Gareth Southgate says it would be “ridiculous” to overly experiment as England head to hostile Hampden Park to face in-form foes Scotland in a so-called friendly.

Both sides are on the cusp of qualification for next summer’s European Championship as they meet on Tuesday evening for the 116th edition of the world’s oldest international fixture.

Southgate sees England’s first friendly fixture since March 2022 as an important test and learning step for his side, fresh from Saturday’s challenging 1-1 draw against Ukraine.

Scotland have won their last five matches and will be roared on by a sold-out Hampden Park crowd on Tuesday, when the 53-year-old knows he has to get the balance right with his selection.

“We’ve got to find the right balance of physical freshness – we’ve had a day less preparation – experience, finding out about some players, winning, playing well,” Southgate said.

“So, the usual things that are expected of us with England, really.

“But I think the first thing is we can’t fiddle around with the team because we’re playing a top-level side, who are going to be at full tilt and giving us a really high-level challenge.

“So, you can’t overly experiment because that would be ridiculous.”

Southgate largely stuck with the tried and tested with his squad selection for this September double-header, leading to starts for Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson against Ukraine.

It was the former’s first competitive start of the season and the first time the latter had represented his country since swapping Liverpool for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq.

Southgate was criticised by some for selecting the pair against Ukraine, while a disjointed, toothless performance hardly set pulses racing.

“I haven’t seen it, so the reaction for us is, we’re top of the group,” said the England boss, who could hand Levi Colwill and Eddie Nketiah their debuts in Glasgow.

“I think we’re the top scorers in Europe. The boys did a really good job in a difficult environment and we know that our attacking play didn’t quite click.

“I think some of that was the surface, really, because to make those really incisive, quick passes at times you just needed a little extra touch or there was a little bobble.

“I’m very conscious I wasn’t going to be too harsh on my internal review with the players.

“Because you could see moments when we’re watching it back where the ball pops over players’ feet or (someone) goes to play a ball first time, and it lofts in the air.

“Equally, that wasn’t the case with everything that we did, so we’re always challenging. We want to be better and better and we’ve got to set a high standard.

“We weren’t as happy coming away with the point as we might have been but it’s still a really good result.

“We saw what happened in our group later that night (with Italy drawing 1-1 with North Macedonia).

“When we beat North Macedonia people were questioning the quality that they had and the standard of the opposition, but Italy went there and couldn’t get the win.

“So, we kind of know the cycle, frankly, with England. I’ve been in the job long enough now.

“It’s constant, it’s never-ending, but we have to really focus internally on what’s important for us.

“Review to our own standards, review and make sure that we know what we’re working towards, and what we’re comparing ourselves against, really.”

Southgate believes the trip to Glasgow will help in that on a night when England and Scotland will commemorate the 150th anniversary of their first meeting on November 30, 1872.

The former defender admitted he was briefly a member of the Tartan Army in his childhood.

“I mean, this is horrendous what I’m going to say here ahead of tomorrow, but I was supporting Scotland in 1978 because obviously we hadn’t qualified,” the England boss said.

“I kind of followed that through the trauma of Peru and the Netherlands.

“Then we were back in ’82 and all of a sudden, you know, for me then onwards it was all about England.

“But, yeah, great fixtures. I’ve met so many of the former players over the years – worked with some of them, played with some of them.

“It’s a fabulous game. I know there’s a rivalry and I know people will be wary of it crossing a boundary, but it’s a brilliant sporting rivalry and it’s a great game to be involved in.”

Reece Topley wants to consign his injury woes to the past but admits there will be some trepidation at boarding the plane to India for the defence of England’s World Cup crown.

Having overcome four separate stress fractures in his back, Topley appeared primed for a leading role at last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia but he had to watch England’s triumphant campaign from afar.

A freak trip over a boundary cushion ahead of their final warm-up caused ankle ligament damage and, when he was on the comeback trail, Topley dislocated his shoulder at the Indian Premier League in April.

Despite returning to fitness and England duty, the 6ft 7in left-arm seamer remains understandably wary of a setback especially with the 50-over World Cup getting under way in less than four weeks’ time.

“You could say I have a bit of PTSD about getting on the plane again because it was pretty emotional coming back from the last (World Cup) injured,” the 29-year-old said.

“But injuries happen in sport. You can only do so much to prevent them. I don’t really think about it too much. It’s just the nature of it: you get good days and bad days at the minute.

