Bayern Munich are reportedly growing concerned with the form and fitness of Sadio Mane following his latest poor display in a defeat at Bayern Leverkusen.
The former Liverpool forward was seen as a star when he arrived at the Allianz Arena in the summer after completing a high profile £ 35.1 million switch from the Premier League club.
Mane enjoyed a great start to his Bayern campaign, scoring on his debut, before recording a further ten goals and five assists in his first two months at the club.
His last goal for the club came back in October when he netted against Mainz – grabbing two assists in the same game.
However, since his return from injury, the Senegalese has struggled to recreate the form that made him a feared opponent in England. Then, he formed a devastating attacking trident alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
And now, German publication Sport 1 reports that Bayern Munich are growing concerned with the 30-year-old. The report claims that Mane seems unfit and rarely wins one-on-one duels – which has been noticed several times in training.
Mane suffered a severe leg injury just before the World Cup and could not play for the Senegal national. The injury kept him out for three months, and he was unavailable for Bayern’s first seven matches after the winter break.
There are concerns that Mane’s injury has caused long-term damage, given that he is now past his best. His previous speed and explosiveness, which made him a terror to defences, seem to have gone with them, as that has rarely been a feature of his play recently.
However, Mane’s injury is not the only reason he seems to be struggling. The tactical demands of Julian Naglesmann on the forward has also affected his game negatively.
In Bayern, the attacker is expected to operate slightly differently from what he has been previously used to under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. Under Klopp, the 30-year-old operated predominantly as a winger with a supporting full-back. But at Bayern, he is more central to the winger duties primarily occupied by Alphonso Davies.
Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals scored his 40th goal of the season in the first period of a home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, to become the first player in NHL history to achieve 13 40-goal seasons in his career.
Ovechkin was previously tied with Wayne Gretzky for 12 40-goal campaigns and before the game, there was a 20-minute on-ice ceremony in his honour, for passing Gordie Howie for second position on the all-time NHL goals list on December 23rd.
He skated in down on the right side and sent a shot to the far post. His teammate Dylan Strome originally got credit for this game, after his stick seemed to direct the puck into the net, but after a review, it was discovered that it was the Blue Jackets Nick Blankenburg’s stick instead. Ovechkin received an official scoring change which gave him the marker.
But, Columbus stole the show with an impressive 7-6 overtime win over the Capitals.
Jack Roslovic exploited T.J. Oshie’s turnover to score his second goal of the night 2:34 into overtime, giving the Blue Jackets (22-41-7, 51 points) the win in a game they trailed 3-0 and 5-3.
credit: dailymail.co.ukcredit: dailymail.co.uk
With this goal, Alex Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history with 13!!#GR802pic.twitter.com/IUyu0QRhpA
Karl-Anthony Towns was confirmed to return Wednesday night for the Minnesota Timberwolves after sitting out 51 games following a right calf strain.
The three-time All-Star has been absent since November 28. He was averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 21 games before the injury.
“Expectations are that he just kind of settles into the flow of the game, not try to do too much at this point in time,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said before Minnesota hosted the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. “Most importantly, knock the rust off. Certainly want him to be himself but not at the expense of what we’re trying to do out there. And I think that’s pretty easy ask for him.”
Finch did say Towns will face limitations, but there were no specifics. He had an update on Anthony Edwards too, who was listed as questionable after missing two games due to a right ankle sprain.
ESPN Sources: After missing 51 games with a calf injury, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns plans to make his return vs. the Atlanta Hawks tonight. Towns has been out since Nov. 28, and comes back with Minnesota ninth in the Western Conference playoff race.
After missing 51 straight games with a Grade 3 calf strain, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns will return tonight vs. Atlanta Hawks barring setback in pregame, sources tell @TheAthletic@Stadium. Nine games remaining as T'Wolves battle for playoff positioning. pic.twitter.com/t7rxbqJ5ww
The Minnesota Timberwolves were 10-11 when Karl-Anthony Towns had his injury and did well since he had been out, going 26-26 that period. But, they have been 20-16 since the beginning of 2023, but have faltered lately, going 2-3 in their past five games.
Minnesota is No.9 in the West, trailing the Oklahoma City Thunders (36-36) and Dallas Mavericks (36-36) by ½ game for the No.7 and 8 seeds, respectively, and are one game behind the Golden State Warriors (37-36) for the No.6 seed.
