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The momentum built by Rangers prior to the international break has come to a shuddering halt following the previous two matches.

First up was an away tie against Aberdeen in the Premiership and despite creating more clear-cut chances, they had to rely on a late penalty by James Tavernier to secure a share of the points.

The tie against Aris Limassol in midweek wasn’t much better either. Once again, the Gers conceded a tame goal, with the defenders caught in no man's land as a high ball over the top evaded them.

Ross McCausland did score an equaliser which salvaged a point, but it means they could drop into the Europa Conference League if results don’t go their way in the final group-stage matches.

Philippe Clement will be looking at rotating his starting XI for the league tie against St Mirren at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon and introducing a fresh face or two.

With three points vital in the chase for the Premiership title, we at Football FanCast predict the Rangers starting XI that will take to the pitch tomorrow at a packed Ibrox.

1 GK – Jack Butland

The former Crystal Palace goalkeeper was one of Michael Beale’s better signings during the summer transfer window, and it bolstered an area which was badly needed rejuvenating.

Butland has perhaps been let down by his defence on numerous occasions this season as he has single-handedly kept the club in matches.

The 30-year-old has kept 11 clean sheets in 25 matches and keeping a 12th one would go a long way to three points vs the Buddies.

2 RB – James Tavernier

The captain needs to start showing more leadership qualities, especially as the pressure is now firmly on the manager following two poor results.

The defender may chip in with crucial goals and assists and who knows where the club would be without these, yet he needs to give more belief to the team, as clubs like Aberdeen and Aris should be fearful of playing against the Gers.

3 CB – Connor Goldson

Connor Goldson was suspended for the European tie in midweek, and it was just the second game he has missed throughout the whole 2023/24 campaign.

The Light Blues missed his presence against Aris as John Souttar and Ben Davies played together for the first time this season.

His return would give Clement a boost, and he could turn to an experienced head to partner him…

4 CB – Leon Balogun

The 35-year-old looked like he was going to play a peripheral role under Beale, making just two appearances under the former manager.

Under Clement, however, he has been utilised more often, starting four of his opening nine matches in charge, and it would have been more had he been available to play in Europe.

5 LB – Borna Barisic

The Croatian will start against St Mirren on Sunday, and he will be looking to put in a solid performance, especially with his contract due to expire in the summer.

Across nine Premiership ties this season, the 31-year-old has registered two assists and while his defensive abilities are questionable at times, his attacking talents are solid.

6 CM – John Lundstram

The former Sheffield United midfielder has returned to form this term, having endured a rather forgetful 2022/23.

He has started every single game under the Belgian and across the whole squad in the league, the 29-year-old ranks third for accurate passes per game, along with ranking fourth for interceptions per game and fifth for big chances created, indicating how impressive he has been at the heart of the midfield.

7 CM – Jose Cifuentes

Despite arriving to much fanfare, the midfielder has failed to live up to the hype and his latest performance against Aris proved that he needs a spell out of the starting XI.

With Ryan Jack and Nico Raskin injured, however, Clement will need to play him against St Mirren.

Clement must now bench Rangers star who lost possession 12x vs Aris

Rangers face an uphill battle to progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League

ByRoss Kilvington Dec 2, 2023

In midweek, the 24-year-old looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights at times as he lost possession 12 times along with being dribbled past twice.

A big performance on Sunday could go a long way to righting his wrongs from the other evening, but he really needs to step up to the plate.

8 RW – Ross McCausland

Todd Cantwell was substituted off after just 36 minutes against Aris due to not following Clement’s instructions and this gave the Northern Irishman another chance to impress, just days after signing a new contract until 2027.

He took full advantage of the opportunity and scored his first-ever goal for Rangers with a low drive that nestled into the far corner of the net and his future looks incredible.

Clement could unlock the St Mirren defence by unleashing the youngster, and he will be eager to build on his first-ever senior goal.

9 AM – Tom Lawrence

Sam Lammers was woeful against the Cypriots, being dribbled past four times across while completing just nine passes during his 58 minutes on the pitch and this is simply not good enough.

He is lightweight and clearly lets matches pass him by due to the lack of output and this should give Clement the licence he needs to unleash Tom Lawrence.

