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Lee Johnson’s Sunderland side head into their upcoming League One fixture on Tuesday evening in fantastic form, with the Black Cats remaining unbeaten over their last seven fixtures in all competitions, as well as currently sitting second in the third tier standings.

However, while the visit of 14th-placed Cheltenham Town should not cause Sunderland too many problems on paper, the Mackems boss has a number of fitness concerns in his first-team squad at present, something which could well pose the 40-year-old with something of a selection headache against the Robins.

So, will Johnson make any changes to the team that started last time out against Bolton Wanderers? Here’s how we think Sunderland could line up against Cheltenham, along with the latest team and injury news…

With both Callum Doyle and Dennis Cirkin appearing to be doubts for the Cheltenham fixture due to injury, Johnson may well be forced into at least two changes from the side that defeated Bolton last weekend, however, we predict the 40-year-old will make one further adjustment to his starting XI on Tuesday.

Regarding Doyle and Cirkin, the two players who replaced the stricken duo against the Trotters, Bailey Wright and Niall Huggins, come into the side to face the Robins, with the 20-year-old Leeds United loanee playing on the opposite flank to his natural position at right-back.

Elsewhere, the duo of Luke O’Nien and Dan Neil retain their spots in the middle of the park, while Elliot Embleton, who started on the left-wing in place of the sidelined Lynden Gooch last time out, moves into central attacking midfield.

As such, the £2.25m-rated Alex Pritchard could be set for a return to the Sunderland bench, with 20-year-old Bayern Munich loanee Leon Dajaku staring on the left-hand side of the Black Cats’ attack, while Ross Stewart retains his place up top ahead of Nathan Broadhead.

In other news: Johnson must unleash “fantastic” £180k-rated SAFC ace vs CTFC, could be a game-changer

MatériaMais Notícias

MatériaMais Notícias

O Barcelona anunciou nesta terça-feira a chegada do meia Vitinho, do Palmeiras, por empréstimo até junho de 2018. O garoto de 18 anos jogará pelo time B, e o clube catalão terá a opção de compra após o término do contrato, de quase R15 milhões de euros (R$ 55 milhões).

A princípio, Vitinho fará a pré-temporada com o time profissional, comandado por Ernesto Valverde – ele se junta ao grupo na quarta. Depois, jogará pela segunda equipe do Barça.

Ao anunciá-lo, o clube espanhol citou o seu currículo nas seleções de base e no Palmeiras, com o qual tem contrato até 2021. O Barcelona o trata como um jogador “vertical, rápido, muito criativo, com boa agilidade e capaz de dar boas assistências”.

– Estou muito contente. Sempre fui um seguidor do Barça, o melhor clube do mundo, e agora poderei jogar no mesmo time em que triunfaram Rivaldo e Ronaldinho e agora triunfa meu ídolo, Neymar – comemorou Vitinho, em entrevista ao site do Barcelona.

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The cash-versus-country debate is rearing its head following the news yesterday that Lalit Modi, the head of the Indian Premier League, wants England’s players to make themselves available for four weeks each year, increasing the likelihood that some memb

Cricinfo staff17-Jan-2009
Will a scorned Pietersen be lured by the IPL’s millions? © Getty Images
The cash-versus-country debate is rearing its head following the news yesterday that Lalit Modi, the head of the Indian Premier League, wants England’s players to make themselves available for four weeks each year, increasing the likelihood that some members will have to decide between national pride and life-changing sums of money.The ECB held talks with Modi during England’s tour of India late last year, and it was thought that the two parties had agreed on England’s players appearing in the IPL for just 15 days. Now, however, Modi’s demands – as reported in the – could force players to choose between representing England in the series against West Indies next May or hot-foot it to India to earn their millions.The difficulty ECB faces is ensuring they protect both their investments: firstly Test cricket, which remains a big-earner for the board and the grounds in England, and secondly players’ wishes to make serious amounts of money.”This development is a serious concern,” Sean Morris, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, told the . “We are working through this with the ECB but clearly it is a concern to India and has a potential impact on English cricket. If we are the only country to have players not appearing in the IPL then that would not be a good prospect.”The IPL is due to span six weeks, beginning provisionally on April 10 with the final on May 29, and if the ECB allows its players to play in India then they will miss the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s on May 6.Kevin Pietersen, the recently axed England captain, is just one high-profile name to have expressed interest in playing in the IPL. Although he reaffirmed his keeness to play for England and score a mountain of runs, Modi and his millions could yet lure him and other players.