Towns, after playing 82 games in his first three seasons in the NBA, lost a significant time to injuries and illnesses since then. The Wolves big man is a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, winning Kia Rookie of the Year honours in 2016.
“Through somewhat of a miraculous process, this free agency period has been life-changing for me,” Moreau wrote. “During a routine physical conducted by the Saints’ medical team down in New Orleans, I’ve come to learn that I have Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and will be stepping away from football …
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at this time to fight a new opponent: Cancer. I’m grateful for the support and thankful for people who have stood firm with me.
Also known as Hodgkin’s disease, Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that attacks the lymphatic system – part of the body’s germ-fighting immune system – as defined by the Mayo Clinic. White blood cells, called lymphocytes, grow out of control to cause swollen lymph nodes and growth throughout the body.
The American Cancer Society says the five-year “relative survival rate for all patients diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma is now about 89%.” But, cancer’s stage and the person’s age impact those rates.
Foster Moreau was a fourth-round selection of the Las Vegas Raiders picked in the 2019 NFL Draft. He played for four seasons with the Raiders organization, garnering 91 receptions for 1,107 yards and 12 touchdowns in that time. Accompanied by a career-high of 33 catches and 420 yards in 2022, Moreau joined the free-agent market this offseason.
Shohei Ohtani has not been called to close out a game for the last seven years. His manager Hideki Kuriyama felt the same way as he called the shots in the World Baseball Classic. Back then, the situation at hand was crucial too – Japan needed to win to advance to the 2016 Japan Series – with Ohtani brought in to face the remaining three Softbank Hawks batters after DH-ing all game.
After seven years, Ohtani was called forth again on Tuesday, this time to take on the title of world’s best. As always, he stepped up to the challenge to close out the game for his motherland, leading Japan to a 3-2 victory, earning the World Baseball Classic crown.
The pitcher closed the game in a remarkable manner, striking out his Angels teammate and powerhouse Mike Trout swinging on a 3-2 pitch.
Shohei delivered the way a global two-way star would. He helped Samurai Japan accept its latest star, as Lars Nootbaar became the first non-Japanese-born player to join the team.
“All you got to do is be born being able to throw at 100 mph and hit the ball 500 feet,” Nootbaar joked after the game. “There’s really not that much going into it. But, no, he’s exceeded all of my expectations. He’s able to do stuff that I can’t even dream of doing.”
He controlled the plate, hitting .435 and drawing a truly absurd 10 walks. He hit a home run and run infield singles, extra-base hits, and stole bases too.
Ohtani recreated the same magic on the mound, too. Starting two games, he struck out 11-batters and when the Baseball clash anticipated by every fan Ohtani VS Trout happened, he was not fazed.
The title of the World’s MVP has never been in more deserving hands.
“What he’s doing in the game is what probably 90 per cent of the guys in that clubhouse did in Little League or in youth tournaments, and he’s able to pull it off on the biggest stages,” Mark DeRosa USA manager said. “He is a unicorn to the sport. I think other guys will try it, but I don’t think they’re going to do it to his level.”
When Kyle Schwarber faced Yu Darvish in the top of the eight to cut Japan’s lead to one, the game was set. Trout would bat in the ninth. Ohtani who ran to the bullpen and then back to the dugout to bat – legging out on an infield single, natch before going back to the bullpen again, had to pitch.
“When I was in Japan, of course, I didn’t run to the bullpen, but I do have the experience doing that,” Ohtani said, downplaying his remarkable achievement. “So, to go from the dugout and the bullpen and back and forth is not difficult for me.”
Jeff McNeil battled before drawing a walk, receiving cheers from USA fans.
Mookie Betts, MVP Award-winner, grounded into a double play. And the crowd got wilder.
Then, big dog Trout stepped onto the plate. He breathed deeply before stepping in, maybe stopping to slow his heart rate. It did not matter, the game had ended.
“What blows me away on this stage is the fact that no moment’s too big for him,” DeRosa said. “He did not seem rattled by walking Jeff McNeil on a close pitch, not rattled that three MVPs were coming up to bat.”
Before the big moment, Ohtani gave a speech to motivate his teammates, telling them that they could defeat the USA and that there was nothing to be afraid of from the lineup and pitching staff featuring star Major League ballplayers.
