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England face Latvia in Riga on Tuesday knowing victory will guarantee qualification for next summer’s World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

Rashford, who scored two goals in the Champions League for Barca against Newcastle United, has fallen out of favour at Manchester United and is looking to get his career back on track away from his boyhood club.

In January, manager Ruben Amorim criticised Rashford for not showing the attitude of someone “giving the maximum every day”.

Tuchel pointed out that Rashford is still young enough to make the right decisions in his career “because otherwise, he will be disappointed in 10 years at what could have been and what he made of it”.

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has been pleased with Rashford’s efforts so far though, calling him “unbelievable”. The La Liga club has the option of signing him on a permanent basis for £30m in 2026.

“I think the limit for him is very, very high. Maybe higher than for others,” said Tuchel. “He has the potential – but potential is a dangerous word with high-level sports.

“You have to reach your personal best on a regular basis – that is what is demanded on this kind of level, and that is the challenge for him.

“He can be one of the best in the world because the quality I see in training, the finishing with both legs and with the head.

“He is explosive, he is fast, he is strong in the air, so where are the limits?

“There are no limits – but the numbers don’t reach the potential, it is as easy as that.”

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BySteve Sutcliffe, BBC Sport journalist and Andy Cryer, BBC Sport Senior Journalist

World Cup qualifying: Latvia v England

Venue: Daugava Stadium, Riga Date: Tuesday, 14 October Time: 19:45 BST

Coverage: Listen live on BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live; follow live text commentary, updates and be part of the conversation on BBC Sport website & app

England are one win away from securing their spot at the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Serbia’s 1-0 defeat by Albania on Saturday means Thomas Tuchel’s England can qualify by winning in Latvia on Tuesday, with two matches of their campaign still to play after that trip.

The Three Lions have not missed a major tournament since 2008, when they fell short in qualifying for the European Championship under Steve McClaren.

Tuchel’s side have won all five of their Group K fixtures to date without conceding a goal.

And their place at the most-watched sporting event on the planet next summer could now be confirmed within days.

What happens if England fail to win in Latvia?

Anything but victory in Latvia on Tuesday would leave England still looking for a win against Serbia in November to guarantee qualification.

A point in Latvia, though, would mean a draw with Serbia would all but secure their spot because England have a vastly better goal difference than second-placed Albania.

England travel to Albania for their final group fixture on 16 November.

The 12 group runners-up in the European section of qualifying will participate in the play-offs.

They will be joined by the four best-ranked group winners of the 2024-25 Nations League that did not finish in the top two of their European qualifying groups.

The 16 teams who enter the play-offs will be drawn into four play-off paths, with four teams featuring in each.

Play-off matches will consist of single-leg semi-finals followed by single-leg finals, taking place on 26 and 31 March 2026.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,

England have a formidable record in qualifying for major tournaments

When could England find out who is in their World Cup group?

Should England qualify for next summer’s finals over the coming weeks, they will learn their opposition very quickly.

The World Cup draw takes place on 5 December at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keeping tabs on a player Thomas Frank already knows well with a view to a potential transfer move.

The Spurs boss made the move across London this summer after seven years at Brentford, having led the Bees to promotion from the Championship and successfully established them as a Premier League side.

Journalist Florian Plettenberg writes that Tottenham are among a number of sides currently keeping an eye on Brentford forward Kevin Schade.

The Germany international enjoyed a standout campaign last season, appearing in every one of Brentford’s Premier League games and claiming 11 goals in the process.

Kevin Schade has four caps for Germany (Image credit: Getty Images)

Schade remains an important player under new boss Keith Andrews, who has shifted the 23-year-old to playing at centre-forward more regularly this season.

His only strike so far this campaign came as he opened the scoring in Brentford’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea last month.

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At his age, there is seemingly a feeling that Schade’s best years are still ahead of him, with Plettenberg noting that he could be ‘one to watch’ when it comes to his transfer future.

