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Crystal Palace face a difficult clash tonight at Selhurst Park with Premier League champions, Manchester City.

However, Patrick Vieira will be hoping that confidence is high in his squad following their most recent victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Eagles will have the extra boost of confidence playing in front of their home fans against Pep Guardiola’s side, and have already beaten the top of the table team this season at the Etihad, so there is nothing stopping Palace from causing a title race upset for the Manchester club who cannot afford to drop points.

A win for Vieira and his team this evening would put them in the position to leapfrog Southampton into the top half of the table, and the French manager will be working hard to climb the Premier League table to prove his worth in his first season in charge at the club.

Though, the Eagles have been delivered an injury blow as key midfielder, James McArthur, is still out injured with a knock ahead of the Manchester City clash. Football.London journalist Mark Wyatt relayed the update following Vieira’s press conference last Thursday afternoon.

The 34-year-old missed the 2-0 victory over Wolves and will now miss out on a chance to be part of the team tonight, and will be a big loss considering he played an integral part in the victory at the Etihad Stadium back in October.

McArthur gained a 7.2 rating against Manchester City according to SofaScore, and made a huge impact on the defensive approaches to the game with four clearances, two blocked shots, three tackles, and a pass accuracy of 92%, proving further that his presence in midfield could be a big miss for the Eagles this evening in the tough game.

The Palace manager will be hoping he will be able to rely on his other midfielders to provide a similar performance to secure their eighth win of the season and continue their run of good form ahead of the final months of the season.

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A win over Pep’s flawless side could inspire even more confidence in the team in their pursuit for a comfortable top-half finish.

In other news: Vieira should start Will Hughes vs Man City

Group A

Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) beat Multan by an innings and 34 runs at the Multan Cricket Stadium, and with 18 points from two appearances, they now occupy the second spot behind Habib Bank. Overnight at 71 for 6, Multan could manage only 208. Seamers Sarfraz Ahmed (3 for 29) and Azharullah with 3 for 80, were the most effective bowlers for WAPDA.Faisalabad gained an eight-wicket win over Pakistan Customs in Sargodha.Pakistan Customs had done well on Saturday afternoon, making 178 for 1 in their second innings. However, they collapsed losing their last nine wickets for the addition of only 73 runs. As they fell for 279, Faisalabad required just 42 to win. Opener Hasnain Abbas missed his maiden first-class ton by two runs. His 98 came off 182 balls with 12 fours and three sixes.After a 77-run opening stand with Rehan Rafiq (37), Hasnain added 129 for the second-wicket partnership with Asif Iqbal (55). Faisalabad’s 19-year-old seamer Mohammad Talha, who played for Pakistan in the Afro-Asia Under-19 Cup in India two years ago, had career-best figures of 5 for 57 in 22 overs.National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) defeated Lahore Ravi by seven wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Having earlier surrendered a 135 runs first-innings lead, Lahore Ravi made 289 in their second innings. They were lifted from a precarious 133 for 7 through a 101-run eighth-wicket stand between Saad Nasim and captain Junaid Zia.The 17-year-old Saad, who had scored 95 on his first-class debut against Karachi Whites recently, made a splendid 94 yesterday, off 125 balls with 16 fours. Junaid smashed 67 off 75 balls with 11 fours and a six. Chasing 155, NBP’s second-wicket stand then produced 115 between Rashid Riaz (63*) and Naumanullah (58) as they won by seven wickets.

Group B

Islamabad stayed ahead of all other teams in the Group B table, as they defeated Rawalpindi by six wickets, on the final day at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground in Islamabad. Rawalpindi fell for 203 in their second innings after being 190 for 8 overnight. Islamabad, who now have the full 27 points from three matches, reached the target of 144 thanks to opener Raheel Majeed’s unbeaten 67. Left-arm seamer Saad Altaf, with match figures of 10 for 118, has now taken 29 wickets for Islamabad at 14.86 apiece in three matches.At the Sheikhupura Stadium, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) beat Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) comfortably by eight wickets. For ZTBL, captain Abdul Razzaq top-scored with 51 off 65 balls his side’s total of 173. PIA coasted home, polishing off the target of 42.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) added another feather to their cap as they defeated Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) by 53 runs at the KRL Stadium. Needing 240 to win, KRL were dismissed for 186. Seamer Asad Ali (5-51) rounded off a memorable match, finishing with figures of 10 for 108.

