Despite the £200m spending spree in the summer transfer window, Manchester United have failed to address the need for a new central midfielder in Ruben Amorim’s side.

His 3-4-2-1 system requires two dominant ball-playing options, with Bruno Fernandes currently occupying one of the two positions at the heart of the side.

The Portuguese international is primarily a number ten, but the arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have seen him drop into a slightly deeper number eight role.

Casemiro has often been the man to partner him in the middle of the park, but with his contract expiring at the end of 2025/26, it’s evident that a long-term solution is needed.

As a result, the Red Devils have since been drawing up a shortlist of potential options, with the January transfer window now rapidly appearing on the horizon.

Man Utd’s hunt for a new central midfielder in January

In an attempt to improve the options in the midfield department, the United board have identified Stuttgart star Angelo Stiller as a potential addition this January.

The German has developed into one of Europe’s leading performers, but he could be available for a fee in the region of £53m – a potential bargain given his recent rise in the Bundesliga.

However, he’s also seemingly on the radar of European giants Bayern Munich, which could lead to a huge battle for the 24-year-old’s signature in the months ahead.

He’s not alone in being a potential target for Amorim’s men, with Joao Gomes another talent that’s currently being considered for the central midfield role.

According to one Brazilian outlet, the Red Devils are advancing in talks for the 24-year-old, with a £44m transfer fee being mooted for his services this winter.

The report notes that a deal is ‘widely expected’ to be completed and that the player is ‘close’ to transfer clubs over the winter.

It also states that the Wolves star would be open to a switch to Old Trafford, but it remains to be seen if his current employers would sanction a move during the mid-point of the campaign.

Why United’s latest target would be a better signing than Anderson

Over the last couple of weeks, Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson has been another player who has been on their radar to bolster the central midfield department.

The Englishman has been one of the star men in the Premier League this campaign, leading to a first string of international appearances under Thomas Tuchel.

He’s featured in every single minute of the Reds’ league campaign to date, even playing a key role in the recent 3-0 triumph over Liverpool at Anfield this weekend.

His form has led to huge rumours over a potential switch to Old Trafford, but his current side are demanding a fee in the region of £100m to part ways with him in the near future.

Such a deal would be a club record, breaking the £89m fee paid for Paul Pogba way back in the summer of 2016 – potentially making a transfer somewhat unlikely this winter.

As a result, cheaper alternatives will likely have to be considered by Amorim and the board, which could result in a transfer for Gomes in the coming months.

When comparing the Brazilian’s stats to those of Anderson from the opening months of the season, the Wolves star has managed to outperform him in numerous areas – that’s despite his side sitting rock bottom.

Gomes, who’s been described as “one of the best pressers in the league” by one analyst, has completed more of his attempted passes and notched more passes into the opposition box per 90 this season.

Such numbers in possession showcase that the Brazilian thrives at finding a teammate, which could benefit some of the £200m additions within the final third at Old Trafford.

Games played

12

12

Goals & assists

0

2

Pass accuracy

85%

83%

Passes into opposition box

1.3

1.2

Clearances made

2.1

1.1

Interceptions made

1.2

1.1

Tackles made

1.8

1.5

Take-on success

50%

46%

He’s also won more tackles per 90 whilst making more clearances and interceptions per 90 – numbers which make him the perfect ball-winning option for the Red Devils.

Gomes’ all-round dominance is further reflected in his higher take-on success and aerial duels won per 90, which could make him an absolute steal at his current asking price.

£44m in the current climate would be an excellent piece of business, with the midfielder having the opportunity to improve further in the years ahead given he’s just 24.

There’s little denying that Anderson would be the dream addition for many fans, but it’s evident that Gomes would be a cost-effective addition for the short term.

However, that shouldn’t discredit the Wolves star’s talents, with his numbers this season certainly going under the radar, which could make him a stellar addition for Amorim.

