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After months of waiting, the start of the Premier League season is here, and while it’s tough to predict any sides’ starting XI, Liverpool throw up a very unique set of circumstances.An extremely busy summer at Anfield has taken place, with Kop legend Steven Gerrard and starlet Raheem Sterling having both left, while lavish sums of money have been cast out from Merseyside to snare top talents such as Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke.Rolled into this are the captures of James Milner and the rise of Jordon Ibe in pre-season, so we’re sure Brendan Rodgers has been up late into the night shifting salt and pepper pots on his kitchen table to try and come up with a balanced and effective XI.And it’s not just the Northern Irishman who’s been giving it some serious thought, with Liverpool legend John Barnes also clear on how he wants his old side to line up as they attempt to avenge that 6-1 drubbing at Stoke.The former England international, and Brand Ambassador for TitanBet.co.uk – Click here to get £20 free bet when you deposit and bet £10. 18+, terms apply – said: “I would go with Lallana, Benteke, Firmino. Lallana on the left, Benteke down the middle, Firmino on the right, the top three.â€The rest of Barnes’ XI is a little controversial, too, with the likes of Mamadou Sakho missing out, while Alberto Moreno is given the nod ahead of pre-season starlet, Joe Gomez.Here are some great bets for the Stoke vs. Liverpool game from TitanBet.co.uk:25/1 Liverpool to win the League5/2 Liverpool to finish in Top 4.6/5 Liverpool to beat Stoke9/2 Benteke to score first v Stoke9/2 Liverpool to beat Stoke and Both Teams to Score (Mobile Only)AboutÂTitanbet.co.ukTitanbet.co.ukÂis powered by the world’s largest online gaming software developer Playtech, a publicly-traded company on the London Stock Exchange (PTEC.L). As the developer’s flagship sportsbook,ÂTitanbet.co.ukÂcustomers can expect an exceptional and fully-customisable betting experience. Our mobile product is second to none and offers sports betting opportunities on the go – anytime, anywhere. We’re proud to offer early pre-match betting lines, exciting live bets, and some of the best odds on the market. All staff live and breathe sport, and their mission is to offer UK-based sports enthusiasts a top of the line sports betting experience.

Match facts

Saturday, July 11, 2015
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)A young Sri Lanka side will be boosted by the presence of Lasith Malinga and Tillakaratne Dilshan•Getty Images

Big picture

Pakistan have recently been whitewashed in Bangladesh. Sri Lanka’s last ODI outing was that traumatic Sydney World Cup quarterfinal against South Africa. Both teams have lost key men. Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi have stepped off the one-day planet. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have disappeared over the horizon. These teams are not so much waging high-octane battle in the five-ODI series, as conducting experiments. Is Kusal Perera a viable long-term opener, for example? Or can Sarfraz Ahmed learn to transplant his knack of playing vital Test innings, into his ODI game, and where should he bat? What is each team’s top attack? Which batsmen will take the middle order into the future.The stakes are much higher for Pakistan, though. Presently ninth in the ODI rankings, they must defeat Sri Lanka to displace West Indies, and move up a spot. A proposed ODI triangular in Zimbabwe has added uncertainty to Champions Trophy qualifications, but a healthy margin of victory in this series would put a small buffer between them and the next team.The hosts are coming off a dispiriting Test series, but have often rebounded in the limited-overs formats. Lest we forget, Tillakaratne Dilshan still plays one-dayers, and Lasith Malinga leads the attack. Along with Angelo Mathews, they are capable of rallying a young team to at least present a challenge to transitional Pakistan.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka: LWLWWPakistan: WWLLL

In the spotlight

With Rangana Herath omitted from the squad, Mathews said Sachithra Senanayake was Sri Lanka’s premier limited-overs spinner. Senanayake appeared to have returned successfully following the remodeling of his action, in the series against England at home last year. His returns in Australia and New Zealand, however, were less encouraging. With Nuwan Kulasekara’s experience also overlooked for this squad, pressure mounts on Senanayake to prove he remains a high-quality one-day bowler.Who else but Yasir Shah? They tried to attack him in the Tests, and Yasir took wickets. They tried to block him in the Tests, and Yasir still took wickets. They tried a mix of both, Yasir’s wickets still came. In the end, Sri Lanka only succeeded by tiring him out, at Pallekele. They will not be able to do that in an ODI. Even the batsmen who made big scores in the Test series didn’t have him worked out. He is the hosts’ top threat.

