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Manchester City will be praying, despite some wobbles across recent matches, that they can go the distance with Arsenal in the ongoing Premier League title race.

A faultless winning run of eight matches in all competitions has now come to a halt with two uninspiring draws against Sunderland and Chelsea, with former Blues striker Daniel Sturridge stating after the 1-1 draw that the managerless away side “thoroughly deserved” a share of the points.

To help boost their chances of pipping the Gunners to the title, City look to be edging ever closer to officially announcing AFC Bournemouth superstar Antoine Semenyo on a statement January deal.

£65m being dropped on the Cherries attacker, but that won’t deter City from spending plenty more cash across the rest of the haywire window to come.

Man City dreaming of £85m move

Sky Sports pundit Sturridge weighed in further with his views on what the entertaining Ghanaian could offer at the Etihad post the disappointing Chelsea draw, stating that the ex-Bristol City forward’s “goal-driven” nature will make Guardiola’s men even more of a tantalising watch in the forward areas.

City could also look to shore up their midfield ranks in January, too, spending big to sign another high-class Premier League star.

Indeed, TEAMtalk report that the ten-time Premier League champions are dreaming of an audacious swoop for £85m-rated Elliot Anderson, to back up their much-talked-about move for Semenyo.

The report states that City wants to bolster their midfield options, even with Rodri back to full fitness, with Anderson sticking out as their desired target.

It’s further stated that Manchester United – who are also keen on Anderson’s signature – will fall behind in the race for the ex-Newcastle United man’s services, owing to the toxicity at Old Trafford at the moment, with Anderson also noted to be favouring a move to the sky blue half of Manchester, much like Semenyo made Guardiola and Co his top priority over Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

It’s been a remarkable ascent to the very top for Anderson, who was once plying his trade out on loan in the lower depths of the EFL with Bristol Rovers, as he potentially goes down as an even better long-term signing than Semenyo’s expected arrival.

Why Anderson could be a better signing than Semenyo

The excitement levels shouldn’t be dampened, however, regarding his counterpart’s anticipated move.

Indeed, Semenyo’s blistering tally of nine goals and three assists in the Premier League this season has even seen him branded as a “world-class” star by Cherries attacking teammate Justin Kluivert.

Further described as being “impossible to replace” by Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, the addition of Semenyo will only enhance City’s unbelievable firepower.

But, it might not be seen as the most pressing area of the pitch to drop £65m on, with Erling Haaland already leading the line with some venom, on top of Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku enjoying fine campaigns themselves.

Whereas, for £20m more, City could find their long-term heir to Rodri in Anderson, who has so often been the glue for Guardiola’s men centrally in their unbelievable title-winning exploits, having even won the Ballon d’Or during his celebrated stay at the Etihad.

Anderson’s PL numbers for Forest

Stat (* = per 90 mins)

24/25

25/26

Games played

37

20

Goals scored

2

1

Assists

6

1

Touches*

54.2

92.7

Accurate passes*

28.7 (82%)

59.3 (86%)

Big chances created

7

1

Ball recoveries*

5.6

8.3

Total duels won*

6.5

7.3

Stats by Sofascore

But, in recent times, it’s not always been guaranteed that the World Cup-winning battler will be fit, with Anderson potentially coming in to save the day to be equally as crucial to the City midfield, if a £85m move does get over the line.

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Looking at the table above, it’s clear that Anderson is in a league of his own in the Premier League as a “do-it-all midfielder-warrior” – as he was once branded by scout Ben Mattinson – with a ridiculous 8.3 ball recoveries and 7.7 duels won per game this season, backing up further claims that he is also “world-class” by commentator Jamie Martin.

While the powerful 23-year-old has consistently shone at the City Ground in the top-flight, with a standout six assists last season also sticking out, Semenyo hasn’t always found the pressures of the top division to be straightforward, as only one league goal came his way during his debut campaign on the South Coast.

He also suffered from a seven-game goalless streak earlier this season, with Semenyo perhaps falling to the wayside in Manchester, if a similar patch of form were to strike him down.

Moreover, while his versatility to line up as a right winger, left winger, or striker will be seen as a positive, it does also mean it’s not immediately fixed where the 32-time Ghana international would come into Guardiola’s side from the get-go.