“As you get older, the injuries do get a bit harder to come back from – just the nature of just being years older. It’s not like you won’t ever come back from it, it’s just always a bit trickier.

“I definitely wouldn’t say I’m out of the jungle in terms of my ankle and my shoulder but it’s a case of doing the right things. Hopefully, the bad days just become less and less.”

Topley owes his selection in England’s provisional World Cup squad to last summer’s stellar form, where he claimed 13 wickets in seven ODIs at an exceptional average of 16.38, going at less than 4.5 an over.

He is still getting back up to speed at international level again after a stop-start past year but after going wicketless in four ODIs, he impressed in Sunday’s series-levelling victory against New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl, taking three for 27 in seven overs.

After an economical first five-over burst, Topley dismissed Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra within seven balls in his second spell as New Zealand lost their last seven wickets in 39 balls to lose by 79 runs, leaving the four-match series delicately balanced at 1-1.

While drawing satisfaction from his impact in a contest reduced to 34 overs per side because of rain, Topley believes he is still a long way off his best.

“I’ve got to thank the guys for showing that what I did last year didn’t go unnoticed,” Topley said. “My record in the format is pretty good. I like to think that I can contribute whenever needed.

“It’s tricky playing and getting yourself back into it mentally and physically after some injuries. The game moves on and people move on and you obviously don’t get the chance to because you’re sidelined.

“It’s nice to be finding my feet again, hopefully just at the right time for India. It’s not the end of it now, it’s just another good day. It’s still a long way to go to be performing how I’d like to.”

Topley has opened the bowling in every one of his 24 ODIs but backs himself to “take wickets in all stages”, putting himself in the shop window for one of the fast bowling spots at the World Cup.

England have six specialist options, including three left-armers in Sam Curran, David Willey and Topley, who recognises competition is fierce.

“I can only do so much as a new-ball and death bowler that it’s hard to leave me out,” Topley added ahead of Wednesday’s third ODI against the Black Caps at the Kia Oval, his home ground.

“That’s what all of us in the changing room want to do is just to make those decisions tough, but with the talent that we have, it’s always going be a tough decision – for the 15, or the 11.”

Dan Biggar has revealed that England’s stirring victory over Argentina helped underpin Wales’ mindset against Rugby World Cup rivals Fiji.

Wales dug deep in adversity, making more than 240 tackles as they held on for a thrilling 32-26 win that strengthened hopes of reaching a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final.

And England’s demolition job on the Pumas 24 hours earlier, which came despite them having flanker Tom Curry sent off during the early minutes, did not go unnoticed in the Wales camp.

“I thought England were absolutely magnificent after going down to 14 men,” Wales fly-half Biggar said.

“We spoke about having a little bit of a similar mindset – whether we lose a player or go down a bit, still working your absolute socks off.

“I think it was quite good for us watching that game, to be honest, as a team.

“It was almost like the red card was better for England than Argentina. I thought it galvanised them and they absolutely worked their socks off.

“They defended in twos and threes extremely well, scrambled well and forced a lot of errors.

“We knew we were going to concede turnovers and have moments when we were up against it.

“We said that we needed to have a similar sort of mindset (to England) to really grind it out and dig in in big moments.

“Results are the only thing that matter in this tournament. We are off to a good start, and if we win next weekend (against Portugal) it will be a really good start and we can build to the final two games then.”

It was an emotional time for Biggar in Bordeaux, with the Fiji game taking place on his late mother Liz’s birthday.

“I think she was looking down on us in the last passage of play with that dropped ball. You don’t see Semi (Radradra) dropping too many of those in open play,” he added.

“Not so much during the match, but I found the game quite difficult because she would have been here making a big weekend of it. It was at the back of my mind.”

Wales’ fourth World Cup win in a row against Fiji sets them up for a major tilt at winning Pool C, with Portugal, Australia and Georgia their remaining opponents.

Biggar, though, knows the importance of Wales not switching off when they arrive on the French Riviera and a week in Nice, where they face Portugal next Saturday.

“I just felt that we were nowhere near perfect, but you saw the character, the desire, the commitment of the group. We just never gave in,” Biggar said.

“We were pretty pleased to see that last ball dropped because we were certainly under the heat and it felt like everything was imploding in that last 12 minutes or so. We did well to get across the line in the end.