Hailed as “unplayable” by Steve Evans while at Derby County, the Welshman has built up his fitness and a spell in the starting XI could do wonders for his confidence.

He will surely offer a bigger threat than Lammers and his creativity could unlock the St Mirren defence.

10 LW – Abdallah Sima

The on-loan Brighton winger enjoyed a productive start to his spell in Scotland, scoring seven goals prior to Clement arriving, yet he has netted just twice since then.

He has gone off the boil recently, but until Rabbi Matondo is ready to start matches, the 22-year-old will continue to be used on the left wing.

Marcus Harris confirmed for a Test debut with Mitchell Marsh dropped, while India will have to pick between Rohit Sharma and Hanuma Vihari

Andrew McGlashan05-Dec-20189:53

Adelaide Test – Agarkar and Hodge talk strategy

Big PictureIndia’s year of trying to conquer overseas challenges has reached Adelaide. Australia’s year of turmoil has reached their first home Test series since the game was thrown into crisis. No one really knows who starts favourites, but never have India begun a series Down Under with such expectation that this could be their time.However, that was said about the tours of South Africa and England as well, and both those series went the way of the home side – partly due to a lack of preparation and partly due to some poor selection decisions. India’s warm-up match in Sydney was hardly inspiring as they conceded 544 against the CA XI. They have also lost the hugely talented Prithvi Shaw for at least the first Test. Nothing comes easily in Australia, even when the hosts are beset by their own problems.It has felt a long build-up to this occasion for Australia – they have played in England, Zimbabwe, the UAE and faced South Africa and India this season in white-ball cricket before this much-anticipated duel. Their bowling attack has survived the turmoil which has cost a multitude of people their jobs, but plenty of questions remain about the batting they have put together for the start of the series.At home, however, they are rarely dominated. Only South Africa have done it consistently since the days of the great West Indies team. If they can get off to a good start in Adelaide, putting enough runs on the board for the stellar bowling attack, then they could still be tough to stop. India must learn from the tours of South Africa and England – do not give the opposition a head start.Every time Australia have taken the field since South Africa it has been billed as the new start, but after a lot of limited-overs cricket and a Test series overseas, this feels like their real opportunity to start afresh. This time last year Tim Paine had just returned to Test cricket, now he is captain. What sort of team can he develop? The next six weeks, starting in Adelaide, will tell us a lot. It’s a series that could define both teams.Form guide (last five completed matches)
Australia LDLLL
India WWLLWIn the spotlightOut of Australia’s big three, Pat Cummins emerged as the most consistent of the quicks earlier this year – testament to his years of hard work to overcome the injuries that hampered the early parts of his career. He took a largely forgotten career-best nine-wicket match haul in Johannesburg when the focus was on anything but the cricket, and did not feature in the UAE. As with his fellow pacemen, he has been very carefully handled heading into this Test series, so hopefully he is ready to push up the speed gun. Do not ignore his improving lower-order batting, either.
How about someone other than Virat Kohli? India’s pace attack is the best they have pulled together, but they either don’t have great numbers or haven’t played much in Australia. Jasprit Bumrah falls into the latter category but shapes as a key part of India’s armoury. He made an instant difference to the attack when he came in during the England series, causing particular problems to the left handers, of which Australia have a few. However, many a talented fast bowler has come to Australia and taken too long to adjust to the conditions, especially the lengths required.1:28

