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Rangers have been dealt a major blow this week as Gio van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Ianis Hagi will miss the rest of the season at Ibrox through injury.

The Romania international went off with a knock against Stirling Albion and the Dutch head coach has now revealed that he will not play again this season.

He said: “Ianis needed an operation.

“He went for this yesterday and we will sadly be missing Ianis for the season. I spoke to Ianis yesterday and he is positive and focused on his recovery.”

Forget Hagi

As sad as this news is for the Gers, it is now time to forget about Hagi for now and focus on solving the nightmare his injury has caused.

He has been a consistent performer for the club this season, with an average SofaScore rating of 7.10 across 15 starts in the Premiership, and has left a huge hole in the XI, with van Bronckhorst now needing to find a way to fill it.

One player who has been linked with a switch to Ibrox is Galatasaray midfielder Olimpiu Morutan and he could be an ideal replacement for Hagi. The club must look to snap him up before the transfer window slams shut next week as he could fill the gap left in the starting XI.

He has three goals and three assists in 12 league starts for Galatasaray, which means that he is averaging a goal contribution every other match so far this term. Morutan has also won 51% of his individual duels, showing that he can hold his own in physical battles, albeit not by dominating them, and would not be a lightweight for the Gers.

The attacker’s agent, Florin Vulturar, lauded his client back in 2021, saying: “He is an innate talent, probably the most technical Romanian player since Gheorghe Hagi.

“He is a pure number 10, capable of creating opportunities for his teammates, but who can also do well in the defensive phase of every match if necessary.

“He is fast, has a great vision and is good at passing. He easily surpasses his opponents in one-on-one situations.

“Paulo Dybala and Lionel Messi are the models to follow in his role, we can probably assimilate his style of play with the play of these players.”

These comments highlight how similar he is to the injured Gers star in terms of his position and his style of play, with both players wanting to get on the ball and create chances with their vision and creativity in the number 10 role, or out wide. This is why the £4.5m-rated gem could be an ideal replacement for his compatriot this month.

Ross Wilson and van Bronckhorst must now look to strike a deal with Galatasaray to bring him in to solve the nightmare they are currently in following Hagi’s knee injury. He has shown that he can score and create goals and has potential to improve further at the age of 22, which suggests that he could be a fine addition to the squad.

AND in other news, “Not expecting”: Transfer insider drops big Rangers claim, fans surely frustrated…

Wolves are still eyeing up a potential move for Renato Sanches in the January transfer window, according to journalist Alex Crook.

The Lowdown: Sanches links persist

The 24-year-old spent the summer being linked with a transfer to Wolves, while those stories have persisted in the early months of this season.

Sanches has stayed put at Lille for the time being, however, where he has only managed eight Ligue 1 starts so far this season, as injuries have again hampered him.

It could be that the 32-time capped Portugal international moves on in January after an up and down campaign in France and it appears as though Wolves are eyeing up a move.

The Latest: Fresh rumour emerges

According to Crook on talkSPORT [via Molineux News], Wolves are looking “quite closely” at signing Sanches in the imminent transfer window, as Bruno Lage looks to bolster his midfield.

The Lille man’s current deal expires in the summer of 2023, so the Ligue 1 champions could be willing to sell him while they can still receive a decent fee.

The Verdict: Worth a punt?

There is no denying Sanches’ quality as a footballer, with former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell describing him as ‘incredible’ earlier this year.

The idea of him in a Wolves shirt is hugely exciting – he famously won the prestigious European Golden Boy award back in 2016 and starred at Euro 2020 for Portugal – but injuries are the one thing holding him back.

Lage would have to accept that signing him would involve a clear risk element, with Sanches never starting 20 league matches in a season in his career. If a player of that calibre is potentially available, however, it is worth the gamble.

In other news, some Wolves fans are fuming after one piece of news emerged. Read more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

A bola vai voltar a rolar pela Copa Sul-Americana na noite desta quarta-feira, emAVellaneda, na Argentina. O Independiente, conhecido como Rei de Copas, recebe o Flamengo, a partir das 21h45 (de Brasília), no primeiro jogo da decisão do torneio, no Estádio Libertadores de América. O palco do duelo estará lotado.

O Flamengo ainda busca o título inédito, enquanto o Independiente quer o bicampeonato. Os argentinos chegaram à final após eliminarem o Libertad (PAR), enquanto o Rubro-Negro superou o Junior Barranquilla (COL).

