Wednesday, June 26 is a massive sports day with the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, but there is also plenty of afternoon baseball to dive into, starting with the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays at 12:10 p.m. EST. 

Every day at SI Betting, we break down our favorite props, best bets, straight up picks and home run picks in Major League Baseball. 

With a loaded Wednesday slate, I’ve narrowed down two plays – one prop and one side – for June 26. 

MLB Best Bets Today

• New York Yankees Moneyline (-148) vs. New York Mets
• Brady Singer UNDER 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (-160)

New York Yankees Moneyline (-148) vs. New York Mets

The New York Yankees have been struggling as of late, losing Tuesday’s matchup with the New York Mets to fall to just 3-7 in their last 10 games. 

However, New York is in a prime bounce-back spot with rookie Luis Gil on the mound on Wednesday. 

Gil has a 2.77 ERA on the season, and while he was rocked in his last outing against the Baltimore Orioles, he has led the Yanks to a 12-3 record in 15 starts. Plus, the youngster has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 13 of his 15 outings.

The Mets are countering with Sean Manaea (4-3, 4.16 ERA), but I’m concerned about him as of late. The lefty has a 6.75 ERA in June, with the Mets going just 1-3 in his four starts. His season-long ERA has jumped from 3.63 to 4.16 in the process.

The Yankees are still one of the better offensive teams in baseball, and they scored seven runs in Tuesday’s loss. Don’t be shocked if they ride a Gil start to a win on Wednesday. 

Brady Singer UNDER 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (-160)

Kansas City Royals righty Brady Singer has pitched well in 2024, posting a 3.29 ERA across 15 starts. 

He’s in a prime spot to build on that on Wednesday, as the Royals take on the Miami Marlins, who rank 29th in the league in OPS and runs scored this season. 

Singer has just four starts all season where he’s allowed more than two earned runs, and since a rough outing on June 11 against the Yankees, he’s rebounded to allow just four runs over 11 innings of work against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers.

Miami is easily the best matchup Singer has had this month, and I expect him to find his early season form where he posted a 2.63 ERA through the first two months.

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, GOAL looks at how the U.S. squad might look in the upcoming November camp

To close the 2025 calendar year, the U.S. men's national team booked heavy-hitting opponents, both of whom have already qualified for next summer's World Cup. Up first is Paraguay, a team clearly on the upswing ahead of their first World Cup since 2010. Then comes Uruguay, one of the world's best teams – and the squad that knocked the USMNT out of the 2024 Copa America on home soil.

The plan, then, always seemed to be to really attack these games, to use them as a measuring stick against World Cup quality opposition. Unfortunately, due to injuries, it's unlikely Maurcio Pochettino will be able to field the best version of the USMNT.

Heading towards the November international break, the U.S. is dealing with something of an injury crisis. Multiple key players are dealing with issues of varying concern. Some could just do with a rest. Others need to be assessed as Pochettino and his staff partner with clubs to assess players' short- and long-term future.

There will be some missing pieces this month. The big question is how many?

So who's in and who's out? What are the tough calls Pochettino will have to make? GOAL takes a look.

GettyFirst, the injured list

We'll start at the top with Christian Pulisic, whose status for this camp has been a talking point. He hasn't featured for AC Milan since going down with an injury after a rash tackle in the USMNT's 2-1 win over Australia on Oct. 14, reports out of Italy suggest the club Milan were none too pleased about Pulisic's workload.

Milan have reportedly asked the USMNT to leave Pulisic with the club during this international break as he continues his recovery and – considering the fact that he hasn't played since injury – that's almost certainly the best course of action for all involved.

Antonee Robinson, too, was in last month's camp but, due to his injury situation, didn't play in either game. In fact, he hasn't played since a 10-minute cameo against Aston Villa in late September, and will almost certainly be left out of this camp.

Two key midfielders, Malik Tillman and Johnny Cardoso, are nearing their returns from injury, and both could use USMNT minutes to solidify their places. Again, though, calling in either could be a risk due to their lack of minutes.

