All posts by h716a5.icu

Manchester United earned their first Premier League point of November with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge over the weekend.

Interim manager Michael Carrick made the bold call to drop five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting lineup, and his decision was arguably justified.

The Red Devils attempted to press in the early stages but soon dropped back behind the ball as the hosts took control of proceedings in a closely-fought encounter.

Chelsea couldn’t find a way through United’s stubborn defence, though, and the game hinged on two pivotal moments.

Jorginho’s miss control from a hoofed clearance allowed Jadon Sancho to race through on goal unchallenged before cooly slotting past Edouard Mendy, before Aaron Wan-Bissaka brought down Thiago Silva in the box, allowing the defensive midfielder to make amends from the penalty spot.

However, things could have been even better for the 20-time English champions if their midfield talisman hadn’t been so sloppy in possession and anonymous in the final third.

Bruno Fernandes had an afternoon to forget in west London, failing to impact proceedings in a positive manner and continuing his recent run of poor form.

As per SofaScore, the Portugal international received a match rating of just 6.3 out of 10, the lowest total awarded to any of his teammates who started the fixture.

And when taking a closer look at his underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why. Fernandes failed to have a single shot on target throughout the 89 minutes he was on the pitch, was unable to play a solitary key pass and lost possession a whopping 15 times.

He also lost nine of his 15 duels (60%), made an error leading to an opposition shot and ended the game with a passing accuracy of just 78%, letting Carrick down in the process.

Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst was equally unimpressed with the 27-year-old’s underwhelming showing, awarding a measly three out of 10.

“Michael Carrick put the wrong Portuguese on the bench. Fernandes’ hoik led to the breakthrough but required assistance from Jorginho,” wrote Luckhurst.

With new manager Ralf Rangnick expected to be formally announced over the coming days, Fernandes will be desperate to return to form as soon as possible, or he could find himself on the sidelines once again over the coming weeks.

And, in other news…Predicted XI: How MUFC may look under Rangnick after potential £196.5m spending spree

Tottenham Hotspur could secure manager Antonio Conte his new Eden Hazard with a move for Charles De Ketelaere…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Spurs have become the latest team to enter the race to sign the Club Brugge sensation this January, with Serie A outfit AC Milan also mooted with interest.

Premier League rivals West Ham United and Everton have been linked with the 20-year-old gem.

In the summer, Football Transfers reported that the Belgian side would only be willing to sell him for a fee of around €25m (£22m).

Meanwhile, journalist Mo Messoudi claimed only last month: “For me, De Ketelaere is the most valuable player in Belgium at the moment. I am sure he will break the outgoing transfer record set by Jeremy Doku.”

Conte’s new Hazard

Valued at a similar fee of £22.5m by Transfermarkt, De Ketelaere could be the perfect solution to the Lilywhites’ creative and attacking woes in the final third.

The 6 foot 4 maestro is capable of playing nearly anywhere – striker, no.10, wide, and in deeper midfield – and that makes him a very interesting prospect under Antonio Conte, who is able to deploy numerous systems, primarily with three-at-the-back.

“His versatility is a huge asset. He is complete, with a mix of physical and technical qualities,” legendary Club Brugge midfielder Gert Verheyen explained to Het Nieuwsblad (via Goal).

Despite his towering stature, the Belgium wonderkid has been likened to Roberto Firmino in playing style, which suggests there is more a touch of flair and skill about him than being a brute force up top.

With that in mind, he could be the sort of game-changer in attack that Conte once had at Chelsea in Eden Hazard. He played wide and in the middle for the Italian and helped contribute massively towards a Premier League title and an FA Cup too.

De Ketelaere has already racked up over 100 senior appearances and that’s earned the praise of talkSPORT’s European football expert Andy Brassell.

“He’s got loads of potential,” Brassell said on Hawksbee and Jacobs. “I’m really interested to see what he can do for the rest of the Champions League. The move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs is too soon. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, of course.”

He has continued to impress this campaign, managing to provide five goals and four assists, including a Man of the Match display against Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain.

Indeed, his 7.8 rating on SofaScore was the highest of any player, including the two goalscorers in the game and Lionel Messi (7.3) as the youngster absolutely bossed the Ligue 1 giants winning 81% of his duels, creating five key passes and managing 100% of his dribbles.

