The match between Southampton vs Liverpool
for the England Premier League competition is scheduled to be played on 17 May,
2022. The match kicks off at 19:45 UK time. It will take place at the St. Marys
Stadium, in Southampton, Hampshire.
Southampton
Southampton have only failed to score in
one of their last 17 home games. Southampton has won 1 game, they have 2 games
that the final result was a draw, and they have lost 7 games in the last 10
games. Southampton are winless in four games, losing three of those, and have
eight defeats in their last 11 going back further.
Liverpool
Liverpool are unbeaten in 16 games and have
won 12 of those. The Reds need to win to close the gap on Manchester City and
go into the game on a high after lifting the FA Cup. Liverpool can move to
within one point of league leaders Manchester City with a win at Southampton
and they should be able to take all three points at St Mary’s.
Verdict
From their h2h Jurgen Klopp’s men has won
12 loosing 5 and draw 3. I expect Southampton to be motivated for this game
despite the fact they have little to play for, while each of Liverpool’s last
four wins away from Anfield have been by one-goal margins.
Cagliari will welcome Sssolo on Saturday's
Serie A.
Cagliari
Cagliari's performance of this season is
not good enough. The team has only achieved 5 wins,10 draws and 17 losses after
32 rounds and ranks 17th in the league table with 25 point, only 3 points higher
than Genoa behind them. Because of their poor defensive performance, the total
number of goals conceded is as high as 61 goals They faced Juventus in last
round and finally lost with 1-2. They lost last 5 matches, being in low morale.
Sassuolo
Sassuolo's performance since this season
has been relatively mediocre. The team has achieved 12 wins, 10 draws and 10
losses after 32 rounds. Currently, tehy ranks in the middle of the league table
with 46 points, which is 9 points away from the UEFA ECL qualifying. It is more
difficult to overtake, the team's fighting spirit is relatively inferior to
Cagliari, but it is commendable that Sassuolo defeated Atalanta 2-1 at home in
the last Serie A league game, winning 5 of the past 7 league games, and has a
relatively good state.
Prediction:
Cagliari could not get a win in past 10
head to head matches against Sassuolo and had lost 3, and they lost to Sassuolo
by 0:1 in last match on Copa Italia. Also, the team is currently in a 5- game
losing streak, so | go for Sassuolo in this round.
The Championship game at Kenilworth Road
Stadium on Friday sees home side Luton Town take on Nottingham Forest.
Luton Town
Luton Town will be looking to improve on
their last outing here after a 2-0 Championship defeat last time out to
Huddersfield Town. It's been all too rare in recent games where Luton Town have
kept a clean sheet. The facts show that Luton Town have failed to prevent opponents
from scoring in 5 of their previous 6 games, letting in 8 goals on the way.
Let's find out whether or not that trend will be continued on into this next
match.
Nottingham Forest
Notinghaom Foret wil go into this clash
flowing on tom a 2-0 Championship win with the eclipse of Birmingham City in
their most recent match. A sequence of reliable displays by the Nottingham
Forest denders has esuted in their goals ainst tll sanding at 3 fom their previous
6 cashes in tal. Over that same priod, their own atak fore has managed to score
15.
Verdict:
Notingham's, away fom is gd and they have
ben in btter form rcen The 1X2 fist odds is 25-.30-2.50,0 sens lcked of
conidence to the home teamn. Ntingham should take points in this game.
The highly anticipated Europa League
quarter-final match between Atalanta and RB Leipzig takes place on Thursday.
Atalanta
Atalanta are not in good form with only 1
draw and 2 losses in their last 3 games. They were confident after scoring a
goal in the first leg away to Leipzig. Striker Muriel scored for last 2 consecutive
game and was very important for the team.
RB Leipzig
Leipzig, who beat Hoffenheim 3-0 at home in
the last round, have been in excellent form with 8 wins and 4 draws in their
last 12 games. And they have won six straight away games so far, scoring a
total of 24 goals.
Verdict:
There is not much difference between the
two teams. The 1X2 first odd is 2.25-3.50-3.00.which means support the home
team. Atalanta should win this game.
At Anfield Liverpool's playoff against
Benfica on Wednesday.
