EFL Cup : Charlton en quête de victoire depuis 2005 face à Tottenham

Plus de vingt ans après, Charlton veut enfin briser la malédiction. Ce mercredi 26 août à 20h45, Tottenham retrouvera Charlton à l’occasion de l’EFL Cup. Une rencontre que les deux équipes abordent avec des ambitions différentes. Et pour Charlton, l’objectif sera clair : mettre fin à une série noire qui dure depuis 2005.

Tottenham veut déjà tourner la page

Pour les Spurs, cette rencontre arrive dans un contexte particulier. Après une saison dernière particulièrement compliquée, Tottenham a longtemps flirté avec la zone de relégation en Premier League avant finalement de sauver sa place dans l’élite. Une situation loin des ambitions habituelles du club londonien. rocore.sbs

Cette nouvelle saison doit donc permettre aux Spurs de repartir sur de meilleures bases. Face à Charlton, Tottenham partira logiquement avec le statut de favori et devra assumer cette différence de niveau sur le papier.

Charlton veut enfin faire tomber les Spurs

En face, Charlton arrive avec le statut d’outsider. Mais le club possède une motivation supplémentaire : il n’a plus battu Tottenham depuis plus de vingt ans. La dernière victoire de Charlton face aux Spurs remonte au 16 mars 2005. Ce jour-là, les Londoniens s’étaient imposés 2-0.

Depuis, la tendance s’est complètement inversée. Lors des cinq confrontations suivantes, Tottenham a systématiquement pris le dessus. La dernière rencontre entre les deux équipes remonte d’ailleurs à 2011, avec une victoire des Spurs sur le score de 3-0. Une série que Charlton aimerait évidemment faire voler en éclats.

Vingt ans plus tard, tout peut changer

Mais attention à ne pas trop se fier aux statistiques. La dernière confrontation entre les deux équipes remonte à plus de quinze ans. Depuis, les joueurs ont changé, les entraîneurs ont changé et les deux clubs ont connu des trajectoires bien différentes.

Impossible donc de réellement comparer les équipes de 2011 avec celles qui s’apprêtent à s’affronter ce mercredi. Et c’est justement ce qui peut donner de l’espoir à Charlton.

Alors ces derniers parviendront-t-ils enfin à faire tomber Tottenham après plus de vingt ans d’attente ? Réponse ce mercredi 26 août à 20h45.

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Veteran and long-term absentee Bongi Mbonambi, like utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels, remains a part of Rassie Erasmus’ Springbok hooker pool and future plans.

Mbonambi last played for South Africa against Argentina in the 2025 Rugby Championship, and the 35-year-old missed the majority of the 2025-26 season for the Sharks due to injury.

The 39-year-old Deon Fourie will back up Malcolm Marx against the All Blacks at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, and Erasmus on Tuesday addressed his and fellow World Cup winner Mbonambi’s future in the green and gold.

“Bongi had a knee [injury] and then it’s a lower-back thing,” the Bok coach told the media. “He keeps us up to date and we WhatsApp every now and then to ask how he’s doing. But obviously the Sharks medical team must clear him first.

ICYMI: Boks make call on Kolisi

“I’m not 100% sure which of the two injuries is keeping him out right now. But, as I say, we can’t pull him in here and let him play a first match again in a Test match.

“We’ll have to get him in and see him playing maybe a few Currie Cup games, and then maybe we can consider him again,” Erasmus added.

“I haven’t spoken to [Sharks coach] JP [Pietersen]; I’ve only spoken to Bongi. About three weeks ago, I thought he was a week away, but since then I can’t tell you. JP would know that.”

Fourie replaced Wessels on the Bok bench for the second match of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, the 25-year-old having also featured prominently at prop for the world champions so far in 2026.

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Wessels faces stiff competition at loosehead from Boan Venter, Gerhard Steenekamp and the versatile Thomas du Toit, and Erasmus confirmed the Vodacom Bulls bruiser is in the mix as a possible successor for Marx.

“Jan-Hendrik Wessels is going to develop into a specialist reserve hooker,” he said.

“With Boan, Gerhard and Ox and Thomas – Thomas can also swing that way – it’s probably a place where Jan-Hendrik in our team will focus more at two.

ALSO: Mossie gives Boks some ‘triple T’ tips

“We’re building him up slowly. He’s getting game time and he’s getting practice time. He’s getting good scrumming sessions against good guys in training sessions.

“And, ja – everybody’s going to say it’s my son-in-law! – André-Hugo Venter is still there,” Erasmus added.

