World number one Rafael Nadal has pulled out of next month's China Open and Shanghai Masters tournaments, to allow his knee injury to recover.

The injury forced the 32-year-old to retire from his US Open semi-final earlier this month.

He also missed Spain's Davis Cup semi-final defeat by France at the weekend.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who has suffered from tendonitis in his knee in the past, could return for the Paris Masters at the end of October.

"While the annoyances on my knee are nothing new, we have decided together with my medical and technical team, not to participate in the Asian tour to recover the knee the way we have always done," he tweeted.

The China Open, which starts on 1 October, and Shanghai Masters, starting on 7 October, form the main part of the Asian leg of the ATP Tour.

Nadal has reached four Grand Slam finals in the past two years - winning the US Open in 2017 and back-to-back French Open titles in 2017 and 2018.

He also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open this year, as well as the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

British number one Johanna Konta was knocked out in the Pan Pacific Open last-16 in a straight-set defeat by Croatia's Donna Vekic.

World number 43 Konta lost 6-3 7-5 in one hour 22 minutes in Tokyo.

Having lost the opening set, Konta, 27, was 4-1 up and had a chance to serve for the second before the 22-year-old fought back.

Vekic, who beat Sloane Stephens in the opening round, faces French second seed Caroline Garcia in the quarter-finals.

Garcia, the world number four, beat Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 2-6 7-5 to reach the last eight.

Vekic earned an early break and held on to edge a tight first set from Konta, but the Briton looked to be in control of the second.

Konta was two breaks up at one point and holding a 4-1 lead, and then had the chance to serve for the set before Vekic recovered to take a 6-5 advantage.

The Briton, who racked up 38 unforced errors in the match, then lost a second successive service game to love as world number 45 Vekic progressed.

"I played really well towards the end of the match and I am really happy to win this in two sets," said Vekic.

Roberto Firmino is ready to return to Liverpool’s starting line-up against Southampton on Saturday, but Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana will not face their former club.

Tuesday’s clash with Paris Saint-Germain saw Firmino score a dramatic stoppage-time winner after coming off the bench.

The Brazil international was named among the Reds’ substitutes for that Champions League match after sustaining an abrasion to his left eye during the 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur three days earlier.

But Jürgen Klopp confirmed on Friday that Firmino is fit to feature from the start versus the Saints at Anfield, although no decision on whether he will do so has been made yet.

Daniel Sturridge, who impressed Klopp while marking his first start of the season with a goal against PSG, is also in contention to play.
“Yes, he [Firmino] is ready… so far there is no reason to think about Bobby, it’s about thinking about how can we line up in general differently. Could they [Firmino and Sturridge] play together? Yes of course,” the boss said.

Centre-back Lovren resumed full training earlier this week after a pelvic injury and is ‘close’ to a return, according to Klopp, while Lallana is also making good progress following a groin problem. Neither will feature this weekend, though.

Dominic Solanke returned to training on Friday after suffering a concussion during his outing for Liverpool’s U23s last Saturday, but fellow striker Divock Origi remains sidelined with a knee issue he picked up during the same game.



Southampton will be without their leading goalscorer Danny Ings at Anfield.

Ings, who has netted three times in five Premier League appearances for Mark Hughes’ team, is ineligible due to the terms of the initial loan agreement that took him from Merseyside to the south coast last month.

Injury-wise, the visitors’ only doubt is Manolo Gabbiadini, who will undergo a late fitness test on a hamstring complaint.
Hughes, meanwhile, is anticipating a tough afternoon against a Liverpool side who go into the weekend looking to make it seven wins from seven matches in all competitions this season.

“They are in outstanding form at the moment. [It was] A great performance in Europe and it’s going to be a test for us,” said the Welshman.

“It’s a game that is going to test us because the team we are facing looks on top of their form in terms of individuals and the collective functioning really well.

“We will go there with the intention of causing problems and taking chances when we create them.”

Last time out

Liverpool v PSG, September 18: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Gomez, Robertson, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Milner, Mane, Salah, Sturridge.

Southampton v Brighton and Hove Albion, September 17: McCarthy, Soares, Vestergaard, Hoedt, Bertrand, Lemina, Hojbjerg, Elyounoussi, Redmond, Long, Ings.

According to Neil Warnock, Manchester City’s defeat against Lyon “might give them a kick up the backside”. Whether that turns out to be the case or not, this is one of those games that could get a little lively.