Then there's Tim Weah. He's dealing with a thigh injury and all indications are that he won't be available for these two USMNT friendlies. Same for Cameron Carter-Vickers, who will be out for months after getting injured with Celtic.

Depending on which combination of those are available, if any, there could be some monstrous gaps in the roster.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportGoalkeepers

GOAL's picks: Matt Freese, Patrick Schulte, Matt Turner, Chris Brady

This group, more than most, might be at the mercy of MLS playoff scheduling. Last camp, Pochettino said that call-ups were made with the MLS postseason in mind, so don't be surprised if someone such as Freese or Schulte is left at home should their teams advance.

Because we're talking goalkeepers here, though, there's less concern about wear and tear, so Pochettino could opt to barrel ahead with his full-strength group. If Freese does stay with NYCFC, it would open the door for Turner to make a long awaited return as a starter. We haven't seen him play for the USMNT since the pre-Gold Cup friendlies, with Freese serving as the USMNT's No. 1 since.

With or without the NYCFC goalkeeper, could Turner get a look this camp after getting back into form playing for the New England Revolution? This position is still very much in flux.

Getty Images SportDefenders

GOAL's picks: Max Arfsten, Noahkai Banks, Sergino Dest, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards,  Miles Robinson

Starting with the centerbacks, Richards is a talking point after Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner took aim at the USMNT over the defender's workload. He then proceeded to play him for 90 minutes immediately after, making that more posturing than any serious concern. The USMNT can surely call in Richards if they want to and, given his importance to the team, why wouldn't they?

Next to him, Ream could be left at home for Charlotte FC's playoff run. But even if they don't advance, a bit of a break probably wouldn't be too bad for him. He is a proven commodity, after all, so there isn't much harm in leaving him off. That, then, could open the door for someone such as Banks or perhaps even Campbell to get some valuable minutes at centerback after having some good moments to start the European season.

At wingback, Dest is back playing for PSV and could certainly use more time with Pochettino and his staff. Freeman, meanwhile, is fresh off an MLS Young Player of the Year award and continues to grow with the national team, so that's the right side taken care of. On the left, Arfsten has largely stepped up in Antonee Robinson's absence, while Dest can provide depth, too.

The wildcard? Scally. He has been performing in the Bundesliga but has been crowded out of the U.S. fullback position in recent months. Could this be the camp he leaps back into the picture?

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Getty ImagesMidfielders

GOAL's picks: Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Diego Luna, Weston McKennie, Aidan Morris, Cristian Roldan, James Sands, Tanner Tessmann

With some notable absences such as Pulisic and Tillman, there is a lack of attacking firepower in the midfield. McKennie is seen in that spot, so the good news is he's available. Brenden Aaronson, meanwhile, is in good form at Leeds and could use this opportunity to lock down a World Cup spot.

Then there's the big one: Reyna. He's played sparingly for Borussia Monchengladbach, but is there a need for his creativity this camp?

In terms of deeper midfielders, no worries. Adams should be back, although a knock suffered this past weekend against Manchester City might impact things. Tessmann, Sands, Morris and Roldan, meanwhile, are all fighting for a spot next to him, while McKennie, too, could drop back if needed.

It’s hard to think of another point in recent memory when Arsenal have had such a strong squad.

Rival sides might have spent hundreds of millions of pounds on individual superstars, but Mikel Arteta and Co have built a group with few if any real weaknesses.

With that said, even though there are talented players in every position, it is still quite easy to proclaim Bukayo Saka the pick of the bunch and the Gunners’ most important star.

Moreover, should they get up to speed, one of Arteta’s summer signings could help the Hale Ender reach the level of Thierry Henry as a creator.

Thierry Henry's creative genius

When most people think of Henry, the first thing that usually comes to mind is his incredible goalscoring ability.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

After all, during his time with Arsenal, the Frenchman racked up an astounding haul of 228 goals in 377 games, and if that wasn’t enough, he also chalked up a tally of 51 goals in 123 senior caps for France across his career.