Team news

With Tillakaratne Dilshan back at the top, Upul Tharanga and Lahiru Thirimanne are likely to slot in at No. 3 and 4.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Upul Tharanga, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 6 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Seekkuge Prasanna, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Suranga LakmalAsad Shafiq suffered a groin strain in the third Test, but has now recovered. He will likely face off with Babar Azam for his middle-order spot however.Pakistan (likely): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Azhar Ali (capt.), 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Mukhtar Ahmed, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Babar Azam/Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Anwar Ali, 10 Mohammad Irfan, 11 Rahat Ali

Pitch and conditions

With a little bit of rain around all across the island, there is likely to be a little seam movement at Dambulla. This doesn’t mean the spinners are out of it either. The weather is expected to be fine.

Stats and trivia

• Sarfraz Ahmed’s average as opener is 43. This is roughly twice his average in the middle order.
• Pakistan were blasted out for 102 the last time they played in Dambulla, in August last year.
• Angelo Mathews averages 53.69 from 42 innings at no. 5. This is again much higher than his average in other positions.

Peter Drinnen: officially will carry on with the Under-23s and A team © Getty Images

Peter Drinnen has stood down as Scotland’s coach, ending a fortnight of speculation over his job. Cricinfo understands that Andy Tennant and Pete Steindl will be in charge until the end of the season.On June 27 it emerged that Drinnen’s position was under threat following a whispering campaign by senior players. “I always try to deal with people in an open, honest and respectful manner,” he said. “It appears that some of my players – and I stress it is only a few – haven’t been able to pay me the same courtesy.”He then called for the backing of Cricket Scotland, but today it was announced that the board had decided to appoint caretaker coaches for the national team until the end of the Twenty20 World Championship in September 2007. Officially, Drinnen will continue to work with the A team and Under-23s.News of his departure had been circulating for a few days with one insider saying that the delay in making the announcement had been caused by the two parties having to thrash out contractual details.Roddy Smith, chief executive of Cricket Scotland, said that “given Peter’s wider remit, it is felt that a change of personnel is required with the national team”.Smith is likely to face awkward questions in the coming days as Drinnen is the second coach seemingly forced out by player power. In January 2006 Andy Moles quit in similar circumstances and he too failed to get backing from the board.

Sachin Tendulkar – a coup for Lashings © Getty Images

Sachin Tendulkar will make his much-awaited return to cricket through a series of charity matches in England beginning this week. He has been sidelined since March after undergoing shoulder surgery, but will appear for Lashings against Cambridge University Cricket Club at Fenners on Wednesday.Tendulkar, 33, will then face Reigate CC on Sunday, June 25, before taking on Middleton CC in West Sussex the next weekend. He will conclude his stint with Lashings against Sutton Valence School in Kent on July 6.”This is a great opportunity for me to get back into cricket, to get some batting practice, and to play matches that will help raise money for charity,” he told BBC Sport. “I get the chance to play alongside international players, but not in games where every run counts.”His last international appearance was the third and final Test against England at his home ground of Wankhede in March. He made himself unavailable for the one-day series against England and the entire tour of the West Indies but now he hopes to be fit for a tri-series in Sri Lanka in August.

