Watch Roma vs Real Madrid for free as Jose Mourinho takes on another of his former clubs in the Champions League 2026/27, with FourFourTwo bringing you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Madrid's Champions League campaign has so far been a trip down memory lane for Mourinho, who guided his side to a 2-1 win over Inter Milan in their opening league phase game.

The Portuguese manager now takes Los Blancos to another Italian team that he led to European glory, as they face Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Roma vs Real Madrid in the Champions League online, on TV, and from anywhere, including for free.

Can I watch Roma vs Real Madrid for free?

Yes. Roma vs Real Madrid will be shown live on free-to-air Virgin Media Two in Ireland, complete with English commentary. You can also stream the game via Virgin Media Play.

Not in Ireland? You need a VPN to access your free Roma vs Real Madrid stream from anywhere in the world.

Watch Roma vs Real Madrid from anywhere

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How to watch Roma vs Real Madrid in the UK

Roma vs Real Madrid will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and HBO Max in the UK.

The game will be shown on TNT Sports 4, with kick-off at 8pm BST.

Outside of the UK? Unlock Roma vs Real Madrid on TNT Sports with NordVPN.

How to watch Roma vs Real Madrid in the US

In the US, Paramount+ has live coverage of Roma vs Real Madrid. Kick-off is at 3pm ET.

Travelling outside of the US? Use NordVPN to access your usual Paramount+ stream.

How to watch Roma vs Real Madrid in Australia

Fans in Australia can watch Roma vs Real Madrid on Stan Sport, with kick-off at 6am AEDT on Thursday.

Not in Australia? You need NordVPN to watch Roma vs Real Madrid on Stan Sport.

Roma vs Real Madrid: Preview

It is more than seven years since Roma last hosted a Champions League home game, but they are ending that wait in style with the visit of 15-time winners Real Madrid.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side are back in this competition for the first time since 2018/19 and drew 1-1 away to Fenerbahce in their opening league phase clash, but this feels like the sort of fixture they have been waiting for - especially with former boss Jose Mourinho in the opposition dugout.

Roma began the Serie A season with four successive victories but blew a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with champions Inter Milan before the international break, before drawing 0-0 at Como on Sunday.

Donyell Malen, the top goalscorer in Italy's top flight, was sent off in that game but is available to face Madrid, while Pierluigi Gollini is set to deputise in goal once again after first-choice keeper Mile Svilar fractured his toe.

SEE ALSO How to watch Champions League 2026/27

Madrid also saw one of their star players red-carded at the weekend, as Vinicius Junior was controversially dismissed for pulling an opponents' hair while scoring a goal that was ultimately disallowed in the 1-0 win over Villarreal.

Like Malen, the Brazilian superstar is not barred from playing in the Champions League, while Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva return from suspension to bolster Jose Mourinho's options.

The Los Blancos boss has already triumphed over one of his former employers this season, thanks to that 2-1 win over Inter Milan, and he will aim to do the same against a club that he led to Conference League glory in 2022 and the Europa League final in 2023.

Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe should tonight become the youngest player to reach 100 Champions League appearances, at 27 years and 298 days - beating Lionel Messi's record by approximately five months.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Roma 1-1 Real Madrid

Madrid possess more firepower than Roma, but they have struggled to keep clean sheets this season.

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Watch Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce as familiar foes clash again in the Champions League, with FourFourTwo bringing you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Aston Villa have developed an unhappy habit of starting the season poorly in the Premier League. The Europa League was a springboard for them last year and Unai Emery will be wishing for the same from the Champions League.

Villa beat Club Brugge in their first match of the league phase but remain winless at home in all competitions after Saturday's draw with Brentford. They welcome Fenerbahce to Villa Park needing a victory.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce online and from anywhere, in the Champions League 2026/27.

Can I watch Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce for free?

Yes, Benfica vs Celtic will be broadcast for free in Turkey on TRT 1.

Those outside Turkey can use NordVPN to unlock the stream from anywhere in the world.

Watch Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce from anywhere

Away from home for the game? That doesn't mean you have to miss out on watching Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce. All you need is a VPN, a handy a piece of software that makes your devices appear to be in a different location.

FourFourTwo’s colleagues TechRadar have tested hundreds of VPNs, and they say NordVPN is the best VPN you can get.

How to watch Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce in the UK

Fans in the UK can watch Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce on TNT Sports and its streaming partner HBO Max.

The game is live on TNT Sports 2, with kick-off at 8:00pm BST.

How to watch Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce in the US

US viewers can watch Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce on Paramount+. Kick-off is at 3:00pm ET.

How to watch Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce in Australia

Stan Sport is the home of the Champions League in Australia and is the place to go to watch Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce. Kick-off is at 5:00am AEST on Thursday.

Tickets

Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce: Preview

Home form has been the bedrock of Villa's success under Emery and winning their first European home fixture of last season against Bologna kickstarted what turned out to be Villa's best season for decades.

They know Fenerbahce well. Villa and the Istanbul giants met in the league phase of the Europa League in January, an encounter that resulted in a 1-0 win courtesy of a Jadon Sancho goal.

Villa's record against Fener is spotless but ancient. They've played three times, won three times, and never conceded a goal. But the previous two matches were in the UEFA Cup in 1977.

SEE ALSO How to watch Europa League live streams from anywhere

A three-sided Villa Park has so far seen Emery's team lose narrowly to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, and draw with Brentford. It's a painfully meagre return but indicative of the patience needed by the new Villa.

Ismail Kartal's Fenerbahce are more up and down, but have won their last two Super Lig fixtures with a combined score of 11-0. A derby match against Galatasaray at the end of the month will be instructive about their prospects.

The Turkish outfit demonstrated their home mettle with a 1-1 draw against Serie A opponents Roma in their league phase opener before the international break. Villa, Emery hopes, will be a stiffer challenge.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Aston Villa 2-1 Fenerbahce

Villa haven't quite clicked but Emery has been able to parlay European football into improving form. A win here would be a start.

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Watch Manchester City vs PSG for free as Enzo Maresca's side host the holders in a heavyweight Champions League 2026/27 league phase clash. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Pep Guardiola is expected to be in attendance at the Etihad Stadium as he returns for the first time since leaving City in the summer, in a show of solidarity following the club's guilty verdict for breaching Premier League financial rules.

His successor is tasked with finding a way to beat the back-to-back European champions, as Enzo Maresca faces his biggest test (on the pitch, at least) since taking over.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Manchester City vs PSG in the Champions League online, on TV, and from anywhere, including for free.

Can I watch Manchester City vs PSG for free?

Yes! Manchester City vs PSG will be shown live on free-to-air RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Player in Ireland, complete with English commentary.

TV8 in Italy and RTL Club in Belgium will also broadcast the match for free.

Outside Ireland, Italy or Belgium? You need a VPN to access your free Manchester City vs PSG stream from anywhere in the world.

Watch Manchester City vs PSG from anywhere

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How to watch Manchester City vs PSG in the UK

Manchester City vs PSG will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and HBO Max in the UK.

The game will be shown on TNT Sports 1, with kick-off at 8pm BST.

How to watch Manchester City vs PSG in the US

Fans in the US can watch Manchester City vs PSG on Paramount+, with kick-off at 3pm ET.

How to watch Manchester City vs PSG in Australia

Australian viewers can watch Manchester City vs PSG on Stan Sport. Kick-off is at 6am AEDT on Thursday.

Manchester City vs PSG: Preview

While uncertainty swirls around the outcome of Manchester City's appeal on their guilty verdict for multiple breaches of Premier League financial rules, one thing's for sure: Enzo Maresca's side look as impressive as ever on the pitch.

City's players shut out the noise to beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday, extending their perfect start to the Premier League season with their eighth successive win in all competitions, which included a 2-0 triumph away to Porto in their Champions League opener.

The last time they started a campaign with nine victories in a row was under Guardiola in 2016/17, and the legendary former manager's presence at the Etihad Stadium against PSG will surely heighten the atmosphere as Maresca eyes a statement result.

City have no new injury concerns, but there are several players pushing to start, including winger Jeremy Doku, who scored one goal and was heavily involved in another against Liverpool.

SEE ALSO How to watch Champions League 2026/27

PSG started their quest to win a third successive Champions League title with a 6-1 thrashing of Slovan Bratislava, which appears to have woken them up after a sluggish start to the season.

The Parisiens failed to win any of their first three Ligue 1 games but have taken maximum points from the last three since beating the Slovakians, ensuring they arrive at the Etihad in ominous form.

Manager Luis Enrique continued his policy of resting several stars in the league game before a big European night, which could see him make a raft of changes from the side that started Saturday's 3-1 victory over Le Mans.

Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha are just some of the players who could earn recalls, although young midfielder Senny Mayulu is an injury doubt.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Manchester City 2-2 PSG

All the off-pitch emotion should help make this game an entertaining watch.

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After a breathtaking final at the Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022, Argentina triumphed over France on penalties, securing their first World Cup win in 36 years - finally crowning Lionel Messi’s legendary career.

The emotional celebrations that followed produced some of the most enduring imagery in modern sports history, none more famous than Messi being hoisted above the crowd, like Diego Maradona before him, kissing and raising the FIFA World Cup trophy.

That image went on to become the most-liked post in the history of Instagram.

World Cup replica trophy kissed by Lionel Messi goes up for action

The trophy at the centre of that record-breaking post wasn’t the official FIFA version. It was actually a high-quality replica that had made its way from the stands down onto the pitch. And now, that piece of unique footballing memorabilia is going under the hammer at auction.

At a landmark event for sports collectors, Richmond Auctions has announced that this famous replica trophy will headline their inaugural Sports Memorabilia Auction on Saturday, November 7, 2026.

During the post-match celebrations in Qatar, this specific trophy was passed from champion to champion for 45 minutes. It was part of the Argentina team's jubilating and was even signed by eight members of the squad before the night ended.

The item's lore boasts the autographs of final goalscorer Angel Di Maria, alongside Lautaro Martinez, Leandro Paredes, and Guido Rodriguez.