“We are going to enjoy it because there has been a lot of pressure on this group, a lot of things written, a lot of people said we weren’t good enough to win.

“I think it is important that this week, especially going to a very nice place in Nice, that it can turn into a bit of a holiday mode and that is the exact opposite of what we need.

“We probably need a fair bit of work on the training pitch this week.”

England boss Gareth Southgate stressed Harvey Barnes is “a player we like a lot” while also emphasising the competition he faces amid talk of the winger possibly switching allegiance to Scotland.

Barnes is reported to be considering a switch three years on from winning his sole England cap to date in a friendly against Wales.

At a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s friendly clash with Scotland at Hampden Park, Southgate said of the 25-year-old: “He’s obviously a player who has played for us.

“We’ve got a lot of competition in that area of the pitch. He’s a player we’re always monitoring and he’s a player we like a lot.”

Southgate was asked about on a potential swap of allegiances for Barnes and Newcastle team-mate Elliot Anderson, who has played for both countries at youth level and received a call-up to the Scotland squad last month, only to be forced to withdraw due to injury.

Southgate said: “Both very good players. With Elliot, again I think he’s a player that has progressed really well. We’ve previously spoken with him, but of course he was named in the squad here, so assumed that was that.

“I thought he had an excellent pre-season with Newcastle, you could see that evolution that he’s got as a young player and the potential he’s got. I know Newcastle rate him very highly.

“I don’t know is the answer to the ultimate question for either player, but there are going to be more and more of these sorts of situations.

“There are so many players with dual or triple nationality now, it is very complicated for every country, and sometimes you can’t offer the player something as quickly as they’d like.

“We’ve benefited from it and lost players because of it, and I think that’s always going to be the case.”

Southgate was joined at the press conference by Newcastle full-back Kieran Trippier, who said of Anderson: “As the gaffer said, in pre-season he’s been unbelievable. It was good for him last year to stay with us and not go out on loan again, to gain that experience.

“He’s a great lad with great potential. We’ve had talks, but he went away with Scotland. That’s his decision, it is ultimately up to him.”

Durham have been promoted to Division One of the LV= Insurance County Championship.

The north-east county do not have a fixture this week, but Leicestershire failed to secure any batting bonus points in their game against Sussex and can no longer reach Durham’s points total.

Durham, who have won the County Championship three times, were relegated from the top flight due to financial issues in 2016 and handed a 48-point deduction from the start of the following season.

They have won six of their 12 fixtures this season under head coach Ryan Campbell, losing only once, and need five points from their remaining two matches to clinch the title.

Durham’s next County Championship game starts next Tuesday at Worcestershire.

Paul Pogba says he was almost driven to walk away from football after allegedly being blackmailed by an organised crime gang.

The 30-year-old midfielder’s brother Mathias was detained in September 2022 on suspicion of involvement in the alleged plot, which Paul Pogba claimed amounted to a bid to extort £11.1million from him.

Mathias Pogba was released in December and denies the charges.

Paul Pogba reported the incident to Turin prosecutors in July of last year, shortly after leaving Manchester United on a free transfer in order to rejoin Juventus.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Paul Pogba said: “When there is money you have to be careful. Money changes people. It can break up a family. It can create a war.

“Sometimes I was just by myself thinking: ‘I don’t want to have money anymore. I just don’t want to play anymore. I just want to be with normal people, so they will love me for me – not for the fame, not for the money.’

“Sometimes it’s tough. This life, you have to go through it. It will only make me stronger.”

Laure Beccuau, a Paris prosecutor, said the investigation was looking into allegations of “blackmail by an armed gang, kidnapping and membership of a criminal conspiracy”.

Mathias Pogba is himself a professional footballer, with the 33-year-old having represented Crewe, Crawley, Wrexham and Partick Thistle, as well as the national team of Guinea.

He is currently without a club after leaving French lower-league side Belfort in 2022.

Haydock Sprint Cup runner-up Shouldvebeenaring could spring back into action for the Betfred Park Stakes at Doncaster on Saturday.

The Richard-Hannon trained colt was a 50-1 chance for the Group One at the Merseyside track – but took little notice of those odds when coming home just a neck behind the winner under Sean Levey.

The run was another gallant performance from the grey, who has a CV that includes two Listed wins and a good handful of Group-placed performances.

Notably he was second behind Coolmore’s Little Big Bear in the Sandy Lane earlier in the year and a return to the same track at Haydock backed up that run this weekend.

