Liverpool have announced they will use two squads as progression in the Carabao Cup meant their quarterfinal meeting with Aston Villa would clash with their FIFA Club World Cup tournament.

After beating Arsenal in the fifth round, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had threatened to forfeit the Carabao Cup unless a sensible date for their next fixture could be found.

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"Liverpool Football Club can confirm our Carabao Cup quarterfinal tie at Aston Villa will take place on Tuesday Dec. 17, 2019," a statement on the club's website read.

"As a result, we will be utilising two playing squads simultaneously, with one squad participating in the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar and another in the Carabao Cup.

"The club would like to take this opportunity to underline that while this is not an ideal scenario, it is an outcome which was arrived at with the best interests of the competition, our fellow clubs and ourselves as the sole motivating factor.

"We would like to thank the EFL for their efforts to accommodate us and we can confirm alternative dates were discussed, but ultimately none were considered suitable without compromising the scheduling of the competition itself or placing an undue strain on our playing staff."

Meanwhile, EFL have warned Liverpool that the players selected for the game "must meet the competition's selection requirements."

Sir Vivian Richards has given his backing to Kieron Pollard as the Trinidadian allrounder prepares for his first assignment as West Indies white-ball captain, with their three-match ODI series against Afghanistan beginning in Lucknow on Wednesday.

Pollard hasn't turned out for West Indies in one-day international cricket since their tour of the UAE to play Pakistan in October 2016, and his last List A appearance was over a year ago, for Trinidad and Tobago in the semi-finals of the 2018 Super50 Cup. Despite the lack of recent 50-over match practice, Richards believes that Pollard will fit right back into the side.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo at WTM London 2019, he said: "It's about getting yourself fit, and there's enough good players around him that can help out as well. I think he's a guy that will get himself to match fitness.

"I've always admired his captaincy, I've always felt that when he played the first CPL T20 at home, he was the best captain. I think Barbados Tridents went on to win it [in 2014], and he was the best captain in my opinion, more proactive than the rest of the captains we would have seen. I think he's in a good place."

Performances in the 2019 Caribbean Premier League strongly influenced the make-up of West Indies' squad for this tour, with the tournament's top run-scorer and leading wicket-taker, Brandon King and Hayden Walsh Jr, receiving their maiden call-ups to the team. The latter, who has previously made his ODI and T20I debuts for the USA national side, is of particular interest to Richards, as a fellow Antiguan.

"I was impressed with him as an Antiguan and Barbudan, especially in the CPL, and he's a magnificent fieldsman as well," Richards said, "so I think West Indies do have some good talent coming through, and if it can be fulfilled, they'll be okay."

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Richards also expressed his hope for Shimron Hetmyer to push on from the promising start to his international career. The 22-year old Guyanan has made 1199 runs at an average of 38.67 in ODIs, with four centuries and four fifties to his name in 34 innings. But it has been a different story so far in the shorter format, with just 116 runs to his name in 12 T20I innings. At CPL 2019 his record was hit and miss, only reaching double figures four times in 12 innings.

"Hetmyer we keep speaking about, he's a young talent I believe when he settles down, his numbers could be much better for West Indies in the future, but at present, he's a little if and but at times, but when he works that out and gets to believe he can accomplish that, he'll be okay. But his talent, his talent is enormous, it's just for him to know how to get that done."

One name missing from the West Indies squad in India is that of Chris Gayle. After saying he would retire from international duty after the 2019 World Cup, he made himself available for the ODI series against India in August. Despite being given what seemed like a farewell in Trinidad, he's still officially available for selection, and Richards wouldn't be drawn on whether it's time for the 40-year-old to sign off from his 20-year international career.

"You should ask him that! If he thinks he's good enough to keep on going, I think he's in his forties now, and he's still being productive, I have no problem with that. But if he finds he's going to be wanting, well, he should start having a look at himself a little closer than he is at present."

Gayle is the top run-scorer in T20 history, so it may have come as a surprise to some when he went unpicked in the player draft for the Hundred. Richards believes Gayle's now under-par performances in the field could have tipped the balance out of his favour.

