That, then is us. Thanks for your company and comments - see you next time.
And here’s Nick Ames’ report on Spurs 5-1 Mura:
And here’s more on a miserable night for Celtic.
Updated
Here’s Jacob Steinberg’s report on West Ham 2-0 Rapid Wien:
Leicester and Rangers, meanwhile, are also in trouble; Leicester are bottom of Group C with one point, Rangers bottom of Group A with none. Neither has to close the gap that Celtic do – second-place sits on three and four points respectively – but both have a lot to do.
Celtic, on the other hand, are bottom of Group G with 0 points, and given Leverkusen and Betis have both won two of two, they’re already very close to the exit door.
West Ham are top of Group H with maximum points; their next game is at home Genk, and win there will take them very close to the next round.
In other news...
Full-time scores
Group A
- Lyon 3-0 Brondby
- Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers
Group B
- Real Sociedad 1-1 Monaco
- Sturm Graz 1-4 PSV Eindhoven
Group C
- Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City
- Napoli 1-3 Spartak Moscow
Group D
- Fenerbahce 0-3 Olympiacos
- Royal Antwerp 0-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Group E
- Lazio 2-0 Lokomotiv Moscow
- Marseille 0-0 Galatasaray (playing injury-time)
Group F
- Ludogorets 0-1 Crvena zvezda
- Braga 3-1 Midtjylland
Group G
- Celtic 0-4 Leverkusen
- Ferencvaros 1-3 Real Betis
Group H
- West Ham 2-0 Rapid Wien
- Genk 0-3 Dinamo Zagreb
GOAL! Celtic 0-4 Bayer Leverkusen (Adli 90+4)
Another harrowing evening for Celtic, Leverkusen breaking three on one and Adli caning a rising finish high past Hart at his near post.
Updated
GOAL! West Ham 2-0 Rapid Wien (Benrahma 90+3)
Running towards the left of the box, Benraham takes the ball away from Fornals, uses the outside of his right foot to dip inside, and feeds a low curler into the far corner.
Updated
Full-time: Lazio 2-0 Lokomotiv Moscow
After winning the Rome derby at the weekend, Lazio are on a roll.
Full-time: Spurs 5-1 Mura
Another hat-trick for Kane, and Spurs really need him taking that form into Sunday’s game at home to Villa.
Wimmer yanks Bowen back 64 times, allowing West Ham to waste a load of time before taking the free-kick to the corner.
The Rapid fans have made a decent noise tonight, and they’re still right behind their team. But they’ve only got five minutes of injury-time to save themselves.
I didn’t realise it was Kevin Wimmer who was defending the Rapid goal when Bowen went through. You might say Wimmer was in the way.
I didn’t realise it was Kevin Wimmer who was defending the Rapid goal when Bowen went through. You might say Wimmer was in the way.
Updated
GOAL! Spurs 5-1 Mura (Kane 87)
It’s a 19-minute hat-trick for Kane, who’s only been on the pitch 28 minutes. This time, he’s found by Lo Celso, shovelling home from close range with the ball threatening to get stuck under his feet.
Updated
WOW. JUST WOW. 🤯
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 30, 2021
Žiga Kous has scored the goal of his life ☄️#UECL pic.twitter.com/gscG1VEg1y
It’s still 0-3 at Parkhead, and Leverkusen could be further ahead, though Celtic will wonder how they’ve failed to score tonight.
GOAL! Ferencvaros 1-2 Real Betis (Wingo own goal 75)
I guess my scoreboard didn’t update, but my tip are looking good.
A fine through ball from Fornals sends Bowen away, and he’s in! He rounds the keeper, has a man alongside ... and shanks his shot wide! He panicked a bit there – he had time to steady himself and think – so will feel a right old silly billy if West Ham don’t win this.
Updated
RED CARD!
Neuciano Gusmao has been sent off for Ludogorets, who trail Red Star 0-1.
Well said.
"I'm not surprised. We're playing behind closed doors, apparently, for a reason.
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 30, 2021
"It's not the first time there have been issues in this place. The powers that be don't do enough."
Steven Gerrard on reports Glen Kamara was routinely booed in Prague.
🎙 @Sports_EmmaD#UEL pic.twitter.com/wWBBUYy2le
I can’t believe it’s taken this long during a game featuring a side from Vienna, for me to post this. Apologies.