However, as Frank will be well aware, getting Schade out of Brentford is unlikely to be easy, even if Tottenham were to wait until next summer – as has been reported.

EXCL | Tottenham are among the teams closely monitoring the development of Kevin #Schade.The 23 y/o left winger is under contract with Brentford until 2028, and #Tottenham have shown interest in a potential transfer in the summer of 2026.One to watch this season — he is… pic.twitter.com/SP4lnDVwlOOctober 10, 2025

In FourFourTwo’sestimation, Brentford are in a strong position to command a very hefty fee for Schade, if indeed they are willing to get him go at all.

Brentford have consistently been willing to drive a hard bargain for their best players, particularly when they still have plenty of time left on their deals.

Newcastle had to shell out £55m to secure Yoane Wissa on transfer deadline day, while Bryan Mbeumo commanded a £65m when Manchester United came knocking earlier in the summer.

Schade joined for a reported £25m in 2023 and his contract is not set to expire until summer 2028, which means come the end of this season, Brentford will be in what is generally regarded as the prime time to sell a player for maximum value.

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Tuchel is well known for being direct and sometimes confrontational in his quotes.

In August he apologised for describing midfielder Jude Bellingham’s on-field behaviour as “repulsive”, saying he used the word “unintentionally”.

Tuchel has made friends and enemies at many of the previous clubs he has managed: Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Paris St-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Is this a cultural thing – and Germans are more direct than English fans are used to – or just a Tuchel thing?

German journalist Constantin Eckner believes it is the latter.

“That has nothing to do with Tuchel being German,” he said.

“That’s just how Tuchel thinks and acts. He is very direct, blatantly honest and can be annoyed by certain things.

“He rarely holds back, and is in a sense the new Jose Mourinho, who similarly speaks his mind during press conferences and post-game interviews.”

Eckner says some of this comes from Tuchel being used to club football. This is his first international job, starting it at the beginning of 2025.

“It certainly is a deviation from the way Gareth Southgate behaved during his tenure,” the journalist said.

“Also, I think Tuchel is not yet used to home crowds being that reserved, which can happen at international games.

“During his time as a club manager, the home fans were usually buzzing. Even Mainz had a great home game atmosphere.”

After the quotes on Bellingham which were heavily critised, Tuchel said: “I thought I had a little more credit with you guys [media] that I do all this in my second language.”

But this instance is not a case of using the wrong word.

Eckner said: “In a way, people have to live with Tuchel being this direct. His command of the English language is very good.”

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The Skins Game is coming back to the golf calendar after 17 years, with a few new aspects.

The Skins Game will be played on the Friday after Thanksgiving. As it did when it started in 1983, it will feature among the top six golfers in the world: Ryder Cup star and FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele.

The Skins Game returns to the golfing calendar on Black Friday, and will include FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele. David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images

What’s new: The Skins Game is moving from the California desert to South Florida and will be broadcast on Prime Video instead of network TV.

It will be held at Panther National, a new course in Florida that opened two years ago and was designed by Thomas and Jack Nicklaus. Bradley, Schauffele and Thomas all live in the area.

The Skins Game, which began in 1983 with some of golf’s biggest stars, was last played in 2008 and won by K.J. Choi. It was the cornerstone of what once was known as the “silly season” in golf. It began in 1983 with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Gary Player (Vin Scully was the announcer) and held over Thanksgiving weekend in California.

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The new Skins Game will have a similar format. A player wins the dollar amount for each hole, and it carries over if the hole is tied. The difference is a “reverse purse,” in which all four players start with $1 million and their fortunes rise or fall with every hole won or lost.

Coverage will start at 9 a.m. This is the second golf event for Prime, which last month announced it would stream two additional hours of weekday coverage at the Masters.

Referee Michael Salisbury had only just blown the full-time whistle to confirm Everton’s dramatic late win over Crystal Palace when the Toffees updated the bio on their X account.