At auction, the winning bidder will also receive a 2022 Panini Instant Lionel Messi #118 FIFA World Cup Qatar card, flawlessly graded as a PSA 10 GEM MINT. The card captures Messi holding the replica trophy, tying the physical collectible to the moment it commemorates.

The wider auction features over 360 lots, including a highly coveted 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card and a rare 1-of-10 Michael Jordan autograph card. For football fans and memorabilia collectors, the chance to own the golden prize lifted and kissed by Messi in his grandest hour is an incredible opportunity.

The auction is scheduled to begin at 4:00 pm GMT on November 7. To view the replica and register to bid, visit Richmond Auctions.

Watch LASK vs Liverpool for free as the Reds aim to return to winning ways against the Champions League 2026/27 debutants in their second league phase clash. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

It is an historic night for Austrian champions LASK as they host a match in the Champions League proper for the first time in their history.

Liverpool started their league phase campaign with a 2-1 comeback win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield, and face LASK tonight. Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz both start for the Reds and will need to put on a performance after worrying form early on in the season.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch LASK vs Liverpool in the Champions League online, on TV, and from anywhere, including for free.

Can I watch LASK vs Liverpool for free?

Yes! LASK vs Liverpool will be shown live on free-to-air Virgin Media Two in Ireland, complete with English commentary, while you can stream the game via Virgin Media Play.

Abroad? You need a VPN to access your free LASK vs Liverpool stream from anywhere in the world.

Watch LASK vs Liverpool from anywhere

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How to watch LASK vs Liverpool in the UK

LASK vs Liverpool will be shown live on TNT Sports and HBO Max in the UK.

TNT Sports 2 has live coverage of the Champions League clash, with kick-off at 5:45pm BST.

Outside of the UK? Watch LASK vs Liverpool on TNT Sports with NordVPN.

How to watch LASK vs Liverpool in the US

US viewers can watch LASK vs Liverpool on Paramount+, with kick-off at 12:45pm ET.

Travelling outside of the US? Use NordVPN to access your usual Paramount+ stream.

How to watch LASK vs Liverpool in Australia

Stan Sport has live coverage of LASK vs Liverpool for fans in Australia. Kick-off is at 3:45am AEDT on Thursday.

Not in Australia? You need NordVPN to watch LASK vs Liverpool on Stan Sport.

LASK vs Liverpool: Preview

LASK will be desperate to ensure their maiden campaign in the Champions League proper is not just remembered for how they got there.

The Austrian champions' stunning comeback victory over Celtic in the qualifying play-off remains the highlight of their season so far, having lost 1-0 to AEK Athens in their league phase opener, while they are winless in their last three Austrian Bundesliga games.

The visit of Liverpool certainly has the ingredients of an unforgettable night for LASK, as beating the six-time winners in their first-ever home game at this stage of the competition would be the stuff of dreams.

However, a record of one draw and five defeats against English sides - including two losses to the Reds in the 2023/24 Europa League - suggests that could be a tall order.

SEE ALSO How to watch Champions League 2026/27

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola will be hunting a convincing victory after seeing his unbeaten start to life at Anfield go up in the smoke of the home fans' pyros against Manchester City on Sunday.

One of the highlights of the Reds manager's tenure so far was the 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in their league phase opener, and three more points here would see them take another big step towards qualification for the knockout stage.

Dominik Szoboszlai scored Liverpool's equaliser against Atleti but he has not travelled to Austria due to injury, with forwards Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo ruled out.

Youngsters Jayden Danns, Wellity Lucky and Josh Sonni-Lambie have all been called up as a result, while fellow rising stars Lewis Koumas and Rio Ngumoha could be involved from the start.

LASK vs Liverpool: Team News

LASK XI 🇦🇹: Jungwirth; Mbuyamba, Alemao, Andrade; Jorgensen, Danek, Bogarde, Schopf, Dibango; Adeniran, Lang

Liverpool XI 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿: Alisson; Frimpong, Araujo, Jacquet, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Nyoni; Barcola, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Koumas.

FourFourTwo's prediction

LASK 0-2 Liverpool

The Reds should have too much quality for their opponents, despite some high-profile absentees.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi could make a move to Real Madrid, with the “door open” for a move.

The midfielder signed for Arsenal last summer as a replacement for the ageing Jorginho and lit up the Premier League in the first half of last season alongside Declan Rice in midfield – but after his form tailed off in the second half of the campaign, manager Mikel Arteta introduced academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly to the midfield.

The teenager started in most of the run-in and last term's Champions League final, with Zubimendi struggling to win back his spot even this season, as rumours persist that he could be about to leave North London.

Martin Zubimendi's Arsenal career appears to be hanging by a thread

Arsenal beat stiff competition to convince Zubimendi to depart his hometown club of Real Sociedad after six years and over 200 appearances.

Manchester City and Liverpool were both vying to bring the 27-year-old to English football, with Real Madrid insistent that they could offer the perfect environment, too, with links with Los Blancos long after reports had surfaced that the Gunners had actually struck an agreement with the player.

That Real Madrid interest hasn't subsided either, with Sport Witness now relaying comments from the Spanish media that the World Cup winner is still a “perceived opportunity” for Jose Mourinho's side.

Defensa Central have reported that Cadena SER's Javier Herraez says he “wouldn’t close any door” on the transfer happening.

“Real Madrid aren’t doing well right now and they’re worried about how the team is playing,” he said, “I don’t think they’ll go for him now, but I wouldn’t rule anything out, especially in football: above all, in that position.”

The Galacticos have failed to replace the control of Toni Kroos in their midfield since the German's surprise retirement from the game at the age of just 34, with Rodri a serious target for the club before rivals Barcelona poached him over the summer.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have stacked their central midfield to add Bruno Guimaraes over the summer, with the Brazilian having scored twice in the Premier League from limited appearances already, completing an impressive first 90 minutes in a red-and-white shirt last night in the Champions League victory over Lille.

FourFourTwo understands that Zubimendi is one of the more likely departures for the summer of 2027, given the promises that Arsenal must have made to him when he signed and the adjustment that he could well spend the season as fourth-choice in his position – but with Arteta's side competing on four fronts, the Spanish international may well find his importance increase as the season continues.

An injury to Piero Hincapie has already seen Lewis-Skelly return to left-back this season, perhaps paving the way for Zubimendi to compete with just Guimaraes when he himself returns from his recent knock.

The Basque is worth €65 million, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal host Nottingham Forest at the weekend, as Premier League action resumes.

Manchester United fans have received an update on manager Michael Carrick's future, following another defeat away to Atletico Madrid last night.

The Red Devils were comfortably beaten 2-0, before Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez delivered an extraordinary post-match interview in which he singled out technical director Jason Wilcox for the shortcomings at Old Trafford over the summer transfer window.

It leaves the club with just two wins since the start of the season, heaping further pressure on Carrick.

Michael Carrick given Manchester United future update

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Manchester United's owners are “right behind” Carrick – despite the former midfielder being “under pressure” in his role as manager.

“You are under pressure constantly at Manchester United, from ownership, executives, managers, staff, players, and so on,” Ornstein wrote. “That’s testament to the expectations. Carrick knows that better than anybody.

“He will be aware of what comes with that territory. It’s a results business. However good the intentions are of United as a hierarchy, and the goodwill given to him by the fanbase, he’ll be judged on how he does.

“And ultimately, those that have gone before him have paid the price when they’ve gone on a poor run. So he needs to improve things.

“I don’t know of any desire to get rid of Carrick. On the contrary, they are right behind him and want him to succeed. But you’re right behind somebody at any club until you’re not. And there will be concern about the results and certainly the performances.”

The former England international was given the managerial job on a permanent basis over the summer after taking over from Ruben Amorim for an interim stint last season that saw United's fortunes soar, with a third-placed finish in the league and wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.

But after just six points from his first six fixtures in the league, the Red Devils were booed off the pitch at Old Trafford at the weekend, after dropping two more points to bottom-placed Tottenham Hotspur – who were down to 10 men.

“What we saw against Tottenham wouldn’t have been deemed acceptable by Carrick or the powers that be,” Ornstein continued. “The support were really unhappy. We heard it, we’ve seen it, we’ve read about it. I know a lot of United fans and I’ve detected it, too.

“There will also be questions about the people around the structure at United: recruitment, executives, owners. We’ve been in this position so many times before and the one who pays the price is the manager. I do think the goodwill gives him time and faith. But at a club of this stature, if you don’t deliver, you’ll pay the price.”

United travel to in-form Leeds United this weekend, as Premier League action returns.

Former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold could be about to enjoy a huge homecoming, with a transfer back to Anfield on the cards.

That's according to a stunning new report, which suggests that the right-back's difficult time since leaving the Reds could draw to a close just two seasons after he made the move from Liverpool to Real Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold signed for Los Blancos on a free transfer after making over 350 appearances in red – but has failed to establish himself as a leading star at the Bernabeu, with his future now uncertain.

Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold replacement shaping up, with Liverpool ready to pounce

According to Cadena SER in Spain, Tottenham Hotspur full-back Pedro Porro is weighing up his future, with interest from Barcelona.

The World Cup winner was on the shortlist for Real Madrid, however, before they signed Denzel Dumfries over the summer to compete with Alexander-Arnold – and with Porro more interested in Madrid than Catalonia, journalist Pacojo Delgado has claimed that, “If Real Madrid comes calling, knowing that Trent Alexander-Arnold isn’t convincing at full-back, there might be an option”.

With TEAMtalk claiming that Liverpool would be interested in re-signing their former No.66, the possibility could arise that the England international returns to Merseyside, where he won two Premier League titles and a Champions League in 2019.

Alexander-Arnold was adored by Reds fans after breaking into their senior set-up under Jurgen Klopp, becoming one of the best right-backs in the world and redefining the position as one that a playmaker could operate in.

The manner of his departure, however, led to certain sections of Anfield to boo him – both in his final days as a Liverpool player and during his return for Madrid in the Champions League last season.

Some fans were disappointed that the 28-year-old left on a free transfer with Liverpool unable to receive any substantial fee, while others suggested that Real were “rivals”, given the number of times that the two sides have faced one another in European competition over the last few years.

