Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has opened up about why he believes England have all the necessary “ingredients” to win the 2026 World Cup. Joining host Adebayo Akinfenwa for the latest episode of GOAL’s Beast Mode On Podcast, the Selecao manager predicts the Three Lions will go far at next summer’s showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Expectations high in England as Kane hails 'world class' Tuchel

After topping Group K by winning all eight of their qualifying fixtures, expectations are high in England ahead of the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel’s men booked their place in North America following an impressive campaign which saw them score 22 goals and concede none in clashes against Albania, Serbia, Latvia and Andorra.

And as a result, there is strong belief within the England camp that they can go all the way in their quest to add to their sole World Cup success in 1966, with captain Harry Kane singling out “world class” Tuchel as someone who could make the all-important difference.

“He's done a really good job,” Kane said in November. “Coming in to being England manager is never easy, especially after Gareth who was one of our most successful managers. He's [Tuchel] tried to stamp his own feel into training, into meetings.

“He comes with a lot of enthusiasm. Tactically we are really precise going into every game. He's been building different ideas leading up to next summer. Form now until then there will be more he would like to add. Tactically he has been fantastic.

“He brings a personality, he brings an aura that represents an England manager. Going into a major tournament that is important as well. Other teams know he is one of the best managers in the world and that brings weight as well.”

AdvertisementGetty Images SportPortugal boss Martinez gives his thoughts on Three Lions' chances

One man who also believes England have what it takes to lift the World Cup is Portugal boss Martinez, who is well-accustomed to English football having also managed Everton and Wigan Athletic in the Premier League.

Sitting down for a chat with GOAL’s Beast Mode On presenter Akinfenwa, Martinez agreed with Bayern Munich striker Kane that the very presence of Tuchel means England should be considered as one of the “favourites” to win the competition.

The 52-year-old said: “You’ve got a manager [Tuchel] that’s got a neutral way, that’s won the Champions League [with Chelsea], he’s managed at the highest level.

“I always feel that the club competitions prepare the players individually to represent the national teams. 

“The players England have, they get the benefits of the competitive aspect of the Premier League and what they do in the Champions League, these clubs.

“The product is there, the ingredients are there. So I do feel that England are part of that ‘favourites’ group.”

Getty Images SportEx-Everton and Wigan manager predicts England's World Cup rivals

Speaking of a ‘favourites group’, Martinez believes there are several countries who could cause England problems at the World Cup, including one national team that are yet to secure their place at the tournament.

“Argentina, Brazil are two teams that are competitive, they always find a way,” Martinez continued. “Germany, for me in Europe, they are making huge progress under their coach, [Julian] Nagelsmann. 

“Obviously Italy, they are in the playoffs but if they qualify, they will be a team that can go all the way. They’ve got these extremes, they won the Euros [in 2021], then they don’t qualify in either of the World Cups [in 2018 and 2022], either side of the Euros.

"And you have to accept that teams like France and probably Spain now, they are number one in the [FIFA] world rankings, they should probably be the favourites out of anybody just because of their historic past, the belief that their national teams have, the players that have won every single tournament at youth level, and they just won the Euros [in 2024] with quite a distinctive superiority.”

England – alongside Martinez’s Portugal – will find out who they will play at the World Cup when the draw takes place on Friday, 5 December in the United States, with the ceremony starting at 17:00 GMT (12:00 local time).

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Australia will start the Ashes without Cummins and Hazlewood and have two debutants in the XI but they aren’t fretting it

Alex Malcolm20-Nov-20251:55

Starc confident in replacements for Cummins and Hazlewood

Steven Smith projected a sense of calm sitting in front of a huge media throng as Australia’s captain on the eve of a home Ashes series.He’s been there and done this many times before. But this is a little different. That Smith was sitting there as the stand-in captain was not plan A for Australia.That they are playing without two of their big three fast bowlers, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, in a home Test for the first time since 2022 was definitely not plan B.That they have picked two players, Brendan Doggett and Jake Weatherald, to debut in the same Test for the first time since 2019, and a seventh different opening partner for Usman Khawaja in 16 Tests, was not even plan C.Australia are unsettled and vulnerable. But while there is a popular belief, at least externally, that England must win in Perth to have any chance in the series, there is no sense that Australia feel Perth is make or break. The lessons of last year’s loss to India in Perth before winning the series 3-1 are fresh in their minds.”I think you want to try and win the first Test match and get yourself ahead of the game, I suppose, or the series,” Smith said on Thursday. “But I think either way we look at last summer, we lost the first Test match and we were able to claw the series back.”We’ve got a lot of belief in that change room, if the result doesn’t go our way this week, that we can turn it around. We saw it last year. So ideally, we play well this week, and we’ve got potentially Patty on the table next game. Josh, I don’t know, but I think we’ll see how this week pans out.”Steven Smith: There’s always so many words said before the [Ashes] series•Getty Images

