Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri says his side have to make their impressive win at AC Milan last week count when they face Hellas Verona on Saturday.
A 1-0 win at the San Siro saw Juve cut the gap on Milan to just one point, with Serie A leaders Inter two points further ahead.
“Tomorrow’s match is a tricky one: it is a more difficult match to prepare for than last Sunday’s, Verona have great physical strength and are physically demanding over the 90 minutes,” he told the club’s official website.
“We must make Sunday’s victory count by getting a result, otherwise we risk throwing overboard what we have achieved.
“We will have a better chance of winning if we match our opponents, and it is something we must always do, because it is a question of respect, regardless of the team in front of us.
“We will have our supporters behind us and that will be important, we will need structure, compactness and patience, because what is important is the three points and not the rankings; if anything we have to push those chasing us further away.
“The objective, clearly, is to be in the top four and play in the Champions League next year, then we will evaluate where we are at the end of the season.
“The growth of the team is based on balance and daily work, even if it is true that having young players gives enthusiasm and light-heartedness, the group wants to work, everyone plays as a team and puts their personal objectives in the background.”
Juve have had a good week in training, with Allegri having decisions to make.
“We’re all fine, Federico Chiesa came back and had a good week, so did Dusan Vlahovic,” he said.
“Hans Nicolussi Caviglia is a player who can also play in midfield, but his role is in front of the defence, his time will also come.
“He knows how to play football very well, but he has to grow in other aspects; Weston McKennie is doing well and can be important tomorrow too.
“On the left I have a doubt between Andrea Cambiaso and Filip Kostic, and I also have Samuel Iling-Junior who is definitely improving.”
Erik ten Hag revealed Casemiro is in a “race against the clock” to make the Manchester derby and says the squad is behind Alejandro Garnacho as he faces a potential ban for a social media post.
The eyes of the footballing world will be on Old Trafford this Sunday afternoon as treble winners Manchester City look to end the Red Devils’ unconvincing three-game winning streak in all competitions.
United have stumbled to those victories against Brentford, Sheffield United and Copenhagen, with a vastly improved performance required if they are to lay a glove on Pep Guardiola’s men.
The midfield battle looks key and Ten Hag says his side may be missing Casemiro for a third straight game, with an ankle injury sustained on Brazil duty putting his place in jeopardy.
“Aaron (Wan-Bissaka is back) in training today and Case is a race against the clock,” Ten Hag said. “No, not 100 per cent.”
Casemiro had trained ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Copenhagen – a group match he was unable to play in due to suspension.
The Red Devils were made to sweat in a narrow 1-0 victory against the Danish champions, with Andre Onana producing a stoppage-time penalty save that saw the under-fire goalkeeper mobbed by team-mates.
Garnacho later uploaded a photo on X, formerly known as Twitter, of the United players celebrating with the Cameroon international with a caption featuring two gorilla emojis.
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The post was quickly deleted and Onana defended his team-mate, who he said was trying to express “power and strength” as he added “this matter should go no further”.
But the Football Association has punished players in the past for making racial references on social networking sites and is understood to have sought Garnacho’s observations.
“Not (concerned about a ban) in this moment,” Ten Hag said. “We are talking with the FA.
“But what you see and I can confirm that and I want to emphasise, we are together, we are United and we have seen that in the post of Andre Onana.”
Former United striker Edinson Cavani was banned for three games and fined £100,000 in 2020 for using the Spanish phrase ‘Gracias negrito’ – which translates as ‘thanks little black’ – below a friend’s Instagram post.
The Uruguay striker also underwent a two-hour face-to-face training course for a comment said to be a term of endearment in his native Uruguay.
The previous year Bernardo Silva was given a one-match ban and fined £50,000 by the FA for his tweet to Manchester City colleague Benjamin Mendy.
The Portuguese tweeted an image of a young Mendy alongside an image of the cartoon brand mascot of Spanish confectionery brand Conguitos, with the caption “Guess who?”
Silva could be lining up at Old Trafford against Garnacho this weekend in the 191st Manchester derby – a match that could define United’s mood at a key stage of the season.
“Definitely you see we are back where we wanted to be in that this is a hard team to beat,” United boss Ten Hag said. “They find a way to win, so we are going in the right direction.
“I think it’s a match above many other derbies. It’s so huge because it’s Manchester, internal.
“But I think it’s also about world football and all the eyes will be on this game global-wide.
