Sunderland have paid tribute to Gary Rowell after the club legend passed away at the age of 68. The Black Cats have announced they will honour their legendary goalscorer, who died following a long battle with leukaemia, when they host Newcastle United in Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby at the Stadium of Light. Both clubs have sent heartfelt messages to Rowell's family ahead of the Premier League game.

Sunderland and Newcastle honour Rowell ahead of Sunday's derby

On the eve of the first North East league derby for almost a decade, Sunderland announced Rowell’s passing on Saturday evening. In a statement on social media, the club wrote: "We are truly devastated to announce the death of the legendary Gary Rowell, who has passed away at the age of 68 after a long battle with leukaemia.

"Gary passed away on Saturday afternoon – 50 years to the very day he made his Sunderland debut – surrounded by his sons Chris and Peter, who accompanied him when he was inducted into the SAFC Hall of Fame in 2020. A moment and honour richly deserved; Rowell described this as ‘the best night of my life’."

And replying to Sunderland’s tribute on X, Newcastle wrote: "Rest in peace, Gary. The thoughts of everybody at Newcastle United are with the family, those who knew him and the wider north-east community who looked up to him."

AdvertisementFormer team-mates pay tribute to Black Cats' legendary goalscorer

Born on 6 July 1957, Rowell represented Sunderland between 1972 to 1984, scoring a remarkable 103 goals in 297 appearances. He is one of only three players to have netted a century of goals for the club since World War Two, with Kevin Phillips and Len Shackleton having also achieved the landmark.

Paying tribute to his former team-mate, ex-Sunderland captain Shaun Elliot said: "I remember jumping on him when he completed his hat-trick against Newcastle. It made him a legend.

"We played together in the youth team. We got on well, and I sometimes used to stay with him. Gary was just the nicest person ever. We got in the first team together and went away with England Under-21s. He was a great finisher, and he never wanted to leave Sunderland."

Another of Rowell’s old Sunderland team-mates, Peter Stronach, added, "My first recollection of Gary was in Under-15s schools’ football when we played against each other. We then signed as apprentices for Sunderland at the same time and became good friends, as we played in the youth team together. He was a lovely, warm person. He always had a lovely smile and dazzling eyes. He was a beautiful person."

Getty Images SportSunderland manager Le Bris wants fans to create 'loud' atmosphere

Sunderland will look to do Rowell proud when they take to the field against Newcastle this weekend. Regis Le Bris’ side have been in fantastic form following their return to the top flight, with the Wearsiders currently 10th in the table after winning six and drawing five of their 15 league fixtures this season.

Previewing the eagerly-anticipated derby, Le Bris said in his pre-match press conference: "We have had good experiences at Stadium of Light this season. It was loud, and I expect that it will be louder against Newcastle. So far, the players have used this energy really well, to raise the momentum, to push, to change the dynamic of the game. I hope that will be the case once again.

"If we think that the game will be easier because we had the good start to the season, I think it's a problem. If we play with ambition, with energy, then we'll be ready to manage different problems. We have try to stay grounded. It's always a balance to find the right level."

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AFPNewcastle boss Howe says Sunday's derby 'means everything'

Meanwhile, Newcastle travel to the Stadium of Light in good form themselves, having lost just one of their last six matches in all competitions. The Magpies are currently 12th in the league table and can leapfrog Sunderland if they earn all three points.

Speaking ahead of the contest, manager Eddie Howe said: "It means everything to me personally (the derby). I want to do the club, the city, our people proud. I want them to be proud of the team. I want to be proud of the players so that's my challenge over the next few days."

The Cleveland Guardians could use a pitcher like Luis Ortiz amid their bid to stay in playoff contention—but it appears he won't be back anytime soon.

Major League Baseball has extended Ortiz's stay on non-disciplinary paid leave through Aug. 31, it announced Friday afternoon via Jeff Passan of ESPN.

MLB is investigating gambling activity around two Ortiz pitches earlier this year—one on June 15 against the Seattle Mariners and one on June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals. The latter came in Ortiz's most recent start, in which he gave up four earned runs and lost 5–0.

The Guardians acquired Ortiz on Dec. 10, and he is currently 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings.

Cleveland exits the All-Star break with a record of 46-49, putting them 4.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners for the American League's final wild-card playoff spot.

Bo Bichette may not be back for a while.

The Blue Jays' star shortstop had arguably the best season of his career in 2025, but is currently on the shelf due to a knee injury. Toronto was hoping to have him back for the American League Championship Series if it gets there, but 's Ken Rosenthal doesn't think the 27-year-old is close to returning.