"I'm surprised, I think maybe Chris can still give you a brilliant hundred here and there, he can destroy any attack in my opinion. I guess they're maybe thinking that what he's going to give in the field [isn't going to be enough], because I think that's got to come into play, saving runs. 'Can he give us more than he can save?'"

After three ODIs and three T20Is, West Indies will face Afghanistan in Test cricket for the first time. The Asian side only has three matches in the format under its belt, but have won two of them, defeating Ireland at Dehradun in March and Bangladesh in Chittagong in September. Will they be the favourites in subcontinental conditions?

"I'd still like to say West Indies are favourites," said Richards, "what West Indies have in terms of their fast-bowling unit, that may be the difference. It'll be a great help. If Roach, Gabriel if he's there, all the other guys bring it as a pace attack, that may counter the spin that Afghanistan have."

Sir Vivian Richards was speaking on behalf of the Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are going with quarterback Nick Foles over rookie sensation Gardner Minshew.

Coach Doug Marrone made the announcement Tuesday, saying Foles is ready to return from a broken left collarbone and will start next week at Indianapolis.

The Jaguars (4-5) have a bye week before then. Marrone said following Sunday's 26-3 loss to Houston in London that he would take some time before deciding whether to go with Foles or Minshew. The coach needed less than 48 hours to make the call.

Foles was injured while throwing a 35-yard touchdown pass to DJ Chark on the second series of the team's season opener. Minshew replaced him and went 4-4 as the starter, throwing for 2,285 yards, with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran for 235 yards but has lost seven of 11 fumbles.

Foles signed a four-year, $88 million contract with Jacksonville in March.

Jacksonville waived linebacker Malcolm Smith to make room on the 53-man roster for Foles, who returned to practice two weeks ago.

This edition of the NBA mailbag features questions on the effects of preseason travel to Asia, a difficult early schedule and spot free throw shooting.

You can tweet your questions using the hashtag #peltonmailbag or email them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

"Is traveling to Asia during the preseason to blame for slow starts by the Kings, Nets, Pacers and Rockets?"

-- Chris R.

Starting with this question from one of our editors because it's something I've been curious about during the first two weeks of the season. So far, only the injury-riddled Golden State Warriors have underperformed their preseason projections using ESPN's real plus-minus more than the 1-5 Kings and the Rockets, who are 4-3 but have been outscored by 3.8 points per game. Meanwhile, the 3-4 Nets and 3-3 Pacers have also started slower than expected.

To try to answer this question based on historical data, I looked at a pair of factors:

1. How well teams that have traveled to Asia have done compared with their preseason over/under win totals.

2. How their performance early in the schedule -- evaluated by point differential adjusted for opponent and location -- compared with the course of the full season.

The latter looks at whether there's a jet-lag/fatigue effect after returning, the former at whether that hurt the team's overall record.

Historically, the answer is no. Over the past decade, 20 teams have played preseason games in Asia, mostly in China. As a group, these teams have played almost exactly to their preseason over/under totals, going under by an average of 0.3 wins. And their performance over the first five, 10 and 20 games -- as well as the first half of the season -- has exceeded their season-long results.

That said, we still want to monitor whether shortening the NBA preseason has made travel more difficult. Starting in 2017-18, the league shaved about a week off the period from the start of training camp through opening night, and over the past two years, the four teams that played preseason games in China have gone under by an average of 4.3 wins. Meanwhile, three of the four have gotten off to relatively slow starts through their first 10 games, with the 2017-18 Warriors -- healthy at the start of the season before dealing with injuries later -- being the lone exception.

There's also the question of whether travel to India might be more taxing than playing in East Asia, and our sample size there is solely two teams thus far. But it's also tempting to succumb to confirmation bias, where slow starts by teams that played preseason in Asia are held up as evidence of the effect and strong starts by other teams (the Lakers and Raptors, both among the 11 teams most outperforming their RPM projections) are ignored.