“In this moment they’re six points ahead, we’re six points back, so we have to catch up.
“We know we have to progress the team, so we have to make developments.”
South Africa have been urged to inspire the next generation of Siya Kolisis by claiming World Cup bragging rights in rugby’s greatest rivalry.
Each side has lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy on three previous occasions heading into Saturday’s final at the Stade de France, ensuring one of them will be crowned the most successful nation in the tournament’s history.
For the Springboks it is the opportunity to continue bringing together the country’s disparate communities, a motivation Kolisi insists provides the ‘why’ for the defence of their title.
“I believe we are a purpose-driven team, we’re not a trophy-driven team,” South Africa’s first black captain said before England were edged 16-15 in the semi-finals.
Kolisi himself grew up in poverty in a Port Elizabeth township yet has risen to become one of the game’s biggest stars and a standard bearer for the Springboks’ evolution from a symbol of apartheid to unifying force.
“This is what we live for. It’s about the people who are dreaming to be in our position in the communities back in South Africa,” assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said.
“We just want to do everything in our power to make sure we are reuniting those people.
“For a guy like Siya, coming from where he did… wow. No doubt in 20 years there will be a lot of Siya Kolisis, boys who have got here irrespective of background.
“It is like a fairytale story when you talk about Siya, but it surely does change people’s lives, whatever their background, if you have your head in the right place, if you have a goal and keep chasing it.
“The All Blacks have won the World Cup three times, we have won it three times, so this game is almost bigger than just a World Cup final.
“We just want to make our people proud because the messages we get are very special.”
How much South Africa have left in the tank after titanic knockout matches against France and England is the biggest unknown heading into the Paris showdown.
New Zealand, in contrast, routed Argentina in the semi-finals without breaking sweat and, as well as having the luxury of bringing key personnel off early and avoiding any injuries, the schedule has given them an extra day’s rest.
When the rivals last met in August the All Blacks were crushed 35-7, but they have rebuilt impressively since then and are favourites to avenge that bleak Twickenham evening.
“It has been very difficult journey,” said wing Will Jordan, who needs one more try to break the record of eight tries scored at a single World Cup.
“It has taken a huge amount of drive to turn it around to get it right. It’s a special group here and we have always been committed towards being the best team we can be.
“In 2022 we were a bit astray but we have come out of the fire a bit and I guess the big thing for us now has been the consistency has been found.
“We have been able to put back-to back performances together, which is probably what was missing before.
“The challenge for us against South Africa is to be able to go three big games in a row. It’s been a challenging period but it’s where we want to be now.”
Flooring Porter is the star attraction at Cheltenham on Saturday as the dual Stayers’ Hurdle winner returns to the Cotswolds to make his debut over fences.
Gavin Cromwell’s stable star produced two tremendous front-running performances to lift the three-mile hurdling crown in 2021 and 2022, but could finish only fourth when bidding for the hat-trick in March.
The eight-year-old subsequently finished third at Aintree before failing to make an impact in the French Champion Hurdle, and Cromwell feels the time has come to switch to the larger obstacles.
“He’s jumped well at home so hopefully he can transfer that to the track,” he said.
“He was running well last season, but he didn’t win at all and we just thought he still had a bit of time on his side and he can always go back (over hurdles) if it doesn’t work out for him over fences.”
Flooring Porter will be a warm order to dispatch of three rivals in the William Hill Lengthen Your Odds Novices’ Chase, with Henry de Bromhead’s Toss Again and the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained pair of Weveallbeencaught and Broadway Boy taking him on.
Cromwell added: “It’s a small field, but it’s not a bad race and while I won’t say he has to put his best foot forward, he’ll have to be doing things right to be winning.”
Proceedings get under way with the £60,000 Epic Value At William Hill Handicap Chase, in which Laura Morgan saddles the top-weight Notlongtillmay.
The seven-year-old enjoyed an excellent novice campaign over fences last term, winning his first three races before finishing second to Stage Star in the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Other contenders for the two-mile contest include Gary Moore’s Haddex Des Obeaux, Emma Lavelle’s Red Rookie and course-and-distance winner Before Midnight, who made an encouraging debut for Fergal O’Brien when fourth over hurdles at Chepstow a fortnight ago.
“I was very impressed with him at Chepstow – I didn’t expect him to run as well as he did,” said O’Brien.
