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Source: Rams' Stafford unlikely to play vs. Pack

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is unlikely to play Sunday against the Green Bay Packers as he deals with a thumb injury, but the team is giving him all the time it can before it has to make any final decisions about his availability, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Stafford suffered a ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right thumb in last week’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He’s officially listed as questionable.

Rams star rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua, who is also listed as questionable against the Packers, is expected to play, a source said.

In the middle of this past week, one source said it “would have been unthinkable” for Stafford to play Sunday, but the veteran quarterback has made progress. Stafford wants to play, but the team recognizes it’s going to be highly challenging, a source said.

The Rams head into their bye week after Sunday’s game, meaning Stafford could have two weeks to recover if he doesn’t play. Los Angeles would next play on Nov. 19 at Seattle.

If Stafford is ruled out, Brett Rypien would replace him as the starter with Dresser Winn as the backup.

Soccer

Report: FA investigating whether Tonali broke betting rules after joining Newcastle

Sandro Tonali is the target of another gambling investigation.

The 23-year-old faces the possibility of further sanctions after the Football Association in England opened a fresh investigation into whether he bet on football in the months after his £55-million transfer from Milan to Newcastle, according to Jacob Whitehead of The Athletic.

Tonali is already serving a 10-month ban for betting on games involving his former teams, Brescia and AC Milan. He confessed to gambling on illegal platforms to Italian prosecutors in October and was banned from all football activity until next year.

Suspicions over further breaches arose after his agent revealed that Tonali has a gambling addiction.

Tonali is currently only allowed to train with his Newcastle teammates until the suspension ends.

Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth refused to rule out the possibility of initiating legal action against Milan. However, he wouldn’t speculate about whether the Italian side knew about Tonali’s problems before selling him in July.

He added that the club wouldn’t have pursued Tonali had it been aware of the Italian football federation’s investigation.

“It’s really difficult for me to get into what other clubs do or don’t know,” he said, according to The Guardian’s Louise Taylor. “All we can do is look at our own internal investigation and internal process. It’s a really difficult question for me to answer – I just don’t know.”

There have been “no conversations” between the two clubs since they met in the Champions League in September after Tonali’s betting breaches were made public, Ashworth says.

Tonali played 12 times for Newcastle before the suspension came into effect on Oct. 27.

Soccer

Report: Ten Hag 'on thin ice' at Man Utd; Zidane among potential replacements

Manchester United’s faith in Erik ten Hag is waning in the wake of a pair of defeats that have put the club in a perilous position.

The Dutch head coach is “on thin ice” after back-to-back 3-0 losses at home against Manchester City in the Premier League and Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, according to Charlotte Duncker and Matt Lawton of The Times.

With the team enduring its worst start in 61 years, Manchester United officials are now considering possible replacements in the event Ten Hag gets sacked. Former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane and Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim have been identified as possible candidates to succeed the 53-year-old.

Zidane has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, three years after winning his third Champions League title at the club. Meanwhile, Amorim, 38, is regarded as one of the top young coaches after leading Sporting to their first league triumph in Portugal in 19 years. Amorim was also linked with Chelsea before the Blues appointed Mauricio Pochettino.

But a decision over Ten Hag’s future could be delayed due to the uncertainty around Manchester United’s ownership, Duncker and Lawton add.

British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly set to purchase an initial 25% stake in Manchester United for £1.3 billion and is keen to take up the responsibility of having a say in football decisions. But while an agreement between United and the founder of chemicals giant INEOS could be announced next week, it could take until the new year before Ratcliffe’s affiliation is finalized.

Along with the front office reportedly starting to lose confidence, some Manchester United players have questioned whether Ten Hag is suited for the job of getting Manchester United back on track. There have also been concerns about the intensity of Ten Hag’s training sessions, which have been blamed for some injuries this season, Duncker and Lawton report.

Wednesday’s Carabao Cup exit compounded issues facing a Manchester United squad that’s lost eight of its opening 15 fixtures in all competitions this term, which equals the club’s worst start since the 1962-63 season.

Ten Hag, who vowed that he was a “fighter” after losing to Newcastle, is expected to be on the touchline for United’s clash against Fulham on Saturday. But anything other than a victory could possibly expedite Manchester United’s decision, considering that the club’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League already look bleak.

Manchester United sit eighth in the Premier League, eight points back of the top four, and face the risk of being eliminated in the Champions League group stage after losing two of their first three games.

Soccer

Wahi salvages draw for Lens against PSV in Champions League

LENS, France (AP) — Forward Elye Wahi salvaged a 1-1 draw for Lens against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday in a disappointing result for the French team after its surprise win over Arsenal in the previous round of games.

Przemyslaw Frankowski provided a cross for Wahi to volley in an equalizer in the 65th minute of the Group B game.

“I would have loved to win the game, that was the goal but … proud of the team for coming back after going 1-0 down,” Lens defender Kevin Danso said.

Johan Bakayoko had put the Dutch visitors ahead. The 20-year-old Belgium forward broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half with an angled attempt inside the far post for his first Champions League goal.

“Our destiny is still in our own hands,” Bakayoko told RTL 7. “But we do have to beat Lens in Eindhoven, and hopefully that’s exactly what we’ll do.”

In the first half, PSV survived initial pressure from Lens before coming close when forward Hirving Lozano hit the post of Brice Samba’s goal with another angled shot.

Lens extended its unbeaten Champions League streak to three, with a win and two draws.

It’s the third appearance for the club from northern France in Europe’s top club competition after the 1998-89 and 2002-03 seasons.

Arsenal recovered from the loss to Lens with a 2-1 victory at Sevilla to top the group with six points. Lens is one point behind to remain in contention to reach the knockout stage for the first time.

PSV and Sevilla have two points.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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