Whereas, having also starred as a central midfield beast for England, when previously winning nine combined duels and tackles versus Latvia, Anderson would be confident of immediately coming into the heart of Guardiola’s midfield and making a difference, as the addition of the lively 23-year-old potentially pushes City to title glory.

Related Man City now favourites to sign £75m+ attacking star alongside Semenyo

He’s already working on an exit.

Posts ByTom Cunningham

Glasgow Rangers centre-forward Youssef Chermiti has a lot of work to do to justify the £8m transfer fee that Kevin Thelwell agreed to pay Everton for his services in the summer.

The Portugal U21 international has only scored two goals in 21 appearances in all competitions for the club so far, which is not good enough from their most expensive signing in 25 years.

However, his performance against St Mirren on Tuesday night showed signs of promise. He provided a brilliant assist for Emmanuel Fernandez’s goal, whipping a perfect cross in from the left, and won five of his nine duels, per Sofascore.

Whilst he has to do a lot more to prove that the Gers did not overpay for his services in the summer transfer window, it was a step in the right direction for Chermiti.

Danny Rohl driving Rangers interest in EFL star

The Light Blues are now reportedly keen to bring in a player who could work well alongside the Portuguese centre-forward in the second half of the season.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to TEAMtalk, Danny Rohl is taking a leading role in recruitment for the Scottish Premiership giants in the upcoming January transfer window, and a versatile forward is one of the things on his wishlist.

The report claims that the German head coach is driving the club’s interest in a deal for Wrexham attacking midfielder Josh Windass, due to his admiration for the former Rangers man.

It adds that the Gers have already had an attempt to sign the former Light Blues attacker on loan for the second half of the season rejected by Wrexham, who are not keen on losing their star forward.

TEAMtalk suggests that a deal may not be dead in the water, though, because of Rohl’s desire to sign him, but it remains to be seen whether or not the club would be willing to do a permanent deal for the 31-year-old star.

Why Rangers should sign Josh Windass

Signing the 31-year-old attacker on a short-term loan may not have been a particularly attractive option, as it would only be a quick fix, but a permanent move for him could be interesting.

Bringing Windass in on a permanent deal, despite his age, could be a good piece of business for the Gers because he is a player who could have an immediate impact on the pitch, whilst he could then be a good role model for younger players as he moves into the final years of his career.

In the short term, the experienced forward could be perfect for Chermiti because his main position is as a second striker or attacking midfielder who can play behind a main number nine, whilst offering a significant goal threat.

Windass currently plays off Kieffer Moore, who has a similar build to Chermiti, and has produced seven goals and three assists in the Championship so far this season, per Sofascore.

In the 2024/25 campaign, the English attacker scored 13 goals and provided five assists in 44 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday, whilst being managed by Rohl, which means that he already has a strong working relationship with the Rangers boss.

25/26 season

Windass (Championship)

Rangers leader (Premiership)

xG

4.47

Bojan Miovski – 4.89

Goals

7

James Tavernier – 4

Minutes per goal

177

Danilo – 266

Assists

3

Nico Raskin – 3

Key passes per game

1.0

James Tavernier – 2.0

Stats via WhoScored

As you can see in the table above, Windass’ form for Wrexham this season would make him the most prolific and impressive goalscorer in the current Rangers team.

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The English forward, who was described as a “polarising” link due to his first spell with the club by writer Kai Watson, would be perfect for Chermiti because he has the quality to provide an instant goal threat in the second striker or attacking midfield position to make up for the number nine’s struggles in front of goal.

Windass could take some of the pressure off the £8m signing’s shoulders by hitting the ground running as a goalscorer in the Premiership, as his consistency in front of goal would provide the Gers with the goals that they are currently lacking from their strikers.

Chermiti’s two assists in four Premiership starts for Rangers, per Sofascore, also suggest that he may have the creative potential to provide Windass with chances to score, which could see them strike up an effective partnership at the top end of the pitch.

Related Rohl could ruthlessly sell Cameron in Rangers move for £5m "sensation"

Danny Rohl could cash in on Lyall Cameron with a Rangers swoop for this star in the January transfer window.

Posts ByDan Emery

Therefore, signing the Wrexham star on a permanent deal, if they decide that is the route to go down, could be a good piece of business for the Scottish giants.