“Just looking at the lineup of the great players made us feel like — how do I say that? – obviously, we had respect, but at the same time, it looked like we might get beaten,” Ohtani said about how the clubhouse felt. “So, [I told them to] just forget about those kinds of feelings. We’re even. We have to just beat ’em.”
“… In my baseball life, [winning the World Baseball Classic was] one of the things that I wanted to achieve,” Ohtani said. “Today I was able to achieve one of the goals. Of course, I happened to to get the MVP, but this really proves that Japanese baseball can beat any team in the world.”
The MVP Award was not the only honour announced after the intriguing close to the tournament. People who made the All-World Baseball Classic Team were announced too.
Trea Turner (USA) and Randy Arozarena (Mexico) were voted unanimously to the All-World Baseball Classic team. Turner tied a record with five home runs in one Classic, slashing .391/.440/1.043 overall with 11 RBIs. Arozarena matched a WBC record for doubles, with six, and hit .450/.607/.900 in six games.
Masataka Yoshida custodian of Japan’s powerful offense, set a new single-tournament record with 13 RBIs, slashing .409/.531/.727 total with a double and two home runs. Puerto Rico’s Javier Báez made the All-Tournament Team for the second time in his career, including in 2017, after hitting .368 (7-for-19) with three doubles, a home run, and six RBIs.
This is the complete 2023 All-World Baseball Classic team:
C: Salvador Perez (Venezuela)
1B: Yu Chang (Chinese Taipei)
2B: Javier Báez (Puerto Rico)
3B: Yoán Moncada (Cuba)
SS: Trea Turner (USA)
OF: Randy Arozarena (Mexico), Masataka Yoshida (Japan), and Mike Trout (USA)
DH: Shohei Ohtani (Japan)
P: Shohei Ohtani (Japan), Patrick Sandoval (Mexico), Miguel Romero (Cuba)
The star pitcher of Japan, Shohei Ohtani delivered a dream 3-2 victory for his country over the United States on Tuesday as they won the World Baseball Classic for the third time.
Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto’s home run set Japan in the lead before the Los Angeles Angels’ Ohtani closed out the win from the mound in the ninth inning.
Ohtani stood in the LoanDepot Park and sent his Angels teammate and US captain Mike Trout packing to secure Japan’s third WBC victory after winning in 2006 and 2009.
Shohei proved once and for all that he is the better man, which does not come as a surprise as he was the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player, being likened to Babe Ruth since joining Major League Baseball, he said Tuesday’s win was the highlight of his career.
“It’s definitely number one,” Ohtani spoke to FOX television through a translator. “It’s got to be up there. It was a storybook ending.”
“More than anything, I appreciate this tournament, this whole situation, this whole atmosphere,” Ohtani, who was named tournament MVP said.
Before the game began, Ohtani motivated team Japan with an inspiring pre-game speech where he charged his teammates to “stop admiring” Team USA’s lineup even if they were tagged to be the strongest US baseball team to ever gather.
“Obviously, the US lineup, one through nine, they’re all household names, superstars,” Ohtani said after the game.
“All the Japanese guys know them. So I didn’t want us to be passive. Show respect – but stay aggressive, stay confident.
The USA team which was fortified by star players, defending champions who won the last WBC tournament in 2017, could not control Japan’s pitchers.
Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies started the US with a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning with a left-field solo shot.
Stranded runners
Japan wasted no time in reciprocating Team USA’s energy; Murakami the hero of Japan’s walk-off win over Mexico during Monday’s semi-final – delivered a home run to right-centre field in the bottom of the second off US starter Merrill Kelly.
That was just the beginning of Kelly’s problems, with the Arizona right-hander conceding singles to Okamoto and Sosuke Genda before he walked Yuhei Nakamura to load the bases.
This spurred Mark DeRosa to pull Kelly, while Aaron Loup was invited to help his team get out of the situation.
Loup left the situation slightly unscathed, with Japan picking up one more run for their 2-1 lead after Lars Nootbaar grounded out to score Okamoto.
Japan extended their lead in the bottom of the fourth when Okamoto sent a fly ball to left field off US reliever Kyle Freeland to change the 2-1 lead to 3-1.
Team USA’s players said they would pull themselves back into contention in the fifth but marooned Mookie Betts and Nolan Arenado on base.
The same thing happened in the top of the seventh when Jeff McNeil took a leadoff walk before Betts singled to leave US runners on first and second with no outs.
Again, the US could not cash in, Trout lined out to right fielder Kensuke Kondoh before a double-play ended the inning.