Australia have learnt some clear lessons from 12 months ago. Despite their public protestations after copping a shellacking from India in Perth that caused a firestorm of criticism from home fans, they knew internally they had been undercooked going into that series.Related

• England hold off on naming final XI for Perth Test

• Australia's injuries fuel English optimism but task ahead is huge

• Weatherald and Doggett handed debuts in first Ashes Test

• Bazball has made England believers, whether Australia buy into it or not

• Australia expects as Golden boy Green aims for Ashes peak

Every member of the squad bar Khawaja played the most recent Sheffield Shield round to prepare for the opening Test, something that didn’t happen last year. Every member of the chosen XI bar Travis Head and Mitchell Starc have played at least two first-class games in the last month, which again was not the case last summer. Perth golf courses have been frequented this week, but quantifiably less often than in the training period last year.The hype has been unprecedented. On another scale to last year, even with the inflation that India can bring. But for Smith, entering his ninth Ashes series as a player and his fifth on home soil, it has felt like par for the course.”It’s pretty standard,” Smith said. “I’ve been involved in a few now, and there’s always so many words said before the series. But for us, I think it’s about just ignoring the outside noise, concentrating on our processes, what we do well as a team and trusting and backing that throughout. It’s exciting that we’re starting tomorrow. Everyone’s been raring to go for the last few days of training and even before that.”Australia have maintained their own bubble. There were no leaks to the media of the initial Ashes squad. There was no leaks of the XI until Thursday morning, which was a pretty good achievement given the binary nature of the choices the selectors had.Even the public pontifications on how Bazball will fare in Australia have been left to ex-players, the media and the punters. Australia’s current players have consistently spoken kindly this week about the quality of England’s team and the brand of cricket they play.There were moments in the 2023 Ashes in England when Australia did look “rattled” in the field as England’s Bazballers swung momentum violently at times as only they can.The proof will be in the pudding, but Smith certainly portrayed a sense that Bazball is not “in their heads” as the Barmy Army’s song suggests.”I think it’s just playing the tempo of the game that needs to be played at each certain time,” Smith said. “I’ve no doubt throughout this series, there’s going to be periods of the game where a few of their batters get off and they score some runs quickly. And for us, it might be about being a little bit defensive in those moments. And then finding the moments where we can attack a bit more and just playing the game, really, that’s in front of us, and not letting it drift too far before we implement the plans that need to be played at that certain time. I guess that’s as simple as I can put it right now.”There are as many unknowns about Australia as there are about England ahead of this series. But it is clear Australia are not gripping the steering wheel tight in Perth. The result will be the result. Reinforcements are almost certain to come soon given how good Cummins looks in the nets.It might be the calm before the storm. But even if the storm comes, an understrength Australia appear prepared for it.

The now grizzled Bangladesh veteran was so fresh faced in 2005, he could have passed for 12