Liverpool
After a straight win against Benfica 3-1
first leg away and have not lost at home to Portuguese opposition since 2005/06
so losing is not allowed. Liverpool playing at a good performance after a
draw-in to the title race 2-2 against Man City in the league at the weekend.
Liverpool haven't lost in 6 matches with more goals both home and away (W4, D1)
Benfica
The weekend match against Belenenses 3-1
defeat and they had the advantage of being able to rest some of their players
against the second leg champion league at Anfield. Benfica is going to face one
of the toughest clubs at Anfield with history offering lttle hope, as Benfica have
won just one quarter-final away leg in any UEFA competition (W1, D2, L6) with
the heaviest defect (1-4) in 2009/10 Europa League trip to Anfield.
Verdict
Benfica knows how difficult the match is
going to be so they rested their players for the hope. .
Liverpool is at the focus of winning the
league title, FA Cup, and champion league.
Bayern Munchen welcomes Vllarreal to
Allianz Arena in the Champions League quarter final
second leg, on Tuesday night.
Bayern Munchen
The Bravarians lost away to the yellow
submarine by a goal margin. In what was their first Champions League away
defeat in years. Thanks to Danjuma's goal that gave the visitors here the
ultimate victory. But Unai Emery's men should get complesant as a goal
difference isn't much to worry the former 2013 champions league holders. The
last weekend match saw the Breavarians winning by a lone goal. Thanks to
Lewandoski penalty in the closing hours of the game. Nagelsmann should have a
fully fit squad to match on to victory in this encounter. Although Bayern
haven't gone past this stage since 2014/2015 season and all their lost came from
Spanish opponents.
Villarreal
Villarreal are well prepared to enter this
encounter after a first leg 1-0 win over the host. Yellow flags were waving
around the Ceramica stadium last week Wednesday as they had a mountain to climb
and climbed it really good with a victory. Although The yellow submarines
shouldn't let that get into their head, because a goal advantage is nothing
compared to what happened to Salzburg with a thumping of 7-1 after a 2-2 draw
in the first leg of that encounter. Villarreal drew Athletico Bilbao 1-1 as few
players where rotated and some rested for this encounter.
Verdict:
After the first leg ended in a defeat for
the host here. They will think twice to get prepared for this encounter as they
would love to progress to the semis where either Benfica or Liverpool would be
waiting. Vllarreal are prepared for this one but i don't see them getting past
this stage as they haven't gotten to the semis in over a decade.
English Premier League -- West Bromwich(WBA) VS Wolves
-----------------------------------
1x2 Analysis: WBA are not as good as Wolves this season, who is facing a serious downgrading crisis. Therefore, they have a strong desire for victory compared with Wolves. Besides, WBA have beat Wolves in the first leg. We may place some expectations on the home team. Handicap Analysis: Wolves are undoubtedly better than WBA from the lineup, but the are unable to play what they are capable of with current forms. In addition, West Brom have maintained a complete victory in the last three clashes with Wolves, who still has a good chance to win points in this game. Recommandation: 1X2 Pick: X; Handicap Pick: WBA 0
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Barcelona remain rather fortunate on the injury front, with long-term absentees Philippe Coutinho and Ansu Fati - as well as Martin Braithwaite - their only injury concerns at the minute.
Braithwaite's sprained ankle is expected to keep him out for at least a couple of weeks, but there was never any chance of the Danish striker displacing Griezmann or Lionel Messi - who boasts 12 goal contributions from six Camp Nou outings against Granada in La Liga - up top.
Koeman should largely stick with the same XI from their win over Villarreal, but Sergino Dest was taken off at half time against the Yellow Submarine and may be replaced by Sergi Roberto here.
Granada's Antonio Puertas was cautioned for the fifth time this season against Sevilla and will miss out here, while Angel Montoro is also suspended but would have struggled to force his way into the first XI anyway.
Darwin Machis should return as Puertas misses out, but Granada have been dealt further injury blows with Rui Silva, German Sanchez, Jesus Vallejo and Carlos Neva reportedly set to miss out, with the quartet joining Domingos Duarte and Luis Milla in the infirmary.
Martinez's hand is therefore largely forced in some areas, and Aaron Escandell should fill in as the last line of defence with Silva injured.