“He does have form on soft and heavy ground from a long time ago, but I expected him to need it a bit, maybe finish fifth or sixth and come on for the run, but he was actually bang there turning in.
“He probably ended up having a harder race than we hoped for, but he’s come out of that very well, he seems very well in himself and Ben Sutton came in and schooled him on Thursday morning and he jumped very well, so we’ll take our chance.”
Tiger Roll (2014), Sceau Royal (2016), I Like To Move It (2021) and Pied Piper (2022) are among the recent winners of the Masterson Holdings Hurdle and another intriguing renewal looks in store.
Blueking D’Oroux and Spirit D’Aunou are the top two in the market for Paul Nicholls and Gary Moore respectively, while Lucinda Russell sends recent Kelso scorer Bois Guillbert from Scotland.
She said: “He took in those junior hurdles last year which are a great initiative and it taught him so much. He won two of them, he ended up with a mark of 116 and he’s won off that mark at Kelso this season, so they’re being realistic about their marks.
“He’s still a novice, which is great, and we’re running him in a four-year-old conditions race here. It’s a huge step up in grade, but I think it’s worthwhile doing that with him and it will give us an idea about what we do next.”
Last year’s winner Lord Accord bids for back-to-back victories in the Epic Jumps Season At William Hill Handicap Chase, while Noel Meade’s Bugs Moran, the Willie Mullins-trained We’llhavewan and Ringdufferin and Gortmillish from Gordon Elliott’s yard lead a strong Irish contingent in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle.
Cromwell houses the hot favourite for the William Hill Epic Weekend Free Bet Novices’ Hurdle in Antrim Coast, who impressed when opening his account over obstacles at Punchestown last time out.
Cromwell said: “He’s a nice horse and he put up a nice performance in Punchestown the last day.
“Obviously we’re stepping up a bit further in trip, but we’re chasing a bit of nice ground and if he takes a step forward, he definitely has a good chance.”
The Cheltenham & South West Racing Club Open National Hunt Flat Race brings the Showcase meeting to a close and there are plenty of interesting protagonists, including Kim Bailey’s Huntingdon scorer The Kemble Brewery, Ben Brookhouse’s point-to-point recruit Martin Plage and Mullins-trained newcomer Catch Yourself On.
Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has no doubts goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will return stronger as he prepares for a first game in almost a year after breaking his leg while skiing.
Neuer has been out of action since December 2022 following surgery on a lower leg fracture.
After stepping up his rehabilitation, the German World Cup winner is in line to make a comeback against Darmstadt on Saturday and should then be in line for Der Klassiker next weekend.
Tuchel feels Neuer, 37, will not need much reintegration as he takes over from Sven Ulreich between the posts.
“As long as nothing happens today, he’ll play tomorrow. He’s excited, we’re excited. There’s probably a lot of other people excited about it too,” Tuchel said.
“It’s a special situation. I can feel his excitement and his class. He’s got great experience. He’s enjoying things right now and he can he proud of himself.
“He should enjoy it, and that will make him strong. There will be some tension. Now we hope that he can quickly find his rhythm and things are all good.
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“His comeback is very impressive. I notice the difference in his condition. Our whole recovery and physio department and he can be proud.
“I’m almost proud of the fact he’s come back. It’s all far more than a given. I’m very confident he’ll quickly reach his top form.”
Tuchel told a press conference: “I don’t feel he’s tensed up. I think he’ll show everyone again, but there’s some joy in him that he’s done it.
“I see a whole new level in goalkeeper training. He’s in his own league. He should see it as a gift for his work. We trust his experience and intuition.
“He has been match fit for a few weeks, now he is going to get playing time, but he can compensate for it all with his experience.”
Neuer will also have an eye on making it into Germany’s squad for next summer’s Euro 2024 tournament on home soil.
“If Manu remains free from injury until the Euros and takes all his experience, then I don’t think we’ll be asking this question in May,” Tuchel said. “But the most important thing now is that he stays fit and can keep playing.”
Bayern host Darmstadt on the back of a 12-match unbeaten run, which saw them win 3-1 away to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday might.
With Bayer Leverkusen two points clear of them at the top of the Bundesliga, Tuchel knows there can be no room for complacency from his side against Darmstadt, who have lost five of their eight games back in the top flight.
“I can imagine they will want to surprise us,” Tuchel said. “They are dangerous out wide, have settled in at this level.