Pakistan today announced their squad for the opening Test against South Africa, which starts at Lahore on Friday (Oct 14). Yousuf Youhana takes over the captaincy from the injured Inzamam-ul-Haq, but the major surprise was the recall of the former captain Moin Khan.Moin, 32, has not played international cricket since March 2001, when he was replaced as captain after a string of poor results, culminating in the series defeat by England in December 2000. He led the side in the following series in New Zealand, but was forced out of the team with a knee injury, was replaced by Waqar Younis as captain, and then cast into the wilderness. However, with Rashid Latif refusing to play in this series after his sudden resignation, Moin has another chance.Also recalled were Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat and Misbah-ul-Haq, but there was no place for Younis Khan or Abdul Razzaq. Mushtaq Ahmed’s inclusion was subject to his recovery from a stomach-muscle injury, while Umar Gul is on standby. The 16-man squad included just one uncapped player in Asim Kamal, a middle-order batsman.”The team has been selected on the availability of players, current performance and form,” said Aamer Sohail, the chairman of selectors. “We understand that there are some injury concerns and that did make our task difficult. However, the squad has been picked with the consent of the team management.”Meanwhile, Inzamam is expected to be fit for next week’s second Test at Faisalabad. He pulled a hamstring during the second ODI last week, and although he played in Sunday’s series decider he was clearly incapacitated. “Tauseef Razzak [Pakistan’s team doctor] examined Inzamam,” explained Haroon Rashid, the Pakistan manager, “and has confirmed he needs at least a week’s rest to recover from his hamstring strain.”Squad
Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Shoaib Malik, Moin Khan (wk), Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Mushtaq Ahmed, Danish Kaneria, Shabbir Ahmed, Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal (wk).

ScorecardVictoria virtually ensured their hold on the Pura Cup, as Queensland ended the fourth day of the final on 2 for 56, needing a further 520 on the last day. Earlier, Victoria declared their second innings at 1 for 140, after bowling out Queensland for 275 in their first innings.Full report follows …

Australia v Zimbabwe:Adam Gilchrist (AUS) needs 134 runs to complete 5000 ODI runs
Andy Symonds (AUS) needs 95 runs to complete 1000 ODI runs
Grant Flower (ZIM) needs 90 runs to complete 6000 ODI runs
Heath Streak (ZIM) needs 14 runs to complete 2000 ODI runsGrand Flower (ZIM) needs 3 wicket to join the 100 ODI-wicket clubMichael Bevan (AUS) needs 111 runs to complete 500 World Cup runs
Adam Gilchrist (AUS) needs 227 runs to complete 500 World Cup runs
Grand Flower (ZIM) need 64 runs to complete 500 World Cup runsHeath Streak (ZIM) needs 7 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-clubSri Lanka v Kenya:Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) needs 171 runs to complete 9000 ODI runs
Thomas Odoyo (KEN) needs 76 runs to complete 1000 ODI runs
Ravindu Shah (KEN) needs 52 runs to complete 1000 ODI runsAravinda De Silva (SL) needs 2 wickets to join the 100 ODI-wicket clubAravinda De Silva (SL) needs 191 runs to complete 1000 World Cup runs
Hashan Tillakaratne (SL) needs 211 runs to complete 500 World Cup runs
Steve Tikolo (KEN) needs 92 runs to complete 500 World Cup runs
Maurice Odumbe (KEN) needs 217 runs to complete 500 World Cup runs
Ravindu Shah (KEN) needs 225 runs to complete 500 World Cup runsMuttiah Muralitharan (SL) needs 6 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-club
Chaminda Vaas (SL) needs 3 wickets to join the 25 World Cup wicket-club

Goa Cricket Association (GCA) president Dayanand Narvekar and threeother GCA officials were arrested and subsequently released by Margaopolice last evening, police sources said in Panaji on Tuesday.Narvekar, GCA secretary Vinod Phadke, former treasurer Rama Shankardasand a member Vivek Pednekar were arrested under section 336 of IndianPenal Code (IPC) on charges of endangering human lives during theIndia-Australia ODI on April 6, they said. They were subsequentlyreleased on bail bond of Rs 10,000 each, sources said.Narvekar, a former deputy chief minister, Phadke and Shankardas are onbail in another case connected with the fake ticket scam. Achargesheet in the case was likely to be filed by the police thisweek, they said.According to police, around 15,000 ticket holders had to be deniedentry fearing a stampede on the day of the ODI as the stadium waspacked to capacity. It had to then resort to a lathi charge todisperse the crowd.