Real Madrid and Chelsea have only ever met three times down the years, and the Spanish side have failed to win any of those meetings - losing twice and drawing once to the Blues since 1971.
Peter Osgood was Chelsea's hero when they beat Real Madrid in the 1970-71 European Cup Winners' Cup after a final replay, and the two sides have not locked horns since the 1998 UEFA Super Cup, where Gus Poyet came off the bench to score the winner in a 1-0 Chelsea victory.
Individual statistics also favour the Blues, as Tuchel has not lost any of his four games against Real Madrid as a manager, while Edouard Mendy - who has shipped just two goals in nine European games this term - could equal Keylor Navas's record of the fewest goals conceded in his first 10 Champions League matches, which he set at Real Madrid between 2014 and 2016.
Madrid will again be without the services of Lucas Vazquez, Ferland Mendy and Sergio Ramos through injury, while Federico Valverde is absent as he recovers from coronavirus.
Eden Hazard, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were all absent against Cadiz on Wednesday evening but have a chance of being involved in this weekend's contest with Betis.
Dani Carvajal made his return from injury off the bench against Cadiz and could now come into the XI, while Marco Asensio is expected to feature in the front three alongside Vinicius Junior and Benzema.
As for Betis, Nabil Fekir will be unavailable due to the red card that he picked up against Athletic on Wednesday, meaning that there could be a start for Andres Guardado, while Dani Martin and Victor Camarasa are both injured for the visitors.
Diego Lainez is also pushing for a spot in the starting XI, with Pellegrini expected to make changes from the side that took to the field for the goalless draw.
Joaquin could also come into the starting team, but Borja Iglesias is likely to keep his spot in the final third of the field, with Loren Moron expected to be named on the bench once again.
FC Barcelona Stats: In FC Barcelona last 10 matches, they got 8 Win, 1 Draw, 1 Loss, ranking 3rd in the league. Getafe Stats: In Getafe last 10 matches, they got 1 Win, 4 Draw, 5 Loss, ranking 15th in the league. H2H Stats: In their last 10 head-to-head matches, FC Barcelona got 8 Win, 1 Draw, 1 Loss. 1x2 Analysis: Barcelona won the Copa del Rey champion after a bloodbath against Bilbao. The team has won 4 in the past 5 , of which as many as 3 big wins. Their star Messi has scored twice on several occasions. Considering that Barcelona has won eight in the past 10 matches against Getafe, it's worth looking up. Handicap Analysis: There is a big gap between the two teams in terms of state and strength. The handicap first odds were suportively -2. Considering that the star Messi has just scored twice in the last match, and now he is in full swing and hope to keep it up while the iron is hot. So I don't think there is much suspense for Barcelona to win this game. 1X2 Picks: FC Barcelona Win
Gordon Hayward reportedly wanted to join the Pacers.
Why isn’t he heading to Indiana?
Maybe because the Hornets offered a four-year, $120 million contract.
Or maybe because the Celtics didn’t agree to a sign-and-trade, which was necessary for the capped-out Pacers to add Hayward.
J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star:
The Indiana Pacers offered the Boston Celtics Myles Turner, a first-round pick and a rotation player for Gordon Hayward last week, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told IndyStar.
Rejecting this offer looks like a mistake by the Celtics. A center who defends well (especially in the paint) and shoots 3-pointers, Turner is good. The 24-year-old is under contract at a reasonable $18 million the next three years. A first-round pick hold obvious value.
Hayward is leaving for no return (or so).
But always question unreported details in leaked trade talks. What were the protections on the first-round pick? Those could have significantly altered the pick’s value. Which rotation player? Doug McDermott (one year, $7,333,333 remaining) is highly paid for someone so one-dimensional (though at least that dimension is 3-point shooting). Jeremy Lamb (two years, $21 millions remaining) probably holds negative value after serious injury.
Boston also wanted to keep Hayward. The Celtics are trying to win now, and losing Hayward didn’t open cap space to adequately replace him. It might have been reasonable to set a hardline with the Pacers, either getting a better trade return or – theoretically – pushing Hayward to re-sign.
Charlotte foiled that plan with its big offer.