Introducing Marcus Harris, Australia’s newest Test cricketer

Team newsMitchell Marsh has been dropped in favour of frontline batsman Peter Handscomb, while Marcus Harris is confirmed for a debut opening the batting. That will be alongside Aaron Finch, with Usman Khawaja taking the No. 3 spotAustralia 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Marcus Harris, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Travis Head, 7 Tim Paine (capt & wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh HazlewoodIndia have ditched their five-bowler policy and named only four frontline bowlers in their XII – the pace trio of Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah to be complemented by R Ashwin’s off-spin. The only point that is uncertain is who will bat at No.6, with both Rohit Sharma and Hanuma Vihari named in the XII.India 1 KL Rahul, 2 M Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma/Hanuma Vihari, 7 Rishabh Pant (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditionsAdelaide’s previous three Tests have been day-nighters, but India didn’t fancy one of those on this tour so it’s the ground’s first traditional Test match since 2014 when these two sides last met. The surface looked dry the day before the match and there is hot weather predicted for the first day, then warm, sunny conditions throughout so spin could be a factor.Stats and Trivia Kohli averages 98.50 at Adelaide Oval with three centuries Australia will have just one player – Nathan Lyon – who appeared in the 2014-15 Test following the omission of Mitchell Marsh. India could have seven. India have won just five of their 44 Tests in Australia – they won in Adelaide in 2003-04 on the back of Rahul Dravid’s tour de force and Ajit Agarkar’s six wickets.QuotesTim Paine: “The (Adelaide Oval) wicket over the last few years here has given enough throughout the game. We’ve got a lot of confidence in Nathan Lyon bowling the overs we need and all three of our quicks are going in very fresh.”Virat Kohli: “We’re not taking anything for granted. We just want to focus on our skills and what we need to do. We’re looking to correct things that haven’t gone right in the past.”

Gary Neville has torn into the statements made by Nottingham Forest criticising the refereeing after their 2-0 loss against Everton.

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Nottingham question referees integrityNeville rips apart Forest's statementClattenburg doubles up on Forest criticismWHAT HAPPENED?

Nottingham Forest released a statement on Sunday night, criticising the refereeing standards of the Premier League and also claiming that Video Assistant Referee, Stuart Atwell should not have been a part of the match due to his bias towards Forest's relegation rivals, Luton Town. During his segment with Sky Sports, Neville claimed that former Premier League referee, Mark Clattenburg, who is now Nottingham's refereeing consultant, must resign in protest of Nottingham's questioning of a referee's integrity. These words were immediately put down by Clattenburg, who further doubled down on Nottingham's complaints against the refereeing in an article with The Daily Mail.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT NEVILLE SAID

Speaking as an expert with Sky Sports, Neville said: "It's like a mafia gang statement, honestly. I mean what are they playing at? Look, I think anybody and everybody would have empathy and some sympathy for Forest this season with some of the decisions that they've had. The statement is like a petulant child. It's embarrassing. But they're grabbing defeat from victory. They could say, 'Why should we sit here and be badly done to and not say anything'. You can potentially come out at the end of the game – and the manager is a great spokesman at the end of the game, so is your captain – and say that we're not accepting the quality of decisions that are going against us, and that would have a real impact.

"Today has been a horrendous day for Nottingham Forest. Possibly horrendous because of the decisions that they've had, but horrendous for how they've reacted to the situation. To mention the VAR official as being a Luton fan and inferring in some way that's had an impact on the decision-making process and suggesting to me as a fan, thinking 'Has he cheated us', you're into really dangerous territory."

On Clattenburg: "Mark Clattenberg must resign tonight. If he saw those words go out in which they question the integrity of a referee and claim someone is a cheat for supporting another club, then he's supporting what is being said. He would lose all credibility with referees in the game. He should stand down tonight and distance himself from that statement."

Getty ImagesWHAT CLATTENBURG SAID

In his exclusive article with The Daily Mail, Clattenburg wrote: "One of these errors would have been bad enough. Three was a joke, and that is why Nottingham Forest were left feeling victimised after another defeat in which zero big decisions went their way. In a season where they have had to endure some egregious refereeing, this trip to Everton was as grim a game as they have encountered since returning to the Premier League.

"These situations were precisely why video technology was brought into the Premier League and yet, Attwell did not send Taylor to his monitor. Not once. It was a hat-trick of howlers from the refereeing team and, unfortunately for Forest, a continuation of an unjust trend that has hampered their survival fight.

"You will have seen the statement released by the club — how the PGMOL were contacted to warn that it was not appropriate for a Luton fan such as Attwell to play such a pivotal role in a massive match that would impact the relegation race.

"Certainly, I would not have risked this situation if I were the head of the referees and all of this could have been avoided had the PGMOL simply made smarter appointments.

"Referees do not make mistakes deliberately but this was mind-boggling to watch. Why Attwell did not send Taylor to his screen, only he will know."

