Anthony Gordon made his Barcelona debut on Sunday afternoon as he starred in his side’s victory against FC Basel.
The Catalan giants cruised to a comfortable victory at St. Jakob-Park. Karim Adeyemi, who signed for the club from Borussia Dortmund this summer, gave the away side the lead in the 34th minute, only for Jean Doucoure to restore parity shortly after.
Hamza Abdelkarim gave the away side the lead once more shortly after half-time, before Lamine Yamal gave them breathing space with nine minutes remaining via the penalty spot.
Kazeem Olaigbe made no mistake when Basel were given a penalty of their own shortly after to set up an interesting finish, but their hopes of a comeback were extinguished as Jesse Bisiwu netted a late brace to ensure Barcelona ran out 5-2 winners.
Barcelona fans Make Feelings Clear About Anthony Gordon
REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Gordon, who signed for Barcelona in a £69.3 million move from Newcastle United this summer, was named in his side’s starting lineup for the first time against the 21-time Swiss champions.
He found a teammate with one of his two crosses, did not complete his only attempted dribble, lost possession four times and won one of his three ground duels.
A video of Gordon’s performance has gone viral online and, despite not being at his very best, Barcelona fans are very excited about the Englishman and have high hopes for him.
One fan wrote: ‘Trust me… Gordon will be the reason we win two Champions Leagues before the end of this decade,’ while another commented: ‘Could have easily gotten two goals from his play. He is direct and fits in perfectly with the sort of energy Flick wants, the depth, the varying attacking options we now have.’
A third said: ‘Top signing. Hoping he keeps up with this level’, while a fourth stated: ‘He was incredible today, good decision-making. They just couldn’t stop him. He’ll be amazing for us. I just know it.’
A fifth wrote: ‘All it took for Gordon was 45 mins in a friendly match to prove he isn’t just a roadrunner. Heck, the way he was playing, you’d think this is 100th match for Barca, not 1st.’
Hansi Flick Pleased With Barcelona’s Performance
via Reuters
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was complimentary of Basel after the match, saying they gave his side a ‘good test’.
He said, per Goal: “It was a good test for us; Basel played well. It wasn’t easy playing against them. Perhaps in the first half we didn’t play as quickly as we’d have liked, either in terms of positioning or off the ball. That’s what we need to improve on. We’ve got potential, and I’m pleased with the test.”
He added: “The most important thing is how we train, the quality and the intensity, and that’s very good. I can see the standard of the team and that’s what matters most. We’ll analyse this match and also the training sessions. And we’ve got a match this week, so we’ll see.”
Barcelona return to action on Wednesday when they take on Egyptian side Al Ahly. They begin their La Liga campaign on Sunday evening when they travel to Elche.
Data analysts have crunched the numbers and calculated all 20 Premier League clubs’ chances of winning the title in the 2026/27 season.
The new campaign is now just a few days away. It kicks off on Friday, August 21, when reigning champions Arsenal welcome newly-promoted Coventry City to the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners, who demolished Manchester City 3-0 to win the Community Shield, will be hoping they can retain their title.
Leicester City’s miraculous Premier League triumph in the 2015/16 campaign shows that any team in English football can shock the world and lift the trophy against all odds.
Championship playoff winners Hull City have been given a miniscule 0.1% chance, as have Championship winners Coventry City and Sunderland.
The Black Cats have been given such a low chance despite finishing 7th in the 2025/26 campaign and qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.
Ipswich Town, who will be managed by Gary O’Neil this season following Kieran McKenna’s departure, have a 0.2% chance. Fulham have a 0.3% chance of becoming English champions for the first time, with Leeds and Crystal Palace (both 0.4%) following.
Nottingham Forest, now managed by Oliver Glasner, have been given a 0.6% chance of glory, the same as Keith Andrews’ Brentford. While nine-time English champions Everton have been given a 0.8% chance of winning the title.