Andrew Miller19-Nov-2025Some Test cricketers just look startlingly, stop-in-your-tracks young when they first take the field, especially when their baby-faced features are set against the grandeur of an ancient, storied venue such as Lord’s. Sachin Tendulkar was one such player, all fluff and so little obvious substance until he streaked around the outfield to claim an astonishing catch in Graham Gooch’s 333 Test in 1990. A mere 15 years later, and back at the same venue in May 2005, Mushfiqur Rahim was another.Though the records now state that he had turned 18 earlier that month, Mushfiqur was assumed at the time to be 16, while he could have been passed off for 12 without anyone missing a beat. He was tiny, and by rights he should have been overawed. He was playing in the most auspicious Test of Bangladesh’s then-short and deeply painful history, and was up against an England team that has rarely presented a more daunting challenge.As if it wasn’t bad enough to be nursing a record of 31 defeats in 36 prior Tests – and 20 of those by an innings – Bangladesh had arrived in early-season England to face an England side with far bigger fish to fry. The seminal 2005 Ashes was on the horizon, and this contest was less a warm-up, more a canapé. In Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones and Matthew Hoggard, the hosts had at their disposal arguably the greatest four-prong seam attack they’d ever compiled, and twin totals of 108 and 159 across 78.1 overs spoke of a team in an indecent hurry to get on with their main event.One man – one boy, rather – did his utmost to hold Bangladesh up. With time on the ball that shamed the hustled jabs and thrashes of his senior team-mates, and a thirst for the fight that belied every stereotype that his demeanour might have attracted, Mushfiqur endured for 85 minutes, making 19 from 56 balls in the first innings – one of only three double-figure scores. It wasn’t riches, but that was rather the point. It was resistance, a flicker of friction that hinted that he could yet be here to stay, unlike so many of the unready contenders that had already been chewed up and spat out in their team’s invidious circumstances.Mushfiqur Rahim received commemorative jerseys ahead of his 100th Test on Wednesday•BCBMushfiqur – the Mighty Atom, as he would soon become known – had earned his opportunity through his sheer (and rare) weight of runs in Bangladesh’s warm-up games. In his first outing of the tour, against a Sussex 2nd XI at Hove, his second-innings 63 had been the solitary crumb of comfort in a grotesque team display, one which led Dav Whatmore, their gruff and paternalistic head coach, to offer an apology to his hosts after an innings-and-226-run defeat.Then, at Northamptonshire’s Wantage Road – the scene, a mere six years earlier, of the World Cup triumph over Pakistan that had catapulted Bangladesh’s premature claims for Test status – Mushfiqur followed up with a cultured 115 not out from 167 balls, albeit against a similarly unrepresentative attack that had him admitting, at the close of play, that his first interview on the BBC World Service was the more daunting of his day’s duties.And now, 20 years and 100 Test caps later, Mushfiqur shares even more in common with Tendulkar, not simply because of his longevity, but because of what he has represented in between whiles, in his country’s long march to recognition within the sport. If Tendulkar’s tale encapsulates India’s economic flourishing and the sense of a nation growing into its supernova status, then Mushfiqur’s is, in its own way, an even more significant microcosm.It’s a tale of tenacity and optimism, and the vindication of youth in the face of overwhelming experience. Even amid the pallid horrors of Bangladesh’s early Test scorecards, it’s easy to forget the narratives that accompanied them. The calls for their status to be rescinded, and the borderline contempt with which their matches were covered. In the Asian Test Championship in September 2001, two Sri Lanka batters, Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene, had effectively retired bored after reaching 201 and 150 respectively, and at a time long before T20 cricket had captured the zeitgeist, the notion that Bangladesh’s status cheapened Test cricket was overpowering.Mushfiqur Rahim has been a pillar of the Bangladesh team for 20 out of 25 years of its existence•Associated PressWith no first-class structure – let alone anything resembling an academy or even a serviceable indoor school – and only a handful of senior pros such as Habibul Bashar and Javed Omar to provide the short-term ballast, the only realistic option available to Bangladesh was to take a punt on its youth, and hope that a handful of likely lads would be able to last the course.With the likes of Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal also enduring the sink-or-swim approach, Bangladesh ended up being extraordinarily well served in that regard – and when all four combined to eliminate India from the 2007 World Cup, the sense of a future taking shape before our eyes was palpable. None, however, could come close to matching Mushfiqur’s endurance.He is a grizzled veteran now, with the sort of sage’s beard that would have been comical to even imagine when his fresh face first lined up for a team photo. But astonishingly, he’s been a pillar of this team for 20 out of 25 years of its existence – a timeframe that might have earned him close to double the number of caps had he played for a more fashionable country, or even been permitted to play in series of longer than two Tests.It’s a mark of his longevity that Mushfiqur featured in 56 series all told, with more still to come seeing as he’s going nowhere yet at the age of 38. Tendulkar, by contrast, played 73 across his 200-cap, 24-year career; James Anderson, who played 188 in 21, played 67. At the other end of the endurance scale, there’s England’s former captain, Andrew Strauss. He too played in 100 Tests, but his all came to pass in a mere eight years, and across 29 series.It just goes to show how big the gulf in opportunity remains in a sport that has never been well disposed towards the little guy. But when you think back to that origin story at Lord’s, it’s hard to imagine how Bangladesh could have stood as tall as it has since managed to do, without his five-foot-nothing presence standing front and centre.