And maybe Hayward would’ve taken that, anyway. We can’t know what he would’ve done if Boston and Indiana agreed on sign-and-trade terms.
But we have at least some circumstantial evidence Hayward, an Indiana native, preferred joining the Pacers for a high salary (not quite as high as he’ll get with the Hornets, but still high).
So, it looks like the Celtics misplayed their hand based on the outcome.
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James Harden has made it clear to the Rockets front office that he wants out of Houston by turning down the chance to become the first player in NBA history to make $50 million a year, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowksi reported on Monday.
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Anthony Davis is officially becoming a free agent.
The Los Angeles Lakers star declined his $28.7 million player option on Sunday night, according to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, and will become an unrestricted free agent.
The deadline for players to decide on player options for the 2020-21 season is on Monday.
Will Anthony Davis stay with the Lakers?
Though the news might be shocking to some, considering the success both he and the Lakers had last year, it was something that was generally expected.
Davis had one year left on his five-year, $127 million deal that he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016, though had an option to become a free agent this offseason and forgo that final season.
While he can land anywhere, it’s likely that he will simply sign a new deal with the Lakers once free agency signings begin on Nov. 22.
The former No. 1 overall draft pick averaged 26.1 points and 9.3 rebounds last season while leading the Lakers to their 17th NBA title.
"I had a great time in L.A. this first year," Davis said last month. "This has been nothing but joy, nothing but amazement. Over the next couple of months, we'll figure it out. I mean, I'm not 100 percent sure, but that's why my agent [Rich Paul] is who he is, and we'll discuss it and figure it out."
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Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook wants to leave the team, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports.
The news arrives on the heels of a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon that both Westbrook and James Harden share concerns about the future of the franchise. Both former MVP guards have expressed their concerns with team management and their agents, according to the report.
Offseason tumult follows early playoff exit
The Rockets lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the second round of the playoffs and have undergone a significant management shakeup this offseason.
Head coach Mike D’Antoni resigned shortly after the end of Houston’s season in September. Longtime general manager Daryl Morey left the team a month later. Both have taken new jobs since. D’Antoni joined Steve Nash’s coaching staff with the Brooklyn Nets while Morey joined the Philadelphia 76ers as head of basketball operations.
Houston Rockets' P.J. Tucker, left, and Russell Westbrook sit on the bench in the closing minutes of a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Russell Westbrook, right, is reportedly concerned about the direction of the franchise. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Rockets brass claims to be ‘all in’
The Rockets promoted longtime assistant general manager Rafael Stone to replace Morey. Veteran assisant and first-time NBA head coach Stephen Silas replaced D’Antoni. Stone told the Houston Chronicle last week that the Rockets remain “all in” on seeking a championship with the core built around Harden and Westbrook.
“We’re still all in,” Stone told the Chronicle. “Our goal is to win a championship. We’ll do anything we can to get us closer to that goal. ...
“In our situation, lots of [other teams] want our players. That’s a great place to be. You have to make sure if you do something, it makes you better. I’m very optimistic the team is going to be very competitive.”
Tough sell for Westbrook
Westbrook appears to be unconvinced. Harden, meanwhile, remains committed and is “locked in” for the season, per Charania.
A team that was built around Harden’s talents implementing Morey’s vision and D’Antoni’s small-ball scheme is now under new management in a loaded Western Conference. It’s difficult to see a path for this core to get out of the Western Conference.
Westbrook has three years remaining on a five-year, $207 million extension he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder prior to the trade that brought him to Houston last season. He has a player option for the 2022-23 season. If he wants out now, it’s going to be on the Rockets’ terms.
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Arsenal host Aston Villa on Sunday evening with the Gunners in a buoyant mood following their win at Old Trafford a week ago.
A penalty from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ended Arsenal’s abysmal run of 29 league games without a win away at top-six opposition.
However, Aston Villa are hoping to win consecutive league games against the Gunners for the first time since 1998.
Emi Martinez returns to north London following his summer move to Villa, and he’ll be tasked with keeping the likes of Aubameyang and co. quiet.
Here’s everything you need to know before the match.
When is it?
The fixture will kick-off at 7:15pm GMT at the Emirates Stadium.
How can I watch it?