Underneath the club’s famous badge appeared three words: Grealish for England., external

It is almost a year since Jack Grealish last wore a Three Lions shirt in a 3-1 Nations League win over Finland in Helsinki under interim manager Lee Carsley.

And it will be while longer before the 30-year-old gets the chance to represent his country again after being left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest squad for a friendly against Wales next Thursday, followed by a World Cup qualifier in Latvia on 14 October.

But one thing remains crystal clear: Grealish is doing everything he can to force his way into Tuchel’s plans for next summer’s World Cup.

After providing four assists in his first six Premier League appearances for Everton, Grealish scored the 93rd-minute winner to seal his team’s comeback victory after Dean Henderson had denied Beto from point-blank range.

Timed at 92 minutes and 21 seconds, it was Everton’s latest home Premier League winning goal since March 2022 against Newcastle – 98 minutes and 20 seconds.

“Do you know what’s mad?” said Grealish, speaking to Sky Sports after the game.

“The last games we’ve played here we’ve been drawing and I’ve said to myself in the 85th minute, ‘come on Jack, go and score. Imagine if you scored now’.

“I said it against Aston Villa, and I didn’t score. I said it against West Ham and I didn’t score.

“Today, I actually said the same thing again and I scored. I ran to where my mum and dad were, so it was nice.”

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Jude Bellingham’s omission from the England squad marks the first time in four years that the Real Madrid star has missed out on a call-up when fit and available.

Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions squad is the same as it was last month bar Bukayo Saka and Jarrell Quansah getting the nod in place of injured duo Noni Madueke and Tino Livramento.

The FA’s press release accompanying the squad chose to put a positive spin on Tuchel’s selection as being representative of the same group of players performing so well in that 5-0 domination of Serbia in September’s break.

While there’s some truth in that, it’s not the entire story; September’s late replacement call-up Ruben Loftus-Cheek has retained his place in the squad, for instance, despite having played no part in either game.

Jude Bellingham only returned for Real Madrid on September 20 (Image credit: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

We would like to see Tuchel try and claim with a straight face that the Milan midfielder, whose last cap came in 2018, was genuinely ahead of Bellingham in his thoughts for next summer’s World Cup.

Bellingham absence naturally led to tabloid-led questions as to whether there is a ‘problem’ between Tuchel and the midfielder, and an implication that the Real Madrid star may now fall into the same boat as Phil Foden and Jack Grealish – two other attacking talents who have found themselves out of favour in recent months.

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Those asking the questions will already have known the answer, realistically; they will also have known that it is so prosaic as to be un-headline worthy.

The simple truth is that Bellingham returned from that injury less than a fortnight ago and has played just 100 minutes of competitive football across four appearances this season – only one of which was as a starter.

Xabi Alonso is clearly managing Bellingham’s minutes just at the moment, so it is only sensible that Tuchel should do the same – especially given the nature of the games England have coming up.

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Jude Bellingham is a luxury Thomas Tuchel doesn’t need to rush back (Image credit: Getty Images)

A friendly against Wales and a qualifying match against Latvia do not exactly scream of an urgent need to rush a player back from injury.

Much as there will be some pride on the line against immediate neighbours, the game ultimately does not matter bar the minor implications for England’s place in the FIFA World Rankings.

Respectfully, Tuchel also has good reason to feel that the likes of Saka, Anthony Gordon, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze and Harry Kane should be able to provide enough firepower to get past a Latvia side that was seen off 3-0 last time they met back in March.

Two of England’s goals in that victory came without Bellingham on the pitch: he was substituted off just before Kane got England’s second, with Eze going on to make it three.

Jude Bellingham gestures to the England fans after his goal against Slovakia at Euro 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Player welfare has been an increasingly vocal concern among players and managers in recent years, yet few managers are ever willing to put their money where their mouth is and give players extra time off.

Tuchel’s decision achieves that and comes with a couple of other fringe benefits. For one: Bellingham has nothing to prove about his ability, either in general or when it comes to coming up with the goods for England.

