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Antonio Conte clearly has half-an-eye on the Champions League match against Barcelona on Tuesday having rested Cesar Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kante, Thibaut Courtois and Andreas Christensen from the match day squad. In their place come a host of youngsters to the squad, but 17-year-old Ethan Ampadu is the only one who makes the starting line up. Olivier Giroud made his first start for the club on Monday in the 3-0 victory over West Brom and continues in the line up again in the competition that he has won three times....

The France international, who scored two against the Saints when they met last Saturday, will join a three-pronged forward line alongside Eden Hazard and Willian as Antonio Conte attempts to steer his side into the final, where Manchester United await. Morata, meanwhile, takes his place on the bench alongside the likes of Pedro and Tiemoue Bakayoko, who have also dropped out. Thibaut Courtois has been replaced in goal by Willy Caballero, while Emerson reprises his role on the left flank in place of the suspended Marcos Alonso....

The club previously looked set for an uncertain build up to the 2022-23 Premier League season due to Roman Abramovich’s sanctioning by the UK Government due to his alleged links with Vladimir Putin, but Boehly came to the rescue, purchasing the club and installing himself temporarily as Sporting Director. With his guidance, moves have already been made to bring in the likes of Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella and more transfers are expected....

The new design is slightly riskier than this season’s effort, which was ultimately a simple, yet elegant, blue design. In 2018-19 Chelsea will remain in royal blue, but flourishes of red and white half-stripes have been added. Blue shorts and white socks, with a blue and red trim, complete the kit. The shirt is inspired by kits from the 1980s and 1990s. Nike claim that the Vapor kit “combines breathability with mobility”, while the raglan sleeves “allow a natural range of motion”....

After club owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government and disqualified by the Premier League for his ties to the Russian regime which invaded Ukraine, the Blues are only permitted to play thanks to a special football license granted by the government. The sanctioning does not allow the team to generate revenue or transfer players in and out as long as it’s under Abramovich’s name. Only existing ticket holders will be permitted for matches and the Chelsea club shop will be closed....

The Blues have bagged just eight points from their opening seven league fixtures and are already eight points adrift of league leaders Manchester United going into this weekend’s round of fixtures. Chelsea also suffered defeat in the Champions League in midweek, going down to Mourinho’s former club Porto, and will be hoping for a reaction from the defending Premier League champions when the Saints visit Stamford Bridge. Despite their indifferent form, Mourinho’s men are chalked up at odds of just -130 at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook to claim a vital victory in west London this weekend....

Conte: Cahill can play centre forward A 2-1 win at Stoke City on Saturday protected Chelsea’s 10-point cushion at the top of the table, with just 10 games remaining, while Conte’s side have also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The Italian believes his team have bought into his philosophy and he backed Chelsea to continue to improve as he spends more time working on his squad. “This season is very important because my players are understanding my idea of football,” Conte said....

On Tuesday, Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel announced the city would throw a parade and rally for the Blackhawks in downtown Chicago and Soldier Field. Here is what you need to know about attending the events or watching from home: MORE: Blackhawks savor another title | ‘Hawks sing “We Are The Champions | ‘Hawks fan tells it like it is | Photos from the Stanley Cup Final What time is the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup parade?...

U.S. Soccer gives Division 2 status to both NASL and USL While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, the Fire announced it is a one-year contract with club options for both 2018 and 2019. The 35-year-old Bava most recently spent time with Atletico Bucaramanga in Colombia’s top division during 2016. “Bava is technically clean, comfortable off his line and a good organizer of the defense,” Fire general manager Nelson Rodríguez said in a press release....

The Mexico international striker has endured a frustrating return to English football following a £16 million move to the London Stadium in 2017. The former Manchester United star joined the Hammers on the back of a productive stint in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen which delivered 39 goals in 76 appearances. He has netted just seven times this term, however, and was eager to find a way out of east London during the January transfer window....