West Ham send on Fornals for Yarmolenko, looking to see this game out by scoring a second. But Rapid really fancy it now, and it’s getting nervy out there.
GOAL! Spurs 4-1 Mura (Kane 76)
Yeah, Haitch Kane is too good for Mura, and when Lo Celso’s flick sends Son away, he’s there in the middle to tuck the square ball home.
Updated
West Ham have been a bit lethargic since half-time; perhaps that near thing will liven them up.
NO PENALTY!
And rightly so.
THE REF GOES TO THE MONITOR...
I think he’ll overturn this. There was no contact, the leg didn’t impede the attacker and the tackle wasn’t dangerous.
PENALTY RAPID WIEN!
Grull cuts inside Johnson, who swings a leg at him, misses, misses again with his trailing leg, and Grull trips over his own feet...
Updated
GOAL! Genk 0-3 Dinamo Zagreb (Petkovic pen 67)
A second penalty and a red card fofr Munoz. This one is over.
GOAL! Ludogorets 0-1 Crvena zvezda (Kanga 64)
Red Star are taking control of Group F – if they can hang on, they’ll be three points clear at the top with six points from two games.
GOAL! Braga 2-1 Midtjylland (Ricardo Horta 62)
It’s turned around in Portugal!
GOAL! Spurs 3-1 Mura (Kane 68)
As I was saying. Moura pulls right and curves a lovely pass in behind for Kane, who gets under it as the keeper advances to flip an early shot, on the stretch, over his dive. That is a finish of devastating cognition and expertise.
Updated
Mura aren’t putting Spurs under, but given this looked like being a hiding, they’ll be ecstatic to still be in the game and the longer it stays 2-1 the more nervous things’ll get.
“It’s actually Braga’s second pen,” emails Owen Coe. “They missed the other.”
Ah, thanks for that.
Apparently Bowen keeps himself fit during the summer by working on a farm, and returned for pre-season training the fittest member of the West Ham squad.
David Moyes makes a triple change, removing Noble, Vlasic and Antonio to send on Soucek, Lanzini and Bowen. West Ham have decent strength in depth these days – they’ve got Fornals, Ogbonna and Zoma still on the bench.
GOAL! Celtic 0-3 Leverkusen (Alario pen 58)
Alario hits the left side-netting as Hart dives the other way.
Updated
PENALTY LEVERKUSEN!
Cameron Carter-Vickers is penalised after diving to block a shot which hits his arm. Chris Sutton thinks it’s harsh but it isn’t – it was up making his body bigger and prevented a goal.
GOAL! Braga 1-1 Midtjylland (Galeno pen 55)
It’s a pen apiece now.
At the London Stadium – or it is at London Stadium – it’s been a scrappy start to the second half, which will please Rapid. In a game of football, they’re not in the same league as West Ham, but in a game of run and tackle they’ve a chance.
Updated
Hradecky has made a couple of fine saves already this half, as Celtic get after Leverkusen. They’ve had chances to avoid defeat here, but it’s hard to see them scoring twice and conceding none in the remaining 40 minutes.
WHAT A GOAL! Spurs 2-1 Mura (Kous 52)
A corner is headed clear, and Kous is on the edge of the box to thunk home a terrific volley. In the stands, the away contingent look absolutely stunned.
Updated
Brendan Rodgers’ post-match quotations are in: ‘“It has been a privilege to play here. This is a precious victory for Legia and congratulations to them. We are disappointed because I think we deserved more.
“In the first half we were too passive. In the second it was better, we created more chances. From 60 minutes we started to make chances, we dominated the game, but their goalkeeper played well and we weren’t clinical enough. There’s still a long way to go.”
Game of opinions and all that, but Leicester deserved wha tthey got: nowt.
“If there is an evil stepmother among Spurs fans,” speculates Peter Oh, “she’s probably asking ‘Mura, Mura on the wall, which is the fairest European Cup competition of them all?’”
“None,” the mirror responds.
“As a Spurs fan,” admits James Maslen, “it’s tough enough that we are in the tournament for teams that are not good enough to even get into the tournament that nobody cared about until the winner qualified for the Champions League.” Never mind the score being left off the Guardian widget!
Off we go again...
Absolutely love this!
