Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has demanded “more” leadership from captain Reece James following his return from injury.

The right-back recovered from hamstring surgery to make his first Chelsea start since December 2023 in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by Liverpool but Maresca has challenged his skipper to show greater “personality”.

“I spoke with him and I expect from him more in terms of leadership inside the changing room,” said Maresca.

“He’s on the way, he’s doing well, he’s progressing but I expect more.

“Most of the time, a player thinks that ‘because I am captain I expect that you [the manager] give me more’.

“No, for me because you are the captain you have to give more. You have to give more than the rest.

“I expect it from Reece and his team-mates expect it from him to give always more in terms of leadership.”

James, 24, has progressed from the Chelsea academy to the first team and was appointed captain by Maresca’s predecessor Mauricio Pochettino before the 2023-24 season.

The England defender was hampered by injury last season, making 11 appearances, before returning to the side at Anfield in his first competitive game under Maresca, who replaced Pochettino in the summer.

“He’s understanding that we’re expecting more from him,” added Maresca.

“He’s our guy from the academy. It’s one of the reasons why he has to show more in terms of personality.

“He’s a reserved guy. But when you don’t have a proper leader, you need to build that. I think we don’t have a proper leader. We need to build them.

“Reece is one who is on the way but he’s not there. He needs to make an effort.”

MIKEL ARTETA is having sleepless nights and getting “tummy ache” over picking his ravaged Arsenal team to face Liverpool.

The Gunners boss must do without the suspended William Saliba and is also sweating on the fitness of Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber.

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And with injured captain Martin Odegaard still missing, Arteta says he has no fears about fielding the kids as the Londoners aim to avoid falling seven points behind Arne Slot’s Prem leaders on Sunday.

Spaniard Arteta, 42, revealed: “Normally, I prefer to go to bed with the line-up in my head so I can sleep like a baby.

“But sometimes it cannot be as you have to wait for the next day.

“Sometimes two or three days before, you already have the idea, ‘Against this team this is what I am going to do’ — but when you have uncertainty with injuries it is tricky.

“The stress comes from two things. First, when you don’t have options, what do you do? And then you get in the shoes of the players.

“And every time you make a decision it is a positive one for somebody and not so positive for one.

“That’s what causes a little bit of tummy ache but that happens every week.

“The process of choosing the line-up and understanding how everyone will feel about it.

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“There is going to be a lot of possibilities, a lot of ifs.

“Probably the team that we start won’t be the team that finishes.

“How prepared we are to make the changes we need to?

“Get on with it. Show your teeth. Show how much you want it.

“We know how good we are and how difficult we can be for the opponents.

“You need the team prepared. When you lose your captain, that’s a big thing. When you lose your central defender, a full-back, another full-back,   a striker, a winger. . .

“The team has to have the resources. First of all, mentally to adapt and then maintain the same belief that even like this we’re a great team.”

Star winger Saka, 23, faces a late fitness test on a hamstring injury picked up in England’s Nations League clash with Greece 16 days ago.

Defender Calafiori, 22, will have more tests on his knee today, while full-back Timber, 23, is still struggling with a muscle issue.

Normally, I prefer to go to bed with the line-up in my head so I can sleep like a baby.

Mikel Arteta

Myles Lewis-Skelly, who was a sub in Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk, could get his first Prem start at left-back.

Asked whether he would be scared to start the 18-year-old in such a big game, Arteta said: “No. He is in contention.

“Myles came on the other night and he did really well. He is a first-team player.”

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Arsenal ratings vs Shakhtar: Jesus reminds fans of his quality but Trossard flops for poor Gunners

ARSENAL continued their unbeaten run in the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk – but it was far from a convincing performance.

Gabriel Martinelli orchestrated the decisive goal when his low-driven strike hit the post and deflected in off the back of goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.

Here’s how SunSport’s Tony Robertson rated the Gunners…

DAVID RAYA – 7

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Seldom asked to do much aside from recycle the ball to Gabriel or Saliba until the final stages

Pushed a potentially dangerous cross out of danger in the 84th minute. Pulled out a magnificent low save in injury time before claiming a dangerous cross to keep his clean sheet.

BEN WHITE – 6

Back in at right-back today and played as if he had never been out of the team. 

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Received a yellow card in the 34th minute. Subbed at half-time for Mikel Merino.

WILLIAM SALIBA – 7

In the team after his red card against Bournemouth, played like his typically assured self marshalling the defence.

One or two sloppy passes late in the second half but otherwise can have no complaints with another solid performance.

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GABRIEL MAGALHAES – 5

Sloppily gave the ball away to hand the visitors a dangerous chance out of nothing. Had another lapse just after the opener but in the end he was bailed out by Calafiori.