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

The loss has left Nottingham's future in the Premier League in a lull as they sit in the last place of safety only a point ahead of 18th-placed Luton Town. A win on the night for Forest against Everton would have seen Nuno Espirito Santo's side jump over the Toffees in the rankings.

Southampton's Adam Armstrong continues to lead the line effectively for his South Coast club, the former Newcastle United attacker breathing down the neck of current Championship top scorer Sammie Szmodics – who has 14 goals for Blackburn Rovers – with 12 strikes for the St Mary's outfit this season.

Two of those goals came in Southampton's last game versus Cardiff City, a routine 2-0 win for Russell Martin's men who are already eyeing up an immediate return back to the Premier League after a disastrous relegation saw them drop down to the second tier.

Martin will hope that he has prolific strikers at his disposal elsewhere so the Saints don't just overly rely on Armstrong in the hunt for promotion, Che Adams springs to mind who can be a reliable option off the bench.

There's one young Saints attacker, however, who Martin will hope can become a crucial hero in the senior ranks away from this campaign.

Dom Ballard is the attacker in question, who has been a potent goalscorer for some time now in many youth squads at Southampton.

Dom Ballard's statistics at Southampton

The teenage sensation is a natural-born finisher, scoring a ridiculous 52 goals for the Saints at U18 level and in the B team.

This campaign, before a loan move out of the building materialised for the 18-year-old sharpshooter, Ballard had netted six goals in just three games in the Premier League 2 – wearing the captain's armband proudly, hitting back-to-back hat-tricks against Newcastle and Aston Villa in the process.

Ballard even has a senior goal on his already sparkling Southampton resume, scoring in the EFL Cup last season when substituted on to help his team beat Cambridge United 3-0 on the night.

That goal meant Ballard joined an exclusive list at the Saints – coming in as Southampton's fifth youngest goalscorer since 1961, joining esteemed company in Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and more who all netted in the infancy of their respective senior careers at St Mary's before making it big.

The teenager's clinical goalscoring prowess alerted Reading to his services this summer, in a loan switch that started swimmingly for the 18-year-old but ended in disaster.

Dom Ballard's time at Reading

Ballard very much took to League One football like a duck to water for the Royals, scoring three times for Ruben Selles' men from ten starts in the division.

He would add another two goals to his overall Reading total in the EFL Trophy, his new employers trouncing Exeter City 9-0 in a cup tie that saw Ballard also set up his teammates with two assists in a blistering match at St James' Park.

Yet, the loan spell – that could have been the making of the 18-year-old – was cruelly stopped in its tracks after Ballard picked up a horror injury versus Wycombe Wanderers.

Selles was understandably distraught by the promising starlet's setback in the aftermath of the Chairboys game, stating that he knows Ballard will go on to have a 'very good career in an interview after the match.

Suffering a broken patella injury, the Saints youngster will now be out of the rest of the season which has curtailed his promising Royals loan spell abruptly.

Martin will pray that his lethal attacker comes back from this lay-off still eager to fire goals in regularly, ready to one day follow in the footsteps of Walcott, Bale and Co to start regularly for the senior team.

Wrexham made it four straight wins in League Two as they ran out 3-0 winners against Crewe in their first game since securing promotion to League One.

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Mullin & Palmer combined for two goalsCannon smashed in a third in second halfTop-of-the-table clash vs Stockport up nextTELL ME MORE

Wrexham leapfrogged Mansfield into second place in League Two thanks to goals from Ollie Palmer, Paul Mullin and Andy Cannon.

Mullin and Palmer combined twice for first-half goals as the former's cross found the former AFC Wimbledon forward to head in the opener after 24 minutes. Some controversy occurred ahead of the second goal as Crewe midfielder Aaron Rowe's heavy challenge in Wrexham's half sparked an angry reaction from James McClean. Wrexham went on to score immediately after, as the free-kick was sent high up the pitch and Palmer nodded it on for Mullin to lift over the goalkeeper.