O técnico Reinaldo Rueda costuma definir o time no dia das partidas e fez mistério na escalação. Há dúvidas na defesa e no ataque.

Confira mais informações sobre o jogo:

Data/Horário: 6/12/2017, às 21h45 (de Brasília)
Local: Estádio Libertadores de América,Avellaneda, Argentina
Onde assistir: Globo, Fox Sports, SporTV e tempo real do LANCE!
Árbitro: Mario Diaz de Vivar (PAR)
Auxiliares: Milciades Salvidar (PAR) e Dario Gaona (PAR)

Provável escalação do Independiente (Técnico:Ariel Holan)

Campaña, Bustos, Franco, Tagliafico e Silva; Domingo, Rodríguez, Meza, S. Miño (Benítez) e Barco; Gigliotti.

Provável escalação do Flamengo (Técnico: Reinaldo Rueda)

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Desfalques: Guerrero, Berrío e Diego Alves
Pendurado: Paquetá

Palpites: cerca de 70% dos jornalistas consultados no LANCE! confiam numa vitória do Independiente neste primeiro jogo da final. Outros 20% confiam numa vitória do Flamengo. Somente 10% acreditam no empate.

MatériaMais Notícias

Uma curiosidade marca o fim do ano no Botafogo: o relacionamento da torcida com o time. Foi uma volta de 180°. No último sábado, na derrota de 1 a 0 para o Atlético-PR, no Nilton Santos, mais um capítulo deste casamento abalado, a começar pelo principal lance do jogo: o erro de Gatito Fernández.

A falha do goleiro foi a terceira dele nas últimas cinco rodadas. Boa parte da torcida colocou na conta do goleiro o revés para o Fluminense, também em casa, no último fim de semana, e vê erro do arqueiro no gol do Corinthians, na vitória botafoguense de 2 a 1. Uma parcela – esta bem pequena – também aponta o camisa 1 como bem responsável pela quada na Libertadores, ao não evitar o gol de Lucas Barrios. A torcida que compareceu ao estádio não vaiou Gatito, mas nas redes sociais os botafoguenses pediram a volta de Jefferson.

É uma situação bem diferente da vivida no início do ano, quando ele era incontestável. O auge, claro, foi contra o Olimpia, quando entrou ao longo do jogo, pegou três pênaltis e garantiu o time na fase de grupos da Libertadores.

Jair Ventura

Antes herói da torcida do Botafogo, por ter levado do Z4 do Brasileirão às quartas da Libertadores, o técnico Jair Ventura já não é mais unanimidade. Pelo contrário. Está mais para contestado do que apoiado. Comprou uma briga com os botafoguenses ao não lançar Leo Valencia por três jogos seguidos. Diante do Atlético-PR, voltou a escalar o chileno, após implorações dos torcedores e de ser chamado de ‘burro’ pela primeira vez contra o Fluminense.

Pedidos de raça e vaias

O revés para o Furacão também contou com a torcida pedindo raça ao time, gritos de ‘time sem vergonha’ e vaias, sobretudo depois do jogo. Um cenário bem diferente daquele do início do ano. O time era uma referência no quesito entrega dentro de campo, mas o Jair garante: isso não incomoda.

-Não chateia. A torcida tem todo o direito (de pedir raça).Quando se trabalha com time grande, com time gigante como o do Botafogo, está sempre sob pressão. Prefiro ser cobrado por classificação à Libertadores do que para sair do rebaixamento. Quando eu cheguei, éramos 17º.Prefiro jogar com o apoio da minha torcida, provamos isso na Libertadores, na Copa do Brasil e no próprio Brasileiro – comentou o treinador, também explicando os gritos de ‘sem vergonha’.

Defesa em fase ruim

Se no início do ano o sistema defensivo era o ponto forte do Botafogo, o mesmo não pode ser dito nesta reta final de 2017. E não só pela falha de Gatito Fernández no gol do Atlético-PR. Nas últimas partidas, o Alvinegro sofreu gols em dez. Só passou em branco no empate em 0 a 0 com o Atlético-MG. Neste período, o time de Jair Ventura sofreu 14 gols.