Fabio Paratici and co must look to seal the Brugge wizard in January, he could well become Conte’s new Hazard at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

AND in other news, Conte given Spurs boost as major Hotspur Way development emerges, fans surely thrilled…

An update has emerged on Croatian international Marcelo Brozovic, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to the Irish Sun, the Magpies have identified the Inter midfielder as a target for next summer’s transfer window.

The report claims contact has already been made with his representatives, as the club will be able to sign him on a pre-contract deal in January unless he puts pen to paper on fresh terms with the Italian giants.

Fans would love it

PIF must ensure that they are able to get a deal over the line for the midfielder in the January window. The fans would love it if the club could strike a pre-contract agreement with Brozovic as it would leave them with the exciting prospect of watching one of the most technically gifted midfielders play for them next season.

He could be a terrific signing for the Magpies and provide a step-up in quality to the squad. In the Serie A this season, he has averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.09 in 11 starts, completing an impressive 92.6% of his passes.

With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise to hear him described as “special” by teammate Matias Vecino.

At Newcastle, meanwhile, Sean Longstaff has been anything but special. Although, he has been the ‘best’ performing midfielder with an average WhoScored rating of 6.53, completing 82.2% of his passes. This suggests that Brozovic would be a sizeable upgrade on what the club currently has, assuming he can translate his form in Italy over to the Premier League.

Former Inter coach Luciano Spalletti previously hailed the midfielder’s versatility and quality. He said:

“Marcelo has great quality and the characteristics to play as a trequartista on the shoulders of a centre-forward.

“I am fortunate to have different players who can occupy that role and I’m rotating them. I don’t see a problem with that.

“It is certainly an option [to play a second striker]. We might be able to score some more goals but I always need to judge what the best balance for the team is.”

It is no surprise to see such high praise for the Croatian, as he has maintained an impressive level of performance throughout his career. He has an average career WhoScored rating of 7.01 across 284 matches for club and country, including games in the Serie A, World Cup, Europa League and Champions League.

This shows that the £36m-rated gem has been able to perform at the very highest level for club and country and remain consistent in doing so. Therefore, the fans would love to see him playing in black and white as he has proven himself to be a top midfielder for Inter and Croatia, suggesting that he could have a huge impact on the Newcastle squad if he joins on a free transfer next summer and that is why PIF must get this deal done.

AND in other news, “Emery will..” – Journalist delivers crushing Newcastle update that’ll worry fans…

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester United fans have absolutely erupted over a managerial update involving their club and Dutch title-winner Erik ten Hag.

After the Red Devils succumbed to a humiliating loss against Liverpool at the weekend, conceding five without reply to their arch rivals at Old Trafford, it’s safe to say Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s position has been under scrutiny.

The United legend has been at the centre of reports hinting he could be grasping on to his tenure by a thread as his side lay seventh in the Premier League table and eight points behind leaders Chelsea.

Given the amount of star power in their squad, not to mention summer investment, it is little surprise Solskjaer is under pressure and there have already been murmurs of who could replace the Norwegian if he is given his marching orders.

The Daily Mail claim that one man United are considering to potentially replace the 48-year-old is Ajax manager ten Hag – with journalist Sami Mokbel writing that he is ‘touted as a potential replacement’ for Solskjaer amid his links to Newcastle.

Flocking to this update, which one supporter called a ‘dream’, it’s safe to say many other Red Devils want to see ten Hag replace their current under-fire boss.

Find all of their verdicts on the development down below, via utdreport.

Man United fans flock to ten Hag news… “I AM ON MY KNEES”Credit: @J_Brodie_3“This looks promising”Credit: @SonoiyaLawrence“now we are talking”Credit: @fotball_fan“PLEASE”Credit: @Kaazz_Mufc“OMG YESSSS I BEG”Credit: @MufcLucas“Thats the dream hope it happens”Credit: @danthegenius_“Perfect choice, let him bring Overmars as well please.”Credit: @Martialized11“We beg you@ManUtdPlz for the love of gods get him inHe is the perfect man united managerPlays great football, develops youth, gives them changes and his tactics are on par with klopp,pep and he is socially presentable and well likeable as wellHe is the perfect candidate”Credit: @Krish_1129

In other news: ‘Worse than Fred’, ‘Needs to get in the weight room’…Man United fans tear into ‘very weak’ player who ‘needs shipping out’, find out more here.