There is some ill-feeling from last season when Joe Bennett committed a poor challenge on Leroy Sané that saw Pep Guardiola call for players to receive more protection. Warnock admitted Bennett’s tackle was “a disgrace” but said Kevin De Bruyne put Jazz Richards out for 17 matches. Watch this space. Stuart James

Saturday 3pm

Venue Cardiff City Stadium

Last season n/a

Referee Michael Oliver

This season G4 Y7 R2 2.25 cards/game

Odds H 22-1 A 2-11 D 15-2



CARDIFF

The Fiver: the Guardian's take on the world of football
 Read more
Subs from B Murphy, Richards, Paterson, Madine, Peltier, Cunningham, K Harris, Zohore, Connolly, Damour, Coxe, Brown, J Murphy

Doubtful J Murphy (hamstring)

Injured Gunnarsson (knock, Oct), Mendez-Laing (knee, Dec)

Suspended None

Discipline Y7 R0

Form WWDWW

Leading scorers Bamba, Camarasa, Ward 1


MANCHESTER CITY

Subs from Muric, Foden, Otamendi, Stones, Sané, Díaz, Zinchenko, Gündogan, Jesus

Doubtful None

Injured Danilo (ankle, Oct), De Bruyne (knee, Nov), Bravo (achilles), Mendy (foot, both unknown)

Suspended None

Discipline Y4 R0

Form LDDLL

Leading scorers Agüero, Sterling 3

Manchester United striker, Romelu Lukaku has named Chelsea legend, Didier Drogba as the football star that made him become a better player.

The Belgium international said that he speaks with Drogba on a daily basis in a bid to constantly keep improving for United.

Lukaku acknowledged Drogba for his mentorship and said that the Ivory Coast legend is partly to be thanked for his continued development.
“Well he’s [Drogba]. He has been a part of my process from day one until now, we talk almost every day,” Lukaku told Premier League’s official website.

“I’m really happy, it’s been a nice journey until now where I’ve learned a lot and improved a lot and I want more.”]

“Yeah, it was nice [to get my first goal], especially when it was against Liverpool.
“From that moment on I considered myself as a Premier League player.

“My first game [with Chelsea], yeah it was Norwich. We won the game and I came on and did really well.”

Lukaku has been in prolific form lately, scoring four times in five league games this season.

The 25-year-old became the 28th player in Premier League history to score 100 goals with a strike against Swansea at the end of last season.

Juventus manager, Max Allegri has sent out a warning to forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, ahead of his side’s clash with Lazio on Saturday evening in Serie A fixture.

Allegri said he’s not afraid to bench the Portuguese international when they face Lazio this weekend at the Allianz Stadium.

He, however, praised the 33-year-old for always putting himself into contention with his fellow teammates.
“Yes. There will only be a few changes before the international break,” Allegri was quoted by Football Italia as replying to a question during Friday’s press conference on whether Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic could play with the Ronaldo.

“There will also be a very hot atmosphere tomorrow so everyone will be needed, even those who enter during the game.

“For example, the wing is more covered with Douglas Costa, but we also know what can happen with CR7 there.
“I have to make a decision on Matuidi today. He’s in good shape and he always runs. He came in late last season but immediately made us understand what he could give us.

“Changes will depend on the moment, our state and our opponents. From September 16 we’ll be playing every three days so the changes will be natural.

“However, decisions must be made and only winning counts. if you win, every decision you make is a good one but they’re never fully accepted.

“I’ll decide on Dybala today. The game against Chievo had been one-way traffic, but then there was Cancelo’s mistake, which was an individual error.

“Just beating Chievo was enough. If we went 3-0 up after half an hour, it wouldn’t have worked out well.

“Ronaldo always puts himself in contention. He’s a true champion, who has built himself with work and sacrifice. He’s a good example and he raises the bar here.

“Ronaldo will never be on the bench, right? No, it can happen,” he said.

Paul Pogba’s fine form for Manchester United this season is evidence that post-World Cup hangovers are as much mental as physical, according to the club’s manager Jose Mourinho.

Pogba played a crucial role in France’s path to being crowned world champions — scoring a sublime goal in the final against Croatia — in Russia.

Yet despite a short close-season break, he has been given the captaincy by Mourinho and performed impressively.
The issue of post-World Cup fatigue has been debated extensively be club managers, with Tottenham striker Harry Kane the most high-profile example of those struggling to replicate their best form.

Mourinho, though, thinks that Pogba’s success with France has given the midfielder an extra surge of energy.

“I think good results, and good performances, they make miracles,” said Mourinho at his press conference on Friday.
“And bad results and bad performances, they make you look more tired, more upset, more ugly, more everything.”

Mourinho’s remarks are likely to be welcomed by Pogba especially as the Portuguese had reportedly angered the 25-year-old last month when he implied Pogba played much better for France at the World Cup than he did for United last season as he was not surrounded by his entourage.

“Paul came back from the World Cup, and he was the last one to come because he played the final,” said Mourinho.