While Liverpool may well welcome the opportunity to strengthen in a position that has been a weak spot ever since Alexander-Arnold's departure, however, opting not to sign him next summer – if they really do feel he burned bridges with them – would open the door to give rivals a chance to.

Arsenal and Manchester City have both been linked with the Englishman, with former perhaps more likely, given that right-back Ben White almost left over the summer.

FourFourTwo understands that Real Madrid have no current plans to sell the full-back midseason.

Alexander-Arnold is worth €60 million, according to Transfermarkt. Liverpool travel to LASK tonight, as Champions League action returns.

Football in England is on the precipice of meltdown, with “financial disaster” around the corner.

That's according to the new Independent Football Regulator, whose State of the Game report reveals that should owners pull their funding from clubs, a significant number would fold within 30 days – with chair David Kogan explaining the “massive contradiction” between the wealth of Premier League clubs and the debt throughout the English footballing pyramid.

Perhaps most worryingly for fans, 94 per cent of English football’s top 116 clubs are currently making losses.

245-page report highlights Bury, Wigan and Derby County as case studies

The new report – out today – has set out a six-point plan to save clubs from a potential ruin on the horizon, with worrying statistics coming out.

The IFR suggests that revenue distribution should be reformed, with changes highlighting financial stability, with clubs improving how they manage financial risk and acting with transparency towards their fans.

The highest wage bill in the Premier League currently sits at £364 million a year, according to the report – and though average club revenue has risen by over 2,000 per cent, wages have gone up by 5,000 per cent, demonstrating quite how much is being spent at the top level.

Dozens of clubs have been warned that they are on the brink, with parachute payments at risk of being scaled back, too, with IFR Chair David Kogan calling the game “bloody risky”.

“At the heart of English football’s success is a massive contradiction,” he said. “While some of our clubs are among the richest and most competitive in the world, others are standing on the edge of financial disaster.

“Skyrocketing revenues have been outpaced by costs which in turn have pushed up debt, loss-making and an over-reliance on owner funding.

“A significant number of clubs that told us they would not survive if their owners walked away. This lack of resilience can no longer be ignored. Anyone reading this report can be in no doubt about the need for intervention.

“Football has always been bloody risky but now if you fail the failure is much harder to take because the numbers are so much bigger and that’s where we come in.”

Premier League action continues this weekend.

Birmingham City were promoted back to the Championship at the first time of asking and were immediately cast in the role of Premier League hopefuls. So forthright was their ambition, so unapologetic their bravado, that it couldn’t be any other way.

They now have their feet under the table and they’re starting to make a noise. Birmingham moved into third place with a 4-0 home win over Preston North End. They’ve picked up just over half of the points available to them. In what will surely be an open play-offs race, that sort of return is an adequate foundation.

Birmingham’s first goal against Preston was swept in from close range by Liam Millar, who joined the club on loan at the very end of the summer transfer window. He’s helping to transform them from maybes into probablies.

Liam Millar is Birmingham’s most accomplished threat

Millar scored for Hull City against Coventry City in the Premier League on the last Saturday or August. Three days later he was announced to Blues supporters at half time in their home fixture against Southampton.

Birmingham manager Chris Davies wasted no time in assimilating the Canadian international into his starting line-up and little wonder; Millar has Premier League academy pedigree and bags of experience including spells with Basel and the Tigers.

Millar gives Birmingham width in the attacking third and tends to stay there, making the pitch big and creating spaces for his teammates. He’s willing to square up a defender and try to beat him, and he makes sure he attacks the six-yard box when Patrick Roberts does the same on the right.

That’s where his goal, Birmingham’s springboard, came from on Tuesday night. Millar has now scored two Championship goals and assisted another three. The only wingers with more goal contributions at the time of writing are Blackburn Rovers’ Oladapo Afolayan and West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen.

Birmingham have other ways to score goals. Davies leans on defenders Phil Neumann and Christoph Klarer to be a threat as much as striker August Priske, while Jay Stansfied is by now a seasoned Championship forward even if his work ethic doesn’t generate goals as naturally as it might.

Millar adds to these partnerships a more polished and more persistent source of danger for opponents.

The Canadian winger is also forging a promising partnership of his own.

Where a switched-on Bright Osayi-Samuel provides the thrust from right-back behind the cultured creativity of Roberts, Millar offers both impetus and invention on the left in front of Blues’ left-back.

Millar and Alex Cochrane could push Birmingham on to better things

Quietly, Alex Cochrane is sneaking up the rungs of influence among Championship full-backs and helping to supply the basis for Millar’s occasionally eye-popping individual ability. That he outworks Osayi-Samuel is a bonus.

Now 26, Cochrane developed as a local prospect at Brighton & Hove Albion before making a loan to Heart of Midlothian permanent in 2022. He became Birmingham’s fifth signing under Davies in the summer of 2024.

Cochrane is a growing character in a Blues defence full of personality and was the best player on the pitch in their statement win. His all-round performance – Cochrane was a big aerial presence and demonstrated excellent one-on-one defensive capability insofar as it was required – was topped off by what was in the words of his manager an ‘exceptional’ assist for the first of Priske’s two goals.

His pass in behind after the referee dropped the ball at his feet on the left flank was perfect to the millimetre. Priske couldn’t miss.

As a combination, Cochrane and Millar are becoming an efficient spearhead for Davies. They rank well among comparable players for big chances but lower for chances overall, suggesting, perhaps, an uplift in output as the festive fixtures rumble over the horizon.

The burgeoning duo have completed 90 minutes together only once in the Championship. Their partnership will only get better from here on in, and Davies can expect to squeeze even more from them than a total of two goals and five assists up to this point.

Birmingham’s left side is revealing itself as a sleeper power, starting to stir, and could yet be the edge that push them towards a meaningful crack at promotion. Being able to bring Demarai Gray on to score a fabulous fourth against Preston was the icing on the cake.

Michael Owen's long-standing interest in horses is well-known.

The one-time Ballon d'Or winner has enjoyed his share of success as an owner.

But Owen does have one single experience of going out on the track as a jockey - and actually, it went pretty well.

Owen came second in the seven-furlong race at Ascot, which was in aid of the Prince's Countryside Trust.

But the former England international is now more than happy to leave it to his daughter Gemma when it comes to getting into the saddle.

Owen said: "That was incredible - I had two months to lose two stone and learn a new discipline!

"It was pretty mad, but I loved it, although amazingly I haven’t sat on a horse since.

"It was an unbelievable experience and I can totally get why Gemma’s got the bug for race riding.

"This next step is a serious step – she’ll be in with quality jockeys and it’s the real thing.

"She’ll be riding at York and Chester, loads of nice tracks.

"They do 30-odd races a year so if she really wanted to, she could be riding virtually once a week.

"It would be thrilling for the family to go to watch her and see her improve.

"I know what she’s like – she says she wants to win a race, but there’s a series for amateur jockeys and she’ll have her eyes on the bloody championship, then it will be the next thing!"

Chelsea won their fifth title of the Premier League era in 2016-17. It was Antonio Conte's finest hour in English football as he led the Blues to the top of the table, seven points clear of Tottenham Hotspur and 15 ahead of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

Sunderland and Middlesbrough were both among the relegated teams, and Arsenal were the only team in the top six not to play in the Champions League the following season. Manchester United qualified by winning the Europa League in 2017.

Your challenge in this quiz is to name all 20 top scorers in 6 minutes. We're only counting Premier League goals. Let us know how you get on!

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has an almost bottomless vault of football quizzes and they're all courtesy of Kwizly. Sticking with English football's history, here's a quiz that asks you to name every title sponsor in the 66-year history of the Football League Cup, aka the EFL Cup.

Next, there are 108 teams in the league phase of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League this season. Can you name them every club competing in Europe in 2026-27?

Finally, we've been a bit naughty with some football club and international team badges, removing a name here and changing a colour there in an effort to fox your visual skills. Can you still ace our badge quiz?

FourFourTwo's Weekend Crossword 72 features clues on Buccaneers, pirates and Vikings. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for your daily afternoon briefing of football trivia and analysis, and don't forget to join The Club: our free membership portal where you can secret hints and get on the leaderboard.

The Premier League’s fight for its future rests entirely on the Manchester City case.

Prosecuting financial malfeasance on an industrial scale will define the path which governs the top flight for the next few years, if not longer. The 114 charges brought against City’s owners marks an existential juncture for the English game. All options remain on the table as viable punishments for Enzo Mareca’s side. They risk point deductions, seeing titles won voided and even expulsion from the Premier League.

Any expectations of outward contrition on a first return to action since the independent commission delivered its damning verdict, when the message from within Eastlands’ corridors of power is one of maintained innocence, were incredibly naive. Their comprehensive win over Liverpool, at the place Pep Guardiola famously described as ‘a bugger of a ground’, carried an abundant message both on and off the pitch.

Manchester City’s charges fate must end Premier League disparity

Even before rocking up to Anfield last weekend, Man City fans were mirroring their hierarchy’s defiant stance. Their argument was, and remains, that the club is in fact the wronged party; that nine years of financial doping was a necessary evil to ensure they could realistically compete against a ‘red cartel’ of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Noel Gallagher, who stood among the away allocation on Merseyside, was also quick to make a case that fans should not feel the weight of arbitrational action. The Oasis co-founder insisted the misdeeds carried out in their boardroom were ‘nothing to do with the supporters or the players’, pushing the envelope for clemency to those who witnessed a history which could soon be expunged from the record books but not their memories.

There is credibility to Gallagher’s case for mitigation. After all, City fans did not ask to be festooned with a scintilla of Abu Dhabi’s eye-watering wealth since 2008; they have simply been swept along for the ride after decades in the doldrums. Unfortunately, contempt for the conmen and compassion for the conned, while an admirable sentiment, does not translate to football. Fandom is an entirely one-sided transaction. Whatever happens behind the scenes can, and does, ultimately impact those at the bottom of the food chain most. New signings, managerial changes and price hikes are all passed on to those supposedly still considered to be the game’s lifeblood.