Jonty Rhodes suggests a simple tweak in Powerplay rules to revive interest in the format

Cricinfo staff25-Sep-2009The reinvention of one-day cricket has been a hot topic of discussion over the past few months but Jonty Rhodes, the former South African player, suggests a simple tweak in Powerplay rules to revive interest in the format.”All the Powerplay overs, including the one by the batting side, should be taken by the 31st over,” Rhodes told the . “They could bring in this rule. This way you could have plenty of action between overs 20 and 30. And the last 20 overs are bound to be interesting in any case.”The ICC is considering a trial splitting of one-day matches into two innings of 25 overs for each team, that Sachin Tendulkar had mooted earlier. Graeme Smith and Kumar Sangakkara believe the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy will be crucial in directing the future of the ODI as a viable format in international cricket.Other trials in international cricket include hosting day-night Tests, which the England board plans for next summer if approved by the ICC.But Rhodes was against any changes to the Test format. “You should not tamper with the rules for Tests. They should stay as they are. You ask any of the cricketers and they will tell you that Test cricket is the ultimate challenge. It is played over five days and tests the cricketers, both mentally and in terms of skills. Cricketers find out more about themselves in Test cricket.”

Gul was optimistic the team would quickly adjust to the longer format and conditions in Sri Lanka for their next tour

Cricinfo staff24-Jun-2009Umar Gul, the leading wicket-taker of the World Twenty20, shrugged off Daniel Vettori’s questioning of the early reverse-swing he achieved in the tournament, and said that since the team management had responded to Vettori’s veiled references to ball-tampering, he had not taken them seriously.”I think the art of reverse-swing is also God gifted which can be improved through practice,” Gul told reporters after returning to a rapturous welcome in his hometown of Nawa Killi, near Peshawar. “I watched Wasim Akram and Waqar [Younis]’s bowling videos and developed this art through repeated practice. Whenever an Asian bowler performs and uses the reverse-swing the western cricketing countries raise the issue of ball-tampering against them,” Gul said.Gul also praised assistant coach Aaqib Javed, whose pep talk he said, had inspired the team to turn its game around. “Allah has helped the Pakistani team in their game plan, the team management and bowling coach Aaqib Javed told the players that like in World Cup of 1992 the guys must show the zeal to reach the wining stand and it happened when our team showed commitment.”Gul was also leading wicket-taker in the inaugural tournament two years ago and in the run to the title this time, he recorded the first-ever five-wicket haul in a T20I against New Zealand. Gul said he was unaware that he had just completed the best-ever figures of the international format. “When I came out of the ground, I came to know the fact that I have made a world record.”Pakistan’s next assignment is a tour to Sri Lanka – three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s – beginning next week with a three-day warm-up match in Colombo. Gul was optimistic that the team would quickly adjust to the longer format and to conditions in Sri Lanka.Shahzaib Hasan, the 19-year-old opener, who made his debut in the World Twenty20, said he was aiming to make the one-day squad for the series against Sri Lanka. Shahzaib said the trip to England was a dream debut for him and the senior players had boosted his confidence and helped him through the tournament.”Younis Khan kept his confidence in me and now I believe that I could do well in future and perform for my country internationally,” Shahzaib said. “I will always remember the match in which I played against New Zealand and scored 35 runs. The catch of [Tillakaratne] Dilshan which I took in the final has also been engraved in my memory forever.” Shahzaib, who replaced the out-of-form Salman Butt in the side, scored 77 runs at a strike-rate of 106.94 from four matches.

Almost unnoticed, West Indies have slipped into England ahead of their Test and one-day tour