Marked improvement in the second half.

RICCARDO CALAFIORI – 6

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Skied a golden chance over the bar after six minutes. Tested the goalkeeper again after 24 minutes.

Dragged his foot and went down injured after skipping under a tackle in the 67th minute. Replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly in 71st minute.

THOMAS PARTEY – 6

Comfortable evening in midfield for him. Recycled the ball well when at his feet and kept play ticking over.

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Moved to right back as White was hooked but didn’t have too many worries. When he was caught out of position Rice was able to cover.

DECLAN RICE – 6

Like Partey, he had a quiet night in midfield with Shakhtar unable to retain meaningful possession.

Moved into the six as White was hooked and Partey moved to right-back. Cut out a dangerous low cross at the edge of the area. 

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LEANDRO TROSSARD – 4

Nothing quite went right for him all night with some sloppy touches ending attacks and putting Arsenal in trouble.

Summed up his night by missing a 77th minute penalty and was hooked in the 88th minute.

GABRIEL JESUS – 8

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Wore the captain’s armband and looked bright down the right wing.

Denied a well-deserved goal by the feet of the keeper in the 43rd minute after Havertz played him in.

Second half saw more good link play, but never had another chance to end his goal drought as he was replaced by Sterling in the 68th minute.

GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 7

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Grew into the game following a quiet start and was rewarded with a goal, of sorts, after 30 minutes.

Brazilian cut inside from the left wing before firing a shot to the near post before the shot rebounded off the woodwork and hit the goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk to go in the net. 

KAI HAVERTZ – 7

Centimeters away from getting Arsenal’s second in the 39th minute after Jesus squared a volley back across goal.

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Returned the favour to set up his team-mate moments later only for the goalkeeper to prevent a goal.

Won a free-kick at the very end of the game to run the clock down.

SUBS

Mikel Merino (on for White HT) – 6

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Some nice touches and stitched play together well. A solid yet unspectacular performance.

Raheem Sterling (on for Jesus 68 mins) – 6

Tried to play on the shoulder of the last man but did not have the pace find the clear cut chance he would have liked.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (on for Calafiori 71 mins) – 6

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Slotted in at left-back and was not afraid to show for the ball but often did not receive it while tucking infield.

Jorginho (on for Trossard 88 mins) – N/A

Carlos Sainz topped FP2 at Formula 1’s 2024 Mexican Grand Prix, where George Russell crashed hard, Max Verstappen suffered repeat engine issues and the running was dominated by Pirelli’s tyre test.

In the extended 90-minute session, McLaren’s Lando Norris led the pack out of the pits and duly shot to a 1m19.895s using the 2025 prototype C5 Pirelli soft.

He was shuffled back by Pierre Gasly, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, before home hero Sergio Perez got ahead on a 1m19.150s using the same tyres as Norris.

Oscar Piastri, running the 2024 C4 compound, then nipped ahead on a 1m19.030s, before Sainz rounded out the opening five mins of running with 1m18.276s on the 2024 C4 tyres that are the mediums for this weekend’s main event.

A few minutes later, Sainz improved the benchmark to a 1m17.809s, just before Russell massively interrupted the session and Pirelli’s test with a big crash at Turn 9.

The Briton had gone too far over the inside kerbs of the preceding Turn 8, which caused his Mercedes to bottom out, and he spun off heading down towards Turn 9 – where he smashed sideways into the barriers and severely damaged his W15.

Russell climbed gingerly from the wreckage, with Mercedes later confirming he returned from the circuit’s medical centre without any injuries detected.

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15

Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images

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The barriers took nearly 25 minutes to repair, after which the session resumed and Sainz – now on the 2025 C4s – went even quicker to put in a 1m17.699s.

After a short burst of performance running post-red flag, as per Pirelli’s test requirement, the drivers were then switched to the high-fuel running of 10 laps on each compound they had been given to run (the same through four runs overall at both 20kg and 100kg fuel loads) for the session.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri ended up second based on the performance runs, 0.178s down on Sainz and ahead of RB’s Yuki Tsunoda.

Charles Leclerc did put in an extra flying lap while the others were being fuelled for the longer tyre tests, as he had had to wait for his Ferrari to be repaired after it was hit by Alex Albon’s Williams when being driven by Oliver Bearman in FP1.

Leclerc therefore did not get out before the red flag and when he did post-restart, he slotted into 10th on the 2025 C4s before jumping to fourth on a second attempt.

He then improved again using the 2024 C4s, but remained fourth – where he stayed to the finish, 0.188s slower than his team-mate.

Kevin Magnussen took sixth for Haas ahead of Hamilton, Bottas and Perez, while Liam Lawson rounded out the top 10 for RB.