During an appearance on , Rosenthal gave a pessimistic view of Bichette's status when asked if the Blue Jays were concerned.

"In my opinion, they have to be concerned," Rosenthal said. "It's not so much what I'm hearing but what I'm seeing being by their dugout. He is not walking like a guy who is fully healthy. He's got a bit of a limp. And to my knowledge, he has not begun running yet, so it doesn't seem to me that he's all that close."

Rosenthal noted that there's still time for Bichette to get healthy, but that he doesn't look like a guy who is close to returning.

Toronto left Bichette off its roster for the American League Division Series after he missed the team's final 20 games of the season. He last played on September 6.

Bichette was injured during a collision at home plate with Yankees catcher Austin Wells. He remained in the game, but hasn't entered a game since.

Despite Bichette's absence, the Blue Jays have dominated the Yankees in the ALDS, taking a 2-0 lead by outscoring New York 23-8 in the first two games. If they reach the ALCS and, potentially, the World Series, they'll need all their stars back and playing at their best.

Bo Bichette's Career Year Before Free Agency in 2025

Bichette finished the 2025 campaign with full-season career-highs in batting average (.311), on-base percentage (.357), wRC+ (134), and xwOBA (.364). Despite missing the final 20 games of the season, he finished tied for second in hits leaguewide with 181, three shy of the lead. It was an outstanding campaign.

While his future may not be at shortstop, Bichette will be one of the top hitters available in free agency this offseason. If it is his final year with the Blue Jays, the team has to be hoping he's back to help them make a serious run at a championship.

The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Thursday night at Target Field. Detroit took the lead in the top of the 11th inning on a sacrafice fly. Minnesota's Ryan Jeffers led off the bottom half of the inning and got punched out on a foul tip that home plate umpire John Bacon thought Detroit catcher Dillon Dinger caught.

Jeffers thought the ball hit the ground before finding its way into Dinger's mitt. Bacon disagreed and Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli ran out to argue on Jeffers's behalf. Within a few seconds and just two F-bombs he was ejected.

There was no need for a lip reader as microphones clearly picked up Baldelli shouting, "There's no f—— way. You f—— it up."

After he was tossed, Baldelli continued to argue, kicked some dirt and threw his hat before heading back to the dugout and into the locker room.

Upon review of the slow-motion replay… can you even tell if the call was correct? Dirt kicks up but it kind of looks like he caught it. Baldelli was most certainly going along with his player in this situation. In the end, it doesn't really matter if it was right or wrong. All that really matters is that this was an incredibly worthy ejection.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Grêmio conheceu seus adversários na Libertadores na noite de segunda-feira (18), após o sorteio dos grupos da competição, na sede da Conmebol, no Paraguai. O Imortal encara Estudiantes, da Argentina, The Stronguest, da Bolívia, e Huachipato, do Chile, no Grupo C do torneio continental.

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Desta forma, o Tricolor Gaúcho tem pela frente, dentre os times brasileiros, alguns dos adversários mais complicados neste início de Libertadores. O Grêmio irá enfrentar os atuais campeões bolivianos e chilenos, além do vencedor da última Copa Argentina, já na fase de grupos da competição.

➡️Com R$100, você pode faturar R$2000 na Lance! Betting com o futuro campeão da Libertadores 2024!

Tetracampeão da Libertadores, o Estudiantes vive um momento de reconstrução e faz boa campanha na Copa da Liga Argentina, estando em terceiro no seu grupo. Se classificou à Libertadores por vencer a copa nacional, em dezembro do último ano.

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Além do tradicional time argentino, o Grêmio encara o The Strongest, que venceu o Campeonato Boliviano em 2023, mas avança ao mata-mata da Liberta desde 2017. Por último, o menos conhecido Huachipato, que conquistou o Chileno e jogará a maior competição da América do Sul pela terceira vez; em 2013, derrotou o Imortal em plena Arena do Grêmio, apesar de não ter chegado às oitavas.

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

LOGÍSTICA

Sempre uma das maiores preocupações em Libertadores, a logística traz notícias boas e más para o Tricolor Gaúcho. O Grêmio será o brasileiro que menos se deslocará na fase de grupos, com “apenas” 10.760 quilômetros acumulado de viagens. No entanto, terá de encarar a temida altitude de La Paz, na Bolívia, casa do The Strongest, a mais de 3.000 metros acima do nível do mar.

