And that’s it for another Friday football blog. Man Utd v Everton gets the Premier League up and running at 12.30pm BST on Saturday and the weekend concludes with Liverpool v Man City at 4.30pm on Sunday. The bookies make City favourites to win the Anfield showdown. Are they right? Anyway, thanks for reading and enjoy the weekend.
Wolves v Newcastle: Paul Doyle previews Saturday’s 3pm-er at Molineux. Another goal from Jiménez? More wizardry from Allan Saint-Maximin?
Leeds v Watford: A match preview from Louise Taylor. Seventh time lucky for Leeds after their winless start?
West Ham v Brentford: Do the Hammers have a big enough squad to cope with extra European demands? All-action Brentford aren’t perhaps the best team to come up against when trying to show they can handle Thursday-Sunday football but that’s the bed David Moyes has made.
Some team news via PA Media.
West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal missed Thursday’s Europa League win over Rapid Vienna due to a minor injury and, according to Hammers boss Moyes, has “a chance” of featuring against the Bees.
Fellow full-back Ryan Fredericks also faces a late fitness test after suffering a groin issue in the Carabao Cup win at Manchester United on September 22.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank has no new injury concerns ahead of his side’s trip across the capital to the London Stadium.
Ethan Pinnock was taken off inside the first half as Brentford scored a late equaliser to secure a 3-3 draw against league leaders Liverpool, although he is likely to be fit for Sunday.
Mads Sorensen and Josh Dasilva remain long-term absentees.
It’s The Fiver! This week: Liverpool v Man City, plus water cooler chat. Oh, and how about that Magritte-style picture. The Son of Mane?
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Burnley v Norwich: It’s the haven’t-won-a-game-yet derby at Turf Moor on Saturday. Pencil this one in for 0-0 then.
That, of course, would mean Norwich being able to defend (they’ve shipped 16 in six games so far) but boss Daniel Farke insists there are signs of competence at the back.
“For me our approach at Everton was a role model for me in how we want to defend.
“We only allowed one chance for the home side, looked absolutely compact and solid,” said Farke, whose team conceded twice.
“We are not happy we are bottom of the league with no points, but we also know the reasons.
“We are focussed and know what we have to improve.
“If we can show a bit more quality and efficiency in both boxes, then we have more chances to win many points in this league.”
Daniel Levy said Spurs would play ‘free-flowing, attacking and entertaining’ football under the new manager. Where is it?
That’s the question posed by Ben McAleer here.
Jiménez cropped up in this article on pronouncing footballers’ names - a subject which caused the below the line comments to go crazy.
Take a browse; it’ll spark much debate.
Former ITV commentator Brian Moore popped into my head when I read it last night. I could never work out why he went with Graeme SOWness (rhymes with wow!) instead of SOOness.
I also recall Moore’s LitMAnen, the Finn. Never LITmanen. And always “the Finn” as Jari took possession and pondered his next through ball.
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Wolves v Newcastle: Wolves boss Bruno Lage has praised the attitude of Raúl Jiménez after the striker got his first goal for 336 days in the 1-0 win at Southampton last week.
The Mexican striker has faced a long journey back after the life-threatening injury he sustained following a clash of heads with David Luiz at Arsenal.
Lage says he now expects more goals soon from his frontman.
“The way he is as a man, he is doing everything calmly. He is a good example, you can be a top player and also a top man. He is comfortable because, after what happened, he is living day-by-day, enjoying the moment and the goals will come.
“He knows now he needs to score more goals for us and we are here to support him, the fans are there to support. It builds more confidence.
“He is enjoying the moment and I think it is the best way to live our lives like that, in the moment, and not to think what will happen in the future.”
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More weekend previews to follow but first our retro picture/tweet of the day.
@robertmdaws @jslovechild @Wrightie7 The good old days , when your dedicated footie hooligan brought along his 22oz tungsten darts along with his bog roll . Decent out shot on double top , too .
— Bergkamp64 (@bergamp64) October 1, 2021
PC Sam Allardyce not at all impressed . pic.twitter.com/yu3Bnjm5ZA
Chelsea v Southampton: The Blues have failed to win any of their last three games against Saturday’s visitors. More stats and team news here.
The Guardian’s No Time To Die review. And it’s five stars from film critic Peter Bradshaw!