The match will be televised on Sky Sports Box Office on a pay-per-view basis.
What is the team news?
Mikel Arteta will welcome back Thomas Partey, Gabriel and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the starting side after earning a rest for the Europa League. Pablo Mari and Gabriel Martinelli both remain out, while Reiss Nelson may not be fit in time for Sunday.
Dean Smith will be without Bertrand Traore, who suffered a groin injury in the home defeat to Southampton. The summer signing may return to action after the international break, alongside Tom Heaton. Wesley is out whilst Kortney Hause is a doubt for the trip to north London.
Predicted line-ups
Arsenal: Leno, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney, Bellerin, Thomas, Elneny, Saka, Willian, Lacazette, Aubameyang
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Luiz, Trezeguet, Barkley, Grealish, Watkins
Odds
Arsenal: 4/6
Draw: 3/1
Aston Villa: 4/1
Prediction
Arsenal defeated Man United a week ago in what was a statement victory. It is refreshing to see the Gunners compete with the top sides again, but their form against teams that they should beat has slipped. Aston Villa could get a goal or two here on the counter, but Arsenal do have the best defensive record in the league. 2-0 Arsenal.
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Two days after Juventus announced that Cristiano Ronaldo was coronavirus-free after a COVID-19 infection forced him to miss five games, Ronaldo made up for lost time in his return to the field by scoring twice in Sunday’s 4-1 victory over Spezia.
Ronaldo was diagnosed with COVID last month while on duty with Portugal’s national team. He missed his country’s UEFA Nations League contest against Sweden on Oct. 14, then four straight matches for his club, including last week’s Champions League group stage loss to Lionel Messi’s Barcelona.
The 35-year-old forward finally tested negative for the coronavirus on Saturday, but Juve manager Andrea Pirlo opted to start Ronaldo on the bench for Sunday’s Serie A contest following his long spell on the sidelines.
With the game tied 1-1 early in the second half, though, Pirlo went straight to the veteran. Just three minutes later, Ronaldo broke the deadlock with the eventual game-winning goal, which he scored after rounding home keeper Ivan Provedel and slotting home Álvaro Morata’s slick through-pass that sent him behind the hosts’ back line:
Morata had opened the scoring for Juve early in the first half off an assist by American Weston McKennie. But Tommaso Pobega equalized for Spezia, which is in its first season in Italy’s top flight.
Another of Pirlo’s subs, Adrien Rabiot, all but sealed the result when he made it 3-1 with a little more than 20 minutes to play. And when Spezia defender Paolo Bartolomei hacked down Federico Chiesa inside Juve’s penalty area, there was no question about who would step up to take the kick.
Ronaldo converted it with aplomb, too, his “panenka” kick settling into the middle portion of the net that Provedel had just vacated by diving to his left:
The three points sent Juventus into second place in the Serie A table behind league-leading AC Milan.
Ronaldo and Co. now turn their attention to Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Hungarian side Ferencváros. They’ll travel to Rome next weekend to face Lazio, which beat Torino Sunday despite missing several regulars who had also contracted COVID-19.
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It took Arsenal a while, 40 minutes in fact, to get into their stride against Dundalk in tonight’s Europa League match. However once the dam broke, the game was as good as over.
The League of Ireland side started the game brightly, and made forays into the Arsenal half without ever really threatening Alex Runarsson. The home side, by contrast, where remarkably sluggish and lacked intensity.
Everything was fairly comfortable for Dundalk, who defended resolutely. On the 40th minute, everything changed. Dundalk goalkeeper Gary Rogers came for an Arsenal corner, missed the flight of the ball, which landed at the feet of Eddie Nketiah, who made no mistake.
Once the first went in, Dundalk’s shape crumbled, and The Gunners added a second within a minute of the first. Pepe’s deflected shot fell into the path of Joe Willock, by far Arsenal’s best player, who fired his shot high into the roof of the net. It was harsh on Dundalk going into half time.
Pepe added a third with their first attack of the second half, with the Ivorian rolling the ball with his left foot before hitting it with his right, sending the ball into the top corner of Rogers’ goal.
The Irish side continued to defend doggedly, but the gulf in class was evident, with Arsenal simply quicker in thought and execution. Arsenal could’ve added more to the score line, but were wasteful.