A broader question but is there any evidence of a frontloaded/backloaded/evenly distributed strength of schedule being beneficial or detrimental? (If you're reading this Seth, apologies for double timing you) #peltonmailbag

— EuanDewar (@EuanDewar) October 30, 2019

Staying on the subject of early-season schedule/performance, I'd say the conventional wisdom is that it's preferable to have an easy schedule early on to build confidence, whereas a tough schedule can discourage teams. And there doesn't really appear to be any evidence for this over the past decade.

Again, I've rated schedule strength relative to the full season over the first five, 10 and 20 games as well as the first half of the schedule. There's no relationship between any of those measures and how well teams perform compared with their preseason over/under total. The schedule really does seem to even out no matter how it's distributed.

There is a modest relationship between having a tougher schedule in the second half of the season and having a better record. But there's a simple explanation for this: The national TV schedule is backloaded with good teams playing one another after the NFL season ends, so there's actually a stronger relationship between the preseason total -- a measure of presumed ability entering the season -- and a more difficult second-half schedule.

"Your model has Dallas as a playoff team, but it seems a lot of other pundits who did not have the Mavericks in the postseason are higher on their playoff chances through four games. Is this small-sample-size theater?"

Yes and no. If the question is strictly whether we learn that much from teams based on their first four games, the answer is no. Performance over the first four games of the season explains about 35% of the variation in winning percentage over the full season, which is to say still not very much. A team's preseason win projection, for example, explains about 60% of the variation in their final record. It takes almost 15 games for performance to date to become as predictive.

Based on this track record, if you thought Dallas was a .500 team entering the season, the way the Mavericks have started should add only a couple of wins to their final estimate -- probably not enough to make them a likely playoff team.

At the same time, I'd guess people who have rethought the Mavericks' outlook are probably also taking into account the fact that statistical projections were higher on Dallas entering the season. If you've decided that the first handful of games back up those more optimistic preseason expectations, then it's perfectly reasonable to recalibrate after only a few games.

"To continue the free throw conversation, I've always thought it odd that no matter where a player gets fouled, he then has to or gets to take uncontested shots from 15 feet. What about taking a soccer-like approach and giving players one uncontested shot from the spot of the foul (and still shoot from the FT line for non-shooting fouls). Seems like this would cut down on the intentional fouls near the basket and not "punish" bigs like Andre Drummond for getting fouled shooting near the rim. I'm sure there's a reason not to do it but wanted your thoughts."

-- Matt Jasinski

A number of people had similar responses to last week's mailbag on the topic of shooting one free throw for all points and whether shooting fouls on 3-pointers should yield two free throws instead of three.

Certainly, an uncontested shot from the spot of the foul makes sense for jumpers. I'd guess the conversion rate on 3s would be fairly similar to what we see in the 3-point contest, where the best shooters in the league typically make a little better than half of their attempts. That would put us in the sweet spot where a foul is clearly better than a contested attempt but not so valuable as to make those calls huge game-changers.

Finding that sweet spot around the basket would be more challenging. Soccer solves this with penalty kicks rather than free kicks inside the box, but I'm not quite sure how you'd handle where the player shoots from and where other players line up for a possible rebound in basketball.

If you did it strictly like a soccer free kick where other players can't be within a certain distance, that would seem to guarantee two points for any foul near the basket. That might not be the worst thing in terms of taking away semi-intentional fouls on those players, but it would encourage offensive players to do everything possible to draw a foul.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Mike Smeriglio III, a four-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship winning car owner with driver Doug Coby, has announced his retirement.

Smeriglio has worked with Coby since 2014 and together the pair have practically owned the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

The combination have won 19 races together, five driver championships for Coby and four owner championships for Smeriglio. Last month the pair claimed the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title again, Coby’s sixth series championship since 2012.

Smeriglio said in an article that appeared on the NASCAR HomeTracks website that his decision to retire has nothing to do with his love of motorsports.

“It doesn’t have to do with anything in racing,” said Smeriglio, who is the first team owner in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour history to claim four owner championships. “I’ve been a NASCAR owner for the last 21 years — eight years in the SK Modified level at Stafford (Motor Speedway), then the Whelen Modified Tour. It’s very emotional. But I’m glad it’s emotional —  because it’s not an easy decision. My heart wants to race, but my head is saying that my other priorities mean more to me now.  I want to be available to spend time with my wife of 33 years, my adult children and son in laws. Our time together is precious.”