Should the club’s appeal fail, the fallout will invariably hit their supporters hardest. It won’t be Sheikh Mansour that suffers the indignity of potentially retracing the steps from their infamous trip to York City in what is now League One. He is equally well-insulated from repeated taunts of ‘cheats’ which reverberated around Anfield and will soundtrack every visit to grounds in whatever division they ultimately find themselves playing. But while Man City fans will be understandably aggrieved by whatever punishment follows, they have a chance to represent a first step towards fairness in domestic football.

The Premier League’s approach to how it treats those that fall afoul of its stringent financial regulations has hardly been even-handed. Accusations of a halfway house existing which appears to view those in its upper echelons more favourably are difficult to shake given the cases involving Everton, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea. The former, both perennial relegation candidates at that time, were hit with point deductions which were imposed forthwith, complete with an updated table to show their perilous revised positions. The Toffees gained no sporting advantage from their breach of Profit and Sustainability Rules but were hit with a landmark 10-point sanction, reduced to six on appeal. Forest, similarly, were told that ‘rules are rules’ as an £34.5m overspend was hit with a four-point deduction.

Conversely, Stamford Bridge chiefs were given remarkably lenient measures for self-reporting secret payments made under predecessor Roman Abramovich which had helped grease the wheels of signing players between 2011 and 2018. The Londoners won one title fewer than City in their own breach period but saw their punishment restricted to little more than a £10.75m fine and a suspended one-window transfer ban for their historic acts of rule-breaking. A separate 74 charges with the Football Association drew a similarly meagre £10m financial penalty while an initial suspended six-point deduction was downgraded on appeal. Any case against punishing the fans for the oligarch’s illicit tactics have subsequently been undermined by Chelsea’s match-going support continuing to deify him with chants at games since being stripped of power.

That sentiment was also pushed far and wide in the aftermath of the failed European Super League, when the English contingent of the continental ‘dirty dozen’ conspired to launch a breakaway under the cover of darkness. Both UEFA and the Premier League acceded to that request with financial penalties that represented barely a ripple in their respective balance sheets. A shared fine amounting to £3.6m was handed down by Richard Masters’ organisation, who threatened to impose a greater 30-point deduction and £20m fine should they try and pull a similar stunt in future. European football’s governing body, despite being directly impacted by the breakaway plot, were even more forgiving with individual £1.4m sanctions and foregoing 5% of their European competition revenues for a season, two years down the line.

Throwing fans at the mercy of regulators is a convenient shield for owners to escape retribution and City’s overlords are unlikely to think twice of sacrificing those who treat Mansour and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak as folk heroes were it to allow them to be extricated with dignity from what has become an increasingly complex case.

Man City previously led the way as the first club to withdraw from the Super League plot, earning plaudits from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin for demonstrating ‘great intelligence’ in doing so. Whatever punishment could come their way from the current saga can act a great equaliser for the supposed ‘greatest league in the world’.

It's hard work but at least it doesn't take long. The FourFourTwo Quickfire Quiz is 10 trivia questions long and you need to answer them all in just 90 seconds.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has loads more football quizzes and they're all courtesy of Kwizly. First up today, let's find out how much you know about the Associate Members' Cup. Yes, that's right. The Associate Members' Cup. (It's the EFL Trophy.)

Next, we've got a four-minute wonder that simply asks you to tell us every player ever to have been shown three red cards in a single Premier League season. A couple of tap-ins, sure, but there are also a few that will take something special to beat the goalkeeper from there.

The wounds of the World Cup are still raw and naming the team who knocked England out is as easy as it gets, but can you do the same for every World Cup before 2026 too? How about every team to have beaten England in any World Cup match since their debut tournament in 1950?

Sticking with the World Cup and indeed the Premier League, this quiz brings them together. Can you name every Premier League player ever to have won the World Cup while playing in England's top division?

If you've still got some quizzing appetite left, here's a tasty dessert course. We have several questions, each with just two possible answers and a simple multiple choice decision to make: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?

We have puzzles too. Our Weekend Crossword is a regular football teaser for your Sunday, and remember to sign up to the newsletter for more quizzes in your inbox. Don't forget to join The Club for free additional membership benefits!

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has delivered an explosive post-match interview after yet another defeat with the Red Devils to Atletico Madrid

Michael Carrick's side lost 2-0 at the Metropolitano, and Martinez – criticised at the weekend for his part in a late Dominic Solanke equaliser – came out to face the music at full-time, and delivered an honest assessment of Manchester United's form at the start of this season.

The Argentine didn't hold back either, with a last of investment and, in particular, technical director Jason Wilcox, referenced by the centre-back as reasons for the club's stagnation on the pitch.

Real Madrid want to sign David Raya from Arsenal

Gabriel Clarke: Lisandro, a tough result. First of all, how do you sum up the performance?

Lisandro Martinez: Really, really poor. I have to control myself a lot. But it's a reflection, a mirror of how our club is. Fantastic season last season. We expect more from, from the top, from us. The players to compete, because many teams [have them]. And today, also, Atletico, they have an amazing team. And they deserve to win today.

GC: So this is not a Champions League-quality squad, Manchester United?

LM: I expect more, honestly. I expect more.

GC: But what you're saying is you expected more investment in the squad in the summer?

LM: Yeah, 100 per cent. [I] expect more from our technical director; I have to be honest, you know. And also, as the players, we have to do more. But it's just important when you make a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night…

GC: In which areas? In defence, in attack? Because obviously there was money invested in midfield.

LM: In general. In general. I think last season we did everything; we created the base to build an amazing team and to prove something, you know? Yeah, it's annoying, disappointing, to come here and not see my team trying to get an amazing result; it's disappointing.

GC: The manager, of course, gets a lot of the criticism. Is the problem the manager wasn't backed enough in the summer in terms of investment?

LM: I don't think so. I don't think so. He does his best. But every season is different. You can't stay with what you did last season? The [opposition] knows you, knows how you play. The teams know every detail, you know, and if you don't change, next season… it's a big problem.

GC: Often in this situation, it's the manager who is the one who is removed. You can't necessarily go…

LM: You start changing, changing, changing manager, but what about other areas? I can't, I can't say more.

GC: No, we, we appreciate you being so frank tonight. Of course, it's two wins from nine...

LM: ...Because also tonight, it's easy to say the coach, it's easy to say the players, but also we have to see others, other areas.

Watch Galatasaray vs Barcelona for free as the Blaugrana travel to Istanbul to face one of the most hostile atmospheres in world football in the Champions League 2026/27. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

The Galatasaray fans will be as intimidating as ever as they aim to help their side claim another scalp in the Champions League, having beaten Liverpool (twice) and Juventus at RAMS Park last season.

It will be fascinating to see how Barcelona cope after a flawless start to the campaign which has seen them win nine consecutive games in all competitions, the first time they have done so since 1935/36.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Galatasaray vs Barcelona in the Champions League 2026/27 online, on TV, and from anywhere, including for free.

Can I watch Galatasaray vs Barcelona for free?

Yes. TRT 1 in Turkey is showing Galatasaray vs Barcelona live and for free as one of its selected games this week.

They will also show the Aston Villa vs Fenerbahçe fixture tomorrow evening.

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Watch Galatasaray vs Barcelona from anywhere

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How to watch Galatasaray vs Barcelona in the UK

Fans in the UK can watch Galatasaray vs Barcelona live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

The game will be shown on TNT Sports 2, with kick-off at 8pm BST.

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How to watch Galatasaray vs Barcelona in the US

Paramount+ has live coverage of Galatasaray vs Barcelona in the US, with kick-off at 3pm ET.

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How to watch Galatasaray vs Barcelona in Australia

Australian viewers can watch Galatasaray vs Barcelona on Stan Sport. Kick-off is at 6am AEDT on Wednesday.

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Galatasaray vs Barcelona: Preview

Galatasaray may start tonight's Champions League clash with Barcelona at the opposite end of the league phase table, but the Turkish side have a powerful weapon that will do everything in its power to roar them on to victory.

RAMS Park is known as one of the most intimidating environments for a visiting team in European football, which should help make up for the gap in quality to Hansi Flick's outstanding Barca team.

Galatasaray lost 3-1 at Sporting CP in their Champions League opener but they are a different proposition at home, winning four of their six matches here as they reached the round of 16.

Striker Victor Osimhen was key to that run but only recently returned from injury, so it remains to be seen if he is fit enough to start against Barca.

SEE ALSO How to watch Champions League 2026/27

Galatasaray are aiming to become the first team to avoid defeat against Barcelona this season, after the Spanish giants beat Getafe 3-0 on Saturday to make it nine successive wins to start the campaign.

Hansi Flick's side thrashed Feyenoord 5-1 in their league phase opener to establish themselves as one of the favourites to win the competition and a victory here would cement that status.

Barca's Achilles heel in this competition of late has been their defence, having failed to claim a clean sheet in the Champions League since April 2025 - a run of 16 games.

That doesn't matter so much when you have a front three of Lamine Yamal, Anthony Gordon and Gabriel Jesus, with the latter expected to continue in place of the injured Raphinha, who has already scored 14 goals this season.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Galatasaray 1-2 Barcelona

Barca have the quality to overcome a hostile atmosphere and return home with three points.

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Watch Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United for free in the Champions League 2026/27 as the Red Devils travel to the Spanish capital to face last season's semi-finalists. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Atletico take on English opposition for the second gameweek running after losing 2-1 to Liverpool at Anfield in their league phase opener.

United boss Michael Carrick is in dire need of a good result after his side's poor start to the Premier League season, although they did beat Sabah 4-0 in their first game back in this competition.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United online, on TV, and from anywhere, including for free.

Can I watch Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United for free?

Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United is on Prime Video in the UK, which has a 30-day free trial for new customers, allowing them to stream the game at no cost.

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Watch Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United from anywhere

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How to watch Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United in the UK

As mentioned above, fans in the UK can watch Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United live on Amazon Prime Video. Kick-off is at 8:00pm BST.

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How to watch Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United in the US

US viewers can watch Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United on Paramount+, with kick-off at 3pm ET.

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How to watch Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United in Australia

Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United is live on Stan Sport in Australia, with the game kicking-off at 6am AEDT on Wednesday.