Jamie Carragher has delivered his verdict on Arsenal and their Premier League title challenge after their dramatic 2-1 loss at Aston Villa.

Arsenal suffer first defeat in 18 games as five-point lead slips

Arsenal’s agonising defeat at Villa has ended the Gunners’ 18-game unbeaten streak whilst threatening their title aspirations, with Man City’s subsequent 3-0 dismantling of Sunderland now reducing the gap to just two points.

Emiliano Buendia’s 95th minute winner highlighted familiar weaknesses that have plagued previous title challenges.

Mikel Arteta’s makeshift defence, deprived of William Saliba and Gabriel through injury, conceded soft goals that championship-winning teams simply cannot afford.

Matty Cash’s thunderous opener exploited Eberechi Eze’s defensive negligence, whilst Buendia’s late intervention punished Arsenal’s inability to clear.

Leandro Trossard’s second-half equaliser briefly sparked hope of a hard-fought victory in the Midlands, yet Arsenal ultimately succumbed to Villa’s relentless pressure.

Arteta a big fan: Arsenal "could make a move" for "world-class" £65m forward

The Gunners are looking to bolster their attacking options.

ByDominic Lund 4 days ago

While Arsenal have only lost twice this campaign, Arteta will be hoping Saturday’s defeat doesn’t sap his squad’s confidence given the manner of their slip up.

Cristhian Mosquera’s ankle injury compounds their current defensive crisis, forcing 16-year-old Marli Salmon onto the bench against Villa.

Man City ruthlessly capitalised on Arsenal’s hiccup, delivering their arguable most complete performance this season against an in-form Sunderland side.

Rúben Dias opened the scoring with a spectacular 25-yard thunderbolt before Josko Gvardiol doubled the advantage through a towering header from Phil Foden’s corner.

Foden completed the scoring after 65 minutes, converting Rayan Cherki’s outrageous rabona cross for a serious highlight reel moment.

Pep Guardiola praised it as potentially City’s finest 95-minute display this season, emphasising how it is consistency rather than individual results that determines success.

The title race has dramatically intensified, with Aston Villa themselves now genuine contenders sitting third, merely three points behind Arsenal following seven consecutive wins in all competitions.

Make no mistake, it is all to play for, and Carragher is convinced that Arsenal have a ‘huge problem’ in the form of Foden.

Jamie Carragher says Phil Foden is a 'huge problem' for Arsenal

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher insists that the England international, alongside Erling Haaland, poses a massive threat to Arsenal’s quest to win a first Premier League title in 22 years.

After a difficult 2024/2025, Arsenal have every right to be concerned, as Foden is now back to his imperious best.

Foden has emerged as City’s most potent attacking threat bar Haaland during their resurgent title challenge, scoring nine goals across all competitions so far this term.

The 25-year-old has also notched six Premier League goals in thirteen appearances, averaging 0.51 goals per ninety minutes whilst contributing two assists.

His recent purple patch has been particularly devastating, with five goals scored in his last three league games. His goal involvement rate of 0.69 per ninety minutes highlights his constant influence in the final third, with Guardiola praising his exceptional qualities following Saturday’s performance.

Foden already surpassed his career milestone of 100 City goals during the summer’s Club World Cup, cementing his status amongst the club’s elite scorers.

His personal renaissance couldn’t have come at a worse time for Arsenal, but luckily for Arteta, the title is still theirs to lose.

If Hardik Pandya is one half of India’s white-ball cheat code, Axar is the other, and he proved this again with an all-round masterclass at Carrara Oval

Sidharth Monga06-Nov-2025

Axar Patel used angles to take his wickets and then to celebrate them•Getty Images

T20 unfolds so quickly it is sometimes difficult to figure out what is going on or what has caused the goings-on. One moment Australia are looking comfortable chasing 168, the next they are getting out hooking Shivam Dube. Before you know it, Washington Sundar is on a hat-trick, and India have won the Carrara Oval T20I by 48 runs.Australia had been dominating the game. An Arshdeep Singh over had gone for 15, Varun Chakravarthy had been pulled for a huge six, and India needed an intervention to stay alive in the contest.At this juncture, Axar Patel came on inside the powerplay and dragged Australia back, executing a simple plan to perfection. He said he was looking to bowl the 5-6m length to batters looking to hit down the ground, and full to those looking to sweep.Related