“But I think the happiness, the confidence, the self-esteem was what pushed him to play in our first match against Leicester almost without training and he played a very good match.

“It’s more about the moment and the momentum is very important — in both the positive and negative way.”
– ‘Difficult season’ –

Mourinho has indicated Pogba’s compatriot Anthony Martial, despite scoring against Young Boys in the Champions League this week, will drop to the bench against Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday to make way for Alexis Sanchez, who was an unused substitute on Wednesday.

Asked why he was dropping him to bring back the Chilean, the United manager replied Martial had played the whole game and Sanchez not taken part at all.

Mourinho’s side goes into the weekend six points behind leaders Chelsea, having lost two of their opening five matches, at Brighton and at home to Tottenham.

However, with his side having won their past three matches in all competitions, Mourinho believes his team is showing they are better than they were last season when they finished runners-up to Manchester City in the Premier League.

“I am optimistic, but it will be a difficult season, yes,” he said.

“I don’t change that because we won two matches in the Premier League.

“You see the level of the teams — you see Liverpool’s squad, Manchester City’s squad, Chelsea’s squad, Tottenham’s squad, and Arsenal are improving.

“I am not saying we are going to have more points than last season because last season we collected a very acceptable level of points. But I think we are going to be a better team.”

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill says he will ask for a move away from the club in January if he continues to be left out of the first team.

The defender, 33 in December, is out of contract at the end of the season and is yet to play a minute under new head coach Maurizio Sarri.

Cahill, who was captain under Sarri's predecessor Antonio Conte, stepped aside from England duty last month.

"I have to take charge of my own future," he said.

The former Aston Villa and Bolton player joined Chelsea in January 2012 and went on to win every major club honour with the Blues, including the 2012 Champions League, and was captain for their 2016-17 Premier League-winning campaign and May's FA Cup success.

Sarri made five changes for Thursday's Europa League win against PAOK Salonika, with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen starting in the centre of defence while Cahill did not come off the substitutes' bench.

"For me to do this all season is going to be very difficult," he said.

"I realise sometimes football doesn't wait for people. Sometimes you have to make those decisions to keep going and progressing.

"Obviously the most important thing is the club, but I have to look at my situation.

"And if I'm sat doing what I'm doing at this moment in time, I just hope that the club will respect that when it comes to the time."

 Once a member of the Old Trafford outfit, the Brazilian helped Lyon to a 2-1 win at City, who he suggested may have underestimated his team-mates.

Once a member of the Old Trafford outfit, the Brazilian helped Lyon to a 2-1 win at City, who he suggested may have underestimated his team-mates.
Rafael da Silva felt complacency crept into Manchester City's work as his Lyon side stunned their hosts with a 2-1 Champions League win at the Etihad Stadium.
First-half goals from Maxwell Cornet and Nabil Fekir proved enough for Bruno Genesio's visitors, who withstood a late onslaught after Bernardo Silva reduced the deficit midway through the second half.

Lyon has only managed seven points from their opening five Ligue 1 matches this season and Rafael – a former Manchester United right-back who clearly revealed in Wednesday's triumph – felt those underwhelming showings might have persuaded City they were in for a straightforward 90 minutes.
"Everybody knows I'm a United supporter. To come here to win at City – I've never lost here – is very good for me," he told reporters.

"We know that if we play together we have a chance against any team. We have quality players, as you saw. We just need to play like this more often and results will come.
"I don't know if they underestimated us. We played well. We had more chances to score goals.
"Maybe they thought… we are not very good in Ligue 1, you know. We're not playing very good football.

"Maybe they looked at the videos and said 'well, they don't have good confidence'. I think we played really well."

Shakhtar Donetsk battled back to a 2-2 draw against Hoffenheim in Group F's other match and Rafael added: "It's a fantastic start for us. After a win here, of course, we think we can go through.
"We just need to play like this more often – not just because it's Manchester City. We need to play every team like that."

The Valencia boss discussed Wednesday's dismissal after his side succumbed to 10-man Juventus in their Champions League opener

Valencia head coach Marcelino said a devastated Cristiano Ronaldo insisted he did nothing wrong after the superstar was controversially sent off in Juventus' Champions League victory.

Juve forward Ronaldo – making his Champions League debut for the Serie A holders – was inconsolable after receiving a red card in the 29th minute of Wednesday's 2-0 win at Valencia.

It was a forgettable bow for Ronaldo, who was shown a straight red card following an inconspicuous coming together with Valencia defender Jeison Murillo in an off-the-ball incident, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner left in tears after his dismissal.

Discussing Ronaldo's red card – which has put him in doubt for a reunion against former club Manchester United – Marcelino told reporters: "He was very upset, even crying, because he said he didn't do anything wrong.

"I haven't seen the play which ended up in the red card."