Every Premier League Club’s Chance of Winning the Trophy in 2026/27
Rank
Club
Chance (%)
20
Hull City
0.1
19
Coventry City
0.1
18
Sunderland
0.1
17
Ipswich Town
0.2
16
Fulham
0.3
15
Leeds United
0.4
14
Crystal Palace
0.4
13
Nottingham Forest
0.6
12
Brentford
0.6
11
Everton
0.8
10-1 (
Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
Bournemouth surprised everyone by finishing sixth in 2025/26, which was enough to see them qualify for Europe for the first time in their 127-year history.
Andoni Iraola, the man who masterminded that success, has since left for Liverpool and been replaced by Marco Rose. The Cherries have a 1% chance of taking another major leap forward and becoming champions.
Chelsea, now under the management of Xabi Alonso, have a 2.8 chance of winning the Premier League. They are sandwiched inbetween Newcastle (1.8% chance) and Aston Villa (3.7%).
Manchester United will be looking to end their wait for a Premier League trophy this season. With Michael Carrick at the helm, they arguably have their best chance (5.1%) of doing that in some time.
Liverpool were incredibly disappointing in 2025/26. They were widely expected to retain their title but finished a distant 25 points behind Arsenal in fifth. Iraola’s side have a 7.9% chance of glory this campaign.
City have the second-best chance (23.2%) to lift the trophy, with Arsenal the overwhelming favourites. The Gunners have a whopping 48.1% chance of being crowned Premier League champions once again in May 2027.
Every Premier League Club’s Chance of Winning the Trophy in 2026/27
Jeff Bezos is now inextricably linked with Premier League club Liverpool, after it was officially confirmed that a consortium including the Amazon founder has agreed a deal to acquire roughly a third of the Merseyside outfit, as Fenway Sports Group’s ownership is set to shrink for the first time since 2010.
Here, GIVEMESPORT takes a look at what is happening, what it means for Liverpool and how it works.
Is Jeff Bezos Buying Liverpool?
REUTERS/Phil Noble
A consortium including Bezos has agreed to buy a significant stake in Liverpool worth one third (33%), whilst FSG will remain majority owners. The news was officially announced via Liverpool’s website under the banner of ‘strategic minority investment’ on Friday August 14, 2026.
The group is led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, and also includes Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
Liverpool’s statement explained: “The strategic investment supports Liverpool FC’s long-term growth ambitions by bringing together experts from across global business, technology and investment.
“The consortium partners will work with FSG and the club’s leadership team to evaluate opportunities that enhance the club’s objectives on and off the pitch. FSG continues to retain majority ownership and operational control of Liverpool FC.”
💰 Did You Know? Jeff Bezos has a reported net worth of $280 billion. As well as Amazon, his business interests include Blue Origin, a spaceflight start-up, and the newspaper title, the Washington Post.
Bezos has a pattern of exploring sports ownership without following through, as he reportedly looked at both the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders in past years before walking away from each deal. However, he is now committed to the Liverpool investment.
The news of the sale comes at a time when Liverpool enters a period of transition following the departure of forward Mohamed Salah and manager Arne Slot, having won the Premier League in 2025.
What is 1892 Holdings?
1892 Holdings is the name of the consortium behind the investment in Liverpool and it is led by British-Indian business entrepreneur Amit Bhatia, who will become Liverpool’s new vice-chairman.
Investments within the consortium come from Bhatia and the Mittal Family Trusts (the Mittal family are successful steel tycoons).
Bezos’ involvement comes through K5 Sports (part of the K5 Global investment group), with the Amazon founder being K5 Sports’ lead investor.
Further investment will come via EE Capital, which is described in Liverpool’s statement as “the family office” of Elaine and Eduardo Saverin.
The name ‘1892 Holdings’ is a nod to the year that Liverpool Football Club was founded.
How Much Money Could Be Involved?