“Darmstadt sometimes defend very high, very aggressively, man to man, but sometimes they also defend deep with a back five.
“But we will be ready and will give everything to win the game.”
Darmstadt coach Torsten Lieberknecht is relishing the challenge of a trip to the Allianz Arena.
“We have worked hard for this Bundesliga game, that is why we feel anticipation,” Lieberknecht told a press conference.
“Everyone knows that it is not an easy opponent we face on Saturday. Nevertheless, we want to present ourselves well as a team.
“We know that we will definitely be busy defensively. We prepare the boys so that they can show their best performance on the pitch.”
Lucinda Russell expects to have a clearer idea of what the rest of the season has in store for her Grand National hero Corach Rambler after he makes his reappearance at Kelso on Saturday.
Having already claimed the world’s most famous steeplechase with One For Arthur in 2017, Russell enjoyed a second taste of Aintree success in April as Corach Rambler, also a dual Cheltenham Festival winner following back-to-back victories in the Ultima Handicap Chase, galloped to National glory.
A 13lb rise in the weights means the nine-year-old kicks off the new campaign with a lofty mark of 159, potentially putting him in the realms of being a Cheltenham Gold Cup contender.
However, with connections having decided against a weekend trip back to the Cotswolds, first on Corach Rambler’s agenda is Kelso’s Edinburgh Gin Chase, in which he must concede upwards of a stone in weight to his five rivals.
“We had the choice between two races, but he was giving a lot of weight away at Cheltenham and this is a limited handicap,” said Russell.
“He owes us absolutely nothing and we’re delighted to get him back on the track. He seems in fantastic form, he loves being in training and loves his racing, so let’s hope he runs a big race at Kelso.
“It’s the start of the season and I think with a lot of these horses that we’re running just now, how they run now will dictate what we do for the rest of the year with them.
“At this time last year we hadn’t even thought of the Grand National with Corach Rambler and he ended up winning it, so let’s just see he how he performs and that will give us an idea what we do next.”
While keen to get this weekend’s comeback run out of the way before making concrete future plans, the Kinross handler admits to having one eye on a possible tilt at Grade One honours on Merseyside.
She added: “I’ve got it on my mind that we’ll go to the Betfair Chase at Haydock and try him at level weights, but we’ll know more after Saturday.”
Corach Rambler might not have things all his own way, with two fellow Scottish-trained course specialists among his opponents.
Sandy Thomson’s Empire Steel has won three of his four starts at Kelso and was only narrowly beaten on his other visit, while Nick Alexander’s Elvis Mail is a four-time winner at the track.
Fergal O’Brien saddles Highland Hunter, who makes his debut for the yard as a 10-year-old having been off the track for 630 days.
“He’s in great shape and we’re really happy with him,” said O’Brien.
“I was keen all along to go to Aintree on Sunday – I just thought veterans’ chase, it’s a no-brainer. But I spoke to Paddy (Brennan) earlier in the week, he rides him all the time and we all felt having been off the track for a long time, he could be very keen.
“In the end we thought rather than taking on 10 or 12 older horses around Aintree, with six or seven of them wanting to make the running, we’d go and have a pop round Kelso in a smaller field and just see how he goes.
“We have a lot of respect for Corach Rambler, but it’ll be a lot calmer waters at Kelso and for his first run back, that’s what we want.”
Henry Daly’s Rapper and Burrows Diamond from Sue Smith’s yard complete the line-up.
England forward Mike McMeeken has credited his move to Catalans Dragons with revitalising his career as he prepares to play another pivotal role in the second autumn Test against Tonga in Huddersfield on Saturday.
The 29-year-old impressed in last week’s 22-18 opening victory in St Helens as Shaun Wane’s side got off to a winning start in a series that will conclude with a third meeting at Headingley next weekend.
Having also proved crucial to his club’s march to this season’s Grand Final, McMeeken believes he is hitting the kinds of career heights that may not have been possible had he not made the brave switch to the south of France in 2021 after six seasons with Castleford.
“I had reached the stage where I knew I needed to get out of my comfort zone and there are not many better places to go than somewhere you can’t speak the language and don’t really know anyone,” McMeeken told the PA news agency.
“It was the best thing for my career at the time and it’s something I’m glad I did. I’ve played with so many great players over there, including Sam Tomkins and Mitchell Pearce, and without it I probably wouldn’t be back in the England set-up.”