Despite their numerical advantage, Valencia walked away from a packed Mestalla empty-handed following a pair of Miralem Pjanic penalties.

Pjanic converted spot-kicks either side of the break, while Valencia's Dani Parejo saw his penalty saved by Wojciech Szczesny in stoppage time.

"It's obvious that the penalties have impacted us," Marcelino said. "The penalty just before half-time was a real blow, we then had to try and pull ourselves together.

"The other penalty was then a death sentence for us, conceding two goals to such an excellent team makes the task wholly difficult."

United accounted for Young Boys 3-0 in the other Group H fixture and Marcelino added: "We have faced a great team and they have surpassed us. After the red card the match was made even. However, they've taken advantage of our mistakes."

NYON, Switzerland -- Europe's top club coaches have asked UEFA to review the use of the away goals rule in continental competitions because scoring away from home is not as difficult as it used to be.

They also want the transfer window to end at the same time in all the region's major leagues.

UEFA's deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti confirmed that the European soccer body would "open a discussion" on the use of the away goals rule which is used to determine the winners of knockout ties when the aggregate score is level.

The annual meeting included Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus), Carlos Ancelotti (Napoli), Unai Emery (Arsenal), Paulo Fonseca (Shakhtar Donetsk), Julen Lopetegui (Real Madrid) Jose Mourinho (Manchester United), Thomas Tuchel (Paris St Germain) and former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

"The coaches think that scoring goals away is not as difficult as it was in the past... so they think the rule should be reviewed and that's what we will do," Marchetti told reporters.

"They consider the situation in football has changed and the weight of the away goals is not the same as many years ago when the rule was introduced."

UEFA Nations League full draw
Watch on ESPN networks in the U.S.
Schedule: Sep. 6 Sep. 7

The rule was first introduced in the former European Cup Winners' Cup competition in 1965 as an alternative to tossing a coin or staging a replay on a neutral ground.

At the time, playing away in Europe was a huge challenge which involved difficult travel and intimidating, unfamiliar conditions abroad, a far cry from today where it is considered routine.

Marchetti said the coaches felt the rule was also counter-productive and that, as much as encouraging away teams to attack, it induced home teams to defend to avoid conceding a costly goal.

"This is one of the points that need to be looked at," he said.

On the transfer window, he said the coaches wanted more countries to follow the example of England and Italy and close them before the start of the season.

The transfer windows in England and Italy were changed this year in response to complaints last year that they had overshadowed the action on the pitch and made it difficult for coaches to plan.

However, in Spain, Germany, and France, they continued until the end of August as before.

"The coaches are of an opinion that there should be a unified window and the window should close before the competition starts," said Marchetti. "The idea would be to try and bring them into line."

UEFA has lifted its threat to ban Marseille from European competition if there is a repeat of the violence which marred their Europa League campaign last season.

However, last season's Europa League runners-up still have to play their next home European match behind closed doors, the European soccer body said in a statement on Monday.

Marseille is in the Europa League again this season and starts their campaign at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on Sept. 20 before facing Apollon Limassol and Lazio in Group H.

The French club was charged over incidents of crowd trouble at four matches last season, including the final which they lost 3-0 to Atletico Madrid in Lyon in May.

Offenses included crowd disturbances, acts of damage, the setting off of fireworks, throwing of objects and late kick-off.

In July, UEFA's disciplinary tribunal gave the club a one-year ban from European competition, which was deferred for a probationary period of two years.

Marseille appealed the decision and UEFA's appeal committee handed down a new ruling on Monday which made no reference to any ban.

Instead, it said Marseille would have to play their next two UEFA home matches behind closed doors, the second deferred for a probationary period of two years.

They were also ordered to close the northern and southern ends of their stadium for four European games, with the last two of those again deferred for a probationary period of two years.

A €100,000 fine was maintained as was an order to pay Lyon, whose stadium hosted last season's final, for the damage caused by their fans.

A third UEFA club competition is set to be introduced from the 2021-22 season, the head of the association representing Europe's biggest clubs said on Tuesday.

European Club Association (ECA) chairman Andrea Agnelli told his members at a meeting in Split, Croatia, that the new event would bring the overall number of clubs involved in UEFA competition to 96.

"Pending approval of the UEFA executive committee, the 'green light' has been given to introduce the third competition, bringing the overall number of clubs to 96, as of the 2021-22 season," Agnelli said.

Agnelli is also Juventus president, occupying one of two seats allocated to club representatives. UEFA was not immediately available for comment.

UEFA currently have two club competitions -- the Champions League, which features 32 teams in the group stage, and the second-tier Europa League, which has 48.

Europe used to have a third competition for winners of domestic cup competitions, known as the Cup Winners' Cup, but it was abolished in 1999. Domestic cup winners now enter the Europa League.