According to the article on NASCAR HomeTracks, Coby has not yet landed a ride for the upcoming season as he pursues his seventh series championship. He does, however, have a sponsor as Mayhew Tools has committed to follow him wherever he goes.

“I’m really happy for him that he accomplished everything he set-out to accomplish in racing and I love him and his family,” Coby said. “What we accomplished as a team probably won’t be replicated anytime soon — if ever. There is a huge sense of gratitude for him picking me to drive the car and giving us everything we needed.”

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing has named Riley Herbst as the full-time driver of the No. 18 Toyota Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series beginning next season.

Herbst made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Iowa Speedway in 2018 and finished seventh. Herbst has eight races under his belt in 2019, earning three top-10 finishes and has one more opportunity to secure his first win this season when he climbs in the No. 18 Supra at ISM Raceway on Nov. 9 before turning his attention to next season.

“I’m very excited to compete full time next season in the Xfinity Series in the iconic No. 18,” said Herbst. “I’ve enjoyed the transition to the Xfinity car this season, learned a ton and look forward to continuing to learn next season and improve each and every week. I’m eager to get started and have Monster Energy back with me and can’t wait for Daytona.”

Monster Energy, ORCA Coolers, and Terrible’s will continue their relationship with Herbst and move to the Xfinity Series with him.

“Monster Energy is super pumped to continue with Riley,” said Mitch Covington, VP of Sports Marketing Monster Energy. “He has been a Monster man his whole life and we are really proud of him. We are looking forward to a great career with Riley and excited to be with the Gibbs stable in Xfinity.”

The Las Vegas, Nev., native started his career at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 as part of the driver development program and competing in the ARCA Menards Series. In his first season with JGR, Herbst missed the season opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway due to his 18th birthday falling a few days after the race, but competed in the remaining 19 races where he scored one win, six top-five finishes and 10 top-10 finishes.

Continuing to compete in the ARCA Menards Series, Herbst has made 47 starts in the series, earning one win, 16 top-five finishes, 30 top-10 finishes and has led 310 laps. Herbst has also competed in a limited number of Camping World Truck Series races for Kyle Busch Motorsports throughout the 2018 and 2019 season.

Prior to joining JGR’s driver development program, Herbst competed full-time in the NASCAR K&N West Series in 2016 and a limited number of races in 2017, garnering 16 starts with a career-best finish of third on four different occasions.

“Riley (Herbst) has been a part of Joe Gibbs Racing for three years through the ARCA program and now the Xfinity Series,” said Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for Joe Gibbs Racing. “Each week Riley shows improvement and growth, whether it is in the Xfinity Series Supra, the ARCA Series Camry or even the Toyota Tundra’s at KBM. Riley continues to work hard on gaining experience and becoming more comfortable behind the wheel and I think next year will be no different as he competes full time for Rookie of the Year, race wins, and the Xfinity Series championship.”

The crew chief for the No. 18 Toyota Supra will be announced at a later date.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has denied reports he wants Gareth Bale to leave the club in January, and said he is counting on his involvement "until the end of the season."

Bale has been linked with Manchester City in a cash-plus-player exchange that would see Raheem Sterling move to Madrid.

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The Wales international's future has also been the subject of speculation since Zidane called on him to leave in the summer, although he has since backtracked on those comments.

"Some people have said I want Bale to leave," Zidane told a news conference ahead of Madrid's Champions League game with Galatasaray at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.

"But no-one can put false words into my mouth. I want him here all season. He wants to do well with Real Madrid."

Reacting to the reports of a swap deal with Sterling, Zidane replied: "I don't get involved in what the press say. My relationship with Bale is good. Nothing has happened with Bale and I, even when he was going to leave."

Bale was called up to the Wales national team on Tuesday morning which sparked controversy in Madrid, because he has not featured for the club since picking up an injury during the last international break.