Three relieved and tired men briefly came down from their retirement highs to speak for the final time as players in the same cream-coloured basement where Steve Waugh bowed out three years ago. After the adulation came some answers before they returned to the dressing room and reflected on their playing lives.Still damp from the exploding champagne, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer grabbed a soft drink from the fridge before covering topics from the next generation to comebacks and spotlight withdrawal. Warne wore a casual cap in the middle while McGrath and Langer spoke under their baggy greens. McGrath’s was in good shape and ready for more wear. Langer’s had faded and ripped. He sniffed it and grimaced to convince everybody of how bad it smelt.”It’s going to have to be behind some thick glass,” Langer said when asked where he’d put it. McGrath said it would be disappointing that Langer would have to find something else to wear to bed every night.They were exhausted but found energy for teasing before an afternoon of toasting in the bottom of the members’ stand. Each man had played a small part as the final five wickets fell and the 46 runs were taken for the 5-0 Ashes victory. “It was nice that Pigeon finally got one right,” Warne said. McGrath’s pre-series predictions will not be missed as much as his bowling and he signed off with 3 for 38, including the innings-ending wicket of James Anderson.”Obviously seeing offstump cartwheel back 10 to 15 metres is probably the perfect scenario,” McGrath said as Warne interrupted with “20 years ago, maybe”. “But a slower ball caught at mid-on, I guess I’ll take that. When I saw that ball go up and Michael Hussey was underneath it I was pretty happy, a perfect way to finish.”Shane Warne is ready for a rest – from cricket and the spotlight•Getty Images

Langer scored 20 as he took his career tally to 7696 runs and earned a few “badges of honour” after being struck a couple of times by Steve Harmison. It was Langer’s long-term partner Matthew Hayden who sealed the victory with a push in front of point that followed a six over midwicket. They hugged for the last time as partners and there may have been a kiss. From the dressing room the rest of the team surged out for celebrations and presentations lasting at least half an hour.The retiring dads sat on the outfield with their children in a scene that would have been like a Sunday picnic if the SCG was not almost full. Gold glitter was blown from machines, the crystal Ashes trophy was handed over and Ricky Ponting lifted the prize. He had stayed away from the flashing cameras in the immediate aftermath of the victory as the thought of the three senior players departing made him cry.”I shed a bit of the tear out on the ground,” Ponting said. “I tried to stay away from the cameramen and the photographers for about ten minutes. Even when we took the last wicket [it was emotional], thinking that would be the last time we’d be walking off with Glenn and Shane. I was hoping to get a chance to bat with Lang, so I was a bit dirty on Matty for not getting out.” It had been the best seven weeks of his life.Adam Gilchrist wore sunglasses to cover his eyes and Hayden hugged John Buchanan, the out-going coach, like a father, burying his face in his shoulder. Men at Work’s Down Under blared from the stadium speakers and Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Michael Clarke made scarves out of Australian flags. McGrath walked around the outfield with two thumbs up while Warne scuffed around with his shirt out. Langer wiped his eyes with his sleeve before giving a farewell message to the crowd.One final innings with Matthew Hayden was the perfect way for Justin Langer to bow out•Getty Images

“The baggy green cap means a lot to a lot of people,” he said. “It’s a wonderful thing and it’s been a privilege to wear it 105 times.” Langer said later he was relieved it was all over. “That’s probably the perfect script,” he said, “to be put there when the winning runs are scored with my opening partner, 5-0 up in a Test series.”McGrath has been part of the Australian team for 124 Tests and his 563 wickets are the most by any fast bowler. “The way we’ve played since the last Ashes has been some of the most outstanding cricket I’ve been involved in,” McGrath said. He will stay on until after the World Cup and has already ruled out a Test return on any terms.”We’re retired from Test cricket, there will be no comebacks,” he said as Warne shook his head like a pantomime villain. “It’s the last time I’ll be wearing white pants. It’s time for the young guys to step forward now. Australia’s in a very healthy position so there won’t be any calls next year for us to come back.”Warne’s body aches after 708 wickets in 145 Tests. He is ready for a rest – from cricket and the spotlight – and does not expect any withdrawal symptoms after 15 years as a globetrotter. “I doubt it,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll keep people off my front lawn for a while, following me around in cars, all those types of things. Hopefully that will die down. I won’t miss that at all. Maybe I can get my gear off and dance on top of a bar if I want to.” It will have to wait a couple of days. They were all too weary for any more exertions.