Agnelli was due to hold a news conference following the meeting later on Tuesday. The ECA has previously called for more clubs to be involved in European competitions and a "greater certainty of matches" for participating clubs.

Agnelli also repeated his call from last year for a drastic overhaul of the international match calendar, which is drawn up by football's governing body FIFA and allocates dates for national team games.

"A detailed assessment of the existing International Match Calendar is required prior to presenting a new model post-2024," he said. "The current model needs modernizing.

Chelsea's players and supporters will have undoubtedly witnessed the Champions League group stage got underway with more than a tinge of regret. The glamour, prestige, and history of the competition surpasses any other in club football and missing out on it will be painful.

But while the Europa League might be the poor relation, there are three reasons why participation can have its benefits for Chelsea this season.

There will be vital game time for fringe players

Fixture congestion is usually one of those issues that Premier League managers love to moan about, though in Maurizio Sarri's case he may well be positively welcoming it.

Still finding out about his players' strengths and weaknesses and how they might fit into the fluid system of play to which he rigidly sticks, two games a week until December will necessitate the full use of his squad.
Of course, the ideal scenario would be for Chelsea to juggle the demands of Premier League football with adventures in the Champions League, though there is a silver lining to their current situation. Had they qualified for the Champions League, they would have to play as close to the Sarri's preferred first XI as possible due to the level of opposition. That, in turn, would risk burning out the likes of Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante, players of vital importance to any success and those whose game is as reliant on energy as anything else.

While those two and other first-team regulars are hardly likely to be given a leave of absence for the entirety of the Europa League group stage, it does mean that they can potentially be kept in reserve in case they are needed while allowing others to show their skills.

Ruben-Loftus, Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Andreas Christensen will be among those desperate to impress and they should be able to do so by starting matches rather than via brief cameos from the substitutes' bench.

It's a genuine chance of winning silverware

The currency of any club with ambition is silverware. Like all professional sports, football is about winning and the only tangible proof that a team is successful is by looking at their trophy cabinet. Aesthetically pleasing styles of play and popularity among neutrals are all very well but it ultimately means little if there is nothing to show for it.

Unlike at some other Premier League clubs, Chelsea managers and teams are judged on what they win and not on how valiantly they fall short. The Europa League, therefore, could allow Sarri to enhance his reputation within the corridors of Stamford Bridge and also break his duck to win his maiden piece of silverware in the process.

While the modest opposition on the show means expectations are high for Chelsea to at least get to the business end of the tournament, there should be excitement and confidence within the squad that it represents an opportunity to add a European title to their medal collection.

Chelsea has been installed as favorites to lift the trophy in Baku next May and they should take heart from that status and not feel burdened by the tag.
Winning it means an easy route to Champions League qualification

For some, the Europa League is a worthless backwater populated by the flotsam and jetsam of Europe's lesser leagues. For others, there is a certain romance about visiting the far-flung lesser-known parts of the continent where the heart and soul of football reside away from the glitzy metropolitan super clubs of the 21st Century.

Whatever your persuasion, the lure of Champions League qualification for the victors means that there is now undoubted value in winning the tournament.
Even Jose Mourinho, one of the Europa League's most vocal detractors, showed the competition his ultimate respect by prioritizing it over the Premier League in the 2016-17 season as he had severe doubts over his Manchester United side's ability to finish in the top four.

With Champions League football the minimum requirement for those in charge of clubs such as Man United and Chelsea, Mourinho's focus was pragmatic, if risky, as he rested players on the weekend during the latter stages of the season so that they could be fresh on Thursday nights.

There was plenty of criticism leveled at him for his approach, though he was vindicated when his side beat Ajax in the final.

Chelsea's unbeaten start to the season has raised their hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League via their league position, but they also have a potential safety net should they falter domestically over the coming months.

LONDON -- Unai Emery is confident that Arsenal can cope with the departure of chief executive Ivan Gazidis, and said his outgoing boss has put the right people in place "to continue doing a good work."

Arsenal confirmed on Tuesday that Gazidis will leave his post to take up the same job at AC Milan, less than four months after he led the process to hire Emery as Arsene Wenger's successor.

His job will now be divided by head of football Raul Sanllehi and managing director Vinai Venkatesham, who were both promoted into new roles.

And Emery he doesn't expect his own situation to change much as a result.

"I know Ivan is giving us the best next people to take the responsibility to continue doing a good work," Emery told a news conference on Wednesday.

"[Spending] three months with Ivan for me is very important and I know he's a big person, a big professional person also. The relationship between us in three months is very close. And we spoke, and I'll continue speaking [with him] a lot about football ... and our responsibility. But this decision is a very private decision, and I respect it."