“We were absolutely thrilled with that performance, he was a 50-1 shot on the day but we didn’t have him down as a 50-1 chance in our minds,” said Tim Palin of owners Middleham Park Racing.

“We probably thought he might finish in the first five or six and pick up some prize-money, but when you look back he’d already been second to Little Big Bear and split him and Bradsell in the Sandy Lane when he went off at 11-1.

“The collateral form was there and is there, we’re absolutely trilled to provide his owners with a runner in a Group One and a horse that just got touched off in a Group One, which he did – he was trading odds-on to win the race during the final half-furlong.

“He’s a dual Listed winner and you’d like to think he’s a Group winner in the making, if we could make that a Group One or Group Two then who knows – you might have a stallion master or two picking up the phone.

“He’s a superstar of a horse, he tries his heart out.”

Connections have left the colt in the Park Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting on Saturday and a decision will be made later in the week as to whether or not he takes up the entry.

“We have actually left him in the in the Group Two at Doncaster, just in case he comes out of it bouncing,” Palin said.

“I’m sure Sean Levey will give him a spin on Wednesday or Thursday and we’ll make a decision about that race, we’ll see what the ground is going to be like as he does like good ground or quicker.

“There’s not a deluge and they’re not planning to water at the minute, if it did quicken up then it could just be tempting if we can get that Group win by his name.

“The horse’s well-being will be of paramount importance, whether he’s over his exertions from the weekend and ready to rock and roll again, but he’ll stay in training as a four-year-old anyway.”

Thinking ahead to the winter and to Shouldvebeenaring’s four-year-old campaign, Palin mapped out some targets in a season that could include a step down in trip to five furlongs.

He said: “We’ll campaign him in Group One and Group Two sprints with the aim of picking up an elusive Group One, he’s clearly a Group One performer and we want to make him a Group One winner.

“Meydan, possibly the Al Quoz, he could have a prep run and go out there for that fantastic prize-money and there’s always decent ground out there.

“He’s a candidate for that and all your normals, your Duke of Yorks, July Cups, Haydock Sprints, we might even give him a whizz at five.

“We need to explore five with him as well as he travels lovely over six and he’s strong through the line. A Nunthorpe might happen a bit quick for him, but an Ascot five or a Haydock five could suit him down to the ground.”

A first Classic winner for the King and the Queen this weekend remains a possibility, with Desert Hero one of nine confirmed for the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday.

The William Haggas-trained Sea The Stars colt has already entered the record books once this season, when winning the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot.

On that occasion, it was the first time the King and Queen’s colours had been victorious at the Royal meeting since the death of the late Queen, and having enhanced his reputation in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood he now has the chance to follow in the footsteps of Dunfermline, who carried the royal silks to glory in 1977.

Desert Hero’s rider Tom Marquand has already experienced victory in the Leger, with Galileo Chrome for Joseph O’Brien in 2020.

“He ticks all the boxes of what you want from a Leger horse,” he said of this year’s contender.

“It’s a mile and three-quarters but he has speed, he stays, he relaxes right and he’s with the right team, so fingers crossed we get a good draw and the right trip around.

“It would be amazing (to win a second Leger), and I think the magnitude of it possibly being Desert Hero for the King and Queen is not lost on me after I had that experience at Royal Ascot.

“I didn’t acknowledge the significance of it beforehand. As a jockey you just want to go out and win, you don’t think past what happens getting over the winning line. I think this time it is a little different, the Doncaster crowd are notoriously passionate about their racing and love a big day out. If it was to come off it would be pretty magical.”

Simon and Ed Crisford’s Chesspiece is the sole Godolphin representative and was second behind Desert Hero on the Sussex Downs, while John and Thady Gosden could saddle three in the race having confirmed both market leader Gregory and the Juddmonte-owned Arrest as well as supplementing Melrose winner Middle Earth.

Oisin Murphy rides the latter and is excited about his prospects. He told Sky Sports Racing: “He has to step up on his Melrose victory, but the form has been franked. He beat Naqeeb at Newmarket in the novice and he won really at Haydock (on Saturday) and Kempton the time before, so hopefully he’s improving and I’m looking forward to riding him.

“Sheikh Fahad has won the race before with Simple Verse, so hopefully he’ll be bang there.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a very big field, but there’s some good horses in there.

