuming on 309 for five. New batter Aadi Sharma (25) came out determined to make up for lost time, saving the follow-on when he pulled a dragdown from Carlson for six before flicking Crane through midwicket and slog sweeping him for another maximum. Sharma’s aggression ultimately proved his downfall though as he pulled Carlson straight to the deep midwicket fielder on the side with the longer boundary.Zaib moved through the 80s as he reverse swept Carlson for four, while Lewis McManus ran a single to take Northamptonshire to 350 and secure a third batting bonus point.But McManus soon became Crane’s fifth victim when he went to cut and edged behind, Northamptonshire quickly losing an eighth wicket when Liam Guthrie was adjudged lbw to Carlson.Zaib though was undeterred, advancing closer to his century when he reverse swept Crane for four to move to 99. He turned down a single to protect Whitehouse, before crunching one straight down the pitch to reach three figures off 136 balls.Whitehouse proved an admirable foil as Zaib continued to attack the Glamorgan spinners, sweeping a full toss from Crane for four and depositing Carlson over deep midwicket for six.With the skies starting to darken, Timm van der Gugten and James Harris took the new ball under the floodlights, Zaib responding by playing a remarkable pull shot over fine leg for six.Despite Whitehouse’s stoic defence, Glamorgan’s seamers will regret not targeting his stumps more, the debutant bringing up Northamptonshire’s fourth batting bonus point when he edged Harris low through the slip cordon for four. Zaib then emphatically pulled the Glamorgan quick through midwicket to bring up the 50 partnership off 74 balls.It took a dazzling bit of fielding from sub fielder Zain ul Hassan at deep cover who initially fumbled the ball, before turning in a direct hit to run out Zaib coming back for a second run without putting in a dive to ground his bat.With the rain returning shortly afterwards, the players took an early tea, but hopes of a resumption at 5.30pm were dashed by further downpours.

Chelsea star Axel Disasi, who was long relegated to the club’s infamous "bomb squad", was reportedly spotted training with the first team despite Enzo Maresca repeatedly insisting there is "no way back" for the French defender. The 27-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, has been frozen out since the summer. But fresh images from Cobham appear to show Disasi back among the first team players as he was spotted sprinting after Liam Delap in a drill, as reported by the Daily Mail.

How Disasi landed in Chelsea's bomb squad

Disasi was signed from Monaco in January 2023 for £38.5m. He made 61 appearances before his sudden demotion with the other outcasts. He had the opportunity to go out on loan again last summer, with West Ham, Bournemouth and Sunderland all interested. But he rejected each offer as he preferred a move abroad instead. That move never materialised, and now he waits for a January escape.

During the summer, several senior players were told to train away from the squad while their futures were sorted, banished to the so-called "bomb squad". Disasi was among those axed, joining Raheem Sterling, Renato Veiga and others in the outcast group. In August, Disasi made headlines by giving supporters a rare look inside the bomb squad’s makeshift quarters. In an Instagram post simply captioned "Life", he shared pre-season photos and one of which showed the barren room changing room. There were no plush leather chairs, but just wooden benches, small windows, and an old air-conditioning unit.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportDisasi's professionalism wins admirers

Despite being exiled, Disasi has not sulked. In fact, he has embraced a mentoring role within the academy. Recently, he captained the Under-21s to a commanding 4-1 win over Reading. He earned praise internally for his attitude, and his professionalism has not gone unnoticed. 

However, Chelsea legend Pat Nevin warned that the outcasts must be handled with care, as he feels that they could negatively impact the spirit of the dressing room. 

He told BetIdeas.com: "The PFA is not the main problem. The main problem is bigger than that. Your main problem is if you treat two players like that and the rest of the team sees it, which they will, because it's their mates – and I know players can be selfish and are selfish and have to be selfish – they all know that's what I'm going to get. Now, management doesn't always think along these terms because it's short term. There's a big danger there. And it is a warning. Being on just about every side of the game and seeing it, it can damage spirit. 

"Players are selfish and they take care of themselves. But Raheem Sterling is liked, he's popular within that dressing room. You certainly don't just blank your mates. So Chelsea need to be careful because in the end if they have got these players that are in six, seven, eight year contracts. Nicholas Jackson was the main man. He's great. And then suddenly he's in the bomb squad. And then he's not, ‘We want you back in’. So be careful because everybody now knows that's what happens. I promise you that's dangerous. When you treat workers like that, the other workers know this. Just be careful."