Things got worse for Crewe when Ryan Cooney was shown a red card for a handball in the middle of the field, and just five minutes later Wrexham were 3-0 up with a fine strike from Andy Cannon, boosting the Welsh team's hopes of finishing runners-up in League Two.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE MVP

Time and time again Mullin has shown just how important he is to Wrexham and this match was another example. The forward masterminded his team's victory, setting up the opening goal and then even being involved as he nudged Cooney into a handball to earn the resulting red card.

THE BIG LOSER

His team were already two goals down and faced with a mountain to climb, but Cooney's sending off left them with zero chance of getting back into the game. He will feel hard done by, however, as Mullin gave him a slight push towards the ball that ultimately earned him the straight red.

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WHAT COMES NEXT?

Next up for already-promoted Wrexham is a top-of-the-table clash against Stockport County, who were crowned League Two champions on April 16 and will join the Red Dragons in League One. Phil Parkinson's side could, however, still secure second place, although that will require Mansfield Town to fail to win at least one of their final two matches of the season.

Only 25.2 overs were possible on a frustrating day as India enforced the follow on after Kuldeep’s five for

Shashank Kishore05-Jan-20195:25

Manjrekar: Amazing how Bumrah, Kuldeep have adjusted to Test cricket

Stumps After rain took away three hours, India nipped out three lower order wickets when play resumed on the fourth day in Sydney. Then, the last-wicket pair of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood held on for an hour before wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, playing his first Test of the tour, and only his sixth overall, picked his second five-for by removing a stodgy Hazlewood, who could have been out much earlier had Hanuma Vihari held a top-edged slog sweep at midwicket. India quickly enforced the follow-on, Australia’s first at home in 31 years after securing a 322-run lead.Suddenly, the time lost to rain seemed irrelevant. Then, with four minutes before the scheduled tea interval, Jasprit Bumrah bowled a lifter that rapped Marcus Harris on the glove, with all eight light towers at the SCG burning. The blow was partly because Harris misjudged the length and looked to duck away by taking his eyes off the ball.A strong Sunday crowd that had paid good money expected a proper contest were left annoyed, much like Virat Kohli, when they saw the umpires converge to pull out the light meter and the players walked off. Sadly – or much to the relief of the Australian team – they did not return, leaving everyone debating the whys and wherefores of the cricket’s playing conditions.The big picture, however, was the situation left Australia only slightly better than the position they had been in at the start of the day.India’s first-ever series win in Australia is all but sealed. Kohli can lay his hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but he will be aching for a 3-1 scoreline. For that, India would need 10 wickets on the final day, but with a forecast similar to Saturday’s and the rule book that calls for play to stop at the slightest hint of rain or play to hinge on a light reading – despite having quality, state-of-the-art floodlights – it seems possible the Sydney Test could end in a draw.Getty ImagesThe delay at the start of play may have made Kohli’s decision to enforce the follow-on straightforward. With time running out and 14 wickets still to take, he threw the ball to Mohammed Shami and he struck off the third delivery. Pat Cummins, who had shown admirable fight both against pace and spin, got a grubber that beat the bottom to crash into the stumps.Peter Handscomb saw this as an opportunity to score runs and showed authority against Kuldeep, first by sweeping him off a length and then playing a finely-timed short arm jab to the midwicket boundary. At the other end, Shami was properly banging the ball into the pitch and getting it to respond. Handscomb was jumping back into his crease, expecting balls to rear up, only for it to sneak low. This is how he would fall eventually, but to Jasprit Bumrah, who used the age-old tactic of short-short and slightly-full to get his man. Handscomb, playing back to a length ball, only managed to chop on, the ball keeping a touch low again. The lower order was exposed to India’s pace pack under cloudy skies.Kohli quickly brought on his spinners, a move to keep his fast bowlers fresh for when he would eventually enforce the follow on. Kuldeep had a fourth when Lyon was out sweeping to a full toss that drifted away and struck him on the boot, possibly outside the line. Australia had two full reviews, but Lyon saw Starc non-committal in asking him to refer. Lyon obediently walked off. In the commentary box, Ricky Ponting was furious, terming Australia’s move ‘slack and not desperate enough.’The last-wicket pair then had some fun, making India chase deliveries to the boundary through slogs – some well-timed, others miscued – on a slow outfield, where the ball often pulled up short of the boundaries. They batted out 14 overs for 42 before Kuldeep came on to get Hazlewood with a wrong’un.Australia’s openers then had to bat out a mere four overs in the second innings before they went off and spent a better part of a farcical day in the change room even as a frustrated Sunday crowd disapproved of ICC’s rigidity with the rules by switching on the backlights of their mobile phones, as if to say ‘you want more light? Here, take this.’ Unfortunately, they know it would’ve only fallen on deaf ears.