India’s Supreme Court has stayed criminal proceedings against former BCCI president Sharad Pawar and five other board officials. The order concerns a case of perjury – specifically, the production of a false affidavit – filed by Jagmohan Dalmiya.The BCCI decided last month to challenge the Kolkata High Court’s decision to order the initiation of criminal proceedings against the officials. The case is a fallout of Dalmiya’s expulsion from the BCCI.Apart from Pawar, the officials are Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, Ratnakar Shetty, the chief administrative officer, Niranjan Shah, the former secretary, N Srinivasan, the current secretary, and Chirayu Amin, vice-president. Pawar was the board president when the matter went to court.Dalmiya, a former board president himself, filed a case of perjury against the officials in June 2007 for allegedly producing false documents in court relating to his expulsion in December 2006.The BCCI had filed an affidavit – signed by the six officials – in the High Court stating that the rule under which Dalmiya had been expelled from the BCCI had been registered as required with the Registrar of Societies in Chennai. Dalmiya then filed a case against the six officials alleging that the documents submitted in court were false and were produced with intent to mislead the court.

Saurashtra extended the season of improbable chases by reaching the target of 325 set by Karnataka with considerable ease

The Bulletin by Nagraj Gollapudi at the Brabourne Stadium29-Dec-2008Saurashtra 189 (RA Jadeja 38, Raghu 2-8) and 327 for 5 (Pujara 112*, Kotak 87, Shah 55*, RA Jadeja 55, Vinay 3-84) beat Karnataka 305 (Uthappa 139, RA Jadeja 5-82, Odedra 3-68) and 208 (Akhil 56, Dravid 52, Jobanputra 5-54, R Jadeja 4-58) by five wickets
Scorecard
Cheteshwar Pujara’s unbeaten century steered Saurashtra to a remarkable victory © Cricinfo Ltd
Saurashtra joined in the season of improbable chases by reaching the target of 325 set by Karnataka with considerable ease to enter their second successive Ranji Trophy semi-final. Cheteshwar Pujara scored a match-winning century under pressure and was helped by contributions from Shitanshu Kotak, Ravindra Jadeja and captain Jaydev Shah.The backbone of the chase was the 163-run fourth-wicket partnership between Pujara and Kotak that dimmed and then ended Karnataka’s hopes of victory. Those hopes had flared on a spectacular catch by B Akhil, who threw himself to the right to grab Bhushan Chauhan’s outside edge off Vinay Kumar, and ebbed quietly as the Kotak-Pujara combine took centrestage.Both batsmen played enterprisingly, taking their chances rather than grafting around and waiting for the bad deliveries. Kotak prodded one past point and ran three off his first ball in the morning off Vinay and later got away with two edges that whistled past the slips and gully. Pujara took 22 balls for his first run but was soon into the groove, his first three scoring shots being fours. The first was a punch straight down the ground off Vinay, followed by a square-drive on the back foot in the bowler’s next over. He then cut NC Aiyappa, who had already been clipped past midwicket by Kotak in the same over, when the bowler pitched short and wide.Pujara, who began the season with big knocks but failed to reach a half-century in his last seven innings, brought the 50-run partnership with a handsome cover drive off Sunil Joshi – it beat the diving fielders at cover and mid-off. At the other end, Kotak brought up his fifty in style, moving quickly outside the line of a delivery from Vinay to push it to the boundary at long-on.Pujara pulled Joshi immediately in the first over post lunch to get to his half-century. Kotak, the more experienced of the two, realised the session was vital and tried to face most of the deliveries. Vinay got the ball to reverse, and Kotak patiently waited for the bowler to commit an error. When Vinay bowled full on his leg, Kotak found the boundary at square-leg. He even stepped out to hit Joshi over mid-on for a one-bounce four.With none of their bowlers able to impose themselves, Karnataka were clutching at straws. As the pressure mounted, Robin Uthappa, the Karnataka captain, let the experienced Rahul Dravid take charge in the field, but even he could not do much apart from shining the ball, patting the bowlers and clapping. Karnataka’s best chance arrived when Pujara, on 58, chased an away-going delivery in Akhil’s second over but C Raghu, standing wide at first slip, fumbled an easy catch. The score was 148 and it proved to be a turning point as Pujara proceeded to seal Saurashtra’s victory.Kotak, who has built his reputation as a stonewaller by picking his runs in the brick-by-brick fashion, took the initiative in this innings, not hesitating to hook the fast bowlers. By the time Kotak departed, caught-and-bowled by C Raghu half an hour before tea, Saurashtra’s man Friday had virtually robbed Karnataka’s chances of winning.In walked Ravindra Jadeja – arms swinging, chest high, eager to finish the job. He pulled Aiyappa on arrival, and put the pressure back on the bowlers by pulling and sweeping Raghu for consecutive fours a couple of overs later. When Joshi returned for his second spell in the afternoon, Jadeja stepped out to club the veteran left-arm spinner over mid-off for another four, and later for a straight hit down the ground.Saurashtra went to tea requiring 105 runs in the remaining 32 overs. Pujara, who was subdued in the second session, returned with renewed vigour and Karnataka were fast receding against the agility of the 20-year-olds. Having pulled Vinay for another boundary to bring the target below the 100-mark, Jadeja cut Joshi for a four and then walked a single to long-on to complete a swift half-century. He was caught at point trying to slog-sweep Raghu, but Jaydev Shah carried forward the assault with a ruthless half-century of his own that included nine hits past the boundary and a six over widish long-on.Saurashtra will face Mumbai in the semi-final in Chennai, starting January 4.