No way back at Chelsea

Maresca didn’t mince his words when questioned last month about the bomb-squad players.

He said: "They are Chelsea players because they have a contract with the club," the Blues boss said. "In this moment, they are still training apart. The idea is to continue in exactly the same way. Since we started the season, I didnt see one of them. I didn't see Renato (Veiga), I didn't see Axel (Disasi), I didn't see Raheem (Sterling), because they train at a different time on a different pitch. I haven't seen them since we started the season."

When asked whether any could return, the Italian was blunt: "With us? No."

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Getty Images SportThe January exit plan

Although the defender trains with the first team, Chelsea reportedly intend to offload him when the January window opens. However, the Blues have registered both Disasi and Sterling in their Premier League squad, which could benefit them in the busy festive period, which includes two Champions League games against Barcelona and Atalanta and a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Cardiff City. In the short term, the Blues return to Premier League action on November 22 with a trip to Burnley. Whether Disasi will be anywhere near the matchday squad remains to be seen.

Experienced coach rewarded after leading Renegades to first WBBL title last season

Alex Malcolm18-Jun-2025Melbourne Renegades title-winning coach Simon Helmot has re-signed for a further three years after helping the club claim their first-ever WBBL trophy last season.Helmot has vast experience in the men’s game across international, domestic and franchise cricket, and took the job as Renegades’ WBBL coach four years ago. Despite an indifferent first three seasons, he helped the club claim a title last season, forging a strong bond with the group and skipper Sophie Molineux.”Last season was an incredibly special one for our playing group and staff, and I’m thrilled to be continuing as head coach,” Helmot said.Related

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“Winning a title is never easy, which makes being part of this group all the more special. Led brilliantly by our general manager, James Rosengarten, and our captain, Sophie Molineux, achieving what we did was incredibly rewarding.”We’ve got a great core group of players and people who are passionate about the club, and who are fully invested into achieving more. I’m excited by what we can do next.”Renegades have re-signed West Indies star allrounder Hayley Matthews for next season ahead of Thursday’s WBBL overseas draft but are still to lock away Molineux and fellow Australia star Georgia Wareham who are both currently uncontracted. Renegades have poached up-and-coming Victoria allrounder Tess Flintoff from Melbourne Stars but have lost Victoria duo Ella Hayward and Georgia Prestwidge to their cross-town rivals.Renegades have also signed former Victoria and South Australia fast bowler Rob Cassell as an assistant coach for the BBL team under head coach Cameron White. Cassell has also been appointed as Victoria’s men’s bowling coach under head coach Chris Rogers, taking over the role vacated by Adam Griffith, who was appointed as Australia’s national fast bowling coach earlier this year.Cassell has moved to Victoria from Tasmania where he was the bowling coach for the men’s program and is highly regarded, having done some brief secondments with Australia’s men’s team under Andrew McDonald in recent years when senior bowling coach Daniel Vettori has been absent.

“I’ve tried to let the outside noise do its thing and make sure my game keeps improving”

Matt Roller22-Jun-20252:23

Pope: ‘I’ve got better at trusting my game more’

Ollie Pope is determined to “kick on” and put “runs after runs after runs” on the board against India, after securing his place as England’s No. 3 with his ninth Test century at Headingley.Pope hit 196 in Hyderabad at the start of the reverse series 18 months ago but tailed off after that, failing to reach 40 in the final four Tests. He believes that a calmer mentality and technical work on his defence have helped him defy his reputation as an anxious starter, but admitted that he had found it impossible to ignore the scrutiny over his position ahead of this series.”I’ve tried not to let it affect me too much,” Pope said. “I’ve just been trying to make sure my game’s in as good a place as possible and when I get in, try to make sure I make the most of it. I’ve tried to let the outside noise do its thing and make sure my game keeps improving, and that I get my headspace in as good a place as possible too.”Related