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Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United: Preview

Atletico Madrid will be relishing the visit of Manchester United in the Champions League after starting the season in fine form.

Diego Simeone's side sit second in La Liga after winning their last four games, which included a 2-1 victory over city rivals Real, and they will be desperate to right the wrongs of the 2-1 defeat at Liverpool in their opening league phase fixture last month.

That extended Atleti's poor recent form against English sides to just two wins from their last 15 matches, although fans of a more optimistic persuasion would point to the fact they have lost only two of the last 19 meetings with Premier League teams in Spain.

Simeone's men will be confident of extending their strong home record against an out-of-form United, with former Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero and ex-Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez among those expected to start.

SEE ALSO Should I use a VPN to watch football?

This is the first of two tough away trips for the Red Devils this week, with Michael Carrick's side also travelling to rivals Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday.

You can look at that in two ways: either these games come at the worst possible time for a team low on form and confidence, or it is the perfect opportunity to change the narrative.

If United wilt in two hostile atmospheres and fail to claim a positive result, the pressure will only intensify on Carrick, whose side are 13th in the Premier League after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser to draw at home to 10-man Spurs on Saturday.

Europe provided some respite with that 4-0 win over Sabah in gameweek one but this will be a much tougher test, especially with midfielder Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw ruled out through injury.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Atletico Madrid 3-1 Manchester United

United's poor form means they are the underdogs against an Atletico side who will be right up for this.

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Watch Arsenal vs Lille for free as the Gunners continue their Champions League 2026/27 campaign with their first home game of this season's competition. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Mikel Arteta's men began the league phase with a 1-0 win away to Napoli last month and will be confident of extending their perfect start at the Emirates, where they have not lost a European game since April 2025.

They face a Lille side who are managed by Davide Ancelotti, son of legendary boss Carlo, and boast 40-year-old ex-Gunners striker Olivier Giroud in their ranks.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Arsenal vs Lille in the Champions League online, on TV, and from anywhere, including for free.

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Yes. Arsenal vs Lille will be shown live on free-to-air Virgin Media Two in Ireland, complete with English commentary, while you can stream the game via Virgin Media Play.

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Watch Arsenal vs Lille from anywhere

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How to watch Arsenal vs Lille in the UK

Arsenal vs Lille will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and HBO Max in the UK.

The game will be shown on TNT Sports 1, with kick-off at 8pm BST.

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How to watch Arsenal vs Lille in the US

Fans in the US can watch Arsenal vs Lille on Paramount+, with kick-off at 3pm ET.

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How to watch Arsenal vs Lille in Australia

Australian viewers can watch Arsenal vs Lille on Stan Sport. Kick-off is at 6am AEDT on Wednesday.

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Arsenal vs Lille: Preview

Arsenal had to fight back from 1-0 down to beat Leeds United on Saturday in their first game after the international break, but tonight's clash with Lille should be more straightforward.

The Emirates Stadium has been something of a fortress for the Gunners since they returned to the Champions League in 2023/24, with Mikel Arteta's side winning 15 of their 19 home matches in that time and losing just once.

The Arsenal manager has been presented with an unexpected selection headache after defender Piero Hincapie and midfielder Martin Zubimendi both suffered ankle injuries during a training session on the pitch after the 2-1 win over Leeds.

Neither player started Saturday's match but may have been in line for more minutes against Lille, with Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres among the other fringe players who could get the nod.

SEE ALSO How to watch Champions League 2026/27

The Gunners will come up against a familiar face this evening, as Lille striker Olivier Giroud returns to the ground he called home from 2012 to 2018.

Now 40, the Frenchman scored 105 goals in 253 appearances for Arsenal and was a popular figure during his time in North London, helping the club win the FA Cup three times.

Giroud started Lille's 1-0 win over Le Havre on Saturday but could make way for Ayase Ueda, who began the 3-2 home defeat by Real Betis in their Champions League opener.

That was a rare low point in a strong start to the season for the French side, who have taken 13 points from their first six games in Ligue 1 to sit second in the table.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Arsenal 2-0 Lille

The Gunners are very strong at home, so they should claim a comfortable victory.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya is a target for a club he holds dear in his heart.

The World Cup winner has been in fine form once again this season, off the back of winning the past three Golden Glove awards in the Premier League.

But with the stopper now 31, it appears that Arsenal have competition in keeping Raya for the rest of his prime.

Real Madrid want to sign David Raya from Arsenal

With Real Madrid no.1, Thibaut Courtois, 35 years old next summer and available on a free transfer, plans are already being made on the succession plan between Los Blancos' sticks.

That's according to a new report from Fichajes, which claims that David Raya is heading up the shortlist at the Bernabeu.

Portuguese stopper Diogo Costa and Frenchman Guillaume Restes complete a three-man shortlist – though Gooners will be no doubt be worried that the lure of Real to a Spanish international may prove to the tipping point in a move that takes arguably the best goalkeeper in the world away from the Emirates Stadium.

Raya himself has just two years left on his Gunners deal, and despite growing up a stone's throw from Camp Nou in Barcelona, is a lifelong Madridista – meaning that he may well find it difficult to turn down a move back home to Spain.

On the flipside, Real's reluctance to part with Courtois just yet may well give Arsenal time to persuade Raya to commit for a little longer at London Colney.

“Real Madrid's sporting management wants to prepare for the Belgian goalkeeper's departure without rushing him,” the report notes. “Courtois remains the starting goalkeeper, and his continued presence would allow the club approximately two seasons to evaluate alternatives before making a potential investment.”

The Spaniard arrived in England as a teenager, joining Blackburn Rovers' academy and going on loan to non-league Southport before establishing himself as the first-choice at Ewood Park, where he won promotion in 2018 and earned a move to Brentford a year later.

FourFourTwo understands that Raya has a very close relationship with Arsenal goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana, who pushed to first sign his protege in 2021 – and then succeeded two years later, as Raya ousted fan favourite Aaron Ramsdale as the No.1 keeper in N5.

Arsenal signed another goalkeeper over the summer in the form of former Leeds United man Ilian Mesilier, with the Frenchman acting as another backup to Raya alongside Spaniard Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Raya is worth €30 million, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal host Lille tonight, as Champions League action returns this week.

Watch England vs Greece as the Lionesses look to take another step closer to next year's World Cup, with all the broadcast details right here in this guide.

After coming second to Spain in their qualifying group, England must qualify for the 2027 World Cup through the play-offs.

In the first leg in Crete, they saw off Greece 3-1, but must maintain their lead in the second leg to progress to a final play-off round against either Slovakia or Ukraine.

After reaching the final of the 2023 World Cup, it is crunch time for the Lionesses.

FourFourTwo has all the information on live streams and TV channels so you can watch England vs Greece online, on TV, and from anywhere.

Watch England vs Greece for FREE in the UK

England vs Greece will be broadcast live in the UK by public broadcaster, ITV.

Coverage is live on ITV4, with a England vs Greece free live stream on the ITVX streaming service.

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Watch England vs Greece from anywhere

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Can I watch England vs Greece in the US, Canada or Australia?

Unfortunately, England vs Greece hasn't picked up a broadcaster in the US, Canada or Australia.

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England vs Greece: preview

England finished second in their initial qualifying group, behind world champions Spain, meaning they must navigate two rounds of play-offs to secure their place at next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.

First up, they must overcome Greece, and Friday’s first leg in Crete saw the Lionesses establish a 3-1 lead in the tie.

They now play in front of a home crowd, hoping to extend that lead in Leicester.

While it wasn’t the most convincing away performance, goals from Georgia Stanway, Maya Le Tissier and Alessia Russo gave England a healthy lead.

They did, however, offer Greece the slightest glimpse of hope after conceding a 77th-minute goal, but Sarina Wiegman’s side will be hoping to wrap the tie up on Tuesday night with minimal fuss.

Chelsea youngster Lexi Potter earned her first senior England call-up after impressing for the Blues this season but remained an unused substitute on Friday night.

Meanwhile, Erica Meg Parkinson and Grace Fisk both earned their senior debuts.

With a place at the World Cup on the line, England must produce another professional performance to take another step towards qualification.

England Women: Tickets

FourFourTwo's prediction

England 4-0 Greece

The European champions will ease to a 4-0 win.

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Thomas Frank could be about to make his grand return to management – and damage goodwill at Brentford.

The Dane took the Bees to the promised land in lockdown, winning promotion to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs in 2021, with the club remaining in the top tier ever since.

Frank left the Gtech in 2025 for a new challenge in the capital, swapping Brentford for Tottenham Hotspur in a disastrous few months leading the Lilywhites towards a relegation battle – but now, he appears to be close to a new job.

Thomas Frank is the leading contender to manage Brentford's local rivals… Fulham

With no win in their first six fixtures Fulham are enduring a torrid start to the new season under Alvaro Arbeloa, with this weekend marking a new nadir for the Spaniard.

The Whites managed to surrender all three points on the road to Ipswich Town from a winning position that they held until the 88th minute, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table below Spurs.

According to talkSPORT, Fulham have identified Frank to take over – with Arbeloa answering a question over the weekend relating to the pressures of his job with a quip that has only riled Craven Cottage goers further.

“Maybe you don’t know me but I played for the best team in world: I have coached the best team in the world,” he said, referring to two stints at Real Madrid as a player and 28 matches in charge of Los Blancos last term following the sacking of Xabi Alonso.

Frank has been out of work following his exit from Tottenham last season, aside from appearing as a pundit on the BBC's coverage of the World Cup over the summer – but should he make the move Thames-side, he may well burn bridges further closer to Kew.

The 53-year-old is regarded by Brentford fans as a legend, but with the club sharing a rivalry with Fulham, that status may be tested.

In recent seasons, there haven't been many players who have turned out for both West London outfits, with Fabio Carvalho the standout example of a Cottagers academy product who lost the adoration of the club that developed him after signing for Frank.

Reiss Nelson was the last player to represent both clubs, playing for the Bees on loan last season after a season under Marco Silva on loan at Fulham in 2024.

