Inter were bracing for bad news after Benjamin Pavard subbed off in the first half against RB Leipzig, and, in fact, he’ll have to skip multiple games. He has suffered a left biceps femoris strain. He’ll be out for three to four weeks, Sky Italy reported.
He could be back in late December or directly for the Supercoppa at the beginning of January. The Nerazzurri haven’t endured any major injuries so far, but this one is their 11th muscular problem of the season. Most of them have been minor. On a positive note, Francesco Acerbi and Davide Frattesi, who were on the mend midweek, will return soon, probably as early as the next game versus Fiorentina.
While Inter will have to make do without Pavard for a minute, Juventus escaped without another major blow in the back. Nicolò Savona will sit out the upcoming game versus Lecce. However, he didn’t suffer a strain after leaving the Aston Villa game early. Other than the foursome they used regularly in the defense lately, Danilo and Jonas Rouhi are the only healthy bodies in the back.
The Bianconeri could finally get a boost from the infirmary. They didn’t train on Thursday, but Dusan Vlahovic has medically healed from his thigh problem. Thiago Motta will take a close look at him in training in the next couple of days, but he should be available on Sunday. Instead, Douglas Luiz and Nicolas Gonzalez are expected to stay on the shelf.
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Nottingham Forest losing Anthony Elanga had looked to be a big blow, especially as the news of Morgan Gibbs-White looking set for a move to Tottenham Hotspur broke just days after. However, their English attacking midfielder is now set to stay after signing a new contract, and Forest are currently eyeing up moves for two players to work together as replacements for their Swede, in Dan Ndoye and Adama Traore. Nottingham Forest Plan Double Swoop in Bid to Replace Anthony Elanga Dan Ndoye ‘Here We Go’ Whilst Forest Eye Adama Traore Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Nottingham Forest have a verbal agreement with Bologna to sign Ndoye for around £35 million, before add-ons. The player is set to travel to England in the next 24 hours to complete his medical, with the Italian journalist giving his famous “Here We Go”. The Tricky Trees had a ~£26 million bid rejected, but have been clear favourites since last week, with a player agreement “since ten days ago”. The story of Evangelos Marinakis being at the centre of his club’s transfer business continues, as he reportedly wanted a “top signing” to replace Elanga, who had 17 goal contributions in the league last campaign. Ndoye appears to be this man, though they are also “eyeing a move” for Traore from Fulham. Nottingham Forest’s Attack Is Strong Enough to Compete After losing Elanga, and during a time in which it looked likely that Gibbs-White would be departing at the same time, critics had suggested that Forest’s attack was too weak to compete for Europe again. However, retaining their playmaker is a huge boost as he is at the centre of their play. Furthermore, whilst Ndoye and Traore wouldn’t replicate Elanga’s talents to as high a level, they would provide more depth to the wings. Last season, Jota Silva and Ramon Sosa were the only real bench options, and they struggled to have a real impact. They will join Callum Hudson-Odoi as wide players. Meanwhile, Igor Jesus comes in as a back-up to Chris Wood who, at 33-years-old, may well need it. Last year, Taiwo Awoniyi failed to provide any impactful option off the bench. Whilst Forest have lost one of their best players, they still have their other two star players, and this year they have a lot more depth. Their attack is still strong enough to compete, whilst the midfield and defence remain intact with key players like Elliot Anderson, Ryan Yates, Murillo, and Nikola Milenkovic all ready to go again.
The New York Yankees have been busy making moves as the trade deadline looms, and it doesn’t look like they’re slowing down anytime soon. Fresh off the addition of Ryan McMahon to bolster their lineup, the Yankees are shaking things up once again. This time, it’s not about who they’ve brought in, but rather who they’ve decided to part ways with, and it involves a familiar name who spent just a single season in pinstripes. Jack Curry reported on the trade on X saying, “The Yankees have traded Carlos Carrasco to the Braves for a PTBNL [player to be named later] or cash.” Given that the trade took place a few days before the deadline and just hours before a series opener at home against the division rival Tampa Bay Rays, fans had a lot to say. One fan said, "HAL WASNT LYING! THEYRE EXTREMELY ACTIVE." Another fan added, "CASH CONSIDERATIONS IS ON FIRE THIS TRADE DEADLINE!!!!" "CASHMAN YOU BEAST," said a fan. Another fan commented, "Gonna be the new Jessie Chavez" "Weird trade," said a fan not convinced with the move. Another fan said, "what does this look like? a NURSING HOME?! bffr." The Yankees picked up Carrasco on a minor-league deal back in February, and thanks to early injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil, he found himself in the Opening Day rotation. Unfortunately, things didn’t go smoothly. Carrasco struggled in his eight appearances (six starts) with New York, posting a 5.91 ERA and recording 25 strikeouts over 32 innings. He was designated for assignment on May 6 and sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre two days later. He got a brief recall on June 1 but was quickly designated again on June 3, staying in the organization since then. In Triple-A, though, he turned things around, putting up a solid 3.27 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts) over 52 1/3 innings. While the Yankees are still in the hunt for veteran pitching, Carrasco wasn’t viewed as a big-league option for them. Instead, he now heads to Atlanta, where he’ll have a real shot at earning a rotation spot. Across his MLB career with the Cleveland Guardians, New York Mets and Yankees, Carrasco has a 4.18 ERA in 332 games (283 starts).
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
The Boston Red Sox got some bad news in the infield. Rookie infielder Marcelo Mayer has gotten a lot of time at second base and third base. Since Alex Bregman returned, Mayer has gotten most of his action at second base while also filling in as the Red Sox worked Bregman back slowly. Unfortunately, he's on the Injured List, though, due to a wrist sprain. MassLive.com's Christopher Smith shared the lastest update on Mayer from Red Sox manager Alex Cora on Saturday noted that he's "not gonna play soon." "No new updates on Marcelo Mayer's wrist sprain, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said," Smith shared. "'Just waiting for results and see specialists and all that stuff,' Cora added. 'He's not gonna play soon. So have to make sure where we're at and what the course of action is going to be.'" Losing Mayer is tough. Defense has been a question mark for Boston once again this season but Mayer has helped in that area. With Mayer out, Ceddanne Rafaela is expected to get a lot of action at second base. That helps to alleviate the logjam in the outfield, but also removes arguably the best defensive center fielder in the game. Boston isn't at full strength and Cora noting he's "not gonna play soon" certainly doesn't sound positive. Before going down, Mayer was slashing .228/.272/.402 with four homers, 10 RBIs, and eight doubles. Will the Red Sox add another piece ahead of the trade deadline? It absolutely makes sense at this point.
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