Kiran More poses with the new Indian one-day kit © AFP

Nike has signed a $43-million deal to kit out the Indian team after outbidding rivals Reebok and Adidas, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Friday.The five-year contract, which starts on January 1, 2006, also gives Nike the rights to sell the BCCI’s official merchandise at its retail outlets across the country.Nike’s bid for 1.97 billion rupees topped Reebok’s offer of 1.19 billion rupees and Adidas’s bid of 1.28 billion rupees, BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi said. “The aim was to maximise the gains from the game for the benefit of the game,” he explained. “The BCCI is looking at exploring new sources of revenue and would soon open itself to product merchandising, ground sponsorship and other licensing as part of its strategy to market the game.”Nike’s coup follows the BCCI’s tie-up this week with Sahara India group to be the official sponsor of the Indian team for four years at a whopping $70 million.

Me and my big mouth: Andre Nel dismisses Ashley Giles© Getty Images

It was a frustrating day for South Africa’s cricketers, as they watched their prospects of a series-levelling victory recede with every passing over, but for Andre Nel, there was at least a silver lining. In his first Test since sustaining a severe injury to his lower back five months ago, Nel bustled in to record career-best figures of 6 for 81, and afterwards revealed his full character to the assembled press corps."You guys don’t like me very much," claimed Nel. "But I play with heart and passion, and if people don’t like my aggression, then so be it." His first eyebrow-raising act of the Test had been to rugby-tackle Matthew Hoggard during a warm-up on the rain-abandoned first day, but it was during a feisty tussle with Ashley Giles that Nel really got his blood up."It was all good, clean fun," said Nel, who attracted the attention of umpire Bucknor as he backed up his actions with words. "I bowled a terrible bouncer to Giles, who told me `I wasn’t so mean now!’. But I replied: `Nice one big-mouth, we’re on a flat wicket now, wait til I catch up with you in England next summer …’ It’s aggressive, but fun. I’m allowed to say a few things, as long as I don’t swear."Although Nel conceded that the prospects of that series-leveller were bleak, he refused to abandon hope entirely. "There’s still a small chance," he said. "England bowled us out in three sessions at the Wanderers, so you never know what can happen. I know its not the same wicket, but we still believe that if we can go out tomorrow, get quick runs and a lead of 200, there’s a small glimmer of hope."Although there is something of the pantomine villain about Nel’s approach to the game – and he admitted that the chorus of good-natured boos he received from the Barmy Army had fired him up – there is a serious side to his game as well. And that had to surface when he suffered his back injury last year."It was disappointing, but everything happens for a reason," said Nel. "In that time, I’ve grown as a person and become more dedicated in life, and I’ve got smarter and wiser as a cricketer. I’ve learnt to control my aggression, which is a big step for me because I used to get carried away sometimes. Today was not the quickest wicket, so it was important to be patient and stick to our plans.There was, however, still room for the spectacular in his performance, and the ball that dismissed Graham Thorpe – a searing leg-stump yorker – would have dismissed any batsman in the world. "That worked out nicely," he said afterwards, "I must confess, that’s the best ball I’ve ever bowled in Tests."