“Time will tell, but I think he’s a horse with the right profile and I’d be very excited about his future in general anyway.”

Gregory has the chance to give Frankie Dettori one last Classic success and although losing his unbeaten record in the Great Voltigeur at York last month, he won the Queen’s Vase over this distance at Royal Ascot.

Great Voltigeur winner Continuous is one of four in the mix for Aidan O’Brien alongside Denmark, Alexandroupolis and Bahrain Trophy runner-up Tower Of London.

Providing an update on ground conditions, Doncaster’s clerk of the course Paul Barker said: “We are currently good on the straight course and good, good to soft in places on the round course. We had a few thundery showers over the weekend, but are sunny today, with the potential of some more showers tonight and tomorrow.

“Racing on Thursday and Friday are set fair, with some showers forecast Friday evening, into Saturday.”

Racing will be the winner, according to Willie Carson, if Desert Hero is able to replicate his historic achievement aboard Dunfermline and carry the royal silks to Classic glory in Saturday’s Betfred St Leger.

It was 1977 when Carson famously got the better of Lester Piggott and Alleged to give the late Queen Classic success in the Doncaster showpiece, during the same season the duo also tasted Oaks glory at Epsom in the height of the Silver Jubilee celebrations.

Dunfermline remains the last royal Classic winner, but now 46 years later the attention is once again on Town Moor as the William Haggas-trained Desert Hero attempts to add his name to the history books.

Having already provided the King and Queen with their first Royal Ascot triumph, the son of Sea The Stars, who will be ridden by Tom Marquand, now bids to add one of the sport’s crown jewels to his ever-growing CV.

“If the King wins then that will help racing, without a doubt,” Carson told the PA news agency.

“I rode two Classic winners for the Queen, but she wasn’t there either time. She was too busy with the Silver Jubilee celebrations for the Oaks and she was at Balmoral for the Leger, but I spoke to her on the telephone after.

“It’s a very good race, our oldest Classic, and it has the makings of a good horse race and the makings of a good story and we’re looking forward to a marvellous race.

“And if the King does arrive at Doncaster on the day and wins, then there is only one winner – racing.”

Carson won the St Leger three times, but 35 years after his final Doncaster triumph aboard Minster Son, another member of the family now has his chance to add his name to the annals of Britain’s oldest Classic.

That is because Desert Hero has been helped in his preparation for the big race by Carson’s grandson Luke, who rides the King George V Stakes and Gordon Stakes scorer in his work and is a key figure in the colt’s journey to the top.

“He’s looked after and ridden every day by my grandson, his name is Luke Carson,” continued the 80-year-old, who partnered 17 British Classic winners during his decorated career.

“He rides him in the morning, looks after him, he’s his baby.

“So I will be very happy if the King wins, for all sorts of reasons. He’s obviously got a chance, but I wouldn’t say he has as good a chance as Dunfermline did.

“Not only was that Leger famous because the Queen won it, but it was the only time in his career Alleged was beat. It was an incredible race and she was a very good filly, Dunfermline.”

Not only does Carson have the family connection with Desert Hero to look forward to, he also owns a half-sister of the dam of ante-post favourite Gregory, and it promises to be a huge afternoon for the Scotsman, who may struggle to juggle his loyalties in the closing stages.

He added: “It’s a race I won three times. The race was quite kind to me.

“The horse Gregory, I own the dam’s half-sister called Leah. For me it is a big day all round.

“We’ve got a few irons in the fire and I guess I’ll be shouting for them both. Maybe a dead-heat!

Gregory heads to Doncaster Moor as market leader despite losing for the first time in the Great Voltigeur at York.

It was Aidan O’Brien’s Continuous who lowered the Golden Horn colt’s colours on that occasion, but Carson believes Gregory could be seen to better effect this weekend.

He said: “I saw an interview that John Gosden gave and I agreed with everything he said about why Gregory got beat at York.

“Unfortunately Frankie (Dettori) rode a fantastic race in the following race that day (Mostahdaf in the Juddmonte International Stakes), but he fell into a bad trap on Gregory by going too fast.

“John Gosden pointed that out and he also pointed out that when the race was over and he was beat, and Frankie had decided that was it, the horse still ran on.

“So Continuous is not certain to beat him at Doncaster. I think Frankie thought he would be able to dictate at York, but I’m afraid the dictation got thrown out the window because he had two people annoying him all the way round.”