Hideki Kuriyama the Japan manager nominated Yu Darvish to lock it down in the eighth.
After Darvish sacked Arenado, he was propelled by a monster home run from Kyle Schwarber, who flung a fly ball into the upper tiers to make it a one-run game.
Devin Williams was scoreless for the whole eighth inning, setting up a dream final inning, with Ohtani pitching to close out the game.
Ohtani began by walking towards McNeil nervously, but Betts grounded into a double play that left Japan one out from victory.
This made Ohtani depose Trout to secure the victory, and USA’s captain ran out of swings to end the game.
Brooklyn Nets VS Cleveland Cavaliers is one of the four games happening this Thursday in the NBA. Two Eastern Conference clubs that made the top 10 in overall standings, and want to boost their records, will clash in front of fans.
The Nets and Cavaliers met on Tuesday at the same venue they’ll be playing today. Before that game, Brooklyn hosted a game that ended 125-117 on the road. Can the Nets utilize their home court as leverage to increase their lead in the series?
The Brooklyn Nets intend to capitalize on this 2-game series against the Cavaliers to get back to winning their games. Before they hosted on Tuesday, they’d lost three games consecutively, and two of them were on their home court.
That loss isn’t something that happens frequently with the Nets, because generally speaking, they’ve not had a bad game on their courts. Brooklyn won 19 of the 33 games it played so far.
No matter, fans must note that the Nets are not the same club they were a few months ago, particularly because they lost Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, amidst other losses they suffered this campaign.
Betting On The Cleveland Cavaliers
Regular Season Record: 45-28
1XBet Spread: -3.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.705
1XBet Over/Under: Under 218.5
BetMGM Spread: -3.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.57
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 218.5
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the Eastern Conference’s fourth-best team, a well-deserved ranking made possible by their exceptional defense, which has the best record in the whole NBA too, scoring an average of 106.1 points allowed per night.
Prior to today’s match, Cleveland strung together good results in the competition, they won 3 of the last 4 games they held. But, they’ll need to put their best team forward for this game, mainly because it is a road game. The Cavaliers have a bad record in away matches, with a 16-20 score.
Besides that, they’ve done quite well for themselves, when playing on the road, winning 3 of their most recent 4 matches.
MatchPlug Prediction
Due to the bad results gotten in their recent games, the Nets may not triumph in today’s match. Despite, this there is a low chance of them hosting a team that’s an actual threat on their home court, so they may get back on the winning wagon today.
This game will not have a large number of points for the final score. The team with the best defense in the NBA will be facing a team that gets decent scores in their games, with a 112.8 average.
Experts expect the Nets VS Cavaliers to be a close game, where Cleveland will wear out Brooklyn’s offense. Although they try in defending, they still have one of the worst offenses in the league, with an average of 112.2.
MLB fans can watch Houston Astros VS Washington Nationals live at Fitteam Ballpark, Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, USA.
Ahead of the game, we have given our analysis of both teams, using their most recent performance and head-to-head stats as well. We also left odds that show the position of each side in the sportsbooks and who is being favoured.
A look at the head-to-head stats for Houston and Washington indicates that – these teams met 5 times and the Nationals won 3 times, while the Astros won twice. The last match which took place last week Friday ended in an 11:7 victory for Washington.
The Houston Astros have had more losses than wins this preseason, and the Nationals aren’t the only team they’ve lost to. They’ve secured two wins and three losses out of the five games they played.
Last week they lost thrice in a straight row to the Washington Nationals, New York Mets, and Miami Marlins. They lost 7:11 to the Nationals, 2:0 to the Mets, and 4:5 to the Marlins. However, Houston won Miami on Tuesday 2:1 and New York on Wednesday 2:5.
Since the Astros are returning the ill will to past opponents, this matchup will reveal if the Nationals will be the next team to take back the defeat they meted out to Houston.
Betting On The Washington Nationals
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.383
1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5
Unlike their opponents, the Washington Nationals have had more wins than losses in the preseason. Three wins, one loss, and one draw makeup their match results out of the five games they played.
This past Saturday, they were defeated by the Miami Marlins 0:7, then won the Detroit Tigers 2:1, before defeating the New York Mets 3:2 on Monday. Houston had a 4:4 draw with the St. Louis Cardinals and a current 5:2 victory against the New York Yankees.