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Pope came into the series under pressure from Jacob Bethell, who impressed at No. 3 in England’s tour to New Zealand late last year when Pope batted down the order and deputised as wicketkeeper. He said that he believed that series – in which he scored 194 runs in five innings – was the start of his improvement early in his innings.”It’s almost just trying my game a little bit more: not feeling like I’ve got to rush to 30 to then really feel ‘in’,” Pope said. “It’s trying to enjoy the process of building an innings, rather than just, ‘I want to get to 30 to then make a big one’… It’s something I’ve been working hard on, just generally putting my game in a better place and making sure my defence is as good as it can be.”Pope did rush to 30 on the second afternoon, hitting six early boundaries to reach 31 off 25 balls after walking out at 4 for 1, but his fast-scoring was primarily the result of a fast outfield and some attacking bowling. His tempo changed as the field spread: his second fifty contained fewer boundaries than the first, but also took fewer balls as he rotated strike with ease.He has never previously scored more than one hundred in a Test series – in fact, his previous eight centuries had all come against different opponents. But after starting the summer with 171 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, Pope has scored back-to-back hundreds and is chasing more runs.Pope is a picture of poise as he drives straight•Associated Press”It’s a long series, and there’s a lot to be done in this game still as well,” he said. “It’s definitely [an innings] that I really enjoyed. It was disappointing not to kick on this morning, but I’m really happy with how I went about it and played, and I’m happy with where my game’s at – so hopefully, I can kick on.”The first Test is in the balance after three days, with India’s top order building on a slender first-innings lead on Sunday evening. Pope said that England’s lower-order contributions were “really important”, with cameos from Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse helping them reduce the deficit to only six runs.”[A deficit of] 40 or 50, just from a mindset, might have given them a little bit more confidence, knowing that they’ve got that head-start, but playing the game from an even playing field felt quite important. We got those two wickets; they played nicely. KL Rahul batted really well. It’s important for us to get some early breakthroughs.”It obviously would’ve been nice to get maybe one or two more wickets this evening, but I think the pitch is still playing really well. It’s obviously such a quick-scoring ground, with the lightning [fast] outfield. It’s obviously an important session tomorrow morning, and the game is poised in a pretty nice position.”

Liverpool have had an unblemished start to the Premier League and Champions League this season after securing narrow victories against the likes of Arsenal, Atlético Madrid and most recently Everton.

First-half goals from Ryan Gravenberch and new signing Hugo Ekitiké were enough to see off their Merseyside rivals, even after Idrissa Gueye’s second-half goal looked like Everton may be able to mount a comeback.

After emerging victorious in the derby, Arne Slot was quizzed about how his team coped with a difficult run of fixtures: “This is also the reason why teams like us, Chelsea, all the ones that are playing in Europe need a squad like this, because you need to play so many games.”

The depth of Slot’s squad will be on full display in their opening League Cup game this week as he confirmed that five of the weekend’s starters will be absent from the fixture.

Five ruled out of Southampton League Cup clash

In his pre-match press conference, Slot confirmed that a number of players would be rotated when Liverpool face Will Still’s Southampton. The players that fans won’t be seeing on Tuesday night are Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Van Dijk, Salah, Szoboszlai and Konate have played the most minutes of any Liverpool outfield players this season, and Gravenberch has played the ninth most, which is likely why they are being rested against this poor-form Southampton side, with all five also playing three games in the space of six days last week.

Despite being one of the favourites to push for promotion this season, Southampton have had a poor start to life back in the Championship with only one win from their opening six games.

While it has not been confirmed by Slot, another player who could be rotated for Southampton is Goalkeeper Alisson. Last week, The Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele shared that new goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili had been “pencilled in” for a debut in this fixture.

Predicted Liverpool XI vs Southampton

One of the biggest benefits of Liverpool’s big summer is that they have high-quality options on the bench when they need to rotate. When defensive changes have been made this season, it has been Joe Gomez or Waturo Endo who have filled in at centre-back, but it seems likely only the former will start there against Southampton. Gomez is likely to be paired with 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni, who arrived from Italian side Parma in the summer.

In midfield, Slot could start Endo and Curtis Jones. Jones had been out of the side due to an injury sustained before the international break, but he got minutes against Everton, suggesting he is ready to be reintroduced to the team.

Only three players have scored more than one goal for Liverpool this season, and with Gravenberch and Salah confirmed to be out of the lineup, they will need to come from elsewhere. This could be the perfect opportunity for Florian Wirtz to find his shooting boots and show fans why Liverpool spent so much on him.

Alternatively, Liverpool’s youngest-ever goalscorer, Rio Ngumoha, could be given a chance. His three appearances this season have only amounted to 20 minutes of game time, with the highlight being his late winner against Newcastle.

With Southampton’s poor form, trying out some of these lesser-used players will unlikely run much risk. Each of the players mentioned would find game time against Southampton valuable for different reasons, and the match may serve as the perfect opportunity for Slot to give them what they need.

Predicted Liverpool XI vs Southampton: Mamardashvili, Frimpong, Gomez, Leoni, Robertson, Jones, Endo, Wirtz, Chiesa, Isak, Ngumoha