However, what is sometimes overlooked by non-Arsenal fans is just how creative a player he could be, for the simple fact that assists and chances created are generally less memorable than a goal.

Henry’s Arsenal record
Appearances	377
Minutes	30532′
Goals	228
Assists	104
Goal Involvements per Match	1.13
Minutes per Goal Involvement	91.96′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Yet, during his time with the Gunners, the Les Ulis-born legend managed to rack up an impressive tally of 104 assists, which works out to one every 3.62 games, and if that wasn’t enough, he also managed 20 goals and 20 assists in the 02/03 league season.

But what made the Frenchman such a creative force? Well, playing with a host of world-class attackers and under the management of Arsène Wenger certainly helps, but it was more than that.

It was in part down to the same reason he could so wonderfully place a shot into the corner of the net, but also his general attitude to trying risky things.

For example, he said that, “I know it sounds stupid, don’t be scared to make mistakes. That stops a lot of players.”

In all, Henry was an extraordinary creator as well as a world-class goalscorer, and while Saka might not ever quite reach his level when it comes to the former, a recent signing could help him do that for the latter.

The Arsenal player who could help Saka reach Henry levels

While Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi could help Saka get closer to Henry’s goalscoring levels through the chances they end up creating, it’s Viktor Gyokeres who could help the Englishman reach his creative level.

Now, it has to be said, that with the current goalscoring form of the Swede, such an idea may seem absurd. After all, he’s been so hit or miss that Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville described him as a “misfit”.

However, it’s important to remember the league season is just eight games old, he’s already put the ball in the back of the net three times and his form over the last two years was nothing short of world-class.

For example, during his two seasons with Sporting CP, the 27-year-old “monster” as he was desribed by journalist Alex Turk, scored a staggering 97 goals and provided 28 assists in 102 appearances, totalling 8417 minutes.

That works out to an average of 1.22 goal involvements every single game, or one every 67.33 minutes, so while he won’t get those numbers in England, he hasn’t just lost the ability to get shots off and find space in the penalty area.

In fact, this was something fans finally saw in the game against Fulham, as while he failed to score, there was a moment in the first half that his smart movement gave him the chance to, and who did the pass come from? Saka, of course.

The second reason the former Coventry City star could help the 24-year-old’s creative numbers explode this season is down to this movement, his physicality and the fact he, as Mattinson says, plays with “real venom.”

This bulldozing approach to centre-forward play is already freeing up more space for Saka to operate in, and once again fans saw the fruits of this at Craven Cottage.

Saka’s game vs Fulham
Minutes	99′
Expected Assists	0.55
Total Shots	2
Key Passes	7
Dribbles (Successful)	7 (6)
Big Chances Created	1
Touches	86
Fouls Won	5
Ball Recoveries	9
Ground Duels (Won)	20 (13)
All Stats via Sofascore

In his 99 minutes of action, he amassed an expected assists figure of 0.55, took two shots, took 86 touches, completed six of seven dribbles, created one big chance, played seven key passes – yes, seven – and was named the man of the match.

Ultimately, while he is firing yet, Gyokeres’ innate finishing ability and the fact he drags opposition defenders away from Saka so often could help the Hale Ender reach Henry-esque creative numbers by the end of the season.

Hale End's "Saka regen" left for £0, now he's outscoring Arsenal's starboy

Arsenal had a Bukayo Saka regen in Hale End that Edu allowed to leave.

By
Ben Gray

Oct 20, 2025

قال خالد مرتجي أمين صندوق النادي الأهلي، إنه كان يتمني الفوز على الزمالك بنتيجة كبيرة، خلال المباراة النهائية لبطولة كأس السوبر التي جمعت بينهما مساء الأحد.