Weekend plans: go to see the new Bond movie and watch Liverpool v Man City.
Talking of which...
🗣"I worship him so yes." 🤣
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 1, 2021
Liverpool fan Daniel Craig answers whether Jurgen Klopp would make a good James Bond. @007 | @Carra23 | #NoTimeToDie pic.twitter.com/FoROOSTvUL
Klopp was asked today if he fancied it following Daniel Craig’s praise. His response: “Thank you for having these nice words but I would be a very bad James Bond! If I walked out of the water in swim shorts then the whole of the world would turn off! He has to save the world and I have to help Liverpool.”
Here’s Jurgen proving the point by looking somewhat ungainly with spade in hand.
Jurgen Klopp marked work officially getting underway on Liverpool's Anfield Road Stand redevelopment project, with a ground-breaking ceremony to celebrate the eventual growth of the stadium to 61,000 capacity 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/yitYlzxMHI
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 1, 2021
Crystal Palace v Leicester: The hosts have no new injury problems for Saturday’s game so, instead, Patrick Vieira has been raving about new golden child Conor Gallagher.
Palace fans have just voted the midfielder their Player of the Month for the second time following his scoop of the award in August.
Back-to-back W88 Palace Player of the Month awards for Conor Gallagher 🏆#CPFC | @CpfcW88
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) September 30, 2021
Vieira knows a good midfielder when he sees one and has this to say.
“He’s an important player for us because he’s bringing his energy in both sides of the game. When we’re in possession he’s somebody who likes to run in behind, always giving options in the box.
“Out of possession he covers spaces well and defends quite well. Like I said last time [he won Player of the Month] it’s a pleasure working with a player like that. He wants to improve, is always open to conversation and we all enjoy working with him.
“He’s somebody that I think is matching well with the fans and the atmosphere in the stadium. He loves defending, going forward, closing people down. This is the kind of energy he’s bringing to the team.”
Brighton v Arsenal: Team news and stats on Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off here. The Gunners are seeking a fourth straight win but still sit four places below Brighton in the table.
Sparta complain of ‘xenophobic attacks’ on children
Sparta Prague have asked Rangers to help stop what they called “xenophobic attacks” on the children who booed Ibrox midfielder Glen Kamara, report PA Media.
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard earlier revealed the club were in the process of contacting UEFA about the treatment Kamara was subjected to during their 1-0 Europa League defeat in the Czech Republic on Thursday.
Kamara’s every touch was booed in a stadium largely occupied by schoolchildren, months after Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela was banned for 10 matches by UEFA for racially abusing the Finland international.
Kamara, who was suspended for three matches for an alleged assault on the Czech international in the Ibrox tunnel in March, was sent off to huge cheers on Thursday after picking up two bookings.
The Letna Stadium was originally meant to be closed as a result of racist abuse by Sparta fans towards Monaco’s Aurelius Tchouameni but UEFA agreed that around 10,000 fans – mainly schoolchildren with some accompanying adults – would be allowed in.
In a lengthy statement, Sparta said: “It is absolutely unbelievable that after a match we have to watch innocent children being attacked and face unfounded accusations of racism.
“Insulting children on the internet and in the media is unacceptable, desperate and ridiculous.
“Stop attacking our children! Our club will proudly defend our children – our future and our pride. Slandering children on the internet is extremely cowardly.
“We are seeing unprecedented xenophobic statements against the Czech Republic, its citizens and even its children on social media.
“You are describing the behaviour of children incorrectly, arrogating to yourself the right to judge the expression of emotions of six-year-old children who have no idea what racism is. It’s an impertinence.”
Klopp criticises red-zone quarantine plan
Jürgen Klopp has condemned the new quarantine rules for internationals returning from red zone countries and accused the Premier League of not “fighting for our players” during its negotiations with the government.
Earlier today the government confirmed that fully vaccinated players returning from red zone countries would have to stay in “bespoke quarantine facilities” for 10 days but could leave once a day to play or train.
Klopp has four Liverpool players due to visit red zone countries this month – Brazil’s Alisson and Fabinho, Greece’s Kostas Tsimikas and Senegal’s Sadio Mané – and is deeply unhappy with the arrangement.
