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Cricinfo previews the 11th match of the IPL between Delhi and Chennai at the Feroz Shah Kotla

The Preview by Jamie Alter in Delhi18-Mar-2010Match factsFriday, March 19
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Dinesh Karthik has more captaincy experience than Suresh Raina•Getty Images

Big pictureNeither side will be with the services of their influential and much revered captains. The man picked to lead Chennai Super Kings in MS Dhoni’s absence, Suresh Raina, has limited experience in the role and certainly zilch when it comes to marshalling players of international caliber and with decades of experience. Neither has he fired yet with the bat. Dinesh Karthik, Delhi Daredevils’ vice-captain, has plenty of leadership experience but his stature in the side does not match that of Gautam Gambhir. Both sides have conundrums, and that presents the biggest challenge for two power-packed sides searching for consistency in all three departments.
Chennai have, statistically, been a far better team on the road and thus they should look at the Feroz Shah Kotla, where Mumbai Indians racked up 218, with a degree of excitement. Raina, Matthew Hayden and Justin Kemp have yet to hit form and this could be the place for them to do so, and against an attack missing Ashish Nehra and having been deflated by Sachin Tendulkar, Saurabh Tiwary and Co. Chennai’s two matches, a 31-run loss to Deccan Chargers and a 55-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders, leaves room for improvement and they don’t look the strong side of the previous two IPLs. Not only has Dhoni been Chennai’s main batsman in their two games this season, but his leadership played a big role in the side bouncing back after losing the first encounter. If they can rise to the occasion in his absence, it will be a real test of their strength and proof of whether they are semi-final contenders this season.Semi-finalists on two occasions, Delhi cannot afford to lose consecutive games at home. Tipped by many to go all the way even before the IPL started, they looked good while picking up wins over Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, but received a walloping at the hands of Mumbai yesterday. They are bruised, and not having Gambhir and Nehra around has left them smarting. Delhi have a chance to go one better to get to the top of the table for if they win, but for that their catching will also need to improve. Their three matches have seen a mix of incredible takes and sloppy efforts, and up against a strong batting side they can’t afford lapses. Chennai minus Dhoni is just not the same, and Delhi must capitalise on that.Team talkGambhir injured himself during last night’s match against Mumbai and was on the field for barely 10 minutes during the 98-run loss. The team has confirmed that he will miss tomorrow’s game. The loss opens up a spot for another batsman, and frankly it is time Delhi got in David Warner. A specialist Twenty20 opener, Warner would bring to the side a velocity that they so desperately need in Gambhir’s absence and the poor run Tillakaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers are having.The overseas player to bow out would then be Farveez Maharoof, who in three matches has gone for a whopping 9.91 runs an over. Delhi could easily draft in Aavishkar Salvi as a replacement fast bowler. If, however, Delhi do not opt for Warner, then the likely scheme would be for each batsman to move up a spot and for the allrounder Rajat Bhatia to figure in the puzzle. But frankly, Delhi have kept Warner on the bench too long.Chennai have no other fitness worries apart from Dhoni, and so they should be able to field ten of the XI who beat Kolkata. Dhoni’s replacement behind the stumps will be Parthiv Patel, who has some experience opening with Hayden in previous editions of the IPL, and so he could return to the top. Parthiv has also been in good form on the domestic circuit, so that would mean M Vijay having to step aside. Chennai have the Tasmanian batsman George Bailey in their squad but it’s unlikely they’re fretting about Hayden’s poor form so much as to bench him.Previously…The first IPL saw the teams win a game against each other: Delhi beat Chennai by eight wickets away, and when Chennai visited they won a humdinger by four wickets off the final ball of the match. In 2009 the results were the same: Delhi won the first game by nine runs, Chennai the second by 18 runs.In the spotlight Raina and Karthik: Neither has hit form with the bat, but both find themselves in leading roles. Raina shot to fame during the first IPL but struggled to recapture that glory in the second, and his form in two matches this past week has not been convincing. A good player of spin, Raina could trump the likes of Amit Mishra and Sarabjit Ladda who, despite going for runs in the last game, should hold his place. Karthik, a vital member of Delhi’s shaky middle order, should move up a place in Gambhir’s absence. He’s a skilled Twenty20 player and has bailed Delhi out of a few holes in both the IPLs. This could be his toughest test yet.The compatriots: Watch out for the two turks from South Africa facing-off. Albie Morkel, who is AB de Villiers’ team-mate at their domestic franchise, the Titans, may have the rare opportunity to bowl against him. Morkel has struggled with the ball this season, and de Villiers with the bat. Who trumps who could make for exciting viewing. Similarly, the Sri Lankan pair of Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilshan stand to square off … if Dilshan lasts long enough, that is. He has two ducks and a breezy 17 to his credit, but he’s not hung around long enough to face the spinners. Countering a wily old fox could just be the antidote to poor form.Chennai’s batsmen against spin: Delhi have preferred going in with two spinners. Amit Mishra is the specialist slow bowler, but Ladda has been expensive in two games. If he is benched, Delhi could turn to the former India offspinner Sarandeep Singh, who has been relegated to carrying drinks in three matches. The bowlers will be demoralised by the treatment they received at the hands of Mumbai’s batsmen, but they haven’t been exposed to Hayden, Raina, Kemp and Morkel. Regaining their confidence against a formidable batting line-up will be a challenge and makes for compelling viewing.Prime numbers Justin Kemp may not have clicked with the bat, but with the ball he has taken three wickets at an average at nine runs each, the fourth best of the IPL this season. Kemp also has the best economy rate, 5.22.Dinesh Karthik has the most dismissals so far, four.Chatter”The blow to the elbow, that put him out of action for the next few matches, leaves us without the biggest asset a 3-in-1 champion in dynamic form.”
“The captain plays an important role. He should understand the game and should be able to take quick decisions. So many captains have been fined for slow over-ate in this tournament and we need to be careful.”