As such, what would Tuchel actually stand to learn from having a look at a not-quite-fully-fit Bellingham? Far less than he is going to learn about whether players like Rogers and Loftus-Cheek are worth taking to a World Cup, we would wager.

Second, it helps Tuchel send a message to his squad – less that nobody is untouchable (that was already clear from his dropping Foden), but that if you perform well for the national team and get results, you have a much better chance of being retained next time around.

That’s just as it should be, surely?

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On this episode of The Dunker Spot, Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones discuss the upcoming Game 5 between the Aces and Fever, put a bow on an awesome Mercury-Lynx series, then react to the All-Rookie team.

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On the NBA side, the guys break down the quotes and updates that intrigue them the most from this year’s Media Days.

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(:43) Introduction

(2:22) WNBA Playoffs: Aces vs. Fever Game 5

(15:10) Mercury defeat Lynx to advance to WNBA Finals

(27:10) Lynx season shouldnâ€t be forgotten

(30:51) WNBA All-Rookie Team

(40:27) NBA Media Day headlines

(43:03) Excitement for the Atlanta Hawks

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(46:54) Will the Thompson twins take another leap?

(102:31) Anthony Edwardâ€s offseason improvements

(106:06) Victor Wembanyama primed for a big season

Victor Wembanyama is ready to go for the 2025-26 NBA season. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

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Mr. Thomas has been one of the names to have broken out in Major League Wrestling. Often the veteran would find himself helping another like Alex Kane within the Bomaye Fight Club. Now the Philadelphia native is focused on building on the momentum he has created in the last year in MLW. Itâ€s one of the big reasons Thomas decided to sign a new deal with the promotion.

“There is very little loyalty in this business unfortunately,†he said. “MLW has always been loyal to me. I worked a good amount of time without a deal and was okay with that and was always loyal to the brand. I put in my time and effort, so when it was time to sign again, there was nowhere else I would rather be when it comes to my ability to have input into what I do, the matches, things of that nature.

“The schedule is more to my liking. I like to live a normal, peaceful, successful life outside the wrestling world. Right now, MLW allows me the ability to do that. Not to say the schedule wonâ€t become more intensive as we move forward with things changing in life. Iâ€m prepared for that. I think itâ€s the perfect split between real life and professional wrestling that people donâ€t tend to have.â€

 For the star, who got the Mr. Thomas name based on what his cleaning lady would call him over the years, MLW is the top priority. This is why you wonâ€t see him doing much outside that arena. He also takes a more fight camp approach in between matches.

“The last time I stepped in the ring to practice so to speak on a Tuesday or Wednesday and tried to work on my skills, I immediately tore my ACL. In this aspect of wrestling, I try to limit my injuries as much as possible,†Thomas explained. “I have a very close strength and conditioning coach I work with here in Tampa two and three times a week. Weâ€re doing a lot of different things that arenâ€t necessarily shooting the ropes, doing dropdowns, leap frogs, drills of that nature.

“We try to incorporate more real-life aspect training into what goes into wrestling. There is more than just doing grapples and things like that. And between you and I, my timing is perfect brother so I donâ€t have to brush up on that. Likely, I know whatever I have coming up, Iâ€ll always be paired off with a top-notch individual in this wrestling world we live in. Iâ€m not in there solo. Iâ€m in there with people I know and trust and are capable of bringing me up if needed and vice versa.â€

He is grateful to be stepping foot in the ring with the likes of Satoshi Kojima. Thomas has enjoyed getting the chance to spotlight his skills in a singles capacity. At the same time, the performer enjoyed the dynamic between himself and Alex Kane.

“We were kind of thrown together,†he said of their origin story. “Iâ€ve known of him before. We really just meshed. Luckily enough to be on the same page as someone. Iâ€m a little older than him, but Iâ€m not saying that I was there to babysit or guide him. But [I could] set him in the right ways and try to figure out what works best for him, his character, my character, how we can play off each other. It worked out for the best.

