The Tampa Bay Rays have put left-handed reliever Garrett Cleavinger on the 15-day injured list with what manager Kevin Cash says appears to be a right ACL injury

Malta’s home support at the Ta’ Qali Stadium can be their 12th man and ruin England’s hopes of a third-straight Euro 2024 qualifying win on Friday, according to former player David Carabott. The 122-cap veteran has a contentious claim to being Malta’s only ever goalscorer against England, after his penalty struck a post before rebounding in off goalkeeper Richard Wright during a friendly in the capital Valetta, 23 years ago. FIFA officially credit the goal – which drew the tiny Mediterranean island nation level after Martin Keown had scored for Kevin Keegan’s side – to then Ipswich keeper Wright, who was making his international debut. And Carabott had a chance to write himself further into his country’s folklore with a second spot-kick in the 88th minute to earn an unlikely draw, but this time Wright saved with his feet. Emile Heskey had already scored his first England goal to earn a 2-1 win, but it was an underwhelming finish to the team’s Euro 2000 warm-up schedule as the team laboured against a nation with a population of under half a million. Carabott, who finally signed off his international career in 2005 as the county’s third-highest goalscorer with 12, says Malta have made strides in the more than two decades since England squeaked past them, and that they have spirit in the squad to frustrate Gareth Southgate’s team. “What I can guarantee is that Malta will give England a hard time,” said Carabott. “They will put them under pressure, they will frustrate them, they will try to break the game, stop England from scoring early. “The longer that passes, the more frustrating it will become for them, nor for us. That’s where we will find our motivation, courage and fighting spirit. “We have a supporters club now that make a big difference to us at home, the ground will be a good asset for us. It can be the 12th man.” Malta are ranked 172nd in the FIFA ranking -, sandwiched between Bermuda and Moldova – but like many smaller European sides, they have become more competitive since the inception of the Nations League in 2018. They went down 2-0 after a battling display against European champions Italy at the Ta’ Qali Stadium in March, days after pushing Euro 2020 qualifiers North Macedonia all the way in Skopje, eventually losing 2-1. The team have followed the blueprint of other UEFA members in looking for talented players abroad with eligibility for citizenship, in the expectation that regular game time in bigger leagues will ultimately benefit the national team. Most notably the 33-cap midfielder Teddy Teuma, born and raised in France, played a key role as Union Saint-Gilloise came within a whisker of winning the Belgian title in 2022. The 29-year old will miss the meeting with England through injury. OK, we are tiny, but when we have to prove ourselves against a great nation like England, we can rise to the occasion David Carabott “Three days ago, Malta beat Luxembourg 1-0 away,” said Carabott. “We competed with them and beat them. They’re about 70 places above us in the rankings. “We’re getting more competitive, we’re exploring a lot of other talents with Maltese citizenship that play abroad, because our national league, the level is not that high. “When you can use players who play abroad, where the structure is on another level. “We have Teuma playing in Belgium. He makes all the difference for us, you see the level he is at, how high it is compared to the others.” Despite the passing years, Carabott still recalls vividly the day he almost snatched a famous draw for his country against England. “It was fantastic to show that we are Malta. OK, we are tiny, but when we have to prove ourselves against a great nation like England, we can rise to the occasion,” he said. “The people in the street after that game (were optimistic for the future) but in football it depends on the opposition. We played England, we had nothing to lose, it was a beautiful day and we performed brilliantly. “I cannot say that in the years since we haven’t improved, or we have not made headlines at home. “Improvement is being made and our national team have been doing well, but to compete against such great national sides as England, Italy, Ukraine and Macedonia – we know it’s a very, very tough group for a country like us.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live W Series enters administration after three seasons England batter Dan Lawrence to join Surrey from Essex on three-year deal Leighton Clarkson set to join Aberdeen on permanent deal