وحقق النادي الأهلي الفوز على الزمالك، في المباراة النهائية لبطولة كأس السوبر المصري بنتيجة 2-0، ليحصد اللقب للمرة الـ16 في تاريخه والخامسة على التوالي.

وقال مرتجي خلال تصريحات عبر قناة “النهار” لبرنامج “الصورة”: “الجميع في الأهلي كان على قلب رجل واحد، والعمل كان من أجل إسعاد الجماهير”.

طالع | أشرف بن شرقي: نسعى لحصد جميع البطولات مع الأهلي.. ويعدد ميزات ييس توروب

وأضاف: “الأهلي أفضل اسكواد في إفريقيا، معه جهاز فني محترم، كنا نحتاج إلى هذه البطولة ومن الزمالك، بالأخص، ستكون بداية البطولات”.

وتابع: “الفترة الماضية توجد إصابات مؤثرة في الفريق، نشعر بدور المدير الفني الجديد ييس توروب، في الفريق واللاعبون يحبونه، شاهدت الأهلي في المباراتين الماضيتين، شكل مختلف وجميل”.

وأكمل: “كنت أتمنى الفوز على الزمالك بنتيجة أكبر من ذلك، عندما تفوز بالسوبر من الهرم الثاني في مصر، يكون له شكل مختلف، الزمالك منافس النادي الأهلي”.

وبسؤاله هل توجد خطة لصفقات يناير؟، أوضح: “هذا الأمر لا يخصني ولا أتحدث عنه، هو مسؤولية لجنة الخطيط مع المدير الفني والمشرفين على الكرة، أنا متفائل، هم يعملون باحترافية كبيرة”.

وأتم: “نحن كمجلس إدارة لا نتأخر على الجهاز الفني أو شراء لاعبين، والموسم الماضي أظهر ذلك”.

Liverpool have been backed to sign a “magnificent” player in the January transfer window, but they will face competition from Real Madrid.

Carragher bemoans Liverpool "crisis"

The champions lost a fourth successive Premier League game on Saturday evening, with the 3-2 defeat away to Brentford continuing a scarcely believable run of poor form, and big-money signings like Florian Wirtz struggling again.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes this is now a genuine “crisis” for Arne Slot, not holding back in his criticism of the champions for Sky Sports.

“Losing four games in a row for Brentford would be a disaster. To see the champions do it with the expenditure in the summer means we’re in crisis time for Liverpool right now. There will be a lot of serious questions asked in the dressing room between the players and the coaching staff and the people above the manager.

“When they’ve looked at what they’ve spent, they’ll be looking for a lot more. Liverpool have to look at the physicality and height within their team because, right now, I don’t think they have enough.”

Liverpool are struggling in many areas, not least in defence, with 14 goals already conceded in their first nine league games this season. It could be that a new defender is looked at, and a fresh update has emerged regarding the Reds’ winter window plans.

Liverpool backed to sign "magnificent" centre-back

Speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown claimed Liverpool could look to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi in January to fend off interest from the likes of Madrid.

“There’s obviously been a hell of a lot of talk about Marc Guehi, they missed out in the summer and now there’s all sorts of clubs having a look at him. At first, it seemed like a certainty that he would go to Liverpool in January, but that doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment because he’s got these other options.

“It’s no surprise that the likes of Real Madrid are in for him now, he’s England’s starting centre-back and he’s going to be available for free. But I’ve always felt Liverpool could try to get it done in January even if it isn’t a certainty any more. He is by far the best option out there at the moment, and he’ll be available for £35million or less, which is a bargain fee for a defender of that quality.

“When you consider the difficulties they’ve had in defense lately, I expect they’ll be even more determined to get that deal done as soon as possible.”

Appearances

9

9

Starts

9

9

Minutes played

810

746

Clearances per game

5.4

5.4

Aerial duel wins per game

3.0

3.9

Tackles per game

1.9

1.9

Goals

1

0

Assists

1

0

Missing out on Guehi on deadline day felt significant at the time, and it almost feels as though things have unravelled for Liverpool ever since then. He even assisted against them in the Eagles’ 2-1 win at Selhurst Park, and has been called “magnificent” by former Reds left-back Stephen Warnock.