Fulham face their second of three promoted teams in a row this weekend, as Premier League action continues with Craven Cottage welcoming high-flying Hull City to the banks of the Thames.

A minute's silence will be observed ahead of kick-off in Manchester United’s UEFA Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid tonight.

It follows the passing of Ana Merodio Borja, the mother of Atletico captain Koke and academy coach Borja Resurreccion.

Atletico confirmed the news in an official statement on Tuesday, revealing that their skipper's mother had passed away in Madrid earlier that morning. Both sides and supporters inside the ground will unite before the referee's whistle to pay their respects.

Atletico and Man United observe minute's silence for player's mother

Koke is one of the Spanish club's defining figures of the modern era. An academy graduate who joined Los Colchoneros at eight years old, the midfielder holds Atletico's all-time appearance record with over 600 senior matches to his name, captaining Diego Simeone’s side through a decorated era that includes two LaLiga titles, two Europa League triumphs, and two Champions League final appearances.

The family's connection to the club runs deep, with Koke's brother, Borja, also working within the setup as assistant coach for Atletico's 'Juvenil A' academy squad.

Securing permission for a pre-match tribute at such short notice is a rare and tightly controlled process but Atletico have been granted special dispensation.

UEFA enforces strict competition regulations governing matchday protocols, where television broadcast windows, player walkouts, and the competition anthem are closely coordinated.

Participating clubs are strictly forbidden from unilaterally staging a moment of silence or wearing black armbands without formal authorisation from UEFA.

Atletico are understood to have submitted an urgent, emergency request to the appointed UEFA Match Delegate and competition directors for the minute's silence request to be granted. Manchester United offered their immediate backing and cooperation, allowing UEFA to allow for the alteration to the pre-match scheduling.

Man United kick off in Madrid at 8pm this evening. The game is being shown live on Amazon Prime Video.

Jamie Carragher has found himself at the centre of an online storm after previous comments of his about sporting integrity have resurfaced in the wake of Manchester City’s Premier League rule-breaking.

Following the historic verdict by an independent commission that found Manchester City guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial regulations across a nine-season period, Carragher emerged as one of the club's fiercest critics.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Liverpool defender questioned the legitimacy of City's decade of domestic dominance.

Awkward Jamie Carragher podcast clip resurfaces

"I do think Manchester City's titles they've won in this time, or trophies, should be taken off their list," Carragher declared during his analysis on Sky Sports. "What Manchester City have done is, they've not just hurt their own players in terms of no one looks at their trophies and medals now in the same way...

"I've been very lucky to win a few medals. I never look at the medal years later. But my mind goes back to a moment, I get a feeling in my stomach. I remember the referee blowing a final whistle of a big game. Those players will never get that feeling and it was robbed by Manchester City. That's what they haven't got. I don't think any player will care if you go and give them a medal, and he puts it in the house, in his trophy room, he'll never look at it."

The pundit lamented the collateral damage for top stars, suggesting their title-winning legacy has been unfairly tainted because the club broke spending regulations.

However, football supporters have pointed out a stark contrast between Carragher’s current stance and a previous confession. During an interview on Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO podcast in 2022, Carragher discussed his competitive nature and reflected on his obsession with finishing on the winning side.

Carragher offered an unapologetically candid admission, revealing that he would rather "cheat and win than not win."

"I'd rather cheat and win, than not win - and I don't think I'll ever be any different.

"That's why I think football has taken me to places in my life that almost brings a tear to my eye," the Liverpool legend said in a clip which is currently doing the rounds on social media.

The resurfaced clip has circulated rapidly, highlighting the difference between his current position and the win-at-all-costs mentality he held as a player.

While his podcast remarks were not directly in reference to Manchester City's charges, and more geared towards the mindset often found in dressing rooms, the two conflicting perspectives sit uncomfortably alongside each other.

Carragher clarified his previous comments, stating: "I’m talking more about Luis Garcia’s ghost goal than 900M in fake sponsorship!"

Eddie Howe has rejected the chance to return to football with a Champions League club.

The 48-year-old arrived at Newcastle United as the first manager hired by the club's new Saudi Arabian ownership, and took the Magpies from a relegation battle midway through his first campaign to the Champions League at the end of his first full season.

Having lifted the Carabao Cup in 2025 – ending Newcastle's 56-year wait for a trophy and becoming the first English manager to win a major honour in 17 years – Howe side struggled, however, last term, with the Toon boss departing after five years at the helm.

Eddie Howe has turned down a major approach

FourFourTwo understands that Howe's departure from Newcastle was far from a snap decision, with the former defender considering his exit at times last season.

With the likes of Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali all sold for big profit over the summer – with Tyneside mainstays Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson and Nick Pope also phased out – Howe decided to walk of his own accord, paving the way for Matthias Jaissle to oversee the transition.

According to TEAMtalk, Lens in Ligue 1 have since approached Howe over taking the job at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

After taking Le Sang et Or to second in the table last term – and a place in the Champions League league phase – manager Pierre Sage departed to replace Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace.

TEAMtalk's report states that prior to owner and president Joseph Oughourlian hiring interim boss Yannick Cahuzac to take the Lens job on a permanent basis, Howe was approached to see if he was interested in returning to football – which he wasn't.

The former Bournemouth boss is back on the south coast after five years in the northeast, enjoying time with his family in a similar sabbatical to the one he took after parting ways at the Vitality Stadium.

Howe's second spell in Dorset saw him take the club he represented from the third tier to the Premier League in just three-and-a-half years – and after an eight-year stint culminated in a final-day relegation in lockdown of 2020, Howe stepped aside for assistant Jason Tindall to take charge in the Championship.

The Amersham-born gaffer spent almost a year and a half out of football, travelling around Europe to watch other coaches – including future Dean Court successor, Andoni Iraola – and when he returned to the game with Newcastle, he appeared to have switched tactically from his trusted 4-4-2 to a more modern 4-3-3.

Howe is still a legend on the south coast, having taken charge of the Cherries in 2008, saving the club from almost certain doom after they were deducted 17 points in League Two when he guided them to safety from relegation, before earning promotion to League One in his first tenure in charge of the club.

A wounded Newcastle will look to bounce back from a 4-1 defeat last night to Coventry City, when they host Aston Villa at St. James' Park this weekend, as Premier League action continues.

Manchester United are in talks with Antonio Conte to take over as manager.

That's according to one report, with the Red Devils already planning beyond Michael Carrick, who took the club to third in the Premier League last season but has picked up only six points from the opening six games of this campaign.

Carrick only signed a permanent contract with Manchester United over the summer and oversaw a summer rebuild – but with the club already 12 points off the league summit, Antonio Conte is looming in the background.

Antonio Conte has teased his desire for the Manchester United job already

In an interview with The Athletic, Conte appeared to soft-launch his return to a big European club, hinting that he wanted his next job to be somewhere not “just to take part, but to compete”.

“There are many clubs that have, in some way, lost sight of their history,” the Italian said. “I would like to go to one of those clubs to dust off that history and make it shine again.

“Clubs where there is pressure, where, ultimately, you know very well that you are not going there just to take part, but to compete.”

Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb have followed up on reports that Conte is in talks with Manchester United, noting he is “reaching an agreement”, which suggests the two parties won't have trouble striking a deal.

Conte most recently took charge of Napoli in Serie A, delivering the Partenopei's fourth Scudetto, leaving a season later.

The Lecce-born coach hasn't managed a club for longer than two years since his silverware-laden spell in Turin with Juventus over a decade ago – but in the time since, he has been at two separate Premier League clubs with a degree of success at both.

In 2017, Conte became just the second manager to win a league title against Pep Guardiola when he lifted the Premier League with Chelsea, revolutionising English football at the time with his back three.

Conte left Chelsea in 2018 after lifting the FA Cup in a poorer second season but returned to English football three years later to take Tottenham Hotspur into the Champions League after arriving midseason.

In the interim, he lifted another Serie A title with Inter Milan.

United travel to Atletico Madrid tonight, as Champions League action returns this week.

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka could be set for a big change, with a superstar in his position on the Gunners' radar.

The England international has been a talismanic figure at the Emirates Stadium almost since his breakthrough, starting life as a left-back before making the move further forward to lead Arsenal to a first Premier League title in 22 years this summer.

But with a succession of injuries having taken their toll on Saka, manager Mikel Arteta appears to be alert to the opportunity of bringing in a superstar to take the right-wing slot for the Gunners – and create a dynasty in North London.

Arsenal monitoring superstar right-winger - so what does it mean for Bukayo Saka?

With 300 appearances under Arteta, Saka is his manager's most-used player by a distance since the Basque boss took the reins from Unai Emery in 2019.

The Hale End graduate appears to have lost a burst of pace and explosiveness out on the right flank, however, with some questioning the workload that Arteta has put on the 25-year-old's shoulders – and now, Fichajes in Spain have reported that the champions are in for an A-lister in that role.

The report states that Arsenal are “closely monitoring” Michael Olise's contract situation at Bayern Munich, with Mia San Mia relaying that “informal contacts” between the Bavarians and the Frenchman have begun, from German journalist Florian Plettenberg.

FourFourTwo understands that Saka is unsellable under any circumstance, with the winger having signed a long-term deal just this year – but that any arrival of Olise could see Arteta evolve the Ealing-born winger's game.

Last term, Saka featured as a No.10 for the Gunners in the absence of Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino at times, and with Noni Madueke supplying the width outside of him, Saka impressed in a more central role, pulling the strings.

In fact, this may well be where Arteta sees his No.7 in the long-term, with 16-year-old wonderkid Max Dowman a candidate to play on the right flank, too, and Madueke featuring on the left in the weekend's win against Leeds United.

Arsenal are not alone in their pursuit of Olise, though they can offer plenty to the French international that other suitors can't.

The London-born attacker began his career in the Arsenal academy and may well relish the opportunity to return to his home city – alongside former Crystal Palace team-mate Eberechi Eze, with whom he struck a fantastic bond while at Selhurst Park.

With uncertainty and transition hanging over some of the Gunners' closest Premier League rivals, too, Olise may see the opportunity to come to Arsenal as the most likely way to win a Premier League title in the next couple of years – and potentially a Champions League, if Arteta's side can go one further than they managed last season.