He's "much better" than Sesko: Man Utd pursuing "one of the best CFs in PL"

Manchester United could land a new centre-forward just months after landing Benjamin Sesko.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 21, 2025

Australia continue to top the table while Sri Lanka jump to fifth after their first points of this World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2025Abandoned Sri Lanka will probably be the happier team to get a point out of their washout against world champions Australia in Colombo on Saturday. The conditions didn’t look as bad a day before the game and even on Saturday when the two teams had walked out before toss time to assess the ground. But the rain picked up quickly, and even though the entire ground was covered, the match had to be abandoned about two and a half hours after the scheduled start time.The two teams came into this match with contrasting results in their opening games – Australia had beaten New Zealand by 89 runs in Indore and Sri Lanka had lost to India by 59 runs (via the DLS method) in Guwahati.Australia continue to top the table with three points and Sri Lanka have jumped to fifth place, but with a negative net run rate of -1.255. Australia were the favourites for this game – like they are in the tournament – as Sri Lanka have never beaten them in international cricket across 11 ODIs and eight T20Is.This also means Sri Lanka head into their next fixture – against England on October 11 – after what is now a gap of 10 days, having played India in the World Cup opener on September 30. Australia had flown into Colombo on Thursday from Indore and will continue to stay in Colombo to play Pakistan on October 8 before flying to Visakhapatnam to face India on October 9.Colombo is also set to host the India vs Pakistan match on Sunday, and the weather forecast doesn’t look too optimistic for that either.

He doesn’t turn the ball big, doesn’t have mystery deliveries, but whatever little he has is ideal for T20 and he keeps winning big moments

Sidharth Monga04-Jun-20251:27

Moody: Krunal Pandya screams character to me

Don’t look at numbers. Just close your eyes and say if you think Krunal Pandya is among the ten best bowlers in the IPL. You will, of course, say yes on the day that he became the first to win multiple Player-of-the-Match awards in IPL finals, but answer seriously: does he have any business being in the list of top-ten bowlers in the best, most competitive T20 league in the world?Now look at the numbers. He is among the top ten on every major metric in IPL 2025. He is No. 10 on most wickets, No. 7 on economy (among those who have bowled at least 25 overs), and No. 6 on ESPNcricinfo’s list of most impactful bowlers. Add to all that his 73 not out against Delhi Capitals (DC), and you have ESPNcricinfo’s second-most impactful performer of this IPL.This match was the perfect example of why Krunal sneaks into these lists, why he is valued by champion sides – this was his fourth title, after all – despite not looking like he should be. He doesn’t turn the ball big, he doesn’t have the classic action to get him alarming dip or drift, he doesn’t have mystery deliveries. But whatever he has is ideal for T20s: the right pace, the ability to pitch the ball where he wants to, the knowledge of where he should be pitching the ball, and a competitive streak.Related

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Krunal’s combination of high pace and lengths almost provides him immunity from the shot that spinners hate the most: the sweep. All through this IPL, he has conceded just 65 runs to all the varieties of the sweep shot put together. Nine spinners have gone for more. In the final, they tried sweeping him twice but couldn’t score a run. The option then for the batters is to either get a bad ball or try to manipulate the length by going deep into the crease or skipping down the track.This is where Krunal shows his smarts. When a subdued Prabhsimran Singh finally decided to step out against him, Krunal watched till the end and bowled his slowest delivery till then and also went wide because Prabhsimran looks to make room when he charges a spinner. Bowled at 81.49kph, this also turned the most till then and went out of Prabhsimran’s reach.When Josh Inglis, Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) best batter of the night, charged him, Krunal went the other route: bowling only his second 100kph-plus delivery and looking to cramp Inglis for room because he advances straight down. Both those balls created wickets, but it was as much the work around those deliveries that won Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) their first IPL final.Krunal Pandya has now won four IPL titles•Getty ImagesKrunal bowled unchanged for an analysis of 4-0-17-2 after RCB had been kept to 190, the lowest first-innings score all season in Ahmedabad. In his four overs, Krunal overpitched only once. And that was a yorker. There was nothing in the 2-4m zone that you can hit without stepping out. Only one delivery out of the 20 that he bowled to right-hand batters pitched more than a set of stumps wide.Because Krunal relies on bowling into the pitch and tries to put work on the ball with his hand more than his action, he can tend to err on the shorter side. In T20 cricket, if you must err, it is better you do so on the shorter side. Still, only five balls went shorter than 7m, only one shorter than 8m.The only boundary Krunal conceded was when he pitched shorter than 7m and also went really slow, probably his attempt to turn the ball big gone wrong. His pace ranged from 79.88 to 108.33. Krunal said it takes guts to slow the ball down in T20 even though it did seem to him going slow was the thing to do.Coach Andy Flower said that RCB wanted Krunal precisely for his temperament, his experience of having been part of big matches. He repaid them immediately with his first match in the RCB red. He was only beginning as he meant to end. Now he is one of only eight players to have won four IPL finals. Another top ten you wouldn’t have bet on him making.