The 25-year-old would surely be starting over the out-of-form Ibrahima Konate currently, and he would have added much-needed centre-back depth, especially with Giovanni Leoni now out injured for the rest of the season.

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Liverpool’s crisis deepened as they were condemned to a fourth successive Premier League defeat at Brentford.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 26, 2025

If the chance arises to sign Guehi in January, Liverpool simply must swoop, or if not, snap him up on a free transfer at the end of the season. It would be a surprise if Palace allowed him to leave before then, especially with European commitments, but receiving a fee for him could still appeal.

New West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo is continuing to assess his best squad as the Hammers look to swerve a relegation dogfight.

Nuno raises eyebrows with West Ham team to play Brentford

Nuno attracted plenty of criticism after fielding what was a bizarre starting line-up last time out against Brentford.

The Portuguese seriously tinkered with his side, playing Olly Scarles and Kyle Walker-Peters on their opposite full-back sides and going with the largely static midfield duo of Tomas Soucek and Andy Irving.

Despite speculation that highly-rated young striker Callum Marshall – who scored for fun in West Ham’s youth setup and got into double figures on loan at Huddersfield last season – was due to start, Nuno instead went with Lucas Paqueta as a false nine.

By all accounts, his experiment was a disaster.

West Ham failed to lay a glove on Brentford throughout a dire 90 minutes where Keith Andrews’s side strolled to a 2-0 victory at the London Stadium, and the home side were lucky the scoreline wasn’t more embarrassing.

West Ham’s results in the Premier League so far

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Tony Cottee slammed Nuno’s “awful” West Ham team selection to play Brentford, and he wasn’t the only one.

It will be interesting to see how the former Nottingham Forest boss sets his team up to play Leeds at Elland Road tonight, but there are a couple of players who definitely won’t be taking part.

Almost immediately after replacing Graham Potter, Nuno axed vice-captain James Ward-Prowse from the matchday squad, and the Englishman hasn’t featured since.

The 30-year-old, who is believed to be one free-kick goal away from matching David Beckham’s all-time Premier League record of 18, isn’t fancied at all by Nuno and reports suggest that Ward-Prowse is likely to leave West Ham in January.

Niclas Füllkrug, George Earthy and Konstantinos Mavropanos will also miss West Ham’s trip to Leeds through injury.

Meanwhile, as per insider ExWHUemployee, Nuno is unlikely to start summer signing Callum Wilson.

ExWHUemployee shares real reason why Nuno is snubbing Callum Wilson

Writing via his Patreon, Ex has responded to claims that West Ham are hesitant to play the Englishman due to a high appearance fee.

The club signed Wilson on a free transfer from Newcastle, and reports at the time stated that the majority of his West Ham earnings would come through a ‘pay as you play’ agreement, where as much as 90 per cent of his salary could depend on appearances made.

This has led to murmurs that West Ham aren’t playing Wilson to save cash, but Ex has refuted this.

It is actually believed that Nuno simply doesn’t fancy Wilson at West Ham, making the need for a new centre-forward in January all the more pressing.

Nuno definitely cannot play Paqueta up top again following a pretty lacklustre display against Brentford, where he lost possession a seismic 23 times.

The Brazilian is far better utilised playing in midfield where he can influence the game with his creativity, so Nuno will likely go with either Marshall or Jarrod Bowen as a makeshift striker.

This being said, West Ham legend Tony Gale is convinced that Nuno needs to play Wilson as the number nine.

Aston Villa are poised to wave goodbye to a “wonderful footballer” pretty shortly, as a new report reveals this week.

Aston Villa turn corner under Unai Emery after disastrous start

It took Unai Emery’s side five Premier League games to score their first goal of the season, with Matty Cash’s long-range pile driver against newly-promoted Sunderland finally opening their account.