Cricinfo staff19-Apr-2009Almost unnoticed, West Indies have slipped into England ahead of their Test and one-day tour. The eyes of the cricket world are currently trained on South Africa, so it is little surprise that the first tourists of the summer have barely turned heads as they prepare to face Leicestershire on Monday.However, England have found out to their cost already this year that they are no longer a side to be underestimated. For the first time since they visited in 2000, West Indies will begin the series as holders of the Wisden Trophy following their 1-0 series win in the Caribbean. Their coach, John Dyson, hopes that England’s minds will wander towards the Ashes challenge later in the season but believes they will learn from the mistakes they made on tour.”I think we caught England on the hop in the West Indies. I think they came out thinking they were just going to have a net and just get ready for the Ashes,” he said. “Hopefully they are still in that frame of mind and we might just catch them on the hop again. Who knows?”They got caught being a little bit too complacent in the West Indies. I don’t think they will be that complacent again. I think they will be out for revenge. It is our challenge to make sure that they don’t get it in the return series over here.”This tour wasn’t meant to be taking place with West Indies filling in for Zimbabwe, who don’t have Test status, and Sri Lanka, who were the first replacements but pulled out after their key players demanded the opportunity to take up their IPL contracts. A similar situation nearly derailed West Indies with their IPL-bound players unhappy that this tour was scheduled after they had agreed their lucrative franchise contracts.West Indies landed in London on Thursday without their captain, Chris Gayle, and leading fast bowler Fidel Edwards who, like a number of England players, will be in South Africa for the next two weeks before joining the tour shortly before the first Test, at Lord’s, on May 6. Shortly after Dyson spoke at Grace Road, Edwards was bowling to Gayle as the Kolkata Knight Riders took on the Deccan Chargers in Cape Town.Also missing is, Dwayne Bravo who wasn’t deemed fit enough to withstand the rigours of two Tests following his ankle surgery that kept him out of the game for eight months. Instead, he is having an extended stay in the IPL before arriving for the one-dayers at the end of May.Two other key players, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jerome Taylor, have been given extra time at home to recover from injuries they collected during the previous series and will link up with the party in time for the second warm-up match against Essex. The absences will give a few of the new faces in the 17-man squad a chance against Leicestershire and as with England’s team there are a couple of spots up for grabs.Ryan Hinds has been dumped after failing to take his chance and Daren Powell’s extended run of poor form has finally cost him his place. Nelon Pascal and Andrew Richardson, two untried quicks, are in the squad as is Dale Richards, the opening batsman, who missed out on a Test debut in Jamaica when he injured his foot on the eve of the game.

James Anderson and Monty Panesar produced the most important innings of their lives as England’s final wicket survived 11.3 overs to pull off a thrilling escape at Cardiff