A combined bowling effort helped Sri Lanka level the two-match series 1-1 at St Paul’s Sports Complex. In another low-scoring encounter, West Indies stumbled to 160 chasing 199 and were primarily let down by three run-outs

Cricinfo staff21-Apr-2010
ScorecardA combined bowling effort helped Sri Lanka level the two-match series 1-1 at St Paul’s Sports Complex. In another low-scoring encounter, West Indies stumbled to 160 chasing 199 and were primarily let down by three run-outs.After opting to bat first, Sri Lanka began strongly, with their openers Chamari Atapattu and Dedunu Silva adding 68. But they lost their way, losing three wickets for 14 runs before a 48-run stand for the fourth wicket got them back on track. But Pamela Levine triggered another collapse as Sri Lanka lost three more wickets for 11 runs. Lavine wrapped up the innings in the penultimate ball to finish with 4 for 17.Lavine however failed with the bat as she was run-out without facing a ball in the first over of the chase. Suwini de Alwis, the left-arm spinner, chipped away at the wickets to leave the hosts in trouble at 61 for 5. Shanan Daley was involved in stands of 33 and 26 for the fifth and sixth wickets respectively to help West Indies recover but when she too was run-out, in the 37th over, the innings folded up. De Alwis was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 33.

أعلن مرتضى منصور رئيس تخفيض أسعار تذاكر جميع مباريات الزمالك خلال الموسم الحالي بالبطولات المحلية.

ويستعد الزمالك لملاقاة سيراميكا كليوباترا غدًا السبت في الجولة الثانية من الدوري المصري الممتاز.

طالع أيضًا.. مرتضى منصور يعلن إصابة ثلاثي الزمالك قبل مواجهة الأهلي وسفر الونش لإجراء عملية جراحية

وقال مرتضى منصور على قناة “زمالكاوي” الذي يعرض على قناة “الزمالك”: “التذكرة سعرها 20 جنيها للجميع لأن الزمالك غني بجماهيره وهذا لكل المشتركين في شركة تذكرتي”.

وأضاف رئيس الزمالك: “يوم الأحد صباحًا لن يكون لأي لاعب مستحقات لدى النادي”.

وكرر رئيس الزمالك تهديده بعدم خوض مباراة السوبر المصري أمام الأهلي قائلًأ: “ابتعد يا يعقوب السعدي أنت غير محايد وإذا كنت موجودًا لن نذهب لهذا اللقاء فعلا”.