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DATAS

1ª rodada (2 a 4 de abril): The Strongest (BOL) x Grêmio2ª rodada (9 a 11 de abril): Grêmio x Huachipato (CHI)3ª rodada (23 a 25 de abril): Estudiantes (ARG) x Grêmio4ª rodada (7 a 9 de maio): Huachipato (CHI) x Grêmio5ª rodada (14 a 16 de maio): Grêmio x Estudiantes (ARG)6ª rodada (28 a 30 de maio): Grêmio x The Strongest (BOL)

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GrêmioLibertadores

نجح الدولي الإنجليزي فيل فودين، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي في تسجيل الهدف الثاني لصالح فريقه أمام كريستال بالاس ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي.

ويواجه مانشستر سيتي نظيره كريستال بالاس، اليوم، الأحد في إطار منافسات الجولة الـ 16 من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويحل مانشستر سيتي ضيفًا ثقيلًا على كريستال بالاس آملًا في أن يقلص الفارق بينه وبين آرسنال الذي رفع رصيده من النقاط إلى 36 نقطة بعد الفوز على وولفرهامبتون.

وفي الدقيقة 68، نجح ريان شرقي في اختراق منطقة العمق بالقرب من منطقة جزاء لنادي كريستال بالاس ومرر الكرة إلى فودين الذي سددها بمنتهى المهارة على يسار الحارس هندرسون.

Sunderland fans need to soak up their side’s unbelievable story in the Premier League while they still can.

Of course, it would be monumental for the Black Cats to pull off an unexpected top-four finish on their return to the top-flight, but also, it’s potentially a tad unrealistic to expect them to be competing for a spot around the Champions League table all season long.

Fans of the Wearside giants wouldn’t be turning their noses up at safety, after all, having seen their beloved team be in the doldrums all the way down in League One, once upon a time.

But, after a mightily impressive five wins have now been collected from their opening nine league games, expectations have arguably shifted, with a comfortable mid-table finish – come the end of the gruelling 38-game marathon – not the craziest shout.

Regis Le Bris will just have to hope the bubble doesn’t burst anytime soon, as a possibly challenging January transfer window now comes into view.

Latest on Wilson Isidor's future

This is one major drawback to your success story being constantly in the limelight, as other suitors now attempt to poach your best talents from you.

Sunderland will have to stay strong, therefore, during what will be a likely hectic January window, with Football Insider recently revealing that scouts from several top clubs are tracking Le Bris’ main marksman in Wilson Isidor.

This comes after the composed Frenchman fired home his fourth Premier League strike of the season already, away at Chelsea last time out.

All this speculation surrounding Isidor’s future isn’t completely new, though, with reports back in September stating that Aston Villa were looking at the ex-Zenit St Petersburg attacker as another option up top, with a £35m price tag also rumoured.

With Villa struggling at the moment to get a tune out of Ollie Watkins, it isn’t the wildest suggestion to say that they could put their money where their mouth is and go after the Black Cats’ four-goal hero shortly, with Isidor being noted as looking “very comfortable” in the Premier League by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley directly after his side’s fantastic Stamford Bridge away day.

Sunderland’s other striker options
Striker	Games this season	Goals + Assists
Brian Brobbey	4	0 + 1
Eliezer Mayenda	6	1 + 0
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Sunderland aren’t overflowing with striker options if Isidor does depart, with Brian Brobbey – who cost a hefty £17.3m from Ajax this summer – yet to get off the mark for his new employers, away from putting his brute strength to good use against Chelsea to assist Chemsdine Talbi’s late winner.

Moreover, Eliezer Mayenda has somewhat faded into the background after a promising Championship campaign, as Sunderland now potentially prepares to go after this new striker, in a sensational January switch, to ease any Isidor-based worries.

Sunderland plot move for new striker

Even if the 6-foot-1 focal point were to remain put, Sunderland might be looking at adding depth to their centre-forward department, anyway.

Based on reports from Football Insider, the Black Cats could soon be welcoming back a familiar face to the Stadium of Light in the form of Chelsea hotshot Marc Guiu, who experienced an extremely short-lived three-game loan stint on Wearside earlier this campaign.

The £50k-per-week attacker would, unfortunately, be recalled, owing to injury issues depleting Enzo Maresca’s options in the striker spot.

Now, however, new reports suggest that a loan move for the Spaniard to return to Le Bris’ ranks might well be on the cards, as a spectacular return is plotted.