Tottenham Hotspur have had a fair few talents that have been underappreciated over the years, but none more so than central midfielder Mousa Dembélé.

The Belgian joined the Lilywhites in a £15m deal from Fulham back in the summer of 2012, with many supporters unaware of the quality he possessed prior to his switch to North London.

He racked up a total of 249 senior appearances during his seven-year spell at the club, arguably cementing himself as one of their best ever midfielders.

From dazzling runs with the ball at his feet to dominant physical displays out of possession, the talent cemented himself as a key player during his spell in the Premier League.

Since his move to Guangzhou City in 2019, the Lilywhites have massively lacked a player of his quality, with Thomas Frank unable to rely upon one player to be his own version of the Belgian.

Why Bentancur has struggled with Spurs in 2025/26

After Frank’s arrival in the summer, there was a huge question mark around what system the Dane would operate with at Spurs after utilising various formations at Brentford.

However, it appears as though the 52-year-old has settled on a three-man midfield in a 4-3-3 system, which has seen Joao Palhinha operate at the base, with two box-to-box players ahead of him.

Rodrigo Bentancur has been one of the most utilised players in such an area, as seen by his tally of 10 appearances out of a possible 11 in the Premier League to date.

However, the Uruguayan has struggled to impress in those outings, even being benched against Manchester United in the final game before the ongoing international break.

The 28-year-old’s underlying stats from the 2025/26 season showcase his struggles of late, which could see him drop down the pecking order further in the months ahead.

He has only created 0.6 chances per 90 this season, which ranks him in the bottom 25% of all players in the division – often struggling to make a huge impact when in possession.

Such a skillset is vital when playing with Palhinha at the heart of the side, with the Portuguese international known to break up the play and allow those around him to provide the creative spark.

However, out of possession, Bentancur has also struggled under Frank, only making 0.5 interceptions per 90, which also places him in the lower quarter of all midfielders in England’s top-flight.

The aforementioned figures highlight his all-round struggles in North London, which could certainly put his long-term future at the club in jeopardy – that’s despite penning a new deal earlier this campaign.

The Spurs star who’s already showing 'shades of Dembele'

Top-level midfielders in the modern game cost a small fortune, with numerous clubs in the Premier League often forking out mammoth sums to land world-class talents.

Four teams in England’s top-flight have spent £100m or more on a midfielder in the last five years, with Chelsea doing so on more than one occasion, with deals for Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernández.

However, Spurs are a club that unfortunately aren’t in a position to willingly fork out such funds in the market, with more of a focus being directed to younger prospects.

Dominic Solanke remains the club’s record addition at £65m back in the summer of 2024, with no midfielder in Frank’s current first-team squad being bought for over £55m.

The likes of Lucas Bergvall and Pape Sarr both cost a combined £22m, with both now managing to establish themselves as key first-team members in 2025/26.

However, the academy system is another avenue for clubs to go down, with the Lilywhites desperately needing to put faith in youngster Tyrese Hall in the years ahead.

The midfielder joined the club at the age of just eight, subsequently spending 12 years in the youth ranks, before making the move to join Notts County on loan in the summer.