ومن المقرر أن يلاقي الزمالك نظيره الأهلي يوم الجمعة المقبل في الإمارات لخوض مباراة السوبر.

Over the past couple of years since Leeds United made their way back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence when they won promotion from the Championship at the end of the 2019/20 season, the Yorkshire club have shown that they are capable of splashing the cash when it comes to signing new players.

One player that the club paid a substantial amount of money for is Rodrigo, who joined Marcelo Bielsa’s side from Spanish club Valencia in a deal worth a reported fee of £26m, making him the Yorkshire club’s record signing.

Since arriving at Elland Road, the Spaniard has not had the best of times in terms of scoring goals and registering assists on a regular basis with just nine goals and two assists in 45 appearances across all competitions, as well as having a spotty injury record that has disrupted his playing time.

Rodrigo’s time at Leeds has been the subject of criticism from Kevin Phillips who has described it as “disappointing,” suggesting that the club may have made a mistake in spending so much money on bringing the 30-year-old to Elland Road.

Taking this into account, it could be argued that Rodrigo has not been able to repay the significant amount of money that the club shelled out for him.

With all of that in mind and the fact that the club has recently been linked with a move for Lazio attacker Vedat Muriqi, who is reportedly close to leaving the Italian club this month, this could potentially lead to Rodrigo leaving the club to make way for Muriqi.

The 27-year-old, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £52k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has a total of 83 goals in 296 club appearances throughout his career, highlighting the experience he has and the ability he has at finding the back of the net, which could be crucial for Leeds throughout the remainder of the season with Patrick Bamford struggling with injuries.

With a week left until the January transfer window closes, if Lazio’s €17.5m (£15m) signing is close to leaving Rome, this could be a situation that Leeds and Victor Orta can pounce on to bring the attacker to Elland Road.

Hailed as a “dominant” figure by Smarter Scout, Muriqi could help bring an extra bit of firepower to the team and potentially push Rodrigo out as well.

In other news: Huge blow: Phil Hay relays another worrying Leeds injury update, fans surely fuming – opinion

MatériaMais Notícias

O Cruzeiro fez o seu primeiro jogo da Copinha, nesta quinta-feira contra o Batatais-SP. A partida no estádio Sócrates Stamato, na cidade de Bebedouro, terminou com a vitória do time celeste por 2 a 1. De virada, na etapa final, Vitinho e Vander garantiram o triunfo da equipe mineira.

No primeiro tempo, o Cruzeiro dominava o jogo e tinha a posse de bola, mas não conseguia finalizar com eficiência. O Batatais não desperdiçou a chance de gol aos 21 minutos, e Victor balançou as redes para a equipe paulista. Mesmo com atacantes velozes, o Cruzeiro tinha dificuldade para passar da linha de defesa do adversário, que minava as tentativas de ataque. As equipes tentavam avançar, mas sem sucesso.

Durante a segunda etapa, o Cruzeiro saiu mais para o jogo. A Raposa criou mais chances de gol e se empenhou para empatar a partida. Aos 21 minutos, Vitinho passou pela marcação e igualou o placar. Em seguida, Vander, aos 39, arriscou um chute do meio de campo e fez um golaço para o time celeste, garantindo a vitória mineira.

O Cruzeiro integra o Grupo 12 da competição, que conta ainda com Nova Iguaçu-RJ, Batatais-SP e Inter de Bebedouro-SP. Vale lembrar que a Raposa enfrenta o Nova Iguaçu, no próximo domingo, às 19h, no Bebedouro. Já o Batatais joga contra o Inter de Bebedouro, no mesmo estádio, domingo, às 17h.

Resultado de outros jogos desta quinta-feira:
​Grupo 12: Inter de Bebedouro0 x 0Nova Iguaçu
Grupo 17: Ferroviária 6 x 1 Pinheiro-MA

Liverpool have been tracking Leeds United forward Mateo Joseph Fernandez over the past 12 months, LeedsLive report.

The Lowdown: Phillips and Raphinha interest

Leeds duo Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha were wanted by West Ham towards the end of the January transfer window, however, as we know, the pair remained at Elland Road.

The two Whites stars have also been linked with Liverpool in recent months. Reports last month claimed that the Reds have been tracking Raphinha and they have also been linked with a £33.4m bid for Phillips.