• Australia look for a final lift to earn share of T20 series

• Axar, Dube, Washington power India to 2-1 series lead

Axar used his wide release to create an angle into the right-hand batters in the Australian line-up, cramping them for room. Only eight of the balls that Axar bowled in his night’s work of 4-0-20-2 ended up outside off at the plane of the stumps. Everything else was either hitting the stumps or following batters who were backing away to create room. Not one ball let them play an attacking shot off the back foot.Axar got Matt Short on the sweep, but the incredible part was that he landed the ball full enough to defy that angle, and both hit the batter in line and be projected to hit the stumps. He also convinced his captain to take the review when the umpire, understandably, didn’t quite believe both were possible. Against Josh Inglis, Axar saw the advance down the wicket and both slowed the ball down and pulled his length back.This was a crucial spell because Axar was the fourth bowler India tried, and their options for the fifth bowler were Dube, Washington, who hadn’t bowled in the third T20I because of the right-hander-heavy line-up, and Abhishek Sharma. India needed some asking-rate pressure for any of these bowlers to be effective. Axar created that with three overs for 17 runs out of the first nine, giving India a chance to be able to use the uneven bounce and the big square boundaries; Dube, for one, did this with smart use of off-pace bouncers.Axar Patel’s handy 21* carried India to 167•Getty ImagesFor all of Axar’s bowling smarts, limited-overs cricket is too unforgiving for specialist fingerspinners to thrive in, but his batting has also been a big part of India’s domination in T20 cricket. Here at Carrara Oval, he had scored an unbeaten 11-ball 21 that included a final-over push that took them to a fighting total.With increasing batting responsibilities both at Delhi Capitals and in ODIs, Axar has flourished as an allrounder in limited-overs cricket. He is one half of the cheat code – Hardik Pandya is the other – that gives India depth in both departments.You can easily imagine teams that will be happy to play just Axar the batter. Unlike Ravindra Jadeja, India’s T20 spin allrounder before Axar and for a while alongside him, it is not easy to shut Axar down. He can be a spin disruptor, he can play like a proper middle-order batter, and he can also bat at the death.This was Axar’s eighth Player-of-the-Match award in T20Is, which moved him past another left-arm spinner and batter, Yuvraj Singh. Only Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma have won more match awards for India. If this is not enough to prove his value, consider this. You can find substitutes for most players in Indias’ line-up, who may not be as good as the player they’ve replaced but can still do a job. It is nigh on impossible to find someone who does what Axar does.

At the end of Sunday’s action, Melbourne Renegades have climbed to second place behind Hobart Hurricanes, while Perth Scorchers have risen to fourth place

AAP16-Nov-2025

Tess Flintoff’s clutch, late hitting cut the tension as Melbourne Renegades toppled Melbourne Stars in the WBBL’s derby on Sunday at Junction Oval.Chasing 142 for victory, Flintoff (17 in nine balls) held her nerve with a six, four and four off Annabel Sutherland’s penultimate over to clinch the win with four wickets and seven balls to spare.Stars had given themselves every chance with some tight bowling after Courtney Webb (37) and Sophie Molineux (32) had put the defending champions on track.Needing a-run-a-ball in the final four overs, both Deandra Dottin and Georgia Wareham holed out to heap the pressure on the lower order. But, needing 12 off ten balls, Flintoff was up to the task against her former club.First she split two leg-side fielders with a swipe that hit the rope before hammering a back-foot drive over cover to level the scores. Victory came courtesy of a sweetly-timed drive over mid-off to put Renegades (3-1) into second behind the unbeaten Hobart Hurricanes (3-0).Earlier, Meg Lanning (3) recorded a rare failure, leaving Sutherland (29) and Marizanne Kapp (22) to pilot Stars’ innings before Kim Garth’s (29 off 19) late hitting. Dottin, with 3 for 20 in three overs, took the last three wickets and was later named the Player of the Match.Devine three-for takes Scorchers past Strikers in rain-hit gameSophie Devine’s intervention took Adelaide Strikers apart before the heavens opened up to hand Perth Scorchers a dominant WBBL win in Melbourne on Sunday.