Player ratings:
Runarsson: 6 – had little to do.
Soares: 6 – Made several forays forward and added width, but wasn’t tested defensively.
Mustafi: 6 – An easy night at the back, had little to do.
Kolasinac: 6 – Nearly scored with a header, little work to do in defence.
Maitland-Niles: 6 – Got forward often but not tested defensively.
Willock: 8 – Best player on the pitch, was dynamic and caused Dundalk all sorts of problems
Elneny: 6.5 – Solid, all round performance.
Xhaka: 6 – Solid without excelling.
Nelson: 6.5 – Brilliant at times, frustrating at other, a raw talent.
Nketiah: 6 – Wasteful at times, could’ve added more goals.
Pepe: 6.5 – Much improved performance in the second half, goal was exceptional.
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Last offseason, the Lakers and the Clippers battled for Kawhi Leonard in free agency. They may not have met on the court in the Western Conference finals as most predicted, but that doesn't mean the two sides are done battling one another. In 2020, the two have their hearts set on the same free agent point guard: Rajon Rondo. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Clippers are interested in poaching Rondo away from the Lakers, who also want him back.
Rondo has a $2.7 million player option for next season -- a 120 percent raise on his 2019-20 minimum salary -- but is obviously expected to decline it after a stellar postseason. Stein indicates that Rondo wants to test the market, suggesting that his primary goal is cashing in. So, who can pay Rondo more? Well, it's complicated. Technically, if the cap comes in at last year's $109 million total, both should be able to offer somewhere between $9M-10M. How and why they'll be able to do so, or not do so, depends on a variety of other factors.
Let's start with the Lakers. As Rondo has played two seasons in Los Angeles, he has Early Bird Rights with the Lakers. That means the Lakers can pay him either 175 percent of his 2019-20 salary, or, more pertinently, 105 percent of the league's average salary. That was $9.3 million last season, so 105 percent of it would be around $9.8 million. There are caveats, though. Deals signed with Early Bird Rights must last at least two seasons. The Lakers have so far avoided giving out deals that last into the 2021 offseason, when they could possibly create cap space to pursue another star. Perhaps a non-guaranteed second season could solve that, but if the Lakers prioritize immediate improvement over 2021 ambitions, that creates another difficulty.
The Lakers have two primary methods of improvement through free agency: the non-taxpayer mid-level exception and sign-and-trades. That is their best chance of acquiring a starting-caliber player, but doing so would trigger a hard cap. Last season, that hard cap was around $139 million. If the Lakers are bound by that hard cap, there is almost no chance that they would have the money to pay Rondo what he's looking for. If the Lakers choose to keep Rondo instead, they would likely only be able to use the smaller, $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception on outside free agents. Not bad, but not as impactful as they'd like. There are pros and cons to both approaches. Which path the Lakers choose depends on how much improvement they think they'll need to win in 2021 as well as how important chasing another star is to them beyond that.
Hanging over any Lakers decision is their hail mary pitch to shed some salary. The Lakers have applied for a Career-Ending Injury exemption on the dead money owed to Luol Deng, whom they waived with the stretch provision before the 2018-19 season. They are unlikely to be granted that exemption. If they are, though, it would clear around $5 million off of their books, making it easier to potentially keep Rondo without impacting their other plans.
The Clippers can't offer Rondo quite as much as the Lakers can. The most they can offer is the league's average salary through the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, so $9.3 million. Like the Lakers, they also have to be mindful of a hard cap. Marcus Morris and Montrezl Harrell are both free agents. It's a bit simplistic, but the Clippers will probably be forced to go one of two routes. If they let one of those players go, they can use both the full MLE and the smaller $3.6 million bi-annual exception. If they keep both, they are probably limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception.
Where exactly their offers will fall depends on the other moves both the Lakers and Clippers line up. There are scenarios in which one side offers significantly more than the other. There are scenarios in which both are offering him as much as they can, and ones in which they both have to lowball him a bit. We just won't know until their other plans become a bit clearer.