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan12-Jul-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Anderson and Monty Panesar steal a single to guide England to safety at Cardiff•AFPJames Anderson and Monty Panesar produced the most important innings of their lives as England’s final pair survived 11.3 overs to pull off a thrilling escape at Cardiff. When Paul Collingwood fell for a monumental 245-ball 74 England still trailed by six, but once Australia had to bat again, valuable time was taken out of the game leaving Andrew Strauss and a packed Cardiff nervously clock-watching. The Australians threw everything into the final hour in an electric atmosphere with the crowd cheering the two unlikely batting heroes as though the Ashes had been won.A vital moment came when Anderson collected consecutive boundaries off Peter Siddle to finally erase the deficit. It meant that two further overs would be lost from the remaining allocation, but there was yet another twist. Australia had bowled their overs quickly during the final hour, which meant it came down to a clock-watch situation for the batsmen. The crucial mark was 6.40pm: at that point it meant there was no time for Australia to start a run chase.The closing overs were in the hands of Nathan Hauritz – who rose above all the pre-match concern over his quality to claim three final-day wickets and six in the match – and Marcus North. Anderson, outwardly calm while inside he must have been churning, blocked confidently but also picked up vital runs to just edge the lead ahead further. Meanwhile, Panesar, the most unlikely of batting saviours, watched the ball like a hawk. Having left expertly against the quicks he played with soft hands against the spinners, and one of the biggest cheers of the day came when he square cut North for a boundary.However, while Anderson and Panesar were there at the end to soak up the acclaim the escape wouldn’t have been possible without one of Collingwood’s most determined innings for his country. He came in early after Kevin Pietersen lost his off stump, shouldering arms to Ben Hilfenhaus, and soon faced an England card that read 70 for 5. He found vital support from Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad and particularly Graeme Swann, who overcame a peppering from Siddle, to share a 20-over stand.Collingwood fought with every ounce of the grit that makes him such a valuable player. He survived some early scares against Hauritz when an inside edge fell just short of Simon Katich at short leg and another delivery almost rolled back onto the stumps until Collingwood stepped on it. He went 31 deliveries after lunch without scoring, but unlike some of England’s other batsmen he isn’t someone who gets overly twitchy when his own score isn’t moving along.Collingwood’s fifty came off 167 balls, the slowest by an England batsman since Nasser Hussain against West Indies in Port of Spain during the 2004 tour, but the pace of his innings mattered not a jot. His only mistake proved his downfall as he chased some width from Siddle and Mike Hussey took a juggling catch in the gully. He could hardly believe what he had done and couldn’t even bring himself to remove his pads as he watched the two tailenders defy Australia. Collingwood isn’t a superstar; he doesn’t fit into the hero mould, but here he was both.Ponting admitted it was a tough result to take and Australia were ahead of the game virtually throughout the final day. Pietersen, who had an early-morning confrontation with Mitchell Johnson during the warm-ups, never settled against the swinging ball as the quicks probed away on the full length that causes him problems. His troubles ended when he completely misjudged the line from Hilfenhaus and didn’t offer a shot. It was excellent bowling from Hilfenhaus, who had been shaping the ball away and made one hold its line, but Pietersen’s back lift and footwork are currently not in sync.Matt Prior chose a forgettable shot to fall to Nathan Hauritz•Getty ImagesIn the eighth over of the session it was time for Hauritz and he was in the wonderful position of being able to bowl with men around the bat. He immediately found more turn, and posed a greater threat than England’s spinner managed over two days, and made one bounce a touch more against Andrew Strauss as he tried to cut.While the England captain can perhaps be partly excused his shot as the cut is a legitimate option against the offspinner, the same can’t be said for Matt Prior. He had already flirted with danger by dabbing Hauritz through short third man and had also been beaten twice outside off stump by clever changes of pace and flight. Trying to go through the off side again he was undone by extra bounce and gloved a chance to slip.Flintoff fought against his natural inclination to attack, playing watchfully against Hauritz as he accompanied Collingwood for 23 overs. The out-of-sorts Johnson, who was later horribly wayward with the second new ball, broke through when Flintoff pushed at one going across him and before tea Broad had also gone, trapped leg before playing back at Hauritz.For Hauritz it appeared he would provide the ultimate response to his critics by securing a Test victory until he tired slightly in the tension-filled closing stages. Collingwood and Swann took a large chunk out of the evening session, with Swann completing an impressive match with the bat. Shortly before tea he was given a peppering from Siddle who sent down a violent over that struck three painful blows – two on the glove and one on the elbow – which required the physio to come out twice in three deliveries.His runs were also crucial as England ate away into Australia’s lead before he went for a pull against the impressive Hilfenhaus and was palpably leg before. Collingwood now had just two bowlers for company and when he departed an Australian victory looked assured. England, though, dug deep, deeper perhaps than many thought Anderson and Panesar could.However, despite the scoreline still reading nil-nil the reality is that England were a distance second-best for much of the match. Australia have shown that, despite the loss of many greats, they are a unit of huge desire who will take some beating. At least this time, though, it won’t be a whitewash.

Any lingering hope that Marcus Trescothick might make a shock return for the fifth Ashes Test has been further quashed, with the former England batsman revealing that the speculation over his return provoked a vivid dream that had him waking up “in a cold

Cricinfo staff13-Aug-2009Any lingering hope that Marcus Trescothick might make a shock return for the fifth Ashes Test has been further quashed, with the former England batsman revealing that the speculation over his return provoked a vivid dream that had him waking up “in a cold sweat”.Trescothick has been one of several former England batsmen named in the past week to revive England’s fledgling middle-order in a bid to regain the Ashes. Yet, both he and England’s national selector, Geoff Miller, have given strong indications that he will not be considered for next week’s Test, despite having played a crucial role in England’s 2005 success against Australia.”It has been very flattering to see my name mentioned in so many circles since Australia’s crushing win at Headingley and I’d be a liar if I said the prospect of playing at The Oval hadn’t occupied my mind a lot,” he told the .”In fact, that has been the case to such an extent that the other day I woke up at 6.30am from a terrible dream. There is a nightmare a lot of cricketers experience that they can’t get their pads on when they are due in to bat.”My dream was a variation of that. I couldn’t get my England kit out of my bag! The other players were waiting for me on the pitch to do a team photo so I was in a right panic. I woke up in a cold sweat.”Perhaps that told me something. It gives me a massive kick that I am still thought good enough to come back and play at international level, but I’ve gone too far down the line in battling my stress problems to change my mind about now ending my England career.”Trescothick yesterday said that he and his wife, Hayley, had discussed his possible return to England colours, before admitting he didn’t “want it enough”.He announced his retirement from international cricket in March 2008, having battled with stress in the latter part of his England career. He remains prolific in county cricket, however, and tops the run charts this season in the Championship with 1330 runs at 78.23.