Basingstoke-born McMeeken, who has blazed a trail beyond rugby league’s traditional heartland for much of his career, starting with three seasons at London Broncos, jetted straight into the England camp after his side’s Old Trafford loss to Wigan.
But he admits he scarcely had time to dwell on the disappointment of that defeat before switching his focus to a series which it is hoped will put international rugby league back on top of the agenda after the unfortunate axing of the 2025 World Cup in France.
“It was obviously disappointing to lose the Grand Final but it’s not something I really got the chance to dwell on, and as soon as I joined up with the England camp on the following Tuesday I was able to put it to the back of my mind,” added McMeeken.
“We’ve got a great opportunity here, the most important thing is getting the win on Saturday to win the series, but our aim is to win the series 3-0, and from there we can dissect and look at what we can improve in the future.”
Wane has made two enforced changes to his squad for the second match at the John Smith’s Stadium, with Warrington duo Matty Ashton and Ben Currie coming in to replace Tommy Makinson and Morgan Knowles, both of whom sustained injuries in the opening fixture.
Huddersfield prop Chris Hill is expected to win his 36th cap on home soil and will come face to face with Giants team-mate Tui Lolohea, who has promised to show no mercy as he looks to leave the outcome of the series hanging in the balance heading into next week’s concluding clash.
“It’s going to be a special day for both of us,” said Lolohea, who joined Huddersfield from Leeds in 2021. “We like to laugh and joke together and we’ll be good friends before and after the game, but while we’re on the pitch it’s war.
“I’m looking forward to playing in my home stadium at international level for the first time, but the main thing is we know if we want to win this series we’ve got to win the next two matches, and it’s as simple as that.
“We were a bit disappointed on Sunday. We played well but were let down by a lack of concentration and we think we can be a bit more competitive. It will be another tough game and that’s exactly what we came over here expecting.”
King Of Steel will aim to follow up his Champion Stakes heroics at the Breeders’ Cup next weekend.
Owner Kia Joorabchian has confirmed the three-year-old is on his way to Santa Anita, most likely for the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
He still holds the possibility of running in the Classic, but his lack of experience on dirt makes the 12-furlong turf event a heavy favourite at this stage.
“We’ve been monitoring him all week, I’ve spoken to Roger (Varian) almost every day and I went to see him this week,” Joorabchian told Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast on Friday.
“To be honest Roger has said the same thing every day, he can’t fault him and he’s in great shape. He’s come out of the race really well.
“Roger would always err on the side of caution, but he’s very happy with him so he’s going to travel today to Santa Anita so fingers crossed he should be running in, I’d say, most probably the Turf, but we haven’t completely ruled anything out yet.
“The reality is, Roger and his team probably feel much more comfortable on the turf, as a three-year-old I think we would edge towards the Turf. He’s never run on dirt and the only factor is if he gets out of the gates a little bit slower he’d get a lot of dirt in his face. That is edging us more towards the Turf.
“The jockey (Frankie Dettori) arrived there yesterday, he sent me a video of himself working out.”
It will be a dream come true for Adrian Murray when he gives William Buick the leg-up aboard Royal Ascot hero Valiant Force at the Breeders’ Cup.
The youngster became the first winner at the Royal meeting for Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing operation when landing a shock 150-1 victory in the Norfolk Stakes earlier in the summer, and has already earnt a special place in both his trainer and owner’s affections.
Although well held in the Prix Morny last time, the speedy son of Malibu Moon will now attempt to add further riches when he drops back in trip for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.
“It’s a dream now come true and I’m delighted with the horse,” said Murray.
“He will have his conditions. He wants fast ground and hopefully he will put up a good show – he’s in good form, he’s very well in himself.
“There’s a lot of things that can go wrong, but we’re excited about him anyway and it’s great to be going over with a nice horse.
“It looks like William Buick is going to take the ride.”
Murray will also saddle Valiant Force’s stablemate Cuban Thunder during the opening night of Breeders’ Cup action in California.
The son of Profitable has been highly tried since winning impressively at York earlier in the season and was last seen finishing third in Listed company on the all-weather at Dundalk.
He will now encounter dirt for the first time as he lines up over an extended mile in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
“It will be a new adventure for him and hopefully he will do himself good,” added Murray.
“If he ran to his best, you would be hoping he could run into a place or hopefully even better. He’s entitled to go over.”