Emery was speaking ahead of Thursday's Europa League opener against Ukrainian side FC Vorskla, where summer signing Stephan Lichtsteiner is set to get his first start for the club. Lichtsteiner, like fellow newcomers Bernd Leno and Lucas Torreira, has had to settle for a place on the bench so far.

But the right-back, who joined on a free transfer from Juventus, is hoping to use Thursday's game as was a way of proving to Emery he should play more.

"I'm not frustrated but of course I'm not used to being on the bench more than three times in a row. It's also a new situation for me and I'm curious how I'll manage it," he said.

"I'm trying to start more and for that, I have to work, that's the only thing I can do at this moment, to show the coach that I'm ready to play."
Bringing in Lichtsteiner, 34, was seen as an attempt by the club to add more leadership figures to the dressing room, but the Switzerland captain insisted that there were already plenty of leaders in place.

"I've already seen good personalities in this team," he said. "I don't see that, what they wrote or what they said [about a lack of leaders]. I think of course if you have experienced players on the team, it's good for young players who can use you as an example of how to work.

"I don't feel that there's not a big personality in this team. I see a very good team with a lot of quality, a lot of good players and characters. I don't see a problem."

Spartak Moscow manager Massimo Carrera dropped captain Denis Glushakov and defender Andrei Eshchenko from the team ahead of a Europa League game for liking a social media video criticising the Italian, local media reported Wednesday.

 Eden Hazard has been left out of the Chelsea squad that traveled to Greece on Wednesday but Maurizio Sarri is preparing to make few changes to his starting XI for Thursday's opening Europa League match against PAOK Salonika.


David Luiz, Mateo Kovacic, and Emerson Palmieri also did not travel to Greece on Wednesday, but academy youngsters Ethan Ampadu, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Marcin Bulka were granted seats on the plane.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Cesc Fabregas also made the trip after recovering from injury, but in a news conference ahead of the match, Sarri sought to dampen any expectations that he could make wholesale changes to his starting XI.

"Now it is very difficult [to rotate] because, in the first part of the season, it is very important to play with a very solid team," Sarri said. "I might change four or five players, but it is impossible to change every player in the match."
Hazard scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Cardiff City on Saturday and has five goals in five Premier League appearances this season, but Chelsea will continue to manage his minutes.

"David Luiz is in Cobham because he [did not play for] six months so I thought it was better for him to have rest," Sarri said. "Kovacic, it is better to have rest with a little injury. Hazard, after the national team and the match with Cardiff, was a little bit tired. I thought it was better to have training and rest.

"Unfortunately, you have to play with 11 players, [and] 17 players tomorrow won't agree with me. There is a match tomorrow and on [the] Wednesday after Sunday at West Ham. There will be a chance for everyone, but not for 25 or 28 players -- the truth is this."

Asked specifically about Loftus-Cheek's chances of starting in place of Kovacic, Sarri replied: "I don't know about Loftus. For me, he is a very good player. I don't know if there is a spot tomorrow. There is in the future."


The addition of Hudson-Odoi to the B-list on Tuesday suggested the exciting academy winger who lit up preseason might be given a competitive chance to impress, but Sarri hinted that the 17-year-old will have to wait a little longer for his opportunity.

"For Odoi, in his position, in the last match [I] played Pedro and Hazard," Sarri said. "I have also played [Victor] Moses and Willian. Ampadu, Odoi, and Loftus are the future. I don't know if tomorrow is the right time for Odoi."

The midfielder lauded his team-mate following his three-goal haul in the 4-0 victory over PSV on Tuesday

Ivan Rakitic wants many more goals from Lionel Messi after the Barcelona captain scored a hat-trick in the club's Champions League rout of PSV.

It was the Messi show at Camp Nou, where the superstar's treble inspired a 4-0 victory over the Dutch visitors in their Group B opener on Tuesday.
Messi set the tone with a trademark free-kick as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner recorded the 48th hat-trick of his illustrious career and eighth in the Champions League – more than any other player in the competition's history.

Talking about Messi afterward, Barca team-mate Rakitic lauded the Argentina international, telling reporters: "That foot is impressive and he has scored another wonderful goal.
"I hope he doesn't stop and that many more go in."
Messi led the way for Barca – who ended the match with 10 men following Samuel Umtiti's red card for a second bookable offense in the 79th minute.
After Messi broke the deadlock courtesy of a set-piece just past the half-hour mark, Ousmane Dembele doubled Barca's lead 16 minutes from the end.
https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/1042186550065475586/photo/1
Messi then took center stage following Umtiti's dismissal, scoring twice inside the final 13 minutes.
"This game was tough for us at first, which is normal since this is the Champions League and it's the first game," Rakitic said.
"They were very motivated and they have started their league season well. It was a game of good effort, but we can still improve. You can always improve and we look at the small details from every match. We know we're not 100 percent."
La Liga holders Barca were stunned by Roma in the Champions League quarter-finals last season and Rakitic added: "It's special and we know that recent years haven't been the best.
"We must improve and have a lot of desire. But we also want to do everything possible in the league and in the Copa del Rey."