Such a move came after the youngster registered six goals and seven assists in 28 U21 appearances in 2024/25, with such a move being his first taste of senior football.

However, whilst it may appear a daunting task to many, Hall has taken it all in his stride, as seen by his impressive numbers at Meadow Lane over the past few months.

Central midfield

30

6 (5)

Defensive midfield

19

3 (4)

Attacking midfield

18

5 (3)

Centre-forward

6

3 (2)

Left midfield

3

1 (1)

Right midfield

1

1 (0)

The 20-year-old has already found the net on six occasions, with his latest strike proving to be the winner in the affair with Cheltenham Town at the beginning of the month.

Whilst he’s operated in a more advanced role with the Magpies, Hall has previously featured slightly deeper – even playing as a number eight for the Lilywhites in a post-season friendly back in 2024.

The youngster was brought on as a substitute in such a fixture and even impressed, with one of the commentators that day claiming he was showing “shades of Mousa Dembele”.

Such praise is huge given the levels produced by the Belgian during his own time in North London, with real hope that Hall can match such levels if given the opportunity.

At 20, he still has bags of time to reach his full potential, with his loan spell at Notts County undoubtedly helping him in his quest in the professional game.

However, Frank will need to keep a close eye on his progress and potentially hand him the opportunity to impress him in pre-season ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

Dream Simons replacement: Frank has "one of England's best talents" at Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur already have an elite-level prospect on their hands in North London.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 18, 2025

Manchester United have reportedly convinced Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes to leave his club, as they look to snap him up in a £50m deal.

Casemiro’s form may have improved for the Red Devils this season, but he is still past his best at the age of 33, and struggled in Monday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Everton in the Premier League.

Gomes has emerged as a potential option for United, coming in as a direct younger replacement for Casemiro, with David Ornstein saying Wolves could be forced to sell him in the January transfer window.

“There’ve been reports about Joao Gomes at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sources I’ve spoken to around Molineux are sort of playing it down. They’re saying there’s no club-to-club talks at this point. And of course, if Wolves are staring at relegation come January, they might look to cash in on him then. As opposed to letting it go into the Championship when his value will decrease.”

Gomes looks to be a leading midfield option for United and now a fresh update has shed further positive light on the situation regarding him.

Big Joao Gomes to Man Uts claim

According to TEAMtalk, Manchester United and INEOS believe they will secure the signing of Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes, with the report saying they are “making behind-the-scenes moves”.

The player himself has already said ‘yes’ to the idea, so all that’s left is for INEOS to come up with an acceptable package for the higher ups at Molineux.

Transfer insider Dean Jones shared insight on a move for the £50m-rated Brazilian, saying: “Mainoo finally got a run out against Everton, but I’m not sure how much that is going to change his feelings about being wanted at the club. If they do sign a midfielder, then it’ll open the door for him to leave. We will have to see whether the Gomes one can truly open up.”

“I think that could turn into a player versus club battle that Man Utd have to deal with if they try to get him out of Wolves, because they don’t want to sell him. They will probably hike the price up, too. Man Utd don’t have much interest in loaning Mainoo out to another Premier League club at the moment, either, so that is another issue that will need to be dealt with.”

Gomes looks like a fantastic option for United, with the Brazil international similar to Casemiro in terms of style, but being able to offer more legs than his compatriot these days.

Joao Gomes vs. Casemiro 2025/26 PL stats	Gomes	Casemiro
Appearances	12	11
Starts	10	10
Minutes played	927	683
Goals	0	3
Assists	0	1
Tackles per game	2.6	2.0
Clearances per game	1.6	1.0
Pass completion rate	85.3%	83.1%

The 24-year-old is coming right into his prime and would arrive as an immediate key man for the Red Devils, with former Wolves manager Gary O’Neill describing him as a “super talent”.

Man Utd have advantage over Chelsea in race for "midfield sensation" Assan Ouedraogo

He has a massive future in the game.