Damien Martyn has signed for Yorkshire for the remainder of the county season, as a replacement for their current overseas players, Stephen Fleming and Yuvraj Singh, who will be away on international duty.Martyn, who has never before played county cricket, did spend the 1991 season on the Leicestershire staff as a 19-year-old. He is set to make his National League debut against Surrey at Headingley on Sunday.Martyn is currently at the peak of his powers as an international batsman. He overcame a broken finger to score an unbeaten 88 in Australia’s World Cup final victory over India in Johannesburg, and has scored exactly 2000 runs in 33 Tests, at an average of 46.51.Yorkshire will be hopeful that he will make more of an impact than either Fleming or Yuvraj. Of the two, Fleming was the more successful, scoring 392 runs in six championship games and 258 in six National League matches. Yuvraj, on the other hand, was a major disappointment, averaging just 17 in the championship and 21 in eight one-day games.

The Standard Bank u/13 Cricket Week started on Monday with fifteen teams from 13 provincial teams battling it out on the cricket fields.STANDARD BANK UNDER 13 USSASA CRICKET WEEK being played in the Durbanand Districts area this week.
Boland vs North West played at Tills Crescent
North West 137 / 7 (N.Gordon 32, D.Duvenhage 2 / 16, H.van der Merwe 2 / 25)Boland 115 (R. Baumgarten 55, B.Kumedi 3 / 19)
Result: North West won by 22 runs
Border vs Northerns played at Kingsmead
Border 130 / 7 (M.J.Marquand 33, A.Mkontso 23, A. Mkwambi 22, L.Mbele 4 / 16)Northerns 134 / 2 (T.Thema 62 n.o. M.Joubert 53 n.o.
Result: Northerns won by 8 wickets
Easterns vs Northern Province played at DPHS
Easterns 209 / 9 (C.Cronje 96, G.Roos 3 / 47, T. Monyamane 2 / 28, N.Manako 2 / 29 )Northern Province 172 / 9 (T.Monyamone 29, H.de Villiers 31, J.Bekker 27, T.Sheasby 2 / 21, S.Dlamini 2/ 22,B.Landberg 2 / 28
Result: Easterns won by 38 runs
Free State vs Zimbabwe played at The Oval
Zimbabwe 216 / 8 (V.Chaitezvi 64, S.Torr 55, L.Modise 4 / 29)Free State 145 (W.Stevens 43, B.Hunt 2 / 21, K.Meth 2 / 18, R.Higgins 2 / 33)
Result: Zimbabwe won by 71 runs
Natal vs Griquas played at Crusaders
Griquas 133 / 10 (P.Myburgh 52, D.Mbatha 4/ 10)Natal 135 / 7 (J.Vandiar 23, C.Hauptfleisch 44)
Result: Natal won 3 wickets
Gauteng vs South Western Districts played at Berea Rovers
South West Districts 110 / 9 (M.Botha 39, G.Thompson 4 / 21)Gauteng 103 (F.Nixon 20, K.Carelse 3 / 16, M.Botha 3 / 14)
Result: South Western Districts won by 8 runs
Eastern Province vs Western Province played at Hoy Park
Western Province 197 / 4 (A.Kritzinger 121n.o. R. Desai 39 n.o. Hilpert 2 / 42)Eastern Province 138 / 8 (K. De Villiers 65, Y.Reme 20, B.Viret 3 / 42, M. C – Jones 3 / 15)
Result: Western Province won by 58 runs

Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mohammed Azharuddin,Ajay Jadeja and Robin Singh. On paper that’s a truly formidable lineup. But 277 to win off 50 overs is a formidable challenge. A challengethat India were not up to on this occasion, succumbing to 205 all outin the Asia Cup encounter against Sri Lanka at the Bangabandhu stadiumon Thursday.An almost run a ball 93 from Tendulkar kept India in the running tillthat 36th over but when he pulled a ball from Weeraratne to the squareleg fence. Jayawardane took a well judged catch on the ropes and thatwas the end of the road for India. When Sachin’s wicket fell there wasstill a lot of work to be done. Needing over hundred runs off lessthan 90 balls, the load fell squarely on the broad shoulders of RobinSingh. One again the restrictive bowling of the Lankans kicked in andSingh nicked one through to Kaluwitharana.A Mumbai ‘all rounder’ in the shape of Ajit Agarkar did what he ismost famous for and departed without scoring a run. At 174/8 theIndian challenge was truly over. Having lost three wickets in thespace of seven balls without scoring a run, India had succumbedmeekly. From being in the race, India were staring at a humiliatingdefeat.Another ‘all rounder’, this time from Delhi, Nikhil Chopra followedand he too could do precious little as India slumped to a 71 rundefeat.Earlier in the innings Ganguly failed to replicate his performance ofyesterday and was choked into giving away his wicket. Sri Lankancaptain Sanath Jayasuriya stacked the off side field and to hisdelight Chaminda Vaas and Nowan Zoysa responded by bowling the ball injust the right spot. A frustrated Ganguly could not pierce the ring offielders on the offside and nicked the ball through to Kalu off thebowling of Vaas.Sunil Joshi was sent in to pinch hit but as he has done many times inthe past played one good shot and departed soon after. If the pinchhitting experiment was a failure, the arrival of Dravid at number fourwas another exercise in futility. Hitting the ball crisply to thefielders, Dravid was unable to get the scoreboard ticking over. In adrama replaying itself, Dravid tried to hit his way out of trouble andtapped the ball back to Muralitharan when he was on 24.With Tendulkar batting well at one end, Azhar and Jadeja breezed inand out. Neither contributed significantly to the chase and India wereprecariously placed at 156/5 when Robin Singh joined Tendulkar out inthe middle.The first big clash of the Asia Cup began earlier in the day promisingmuch. After a lacklustre performance against the hosts, India cameback strongly to nab the inform Aravinda de Silva, who struck the ballwith consummate ease on two occasions off the bowling of Kumaran earlyon. Perhaps it was the confidence that was De Silva’s undoing. Drivingon the up, De Silva had to wait long for the ball to arrive and endedup striking the ball high on the bat. Following through, Kumaran stuckhis left hand out and snatched the ball out of the air.After De Silva was dismissed, Jayasuriya played an innings befittinghis status as captain and took the Indian bowling on. Curbing hisnatural stroke making tendencies, Jayasuriya helped himself to acentury against an Indian attack that had no answer to the southpaw.Whether he was cutting ferociously or tapping the ball through thegaps for quick ones and twos, Jayasuriya was in command. Partneredwell by Marvan Attapattu, Jayasuriya took Sri Lanka steadily forward.In a partnership that lasted over a hundred runs, the pair took SriLanka to 162.However, when Attapattu was caught top edging an attempted sweep offTendulkar, Sri Lanka lost their way a bit. Although they had a goodplatform thanks to a mature century from Jayasuriya, it remained to beseen whether they could capitalise on that platform.The fall of four quick wickets reduced the Lankans to 209/6 after 41.4overs. In came Chaminda Vaas. Flat batting the bowling all around thepark, Vaas did what every Sri Lankan fan was waiting for. In aquickfire unbeaten 34 that came off just 26 balls, Vaas took Sri Lankato formidable total. In one Agarkar over, Vaas bludgeoned two sixes,one over mid wicket and the other square of the wicket on the legside. Kaluwitharana played sensibly for his 33 and Sri Lanka ended on276. The last five overs yielded 46 runs and broke the back of theIndians.

Rangers centre-back Connor Goldson could bring an end to his time at Ibrox during the summer transfer window, according to journalist Chris Jack.

The Lowdown: Goldson a great servant for Rangers

The 29-year-old has enjoyed great success during his time with the Gers, making 206 appearances in total and winning the Premiership title last season.

Goldson has been hailed as ‘next level’ by former Ibrox manager Steven Gerrard and he has made 29 league starts this season, proving to be an almost ever-present figure for the Light Blues.

However, the defender’s current deal expires at the end of the season, and it could be that he moves on to pastures new after four years in Glasgow.

[freshpress-poll id=“380435″]

The Latest: Summer move mooted for Goldson

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jack claimed that Goldson could return to England in the summer, rather than extending his stay at Ibrox.

The journalist stated: “I think the timing is probably right. If Connor fancies another crack at England, it’s going to be this summer.”

The Verdict: Time to move on?

While Goldson remains a key figure for Rangers, a summer exit could end up making sense for all parties following four years at the club.

The Englishman turns 30 later this year, so offering him an extension on his current contract could be a risk, with his best years unlikely to be ahead of him. Also, as Jack has hinted, from the player’s perspective he might view this as his last chance to get a lucrative move back to England, so a summer exit seems very much plausible.