Gianluigi Buffon: great at goalkeeping, even better at rock, paper, scissors? 😂 pic.twitter.com/L5DHna2NZb
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 30, 2021
Ref stops OM v Galatasaray as a bunch of fumis and flares go off in the stands.
— PhilippaB - Vitorino Hilton Stan Account (@Philby1976) September 30, 2021
Oh yeah, Spurs are beating Mura 2-0 at half-time in the Sherpa Van Trophy Conference League.
Half-time email: “I’d also thought that the Europa League was there to be taken by whoever gets dumped out of the group stages of the Champions League,” says Ted Graves, “but Wikipedia tells me that only eight of the last 22 winners were CL dropouts. That seems low.”
Maybe; I’d hazard a guess that it’s because those dropouts have other aims through the season, and are more likely to be pushing for titles during the run-in. But you can’t ignore the simple fact that Sevilla and Unai Emery are just very good at winning it.
Half-time scores
Group D
Ferencvaros 1-1 Real Betis
**
Group E
Marseille 0-0 Galatasaray
Lazio 2-0 Lokomotiv Moscow
**
Group F
Braga 0-1 Midtjylland
Ludogorets 0-0 Crvena zvezda
**
Group G
Celtic 0-2 Leverkusen
**
Group H
Genk 0-2 Dinamo Zagreb
West Ham 1-0 Rapid Wien
GOAL! Ferencvaros 1-1 Real Betis (Uzuni 44)
Er yeah, as I was saying.
Updated
I’ve had two emails asking why Spurs aren’t listed in our live score update widget; I imagine it’s because they’re playing in the Freight Rover Trophy Conference League, not the Europa League.
You never know who to back for the Europa until you see who drops down from the Champions League – and what a farce that is – but West Ham and Betis look solid options to me.
GOAL! Lazio 2-0 Lokomotiv Moscow (Patric 38)
Lazio are another side who could go deep this season, and they’re rectifying their defeat of two weeks ago tonight.
Updated
Warning for West Ham, Arase left alone in the box to swing a shot against a defender. Rapid haven’t attacked much, but they got numbers forward there.
And I thought only Paul Scholes could pass between cities. I’m sure that’s what Xavi said about him, anyway.
Greatest ever pass? Leipzig to Dortmund…
— 🎵⚡️Colin Steer ⚡️🎵 (@colinphoenix) September 29, 2021
pic.twitter.com/gByDEblni2
That is a brilliant team goal from West Ham! 🙌
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 30, 2021
Declan Rice scores again in the Europa League, but it's all about the control and pass from Michail Antonio... 🤤
Lovely stuff!#UEL pic.twitter.com/vY1Mgj4z8c
GOAL! Celtic 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen (Wirtz 35)
A mistake from Ralston allows Leverkusen to counter and Paulinho slides a diag towards Wirtz at the far post, which is deposited into the roof of the net with minimum fuss and maximum prejudice.
Updated
It’s funny, though – Rice is turning himself into an all-action midfielder, when perhaps what he really needs to become is a controller.
The confidence with which Declan Rice is playing now, oof madone. He thinks he can do it all, so he is doing it all.
And not great down there. Fans hurling stuff at each other. pic.twitter.com/CSHdldNwG8
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) September 30, 2021
The Rapid fans haven’t taken this development at all well, surging to the front of their section and trying to escape it, exchanging further projectiles with the home fans nearby. Police and stewards drive them back.
Updated
GOAL! West Ham 1-0 Rapid Wien (Rice 29)
He is everywhere! Antonio peels off to the left and when he receives the ball, threaded through from Yarmolenko, he squares for Rice, making a lung-busting third-man run, to sweep home his second goal in two European games.
Updated
Celtic will be gutted to be behind because they’ve played pretty well so far. But if you miss one-on-ones, you deserve what you get.
At West Ham, home and away fans exchange souvenirs and love by way of hurled projectile, then Dawson absolutely batters a header from a corner against the post! But it’s still 0-0.
Updated
Legia Warsaw were prepared for their 1-0 win against Leicester tonight... 👀
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 30, 2021
📸 @ArchieRT1#UEL pic.twitter.com/USteONZVwB
GOAL! Celtic 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Hincapie 25)
Ach! Disaster for Turnbull, who slips by his own by-line, allowing Bakker to feed Hincapie, who shovels home off Montgomery.
GOAL! Braga 0-1 Midtjylland (Evander pen 19)
Red Star and Ludogorets are the other teams in this group.