It will be interesting to see if the Blues do allow for Guiu to return to the North, considering the former Barcelona youngster has come back to Stamford Bridge and made quite the impression, with Maresca stating that the much-talked-about 19-year-old is “absolutely” in his first team plans, after bagging a Chelsea goal in the Champions League versus Ajax.

It could even be boldly argued that Guiu is a bigger talent than his Villa-linked counterpart, as the Spain U21 international now attempts to potentially set the Premier League alight, if a return to the Black Cats is signed off on.

How Guiu compares to Isidor

Initially, this might seem like a slightly naive take, considering Isidor is being tipped to move away from the Stadium of Light for £35m, after collecting four Premier League goals.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

In stark contrast, Guiu is yet to fire home a single Premier League strike situated in West London.

But, Isidor is very much prone to a no-show here and there in attack, too, with a mammoth 20 big chances missed last season in the Championship.

Consequently, his insane tally of four strikes, despite averaging just 12.8 touches of the ball per Premier League clash, is very unlikely to be sustainable in the long run.

Whereas, all of Guiu’s numbers to date in the senior game point in the direction that he could become even more lethal if given extended runs in a first-team setting, with the 19-year-old already being branded a “nightmare” for defenders to deal with by talent scout Jacek Kulig, irrespective of him only lining up for 30 senior games across his fledgling career.

The Granollers-born starlet has also been able to find the back of the net in some very intimidating environments, with the Blues’ number 38 already managing to score in the Champions League for both Barca and Chelsea, even if he still cuts a wide-eyed presence.

Guiu’s overall career numbers
Club played for	Games	Goals + Assists
Chelsea	20	7 + 0
Barca Atletic	17	6 + 4
Barca Youth League	8	2 + 0
Barcelona	7	2 + 0
Sunderland	3	1 + 0
Sourced by Transfermarkt

The table above only reinforces Guiu’s “exceptional” goalscoring ability – as he was once also lauded by former youth coach Albert Capellas – with Guiu even managing to fire home one solitary effort for Sunderland earlier in the season, before he saw his spell come to a sharp close.

Nine goals on the books of both Chelsea and Barca at a senior level will also encourage the Black Cats even more as they prepare to go back in for their ex-loanee, with a confidence that he could step up and be Sunderland’s main man if needed, having never looked fazed by any of the hurdles that have disrupted his journey so far.

There is also so much room for Guiu to grow and learn, with Le Bris perhaps the perfect manager to get more out of the exciting Spaniard in the short term, having garnered a “meticulous” reputation as a head coach, as noted by one of his ex-players in Matteo Guendouzi.

Moreover, the former Lorient boss also played a pivotal role in Jobe Bellingham exploding into life more on Wearside and eventually joining Borussia Dortmund, with Guiu perhaps dreaming of a similar rise, which is kick-started by working under Le Bris again.

On the contrary, Isidor could well have peaked already as an effective poacher in the Premier League, as Sunderland now works out the best possible contingency plan if their much-loved number 18 does leave imminently, with everything pointing to Guiu rejoining the ranks being a smart next move.

Forget Xhaka: £9.5m “colossus” is Sunderland’s best signing under Le Bris

Sunderland could now have found their best signing since Regis Le Bris joined the building in this £9.5m warrior.

By
Kelan Sarson

Oct 28, 2025

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be quietly thrilled by his side’s start to 2025/2026, and particularly their response after the defeat at Liverpool.

Arsenal enjoy impressive unbeaten streak in chase for Premier League title

Since losing on Merseyside, the Gunners have enjoyed a nine-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, boasting the most imperious defence in England and a 100 per cent win rate in the Champions League so far.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Atlético Madrid were Arsenal’s latest victims as Arteta’s side put the Spaniards to the sword in a 4-0 demolition job, with summer signing Viktor Gyokeres bagging a brace and putting an end to his barren run without a goal.

Arsenal showcased their imperious attacking flair inside 14 exciting second-half minutes against Diego Simeone’s side, and Paul Merson was simply blown away by how the north Londoners swept Atlético aside in that manner.

After spending close to £270 million in the summer transfer window, Arsenal are in pole position to win their first Premier League title in over 20 years, but it is still very early doors.

So far, Andrea Berta’s major investments are paying dividends, but supporters have two key things to thank for their side’s exceptional form on paper right now.

Arsenal’s solidarity at the back and major threat from set pieces have been vital, with Gabriel and William Saliba showing exactly why they’re two of the best centre-halfs in world football.