Arsenal made a miserable return to Premier League action last night after losing 3-0 away against Crystal Palace following the latest international break.

Goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew in the first half gave the Gunners a tough task in the second period of the game at Selhurst Park.

However, a penalty from Wilfried Zaha sealed all three points for Patrick Vieira’s side and put the nail in the coffin for the visitors on this occasion.

In terms of the individual performances for Arsenal, one figure that stood out for all the wrong reasons was midfielder Thomas Partey.

With 56 touches of the ball in total, the Ghanaian ended up giving the ball away for his side on 14 occasions, once every four touches.

From a defensive perspective, off the ball, the 28-year-old, who has been slammed for his “stupid” decision-making in the past, gave his side next to nothing, which is reflective of the scoreline.

The midfielder ended up failing to make even one tackle, block, interception or clearance, in addition to getting dribbled past twice and giving three fouls away, picking up a yellow card for his troubles, making him a real liability in the middle of the pitch on this occasion.

The former Atletico Madrid figure also managed to lose 78% of his duels, showing how easy it was for the Palace midfielders and attackers to play against him.

This display ultimately earned Partey a disheartening overall match rating of 5.9 from SofaScore, making him the joint-lowest rated player for Mikel Arteta’s side, lower than defender Nuno Tavares who was hooked at halftime after an abysmal showing himself.

Football.London also picked up on Partey’s poor performance by saying that he was “hideously loose in possession.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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To make things worse for the midfielder on a personal level, he was forced off the pitch with an injury after 75 minutes, as just moments before he allowed the Palace offence to stroll past him before Martin Odegaard gave away a penalty.

Taking all of this into account, it was definitely a night to forget for Arsenal and their midfield man and despite his poor showing, everyone at the north London club will be hoping that his injury is not a serious one.

In other news: Arteta must ruthlessly axe “shocking” £18m-rated AFC liability, he’s “not world-class”

Scorecard

	Aaron Redmond is New Zealand’s latest opening batsman after re-inventing himself from a middle-order specialist © Getty Images

New Zealand may only have three-quarters of their squad assembled in England, but their new opening batsman, Aaron Redmond, got his tour off to a useful start with a solid 72 against MCC in the traditional opening match at Arundel. Rain interrupted the game throughout the day, and it dribbled into a draw after nine overs of MCC’s run-chase.Jamie How, New Zealand’s stand-in captain in place of Daniel Vettori – who is on leave with the Indian Premier League – shared in an opening stand of 91 with Redmond. How smacked 10 fours in his slick 46 from 56 balls before he was caught off Chris Cairns, his former team-mate, who was captaining MCC. Redmond, who played for Wigan in the Lancashire League last year, fell to a brilliant one-handed catch by Paul Nixon for 72.New Zealand’s innings fell away thereafter, not helped by frequent rain interruptions, but Tim Southee clattered two huge sixes to lift their total to a challenging 239 for 7 from 47 overs. Mark Gillespie nipped out the MCC openers in quick succession before the final rain break terminated the match, and attention now turns to New Zealand’s first proper warm-up against Kent at Canterbury tomorrow.New Zealand have always struggled to find a reliable opening combination, and Redmond, 28, is their latest. He was once a middle-order batsman but reinvented himself as an opener when he joined Otago in 2004, and was awarded with a contract with New Zealand two weeks ago.”I was a little bit nervous at the start because it’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to play for a New Zealand side, but it was great to find my feet,” Redmond told PA. “It’s a great opportunity and the best thing I can do is keep performing and training hard. I thought it would give me a better chance to play for the Black Caps and I tried to work on my game and make it nice and tight and it’s worked for me.”Redmond is the son of Rodney who played one Test for New Zealand and was highly successful, scoring 107 and 56 against Pakistan in Auckland in 1972-73. However, he then struggled to adjust to new contact lenses on the visit to England later that year and managed only 483 runs at 28.41 and had to settle for being remembered as a one-Test wonder.The first Test gets underway at Lord’s on May 15.