Meias em alta com a torcida

O ano de 2017 começou com uma grande expectativa sobre o que o sistema de criação do Botafogo poderia fazer. Montillo e Camilo eram só alegria, mas ambos, cada um à sua maneira, deixaram a torcida frustrada. Algo bem diferente do que acontece agora. Marcos Vinícius, em fase espetacular, e Valencia, que foi um pedido não atendido da torcida nos últimos três jogos, estão com moral. O chileno, aliás, talvez tenha sido o melhor do Glorioso em campo contra o CAP. Originou dois bons lançamentos, chutou uma falta no fim e levou perigo à defesa rubro-negra.

*Previamente, constava na reportagem uma volta de “360º”, já corrigida.

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يتمنى أسطورة الكاميرون وبرشلونة والعديد من الأندية الأوروبية ورئيس الاتحاد الكاميروني لكرة القدم، صامويل إيتو، مغادرة بطولة كأس العالم 2022 في اليوم الأخير للمسابقة والتي ستقام في قطر.

وتستضيف قطر بطولة كأس العالم على أراضيها في الفترة من 20 نوفمبر حتى 18 ديسمبر، وتتواجد الكاميرون في المجموعة السابعة مع البرازيل، سويسرا وصربيا.

اقرأ أيضًا | متعب: الأهلي يحتاج مهاجمًا إفريقيًا.. والصفقة الجديدة تختلف عن محمد شريف

وتحدث إيتو في تصريحات مع شبكة “CRTV” الكاميرونية، وقال: “هدفنا هو مغادرة قطر مع اليوم الأخير لمسابقة كأس العالم في 18 ديسمبر، نحن نفكر في ذلك بالفعل”.

وأضاف: “أريد تهنئة اللاعبين على الأداء الذي يقدمونه بالفعل، أعتقد أننا يوم غدًا ومع نهاية استعداداتنا لكأس العالم أمام كوريا الجنوبية سيكون لدينا فريق جيد جدًا”.

وكان أسود الكاميرون قد خاضوا مباراة ودية أمام أوزبكستان قبل 3 أيام وخسر بهدفين نظيفين مع مشاركة كافة اللاعبين الأساسيين تحت قيادة المدرب، ريجوبرت سونج.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will be ‘disciplining’ his players on the training ground as he bids to improve their set-piece defending. 

That’s according to former Scotland boss Alex McLeish, who was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

In Wednesday night’s Scottish Premiership clash with Ross County, Jack Baldwin evaded Liam Scales to equalise from a corner.

Celtic went on to snatch victory courtesy of Anthony Ralston’s 97th-minute header, but it was the sixth goal they had conceded from a set piece this season, and so Postecoglou may not have been entirely happy.

In the SPFL, they have actually conceded as many from set piece situations as they have from open play (via WhoScored).

The latest

McLeish reckons Postecoglou will be livid with the recurring issue and will be devising a strategy to remedy it.

That will involve work from his analysts, he says, as well as drills at Lennoxtown.

“When you see so many set pieces going against them, that is obviously something that will be doing the manager’s nut in,” the Sky Sports pundit said.

“He will have the analysts on it and I’m certain he’ll have them on the training ground.

“Without having a massive squad and certain players, he’ll be disciplining them in the way that they should be defending these set-pieces.”

The verdict

Only three teams in the Premiership – Ross County, Motherwell and Aberdeen – have conceded more from set-pieces, and it’s alarming that they make up such a high proportion of the goals Celtic ship.

Intriguingly, it’s a similar to last season under Neil Lennon, when they let in 12 from open play and 11 from set pieces. Back then, their efforts were labelled ‘shambolic’ by The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin.

If Celtic are going into games with their own firepower reduced – like this Sunday, for instance, when they could be taking on Hibs without their top two scorers in Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota – then this weakness could prove their undoing.

In other news, Celtic have received a European boost.