He has also narrowed the stamina-sapping one-mile-six-furlong contest down to the three at the head of the betting and is relishing the prospect of three of the weighing room’s best slugging it out to lift the trophy.

“It looks like those are the three (Gregory, Continuous and Desert Hero) that should be winning the St Leger and I would say it will be the horse that gets the best ride, basically  – the one who it clicks for and whoever gets it right,” said Carson.

“O’Brien will organise the pace and it will be up to Frankie, who is normally very astute when it comes to tactics, I imagine he will not get it wrong this time. Of course, Ryan Moore will just sit on the tail of Frankie, that’s how I see it, whether it happens is another matter.

“You’ve got three of the top jockeys at the top of the game and we’re in for a treat.”

Andy Murray believes Great Britain can win the Davis Cup again this season and is happy to play his part on or off the court.

The former world number one is among a five-man team for this week’s group stage in Manchester, along with Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Jack Draper and Neal Skupski.

Quite what Murray’s role will be remains to be seen and, speaking after his disappointing second-round loss to Grigor Dimitrov at the US Open, the Scot questioned whether he deserved his place.

But the 36-year-old cut a much more positive figure at a press conference at the AO Arena on Monday, saying: “At that moment, straight as I came off the court, I wasn’t in a great place after losing in a slam.

“I said (to captain Leon Smith), if I’m not needed, I completely get that. But, for whatever reason, he asked me to come and I said I would come.

“I’ve always loved playing Davis Cup and any event where you’re competing for your country. We have a great group of guys, I love being part of this team, we’ve got great staff as well. Everyone gets on extremely well.

“I do genuinely believe the team can win the event. That’s huge motivation to be a part of it. I want to help the team in any way I can, whether that’s on the court or off. We’ll see what happens.”

Britain have been drawn in an intriguing group with Australia, France and Switzerland and must finish in the top two to book their spot at the finals week in Malaga in November.

It is now eight years since Murray led Britain to the Davis Cup title virtually single-handed.

There is no doubt Britain have a stronger overall team now, but with that come selection difficulties for Smith and he faced criticism for choosing Murray and Joe Salisbury as his doubles pair as they crashed out at the same stage in Glasgow 12 months ago.

Salisbury won his third consecutive US Open title with American Rajeev Ram on Saturday but did not make the team, with Smith likely to rely on Skupski and Evans in doubles, while the most intriguing question mark is whether he will throw in 21-year-old Draper fresh from his run to the fourth round in New York.

He has had a hugely frustrating season with injuries but is a major talent who will surely lead the team in the not-too-distant future, while Norrie and Evans have both had patchy seasons.

“I think we’ve got our best five here,” said Smith. “Obviously we’ve got strength in depth, especially on the doubles side. In terms of selection for the matches, it’s good. You want a strong squad, different options, because it is a long week. I’m just delighted they’re all here.”

Draper was named in the team for the first time for February’s tricky assignment away in Colombia, where victory secured their progress to this point.

“I feel great,” said the Londoner, who was hitting with fit-again former British number one Kyle Edmund on Monday.

“Obviously New York gave me a real boost after quite a tough season. When Leon asked me to join the guys I was really excited and wanted to be here.

“I haven’t been part of a Davis Cup group playing at home. It’s amazing to be part of this team and I’m very grateful for the selection and happy to be around these boys for sure.”

Britain’s biggest challenge is likely to come on Wednesday when they take on last year’s runners-up Australia, led by in-form world number 12 Alex de Minaur.

Crowds of around 8,000 are expected for that tie and the one on Friday against Stan Wawrinka’s Switzerland, while a sell-out of more than 13,000 on Sunday for the final match against France will be the biggest for a Davis Cup contest in Britain.

There are other groups taking place in Bologna, Split and Valencia, where Serbia and Spain will do battle, although a Wimbledon final rematch between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will no longer happen following the Spaniard’s withdrawal.

Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot is viewed as the “end game” for Nashwa following another excellent run in defeat in Saturday’s Irish Champion Stakes.

Having claimed her third Group One win in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket in July, John and Thady Gosden’s filly was beaten a length into third place in the Nassau at Goodwood and finished the same distance behind her stablemate Mostahdaf when runner-up in the Juddmonte International at York.

She was sent to Leopardstown for another top-level assignment and stormed home from the rear to again pick up minor honours in third, finishing on the heels of the Aidan O’Brien-trained pair of dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin and defending champion Luxembourg.