After a very difficult summer transfer window marred by issues with PSR, their severe lack of attacking impetus had many supporters fearing the worst, but in a huge sigh of relief for the Villans, they’re starting to hit an excellent run of form.

Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle

Brentford 1-0 Aston Villa

Aston Villa 0-3 Crystal Palace

Everton 0-0 Aston Villa

Sunderland 1-1 Aston Villa

Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham

Aston Villa 2-1 Burnley

Since Cash burst the net at the Stadium of Light, Villa have sealed two wins from two of their opening Europa League games, whilst securing precious back-to-back Premier League wins against Fulham and Burnley.

The recent departure of Monchi, who left his role as Aston Villa sporting director, also marks the beginning of a new era, with former Real Sociedad chief Roberto Olabe brought in as Villa’s replacement.

Aston Villa's president of football operations, Monchi.

In one of his final acts as the club’s ‘president of football operations’, Monchi agreed to let midfielder Enzo Barrenechea join José Mourinho’s Benfica on loan with an obligation to buy.

Enzo Barrenechea on the verge of permanent Aston Villa exit to Benfica

Interestingly, according to A Bola this week, the conditions of his loan-to-buy clause mean that Barrenechea is just one game away from becoming a permanent Benfica player and leaving Villa Park for good.

Apparently, all requirements for the permanent option to be triggered are nearly met, including appearances, and Villa are about to receive a £10 million payment for the Argentine, on top of the £2.5 million loan fee they got in the summer, right after he makes another cameo.

Indeed, once Barrenechea is given his next nod for Benfica, he’ll have met the 15 games required to activate his permanent move to Portugal.

The 24-year-old joined Villa in a swap deal last year with Douglas Luiz heading the other way to Juventus, but he hasn’t made a single appearance for Villa.

He was sent out on loan to Valencia in his debut season, where he seriously impressed for the La Liga side, though it is now Mourinho who’s poised to snap up Villa’s forgotten “wonderful footballer”.

“You called me to talk about my favourite player,” said coach Andrea Bonatti, who worked with the player at Juve’s youth academy.

“He is a wonderful footballer. He has many virtues. He is very technical, he controls the ball very well under pressure, he has that ability that comes from futsal, which allows him to have good ball coverage. He has an excellent short game with both legs. And a great long movement, when you have to give speed to the game.

“He is very brave in aerial play, in heading. He is very helpful in defensive and offensive actions in the air. He covers a lot of ground, he is a 6 that gives a lot of balance, that frees up a lot for the teammate next to him. He is always on alert, with a great tactical sense, giving orders to avoid transitions against the rival team.”

Despite the occasion being Nuno Espirito Santo’s first game in charge of West Ham United at the London Stadium, the Monday night affair between the Hammers and Brentford had a subdued feeling from the get-go.

Planned protests against Hammers chairman David Sullivan and vice-chairman Karen Brady meant sections of West Ham’s ground were sparsely filled throughout, with the feeling around their home stadium only worsening by the full-time whistle, as a 2-0 defeat kept the East Londoners deep in the Premier League relegation mix.

Nuno is clearly still getting used to all the new players at his disposal, as some surprising alterations were on show for the clash with the Bees. Most notably, Malick Diouf sat on the bench alongside the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Guido Rodriguez.

Unfortunately, none of those changes worked, with Mathias Jensen’s late strike condemning Nuno’s side to a miserable sixth league defeat of the season already, which also leaves the ex-Nottingham Forest boss still searching for a first win in the Hammers dug-out.

West Ham's biggest underperformers vs Brentford

Truthfully, although it took until the 94th minute for Jensen to seal the win for Keith Andrew’s visitors, Brentford should have had the game tied up long before this last-gasp stunner.

Indeed, the Bees would tally up a mammoth 15 shots just in the first half, as the ropey centre-back duo of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo were continually caught out by the physical approach of Igor Thiago, with a long ball over the top late into the first half catching Kilman out, before Thiago eventually bundled home the opener.