By
Henry Jackson

Nov 25, 2025

If a January move for Gomes materialises, it will be a big boost for United, allowing Casemiro to leave for free at the end of this season without too much fuss.

Worse than Bruno Fernandes vs Everton: Amorim must bin Man Utd's 3/10 flop

Out-of-favour Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford reportedly wants to leave the club, just five months after returning to the Etihad Stadium. The 23-year-old played a crucial role in helping Burnley earn promotion to the Premier League last season, but he has struggled to gain regular minutes following his summer switch to Pep Guardiola’s side.

• Trafford helped Burnley keep 30 clean sheets in special 2024-25

  Trafford emerged as one of England’s brightest prospects after helping Burnley secure promotion from the Championship in 2024-25. Featuring in all but one league game, the Cumbrian ‘keeper helped the Clarets record 30 clean sheets in the last campaign – a joint all-time English league record with Port Vale in 1953-54.

  Scott Parker’s side conceded just 16 league goals in 46 games with Trafford between the sticks, amassing 100 points as the Lancashire outfit finished second behind Leeds United, who finished top thanks to their superior goal difference. Daniel Farke’s men scored a whopping 95 league goals last term, with Burnley netting 69.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Former England U21 goalkeeper was close to joining Newcastle

  Following his heroics for Burnley, Trafford was close to joining Newcastle United in the summer as Eddie Howe’s side looked to strengthen their goalkeeping department following last season’s Carabao Cup success.

  However, City used a matching rights clause which allowed them to pip the Magpies to the signing of Trafford, having developed the former England Under-21 shot-stopper before selling him to Burnley in 2023.

• Trafford loses starting berth to Italy shot-stopper Donnarumma

  But after starting City’s first three Premier League games against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion, Trafford has since lost his place in the starting XI to Gianluigi Donnarumma. 

  Donnarumma joined Guardiola’s side from European champions Paris Saint-Germain after losing his own starting berth to Lucas Chevalier – a summer arrival from Ligue 1 side Lille. 

  The Italy international has since made 14 appearances in all competitions for 10-time league champions City, with Trafford being forced to watch on from the substitutes bench. The former Bolton Wanderers ace has been used in the cup competitions, starting the Carabao Cup victories over Huddersfield Town and Swansea City.

  Trafford’s last appearance came in City’s 2-0 reverse against Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League last Tuesday, in a match which saw manager Guardiola make 10 changes to his starting lineup.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Report claims 23-year-old wants exit to keep World Cup hopes alive

  And now according to the Trafford is reportedly plotting a departure when the January transfer window opens next month. The report claims Newcastle are expected to show their interest in doing a deal with City, who may also lose fellow goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. 

  Once a reliable No. 2, the 32-year-old has slipped down the City pecking order following the summer arrivals of Trafford, Donnarumma and Marcus Bettinelli, who joined from Chelsea.

  The report concludes by claiming Trafford is worried about losing his place in the England squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with manager Thomas Tuchel having stressed the importance of playing regularly in order to make the plane for North America next summer.

Celtic are now targeting a move to sign Wessam Abou Ali from Columbus Crew, according to reports, with Wilfried Nancy looking to bring one of his star men to Scotland.

At long last, the Bhoys are closing in on a managerial appointment. The Scottish giants have taken their time, waiting for the right appointment, with Martin O’Neill doing an impressive job as interim boss in the meantime.

The 73-year-old has reiterated every week that he will happily step aside once Celtic have found their next permanent option and that looks set to happen sooner rather than later amid recent reports.

The Columbus Crew manager looks set to take his first job in European football and has the task of bridging the gap on Hearts in a shock Scottish Premiership title race.

O’Neill, meanwhile, will bow out of his second stint in charge after steadying the ship. Whether he’s still in charge by the time that Celtic travel to face Feyenoord this Thursday is the big question.

Speaking to reporters, the veteran manager said: “The answer is this: the game is on Thursday so the plane leaves on Wednesday. They better make their minds up very quickly.”