Arsenal legend Ian Wright was left impressed by Ben White's antics with Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario during the North London derby.

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Wright praised White for derby anticsDefender tried to distract VicarioArsenal beat Tottenham 3-2WHAT HAPPENED?

The former Gunners star has heaped praise on Ben White after the defender was spotted pinching Vicario's sleeve at a corner just before Arsenal opened the scoring against Tottenham on Sunday in the Premier League. Wright claimed that the English defender's antics on the pitch paid off as the Spurs goalkeeper became distracted which led to Spurs conceding.

AdvertisementWHAT IAN WRIGHT SAID

Speaking on the , the ex-Gunners player said, "Ben White’s s***housery was beautiful. He’s the thinking man’s s***house, that’s the best way I can put it. The way Vicario got upset was f*****g brilliant, he went straight to 100 and all he did was try to undo his gloves. Vicarious was so f*****g angry!

"Ben White is a thinking man’s s***house. There are three games left now so everyone should know Ben White is going to go on the opposition goalkeeper and f**k around with him. For Tottenham to concede two goals with no one marking our s***house is poor, it’s poor. It’s poor from Tottenham and that definitely cost them."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ange Postecoglou's side were dealt a major blow in the top-four race after they went down 3-2 against their rivals in the North London derby. They conceded three goals within the first 40 minutes of the game before Cristian Romero and Heung-min Son scored a goal each in the second half to restore some pride.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

Mikel Arteta's side will next take on Bournemouth in a must-win Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The Pakistan bowling coach said that the pitch had flattened out and his was a young attack which, admittedly, could have bowled better

Danyal Rasool at the Wanderers13-Jan-2019Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood admitted that his side could have bowled a lot better in the morning, as South Africa set the visitors a colossal 382 to avoid a whitewash in Johannesburg. He also added, however, that the pitch appeared to have flattened out, allowing South Africa a degree of comfort with the bat they had not enjoyed on Saturday.”We could have bowled a lot better today, and there were patches we didn’t bowl well in Centurion and Cape Town as well,” he said. “But as you see, our bowling line-up is very inexperienced, and this is a learning curve for them. Apart from Amir, no one came here before. These are different pitches, different atmosphere, so it’s a learning curve for them.”I think the pitch flattened out a bit. For the last three days, all sides opted for the heavy roller and the pitch flattened out. I think our plan was to get them out for less than 50 or 60 runs today, so we’d have to chase 270 or 280. But credit goes to de Kock and Amla. They played really well. They left the ball well, and when they got opportunities, they hit boundaries. On this ground, there are a lot of boundary options. You don’t get lot of runs by singles, because boundaries can be had on both sides.”South Africa had begun the day still slightly precariously perched at 135 for 5, but 129 from Quinton de Kock, a half-century from Hashim Amla, and contributions from the lower order took South Africa to 304. It was de Kock’s innings however – his first century in two years – that most impressed Azhar.”De Kock is a class act. He’s one of the best players in the world. We know when he’s at the crease he will get runs, because he likes ball on bat. He has the ability to hit good balls for four, and the innings he played was very good.”Pakistan still need 232 runs to win, with seven wickets in hand. The chase, if it were to be completed, would break all sorts of records, but will require the Pakistan batsmen to show a command over South Africa’s all-pace attack that they have not come close to achieving. Mahmood, however, still felt his side were in with a shot, pointing to the sturdy little 48-run partnership brewing between Babar Azam and Asad Shafiq.”We’ve done this before [in Pallekelle in 2015, where Pakistan also chased 382]. Babar and Asad are batting really well. If they bat for a long period of time, we’ve got a really good chance. Like I said in the morning, when you get 50, you have to turn it into 70, and then on to 100. If one of these guys can get a hundred like de Kock did, then I think we’ve got a chance.”Another slight peculiarity of the day was legspinner Shadab Khan, who had enjoyed turn since day one, not being called upon until the 34th over of the day. He sent down just under five overs, but caused the batsmen the greatest discomfort during that time, taking two wickets, including de Kock’s. Azhar admitted he may well have come on earlier, but said that the early swing made Pakistan stick with pace.”That’s the decision we had to take. The ball was doing a bit and there were a lot of plays and misses. We were hoping the fast bowler did the job for us and the captain thought that was the way to go. But when he came back, he bowled really well. I’m satisfied with the bowlers’ performance overall this series. As you can see, not only did the Pakistan batting line-up struggle, but the South Africans did too.”The issue about the performance of the bowlers has become a major talking point over the past week, with Sarfraz making his frustrations with their reduced pace obvious after Pakistan succumbed to a nine-wicket defeat in Cape Town. On the first day here, Amir, too, had made it clear that he would not take questions on the subject, abruptly ending a press conference when asked. But Azhar, who has been in charge of the bowlers, used the example of Shaheen Afridi, sitting this game out with an injury, to illustrate their workload of late.”Look at Shaheen: he’s a young guy. He only played six first-class games, out of which three were Test matches. He’s bowled a lot, and we’ve been playing Test-match cricket for the last three months. The boys played eight Test matches in a few weeks. It’s tough on a young guy, because he’s not used to the workload. We miss him, but we have to manage his workload for the ODIs as well, because he’ll be crucial in the ODIs for us.”