"At the moment he's not ready to play," Zidane added. "If his country calls him up, they have a right to pick him. We'll see this week if he's ready for the national team, but the shame is he's not ready for us yet."

One player who will be available against Galatasaray is Marcelo, who in recent days has said that he suffered from anxiety before the 2018 Champions League final.

"There will always be pressure," Marcelo said. "It's the price you pay for playing for the biggest club in the world. It's a big responsibility. In any job you can have anxiety. I wanted to say that we're all the same, we have problems at work, problems at home."

New York City coach Domenec Torrent is set to leave his post at the Major League Soccer club despite having another year to run on his contract, various sources have told ESPN FC.

Torrent, 57, topped the Eastern Conference with NYCFC this year but there has been uncertainty about his future since the defeat to Toronto FC in the playoffs in October.

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Speaking after that game, he hinted that he would not remain in charge for next season, although no decision had been made at that time.

Sources have now told ESPN FC that Torrent has decided to bring an end to his time in charge of NYCFC. He will communicate his intentions to the club's owners in the coming days.

The same sources said that he has drawn interest from a number of other MLS clubs and could choose to remain in North America. The same sources deemed his experience "extraordinary." He also has options in the Middle East to carry on his coaching career.

The Catalan coach took over at Yankee Stadium in 2018 following more than a decade on Pep Guardiola's staff at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. He replaced Patrick Vieira.

He led NYCFC -- who, like Man City, are owned by the City Football Group -- to the Eastern Conference in 2019 playing an attractive brand of football. However, they fell at the first hurdle in the playoffs.

"Believe me, it's not important," he told reporters after the Toronto defeat when asked if he would still be in charge for the 2020 campaign.

"They are ready for another coach, because they are a group, a big group. They are ready. But don't worry. If Patrick is not here, it's Dome. If Dome is not here, it's another coach."

Toronto went on to beat Atlanta United in the Conference Finals and will meet Seattle Sounders for the MLS Cup on Nov. 10 at CenturyLink Field.

The 2019-20 Champions League is heating up at the halfway point of the group stage, with plenty of issues for the major contenders and no team really standing out above the rest. How does everyone rate with three games left between now and the round of 16? ESPN's Gab Marcotti assesses the entire 32-team field to see where every team sits heading into the stretch.

Group A

Paris Saint-Germain: first place, nine points

Despite early injuries to Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe, they've been close to flawless thus far, with the highlight being a 3-0 rout of Real Madrid at the Parc des Princes. Grade: A

Real Madrid: second place, four points

Awful in Paris during Matchday One and possibly worse at home against Bruges, when they came from two goals down. Victory away to Galatasaray was huge and keeps them pointing in the right direction. Grade: D

Club Brugge: third place, two points

They've only lost once all season long in all competitions but will rue their failure to capitalise on a home tie with Galatasaray (it finished 0-0). Meanwhile, wasting a two-goal lead at the Bernabeu could cost them dearly. Grade: B

Galatasaray: fourth place, one point

They've been poor in the league and poor in Europe. Zero points from their two home games thus far means they'll need a minor miracle if they are to advance. Grade: D

Group B

Bayern Munich: first place, nine points

That huge 7-2 away win over Tottenham papered over a number of cracks but they're three for three so far in group play, which means they can worry about manager Niko Kovac's successor rather than the Round of 16. Grade: B

Tottenham Hotspur: second place, four points

Spurs have been a model of unpredictability and inconsistency, but thankfully so have the other sides in the group. Grade: C

Red Star Belgrade: third place, three points

They were heavily beaten in two of their three outings but do control their destiny and have two home games coming up. Grade: D

Olympiacos: fourth place, one point

Still dominant in Greece, but the Champions League is another matter. Defeats to Bayern and Red Star have narrowed their expectations but two road games up next against Bayern and Spurs mean it's do-or-die time. Grade: F

Group C

Manchester City: first place, nine points

They're a perfect three for three though it took them a while to get going and seal victory in their last two games, at home no less. You have to assume there's more to come. Grade: B

Dinamo Zagreb: second place, four points

One of the surprise packages thus far, dominating Atalanta at home and grabbing a huge away point to Shakhtar Donetsk. Grade: A