Group A

Scorecard
It was a significant day for Pankaj Dharmani as he crossed the 7000-run mark in the Ranji Trophy.•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Tamil Nadu dictated terms on the second day in Ahmedabad with a strong batting performance, led by half-centuries by M Vijay and Arun Karthik. Tamil Nadu ended the day 145 adrift of Gujarat’s 343, but lost only two wickets, with Vijay going strong with an unbeaten 91. Earlier, Aushik Srinivas and L Balaji took four wickets each to keep Gujarat from piling on a massive score. Resuming on 275 for 5, the overnight pair of Parthiv Patel and Timil Patel progressed steadily to 316 before a lower order collapse gave Tamil Nadu the initiative. Srinivas and Balaji bowled well in tandem as Gujarat lost their last five wickets for 27 runs. Parthiv went on to score 166. Tamil Nadu got off to a bad start when they lost S Anirudha for a duck in the second over but it was smooth sailing from there on as Vijay and Karthik played positively. Karthik progressed at more than a run a ball at one stage and looked set to score a century but was stumped on 87 off Niraj Patel. Vijay, who was named in the Indian Test squad against Sri Lanka, was particularly strong against the spinners and his innings included nine fours and a six. With this start, Tamil Nadu look well placed to take a first-innings lead.
Scorecard
Punjab’s seam trio of Harmeet Singh, Luv Ablish and Manpreet Gony combined to bowl out Hyderabad for 193 and secure a first-innings lead of 28 against Hyderabad in Mohali. Harmeet and Ablish’s early strikes had Hyderabad tottering at 54 for 5, and there was further trouble for the visitors when they lost the experienced VVS Laxman for 26. The score at that stage read 89 for 7, but a fighting unbeaten 73 by Syed Quadri helped Hyderabad fight back. Quadri added 52 with MP Arjun and 47 with Ashwin Yadav. Gony took three lower order wickets to bowl Hyderabad out before they could get closer to his team’s total of 221. The Punjab top order however faltered in the second innings and ended the day with an overall lead of 87. Mohammed Khader, the left-arm seamer, got rid of the openers. Pankaj Dharmani was unbeaten at stumps on 10, but it was a significant day for his career as he crossed the 7000-run mark in the Ranji Trophy.
ScorecardSanjib Sanyal led Railways’ lower order effort with 92 to post a strong 419 against Himachal Pradesh at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Sarandeep Singh, the offspinner, was rewarded with seven wickets after sending down close to 57 overs. Railways lost Yere Goud early for 58 but that’s when Sanyal came in and took control, supported by Akshay Girap and Karan Sharma. Sanyal hit eight fours and a six before he was the eighth wicket to fall, caught behind off Sarandeep. The Himachal openers began cautiously, adding 34 in 20 overs before stumpsHeavy showers ensured no play was possible for the second consecutive day between Mumbai and Orissa at the Brabourne Stadium.Group B

Scorecard
Rahul Dravid led the way for Karnataka with a half-century to secure a first-innings lead of 106 against Delhi at the Roshanara Club Ground. Delhi only managed 154 on the opening day so it was a question of how long Karnataka could extend their lead. Dravid was the cornerstone of Karnataka’s effort with 78, an innings which included 11 fours. The lower order then continued to frustrate Delhi, with the last-wicket pair of Abhimanyu Mithun and S Aravind adding 47. The seam-bowling pair of Sumit Narwal and Pawan Suyal took four wickets apiece. The Delhi batsmen put in a much better effort in their second innings, ending the day with a deficit of 13.
ScorecardSaurashtra’s Rakesh Dhurv and Sandeep Jobanputra took nine wickets between them but Uttar Pradesh held the upper hand in Rajkot as they posted 395 and halted Saurashtra’s effort with three wickets. Parvinder Singh added only two to his overnight score when he was dismissed by Jobanputra. The lower order then put together partnerships to frustrate the home side. Dhurv, the left-arm spinner, took his fifth five-wicket haul. Saurashtra didn’t get off to the best of starts, losing three wickets for 59, but Pratik Mehta and Shitanshu Kotak steadied the innings with a stand of 66.
Scorecard
A decent effort by Baroda’s lower order – led by Pinal Shah – lifted the score to 307 against Bengal at the Eden Gardens. Shah hit 63 and he was supported by Swapnil Singh, who made an unbeaten 43. Sourav Sarkar, Saurasish Lahiri and Laxmi Ratan Shukla all took three wickets apiece. Bengal were under a bit of pressure when Irfan Pathan struck to leave them at 73 for 3. But Arindam Das held firm till stumps with an unbeaten 52, with Sourav Ganguly on 15 for company.

With Liverpool wingers Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scoring 16 out of the 31 Premier League goals that the Reds have managed to score so far this season – more than any other side in the division – it’s safe to say the duo are two of Jurgen Klopp’s most important attacking players.

Although, it seems as though the Merseyside club have their eye on adding another winger to their squad that could well provide some competition to the deadly duo and their place in the team.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by El Nacional that the Reds are willing to tempt Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele to join the Merseyside club in the summer, when his current contract expires, on a free transfer with a €20m (£18m) signing bonus and an increase to his current wages.