	Mushtaq Ahmed leads Sussex off after taking 13 wickets in the final match of the 2007 season … but will it turn out to be his last outing for the county? © Getty Images

Cricinfo has learned that the Pakistan board is set to block any of its players who have signed contracts with the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League from playing domestic cricket overseas.As things stand, any player who wants to play abroad needs a No Objection Certificate [NOC] from their home board. But a PCB source told Cricinfo that Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who recently signed for Yorkshire, would not be getting an NOC. “This is in line with our policy on the ICL,” the source said. “All players who do sign up with it will not represent Pakistan or domestic sides in Pakistan and anyway, Rana was not a contracted player of the board.”Perhaps the most high-profile case is that of Mushtaq Ahmed, who has been instrumental in Sussex’s success in the last five seasons and who is due to return to Hove next month. Although he was granted an NOC, he has since signed with the ICL. “We are considering withdrawing his NOC, because when we provided it to him last, it was a month and a half before he signed up with the ICL,” the spokesman said.Sussex have said they are “working with the ECB and the PCB in order to clarify the situation” regarding Mushtaq.Yorkshire’s chief executive Stewart Regan said that the county had given Naved-ul-Hasan an ultimatum – will he take part in the ICL or will he play for Yorkshire? “If Rana takes part in the ICL, he will automatically forfeit his Yorkshire contract. What we don’t know is how much Rana is being paid by the ICL, or whether he has signed a legally-binding contract.”

Graeme Smith is aware of Bangladesh’s strengths, given their three-pronged spin attack © Getty Images

When they arrived in Guyana, South Africa were well aware that nothingless than six points would suffice as they sought to seal a place in thelast four of the World Cup. Having stumbled on home soil four years ago,failure is not an option for the team’s stalwarts, many of whom won’t bearound in four years time.Ahead of Saturday’s game against Bangladesh, South Africa are right oncourse to leave Georgetown with the perfect record that they desire,having held off Sri Lanka in a thrilling finish before outclassingIreland. Bangladesh, who upset India in the opening phase, haven’t comeclose to beating South Africa before, but Graeme Smith was taking nothing forgranted on a slow pitch that may aid the opposition’s strengths.”Bangladesh base a lot of their attack on their three spinners,” he said,no doubt aware of the six wickets that they combined for against India.”They have a very young batting line-up that has been a bit unpredictablethroughout the tournament. They have played aggressive at times and beendefensive at others. I think they are caught a little in between on howthey should play.”Victory over India increased the expectations back in Bangladesh tohigh-rise levels, and subsequent disappointments against Australia and NewZealand resulted in Habibul Bashar, the captain, being subjected to harshcriticism. Smith clearly doesn’t envy his opposite number, but suggestedthat such things might be par for the course now that Bangladesh are nolonger looked upon as a minnow.”Now that they are in the Super Eight, there is a lot of pressure on them fromback home to still carry on beating top teams,” he said. “It’s a differentenvironment for them now, with their nation believing they should bewinning these games more and more often.”South Africa had thumped India 4-0 at home in November, and there’s nodoubt that playing Bangladesh in their place represents a bit of a stepinto the unknown. “We watched a bit of the India game,” said Smith. “Theyare a team, that if you give them any chance, they will pounce at it. Youhave got to start really well against them, and put them on the back footas early as you can. You give them a sniff and they have got players who,under Dav Whatmore, have learnt how to win games.”Apart from the spin trio, Bangladesh’s hopes rest largely with the youngbatting line-up that eclipsed India’s much-feted one. “They are young andsometimes don’t think about the situation they are in,” said Smith, whohimself was pitched into the big time pretty early. “They play with thatsort of freedom.”Due to their unpredictable nature, they can get off to a fast start, butcan also collapse at times. I think it’s about remaining calm againstthese sort of teams, who are unpredictable.”South Africa have four games in the next 10 days, and with fatigue boundto become an issue, there might be a couple of changes against Bangladesh.Andrè Nel should come into the reckoning, with Charl Langeveldt likely tomake way, and Robin Peterson will also come into the equation if thethink-tank decides that Makhaya Ntini requires a small break before biggerchallenges.”There are crucial games coming up for us,” said Smith. “We have two gamesin Grenada against New Zealand and West Indies, and we need to step upgoing into the meat of the World Cup. We don’t want do-or-die gamesagainst bigger teams.”The winner-take-all game that they’d love is a final against Australia,but Smith is wary of looking too far into the future. “It’s the final mostguys dream of,” he admitted. “But the important thing is reaching thesemi-finals.”Bangladesh’s priority, as Whatmore said on Wednesday, is to avoidfinishing last in the Super Eights. It makes for a fascinating tussle,between an ever-improving side with everything to gain and another thattruly believes that they can go all the way after the heartbreaks of 1992and ’99.