One team is looking to push its way up the points table after making an extremely slow start to IPL 2009; the other team is desperately trying to arrest a slide which has pushed them all the way down to seventh place

S Rajesh09-May-2009Match factsMay 10, 2009
Start time 12.30pm (10.30GMT, 16.00 IST)Big PictureSachin Tendulkar’s form with the bat has dipped lately, and his last five innings have only fetched 63•AFPOne team is looking to push its way up the points table after making an extremely slow start to IPL 2009; the other team is desperately trying to arrest a slide which has pushed them all the way down to seventh place. Neither Bangalore nor Mumbai have emerged as favourites to lift the trophy after three weeks of action, but neither is out of the reckoning for a top four berth. Only one point separates them, and with just four matches left for each after this one, the margin of error for both teams – and especially the side which loses on Sunday – is minimal.Going into the match, Bangalore are the slight favourites on recent form. Though they were drubbed in their last game by Rajasthan, Bangalore have been impressive in the last couple of weeks, winning three in a row. Anil Kumble’s captaincy has worked wonders, Jacques Kallis and Robin Uthappa have had big knocks at the top of the order, and Kumble has led the bowling attack with aplomb.Mumbai’s fortunes, on the other hand, have nosedived after an impressive start and they are in danger of earning the underachiever’s tag in IPL 2009. A team which boasts Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, JP Duminy, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga should be doing much better than three wins out of eight, but the big names have mostly misfired, and even Malinga has cooled off after an electrifying start to the tournament. And the fact that they’ve already won their two games against Kolkata, the punching bags of the IPL, doesn’t help their cause.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)Royal Challengers Bangalore: LWWWL
The batting has lifted in the last few games, but they’re still prone to collapsing – as they showed against Rajasthan – thus putting far too pressure on the bowlers.Mumbai Indians: LLLWL
The batting has been patchy, with only JP Duminy among the runs consistently. Even he hasn’t always scored at the rate his team would like him to.Watch out forTendulkar v Kumble: The two senior-most Indian players will also be leading their teams, and if Tendulkar sees off the new ball, it could be an interesting tussle between him and Kumble in the middle of the innings.Team newsBangalore will not have the services of Nathan Bracken, who is among the Australians who’ve been asked to rest ahead of a busy season. The bowlers have done a fair job, though, and Bangalore might be more keen to make a change at the top of their batting order. Wasim Jaffer has looked out of sorts so far, and could be replaced by Sreevats Goswami.Royal Challengers Bangalore: (probable) 1 Jacques Kallis, 2 Sreevats Goswami, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Rahul Dravid, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Roelof van der Merwe, 8 Dillon du Preez, 9 Pravin Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Anil Kumble (capt).The move to push Tendulkar down the order failed spectacularly on Friday, and it’s likely he will move back to the top of the order. With Luke Ronchi failing too, Sanath Jayasuriya could partner him again.Mumbai Indians: (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Sachin Tendulkar (capt), 3 Pinal Shah (wk), 4 JP Duminy, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Abhishek Nayar, 7 Ajinkya Rahane, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Rohan Raje, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Lasith Malinga.Stats and trivia In his last five innings Tendulkar has scored 63 runs. In his first three innings he scored 163. In his last three games, Malinga has conceded 78 runs from 67 balls and taken two wickets. In the first five, he conceded 80 runs from 110 balls and took 11 wickets. Bangalore have taken 21 wickets during the middle overs (from seven to 14), conceding 23.52 runs per wicket. Mumbai have taken 14 wickets at 30.85 during this period.Head-to-head recordThe two teams met a week back in Johannesburg, and Bangalore swept that one convincingly, restricting Mumbai to 149 and winning with plenty to spare as Kallis and Uthappa added an undefeated 126 for the second wicket.