Olise is worth €130 million, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal host Lille tonight, as Champions League action returns this week.

Celtic are reportedly keen to lure Everton manager David Moyes back to Glasgow, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

The Scottish champions are said to have placed the 63-year-old on their radar as they prepare for a potential leadership transition at Parkhead.

While Martin O’Neill’s return to the Celtic dugout provided an experienced, steadying hand, the 74-year-old was never viewed as a long-term managerial fix. O’Neill’s second stint in Glasgow has always lacked long-term viability, and with the veteran coach acknowledging that a more permanent appointment is required, the Hoops board are actively assessing their succession plan.

David Moyes' final season at Everton?

Moyes has reportedly emerged as a candidate largely due to the sudden change of circumstances on Merseyside.

Toffees owners The Friedkin Group have put Everton up for sale, seeking a full withdrawal less than two years after completing their takeover.

Speaking last week, Moyes was candid about his frustration with the American consortium's retreat.

"Yeah, I was surprised, they only came in a year and a half ago," Moyes said. "Most owners come in for a lot longer than that.

"We were all expecting them to be here for 20 to 30 years, however long it may be. But maybe the way things worked out over the transfer window, I probably had seen through it a little bit before that."

Having already endured a punishing summer transfer period in which the Toffees finished the window with the Premier League's leanest squad, selling off key players late in the day, the prospect of navigating a protracted takeover battle holds little appeal at this stage of Moyes' career.

Boardroom churn theoretically makes a return to Glasgow more enticing. Moyes has deep roots at Celtic Park, having come through the club's ranks as a young defender between 1980 and 1983, earning a Scottish Premier Division winner's medal under Billy McNeill. Despite over two decades managing at the top level in England, Moyes has never managed a club in his native Scotland.

Celtic could provide Moyes with a realistic chance of winning consistent silverware during his twilight managerial days.

While a successful season on Merseyside currently amounts to mid-table stability, Celtic guarantee title challenges, cup runs and European football.

At 63, stepping away from Premier League firefighting to lift trophies at his boyhood club might prove an offer impossible to refuse.

Barry Hearn has revealed his regrets about leaving Leyton Orient following their play-off final defeat in 2014...and in particular, what happened to the club immediately following his departure.

The former Orient chairman took over the club in 1995 and had to endure two unsuccessful League Two play-off finals in 11 seasons before the club finally got themselves into the third tier through automatic promotion.

But it only took one League One play-off final, in 2014, for Hearn to decide to call time on his time in charge.

Leyton Orient were two goals up at half time, but Alex Revell's quickfire brace restored parity on the hour before Rotherham went on to triumph in a penalty shootout.

Hearn told FourFourTwo: "Jesus, I’m still having therapy about that day. Not only did it crush the entire fanbase, but it cost me a fortune!”

Hearn sold his 90% sure in Orient within the next few months following a conversation with his family around the dinner table

“I said to them all ‘Look, I’ve had an offer, it’s acceptable, I’ve had 19 years of grief and now I want to know what you lot think’,” Hearn recalled

“[Son] Eddie went first. He said ‘You know what, dad? It costs us a bit of money, but there’s nothing quite like driving home from an away game when you’ve had a win, let’s keep it’.

"Then my daughter goes ‘Dad, we all love you, but don’t die leaving this club round our neck’.

"Lastly, I looked at my wife. As in any working-class family, she’s the one that really makes the decisions. She just glanced up from her dinner plate and said ‘Get rid’. And that was it.”

The club subsequently plummeted into non-league under new owner Francesco Becchetti, who was himself gone from the club just three years later following a winding-up order against the club and protests against the Italian.

Hearn lamented: "I would never have sold if I’d thought that was going to happen. Hindsight is a wonderful advisor."

He nonetheless has largely good memories of his time in charge, saying: “I knew nothing whatsoever about football, but we still did so much good.

"We built three quarters of a new stadium without borrowing a penny. We thought outside the box. I got planning permission on a block of flats in each of the four corners that no-one used anyway, and it generated £8.5m.

"When I go up to heaven to organise their affairs properly, and my life is played back to me, some of my happiest memories will have been at Leyton Orient."

The EFL Trophy, formerly the Football League Trophy and formerly formerly the Associate Members Cup, has a new sponsor this season. There were 12 before it - some for a long time, others just for a good time - and this FourFourTwo quiz spans the entire sponsorship history of English football's 'other' trophy.

Far away from the vice grip of the Premier League football supporters up and down England have been enjoying the EFL Trophy for decades. The controversial introduction of the top teams' under-21 sides has undoubtedly had an effect, but at least one firm still believes enough to stick its name on the ribbons.

There are now 13 past and present sponsors of the EFL Trophy. We want you to name them all, but you can have 6 minutes to name them. More than four decades of history can take some remembering.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has a huge supply of football quizzes and they're all courtesy of Kwizly. If you nailed this one, you'll have no problem naming every title sponsor in the history of the Football League Cup as well, so let's start there.

Next, can you name every team competing in Europe this season - that's the 108 teams in the league phase of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League - without the help of the Wikipedia pages we used to list them?

We also want you to answer all of these tricky questions about the streets football won't forget and another batch all about the famous and historic football grounds of England.

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The Manchester City scandal has provoked debate over wider ownership issues in English football. Where once it was common for clubs to be controlled by a boyhood fan, that has become much rarer in an era of nation-states and American private equity. Only four of the Premier League’s 20 teams are led by people known to have grown up supporting them.

Two are Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace, the arch-rivals who will renew hostilities at the Amex Stadium on Sunday (the others are Manchester United, where Sir Jim Ratcliffe runs football operations despite owning just over a quarter of the club, and Brentford).

Tony Bloom has been the chairman and majority owner of his beloved Brighton since 2009, while Crystal Palace have been run by lifelong supporter Steve Parish since 2010. Parish remains responsible for day-to-day affairs at Selhurst Park despite having seen his stake diluted to around 10 percent in recent years.

"Brighton’s rise feels deliberately engineered, honed by algorithms and dispassionate decision-making"

Under Bloom and Parish, Brighton and Palace have enjoyed the most successful periods in their respective histories. There is no love lost between the two teams, whose unusual rivalry dates back to the 1970s.

Yet for all the hostility, Brighton and Palace have reason to admire what the other has achieved. Catch their fans at a quiet moment and you might even detect a flicker of envy.

Brighton have attracted admirers far and wide. Despite consistently losing some of their most important players, they have finished in the top half of the Premier League in four of the last five seasons.

In recent years Brighton have been forced to sell the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro and Carlos Baleba, yet they have continued to go from strength to strength. The club’s use of cutting-edge analytics has helped the Seagulls assemble the most eclectic squad in England. In a 5-0 thumping of Coventry City last month, they broke a Premier League record by fielding 15 outfielders of 15 different nationalities.

Brighton have not only replaced players without missing a beat, but managers too. Chelsea poached Graham Potter a few weeks into the 2022/23 season. No matter: in came Roberto De Zerbi, who took the team to sixth place, the club's best-ever finish. He left in 2024, and despite a rocky spell last term, Fabian Hurzeler has proved an able successor. You suspect Brighton already have a shortlist of contenders to replace the German should he leave.

If Brighton’s rise feels deliberately engineered, honed by advanced algorithms and dispassionate decision-making, Crystal Palace’s approach is a little more chaotic. Brighton have not sacked a manager mid-season since 2014; Palace have done so five times since then.

You are more likely to see deadline-day deals at Selhurst Park than at the Amex. While Brighton appeared to know exactly what they wanted when they appointed De Zerbi and Hurzeler, Palace cast a much wider net following Oliver Glasner’s summer exit. Pierre Sage ultimately got the nod, but Palace looked at Andoni Iraola, Frank Lampard and Thomas Frank - three quite different managers - before that.

Like their adversaries, Palace have unearthed some gems in the transfer market. They made profits on Ebere Eze, Michael Olise, Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Munoz, all of whom made significant contributions in south London. Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Adam Wharton were excellent additions too.

However, all those signings were made when Dougie Freedman was sporting director. Since his move to Saudi Arabia in March 2025, Palace’s recruitment has been much more mixed. Whereas Brighton’s model kept delivering the goods even after Chelsea prised key staff away, Palace have struggled to replace the man who was the most important figure in their backroom operation. The systemic continuity Brighton have cultivated would be welcome at Selhurst Park.

Yet the lessons do not run in only one direction. Brighton have finished above Palace in four of the last five seasons, yet it is the Eagles who have claimed the more tangible rewards. Between May 2025 and May 2026, Palace won three trophies under Glasner: the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the Conference League. That was painful to witness for Brighton, who are yet to win major silverware. The Seagulls have the model, but the Eagles have the medals.

Back when Bloom and Parish were still new in their jobs, Brighton appeared to have more momentum behind them. They moved into the Amex in 2011, a year after Palace almost went out of business. Yet it was Palace who triumphed in the first ever meeting at Brighton’s new ground. In 2013, they won 2-0 at the Amex in the Championship play-offs on their way to promotion, a feat they achieved four years before Brighton. Palace have won three of the last four meetings between the pair, while Brighton have triumphed just twice in the last 14.

Palace have shown that you do not always need the neatest process to thrive. Sometimes, it is about seizing the moment. Brighton should bear that in mind as they target a trophy this season. And if Palace want to ensure the Glasner era was not a glorious one-off, they could do worse than study Brighton’s ability to sustain success over multiple managerial regimes.

Now then. Have you got the football quizzing skills to pay the bills? Let's find out! It's another FourFourTwo Quickfire Quiz – 10 trivia questions to answer in just 90 seconds.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has many more football quizzes and they're all courtesy of Kwizly. Let's begin with our biggest ever quiz. Can you name every team ever to have played in the league phase, group stage or first round of the Champions League? (You can't.)

If you're looking for something a bit more sensible, we have this related quiz to take on too. We want you to name every one of the 108 teams competing in the league phase of this season's Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.