Bangladesh have dropped Tapash Baisya and Nazmul Hossain from their 14-man one-day squad for the four-ODI series at home to Kenya.Shahadat Hossain, who has played in five Tests bit not in any one-dayers, has been drafted into the squad.Bangladesh Habibul Bashar (capt), Khaled Mashud, Javed Omar, Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Rajin Saleh, Alok Kapali, Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafe Mortaza, Manjural Islam, Abdur Razzak, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain.

Brian Luckhurst: man of Kent for 51 years© Getty Images

Brian Luckhurst, the former England batsman who died earlier this month after a 51-year association with Kent County Cricket Club, has been laid to rest in the village of Alkham near Dover. Nearly 500 mourners crammed into the Church of St Anthony of Parmiers to pay their respects to Luckhurst, 66, who was buried on the final day of his term of office as club president.The local pub closed as a mark of respect, and after readings from Mr Luckhurst’s sons, the eulogy was read by his former Kent and England team-mate, Derek Underwood. “To be president of Kent County Cricket Club was without doubt the greatest honour and tribute that Brian could ever have achieved," said Underwood, "so it was tragic that he should be stricken with illness in his presidential year."Despite all the odds he fulfilled his duties and at times he went far beyond the call of duty and despite his pain and tiredness he was determined to enjoy and relish every moment of his year.” The congregation included a host of former Kent stars, including Mike Denness, Alan Ealham, David Constant, Chris Tavare and Richard Ellison.

Hayden lies in wait © AFP

Sourav Ganguly certainly isn’t expecting any favours from the Australian bowlers when the first Test of the four-match series against Australia gets underway at the Gabba in Brisbane tomorrow.”I expect to get a few,” he said with a smile when asked whether he thought Australia’s bowlers would target his perceived vulnerability against the short ball. “We’re all prepared for that.”With torrential rain buffeting the area this morning, and further showers predicted over the next few days, the bowling attacks could well hold sway on a 22-yard strip that was tinged with travel-sickness green on the eve of the match.Steve Waugh, for one, wasn’t writing off India’s chances. “They have bowlers who can swing the ball,” he said, “and you can’t say the same about too many teams in international cricket.” Whether Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra can pitch it in the right areas against a formidable batting line-up is another matter altogether.”We’ve been practising on that,” said Ganguly, talking about the ideal length to bowl to the Australian batsmen. “A good ball is a good ball to any batsmen, regardless of whether it’s Matthew Hayden facing, or someone else. We need to hit the right areas of the pitch.”Ganguly admitted that the team had performed pretty poorly in the warm-up matches against Victoria and the Queensland Academy of Sport. “It takes time to get used to the new conditions … on the positive side, most of the batsmen were hitting the ball quite well.”He was also at his diplomatic best when asked whether the series would be special because his side would be the last to test their mettle against Steve Waugh. “It’s going to be a special series anyway,” he said. “We’re the only team to have beaten Australia in the past five years … I have a lot of respect for him [Waugh]. He’s taken them to another level in his years in charge, and I’m sure Australian cricket will miss him when he leaves.”Waugh admitted relief that the speculation was finally over. “Everyone knows what the deal is now, and we can just get on with things,” he said in typically acerbic fashion. Both captains will also get on with the toss in the time-honoured fashion this time, with none of the gamesmanship that plagued the last series between these sides. “Captains have to set the right example when it comes to the way Test cricket is played,” said Waugh, suggesting that both men will walk to the middle together tomorrow morning.Australia go into the game without Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath, but Waugh was emphatic that the resources he had – Brad Williams and Nathan Bracken to back up Jason Gillespie and Andrew Bichel – would be enough to “knock the Indians over”. Even with grey clouds still dominating the horizon, Stuart MacGill will get a look in.India’s selection dilemma centres around the spinners, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. Only one will play, and Harbhajan – hero of the 2001 triumph, and one of the individuals mentioned by Waugh as posing a special threat – should be the one. Ajit Agarkar, the only Indian pace bowler with previous experience of Australian pitches, should also start, with neither Irfan Pathan nor L Balaji having scythed through the opposition in the tour games.Sadagoppan Ramesh should open the batting with Virender Sehwag, having been one of the few batsmen to strike any sort of rhythm so far on this tour. Ganguly and Wright also have 24 hours to sort out a batting order. VVS Laxman played his best innings against Australia at No. 3, and there’s a good chance that he’ll be asked to do so again, with Rahul Dravid moving down the order to lend extra solidity in the event of the openers failing again.The focus of most Australian eyes tomorrow will be Sachin Tendulkar, 12 years on from the tour that established him as one of the brightest stars in cricket’s alltime firmament. “Special players like him have a way of working around whatever plans you make,” said Waugh. It’ll take some truly special work from Tendulkar if India aren’t to leave the Gabba with a fifth successive defeat. Tendulkar and rain – in that order – offer India the biggest hope, on a pitch where the bowlers should be into the swing of things from ball one.Australia (probable): 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Justin Langer, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Steve Waugh (capt), 6 Simon Katich, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Andy Bichel, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Brad Williams, 11 Stuart MacGill.India (probable): 1 Sadagoppan Ramesh, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 VVS Laxman, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Rahul Dravid, 6 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 7 Ajit Agarkar, 8 Parthiv Patel (wk), 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.