GOAL! Ferencvaros 0-1 Real Betis (Fekir 17)
Betis are a serious threat to win this thing, and Fekir is a big part of the reason why.
Updated
West Ham have a go at the old Arsenal corner, driven flat to the near post for the flick-on. I’m not sure why it’s gone out of the game because when done well it’s almost undefendable, and this is a good effort ... but no one is on-hand to head home when the first two parts work nicely.
Celtic are playing well and Hradecky has just made another save, with fingertips and low on the stretch, to shove away a decent header from Ralston.
Updated
Lo Celso making it look way too easy for Spurs 👌 pic.twitter.com/8PgSpRXf2f
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 30, 2021
Aaaargh! Kyogo runs off Tah, Abada finds him, and he’s in! But Hradecky comes out well and Kyogo opts to slides past him not lift over in, making it easier for the keeper to make the save.
Credit where it’s due, Celtic are good at unlikely football songs.
Nice from Celtic at Parkhead, Rogic thrashing over after good work by Montgomery.
GOAL! Lazio 1-0 Lokomotiv Moscow (Basic 13)
Lazio lost to Galatasaray last time out.
GOAL! Genk 0-1 Dinamo Zagreb (Ivanusec 10)
This is in West Ham’s group; Genk beat Rapid in the last round of games.
In the Conference League, Mura are going to get an absolute hiding if they’re not careful.
Have a look! West Ham win a free-kick down the left and Rice is up early and high, glancing a terrific header onto the far post from 10 yards. He looks to be developing new skills every time I see him play.
GOAL! Spurs 2-0 Mura (Lo Celso 8)
This is a lovely goal, Lo Celso nipping around the outside of the Mura defence to spank a rising finish across and above the keeper into the roof of the net.
Updated
We’re scoreless in all our Europa League games, but the two I’m watching – West ham v Rapid Wien and Celtic v Leverkusen are both extremelylively.
GOAL! Spurs 1-0 Mura (Alli pen 4)
Alli is fouled, then sweeps the penalty home, just.
Updated
There’s a lot of noise at the London Stadium, where the home side have begun on the front foot.
It’s been a wild opening at Paradise, Leverkusen having a goal disallowed, Kyogo rounding the keeper before being denied by a last-ditch tackle from Tah and McGregor having a shot from distance deflected just over the bar.
At the London Stadium, all 22 starters take the knee – a welcome sight after the Legia fans booed the gesture, though Andre Martins, one of their own players, made it.
Away we go...
I’m fascinated to see how West Ham do in midfield, given a trio of Noble, Rice and Benrahma. I wonder if Moyes is starting to see the latter as a number 10.
The London Stadium is bouncing as the players emerge for its first European night; Rapid, meanwhile, have some very smart kits indeed.
Updated
That’s all from me ... but don’t go away! Daniel Harris is here to keep tabs on the evening’s late(ish) Europa League kick-offs, featuring West Ham, Celtic. He may also cast a glance towards – bless them – Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa Conference League. Nuno Espirito Santo was a little prickly in his pre-match interview with BT Sport’s Jeff Brazier.
Hi everyone, Daniel Harris taking over from Barry Glendenning, and across Europe players are tunnelled. At West Ham, the bubbles are blowing...
Updated
Europa League results ...
Group A
- Lyon 3-0 Brondby
- Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers
Group B
- Real Sociedad 1-1 Monaco
- Sturm Graz 1-4 PSV Eindhoven
Group C
- Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City
- Napoli 1-3 Spartak Moscow
Group D
- Fenerbahce 0-3 Olympiacos
- Royal Antwerp 0-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
- View the Europa League tables
Leicester City and Rangers both lose ...
Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City: Legia are top of the table after two wins from two while Leicester are propping it up.
Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers: Jakub Pesek scored the winner for Sparta Prague as Rangers lost in the Czech Republic.
Celtic v Bayer Leverkusen line-ups ...
Celtic: Hart, Ralston, Starfelt, Carter-Vickers, McGregor, Rogic, Turnbull, Abada, Montgomery, Jota, Furuhashi.
Subs: Giakoumakis, Scales, Barkas, Bitton, Ajeti, Soro, McCarthy, Urhoghide, Bain, Shaw, Welsh.
Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky, Frimpong, Tah, Hincapie, Bakker, Aranguiz, Demirbay, Diaby, Wirtz, Paulinho, Alario.
Subs: Retsos, Kossounou, Amiri, Schick, Sinkgraven, Adli, Bellarabi, Lunev, Neutgens.
Referee: Marco Di Bello (Italy)
Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester: A brilliant save from Kasper Schmeichel denies Liram Kastrati, who’d got in behind the Leicester defence, cut inside and only had the goalkeeper to beat from 10 yards out., The goalkeeper got a knee to the low ashot and knocked it off the post and out. Kastrati cut off in his prime, there. So to speak.
Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City: James Maddison has a scuffed effort cleared off the line as Leicester pile forward in search of an equaliser.
West Ham v Rapid Vienna line-ups ...
West Ham: Areola, Johnson, Dawson, Diop, Cresswell, Benrahma, Rice, Noble, Yarmolenko, Vlasic, Antonio.
Subs: Fabianski, Zouma, Fornals, Lanzini, Bowen, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Soucek, Kral, Randolph, Baptiste, Alese.
Rapid Vienna: Gartler, Aiwu, Greiml, Wimmer, Ullmann, Petrovic, Grahovac, Arase, Knasmullner, Fountas, Kara.
Subs: Ljubicic, Ballo, Schick, Hofmann, Unger, Stojkovic, Auer, Grull, Kitagawa,
Hedl.
Referee: Tobias Stieler (Germany)
Red card: Rangers down to 10 men
Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers: Having endured another night of torment being – let’s not beat around the bush – racially abused by a sizeable proportion of a crowd comprised entirely of schoolchildren, Glen Kamara is sent off after getting his second yellow card.
Updated
Europa League latest scores ...
Group A
- Lyon 2-0 Brondby
- Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers
Group B
- Real Sociedad 1-1 Monaco
- Sturm Graz 1-3 PSV Eindhoven
Group C
- Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City
- Napoli 1-1 Spartak Moscow
Group D
- Fenerbahce 0-3 Olympiacos
- Royal Antwerp 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
All with 17 minutes plus extras to go ...
Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City: It’s Miszta to the rescue again, doing well to keep out an effort that came off Jannik Vestergaard’s shoulder from a corner. If the big Leicester defender had kept his eye on that ball he almost certainly would have scored.
Updated
Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester: The home side’s teenage goalkeeper Cezary Miszta dives to his right to save a header from Leicester’s Patson Daka.
Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City: With Legia Warsaw digging in to try and hold what they have, there is very little happening on the pitch. Off it, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes are warmed up and preparing to come on for Leicester.
Europa Conference League line-up ...
Tottenham Hotspur: Gollini, Doherty, Rodon, Romero, Reguilon, Alli, Skipp, Winks, Lo Celso, Scarlett, Gil Salvatierra.
Subs: Hojbjerg, Sanchez, Son, Kane, Emerson, Dier, Tanganga, Lucas Moura, Ndombele, Austin, White, Omole.
Mura (they’re Slovenian): Obradovic, Karnicnik, Marusko, Gorenc, Kous, Lorbek, Horvat, Kozar, Sturm, Marosa, Mulahusejnovic.
Subs: Kai Cipot, Pucko, Erjavec, Karamarko, Tio Cipot, Skoflek, Ouro, Lotric, Mahimi, Klepac, Mandic, Zalokar.
Updated
West Ham v Rapid Vienna (8pm BST): West Ham boss David Moyes makes seven changes. Alphonse Areola, Ben Johnson, Craig Dawson, Issa Diop, Mark Noble, Nikola Vlasic and Andriy Yarmolenko all come in to his side.
Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City: “It’s calling out for a Harvey Barnes or a Marc Albrighton to get forward,” says Steve McMananaman, who is on co-comms for BT Sport. “Everything is going backwards.”
Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers: Leon Balogun gets the ball in the Sparta Prague net but his effort is ruled out for offside.
Play resumes ...
Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers: My word! Rangers survive a very early second half scare when Jakub Pesek somehow manages to hit the cross-bar with a tap-in from five or six yards out when the Rangers goal was gaping. That is a quite astonishing miss. It was on a plate for him.
Confirmed by BT Sport: Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara is being booed every time he touches the ball in Prague, which is sad to hear given his history of being racially abused in a game between the two sides. A reminder ...