While most of the Premier League seem to be moving to or aspiring to build the next generic modern stadium, Chelsea have (for now) stood firm and held onto one of the essential pillars that makes them who they are: Stamford Bridge.

It is a ground that has seen the lowest of lows, the highest of highs and everything in between, and with new owners and a new boss at the helm this term, it sits ready to welcome in yet another era of exciting football.

With that in mind, Football FanCast has outlined everything you need to know about Chelsea's storied ground, from its history to how best to get there, all so you'll know everything there is to know ahead of your next trip.

Stamford Bridge history

It might not be the oldest football ground in the country, but Chelsea's Stamford Bridge certainly makes it onto that list, especially as it existed for 27 years before the Blues took up residency.

The ground opened for sporting events on April 27th, 1877, but for the first 27 years of its existence, the Bridge was used primarily as a venue for track and field events, with the London Athletic Club using the ground more than any other party.

The grounds were then sold to Henry Augustus Mears and JT Mears in 1904, who wanted to turn the area into a venue for football. With the sale completed, the brothers needed someone to design their new stadium, so they turned to renowned Scottish architect Archibald Leitch.

Leitch had designed several grounds up and down the country by then and would be the lead architect on Manchester United's Old Trafford just six years later. Upon completion, the ground was offered to Fulham FC, but the Cottagers declined, leading to the creation of Chelsea Football Club in March 1905.

It didn't take long for the Blues to start drawing a massive crowd, and the new-found popularity even led to the FA staging three FA Cup finals at the ground between 1920 and 1922.

Interestingly, Chelsea almost lost Stamford Bridge in the 1980s when a property developer bought the grounds while the club were in financial ruin. The fans battled for ten years to keep their stadium, and when the property market crashed in 1992, they were finally able to bring the stadium back into the club's hands.

Stamford Bridge has a storied history on and off the pitch, and it's easy to understand why fans would never want to leave.

Stamford Bridge capacity

Stamford Bridge sits right in the middle in terms of the capacity for Premier League stadiums, with its 40,173 capacity making it the ninth-biggest ground in the league.

While it doesn't quite crack the top five in the entire league, it comes in as the fourth-biggest in the capital, behind Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, West Ham's London Stadium and Spurs' Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

62,850

2019

London Stadium

62,500

2016

Emirates Stadium

60,704

2006

Stamford Bridge

40,173

1905

Selhurst Park

25,486

1924

How to get to Stamford Bridge By train

Getting the train is probably the best way to get to Stamford Bridge on a matchday; you won't have to worry about parking or traffic. Three stations are within walking distance of the ground – one Underground and two Overground:

Fulham Broadway (London Underground): Getting off here will leave you with a walk of approximately three minutes to get to the stadium. West Brompton (London Overground): West Brompton is around a 21-minute walk to the stadium. Imperial Wharf (London Overground): Around 18 minutes away from the stadium by foot.