Full story here from Andy Hunter and Paul McInnes:
Liverpool v Man City - by the numbers: The folk at Opta have all the angles covered.
- Liverpool haven’t lost consecutive league games against Manchester City since a run of four between 1935 and 1937, going down 4-1 the last time the sides met in February.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in 16 league games (W12 D4), the longest current run without defeat in the top four tiers of English football. However, the Reds conceded more goals in their 3-3 draw at Brentford last time out than they had in their previous eight league games combined (2).
- Manchester City haven’t faced a shot on target in three of their six Premier League games so far this season (vs Norwich, Arsenal and Chelsea), the same number of games they didn’t face a single attempt on target in 38 league games last season.
- Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in six goals in his five appearances against Manchester City at Anfield in all competitions, scoring four and assisting two.
Liverpool v Manchester City - Klopp: Time for some quotes from the German’s press conference. Let’s start with him replying to a question on how big Sunday’s game is.
“Big, big. Man City is an outstanding football team. They lost now against PSG. After Porto, I only knew the result and I said they probably will strike back. But they don’t have to actually. I saw now the game obviously and it was a really good football game. Man City played a really good game, which they lost in two situations, let me say it like this, or three, four situations when they didn’t use their chances and PSG could score.
“But when you think about the quality of the PSG team and the way Man City dominated them, that says a lot, that says a lot about the qualities. We have to play a proper football game, I would say, to have a chance. But it’s Anfield and we are really looking forward to it, I can say that.”
On Liverpool scoring 20 goals in their last six matches: “We scored some goals, that’s true – but I know as well that we missed a lot of chances in that period, so it’s clear. But I’m not sure if we should expect that now against City.
“I know there were games when we scored a good number, or they scored a lot of goals against us or we against them. We are in a good shape, that’s for sure. We are in a good moment, let me say it like this. But that’s what you have to be to have a chance against them. They are still really, for me, probably the best team in Europe in the moment and it’s a tough one.
“Last weekend, they played Chelsea and everybody was talking about Chelsea, how good they are – and they are good, oh my God, they are really good – but City was clear, clear better that day. So, that’s the team we will face and to win the game we have to score goals. All we did in the last few weeks now is helpful because we are confident in that department. But we have to defend on our absolute highest level to stay in the game and to make sure that the goals we score make the difference.”
Next time you visit Amsterdam, check this out in Madame Tussauds. Even the Virgil van Dijk waxwork could win a footrace with (insert name of slow striker here).
Thomas Tuchel is bemused. Not just because his side have suffered back-to-back 1-0 defeats but due to Gareth Southgate naming Reece James in his England squad. How can it be, says Tuchel, given that the right-back is injured?
Basil Fawlty was wrong; Germans do have a sense of humour, and here’s Tuchel riffing on some water-based irony.
When asked if James had been named in the England squad with his blessing, Tuchel replied: “You would assume so, no? But when I saw it I thought that maybe Reece goes with the water polo team for England, because right now he trains in the pool.
“So I was a bit surprised, but I understood that he was selected for the football team. So this will not happen because Reece is training in the pool right now.
“So my understanding, my last information is that he will not go. So that can only be a misunderstanding, nothing else.”
James limped off in Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Manchester City last weekend after suffering an ankle injury.
And, according to Tuchel, he has no chance of being fit for Saturday’s game against Southampton or England’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Hungary next week.
Our headline story on football focuses on Pini Zahavi. One of football’s most famous and influential agents, has been indicted for forgery, use of forgery, fraud and money laundering as part of an investigation into the Belgian club Mouscron.
Full story here from Ed Aarons:
Liverpool v Manchester City: Pep has won two and drawn one of the last three games against Jurgen Klopp. That takes their head-to-head record to a perfectly-balanced nine wins each and three draws.
But even with that recent improvement, his points per match record against Klopp is way down compared to other managers. Here’s a handful of those he’s had eight or more pre-match handshakes with.
Pep’s points per match against rival managers
Eddie Howe 3.00 (eight wins out eight)
Marco Silva 3.00
Sean Dyche 2.85
David Moyes 2.56
Manuel Pellegrini 2.43
Unai Emery 2.33
Roy Hodgson 2.13
Mauricio Pochettino 1.95
Arsene Wenger 1.93
Brendan Rodgers 1.89
Jose Mourinho 1.68
Thomas Tuchel 1.60
Jurgen Klopp 1.43
And the man he struggles most against...