19-year-old Oliver Scales also noticeably struggled on a surprise start, with just one of his aerial duels being won before being hauled off on the 46th minute mark.

Another intriguing selection decision by Nuno in handing Andy Irving a first Premier League start of the season also fell flat, as the Scotsman gave up possession ten times as an unassured body in central midfield.

Even Jarrod Bowen was quiet to further add to the misery on display, with the usually dependable Hammers captain only managing to tally up a lacklustre xG of 0.08 come the full-time whistle, firing a few chances off target.

He wasn’t the only first team regular who decided to put in a no-show against Brentford, however.

West Ham star has regressed under Nuno

While Graham Potter was deservedly sacked after collecting a dire four defeats from five Premier League games at the start of the season, at least Lucas Paqueta stood out as a bright spark during those tough times.

The Brazilian certainly lived up to his previous “explosive” billing – as he was once labelled by Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp – when collecting two goals across this choppy patch of matches, with a kiss of the badge after confidently tucking a penalty away at Forest cementing his reputation as a fan favourite.

However, he hasn’t looked quite so razor-sharp in front of goal since Nuno entered the building, with only a meagre four efforts attempted by the enigmatic Brazilian across his new manager’s first three league games at the helm. That must be particularly worrying considering that he operated as a false 9 in the absence of the injured Niclas Fullkrug on Monday.

In particular, Paqueta’s ongoing regression under his new manager was clear for all to see against Andrew’s away side, as the hot-and-cold number ten failed to be a feared forward presence in the same manner the hard-to-contain Thiago managed to be for the Bees.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

61

Shots

1

Accurate passes

26/42 (63%)

Key passes

0

Accurate crosses

0/2

Possession lost

23x

Successful dribbles

0/1

Total duels won

7/20

Instead, Paqueta was often seen giving up the ball time after time, with possession squandered a costly 23 times. Having amassed three key passes against Arsenal in their last away outing, this was a notable drop-off.

Only winning 35% of his duels, too, on top of only testing the Bees goalkeeper with one shot, Nuno might well be prepared to boldly drop the 28-year-old in games to come, as the already under pressure Hammers boss tries to get a tune out of his demoralised side no matter what.

Branded as a “shocking” mess of a situation post-match by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, Nuno will have his work cut out for him to get the sinking ship back on course, with the 51-year-old desperately needing Paqueta to get back to his best, and sharp.

Nuno suggests West Ham could be about to rely on "very aggressive" young star

The Hammers boss clearly loves what he can offer.

BySean Markus Clifford Oct 19, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

A queda do Internacional diante do Fluminense na Libertadores, adicionou um impulso extra à confiança do Grêmio. O time de Renato Gaúcho se prepara para enfrentar o seu rival no Beira-Rio, domingo (8), às 16h pelo Brasileirão e está determinado a melhorar seu desempenho como visitante dentro da competição.

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+A sua carreira no futebol pode começar hoje. Garanta a sua vaga no curso Gestor de Futebol e capacite-se!

A eliminação do Inter serve como um estímulo para o Tricolor Gaúcho, que agora se vê mais confortável e motivado para o clássico. A rivalidade entre os clubes amplifica a importância do confronto, e a derrota do arquirrival na Libertadores foi interpretada pelos torcedores gremistas como um sinal positivo para o seu time.

O resultado do Gre-Nal 440 pode definir a situação das duas equipes, que vivem momentos diferentes. O Imortal pode se aproximar do líder Botafogo na luta pelo título brasileiro, enquanto o Internacional pode ingressar na zona de rebaixamento. O clima nos bastidores do Tricolor é de otimismo, os jogadores estão determinados a lutar pela vitória e, encaram o clássico como uma decisão.

+Vice de futebol do Grêmio avalia temporada e fala sobre renovações

A confiança renovada do Grêmio é alimentada pela preparação intensiva da equipe. O clássico se aproxima e a expectativa dos torcedores gremistas está em alta. Resta agora aguardar o apito inicial e ver como essa confiança se traduzirá no campo, no que promete ser mais um capítulo emocionante na história do Gre-Nal.