However, it’s not just the English midfielder and Brazilian winger they have had their eyes on at Thorp Arch.

The Latest: Spanish sources

Leeds’ only January signing was Fernandez, who penned a three-and-a-half-year deal at Elland Road from Espanyol and will initially join up with the club’s Under-23s.

According to sources from Espanyol, relayed by LeedsLive, Liverpool and the three Spanish giants had all been keeping tabs on the award-winning 18-year-old over the past 12 months.

The Verdict: Major coup

With Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid also interested in the forward prior to his move to Yorkshire, it seems as if Victor Orta could have landed a major coup for the Whites.

Leeds have reaped the rewards of a young forward initially linking up with the club’s academy in Joe Gelhardt, who now seems to be a first-team squad member rather than an Under-23’s star.

Therefore, Fernandez could end up taking Gelhardt’s place in Mark Jackson’s side until the end of the season – should he impress at Thorp Arch, he could be the next talent to break into Marcelo Bielsa’s plans.

In other news: ‘Nice to see’, ‘Go on’ – Leeds reporters Phil Hay and Graham Smyth buzzing at free transfer news

شدد جوسفالدو فيريرا المدير الفني لنادي الزمالك على أن الهزيمة أمام الأهلي في السوبر المصري لن تحبطه وسيسعى للفوز بكافة البطولات المقبلة التي سيشارك بها.

وخسر الزمالك لقب السوبر أمام الأهلي بعد هزيمته بثنائية في المباراة التي أٌقيمت على ملعب هزاع بن زايد في الإمارات اليوم.

طالع أيضًا.. حازم إمام ينتقد فيريرا: يهدر مجهود لاعب الزمالك.. وارتكب أخطاء كثيرة أمام الأهلي

وقال فيريرا في المؤتمر الصحفي بعد المباراة: “في جزء كبير من المباراة كنا أفضل ولكن لم نستطع أن نحرز التعادل، وأحمد فتوح أجبرنا على تغيير شكل الفريق فهو لاعب كبير ومؤثر جدا”.

وأضاف: “تلقينا هدفًا وكان علينا تحريك الفريق للظهور بشكل أفضل هجوميًا وبالفعل كنا أفضل في الشوط الثاني واضعنا فرصًا كثيرة ولكن الأهلي فريق كبير استغل الفرص”.

وواصل: “هدفهم الثاني كنا ندافع بثنائي دفاعي فقط، وهذه المباريات لا نلعب على نقاط ولكن الفريق الذي يسجل، يكسب”.

وتابع: “أهنيء اللاعبين على الأداء وأشكرهم على مجهودهم وأشكر الجماهير على حضورهم ودعمهم الكبير”.

وأردف: “السوبر معروف أنه يٌلعب بين بطل الدوري والكاس ونحن أبطال البطولتين.. أمامنا مباراة بعد أيام في الدوري وعلينا استكمال مسيرتنا والعودة إلى الفوز”.

واستأنف: “هذه الهزيمة الأولى لنا منذ مباراة طلائع الجيش وهذا وارد، سنستمر في السير على نفس النهج لأن المباريات النهائية لها ظروف خاصة.. والأهلي فريق كبير حتى ولو كنا تفوقنا عليه في آخر موسمين”.

وأضاف: “الخسارة لن تؤثر علينا وسنحارب من أجل استكمال مسيرة البطولات ونكمل مشوار التفوق، فالزمالك فريق كبير”.

وأوضح: “أي لقب بالنسبة لي مهم، وحزين لخسارة السوبر ولكنها لن تحبطنا، وفهمنا أننا نمتلك فريقًا قادرًا على التتويج بالبطولات خلال الفترة القادمة وهذا ما سنعمل عليه”.

واختتم: “عبدالله جمعة لم يشارك في عدد كبير من التدريبات خلال الفترة الأخيرة بسبب الإصابة لذلك لم يتم الدفع به”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo não terá a maioria de seus principais jogadores em sua estreia no Campeonato Paulista, contra o São Bento, em Sorocaba, nesta quarta-feira. E as mudanças na escalação serão constantes. Dorival Júnior afirma que está preparando dois times diferentes para começar o Estadual.