Ole Gunnar Solskjær 1.25
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Thanks Barry. Let’s get stuck into some more Liverpool v Man City...
That’s all from me ... but don’t go away. Thanks for your time, your company and have a great weekend. I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of David Tindall.
Manchester United v Everton: Ole Gunnar Solskjær has been on the old Zoom ahead of tomrorrow’s lunchtime game and had good news to impart about St Marcus of Rashford’s recovery from a shoulder injury. “Marcus trained fully for the first time today with contact,” he said. “There were a few tackles flying in on him but he seemed OK, which was nice to see.”
Ole called on his Manchester United players to carry the momentum of Wednesday’s Champions League smash-and-grab over Villarreal into their game with Everton. “The boost and energy you get in the group after a win like this has to be built on,” he said. “It’s a very very quick turnaround, Wednesday night and Saturday morning, but the players are not going to get caught out by it and we need to start as we finished on Wednesday night.”
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Liverpool v Manchester City: Whether it’s influencing referees when it comes to awarding Manchester United penalties or keeping Pep Guardiola on his toes as Manchester City manager, it seems Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been instrumental when it comes to making his mark on top flight football in Manchester.
“Jurgen Klopp’s teams helped me to be a better manager,” said Pep Guardiola ahead of Sunday’s big game at Anfield. “He put me another level, to think about it, to prove myself, to be a better manager. That is the reason why I am still in this business.”
On the prospect of bringing City to play in front of a post-lockdown capacity crowd at Anfield, Pep was similarly effusive. “I’m very pleased Anfield is full again and we can go there to play a game,” he said. “It’s nice that the people are back and we can enjoy a fantastic atmosphere there. Hopefully we can handle it in a good way.
“For us it’s an honour to be a rival with Liverpool. Decades ago we weren’t rivals to them. For many years we have tried to compete with these legendary clubs so it’s an honour.”
Manchester United v Everton: Everton will be without several key players when they take on Manchester United at Old Trafford in tomorrow afternoon’s early kick0-off. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Seamus Coleman remain sidelined with soft tissue injuries, while Richarlison (knee), Andre Gomes (calf) and Fabian Delph (shoulder) are also unavailable. “They are training, they are starting on the pitch little by little, but still, they are not ready for this game,” said Rafael Benitez of Calvert-Lewin and Coleman.
Brighton v Arsenal: Following their team’s impressive derby win against Tottenham last Sunday, Arsenal fans will be morbidly curiooius to see if Mikel Arteta’s side can build on their excellent performance against fairly poor opposition when they travel to Brighton tomorrow. The Gunners will be without Granit Xhaka, who has been ruled out for up to three months with a knee injury, but Mikel Arteta says he expects others to step up in the Swiss midfielder’s absence.
“It has to happen, there is no other choice,” he said. “There are players here that they are so willing to play and they had opportunities this season already and they have responded really well. It is another opportunity. It is a challenge for us because Granit is an important player, not only for the team, but for the squad - other players have to do it now.”
Arsenal defender Ben White is in line to face his old club, the England international having left for a club-record fee of £50m during the summer. “I’ve been very impressed with how he handles the pressure and how he has handled the situation of coming through the Euros, the big fee, the composure and the calmness that he has shown,” Arteta said.
“And as well, the willingness to learn, to improve, because he’s realised that he is still really young, still in the development process and there are things that he can improve.”
Burnley v Norwich City: Burnley have failed to win any of their past 13 Premier League matches at Turf Moor but will hardly have a better chance to rectify this worrying lack of home success than when Norwich City come to town tomorrow.
“Our away form was incredibly important to us last season, it kept us in the Premier League,” said Sean Dyche this morning. “For sure you want your home form to be at least decent because you want that feelgood factor, but where you get your points from and making points and making it happen, that’s the key to it and we showed that last season.
“I certainly don’t overthink that. It’s favourable if you have a good home record but the challenge of a season is to get enough points to continue what you’re looking to build in the Premier League.”