“He went from being an unsigned, no-name person that gets drafted to MLW in the 2021 draft, we popped up our first time together and he is the MLW Openweight champion. We steamrolled through everyone he won the world title, black world champion, it was good to see the highs and lows. I learned a lot from him, and I  hope he learned from me. We really worked together as a team inside and outside the ring. We traveled together, hung out together, and we still talk every day. That relationship canâ€t be broken. We did have our one-on-one match in the Opera Cup last year. I think weâ€ll probably do that at some point when the time is ready. I donâ€t know if heâ€ll ever turn on me or Iâ€ll turn on him, but weâ€ll see what happens when the time comes.â€

Thomas has his sights set on dethroning new champion Mads Krügger in the Chamber of Horrors match at Slaughterhouse on October 4. Other participants revealed thus far include Matthew Justice and CW Anderson with two other mystery participants. The Long Beach event will air on YouTube and beIN Sports.

“As much as I love surprises, I hate surprises,†Thomas said. “CW Anerson is a great veteran and competitor from the ECW days. Weâ€ve had our feud the last year, year-and-a-half where the Rogue Horsemen went up against the Bomaye Fight Club  with Matthew Justice on the same team in the War Chamber, which I came out victorious in,  for the record. When it comes to cage matches this year, Mr. Thomas is 1-0 amongst everyone else. With that being said, Mads is just fresh off a world title victory and hate to say it transition champion possibly.

“I want that belt more than anything in life right now. The way it is being described to me is we get in this cage and fight til someone becomes world champion. I know there will be weapons involved and we will be caged in and not sure there will be something at the top as much as I or Matthew Jusciee want to jump off and dive through everything. I will be a very safe wrestler this weekend. Iâ€m going to utilize my technical ability instead of jumping off things or going through things, but I will take a shortcut and hit someone over the head with what is available to me at that moment because anything goes.â€

As for who the other two getting added to the mix, Thomas has his suspicions. No matter who it is, heâ€ll be ready to take them down a peg.

“Iâ€m not spoiling anything because I don’t ask questions, but the things Iâ€ve seen and heard and tweets I read in between the lines is we got someone new coming in who might have been around a few times,†Thomas hypothesized. “Someone who might have just gotten let go from somewhere else, which is fine. Iâ€ll tell him the same thing as Iâ€ll tell anyone else. Donâ€t come to MLW thinking this is your meal ticket to the top because you have to go through a lot of other people to get through the top spot in the company, me being one of them.

“I will fight and do whatever it takes to make sure my spot is not taken by some guy who got released or couldnâ€t politic himself into getting re-signed somewhere else. That is a personal shoutout to anyone who wants to Tick Tock, times ticking, this sun dial bullshit of time and measurement is, I donâ€t want to hear about it. Come see me to my face in LA on October 4 and weâ€ll see who walks out world champion.â€

Winning the top prize in MLW would mean a lot to Thomas. In his eyes, it would signify confidence from the company and confidence within himself that he could rise above the rest.

“For me, the world title being my first singles title in MLW would be crazy,†the challenger added. “I would love that more than anything. Itâ€s exactly what I’m going for. Iâ€m on to bigger and better things. Everyone once and a while I get grouped with the Bomaye Fight Club thinking I was just a sidekick or bodyguard or the strategist,  whatever you want to call me. Iâ€m on my own now. I have a name to prove to myself now. In the ring, outside the ring with everyone watching.â€

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  Mark SchlabachSep 25, 2025, 04:53 PM ET

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Golf fans won’t have to wait long to watch Bryson DeChambeau at the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black on Friday.

The two-time U.S. Open champion will partner with Justin Thomas in the first match of foursomes (alternate-shot) at 7:10 a.m. ET. They’ll face the European duo of Spain’s Jon Rahm and England’s Tyrrell Hatton.