India posted 387 for 5 in 50 overs of ballistic strokeplay and England could only reply with 229, and suffered their third heaviest ODI defeat ever

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter14-Nov-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball-details
How they were out

Yuvraj Singh’s century was the second fastest by an Indian in one-day internationals © Getty Images
First days for an opposition captain in India don’t get much worse. Kevin Pietersen’s decision to field because of an early morning start in Rajkot backfired spectacularly as India galloped out of the blocks and never looked back. What seemed a brave decision turned into an utter disaster with India posting 387 for 5 in 50 overs of ballistic strokeplay. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag added 127 for the first wicket, after which Yuvraj Singh overcame a stiff back to slam an unbeaten 138 from only 78 balls.It was the fastest ODI hundred against England, while India’s total beat the previous best against this team – Pakistan’s 353 in Karachi in 2005. It was also India’s best total at home and second highest anywhere. England could only reply with 229, and suffered their third heaviest ODI defeat ever.The last time Yuvraj scored a hundred in a limited-overs game was on October 5 2007 against Australia. He began in the 24th over, after Sehwag had been brilliantly caught by Ian Bell at midwicket for a 73-ball 85. Shortly into his innings, Yuvraj had problems with his back and needed a brace. Steve Harmison decided to test him with some short balls and, though Yuvraj took his eyes off them, he pulled consecutive boundaries and rounded off the over with a steer past slip for four more. Those three strokes set the tone.India took the third Powerplay after the 34th over, a move which prompted Pietersen to bring back Andrew Flintoff. Yuvraj, who had Gambhir running for him, took the opportunity to break free by hitting sixes off Flintoff and Harmison before raising his fifty with a classy off-drive. Yuvraj’s partnership with Suresh Raina for the third wicket had added 89 off 78 balls before his partner scooped Flintoff to backward point for 43.Yusuf Pathan came and went for 0, but Yuvraj, not disturbed by the double blow, stood his ground and swatted a wayward Stuart Broad for six and four. He brought up the 300 – and the fifty partnership with Mahendra Singh Dhoni – by smashing Samit Patel out of the ground in the 44th over.A 20-year-old Indian record for the fastest century (Mohammad Azharuddin’s 62-ball ton against New Zealand) was under threat but Yuvraj was probably unaware and turned the ball off his pads for a single when he was on 94 off 61 balls. He reached his ninth hundred off his 64th ball and lofted Flintoff for two sixes in the 47th over and took another 18 off him in the 49th. Yuvraj’s 138 was one shy of his career best.Smart stats Yuvraj Singh reached his 100 off 64 balls. It was the second-fastest century by an Indian and the fastest by anyone against England. India’s total of 387 for 5 was the highest total in India . It was also their second-best total anywhere, and the highest by any team against England India hit 13 sixes and England hit nine – the total of 22 was the second highest in a one-day match India hit 51 boundaries in their innings – 13 sixes and 38 fours – beating their previous record of 48, against Bermuda during the 2007 World Cup With the exception of Kevin Pietersen, Yuvraj Singh scored at more than a run-a-ball off all the other bowlers. He hit Andrew Flintoff for 34 off 13, Steve Harmison for 48 off 26, and Stuart Broad for 26 off 15The platform for Yuvraj’s blitz, however, had been by India’s openers early in the day. Sehwag and Gambhir tucked into some generous offerings from James Anderson and Broad and added 127 in good time. Paul Collingwood took the ball after the drinks break and Sehwag slammed his first two balls for six. The second shot, a disdainful sweep into the stands at midwicket, raised his fifty, from 44 balls, and India’s 200. Gambhir – who had crossed 2000 ODI runs – followed Sehwag to fifty, from 59 balls, but became the first casualty. Dancing down to Patel, he holed out to Owais Shah at long-off. Sehwag smashed Patel for 15 runs off four balls in the 24th over before he was splendidly caught by Bell. England needed something extraordinary to stop Sehwag, but failed to keep Yuvraj quiet.Spin had been expected to play a key role, but by the time the first spinner appeared England were already four down thanks to the discipline of Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel. Both started well, bowling short of a length outside the off stump. Matt Prior fell for 4, edging Munaf to Sehwag at slip, and Shah was caught by the same fielder in the next over, giving Zaheer, who was playing his 150th ODI, his first wicket.Maintaining a steady line and moving the ball both ways, Zaheer took two wickets in the 11th over. Bell nibbled a wide one to Dhoni but the prize scalp was Flintoff, unfortunate to be adjudged lbw to a delivery that pitched just outside leg stump. Paul Collingwood’s 150th ODI appearance was one to forget: he wafted at a wide delivery from RP Singh and feathered a catch to Dhoni.Pietersen had few qualms and settled quickly into his stride, collecting three boundaries off RP Singh. He kept things simple and rotated the strike without fuss, adding 71 with Patel. Just after the 25-over mark, Patel swung at Harbhajan Singh, missed, and was stumped for a run-a-ball 28. Rohit Sharma nailed a smart throw from cover to send Pietersen (63) on his way and the rest flittered away by the 38th over. Ravi Bopara’s lusty hitting took the six tally for this match to 22, and his rapid fifty helped England avert their heaviest defeat.