Russell’s crash meant the FP1 topper ended up down in 18th in FP2’s classification, ahead of Verstappen.

He had reported the same strange noise from his engine that had hampered his FP1 running and which Red Bull thought it had fixed between the sessions.

Further adjustments during the red flag did not improve the situation for Verstappen and he was forced to sit out the second half of the session, having also suffered a brake issue at Turn 1 during the early running.

Norris, Alonso, Zhou Guanyu, Hamilton and Leclerc headed out very late on the main event’s medium tyres, as per the allocation for teams that ran a rookie driver in FP1 that was supposed to give them an extra 30 minutes on that compound, before Russell’s crash cut that time to the bone.

Norris nevertheless used his mediums to rise to fifth in the final order, while Alonso got 11th position with a pair of personal bests late in the session and Leclerc’s only real lap on the relevant mediums featured a big lock-up at Turn 1.

Albon did not make it out of the garage as Williams was not able to repair his car before the end of the session.

The revival of the traditional number nine has gathered pace.

Chris Wood is helping the big target man become fashionable again after his electric start to the season for Nottingham Forest.

The 32-year-old scored twice in the second half to help his current side beat his former one, Leicester City, on Friday and send them up to fifth in the Premier League.

Only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland [10] has scored more in the league than the seven-goal New Zealand international this season.

Since Nuno Espírito Santo’s first game in charge of Forest on 23 December, 2023, only Haaland [18] has scored more non-penalty league goals than Wood’s tally of 17.

As the pair lead the top-flight’s scoring charts, and Norwegian Haaland also a powerful physical presence up front, Wood is revelling in the return of the old-fashioned centre-forward.

“We want to try to bring it back or I’ll be out of a job,” he said. “For a period of time, the small centre-forward or the number 10 mixed role with the number nine, it kind of came into fashion.

“Thankfully Erling has come and brought it back into fashion, he has got a lot of pace and power, some things I don’t have, but it is making it easier for us number nines.”

Wood, who also scored the winner in Monday’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace, has moved level with Stan Collymore on 22 Premier League goals for Forest after his double at the King Power Stadium, with only Bryan Roy [24] scoring more for the club in the competition.

His first came from a neat swivel and finish two minutes into the second half before he capitalised on Wout Faes’ error to nod over a stranded Mads Hermansen on the hour.

Talk of the Golden Boot might have been fanciful at the start of the season but Wood is currently in that bracket.

He told Sky Sports: “I just want to keep scoring as many as I can. He’s [Haaland] a very formidable man and he’s probably going to score 30 goals this season.”

The former West Brom and Leeds forward also has a goal for New Zealand this term, in a 3-0 win over Tahiti.

Signed by current Leicester boss Steve Cooper for £15m in 2023 from Newcastle, after an initial loan spell, Wood has 23 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions for Forest.

Last season he scored three times in 15 games before Nuno arrived. The Portuguese boss replaced Cooper 11 months ago and Wood then netted 11 goals in 16 appearances – and is enjoying life under the former Wolves and Tottenham head coach.

“He has come in and put the emphasis on getting balls into the box, getting people into the box,” he added. “That supplies Taiwo [Awoniyi] and I extremely well. We are big centre-forwards who love deliveries, love crosses.

“That’s what we thrive off. He has worked on that on the training pitch and thankfully it has come to the fold.”

UFC 308 is finally here!

This Saturday, Ilia Topuria puts his featherweight title on the line against Max Holloway in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year. On top of that, the co-main event features a big-time middleweight matchup with former champion Robert Whittaker taking on Khamzat Chimaev in what may well determine the next middleweight title challenger. With all that, plus 11 more fights on the docket, let’s dive into the best bets this week.

All odds are courtesy of our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Single Plays

Ilia Topuria by Points (+280)

I have a full written break down of the main event out on MMAFighting.com so check that out for a deeper dive, but to me this fight boils down to Topuria has a stylistic advantage, alongside being younger, more physical, and an ascending talent. Holloway certainly has tools to win, but I favor Topuria to get the job done. That being said, Holloway may actually be impossible to finish at this point in his career, and the value between this bet and Topuria straight at -260 is substantial.

Topuria vs. Holloway Over 3.5 Rounds (-126)

Basically the exact same reason as the above bet: I expect this fight will go long. Holloway has been finished once in his entire career, back in his 5th professional fight when he was 20 years old. Topuria, obviously, has never been finished since he’s never lost. More to the point though, even in wins, Holloway has a tendency to go long. Nine of Holloway’s past 10 fights have gone into the fifth round or to a decision. This looks like good value to me.