For Murray – who as well as enjoying Royal Ascot success in the summer, has also tasted Group One glory thanks to the exploits of Bucanero Fuerte – it will be the fulfilment of a lifetime ambition when he crosses the Atlantic for the end-of-season meeting for the first time since 2001, and the first time in a professional capacity.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I was at the Breeders’ Cup once way back at Belmont the year Galileo ran and I was only there as a spectator,” said Murray.
“I never dreamt I would be there as a trainer, we’ve had just an unbelievable year and it’s just got better and better.
“It’s brilliant and I can’t wait for it to happen. Hopefully it will be good weather over there and we can get a bit of sun on our backs.”
Philippe Clement aims to “rebuild” Rangers striker Kemar Roofe with a longer-term look at the player’s fitness issues.
The 30-year-old has been bedevilled with various injury problems since signing for the Light Blues from Anderlecht in 2020.
Roofe stayed on the bench for the 4-0 cinch Premiership win over Hibernian at the weekend and missed the goalless Europa League draw against Sparta Prague on Thursday night, and will not be in the squad for the visit of Hearts on Sunday.
Clement did not reveal the specifics of the former Leeds forward’s problem, although he was reportedly sent for a scan on a groin complaint in September under previous manager Michael Beale.
“Kemar will not be available for the weekend for sure,” said the Belgian boss. “Probably we need to rebuild.
“In the next weeks, we need to take a really good look at that because he has been struggling for a long time with the same things.
“It is important to find the reason for that and not always find the solution to get him fit for the next game and struggling afterwards again and going game by game, but really going to the cause of the problem.
“I cannot say anything about that (how long he will be out), we first need to make a really good assessment of how to bring Kemar back in a way that he can be a long time back and not a short time because that has been the case the last couple of months, to get him fit for games but struggling in between so we need to get him really fit.”
Clement was speaking on a Zoom call following what could be a vital Europa League point in the Czech Republic.
Striker Danilo, on his way back to full fitness following a facial injury which requires him to wear a mask on the field, came off the bench and was closest to scoring for the Ibrox side when his shot was tipped on to the crossbar and over by Sparta goalkeeper Peter Vindahl.
Clement believes it will still be several weeks before the Brazilian forward is back to his best.
He said: “He has (been) out for quite a while. He didn’t play so many 90 minutes in the last couple of months or even the last year.
“He looked bright in the short period he played, but it is about making him stronger so that he can reach that level for 90 minutes.
“It is a work of several weeks to bring him to that level.”
Borna Barisic missed the trip to Prague with a knock and Clement is not sure if he will have the left-back available for the game against the Jambos.
He said: “We will see if Borna can train tomorrow, that is still a question mark.”
Clement hopes midfielder Jose Cifuentes will resume training on Saturday, but Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo and Dujon Sterling remain out.
Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali could be involved in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Wolves despite being handed a 10-month ban.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) confirmed on Thursday that the 23-year-old had been suspended until next season after agreeing a plea bargain as part of an investigation into illegal betting activity.
However, Newcastle say they are yet to be officially informed of the ban, which is yet to be ratified by world governing body FIFA and, as it stands, the £55million summer signing from AC Milan was due to travel to the Midlands on Friday afternoon with the rest of the squad.
Magpies head coach Eddie Howe said: “It’s a difficult one because we haven’t had official confirmation as a football club yet.
“We’ve heard the news, the statement, but we haven’t had anything from the Italian authorities at the moment, so we’re in limbo, really, waiting for that official confirmation to come through.”
Asked if there was a chance the Italy international could be involved at Molineux, Howe added: “Yes, I think there’s a high chance again that he could be available for us.
“I still think there are a few things that have to happen before the ban is imposed, so let’s see.”
The Italy international was also fined 20,000 euros and will have to undergo eight months of therapy as well as carrying out a series of public appearances.
Tonali found himself at the centre of a probe during this month’s international break into breaches of betting rules and was alleged to have wagered on games involving former clubs Brescia and Milan during his spells with them.
Saturday’s meeting at Newbury has been called off due to a waterlogged track.
The card was set to feature two Group Threes, the BetVictor Horris Hill Stakes and the BetVictor St Simon Stakes, as well as the Listed Highclere Thoroughbred Racing Stakes.
With Friday’s fixture cancelled on Thursday, an inspection was called for 2pm on Friday ahead of Saturday’s meeting but clerk of the course George Hill was able to make an early call after a further four millimetres of rain.