Eurpa League half-times
Group A
- Lyon 0-0 Brondby
- Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers
Group B
- Real Sociedad 0-1 Monaco
- Sturm Graz 0-1 PSV Eindhoven
Group C
- Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City
- Napoli 1-0 Spartak Moscow
Group D
- Fenerbahce 0-1 Olympiacos
- Royal Antwerp 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Half-time ...
Both Rangers and Leicester go in a goal down against Sparta Prague and Legia Warsaw respectively. Leciester went behind on the back of some awful defending on the edge of their own penalty area, while Rangers were undone by a near post header from a corner that went in off the far post. Neither Brendan Rodgers, today linked with the Barcelona job, nor Steven Gerrard will be best pleased with their teams’ first half performances.
Worrying if true. And there’s no reason to suppose it is not, given the report comes from The Athletic’s Rangers correspondent Jordan Campbell. I am watching the Rangers game with the sound down(ish) so hadn’t noticed.
Sparta Prague fans racially abused Monaco's Aurelien Tchouameni so faced a stadium closure tonight vs Rangers.
— Jordan Campbell (@JordanC1107) September 30, 2021
The only exception is that 10,000 local kids under 14 years are in but Glen Kamara, racially abused by Slavia’s Ondrej Kudela, is now being booed with every touch.
Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester: Ayoze Perez latches on to a through ball from Youri Tielemans and sends his low drive a couple of yards wide of the right post. Patson Daka and he were both sniffing around that ball in behind but the senior player assumed responsibility for taking possession and the shot.
Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers: Iannis Hagi comes on for Juninho Bacuna, who appears to have shipped an injury on his first start for Rangers.
Europa League latest scores ...
Group A
- Lyon 0-0 Brondby
- Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers
Group B
- Real Sociedad 0-1 Monaco
- Sturm Graz 0-1 PSV Eindhoven
Group C
- Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City
- Napoli 1-0 Spartak Moscow
Group D
- Fenerbahce 0-1 Olympiacos
- Royal Antwerp 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
GOAL! Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City
You wait half an hour for a goal in the games featuring the British teams then two go in off assorted far posts at once. Emreli fires Legia ahead after getting the better of Jannick Vestergaard and Daniel Amartey, digging the ball out from under his own feet and scoring with a low diagonal drive off the foot of the upright. Woeful defending by Leicester.
Updated
GOAL! Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers
Rangers concede from a corner. A near post Hancko header bounces in off the far upright and just about crosses the line.
Updated
Sparta Prague 0-0 Rangers: Rangers survive a scare after Martin Minchev gets in behind their defence but shoots straight at Allan McGregor from a narrowish angle.
Legia Warsaw 0-0 Leicester: The early group stages of Europe’s second tier competition are <sarcasm>famously exciting</sarcasm> and this game is no exception. With 25 minutes gone, nothing of any interest whatsoever has happened. Never mind, there’s always Tottenham v Mura in the Europa Conference League later.
Group B: Away at Real Sociedad, Monaco have taken the lead through a 16th minute strike from Axel Disasi.
Updated
Sparta Prague 0-0 Rangers: Leon Balogun heads a Steven Davis cross from the right downwards and not too far wide of the upright after a period of sustained pressure from Rangers.
Legia Warsaw 0-0 Leicester: Leicester are very much in control of this particular game at the moment, with youth team graduate Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall catching the eye. He spent last season on loan at Luton Town.
Another goal: In Group D, Brazilian striker Francisco Soares has given Olympiacos an early lead away to Turkish side Fenerbahce.
Legia Warsaw v Leicester: Ayoze Perez wins Leciester a corner, which Kiernan Desbury-Hall takes. Nineteen year old goalkeeper Cezary Miszta, in for the injured Artur “Holy Goalie” Boruc punches his inswinger clear.
Napoli v Spartak Moscow: To Group C and don’t spare the horses. Napoli are hosting Spartak Moscow in the same group as Leicester and Legia Warsaw and the Italian side have taken an early doors lead against their Russian opponents. Macedonian midfielder Elif Elmas scored in the opening minute of that particular encounter.
Updated
Our 5.45pm (BST) games are go ...
Leicester take the knee, to loud boos from the fans of Legia Warsaw, whose players don’t. In Prague, the players of Rangers take the knee but their opponents don’t, opting instead to stand in a tight brothers-in-arms line around their side of the centre-circle.