Before he made the move to Barcelona, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £45m according to Transfermarkt scored 10 goals and provided 22 assists across 50 appearances for Klopp’s former side, Borussia Dortmund before securing his move to the La Liga giants in the summer of 2017 for a fee of £135.5m.

During his time at Barcelona, the French international has managed to score 30 goals and provide 21 assists in 119 appearances across all competitions.

Regarding a potential move to Liverpool in the summer, this could be a dream transfer move for Klopp, who is reportedly a big fan of Dembele, given the winger’s relatively young age and the experience he has under his belt playing in the Bundesliga, La Liga and the Champions League.

Also, with former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman previously saying that Dembele offers “something different” to some of his former attacking options at the club, the winger could well have the same sort of effect at Anfield alongside the likes of Salah and Mane.

However, with Dembele having a very unfortunate injury record and the fact that he is currently earning a weekly wage of £287k-per-week, as per Salary Sport, which Liverpool are reportedly willing to increase according to this latest report, these are factors that should definitely be taken into consideration over a potential move for the winger in the summer.

In other news: FSG could seal perfect Salah heir at Liverpool with “unpredictable” £63m-rated machine – opinion

Steve Bruce is no stranger to being hung out to dry by his respective employers. At Hull City he was virtually singled out as club spokesman when the owners attempted to erase the team’s history by renaming it as part of a rebranding strategy. Then at Newcastle he performed the same role for Mike Ashley, being asked to stand between the Sports Direct boss and the irate Toon Army.

It is therefore no surprise that since his sacking at Newcastle he has released statements about the torment he has suffered while fulfilling his role as a topflight manager. Indeed, his treatment is now being highlighted as a potential barrier for new managers to enter the game, especially ex-players who probably could do without even more abuse than they suffered during their playing careers.

Do Inflated Salaries Justify Such Treatment?

There is an argument that because top managers and players get paid so much that they should just put up with the flack that comes their way, but in many ways this misses the point, that being that if managers are so distracted fighting battles on behalf of their club’s owners they will not find the time to run their football team correctly. Just as managers often talk of protecting their players, it might be a good idea for owners to do the same with their managers.

Is There a Different Way?

Ultimately managers put up with enough criticism regarding how their charges are living up to the betting odds and the expectations of online tipsters and sports bettors. This means that none of them need the added pressure of acting as a front man for their owner. Clubs may wish to start putting official PR or spokespeople in front of the cameras when such issues relating to club ownership arise, allowing managers to focus instead on delivering for those fans who wagered their online free bets on top football action. It could also be good that as part of Premier League rules, club owners should be forced to face fans or the media a set number of times each season, thus further taking pressure off the shoulders of harassed managers. The odds of that happening are slim, but it would certainly make for a fairer and more transparent Premier League.

Is Bruce the Only One?

Bruce is far from the only manager undertaking this sort of role of go between. A good case in point was the whole furore surrounding the European Super League, where managers found out in the media that their club was being entered in the breakaway league rather than being kept abreast of the topic by their bosses. This led to managers like Jürgen Klopp having to explain his club’s actions, despite them being counter to his own beliefs on how the game should be run.

Liverpool fans are far from happy with the news that Adrian is set to start for the Reds against Preston in the League Cup on Wednesday.

The Reds are facing the Championship outfit in the round of 16. As he has done in the past, Jurgen Klopp is likely to play a second-string side as he looks to keep his star performers fresh when the Premier League returns this weekend.

That will also give him a decision to make in goal. Alisson is the number one goalkeeper at Anfield, with Adrian and Caoimhin Kelleher the other options. In the League Cup, the former is likely to start (via Liverpool’s official site) with the latter suffering a small injury setback – something which has not gone down too well given his previous errors.

The news was shared on Twitter by @AnfieldEdition, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Adrian news below

“Looks like we’re out”

Credit: @DHWalcott

“Not again please”

Credit: @AdamMahendraLFC

“This is beyond self sabotage”

Credit: @Aditya_Pras

“And bye League Cup. What happpened with Kelleher?”

Credit: @FelipeCardoso99

“Oh well. Apparently we don’t need Carabao Cup distractions after all.”

Credit: @RockStorePhotos

“Well, we’re out in the early rounds again.”

Credit: @HypeTrainSam

In other news, Liverpool fans were unhappy with this James Pearce tweet.