“The weather at this time of year means it’s either overcast or even if the sun comes out for a bit, like yesterday, it’s only up for about five hours,” said Hill.
“Our back straight remained in the shade so it’s very difficult. All the racecourses are suffering.
“We walked it this morning and it had improved a little but not enough and then we got another 4mm on top, so unfortunately it was an easy decision to bring the inspection forward.
“The only positive of it is the jumps track will be enjoying this weather.
“We’re not looking at rescheduling the Group races, obviously our Flat season has come to an end, it’s late in the season for us.”
Saturday’s fixture at Doncaster will need to pass a 3.30pm precautionary check after Friday’s action was called off.
A total of 2.3mm of overnight rain on Town Moor has left some areas of already heavy ground saturated, forcing the cancellation of the seven-race card.
The track is due to stage the Kameko Futurity Trophy – the final Group One of the British season – on Saturday and clerk of the course Paul Barker is optimistic on the chances of that meeting going ahead.
He said: “Unfortunately we have had overnight rain which has caused the abandonment of today’s card.
“We are just looking at some rail movements to cover the affected areas and once we have done that, if the forecast is right, we would be pretty confident about tomorrow.”
Sir Geoffrey Boycott criticised England’s lack of preparation for their continuing World Cup woes but spared captain Jos Buttler of the bulk of the blame.
Buttler accepted his future was out of his own hands as England crashed to an eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in Bengaluru, which has left the defence of their title hanging by the thinnest of threads.
Head coach Matthew Mott has written off England’s chances after four defeats in five games, which Boycott argued was the result of turning up in India just over a week before the campaign began.
“History shows that England rarely bat well in India where the ball spins,” Boycott told the Daily Telegraph. “Our guys are okay on flat pitches but if it turns they have a problem.
“The best way to try and overcome that would have been for our squad of players to get to India early and play four or five warm-up matches. What did England do? Plan only two warm-up games with one getting rained off. Not smart planning.”
England brought eight of the 2019 trophy-winning side with them to the subcontinent but Buttler has been unable to get the best out of his charges – as Eoin Morgan spectacularly did four years ago.
But Boycott feels the unflattering comparisons between the duo are unfair, pointing out Morgan had home comforts plus a fully-focused and healthy side in peak form whereas Buttler has had several obstacles to contend with.
Boycott said Jofra Archer’s non-availability and Ben Stokes being ruled out of the first three matches through an ill-timed hip problem complicated matters for Buttler.
“Jos has a dysfunctional squad of players,” the England great added. “Poorly selected, poorly prepared, not a settled team, many not sure of their roles, patchy form, confidence wobbly and to cap it all England’s best two and most influential white-ball players have not been available.
“Although Buttler has admitted his own flaws this tournament, too many people are criticising his captaincy and judging him against that of Eoin Morgan when England won the previous World Cup.
“Make no mistake, not having Archer is huge alongside Stokes not being available through injury for the first three matches. Reece Topley has now had to go home injured.
“It is easy captaining a good team full of in-form players but it would need a miracle man to pull this team together. Buttler can’t admit it, but it must be a nightmare.”
Lucinda Russell is readying two of her stable stars for next week’s bet365 Charlie Hall meeting at Wetherby, with Ahoy Senor and Apple Away both in line to make an appearance in West Yorkshire.
Ahoy Senor disappointed in the Charlie Hall Chase itself last season, but will be given the option of contesting the Grade Two feature once again, with the bet365 Hurdle being considered as a possible alternative.
The eight-year-old went on to prove his worth in the second half of the last campaign, winning the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in January and signing off with a runner-up finish behind Shishkin in the Aintree Bowl.
“Ahoy Senor is getting himself ready for Wetherby, that’s the plan,” said Russell.
“He might get an entry in both races (Charlie Hall and bet365 Hurdle). We’ll see how he goes this weekend and that’ll give us a better idea.”
Apple Away won four of her seven starts over hurdles for William Hill ambassador Russell last season, including a Grade One victory in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree in the spring.
The six-year-old is set to embark on a novice chasing campaign this season and with connections having decided against a trip to Cheltenham, she could instead head to turn out next week.
Russell added: “She’s in good form and she might go to Wetherby.
“She’s been schooling really well, but it a combination of things led to us deciding against going to Cheltenham this weekend and we felt we’d try to find something a little bit quieter.”
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