Nashwa has the option of return to Paris on Arc weekend for the Prix de l’Opera, in which she was touched off as a hot favourite last season, while she also holds an entry in the Sun Chariot at Newmarket the following week – but it is the big day at Ascot that connections are focussing on.

“She ran a super race on Saturday, she really did. She’s proven herself in top-class company against the colts and has come out of the race really well,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Imad Al Sagar.

“We’ll look at the options, but I think possibly the end game would be Qipco Champions Day, whether that be for the QEII or the Champion Stakes.

“I don’t think it would be necessary to have another run between now and then, but she is in the Sun Chariot or there’s the Prix de l’Opera.

“The Opera does come up quite quick, so we’ll see.”

Last term Nashwa finished fourth at the Breeders’ Cup, but a trip to California appears less likely this time around, and a decision on whether she will race on next season has yet to be made.

Grimthorpe added: “It (Breeders’ Cup) certainly hasn’t been discounted because you never know what may or may not happen, but I think at the moment Ascot would be the main aim.

“Nothing has been decided (regarding next year), we’ll see how she is and see how she goes and Imad will decide nearer the time.”

Scotland manager Steve Clarke will take stock of his attempts to bring aboard Newcastle pair Elliot Anderson and Harvey Barnes after Tuesday’s Hampden friendly against England.

Whitley Bay-born Anderson, who has a Scottish grandmother, spent two days with Scotland last week before withdrawing from the squad before their trip to Cyprus due to injury.

England manager Gareth Southgate has since expressed admiration for the Newcastle midfielder and stated his backroom team would be taking the situation up.

The 20-year-old has been capped at several levels for Scotland but has also attended an England Under-19 training camp.

Clarke said: “We like the player as well so Elliot will still have that choice to make.

“When I come out of this camp I will look at what we have done, what we have had, what’s occurred over this camp, we will do a debrief on it and then we will shape what we do from there.”

Former Leicester winger Barnes is reported to be considering a switch of allegiance after playing once for England in a friendly win over Wales three years ago.

The 25-year-old was born in Burnley and brought up in Leicestershire but has Scottish grandparents.

When asked about Barnes, Clarke said: “Probably the same comment, to think about that after.

“We want the best players we can possibly get. If they are eligible for Scotland and they have a chance to play for us and they can improve the squad that I’ve got – which is not an easy thing to do…

“And I get all the story round it, because we are playing England you want to speak about Elliot, you want to speak about Harvey.

“I quite like speaking about the boys I have got because they have put us in a really good position and they deserve a lot of credit for that.”

Goran Ivanisevic believes Novak Djokovic transcends tennis and is one of the greatest in the history of sport.

Djokovic won his 24th grand slam title when he beat Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev over three gruelling sets at the US Open.

His Croatian coach, Ivanisevic, says Djokovic’s fighting spirit and will to win make him a sporting “genius”.

“I don’t think you can work on that,” said 2001 Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic.

“You are born. You know, some people who are born, he’s a genius. He’s one of kind. There are not too many people in this world like him sport-wise.

“This is one of the biggest achievements in sports history. We’re not talking about tennis. We are talking generally in sport.

“He’s a winner. He’s the guy who is motivating himself. He had luck to have guys like Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, they came before him, so they pushed each other.

“But he’s a born winner. For him, when you tell him he cannot do something, it’s even worse. Then he’s going to show you that he can do it. It’s no excuses.

“He always tries to find a way to win, how to fight, even when he’s not feeling well, injured, not injured.

“It’s just something I cannot say that we’re all like that from the Balkans, because we are not. But he’s one of a kind, and that’s why he’s the best.

Banned from the US Open in 2022 due to Covid vaccination laws, Djokovic returned to become its oldest champion a year later.

The 36-year-old Serbian, back at world number one, avenged his defeat in the 2021 final against Medvedev.

He said: “I guess people love comeback stories. I love them too. They motivate me.

“I hadn’t played any tournament on American soil for two years, and the last time I was here I lost in the finals against the same player I beat.”

Djokovic has now won seven of the last 10 grand slams he has competed in despite the emergence of the likes of Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

“You need to reinvent yourself, because everyone else does,” he added.

“As a 36-year-old competing with 20-year-olds I probably have to do it more than I have ever done it in order to keep my body in shape, in order to be able to recover so that I can perform on the highest level consistently.”