The Clarets have collected just two points from their opening six matches in another poor start to the campaign, albeit two more points than their visitors, who have lost all six of their opening games upon their latest return to the top flight. Burnley will be missing their impressive summer signing Maxwel Cornet tomorrow after the Ivorian pulled a hamstring during his side’s 2-2 draw against Leicester.
Leeds United v Watford: If Leeds are to secure their first Premier League win of the season at home to Watford tomorrow, they will have to do so without Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling.
Bamford has not recovered from an ankle injury and right-back Ayling requires minor knee surgery, but winger Raphinha (hip) is available after being forced out of last week’s home defeat to West Ham and defender Diego Llorente (muscle strain) is also back in contention. Germany defender Robin Koch remains sidelined with a troublesome pelvic injury and midfielder Adam Forshaw (muscle strain) is still out.
Watford midfielder Peter Etebo suffered a torn quad muscle in last weekend’s draw with Newcastle and is set to miss “four to five months” according to boss Xisco Munoz.
Tottenham v Aston Villa: After three consecutive Premier League defeats, Nuno Espirito Santo and his merry men are in dire need of a pre-international break victory at home to Aston Villa tomorrow. Speaking after their Europa Conference League win against Slovenian side Mura last night, Dele Alli said there would be no quick fixes for Tottenham’s problems.
“Last weekend, I’m sure the fans felt it a lot but believe me the players felt it a lot more,” he said of Tottenham’s smiting at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday, a game in which he was substituted at half-time. “We were devastated. We know we’re going through a period where it’s important we all stay together. The fans, the players and the coaching staff.
“We’re building, we’re working. The transition from last season, if anyone thought it would be magical and just all slot into place, that’s not the way it works. We’re seeing things we’re happy with, we’re seeing things we’re not happy with. We’re trying to improve. Sometimes things take time.
“Hopefully not too much time, we know that, but we want the fans to stick behind us. We’re going to keep working, keep fighting. We’re building something.”
Of his removal from proceedings, Alli had this to say. “For me personally, being subbed at half-time as well, [resulted in] a couple of sleepless nights. We know what we have to do. To keep working, to believe in the process, everyone at the club - the fans, the players - they have to believe in what we’re doing. We have to keep working, keep fighting every day, keep trying to improve.
“There’s a lot of things we know we need to work on. And I go back to saying this, it’s not going to be a click the fingers and we’re back to where we want to be. It’s a process and we believe it in as players and coaching staff, and as a club we believe in it. So we have to keep working and keep fighting.”
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Leeds v Watford: Watford manager Xisco Munoz has challenged his team to show their personality and character against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds on Saturday. Watford have won two of their opening six top flight games this season, while out-of-sorts Leeds are still looking for their first win.
“I know exactly what is the style of Marcelo [Bielsa] and for sure we try to give a very good performance,” Xisco insisted. “They have a different style and we know what we need to do for this game. We need to have a strong mentality and we need to be strong physically, so this is our challenge this week.
“I think we have an important time to improve and it’s the moment to build. We have to work hard against this style but we can do it if we show our personality and character. We know we are not perfect but I love my players because they are working very hard and they want to improve.”
Wolves v Newcastle United: At the end of a week of legal wrangling between Newcastle United and the Competition Appeal Tribunal over Mike Ashley’s failed attempt to sell the club to a Middle Eastern consortium, Steve Bruce has said he has been trying to ignore the noise surrounding the failed takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, but added that he would be unsurprised to learn that other Premier League clubs had tried to block it.
Daniel Jowell QC, acting for Mike Ashley-owned St James Holdings Limited, claimed at a CAT hearing earlier this week that “a number of major clubs” had lobbied against the proposed sale.
“Would it surprise me?” said Bruce. “No. No, it wouldn’t surprise me, no, no. You wouldn’t want another big player on the patch, would you, so it wouldn’t surprise me, no.”
Newcastle and Ashley’s legal tussle with the Premier League looks set to run and run into 2022, with the arbitration date currently set for 3 January.
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Leeds United v Watford: “Should Leeds fail to beat Watford at Elland Road on Saturday it would leave the club with the unwanted distinction of having failed to win any of their opening seven league fixtures for the first time,” writes Louise Taylor. “So what has gone wrong for Marcelo Bielsa’s team, who swashbuckled to ninth place last season but languish in the bottom three?”