*East Zone*Bengal complete eight-wicket winAs Bengal left-arm spinner took six wickets, his side went on to win their Ranji Trophy league match against Assam at Kolkata on Monday.Overnight on 147/6, Assam collapsed in the face of sustained spin from Chatterjee and off-spinner Saurashish Lahiri (4-65). Barring the 83 from PK Das at the top of the order, none of the batsmen could even cross 50. The visitors were consequently bowled out for 206.Set a target of 157, Bengal reached it easily, losing only the openers along the way. Nikhil Haldipur made an unbeaten 51 and skipper Rohan Gavaskar 40 not out. Bengal collect eight points from this outright win.*Tripura draw with BiharSurviving some hiccups along the way, Bihar held on to draw with Tripura in their Ranji Trophy league match at Agartala on Monday.Tripura, at 50/3 overnight, went on to make 249 in their second innings boosted by another fine knock from C Sachdev. Sachdev, however, missed a century for the second time in the match, falling for 96 made off 170 balls.Set a victory target off 232 off 17 overs, Bihar had no option but to play for the draw. That too seemed in jeopardy as three wickets fell in four overs. T Rehman and N Ranjan finally held on till the end, taking their side to 59/4 at stumps. S Shukla was the Tripura bowler who rocked Bihar’s second innings, taking four for 24 off eight overs.*South ZoneSharath, Badani star for Tamil NaduSharing 196 runs for the fourth wicket, Sridharan Sharath and Hemang Badani took Tamil Nadu to a strong position at the end of Day Two in their Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka at Bangalore.Losing opener Sridharan Sriram early in the day, Tamil Nadu’s fortunes revived with a mini-stand between Hemant Kumar and Badani. Karnataka dismissed the former just before lunch, but Sharath and Badani then combined for their mammoth partnership. Sharath made 113 off 173 balls, while Badani struck 124 off 234 balls. At the end of the day, Tamil Nadu were 357/5, with skipper Robin Singh and TR Arasu at the crease.In the other South Zone match, Venkatapathy Raju brought Hyderabad surging back into their match after being dismissed for a low first-innings total by Kerala. Raju returned figures of 23-9-42-6 as Kerala collapsed for 125, with only Sunil Oasis (47) showing any resistance. At stumps, Hyderabad were 124/2, with Vanka Pratap and Anirudh Singh unbeaten on 23 and 17 respectively.At Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh were comfortably placed at the close of play on Day Two. Bowling Goa out for 270 in their first innings, with Tanveer Jabbar making 107, Andhra Pradesh ended the day on 184/1, with skipper MSK Prasad unbeaten on 74 and LN Prasad Reddy on 28.*North Zone*Services draw with Jammu & KashmirSet a total of 306 to win, Services opted for a safe draw and three points in their Ranji Trophy league match at Delhi on Monday.Jammu & Kashmir, 133/4 overnight, went on to score 242 in their second innings. The innings revolved largely around wicket-keeper Arshad Bhatt, who made a patient 98 off 177 balls. Bhatt came in at the fall of the fourth wicket and stayed till the end, becoming the tenth wicket to fall. He was also Arun Sharma’s fifth wicket; Sharma took five for 39.Services started steadily but lost openers K Chawda and PMS Reddy within the space of 29 runs. Thereafter, Jasvir Singh and Yashpal Singh played well. The former made 54 off just 55 balls, while Yashpal Singh made an unbeaten 51. At stumps, Services were 202 for the loss of four wickets.*Himachal Pradesh play unimaginative cricketDespite being in a position to declare and set Haryana a sporting target, Himachal Pradesh opted to bat out most of the day in their Ranji Trophy league match at Rohtak on Monday.Overnight batsmen Rajiv Nayyar and Sangram Singh, both in good form, made the most significant scores of the innings. Sangram Singh fell for 54, made off 94 balls. Nayyar, as has been his wont, occupied the crease dully, making 102 off 314 balls, with 13 boundaries.Himachal skipper Varinder Sharma never enforced a declaration, so that when they were finally bowled out for 270 (made off 101 overs), Haryana were set a target off 347 off 20 overs. The match petered out into a dull draw, and the only excitement of the day was provided by Amit Mishra, who took a hat-trick by claiming Varinder Sharma, Amit Sharma and C Kumar off successive deliveries.*Punjab draw with DelhiA match that saw two high first-innings total, the Ranji Trophy league tie between Punjab and Delhi at Amritsar ended in the expected draw on the fourth day.Punjab, still continuing their first innings on the fourth day, were finally bowled out for 441, with Amit Bhandari picking up 7-92 for Delhi. The visitors, on batting again, could not repeat their first-innings heroics; barring a resolute 75 from Pradeep Chawla, no batsman could really get going, and the innings was declared at 198 for nine.Set a target of 257 off 16 overs, Punjab inevitably played for the safe draw and reached stumps at 58 for one. Delhi, by virtue of their first-innings total, collect five points from this match, while Punjab collect three.