Estagiário sob supervisão de Vinícius Perazzini.*

Thomas Tuchel has reportedly decided to draft Jude Bellingham back into his England squad for the November internationals. The Real Madrid superstar was surprisingly left out of the Three Lions’ ranks in October after recovering from shoulder surgery and returning to action at club level. The expectation is that he will figure in 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.

• Bellingham's last England appearance: Recovered from shoulder surgery

  Eyebrows were raised when Tuchel chose to overlook Bellingham for fixtures that saw England book their tickets to next summer’s global gathering in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The German tactician stuck with those that performed admirably in September.

  Tuchel claimed that Bellingham was left out as he was lacking “rhythm” after several weeks on the sidelines. The 22-year-old midfielder has not represented his country since June, with his international coach going on to reveal that his mother finds some of Bellingham’s on-field behaviour “repulsive”.

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  Tuchel's England warning to 'most talented players'

  Questions were asked of Bellingham’s character on the back of those comments, with Tuchel eager to establish squad harmony ahead of a bid for World Cup glory. He has said: “We are not collecting the most talented players, we are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else.

  “That’s how it is in international football. But the thing you are playing [back to me] is not what I am saying. You are playing the game that says: ‘He [Tuchel] is saying the others who aren’t in the team, you cannot build a team with them’. It’s not like this. We built a team with the players who were available and they did so well so we go again with them. Nobody said we can’t do the same with them. Or even better, or maybe the same level, with the others.

  “For this moment we stick with our choice and the radical statement is that we don’t collect the most talented players. We collect the guys who have the glue and cohesion to be the best team. Because we need to arrive as the best team. We will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven’t won it for decades and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time. So we have to arrive as a team or we will have no chance.”

• Ex-England star reacts to questions of Bellingham's character

  reports that Bellingham will be given a chance to prove his worth when Tuchel names his latest England squad on Friday. He has been catching the eye for Real Madrid of late, netting three goals through his last four appearances, and will get the chance to add to his collection of 43 senior international caps.

  Danny Murphy will be among those pleased to see Bellingham welcomed back into the fold, with the ex-England midfielder having told GOAL in the wake of October’s snub: “I find the narrative around his character and any problems a little bit strange because when I have watched England – I have watched them a lot at tournaments and watched him closely, he is, by far, the best character on the football pitch when England play, in terms of producing big moments, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck, leaving everything out there.

  “If you could have 11 Jude Bellinghams, you would win most tournaments. The element of not talking to the press or not doing interviews or the odd swear word or rant or a little bit of what some people would call arrogance, that is what creates the player on the pitch. They are just rumours because a lot of the feedback from the players – Jordan Henderson recently said how much he likes him and how great a character he is – I think some of it has been exaggerated.

  “From a footballing perspective, we have a much better chance of winning the World Cup if he is in the team. I don’t mean just in the squad, I mean in the team. He is a phenomenal talent. We should be – as pundits, fans, press – building him up, applauding him and being thankful that we have got him, not trying to pull him down because he is the best one we have got. He is the game-changer in our side. He is the one that can make things happen. He’s just a phenomenal player.

  “I don’t blame Tuchel for not bringing him back on this particular occasion because he has only played a few minutes for Real Madrid. I understand that and don’t see that as a drama. I don’t see that as a big statement. We are playing two games we should win comfortably – let him get on with his fitness, let him get on with building himself back up. I would be absolutely gobsmacked and amazed if he is, if fit, not in Tuchel’s first XI come the World Cup.”

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  England fixtures: World Cup qualification secured

  England, who have already topped their World Cup qualification group after taking maximum points from six fixtures that have all delivered clean sheets, will be back in action on November 13 when playing host to Serbia. They will then travel to Albania three days later as their 2025 schedule is wrapped up.