Of course, if Nancy doesn’t arrive in time, then O’Neill will have the opportunity to win his first European game of his second stint in charge to cap off a small tenure full of nostalgia.

The ball will then be in the new manager’s court, who has already reportedly identified the need for a new striker at Celtic Park and set his sights on exactly who that new striker should be.

Celtic now lining up January move for Columbus Crew star

According to the Scottish Sun, Celtic are now targeting a move to sign Abou Ali from Columbus Crew in the January transfer window. The 26-year-old Palestinian striker has been one of Nancy’s best players in the MLS and quickly won the faith of his manager after arriving from Ahly SC.

Celtic chiefs learn Nancy arrival date as personal terms update emerges

The Hoops are closing in…

ByTom Cunningham Nov 20, 2025

Described as “clinical” by Columbus Crew general manager Issa Tall, Abou Ali first grabbed the headlines when he scored a perfect hat-trick against Porto at the Club World Cup as the MLS side watched on, waiting to secure his signature.

Since then, the 26-year-old has only impressed even more in America and may yet be on his way to Scotland to strike an instant reunion with Nancy.

Games

5

Goals

3

Assists

1

With four goal involvements in five games under Nancy, Celtic would be wise to go all out to sign the 6’1 forward, who could solve their own striker problem in January.

Whether Columbus Crew will allow their star striker to leave with their manager is another question, however. Losing Nancy is already set to deal them a blow in its own right, let alone their top star alongside him.

Celtic set to make quadruple backroom appointment to Nancy's staff

West Indies quick Shamar Joseph was in line for a return to international cricket this weekend after missing the Test tour of India, but he has been set back by “some discomfort in his shoulder.” The 26-year-old, who was with the ODI squad in Dhaka, has now been sidelined from the three-match series against Bangladesh as well.Joseph had been picked for the T20I leg of the tour too. A Cricket West Indies (CWI) release on Monday said “he has been recommended for consultation with a specialist in England to start the rehabilitation process.”Before the Bangladesh series, Joseph had missed the two Test matches in India with an unspecified injury. He hasn’t played any cricket since the CPL ended in September. There he represented Guyana Amazon Warriors for five of their 12 matches.Left-arm seamer Jediah Blades also joined Joseph on the sidelines. The 23-year-old, who has played nine white-ball internationals for West Indies, was ruled out of the Bangladesh tour and the following New Zealand tour with a stress fracture of the lower back. Blades will return home for his rehab.Allrounder Akeal Hosein and left-arm seamer Ramon Simmonds have been added to West Indies’ squad for the remaining two ODIs against Bangladesh. Hosein and Simmonds were already scheduled to play the three-match T20I series, which will conclude West Indies’ tour of Bangladesh.West Indies lost the first ODI to Bangladesh by 74 runs on an unusually dark Dhaka pitch on October 18. Their next two ODIs are on October 21 and 23.

As the MLB regular season winds down, the races for a playoff spot in both the AL and NL are heating up.

So, here at SI Betting, we are going to share a detailed look at the playoff picture every week so fans can see where their teams stand and bettors can potentially find some value in a team that is just outside the wild card race.

Last week, it was pretty clear where each division leader stood, but a huge winning streak by the Seattle Mariners has flipped some things in the American League.

Meanwhile, the New York Mets and New York Yankees are struggling, and the teams trailing them in the wild card picture are starting to make a real push to enter the top three.

Let’s break down the odds for every team that still has a shot to make the playoffs at this point in the MLB season. 

American League Playoff Odds

Division Leaders

• Toronto Blue Jays: -3000
• Detroit Tigers: -3000
• Houston Astros: -1400

The AL division leaders have remained the same week over week, but the Seattle Mariners are making a real push in the AL West.

Seattle, which is -1100 to make the playoffs, has won seven games in a row and nine of its last 10 to pull within half a game of the Astros in the standings. Houston still has the inside track to a playoff spot (-1400), but it could end up in the wild card picture if it loses its early-week series with another wild card team – the Boston Red Sox.