– Estamos preparando duas equipes para que possamos aproveitar o máximo possível e, também, tenhamos condições de estarmos fortes em todas as partidas que disputarmos. Mesmo com poucos dias, acredito muito no que tem sido trabalhado ao longo desse período, confio que estaremos muito bem desde a primeira rodada – disse o técnico.

A programação da comissão técnica, traçada ainda no fim de 2017, foi de que o time titular completo só deve estrear no dia 27, em clássico contra o Corinthians. O motivo é a curtíssima pré-temporada, com apenas 14 dias de treino antes da estreia oficial. E o Tricolor ainda busca reforços, com Dorival cobrando que a diretoria traga atletas, principalmente, empenhados.

– Não exijo nomes. Quero aqui jogadores dispostos, que estejam realmente focados no trabalho do dia a dia e abracem nosso conceito de jogo. Com isso acontecendo, caminhamos a passos largos para que encontremos uma equipe ideal que dê uma resposta ao torcedor e, principalmente, nos dê confiança. Gosto de uma equipe que se exiba pelo que ela pode produzir, mas que também alcance resultados – falou, empolgado com a base, cada vez mais presente no CT da Barra Funda.

– É a base que dá vida e alma aos clubes, e confio muito nesse tipo de trabalho. A formação é feita na base, com muitos profissionais, e, como treinador, tenho a função de dar a primeira oportunidade. Estarão dando sustentação a quem já tem vivência maior. Procurei fazer isso em todos os clubes que passei. Gosto deste tipo de trabalho, com mescla, e podemos melhorar ainda mais em 2018.

Neste espírito, os garotos que já convivem com o time principal, com muitos deles se preparando para jogar na quarta-feira, ouvem de Dorival sobre a importância do Campeonato Paulista. O técnico quer levantar o troféu que o clube não conquista há 13 anos.

– Com certeza, é o torneio regional mais difícil e equilibrado do país. Dizem que é uma competição sem importância, mas eu valorizo, sim, e sei o quanto é fundamental alcançar um grande resultado com o São Paulo. O clube busca isso. Será um campeonato especial, e farei o máximo possível para vencer.

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The Ashes may be six months away, but a solitary Test against an unexpectedly obdurate Bangladesh has already identified the man who will surely come to be recognised as England’s new attack leader