“At this stage, we just feel that for this specific game we need a guy like Deon there.

“In the long run, Bongi, I know is really close to returning again. But Bongi has to play some proper matches now and get it under his belt before we can again look at him.”

RASSIE: Haka doesn’t influence game

Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images

The post Rassie: Bongi really close to returning appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that captain Siya Kolisi had passed his fitness test and was ready to rumble, and would also take over the leadership for the team’s must-win Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry clash against the All Blacks in Cape Town on Saturday.

At Monday’s team announcement Kolisi, who picked up a hamstring injury against Argentina earlier this month that ruled him out of the first Test at Ellis Park, was bracketed with rising talent Paul de Villiers for the number six jersey.

Erasmus explained that Kolisi had to get through Monday afternoon’s training session to confirm his place in the side, while Pieter-Steph du Toit was named to continue as captain, as he was in the first Test last Saturday.

But at a press conference on Tuesday Erasmus explained that Kolisi had come through Monday’s and Tuesday’s training sessions comfortably, and was ready to play.

“It was a grade two hamstring injury, which takes a little bit longer (to recover from) which is why we have been really cautious,” explained Erasmus on the uncertainty surrounding Kolisi’s availability.

“Last week was touch and go (for him to play), and then on Sunday when he did a bit of rehab he said he was still feeling it a little bit. So we said he would have to run full out on Monday, which he did, and full out today as well, without any discomfort, so he is ready to go.”

Captaincy explanation

Erasmus expanded on why it was necessary to name Du Toit as captain at the team announcement, even though he knew that if Kolisi came through training successfully he would retake the reins.

“We talked about it on Sunday (with Du Toit and Kolisi) about why we were announcing Pieter-Steph as captain. If a guy has to go through a medical process on Monday and he’s also captain, it throws us into the middle of everything if his hamstring hasn’t cleared,” explained Erasmus.

“So Pieter-Steph took the captaincy for us on Monday, and that let Siya fully concentrate on his own job and his own work.

“Today, Pieter-Steph and I had a chat, and in a match like this, you probably don’t want to be dealing with captaincy things and a hundred other matters around you. You really want to just play well.

“What Siya means for us, for South Africa, means a lot. Siya is our captain. It’s not just his game, it’s also that he’s a very inspirational person, and a guy that means a lot to us on and off the field, in tough times and good times.”

With Kolisi passed fit it is official that the most experienced Bok team in history, featuring 1012 caps, will start the match against the All Blacks at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, and it could even get more experienced with Erasmus hinting that Cheslin Kolbe could be a late inclusion.

Revised Springbok team

Damian Willemse, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Ethan Hooker, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (capt), Ruan Nortje, Eben Etzebeth, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche. Bench: Deon Fourie, Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit, Lood de Jager, Andre Esterhuizen, Cameron Hanekom, Morne van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Manchester United a officialisé l’arrivée de Carlos Baleba ce mardi après-midi. Le club confirme donc que le transfert a été validé par la Premier League. Le milieu camerounais rejoint les Red Devils avec un contrat qui court jusqu’en 2031, assorti d’une option d’un an supplémentaire . Baleba arrive à Old Trafford après avoir explosé en Premier League. […]

L’article Officiel : Carlos Baleba, joueur de Manchester United est apparu en premier sur Camfoot.com.

Rain cut short day three of the second Test between Sri Lanka and India at Colombo, with the hosts on 265-8 and still needing 39 more runs to avoid the follow-on, 238 behind India’s first-innings total of 503-9 declared.

Only 80.4 of the scheduled 98 overs were possible due to the weather. Sri Lanka lost two wickets in the morning session before India added three more after lunch, with wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella out for a third-ball duck to leave the hosts on 173-7.

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Sonal Dinusha, who scored 100 and 84 in the first Test at Galle, continued his strong series with 85*, sharing a 57-run eighth-wicket stand with Keshara Nuwantha before finding another partner in fast bowler Lahiru Kumara, who held firm for more than an hour as the pair added 35 more.

Pasindu Sooriyabandara, handed his first start of the series after coming in as a concussion substitute at Galle, was the next-best contributor with 80.

AFRICA PICKS: Cricket tips and predictions

Prasidh Krishna was India’s most effective bowler, taking three wickets and extracting extra bounce throughout his spells.

India lead the two-match series 1-0 after winning the first Test by 165 runs.

– AFP

Photo: Viraj Kothalawala/MB Media/Getty Images

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