Several bus routes will get you close to the stadium should you wish to avoid the train altogether. The 14, 211 and 414 bus routes all stop on Fulham Road.

Additionally, the club offers bike storage for supporters who wish to cycle to the game.

By car

Driving to Stamford Bridge on matchdays is not recommended, with even the club themselves advising against it. The stadium is in a residential area, so parking is limited at the best times, and affordable parking is nearly impossible to find ahead of a game.

If you absolutely have to drive to the game, you can try to book a space with the club ahead of time, but these spaces are incredibly popular, and therefore, it is incredibly difficult to get one.

You can try to use the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital car park, but this will cost £15, and it becomes jam-packed on matchdays, so even this might be unavailable.

Stamford Bridge away end

An away day at Stamford Bridge can be a great experience once you get into the ground.

The away section is located in the Shed End lower tier, and clubs are usually given an allocation of 3,000 tickets.

The number of fans combined with the compact section can help create a great atmosphere, and the lower elevation can lead to some brilliant scenes should your team score at that end.

There is a genuine charm about Stamford Bridge, and it is definitely worth an away day.

Tottenham are reportedly "trying" to sign an in-form new defender target, and his contract is said to contain a tantalising £17.5 million release clause.

Spurs attempting to sign more centre-backs

Amid the Christmas festivities, reports suggest key figures behind-the-scenes at Spurs are in full preparation for the January transfer window.

The winter market opens for business in just under a week, and one of manager Ange Postecoglou's main priorities is bringing in a new centre-half.

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Micky van de Ven's hamstring injury in early November brought attention to the club's lack of options behind their traditional starting defence, and Cristian Romero's suspension at the time meant Postecoglou was starved of centre-back options.

Romero has since returned, but his disciplinary issues mean the Argentine is often walking a tightrope when it comes to suspensions. As a result, Spurs are working on signing another central defender, and talks have apparently been held over signing Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo (Fabrizio Romano).

"We let Davinson Sanchez go after the window closed. We kind of knew we were taking a bit of a risk; we couldn't get the extra centre-back that we were trying to get in, and for the early part of the year that was fine," said Postecoglou on Tottenham signing a centre-back (via Sky Sports).

"But once we lost Micky [van de Ven], and Eric Dier's had some issues as well, we don't have another centre-back. Young Ash Phillips had just joined the club, so it's fair to say that we can't run the risk of that happening again, so that's obviously a priority for us in January.

"But again, we've got to get the right person. It's not just about bringing another body in, it's about getting the right one in and hopefully that'll happen."

While Todibo is a real target for Spurs, as per widespread reports, there are still claims that the Lilywhites have their eyes on a host of other names.

Genoa star Radu Dragusin and Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo are other rumoured options for Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy.

New names continue to be linked with moves to N17 as well, and according to a European media source, the north Londoners are now looking towards Valencia's Yarek Gasiorowski.

Tottenham "trying" to sign Yarek Gasiorowski

Indeed, as per a report from Spain, Tottenham are one of the sides "trying" to sign Gasiorowski next year following his impressive season at the Mestalla.

The versatile defender, who can play both centrally and as a full-back, is said to have attracted Spurs' attention as they eye a 2024 swoop.

Tottenham want to reinforce their back line with more options, as per this update, and a summer swoop for Gasiorowski is on the cards. It is believed they have "more than enough resources" to tempt Valencia into selling, and according to other reports, the Spaniard's contract includes a £17.5m exit clause (The Mail).

Getafe 1-0 Valencia

6.98

Valencia 0-0 Celta Vigo

6.85

Girona 2-1 Valencia

6.67

Real Madrid 5-1 Valencia

6.26

While this move apparently wouldn't be till later in the year, Postecoglou is reportedly eager to bring in young players to feature in Tottenham's long-term project (Sky), and the young Gasiorowski may well be an attractive option for them.

Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, an expert on Europe's most exciting talents, has called the 18-year-old "simply awesome".