Shakhtar Donetsk, third place, four points

Everything hinges on their trip to Zagreb in midweek, which is pretty much a qualification-playoff. That said, they've done little to impress thus far. Grade: C

Atalanta: fourth place, zero points

Flopped in the opener, were naive at home to Shakhtar and matched up poorly with City. They deserve kudos for their brand of football, but execution matters too. Grade: F

Group D

Juventus: first place, seven points

They've been more consistent in terms of results than performances so far in Europe, scraping past Lokomotiv Moscow but thumping Bayer Leverkusen, but that's understandable with a new boss in charge. Still solidly on track. Grade: B

Atletico Madrid: second place, seven points

Another team trying to find their identity, like Juventus they've made their experience count without dazzling yet. Grade: B

Lokomotiv Moscow: third place, three points

Their away win at Leverkusen was huge but they were seriously outplayed by Atletico and Juventus. Need to step it up starting this week. Grade: C+

Bayer Leverkusen: fourth place, zero points

Stuttering in the Bundesliga and unable to get off the mark in Europe. Their Champions League campaign will likely end this week. Grade: F

Group E

Napoli: first place, seven points

They've been markedly better in Europe than in Serie A of late. Victory in Salzburg was huge and gives them ample margin for error. Grade: A+

Liverpool: second place, six points

The defending champions were beaten in Naples and given a scare at Anfield, but victory over Genk plus two home games coming up means they are in good shape. Grade: C

FC Salzburg: third place, three points

They've put in tremendous effort and goal-scoring prowess to rattle the big boys but when you concede nine goals in three games, it's all uphill. Need two wins from next two away games to have a shot. Grade: A-

Genk: fourth place, one point

They're hanging on by a thread in the Champions League but given how poorly their domestic season has unfolded, it should not be a surprise, Grade: D

Group F

Barcelona: first place, seven points

The Spanish champions clearly struggled for long stretches in each of their three group games, which means their seven points are max result with minimum effort. Despite their strong standing, they're not out of the woods yet by any stretch. Grade: C-

Inter Milan: second place, four points

Antonio Conte's side haven't shown much consistency at all. Despite impressive periods at Camp Nou and against Dortmund, they've also displayed defensive flimsiness at times. Grade: C+

Borussia Dortmund: third place, four points

Plagued by injuries up front and drifting in the Bundesliga, they arguably haven't played well since the visit of Barca, a 0-0 game they should have won. Grade: C

Slavia Prague: fourth place, one point

Unfancied at the start, they've kept it close in every game. It shows what you can do with a clear plan, even if your wage bill is a fraction of the competition's. Grade: B+

Group G

RB Leipzig: first place, six points

Things are coming together for Julian Nagelsmann and his high-risk/high-reward approach has rattled opponents, regardless of results. Grade: A-

Zenit St. Petersburg: second place, four points

They're pretty much on schedule thus far and have been competitive in every game. Their next two group stage games are at home, offering an excellent chance to lock up a place in the knockout round. Grade: B

Olympique Lyon: third place, four points

Their poor domestic form cost Sylvinho his job but in Europe they've done OK and have arguably played better than their results. Grade: B

Benfica: fourth place, three points

They beat Lyon against the run of play to stay alive after losing their first two games, but it's all uphill now with consecutive road matches. Grade: C-

Group H

Chelsea, first place, six points

They really should be three for three given the way they performed in all three games. Frank Lampard's youngsters have risen to the occasion in Europe as well as in the Premier League. Grade: A

Ajax: second place, six points

Don't let gaudy results in their first two outings against Lille and Valencia (both 3-0 wins) fool you: Ajax have been very much up and down and they face the prospect of back-to-back road games. Grade: B-

Valencia: third place, four points

Have struggled of late, both domestically and in Europe, but it's still very much in their own hands. The fixture list, with both Chelsea and Lille to visit the Mestalla, also favours them. Grade: C+

Lille: fourth place, one point

They were really unlucky against Valencia and Ajax, but the reality is that they'll probably need to win the rest of their games to advance. Grade: C+