Roberto Firmino came off the bench to strike deep into stoppage time and hand Liverpool a deserved 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield on Tuesday.

Last season’s finalists showed the French champions have plenty of work to do if they are to mount a challenge for a first-ever Champions League title as they bounced back from blowing a 2-0 first-half lead.

Daniel Sturridge and a James Milner penalty put the hosts in command before Thomas Meunier reduced PSG’s arrears.
Having kept Kylian Mbappe and the world’s most expensive player Neymar quiet for almost the entire match, Liverpool seemed set to pay a heavy price for one slack pass by Mohamed Salah as Mbappe swept home seven minutes from time in front of a stunned Kop.

But Firmino, who started on the bench due to an eye injury suffered against Tottenham on Saturday, had the final say as he twisted and turned before firing into the far corner to stretch Liverpool’s perfect start to the season to six games.

Liverpool’s run to the final last season was characterized by fast starts that blew away Spartak Moscow, Manchester City, and Roma at Anfield and buoyed by a perfect start to the Premier League season, the hosts put PSG under severe pressure from the off.

Alphonse Areola has kept Gianluigi Buffon on the sidelines during the first few weeks of the 40-year-old’s PSG career and, with the Italian suspended for his red card in Juventus’ controversial exit to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals last season, started again between the sticks.

The French international was busy early on as he saved from Virgil van Dijk, Milner and Sadio Mane inside the first 10 minutes.

PSG have crumbled on their Champions League travels to Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the past two seasons and their ability to challenge for the competition was again questioned as they struggled to contain Liverpool’s greater speed and power in midfield.

Up front, Firmino’s absence opened the door for Sturridge to make his first Champions League start for the club.

The Englishman has been dogged by injury and lack of form during Klopp’s nearly three years in charge but took his chance on the big stage by powering home a pinpoint curling cross from Andy Robertson to open the scoring on the half-hour mark.
Six minutes later, PSG’s deficit was doubled when Juan Bernat tripped Georginio Wijnaldum inside the area and Milner slammed the resulting penalty into the bottom corner.

However, the visitors were handed a lifeline through right-back Meunier, rather than one of their famed front three, as the Belgian skilfully readjusted to volley home Robertson’s miscued clearance.

Klopp was annoyed at his side for having to survive a nervous finale in winning at Tottenham on Saturday after passing up a series of chances to put the game to bed.

And it was looked like this time they would pay as Salah had a goal ruled out for a foul by Sturridge before the latter headed a glorious chance into the arms of Areola.

Salah has struggled to match his stunning 44-goal form of last season in recent weeks and was substituted by Klopp moments after gifting PSG a route back into the game.

His slack pass was intercepted and quickly fed into Neymar, with Van Dijk’s tackle on the Brazilian only rebounding into the path of Mbappe to fire home.

Liverpool instantly went in search of a winner as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s deflected free-kick came back off the woodwork, and finally got their reward when Firmino powered home.

Atletico Madrid came from behind to beat Monaco 2-1 in their Champions League Group A opener on Tuesday with star strikers Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann detonating the fightback.

The visitors had fallen behind against the run of play in the 18th minute when winger Samuel Grandsir forced the ball home in a goalmouth scramble after good work from Radamel Falcao.

But Costa then ran onto a wonderful flick-on from Griezmann to fire a snap-shot low and hard past Monaco’s onrushing Swiss stopper Diego Benaglio to level the scores on the half-hour.
Jose Maria Giminez — remembered for crying on the pitch when France beat Uruguay 2-0 in the World Cup quarter-finals in Russia — then headed home a corner in first-half stoppage-time to take the wind out of Monaco’s sails at a key moment.

The pitch cut up worryingly and groundsmen scrambled at half-time to pound in sods of detached turf.

Former Monaco striker Thierry Henry and ex-coach Didier Deschamps were in the stands where just 12,000 fans showed up and amongst them a mere 80 Atletico supporters.

Atletico has had a stuttering start to their La Liga campaign, and with coach Diego Simeone on the final match of a four-game touchline ban, the visitors were marshaled by the menacing bulk of his brooding assistant German Burgos prowling the line.


Monaco’s Polish defender Kamil Glik appeared to be relishing his role, keeping tabs on Costa and apart from the goal did a solid job on the Atletico target man.

Falcao never stopped searching for an equalizer against his old club, almost earning a penalty in the 66th minute and lashing a shot just wide moments later.