What we can safely say is that the Clippers are a genuine threat to steal Rondo away from the Lakers. He has relationships with both Clippers coach Ty Lue and top basketball executive Lawrence Frank from their time together in Boston. He wouldn't have to relocate. He presumably wants to continue winning, and the Clippers offer that path. LeBron James and Anthony Davis both love playing with Rondo and will surely fight to bring him back, but if money is the priority, there is a decent chance Rondo is a Clipper next season.
BURNLEY, England --Tottenham Hotspurare a tough team to define under Jose Mourinho -- rampant one game, defensively-naïve the next and there are also more questions than answers right now when it comes toGareth BaleandDele Alli.
But there is one certainty with Spurs and that is the unerring ability if Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane to deliver when Mourinho's side needs a goal.
Just as Monday's trip to Burnley appeared to be heading for a dismal 0-0 draw, the Kane-Son double-act struck again to seal a 1-0 victory and extend Tottenham's 100% run away from home this season to five straight wins.
Spurs had scored 16 goals in four road trips prior to the visit to Turf Moor, hitting Manchester United for six and putting five past Southampton during that run, but Son's 76th-minute header was enough to clinch a win that leaves Burnley marooned in the bottom three with just one point from five games.
And once again, the goal came courtesy of a Kane assist, with the England captain heading on Erik Lamela's corner for Son to head home from six yards.
It is the 13th Premier League goal between Kane and Son in six games this season.
"Me and Sonny have had a nice little partnership going recently and hopefully it continues," Kane said after the game. "It was not an amazing assist but it fell well for Sonny and 1-0 away to Burnley is a fantastic result."
It was Kane's eighth assist of the season -- twice as many as his closest rival, Aston Villa's John McGinn -- and was the 29th time that he and Son had combined for a Premier League goal. Only Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba have more in Premier League history, with the former Chelsea pair racking up 36 goal combinations during their time together at Stamford Bridge.
Many of those goals would have come under Mourinho during his first spell in charge at Chelsea, so the Spurs boss will know the value of having two attacking players in his team who seemingly always know where the other will be when the goal is in sight.
Lampard and Drogba helped Mourinho's Chelsea win everything in England. Whether Spurs can be quite as dominant as that Chelsea side remains to be seen, but with Kane and Son in his side, Mourinho knows that they will at least be competitive.
And in a rare display magnanimity, Mourinho credited his predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, with laying the foundations of the Son-Kane partnership.
"It is an understanding that comes from Maurcio's time," Mourinho said. "I don't want all the credit myself, let's share with Mauricio. They play together for a long time, probably a different way because Harry is not always a No. 9 now.
"What pleases me more about them both is that they are two top players but close friends, no jealousy, they both play for the team. Credit to them, two great players, two great boys."
The modern game has moved away from the strike pairings of old, with coaches preferring to operate with a fluid front three rather than two forwards who dominate the attacking third.
But when two strikers click, they can be devastating and impossible to stop. Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton -- nicknamed the SAS -- scored 49 league goals between them when Blackburn Rovers won the Premier League title in 1994-95 while Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole scored 53 goals as a partnership to help Manchester United to the Treble in 1998-99.
Kane and Son are good enough to eclipse the tallies of both Sutton and Shearer and Yorke and Cole because they offer completely different qualities.
Son has pace, exceptional movement and nerveless finishing ability, while Kane is strong, powerful in the air and able to score from distance and close range.
Keeping them fit, Kane in particular, is the challenge that Mourinho must overcome, but if either player is struck down by injury, Spurs can at least count on Bale and maybe even Alli to plug the gaps.
Bale has managed just 18 minutes in the Premier League since returning to the club from Real Madrid last month and he spent the entire 90 minutes on the bench at Burnley.
At 31, and with a chequered fitness record, Bale is being carefully managed right now, so he will come to the party at some point and is a proven goal scorer when fit and able to play.
The same applies to Alli, but he was nowhere to be seen at Turf Moor, with the former England player left out of the squad once again by Mourinho, who said at the weekend "it's about him, It's not about me," when asked about Alli's repeated absences this season, adding: "If the player is not motivated, we can't do much."
Alli is too good a player to be cast aside for too long, but right now, he is having to sit on the outside, looking in, as Kane and Son perform like players at their peak.
And while they continue to do so, Spurs will be contenders to finish in the top four at the very least this season.
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