A “commercial agreement” between Stanford and Digicel has opened the way for the Stanford 20/20 for 20 match between the Stanford Superstars and England to go ahead

Tony Cozier09-Oct-2008A “commercial agreement”, reportedly finalised after a trans-Atlantic telephone conversation between Sir Allen Stanford and Denis O’Brien, head of Digicel, sponsors of West Indies cricket, has opened the way for the Stanford 20/20 for 20 match between the Stanford Superstars and England to go ahead.The agreement is to go before the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) directors for ratification when they meet in St Lucia today, clearing the way for go-ahead.A statement is expected after all the details have been finalised. But players of both teams were assured on Wednesday by Stanford officials that the Super Series of six matches, also involving warm-ups and a match between regional Stanford 20/20 champions, Trinidad and Tobago, and England Twenty20 Cup winners, Middlesex, for a US$400,000 purse, is still on.The tournament was thrown into doubt after the London Court of International Arbitration (LICA) upheld the objections of Digicel that the WICB had entered an agreement with Stanford that “wholly compromises the exclusive rights granted to Digicel as principal sponsors of West Indies cricket”.As it effectively rendered the agreement null and void, official recognition would be withdrawn from the match and it would be regarded by the ICC as an unauthorised, private event.As such, any players participating would open themselves to the same ban applied to those in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) that similarly lacks official recognition.The winner-takes-all extravaganza, promoted as the richest match in the history of the game, was announced by Stanford himself on behalf of his 20/20 board, the WICB and the England and Wales Cricket Board (WICB) at Lord’s on June 11.It is planned over five years with a US$20 million price tag each time – US$1 million each for players on the winning team, US$1 million to be shared between the reserve players and US$1 million between the support staff. The WICB and the ECB would each receive US$3.5 million annually.

The Indians had no answers to the spin wizardry of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis in the Test series, but they have another opportunity to unravel the mysteries in the five-match ODI series, which gets underway in Dambulla on Monday