Updated
Apologies: Your humble reporter is ensconced in his Sarf Lahndan Bat Cave being blighted by technical difficulties, which have precluded me from providing as much pre-match chat and info-tainment as I would like. Thankfully, I have managed to sort them all out by louldy effing and jeffing a lot, and switching a variety of devices on and off again just in time for kick-off in our early games. Let’s get ready to rumble!!!
Sparta Prague v Rangers: There are four changes to the Rangers starting line-up from their opening group stage game against Lyon. Juninho Bacuna, younger brother of Cardiff City’s Leandro, makes his first start for Rangers after three substitute appearances since signing from Huddersfield Town in August.
Updated
Some pre-match listening: The midweek Champions League action was top of the agenda on the latest episode of today’s Guardian Football Weekly podcast. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can subscribe for free on all the usual podcast platforms.
Updated
Sparta Prague v Rangers line-ups
Sparta Prague: Nita, Wiesner, Panak, Celustka, Hancko, Sacek, Pavelka, Pesek, Haraslin, Minchev, Hlozek.
Subs: Gabriel, Moberg Karlsson, Dockal, Drchal, Pulkrab, Stetina, Polidar, Heca, Vindheim, Karabec, Kotek, Vitik.
Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, Bassey, Balogun, Barisic, Davis, Bacuna, Kamara, Roofe, Sakala, Aribo.
Subs: Lundstram, Hagi, Patterson, Morelos, Scott Wright, Kelly, McCrorie, McLaughlin, Arfield, McClelland.
Referee: Ali Palabiyik (Turkey)
Legia Warsaw: Miszta, Jedrzejczyk, Wieteska, Nawrocki, Johansson, Slisz, Kharatin, Andre Martins, Mladenovic, Josue, Emreli.
Subs: Holownia, Yuri Ribeiro, Kastrati, Pekhart, Celhaka, Muci, Rafael Lopes, Skibicki, Abu Hanna, Rose, Kostorz, Tobiasz.
Leicester: Schmeichel, Amartey, Vestergaard, Soyuncu, Tielemans, Castagne, Soumare, Dewsbury-Hall, Thomas, Perez, Daka.
Subs: Bertrand, Barnes, Vardy, Maddison, Albrighton, Ward, Choudhury, Ricardo Pereira, Benkovic, Jakupovic, Lookman.
Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia)
Legia Warsaw v Leicester City team news
Patson Daka starts up front for Leicester, it says here. The Foxes are without Kelechi Iheanacho after he was turned away by Polish border control on Wednesday following a problem with his travel documents.
Kieran Dewsbury-Hall will start in midfield, with Luke Thomas and Ayoze Perez also in the line-up. Jamie Vardy, Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and Ademola Lookman are on the bench for the visitors.
Today's 5.45pm (BST) kick-offs
Group A
- Lyon v Brondby
- Sparta Prague v Rangers
Group B
- Real Sociedad v Monaco
- Sturm Graz v PSV Eindhoven
Group C
- Legia Warsaw v Leicester City
- Napoli v Spartak Moscow
Group D
- Fenerbahce v Olympiacos
- Royal Antwerp v Eintracht Frankfurt
- View the Europa League tables
- View tonight’s later Europa League fixtures
Europa League Matchday Two
Four of the 32 sides in action tonight hail from the UK. Representing the Premier League, Leicester City travel to Poland, where they will be hosted by Legia Warsaw in one of the evening’s earlier kick-offs, while West Ham host Rapid Vienna at the London Stadium later tonight. Leicester kicked off their campaign with a 2-2 draw with Napoli at the King Power Stadium, while the Hammers got off to a flier with a win away at Dinampo Zagreb.
Representing the Scottish Premiership, Celtic and Rangers take on Sparta Prague and Bayer Leverkusen respectively. Both Glasgow sides having got their campaigns off to rather inauspicious starts. Steven Gerrard’s Rangers lost their opener at home to Lyojn, while Ange Postecoglu’s Celtic went down by the odd goal of seven in Seville against Real Betis.
Elsewhere in the Europa Conference League, Tottenham Hotspur take on Slovenian side Mura with the London side’s beleaguered new manager Nuno Espirito hoping to end a run of five games without a win. One imagines anything less than victory at home tonight will leave him marooned in the bad books of Spurs fans with little or no hope of extricating himself from them.