Glik saw a last-gasp header go just wide with the fans on their feet, but Atletico was otherwise untroubled in the latter stages.

France international forward Thomas Lemar was back at the Stade Louis II after his close-season switch to Madrid and came on late as Atletico sweated out the final minutes to clinch three precious away points.

Francisca Ordega admits she regrets playing for Nigeria’s senior women national team.
The USA-based forward, said she would have opted for another country if there was a chance, because of the lack of support for women’s football in Nigeria.

Ordega was part of the Super Falcons team, that won a record 10th African Women Cup of Nations last weekend.
“If I had not played for Nigeria at the full international level, trust me I would have played somewhere else,” she told African football.

“The U17 and U20 teams have been blamed for the performances at their recent World Cups, but they were poorly prepared for these competitions.

“If this continues, Nigeria will soon cease to be a force in Africa because there will be no future Super Falcons.”

The Falcons are currently in Abuja, waiting to receive their bonuses from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Chelsea signed Alvaro Morata last summer but the Spanish international was had a patchy debut season. 

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first two goals for Juventus as the Italian champions maintained their perfect start to the season.

Ronaldo, goalless in his first three games since his move from Real Madrid, tapped in shortly after half-time.

The 33-year-old then finished off a rapid counter-attack by shooting into the bottom corner after 65 minutes.

Sassuolo pulled one back in added time via Khouma Babacar and Douglas Costa was sent off but the hosts held on.

Juve's Brazilian winger was dismissed after a video assistant referee intervention for spitting at Federico di Francesco, having aimed a headbutt at the same player and appeared to try to elbow him.

Ronaldo could have completed a hat-trick late on but missed two easy chances from inside the penalty area.

The win is Juventus' fourth from four games this season.
Ronaldo had been on the pitch for 320 minutes in Serie A this season before scoring his first goal since his remarkable summer move.

The wait ended with his 28th attempt of the league season but he had looked increasingly frustrated in the first half at his failure to find the net.

Ronaldo's first effort of the match in the sixth minute was blocked. He then failed to direct a header on goal and in the 27th minute struck an ambitious free-kick wide from 35 yards.

But his first goal in Juve colors could hardly have been simpler after Sassuolo failed to deal with a corner. Gianmarco Ferrari headed the ball on to his own post and it rebounded to Ronaldo unmarked inside the six-yard box for the forward to tap home.

His second was more typical as he showed excellent pace to keep up his side's counter-attack and coolly finished low past the goalkeeper.

The crowd celebrated Ronaldo's first goals for the club wildly, while the forward's girlfriend and son were also in the stands to witness the moment.

"I was a little bit anxious as expectations were high," said Ronaldo. "I really wanted to score, so I'm happy.

"Of course, there was attention after my arrival in Turin, but life is like that.

"I'm happy. I'm working well and my team-mates help me to adapt to this championship."
The game ended remarkably with substitute Costa twice to the fore, before and after Sassuolo's goal.

First the Brazilian made a dangerous lunging tackle on Di Francesco in the build-up to the goal.

As Di Francesco got to his feet Costa appeared to throw an elbow into the face of the Italian and then aimed a headbutt at the player in front of the referee.

Costa was initially shown a yellow card but, when moments later replays showed him spitting into the face of Di Francesco, he was dismissed via VAR.

Afterward, Costa described his reaction as "ugly" and apologized to his team-mates and the club's fans on Instagram.

"I make it clear that this isolated attitude does not correspond to what I have always shown in my career," he wrote.

Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri said Costa would be fined for the incident.

"Even if he was fouled, these episodes must not happen," Allegri said.

"It's only right that he is fined, and he certainly will be. I was surprised by his reaction. We have suffered a goal, a red card and a suspension which will be long."

Manchester United defender, Eric Bailly is prepared to quit the club and join Arsenal if he continues to be frozen out by Jose Mourinho.

Bailly believes that Mourinho blames him for the embarrassing defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, according to the Mirror.

He had since played just two minutes after that 3-2 defeat.
Bailly was signed from Villarreal in a £30milllion transfer with the expectation he could add some consistency to United’s defense.

But, the Portuguese gaffer has changed his defense this season as he searches for the best center-back partnership.

The newspaper said that Bailly has now decided to join Arsenal in January.
Tottenham is also tipped to move for the 24-year-old.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino watched Bailly in action when he was still a La Liga player and would be keen to bring him to Tottenham.

Bailly’s exit could happen as soon as January if he continues to sit on the bench for United.

While Victor Lindelof was recalled to the starting eleven against Burnley, Bailly has watched from the sidelines since the Brighton loss.

Bailly has two years left on his current deal but is concerned about falling down the pecking order at United.