The match could not commence at the schedule time on account of heavy rain that flooded the ground. After hectic efforts put in by the ground staff to turn the ground and the pitch fit for play, it was possible to start the game at 4:30 p.m. local time.Only 2.4 overs were bowled when the game had to be suspended on account of sudden drizzle. During this period, Atapattu was, however, able to complete his well-cherished double century. The play was called off for the day with Sri Lanka at 467 for 5. Atapattu was batting at 207 while Dharmasena was at the crease with 12 runs.

Mark Guidi has dropped a teasing injury update on Celtic centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments made to Go Radio (via Vital Celtic), the journalist revealed that the centre-forward – who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since December 26 – could finally be in line for a return to first-team action after the upcoming international break.

Speaking about the current condition of the Japan international, Guidi said: “On Kyogo, well, there are one or two murmurs that he’ll be available for the first game after the international break, which is Ibrox on April 3rd.

“Now, we could see Kyogo coming on for the League Cup Final against Hibs, the impact he made with not a lot of training time behind him.

“So if it was to be the case, if that’s accurate and he’s available for the game at Ibrox, I wouldn’t imagine that he would start unless there’s an injury problem to Maeda or Giakoumakis or whatever.

“But, certainly, having somebody like Kyogo on the bench, what a lift that would give to Celtic – to the manager, to the players, to the supporters, albeit there won’t be Celtic supporters in the ground that day.

“And, if he’s required for whatever reason, to come on and give 25 minutes to half an hour, he would have that in his locker all day to go and do that.”

Postecoglou will be buzzing

Considering just how important a part of the Celtic side Kyogo has become since his £4.6m move to Parkhead last summer, should the striker indeed be in line for a return to action at Ibrox at the start of next month, it would undoubtedly be an outcome that will have Postecoglou buzzing.

Indeed, over his 14 Premiership appearances so far this season, the £4.95m-rated hitman has been in deadly goalscoring form, scoring eight goals, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

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These returns have seen the £18k-per-week forward average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.03 in the league, however, the 27-year-old has also been in equally impressive form in cup competitions this term – bagging a further eight goals and providing three assists over 12 outings in the Europa League, Europa League qualifying and the Scottish League Cup.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the return of Kyogo for the Rangers fixture would provide Celtic’s chances of leaving Ibrox with three points with a huge boost – one that could all but seal the Premiership title for the Bhoys.

In other news: Worrying Celtic development emerges on £15k-p/w “rogue”, Postecoglou will be gutted