Today’s game will decide if they will be on the receiving end of Houston’s recent revenge spree or if they’ll be teaching the Astros the same lesson twice in such a short period.
MatchPlug Prediction
Washington is in the better position to win the Astros, and it’s mostly because they’ve recorded the most wins the last times these teams clashed, plus the Nationals won Houston not so long ago.
However, Houston seemed to have stepped up and even took some time to return the defeats they suffered at the hands of the Marlins and Mets. The Astros may do the same to the Nationals, especially since they already defeated them twice – once last season and again this preseason.
For MLB Expert Picks you can trust regarding Astros VS Nationals, you can refer to the sportsbooks odds we listed in this preview.
Atlanta Braves VS New York Mets will happen live today at CoolToday Park, North Port, Florida.
We have done an examination of both teams who are warming up for the regular season with this MLB preseason matchup.
A look at the head-to-head stats for these two teams shows that – the Braves won most of the matches, including the most recent one which took place on 2nd March 2023, it ended in a 6:2 score.
Last fall when Atlanta and New York met, the Braves won the three times they played securing 5:2, 4:2, and 5:3 scores respectively.
While this may be a practice run for the actual MLB regular season, this reality hasn’t stopped the Atlanta Braves from leading their opponent at 594 points.
And Atlanta has been winning their preseason matches so far. On Wednesday, they defeated the Detroit Tigers 5:4, the Tampa Bay Rays 6:5, Minnesota Twins 5:0, Philadelphia Phillies 5:1, and Boston Red Sox 8:0.
It remains to be seen if they’ll add the Mets to their list of conquest for March to continue their unbroken winning streak.
Betting On The New York Mets
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.09
1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5
This preseason, the New York Mets have won only two matches out of the five games they’ve played. They beat the Houston Astros last week Saturday by a 2:0 score and the Miami Marlins in a 6:1 win last week Friday.
New York lost yesterday to Houston Astros 5:2 in a three-step trail of defeat featuring Washington Nationals 3:2, and St. Louis Cardinals 8:7 on the other end.
The Mets have a chance today to either end their losing streak or be another team that will fall to the Braves, who have been on a victory roll.
MatchPlug Prediction
Atlanta is clearly the team that is in the best position to win this matchup, with their recent victory and the fact that they also dominated the Mets last season in three good times.
But, since this is the MLB, anything can happen in today’s game. The New York Mets have tasted victory twice and may have gotten weary of their current string of defeats.
The Mets may step up and send a strong message to other teams using the Braves as an example.
For accurate MLB Expert Picks for Braves VS Mets, you can refer to the sportsbooks odds we listed earlier in this preview.
Serie A leaders Napoli have reportedly put a €150 Million price tag on their star forward Victor Osimhen.
The Nigerian striker is one of the hottest properties in the European market and is attracting interest from several Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea.
He is enjoying the most productive season in his career and sits top of the Serie A scoring charts with 21 goals. His goals has helped Napoli go 19 points clear at the top of Serie A, while his brace against Eintracht Frankfurt last week took his tally in all competitions to 25 goals in just 29 appearances.
His stellar performance has not gone unnoticed in Europe, and his club are prepared for the several offers that will follow when the season ends. According to FootMercato via GOAL, the Naples side have slapped a €150 million price tag on their priced asset and do not intend to go lower.
The Nigeria star is under contract with Napoli until 2025, but he could be out of Italy this summer if the right offer comes.
The report further adds that the 24-year-old fancies a move to Manchester United, who have prioritised signing a new striker this summer.
Chelsea are looking for a high-profile striker in the upcoming transfer window and are also interested in Osimhen. But unlike Manchester United, who are in a strong financial position, the Blues are not in a robust place financially following massive spending in the recent past.
French heavyweights PSG are also in the race for Osimhen, but the striker prefers a move to the Premier League.
Earlier this month, Osimhen confirmed he would sit down with his agents to discuss his future at the end of the season.
“I don’t know what the future holds. I think I’m on the right track,’ said Osimhen.
At the end of the season, I will sit down with my agents and discuss everything. I will also be in talks with the club.
“I am incredibly grateful to Naples. We will find a good solution together,” he added.
The striker also revealed earlier this month that he dreams of moving to the Premier League.
“A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league, but now I’m in one of the best leagues in the world, which is the Italian Serie A.
“I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League someday, but like I said, it’s a process, and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well.”
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