Andrew Miller at Lord's31-May-2010

The Ashes may be six months away, but a solitary Test against an unexpectedly obdurate Bangladesh has already identified the man who will surely come to be recognised as England’s new attack leader. Whether it rains or shines in Brisbane in November, and whether England opt for four bowlers or five, one man has the attributes to be a menace in all conditions. Steven Finn is now 6-1 on to board that flight to Australia, and if David Laws was still at the Treasury, he’d be wiring the budget deficit down to Ladbrokes as we speak.It’s not so much the wickets that Finn harvested, but the overall manner in which he went about his work. After all, Steve Harmison once used his extreme height to claim nine against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2003-04, but you cannot imagine two fast bowlers with more polarised temperaments. Of course, when it comes to Brisbane, the less said about Harmison the better, except to say is hard to imagine Finn’s mood and mechanics collapsing in anything like the same manner as occurred on the opening morning in 2006-07.Finn’s modus operandi is simple and to the point. He has a measured run-up and an easy action, reminiscent of the great Glenn McGrath insofar as there is next to nothing that can seemingly go wrong with it. No exaggerated leaps or collapsing front arms, no obvious strain on his back or knees or neck – just a peculiar propensity to lose his footing in his followthrough, which the man himself put down to a 6’7″ frame that turns him into “Bambi on ice” when he gets his tail up.Like McGrath, Finn has made his mark on the Lord’s honours board at the very first attempt. But as James Anderson put it on the third evening, the character whom he takes after the most is his director of cricket at Middlesex, Angus Fraser, who claimed six of his finest wickets on a dead deck in Melbourne in 1990-91, and whom Finn unwittingly echoed when appraising his Man-of-the-Match performance after the game”It was nice to get nine wickets in the game but if I’m being hard on myself I probably got hit for a few too many fours,” he said, as images of Gus’s flying boot and double-teapot stance flooded the mind’s eye. “I’m going to be tough on myself, so if I play the next game at Old Trafford it’s something I’ll look to rectify.”The modesty wasn’t intended as false, but there’s no question that Finn – injury permitting – will resume his role on a surface that is arguably the most consistently rapid in the modern Test game. “Of course Old Trafford appeals to me, after playing in Bangladesh and now on a relatively slow wicket out here,” he said. “I’ve never bowled there before, and it’ll be interesting to go up there tomorrow, but at the end of the day, a cricket wicket is a cricket wicket, you’ve got to land it in the right area whether it’s bouncy or slow and low.”That is the attribute that marked Finn out as the most reliable and aggressive bowling option on display at Lord’s. Where Anderson’s effectiveness seemed to be in direct correlation to the position of the sun – and there’ll be no place to hide in the midday heat at Adelaide – Finn kept his opponents on their toes in all conditions, and while he dismissed his two key breakthroughs on the fifth morning as “indifferent” balls, the drip-drip of pressure that he had already applied meant that Shakib Al Hasan and Junaid Siddique snatched at their offerings and gave their wickets away.For Andrew Strauss, who admitted he’d felt somewhat “rusty” in his first game for England since January, Finn’s excellence was as much of a relief as it was a delight, and he was happy to welcome the notion of taking such a player Down Under. “If you look at bowlers who take wickets in Australia, those kind of heavy hit-the-deck bowlers tend to do well,” he said. “Glenn McGrath had a reasonable career in Australia.”There’s a lot of water under the bridge to be had before then,” he added. “Hopefully we’ll have a full complement of bowlers to pick from, with the likes of Stuart Broad and Graham Onions to come back, and everyone will be jostling for position which is a healthy thing for the side. But he’s obviously got some great attributes, his height and a pretty clean action, and early in your career it’s fantastic to get wickets and show you belong at this level, which he has done.”In keeping with the tradition that Tamim Iqbal alluded to in century celebrations on Sunday, Finn had the pleasure of returning to the dressing-room to find his name already taped up on the board by the team physio, Kirk Russell. “He’d been nagging me all game,” said Finn. “Since I got four in the first innings and messed up a bit in the morning trying to take five yesterday, the physio has been down my earhole, saying ‘I want to see you on the board, I want to see you on the board’. So it was great to see my name up there, it’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was younger.”So too, presumably, is that starring role in an Ashes campaign, but right now, Finn is reluctant to let his thoughts drift too far from the present. “I’m not going to kid myself,” he said. “I’ve had fun in this Test match and I’m loving playing for my country at the moment, but it’ll be a lot of hard work for me, because there are guys to come back in who are ahead of me in the pecking order.”Fundamentally, it’s up to me to make it difficult for the selectors to drop me, whether I do that playing for England or through consistent performances for Middlesex throughout the season. If I keep taking wickets, my name will be there or thereabouts, but it’ll be a lot of hard work.”

West Ham United blocked Darren Randolph from leaving on deadline day, with Aston Villa and Leeds United keen on the Irishman, according to The Athletic.

The Lowdown: Busy January for Villa

Villa were proactive in the January transfer window, adding four senior players to Steven Gerrard’s squad, one of which was goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

The club also tied down Emiliano Martinez to a new contract and ended up allowing Jed Steer to move to Luton Town on loan.

However, it seems as if Villa’s NSWE ownership were keen on bringing in Randolph, who was described as ‘ridiculous’ by former Middlesbrough team-mate Ryan Shotton, late in the window.

The Latest: Hammers blocked Randolph move

According to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, the Hammers stopped Randolph from leaving on loan late in the January transfer window.

The reporter name-checked Villa and Leeds as the two possible destinations for the Irish goalkeeper, who has commanded £9.27m in transfer fees during his career.

The Verdict: Not the end of the world

Gerrard has two senior options at Villa in Martinez and Olsen following Steer’s departure, so missing out on Randolph shouldn’t prove to be a disaster.

The Argentine has missed just one of Villa’s 59 Premier League games since signing in 2020, proving his reliability in the Midlands.

On that basis, Villa shouldn’t be worried about missing out on Randolph – if Martinez is sidelined, another experienced campaigner in Olsen should be there to fill the void.

In other news: ‘Can’t believe that’ – Ashley Preece makes Villa claim on Boubacar Kamara and ‘huge’ summer plan