Khamzat Chimaev by KO/TKO or Submission (-165)

At this point in his career, the question for Chimaev is not “will he win the fight?” it’s “will he show up?” Every time Chimaev steps in the cage, he gets his hand raised, lately it’s been a matter of getting to the cage. But thus far, it appears Chimaev will make the walk on Saturday, which means Whittaker is in trouble.

Robert Whittaker is a future Hall of Famer, but this is a tough fight for him. Chimaev has shown the ability to rag-doll everyone he’s faced, and given the way Dricus du Plessis big-brothered Whittaker, it seems likely that Chimaev will be able to do the same. Simply put, Whittaker is a great fighter, but Chimaev is better and should cement his title shot on Saturday.

Lerone Murphy by Points (-135)

This is Dan Ige’s first fight since heroically stepping in at UFC 303 on four hours’ notice and I’ll be honest, it’s a puzzler. I thought Ige’s willingness to be a company man would’ve earned him a better opportunity but instead he gets Murphy, a guy who is very good and still pretty unknown.

This should be a straightforward Murphy win as he can out-work Ige on the feet and mix in takedowns as necessary. But like with the main event, Dan Ige is incapable of being finished so instead of taking Murphy straight, go for the Decision prop to increase your value.

Parlay

Geoff Neal (-310)

Neal takes on Rafael dos Anjos in the prelims of UFC 308 and he’s among the fighters I’m most confident in to get a win on Saturday. RDA is a future Hall of Famer, but he’s pushing 40 and has never been a true welterweight. Yes, he’s had success at 170 pounds, but dos Anjos is much better at lightweight where his bully tactics are more effective. Now he’s facing Neal who is still in the prime of his career, substantially bigger, and a very good defensive wrestler. Neal should box RDA’s ears.

Rinat Fakhretdinov (-245)

Originally intended to face Nursulton Ruziboev, instead Fakhretdinov now takes on former PFL fighter Carlos Leal, who steps in on short notice. Fakhretdinov should have the run of play in this one as he can compete on the feet and score takedowns nearly at will. Fakhretdinov is just a damn good fighter and Leal is a bit overmatched in this one.

Parlay these two bets together for -116 odds

Long Shot

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway to be Won in the 1st Minute of Round 1 or the Last Minute of the 5th Round (+1800)

We haven’t taken a stab on a long shot in a long time but this Saturday demands it. Holloway now has this insanely cool gimmick of pointing to the ground and slugging it out at the end of fights, to the point that Topuria is calling for them to start the bout like that. And while Holloway does not seem inclined to oblige him, if this thing goes late, you know he will.

And the wonderful folks at FanDuel have you covered with this bet that pays out either way. If Max does meet Ilia in the middle to start and the bout ends quickly, electric. And if this thing goes long, that final stretch will be equally electric.

This bet probably won’t cash, but it’s going to be fun.

Wrap Up

Oof. Tough week over in the PFL as we missed every one of our straight plays. Fortunately, that cannot happen this week as we have no straight plays! Almost every fight this week has pretty long odds so instead of picking straight, we had to opt for a bunch of prop bets instead. Hopefully we picked our spots right.

Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!

All information in this article is provided to readers of MMA Fighting for entertainment, news, and amusement purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to learn and abide by online gambling laws in their region before placing any online sports betting wagers.

Berlin, 26. August 24. A new era of soccer is here: ONEPLAYR is pioneering a digital revolution that redefines the digital soccer experience through blockchain, NFTs, and artificial intelligence. This platform pushes the boundaries of the game by inviting fans and players alike to actively participate in the global community—and benefit from it.

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ONEPLAYR uses an AI-powered analysis system where players can upload soccer videos during the registration process, which are then analyzed by the AI. Based on this analysis, the player receives a limited series of custom NFTs representing their unique abilities (a digital player card). These NFTs can be traded on ONEPLAYR’s marketplace. A TikTok-like feed and advanced search features help the community discover players.

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Gamification and Interactive Features

At its core, ONEPLAYR isn’t just about tech innovation but creating a vibrant, global soccer community where competition and fun are front and center. Players of all skill levels compete in various challenges, while the community decides who wins. Winners earn exclusive rewards or unique experiences. In-game incentives and an active NFT marketplace offer even more engagement.

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Since August 15, the first airdrop phase of ONEPLAYR has been live. Soccer fans can earn free $PLAYR tokens by joining the ONEPLAYR Discord, participating in the “Refer a Friend” campaign, and following ONEPLAYR on various social networks. A total of 500 million coins are being distributed for free during this airdrop phase.
Starting September 15, the official presale phase of the $PLAYR Token will begin, giving fans the chance to purchase tokens at a discounted price. The Initial Coin Offering (ICO) is scheduled for Q1 2025. The beta launch of the app is planned for late October, with 10,000 users getting early access. The official app launch will coincide with the ICO.

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