Travis reaffirmed just how little he cares by stealing LaDainian Tomlinson’s high-step and finger-roll celebration as he scored a touchdown Sunday night . . . against the Chargers in their house. While it might not have had the same impact in a heavily red SoFi Stadium in Inglewood as it would have in San Diego during Tomlinson’s heyday, it was a clear message from Kelce: “I’m going to do this and you won’t stop me....

MORE: Week 3 picks | Fantasy | Power Rankings | Eagles-49ers only ‘half’ right Charles was back on the practice field Thursday after missing last week’s game against the Dolphins with a high ankle sprain. Charles practiced a bit last week and made the trip to Miami, but he spent the game on the sideline in street clothes. Reid said that a decision on Charles won’t be made until closer to game time, but he sounded optimistic that one of the game’s most dynamic players will be on the field....

It's been mixed results for the "Tuel Time" experience. He connected with Marquise Goodwin for a 59-yard touchdown but also threw two interceptions, one resulting in a 101-yard touchdown return by Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith. It opened the gates for the Chiefs, who went on to post a 23-13 win and improve to 9-0. MORE: Week 9 in photos | Week 9 live blog When you run an interception back for a 101-yard touchdown, you get to high-step....

The win came at a price, though: Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a knee injury in the second quarter on a sneak. He remained on the turf after the play and pointed toward his right knee. He later walked to the locker room to be evaluated. MAHOMES INJURY: Early indications say QB has dislocated knee, report says The Chiefs ruled Mahomes out for the remainder of the game shortly after his exit....

The Portuguese international made the sensational switch from Real Madrid this summer and only made his first friendly appearance for the club when Juve’s senior side thrashed their Under-23 team 8-0. The Italian champions will be looking to defend their title for an eighth consecutive season, and will not be a complacent side as they gear up to face Chievo, who finished 13th in Serie A last season. Here is everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s Serie A clash....

Stabilize the Spine Child’s Pose, done after Cobra or other back extension movement, offers an opportunity to stabilize the spine by providing opposing actions. This sequence of poses also works on balancing out the action of trunk muscles, namely the abs and back. By doing Cobra Pose followed by Child’s Pose, you will both stretch and strengthen the abdominal muscles and the back muscles. Facet Joint Problems For people with back pain due to facet joint problems, this may be the pose for you!...

Putin reportedly made the comments during a Tuesday phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s top diplomatic aide Yang Jiechi. News of his message came after Monday’s announcement from the White House that President Joe Biden will meet with Putin at a June 16 summit in Geneva. The encounter will be the first between the two since Biden was elected president and is seen as a move to ease tensions between the nations....

The University of Sydney’s United States Study Center published on Friday a comprehensive, 104-page document entitled “Averting Crisis: American strategy, military spending and collective defence in the Indo-Pacific” that explained how “America no longer enjoys military primacy in the Indo-Pacific and its capacity to uphold a favorable balance of power is increasingly uncertain.” The report focused on China as a “great power” competitor identified as a top adversary in President Donald Trump’s 2018 National Defense Strategy....

“What the U.S. cares about is not facts, but how to consume and malign China,” said Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian on August 18. “The international community…is sparing no effort to smear China by all means. Is it trying to deflect people’s attention from the questionable points and spotty track records of the bio labs at Fort Detrick? What is the U.S. trying to hide?” Zhao Lijian, one of China’s brashest defenders, demonstrated once again that Beijing’s “wolf warrior diplomacy” remains fully mobilized, despite Xi Jinping’s June instruction to try to “control the tone, be open and confident as well as modest and humble, and strive to build a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China....

In general, China’s transition to a market economy appears to be both more advanced and somewhat less damaging than we thought. Only 8 percent of the firms in this random sample of manufacturing are majority state-owned. Though they control one third of the assets in the sample, this still suggests a larger private sector than previous estimates. The extent of the transition varies dramatically:, from 99 percent private firms in Wenzhou or Jiaxing on the southeast coast to 60 percent in Anshan in the old northeastern rust belt....