Adrian Dennis/Pool via REUTERS
The figures being reported are eye-watering even by modern football standards. The consortium’s investment reportedly values the club at around $5.9 billion (£4.3bn), which would rank among the largest football club valuations ever recorded. A one-third stake at that valuation would put the transaction in the region of $1.9 billion (£1.4bn).
Placed against the rest of the Premier League’s recent ownership curn, the figure still stands out compared to other recent sales. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS paid roughly $1.6 billion for a 28% stake in Manchester United in 2024, implying a valuation near $6 billion. Chelsea’s 2002 forced sale to Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital went for £2.5 billion, plus a pledged £1.75 billion in further investment. Newcastle’s Saudi-backed takeover cost roughly £305 million for an 85% stake.
Beyond football, the figure sits comfortably alongside recent US sports sales: the Denver Broncos went for a then-record $4.65 billion in 2022, while Bezos himself once walked away from a Washington Commanders bid pegged at around $6 billion. He’s long been seen as a natural buyer for a major franchise given his massive fortune.
A “stake sale” like this is fairly simple; it’s not new money going into Liverpool’s bank account for transfers or infrastructure. It’s a purchase of part of FSG’s existing ownership, meaning FSG gets a payout and hands over a portion of control, whilst day-to-day running of the club stays largely as it is, at least initially.
FSG, led by John Henry and chairman Tom Werner, has been the controlling shareholder since 2010, backed by minority investors including RedBird Capital Partners and Dynasty Equity, plus LeBron James’ small personal stake, going all the way back to 2011.
A Bezos-backed consortium buying roughly a third of the club would become one of the largest voices in that ownership structure without necessarily taking day-to-day control, similar in spirit to how Ratcliffe’s minority stake still handed him command of football operations at Manchester United.
Prior to the bout, Makhachev was tied on 16 straight wins with fellow UFC legend and former middleweight champion Anderson Silva. However, the Brazilian’s streak was ended when he was knocked out in round two by Chris Weidman during the main event of UFC 162.
Since Makhachev’s record-breaking bout, he has revealed to the press what his longtime friend and UFC legend, Khabib Nurmagomedov, told him as they prepared in his corner for the final round of the title fight.
Islam Makhachev Defeats Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330
Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Heading into the final round, many people had the bout tied at two rounds a piece, with Makhachev taking the opening two and Garry taking the following two. However, it was later revealed that two of the judges had awarded round four to the champion, despite the overwhelming public opinion that it was a Garry round.
The pressure was building for Makhachev as his opponent was building all the confidence thanks to his incredible takedown defence in rounds two and three, along with his magnificent submission defence in rounds one and four.
Garry had spent almost the entirety of round one against the cage after he failed to defend his opponent’s first takedown attempt. After that, Makhachev wasn’t able to find much success, and it was Garry whose confidence on his feet was growing as his hands dropped, and he began to let more shots go.
However, despite Garry’s success, the stat sheet tells us that Makhachev was able to pin the challenger down for 12-and-a-half of the 25 total minutes they shared in the Octagon, which included seven successful takedown attempts.
What Khabib Told Makhachev Before Round Five
When asked what Khabib Nurmagomedov told him in his corner, Makhachev said: “I feel I won three rounds before the last round, you know, but Khabib in our corner said ‘you have to win the last round.'”
Makhachev also gave an insight into his game plan as he said: “In the last round, I felt I could take him down and do something more because the third and fourth round weren’t very tough, and I had the power to go and show a good performance at the end of the fight.”
The champion was able to control the majority of the final round as he was able to claim the back of Garry with two minutes and 40 seconds left of the round after attempting multiple takedowns in the two minutes prior.
Makhachev spent the remainder of the round with his arms locked around his opponent, who was completely unable to break the Dagestani’s grip, and secured himself the unanimous victory, which was scored 49-46 by two judges and 48-47 by one judge.
As a result, Makhachev extended his win streak to 17 fights and retained the UFC welterweight championship, despite a valiant effort from Ian Machado Garry.
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