The Preview by S Rajesh17-Aug-2008Match factsMonday, August 18, 2008
Start time 10am (local time) 0430 (GMT)
Sanath Jayasuriya prepares to play one of his favourite opponents at one of his least favourite venues © AFP
Big PictureThe Indians had no answers to the spin wizardry of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis in the Test series, but they have another opportunity to unravel the mysteries in the five-match ODI series, which gets underway in Dambulla on Monday. Nothing suggests their task in the shorter version will be any easier, though: Mendis scythed through the Indians in the Asia Cup final last month, and the line-up facing him here will be largely the same. Late Sunday night the Indians received a blow with the news that Virender Sehwag had twisted his ankle at practice. Team sources said he was unlikely to play the first ODI and Virat Kohli may take his place.Sri Lanka at home are formidable opponents, but recently they have shown signs of vulnerability, losing two of their last three home series, to Pakistan and England. Mahela Jayawardene will want to prove those losses were nothing more than a small blip in an otherwise awesome record in Sri Lanka.Form guide (last 5 ODIs) Sri Lanka WLWWW
India LWLWWWatch out forSanath Jayasuriya: The last time he played India, Jayasuriya cracked a match-winning 125, his sixth ODI hundred against them. Jayasuriya relishes playing the Indians – no one has scored as many runs against them as he has – and even more so at home, where he averages 46.44 at a strike-rate of exactly a run a ball. His record in Dambulla isn’t as impressive – an average of 26.23, with just one half-century in 15 innings – but against India he’ll fancy his chances of turning that around.Yuvraj Singh: has announced he is in peak form for this series with an astonishing 121-ball 172 in the practice match against a Sri Lankan XI. The absence of Sachin Tendulkar places an even greater burden on Yuvraj, who will be keen to prove he can handle that responsibility as well as tackle the mighty Sri Lankan spinners.Team newsSri Lanka have packed their squad with nine batsmen, which means three will probably miss out. Kumar Sangakkara had opened the batting through most of the Asia Cup, and he could do so again, allowing the team to slot in five specialist bowlers, with Chaminda Vaas coming in at No. 7. Dilhara Fernando struggled in the tour game against the Indians and is unlikely to make the cut.Sri Lanka (likely) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Chamara Kapugedera, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 7 Chaminda Vaas, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Thilan Thushara, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.India are likely to play five bowlers, which means Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha will form a two-pronged spin attack. With Zaheer Khan a certainty, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel and RP Singh will fight for two spots. Pathan’s batting prowess could give him the edge, while Munaf could get the nod over RP.India (likely) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Pragyan Ojha, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Munaf Patel.Pitch & conditionsThe pitch looks firm, with a fair amount of grass which is likely to be shaved off before the game begins. The weather is likely to be clear as well, and the conditions suggest the toss might not be that big a factor.Stats & Trivia Sri Lanka have won 13 out of 18 ODIs at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium. Before their two defeats to England in October last year, they were on a nine-match winning streak, dating back to February 2004. India have won two out of five matches here, but have lost all three games against Sri Lanka. Muttiah Muralitharan has a bowling average of 13.34 and an economy rate of 3.28 runs per over at this ground, with 29 wickets from 12 ODIs. Sri Lanka have won each of the last five matches here when Murali has played. Teams batting first have won 12 out of 23 games, averaging 23.66 runs per wicket and 4.14 runs per over. Teams chasing have won 11, and average 23.92 runs per wicket and 4.04 runs per over. In the ten day games, teams batting first and chasing have won five times each. Rahul Dravid is the only batsman to score an ODI century at this ground – he made 104 against UAE in 2004. Sri Lanka’s highest here is an unbeaten 97 by Marvan Atapattu against South Africa the same year. (Click here for the highest scores in Dambulla.) Spinners have taken 139 wickets here at an average of 24.05 and an economy rate of 3.95. The fast bowlers have been equally successful, with 178 wickets at 26.96 and an economy rate of 3.93.Quotes”With Sanath in form it’s a great thing. The starts he gets makes a huge different. If he stays for 10-15 overs, it’s likely we will get a good start. He’s like Sehwag for India. That gives a different dimension to our set up.”
“Sehwag is the sort who takes a bit of risk at times. Whenever he gets us that start we have a fair chance of winning. He’s in very good nick, so is Gambhir. Both played well in the Tests so they have some added responsibility on them.”

Paul Stewart has called for Liverpool to turn their attentions away from Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez and concentrate on agreeing a new deal with Jordan Henderson.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is looking to freshen up his midfield options after seeing Georginio Wijnaldum reject a new deal in favour of a move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain earlier this summer.

It has led to Spanish outlet Sport reporting that Liverpool are keen to sign Niguez, who reportedly earns £200,000-a-week, with Xherdan Shaqiri or captain Henderson potentially moving in the opposite direction.

Shaqiri is also attracting interest from the likes of Serie A outfit Lazio after a lack of action last season.

Contract talks with Henderson have stalled in recent days, leading to questions over his long-term future at Anfield.

Atletico, along with Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, are now monitoring the central midfielder’s situation and Diego Simeone’s side may be interested in doing a deal which includes Niguez heading to Merseyside.

But Stewart insists Henderson is better than Niguez, exclusively telling The Transfer Tavern: “I don’t see that deal happening.

“I don’t think he’d be a great addition to Liverpool. I know he’s been around for a long time but they might as well ask Jordan Henderson what he would want to stay, because I don’t think you’re getting anything better with Niguez.”