Meanwhile, Detroit (six-game lead in the AL Central) and Toronto (four-game lead in the AL East) both have pretty comfortable margins – for now – atop their divisions. An 8-2 stretch by the Cleveland Guardians has tightened things for Detroit, which has a worse record than Toronto in the 2025 season. 

Wild Card Race

• Seattle Mariners: -1100
• Boston Red Sox: -370
• New York Yankees: -330
• Cleveland Guardians: +200
• Texas Rangers: +275
• Kansas City Royals: +700
• Tampa Bay Rays: +1800
• Minnesota Twins: +1800
• Los Angeles Angels: +5000

Last week, I wrote about the Yankees fading in the AL playoff picture, and they’ve continued to do so by losing a weekend series to the Astros.

New York has a half-game cushion on the surging Guardians and just a 2.5-game cushion on the Texas Rangers in the standings. So, it’s very possible the Yankees could find themselves behind multiple teams if they don’t turn things around sooner rather than later.

Texas has lost four in a row, allowing the Guardians to leapfrog it in the standings. Cleveland may be the team to bet on right now, as it’s peaking at the right time and has a shot at both a wild card spot and the division lead. 

New York and Texas are both third in their respective divisions. 

National League Playoff Odds

Division Leaders

• Milwaukee Brewers: N/A
• Los Angeles Dodgers: -20000
• Philadelphia Phillies: -10000

The Milwaukee Brewers have been so good, winning nine games in a row, that their odds to make the playoffs are off the board, a sign that oddsmakers expect them to be in the playoffs no matter what.

Milwaukee could move to 30 games over .500 with a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night. 

Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West is just two games, as the San Diego Padres (7-3 in their last 10 games) are making a serious push. As of now, it seems like the team with the best record in MLB will come out of the NL, but a lot could change over the final weeks of the regular season.

Wild Card Race

• Chicago Cubs: -2500
• San Diego Padres: -1200
• New York Mets: -280
• Cincinnati Reds: +320
• San Francisco Giants: +550
• St. Louis Cardinals: +650
• Arizona Diamondbacks: +3000
• Miami Marlins: +50000

The Chicago Cubs have the best odds to make the playoffs of any wild card team, but I think the Padres may be the safest team here since they are still within striking distance of their division lead.

Chicago is six games back in the NL Central, while the Mets, who have lost seven in a row, are 5.5 games back in the NL East.

If New York continues to struggle, there is a real path for the Cincinnati Reds (1.5 games back in the wild card) to make the playoffs.

Cincy doesn’t have as talented a roster as the Mets, but it did go all in at the trade deadline by adding Ke’Bryan Hayes, Zack Littell, and others. The Reds are +320 to make the playoffs, which is good for an implied probability of 23.81 percent.

However, with the Reds just 1.5 games out of a playoff spot, they may be undervalued at this price.

MatériaMais Notícias

Abel Ferreira voltou a defender o campo do Allianz Parque. Em entrevista após o empate sem gols do Palmeiras contra o Flamengo, pela terceira rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, o técnico português foi questionado a respeito do gramado sintético da casa alviverde.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

Na visão do comandante, existem gramados artificiais “muito piores” que o do Verdão. Na sequência, Abel cobrou maior fiscalização da Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF), responsável pelo controle de qualidade, e elogiou a Neo Química Arena.

– Não é o gramado. Para ser sincero, existem gramados naturais muito piores do que os nossos sintéticos. Quando a CBF conseguir manter a qualidade dos campos, como esta por exemplo a do Corinthians, ai nos podemos reclamar dos sintéticos – afirmou Abel Ferreira.

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Agora, o Palmeiras muda o foca e passa a se preparar para o duelo contra o Independiente del Valle, fora de casa, pela terceira rodada da fase de grupos da Copa Libertadores. Pelo Brasileirão, a equipe comandada por Abel volta a campo apenas na segunda-feira (29), contra o São Paulo, no Morumbis.

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Abel FerreiraAllianz ParqueFutebol BrasileiroPalmeiras