The former has already tallied four goal contributions as a direct result of dead-ball situations, including a header and an assist against Atlético on Tuesday, with teams failing to find an answer to Arsenal’s gorilla tactics.

They’ve also proved menacing from long-throws, a fact which isn’t lost on Sky Sports pundit Jamie O’Hara.

Jamie O'Hara says teams are now trying to copy key Arsenal tactic

Speaking to Sky, O’Hara says that Premier League rivals are trying and failing to replicate Arsenal’s long-throws, but makes a rather bold claim that Arteta’s side are “killing” the division with their style of play.

O’Hara goes on to say that Arsenal are the best at long throws, and no other team can even dare to mimic how effective they are.

When looking back at the 2025/2026 season in years to come, if Arsenal do end up winning their first title in decades, supporters are far more likely to remember this year as a defining moment in both the club’s history and Arteta’s career.

How they manage to clinch the trophy is entirely up to them, and there is absolutely no argument that Arsenal’s use of dead balls is giving opposition teams absolute nightmares right now.

The pressure is well and truly on Arteta to deliver major silverware after a summer of lavish spending, and the Spaniard must use every weapon at his disposal — no matter how pleasing on the eye.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras tem jogo contra o Botafogo-SP nesta quinta-feira (2), pela ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. A bola vai rolar a partir das 21h30 (de Brasília), no Allianz Parque, em São Paulo, com transmissão do SporTV e Premiere.

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Confira todas as informações que você precisa saber sobre o confronto entre Palmeiras e Botafogo-SP (onde assistir, horário, escalações e local).

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
PALMEIRAS X BOTAFOGO-SP
COPA DO BRASIL – TERCEIRA FASE – IDA

🗓️ Data e horário: quinta-feira, 2 de maio de 2024, às 21h30 (de Brasília)
📍 Local: Allianz Parque, em São Paulo (SP)
📺 Onde assistir: SporTV e Premiere
🟨 Árbitro: Bruno Pereira Vasconcelos
🚩 Assistentes: Rodrigo Figueiredo Henrique Correa e Fernanda Kruger
🖥️ VAR: Igor Junio Benevenuto de Oliveira

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⚽PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES

PALMEIRAS (Técnico: Abel Ferreira)
Weverton, Mayke, Murilo, Gómez e Piquerez; Aníbal Moreno, Zé Rafael e Raphael Veiga (Luis Guilherme); Estêvão, Endrick e Flaco López.

BOTAFOGO-SP (Técnico: Paulo Gomes)
Michael; Matheus Costa, Lucas Dias e Bernardo Schappo; Emerson Negueba, Matheus Barbosa, Gustavo Bochecha, Patrick Brey e Jean Victor; Alex Sandro e Leandro Pereira.

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Copa do BrasilPalmeiras

The Padres struggled to score again in a playoff game. It's a story the team's fans know all too well after the team's failure in the NLDS last season.

On Tuesday, the Padres scored a run in the second inning against the Chicago Cubs, breaking a 25-inning scoreless streak in the postseason. Then they didn't score again in a 3–1 loss. San Diego has now mustered only one run in its past 33 postseason innings.

Last season, the Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6–5 in Game 3 of the NLDS, scoring all six runs in the second inning before being shut out for the rest of the game. L.A. then blanked San Diego in Game 4 and Game 5, totaling 24 consecutive shutout innings to end the Friars' season.

On Tuesday, San Diego scored on a Xander Bogaerts double in the top of the second inning to take a 1–0 lead. Despite several chances to plate another run, the Padres couldn't capitalize as they finished 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Chicago battled back with back-to-back solo home runs from Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly in the fifth inning. The Cubs tacked another run on in the eighth inning to secure a 3–1 lead.

Cubs relievers tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings after starter Matthew Boyd was pulled with one out in the fifth inning. They didn't allow a hit or a walk and struck out four batters after Boyd left the game. Chicago's pitchers retired the final 14 Padres batters in order to end the game.

San Diego managed only four hits and one walk on the day. The top three in the Padres' lineup, Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez and Manny Machado, went a combined 0-for-10 with three strikeouts and a walk.

It will be do-or-die for the Padres on Wednesday, but history is working against them. Since MLB moved to its current playoff format in 2022, no team that has lost the opening game of a wild-card series has come back to win it. San Diego's offense will need to wake up if the team wants to have any chance.

The Cubs have home-field advantage and all the momentum.