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That money could instead be put towards bringing in a younger centre-back option as Giovanni van Bronckhorst looks to build into the future rather than just the present.

In other news, Alex McLeish has dropped a Rangers injury claim. Read more here.

When Adam Voges drove a return catch to Mark Craig on the third day at the Basin Reserve, he was out for 239. In another way, he was out for 614, for that was the amount of runs Voges had scored in Test cricket between dismissals. In the dim, dark ages of day-night Test cricket at the Adelaide Oval, Voges had edged Trent Boult to second slip. From then on, it took another 815 balls and 1115 minutes of batting before Voges would again go out.Extend it to first-class cricket, and he scored 763 runs from 1422 balls between times when a bowler got him out – he was dismissed for 149 in the Sheffield Shield match in Lincoln this month, but it took a run-out to do it. They are extraordinary figures, and his Test success against West Indies and New Zealand pushed his average up over 100 during his double-century in Wellington, though it dropped down to the sub-Bradman figure of 97.46 when Craig got him.”I’m probably happy that I’m out now and it’s gone back under,” Voges said. “I can just get on with playing cricket, I guess. The boys had a bit of fun taking the mickey out of me in the change-rooms but it’s all good. It [the average] was never going to stay there, it won’t stay there, I know that. So it was always going to happen at some stage.”Of course that was true, but what is equally obvious is that Voges, at the age of 36, is in the form of his life. In the past two years, nobody in the world has come close to the 3687 runs and 14 centuries that Voges has scored in first-class cricket, and his promotion to Test ranks has done nothing to slow his progress.”I think that I’m giving myself every chance to get in each time I bat and then when I do get in I’m hungry to score runs and score big runs,” he said. “I try and keep it pretty simple. I really enjoyed my partnership with Usman [Khawaja] the other day, he’s batting brilliantly. He’s in complete control of his game so that made life a lot easier for me.”Life in this match was also made easier for Voges by the incorrect no-ball call from umpire Richard Illingworth that resulted in him being reprieved in the last over of the first day. On 7, Voges shouldered arms to a ball from Doug Bracewell and looked back to see his off stump knocked back, but when he realised that Illingworth had called no-ball he refocused for the next day.”I turned around, it was a bad leave, saw the stumps, went to walk off and then saw the arm out. A little bit of luck,” Voges said. “I approached the [next] day that I was going to go pretty hard, you don’t get second chances too often so I’m gonna try and take the game on a little bit here.”As it turned out, New Zealand bowled really well and I couldn’t do it. I had to bide my time and think I only scored 30 and had to be a little bit more patient. Once I did the hard yards it did become a little bit easier but the plan to go out and take the game on didn’t quite eventuate.”It took Voges 130 deliveries to register his half-century and 203 balls to bring up his hundred, as he ground down the New Zealand bowlers and attacked them when the chance arose. Voges said the ability to assess how bowlers were trying to dismiss him had come with age, and he conceded he would probably not have been capable of such an innings earlier in his career.”No doubt it comes with time,” Voges said. “It comes with a lot of hard work as well. And understanding your game. It comes with confidence as well, being able to trust your ability, trust your defence and then being able to attack when the opportunity presents.”Voges’ 239 and the 140 from Khawaja set up an enormous lead for Australia after they had dismissed New Zealand for 183 in the first innings, and by stumps on day three Australia’s control of the match had only strengthened. New Zealand were four down in their second innings and were still 201 runs from making Australia bat again.There was a concern for the Australians, though, with fast bowler Peter Siddle not bowling after tea and spending most of the final session off the field dealing with a back problem. Siddle also struggled with back spasms during the day-night Test against New Zealand in Adelaide in November, and was hampered by an ankle injury during the Boxing Day Test against West Indies.”It’s a bit of a back spasm and they’re never nice,” Voges said. “We’ve got some good medicos who will look after him tonight and we’re hopeful he’ll be out there tomorrow. He’s got very good skills with the reverse-swinging ball so hopefully we’ll see him out there tomorrow.”