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England Under-21s’ Tommy Doyle admits Manchester City’s treble winners have given him inspiration for Euro glory. The midfielder watched as his parent club won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League while on loan at Sheffield United. Doyle also won promotion with the Blades after finishing second in the Championship. He is in Georgia ahead of England’s Group C opener with the Czech Republic in Batumi on Thursday and feels Pep Guardiola’s superstars have provided added motivation for him. “It’s massive to see and gives you inspiration as well to go on to win and get yourself in that team as well to enjoy success,” said the 21-year-old. “It was special. Of course you want to be there as well and be involved but you have to respect where you’re at at this moment. “I was 110 per cent focused on Sheffield United and what I needed to do there but, as well as a player of City, I’m a fan as well so I was always watching. I had my fan hat on more because I was at a different club. “It’s massive for the club. They deserved it, they were brilliant and when it got to the business end they stepped up another level.” The Young Lions go into the tournament as one of the favourites in Georgia. Cole Palmer won the treble with Manchester City this season, Ben Johnson helped West Ham win the Europa Conference League, Max Aarons has won the Championship twice and Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes and Emile Smith Rowe lifted the Under-17s World Cup in 2017. Gareth Southgate believes the senior side have serial winners and Doyle feels the Young Lions, who also face Israel and Germany in the group stage, are the same. We have lads who love to win, want to win and who have won before. That obviously does help Tommy Doyle He said: “Yeah, of course. It’s on a little bit of a different scale. A lot of the lads in the seniors, the ones I know from City, have just come off the back of winning a treble and that is obviously massive for anyone as a player. “But lads here have won a lot, whether that be at academy level or stepping up and winning promotions or whatever that is. “We have lads who love to win, want to win and who have won before. That obviously does help.”

Wales could guarantee their spot in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals should they beat Australia in a crunch match on Sunday. Warren Gatland’s side have eeked out two hard-fought wins over Fiji and Portugal in the first two weeks to leave themselves on the brink of the knockout stages. A win on Sunday would guarantee their progression and likely see them top the pool. Australia, meanwhile, could be on the brink of elimination should they fail to beat Wales. Eddie Jones’s side beat Georgia in their opening game but fell to a shock defeat against Fiji to leave their quarter-final hopes hanging in the balance. Here’s everything you need to know. Get all the Rugby World Cup odds here and the latest tips and free bets on the World Cup here. When is Wales vs Australia? Wales vs Australia is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Sunday 24 September at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV1, with coverage on the channel from 7:15pm BST. Registered users can also stream the action via ITVX. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Team news After a heavily-rotated side faced Portugal, Gatland has reverted to the same starting XV that narrowly beat Fiji on the opening weekend. Dewi Lake - Wales’ co-captain - is the only surprise absentee with the hooker missing out on a place in the matchday 23. Australia, meanwhile, make three changes to the side that lost to Fiji. Fraser McReight makes way for Rob Leota in the back row as Tom Hooper shifts to open-side flanker. Tate McDermott has recovered from a head injury and returns at scrum-half in place of Nic White while Ben Donaldson moves from full-back to fly-half with Andrew Kellaway filling in at 15. Line-ups Wales XV: Gareth Thomas, Ryan Elias, Tomas Francis; Will Rowlands, Adam Beard; Aaron Wainwright, Jac Morgan; Taulupe Faletau; Gareth Davies, Dan Biggar; Josh Adams, Nick Tompkins, George North, Louis Rees Zammit; Liam Williams. Replacements: Elliot Dee, Corey Domachowski, Henry Thomas, Dafydd Jenkins, Taine Basham, Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Rio Dyer. Australia XV: Angus Bell, David Porecki, James Slipper; Nick Frost, Richie Arnold; Rob Leota, Tom Hooper; Rob Valetini; Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson; Marika Koroibete, Samu Kerevi, Jordan Petaia, Mark Nawaqanitawase; Andrew Kellaway. Replacements: Matt Faessler, Blake Schoupp, Pone Fa’amausili, Matt Philip, Fraser McReight, Nic White, Carter Gordon, Suliasi Vunivalu. Odds Wales: 10/11 Draw: 20/1 Australia: 10/11 Prediction Australia come into this must-win fixture needing a performance to save their World Cup. Wales haven’t found their best yet this tournament and may well be outdone by a Wallabies side that have to show up. Wales 15-21 Australia. Read More Rugby World Cup power rankings: Which nations move up as tournament continues? Rugby World Cup 2023 TV schedule: Channels, times and how to watch every fixture online Rugby World Cup results in full Ireland prove they can win Rugby World Cup after beating up Springboks South Africa explain use of traffic light signals during Ireland game Five-try Henry Arundell provides X-factor as England put Chile to the sword

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