An email: “Penny for your thoughts on the idea that Harry Kane has revitalised his season by putting three goals past a team who might just about cut it in League Two?” asks Tom, in an email with the words ‘flat’, ‘track’ and ‘bullies’ in the subject bar.
You’re a very cynical man, Tom. While I can see where you’re coming from, I would suggest that when you’re struggling to get off the mark in the Premier League, goals against anyone in any competition are better than no goals at all. For all the talk about Harry’s latest slow start to a season, he has scored six for Spurs already.
The fact that five of those have come in the Europa Comnference League against two teams I had never previously heard of does go some way towards supporting your “flat track bully” theory, although the striker’s record does speak for itself.
Chelsea v Southampton: Ralph Hassenhüttl has been chatting ahead of his side’s trip to that there Big London to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow afternoon. While his team is looking for their first league win of the season, the pressure, he says, is on Chelsea.
“I think for them it is a very important game because they lost twice and I think it is unusual to have this situation,” he said. “For us it is again a game against one of the top-six top teams in the league, the Champions League winners, who are a little bit under pressure after two times not winning. They will do everything to win this game because they have to.
“You don’t have to speak about the quality of the opponent, we know this. We need a similar performance like the one against Manchester City and we have shown we can be competitive against big teams.”
Stuart Armstrong is closing in on a return to fitness and could be in contention for Saturday’s game. The 29-year-old midfielder has yet to play this season due to a calf injury. He was on the bench for Saints’ opening day defeat at Everton before the problem flared up again.
Hasenhuttl also said one or two players were nursing minor knocks and niggles but nothing serious enough to put their involvement in the game at Chelsea in jeopardy.
Armando Broja, who is on loan from Chelsea, is ineligible, while Jack Stephens (knee) is a long-term absentee.
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Below the line: I’m told that due to the sheer volume of traffic on stories pertaining to more important things going on in the world, we don’t have the capacity to open the comments section on this blog today. Anyone who has anything they’d like to get off their chest is welcome to send me an email or Tweet.
International news: Fully vaccinated players will be able to travel for international duty in red-list countries this month, according to the PA news agency. A bespoke quarantine exemption has been agreed between the Premier League, the government and the health authorities which will enable players to travel and then play for their clubs on their return.
The Government has yet to confirm the plans but it has been agreed after assurances were given that players would be in Covid-secure ‘bubbles’ with their national teams and on return to their clubs.
Arrivals from red-list countries, even those who are double vaccinated, are usually required to quarantine for 10 days in a Government-approved hotel. Brazil has already issued call-ups to eight Premier League players, while the president of the Mexican federation, Yon De Luisa, told PA it had called up Wolves striker Raul Jimenez. The Covid security measures around red-list players are in addition to existing emergency protocols being operated by Premier League clubs.
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Europa Conference League: Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 Mura
Harry Kane came off the bench to score a hat-trick against the Slovenian side ahead of a crucial game for Spurs against Aston Villa on Sunday.
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Europa League: Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers
On a night when Sparta were supposed to be playing behind closed doors, the home side’s win was overshadowed by the constant barracking of Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara in front of a crowd comprised largely of schoolchildren.
Europa League: Legia Warsaw 1-0 Leicester City
Leicester are out of sorts and will soon be out of the Europa League if they do not get back their mojo, writes Paul Doyle.
Europa League: Celtic 0-4 Bayer Leverkusen
Celtic suffered their second defeat in as many Europa League group games as they went down to in-form German visitors at Celtic Park.
Europa League: West Ham 2-0 Rapid Vienna
West Ham’s win over their Austrian opponents was marred by crowd trouble at the London Stadium. Jacob Steinberg reports.
Thank football it's Friday
An international break looms but before the top flight’s finest head off on their travels, we have another weekend’s worth of hot, sweaty Premier League action to get out of the way. Liverpool host Manchester City in the weekend’s final most high profile contest but before a ball is kicked at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, there are nine other matches to get out of the way.
Manchester United and Everton get proceedings under way in what could be an intriguing encounter at Old Trafford in tomorrow’s lunchtime kick-off, while Brighton v Arsenal and Tottenham v Aston Villa also catch the eye. Ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, we’ll bring you news from all the pre-match pressers, while keeping tabs on any other news from Planet Football that happens to break throughout the day.
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