“Besides the fact that they’re both phenomenal players, they both bring a spark to our team,” U.S. team captain Keegan Bradley said of DeChambeau and Thomas. “Bryson has been an incredible teammate in the locker room, and we really want him to lead our team out with Justin in the first match.”

Ryder Cup Friday Foursomes

7:10 a.m.: Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton (-115), Europe vs. Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas (-115), U.S.
7:26 a.m.: Ludvig Ã…berg and Matt Fitzpatrick (+130), Europe, vs. Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley (-180), U.S.
7:42 a.m.: Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood (-180), Europe, vs. Collin Morikawa and Harris English (+130), U.S.
7:58 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland (-105), Europe, vs. Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay (-130), U.S.
— Odds per ESPN BET

DeChambeau and Thomas never have played together in a Ryder Cup match.

“We’ve got a big responsibility and role,” DeChambeau said. “We’re going to be going up against a great team, Rahm and Hatton. They’re a formidable force, but we want to send a message.”

When DeChambeau was asked what he expected from U.S. fans on the first tee Friday morning, he added: “Tsunami of a wave of support.”

Hatton and Rahm went 2-0 in foursomes in the last Ryder Cup, which the Europeans won 16½-11½ at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club outside Rome two years ago. Rahm is 4-0 in foursomes in three previous appearances.

“We want to start strong, obviously,” European team captain Luke Donald said. “We know that in match play you’ve got to get off to a good start. These guys have had a lot of success together. They know how to win. They’re a strong partnership; they get along well. We’re very happy to send them out first.”

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley will take on Europe’s Ludvig Ã…berg and Matt Fitzpatrick in the second match. Scheffler, who has won 13 times on the PGA Tour the past two seasons, will try to rebound from going 0-2-2 in Italy.

The third U.S. team is a bit of a surprise, with two-time major champion Collin Morikawa playing with Harris English, who is competing in his second Ryder Cup. They’ll face Masters champion Rory McIlroy and Tour Championship winner Tommy Fleetwood, who have been two of Europe’s best performers in recent Ryder Cups.

The last match features Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele against Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and Norway’s Viktor Hovland. Schauffele won two major championships in 2024 but struggled this past season after suffering a rib injury.

“We’ve had this lineup set for a long time,” Bradley said.

Two years ago, the Americans were swept in foursomes to start the Ryder Cup, the first time a European team led 4-0 after the first session. It was a bit of a surprise that Donald and his vice captains split up a few of the teams that were so successful at Marco Simone.

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Ã…berg and Hovland earned a 4-and-3 victory in their first foursomes match, then defeated Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9-and-7 in 11 holes in foursomes on the Saturday, the most lopsided victory in an 18-hole match in Ryder Cup history. Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Austria’s Sepp Straka held on for a 2-and-1 win in the first session.

Donald said the European team relied on analytics, in part, in setting up its pairings.

“A little bit of statistics, looking at the golf course, and a little bit that it’s two years from Rome,” he said. “People’s profiles and people’s games change. Again, we went with what we thought was the strongest match. We’re trying to win. We’re trying to get our strongest pairings out, and this is what we feel like is our strongest group.”

Ã…berg said he has played a lot of golf with Fitzpatrick the past couple of weeks.

“It’s a plan set in place by Luke, and we all trust in that,” Ã…berg said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun, and [I’m] looking forward to playing some good golf together.”

Lowry, Straka, Justin Rose and Ryder Cup rookie Rasmus Højgaard are sitting out the first session.

U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, Sam Burns, Ben Griffin and Cameron Young aren’t playing for the Americans in foursomes.

The opening session will be followed by four four-ball (best ball) matches, starting at 12:25 p.m. ET Friday. The same schedule will be played again Saturday, followed by 12 singles matches Sunday.

The Europeans need 14 points to retain the Ryder Cup; the Americans need 14½ points to take it back.

The home team has captured the past five Ryder Cups; the Europeans’ last victory on U.S. soil was a 14½-13½ comeback at Medinah Country Club in Illinois in 2012.