Our Big Quiz of English Football Grounds will ask you some questions about the football stadiums we consider our homes, not to mention places of secular worship and the great sporting amphitheatres of our time. You'll really need to know your stuff to crack that one.

Transfer expert? We've got your covered too. We simply want you to name Liverpool's 50 most expensive signings and the 50 most expensive signings ever made by Manchester United.

One for the road? If you insist. England went out of the World Cup in heartbreaking circumstances a few months ago, but how much can you remember about the many decades of exits that preceded 2026? We want you to name every nation to have beaten England at the World Cup.

We have puzzles too. Our Weekend Crossword is a regular football teaser for your Sunday, and remember to sign up to the newsletter for more quizzes in your inbox. Don't forget to join The Club for free additional membership benefits!

Watch Coventry City vs Newcastle United for free as both teams face off in this week's Monday Night Football clash.

FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Frank Lampard was a relieved man as his Coventry City side got off the mark in the Premier League last time out against Nottingham Forest.

But the tough tests don't stop, as Newcastle United arrive at the Coventry Building Society Arena this evening, bidding to once again knock them down a peg.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Coventry City vs Newcastle United online and from anywhere, including for free, in a tasty Monday Night Football clash in the Premier League.

Watch Coventry City vs Newcastle United for FREE

Live coverage in the States is on USA Network and YouTube TV (21-days) are currently offering a free trial.

Outside the US? Use a VPN to access your free Coventry City vs Newcastle United stream from anywhere in the world.

Watch Coventry City vs Newcastle United from anywhere

Away from home right now? You don't have to miss Coventry City vs Newcastle United.

The solution to your geo-restriction nightmares is a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a piece of software that can set your devices to appear to be in any country in the world.

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How to watch Coventry City vs Newcastle United in the UK

Coventry City vs Newcastle United is live on Sky Sports in the UK.

The game is this week's Monday Night Football clash and will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.

Coverage starts at 6:30pm BST, with kick-off at 8:00pm.

How to watch Coventry City vs Newcastle United in the US

As mentioned above, fans in the US can watch Coventry City vs Newcastle United on USA Network. Kick-off is at 3:00pm ET.

How to watch Coventry City vs Newcastle United in Australia

Stan Sport has live coverage of Coventry City vs Newcastle United in Australia. Kick-off is at 5:00am AEST on Tuesday.

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Coventry City vs Newcastle United: Preview

Coventry City welcome Newcastle United to the CBS Arena on Monday night, with both sides looking to build momentum after the international break.

The Sky Blues will head into the contest with renewed confidence after finally ending a difficult run of results with a 1-0 victory away at Nottingham Forest in their last Premier League outing. Jay Dasilva’s second-half goal secured Frank Lampard’s side a valuable three points and provided a much-needed response following four consecutive league defeats to begin their season.

Newcastle, meanwhile, have made a steady start, but will be determined to build on a shaky win, if you can call it that, against Hull. The Magpies defeated the Tigers 2-1 in their last league match, but that followed a heavy 4-1 defeat away to Leeds United. They have nevertheless collected eight points from their opening five games.

SEE ALSO How to watch Premier League 2026/27: TV Guide, Streams & Fixtures

Nico Gonzalez should be back to face Coventry after having to sit out the win against Hull. He suffered a concussion and had to abide by concussion protocols, but will be raring to go.

Joelinton could also be back in the fold after failing to feature so far this term. The tenacious Brazilian has had a thigh problem, but the latest reports suggest he could be back in the side for the trip to the Midlands.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Josh Eccles, Luke Woolfenden and Milan van Ewijk are all closing in on returns for the home side. Haji Wright is likely to miss out on Monday, with Lampard indicating that the American is on course to return to action by the end of October.

Aurele Amenda is a long-term absentee, while Taiwo Awoniyi is out due to suspension. The striker was shown a straight red card in Coventry’s 5-0 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last month for violent conduct.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Coventry City 0-2 Newcastle United

Newcastle, despite their huge summer mass exodus, looked solid against Hull City last time out, and the jury is still out on Coventry. We think a goal in each half as the Magpies win this one.

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For the first time in his Arsenal career, Bukayo Saka is being questioned – and certainly not over his ability or his commitment.

This is a player who set an Arsenal record for the most consecutive starts – notching 100 goals and assists in the top flight in his first 200 games for his boyhood club.

No one can criticise him – they're simply asking if it's all starting to catch up with him.

Has Bukayo Saka really lost his pace and explosiveness?

Saka was actually the sixth-youngest player to 200 games in the top flight – and excluding the superhuman endurance of James Milner and Gareth Barry, there are cautionary tales in the other three players ahead of the Hale End graduate. Wayne Rooney was essentially finished at the top level for his country after Euro 2016, aged 30 – and that was the age that Cesc Fabregas enjoyed his ‘twilight’ in the Premier League, winning the title in 2016/17. Raheem Sterling's latter days need no explanation.

The common conception is that Saka is next. If you listen to critics, he's lost a turn of pace and lost his ability to beat a man.

Take the game against Leeds United on Saturday, in which Saka's performance was boiled down to two moments. In the first half, in one particular duel against Ao Tanaka, the Japanese held his own – leading to criticism of Saka for not bursting past his opponent and doing something with the ball – while on the stroke of full-time, Saka had a one-on-one with James Trafford, only for Tarik Muharemovic to catch up, seemingly putting him off from slotting it home.

Statistically, it's a little more interesting. As per data from Gradient Sports, Saka is in the 99th percentile for tackle resistance in Europe. That means two things: firstly, he's a glaring target for the opposition (obviously). Secondly, he's better than anyone else in Europe at keeping possession despite that.

Only Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have a higher tackle resistance score than Saka, meaning that the Arsenal man is top of the Premier League when it comes to protecting the ball, laying it off to someone else and recycling play. That certainly suggests that not only are full-backs getting tight to him, he's evading them somehow – as he did on every other occasion on Saturday, either to win a foul, clear the ball or recycle it.

And while from 2022/23 season to 2026/27, Saka's average top speed has dropped by 0.61km/h – he's actually running more. This season, Saka has made an average of 76.5 sprints per 90 minutes (that's runs reaching 20-25 km/h): compare that to the 66.7 per 90 in 2022/23, when Arsenal were playing a far higher tempo brand of football – or the 65.8 per 90 he managed at the World Cup during the summer.

Is it possible that his game has just… changed?

Arsenal have changed over time… but so has Saka

Saka looks a bit slower for a few reasons. Arsenal as a whole are a lot slower than they were when he first broke through: if he's not sprinting into space several times a game… well, that might be because there isn't much when teams sit deep and Arsenal don't break with much pace.

And then there are the injury issues. Saka had a serious hamstring tear a couple of years back – last season saw him battle with persistent knocks, with a school of thought forming that, like team-mate Declan Rice over the international break, he may just need a month or so off for his body to fully recover.

Yet Saka himself confirmed at the World Cup that he was fit and ready to go. He didn't miss the World Cup semi-final through anything other than a selection decision.

And perhaps this is the new normal for a little while. Saka has changed physically: he's a lot stronger than when he broke through, and instead of needing time on the sidelines to wait until he's the player he was five years ago, maybe instead he needs time on the pitch to adapt to the player he is today.

Ultimately, perhaps Saka was misprofiled by some fans from the start. While he was always quick, he was never a Madueke-type winger in his youth: his game has always been defined by his decision-making. From making his debut as a left-back, to filling in as a central midfielder in lockdown, he never reached the top level after growing physically, but taking on more responsibility. He never needed to grow a couple of inches taller: he just needed the ball to show what he could do.

That's why fans shouldn't worry. Statistically, Saka is doing everything right. His game will adapt over time as his body changes – but whatever his pace and power look like, he has the IQ to still affect games at an elite level.

Data via Gradient Sports

With time running out in the January 2024 transfer window, Brentford appeared to have pulled off a significant coup.

The Bees were closing in on the £25m signing of Club Brugge winger Antonio Nusa, a highly-rated 18-year-old who had held talks with Tottenham Hotspur and attracted interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, among others.

But the deal suddenly collapsed, reportedly over an issue with the teenager’s medical, and Nusa stayed in Belgium. As time goes on, the failed transfer looks more and more of a missed opportunity for the West London club.

Pick the ultimate 4-4-2 line-up from players in FourFourTwo's definitive Top 100 List

Why Antonio Nusa will leave Premier League clubs rueing a missed opportunity

The following August, the Bees signed another 18-year-old winger called Gustavo Nunes. The £10m-plus fee and six-year contract showed what they thought of the former Gremio youngster, but injuries have restricted the Brazilian to just five first-team appearances. In his most recent outing, Nunes was hooked at half-time during Brentford Under 21s' 7-1 defeat at MK Dons in the EFL Trophy earlier this month.

A fortnight before Nunes joined Brentford, RB Leipzig signed Nusa for €21m (£18m) on a five-year deal. The Norwegian was already a full international with Champions League experience and his career has gone from strength to strength. Now 21, he has 34 Norway caps, impressed at this summer’s World Cup and is a key figure for one of the Bundesliga’s top teams - and that is just the start.

Brentford’s decision not to sign Nusa - and ultimately bring in Nunes instead - now seems like a bad call, although that is easy to say in hindsight. There is the cruel irony that they supposedly backed out of one deal due to issues with the medical, only for the player they recruited in that position to be plagued by injuries. It is also ironic that they rejected the ‘Norwegian Neymar’ to sign an actual Brazilian who has barely featured.

Nusa’s comparisons to the former Brazil No.10 aren’t just down to his flair, trickery and dribbling ability. He grew up watching YouTube videos of Neymar and tried to replicate his skills.

“My favourite [player] has to be Neymar,” he told FourFourTwo in March 2025. “I can’t mention a hundred guys I watched, but yeah, maybe he was the guy that I got my most inspiration and joy from.”

The vast majority of players dubbed the next Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo or whoever else fail to reach those heights, but Nusa has the potential to be world class. Despite primarily playing on the left wing he is equally effective on the right, which keeps defenders guessing over whether he will go inside or out, shoot or cross, stand a player up or go past them.

He has the tricks of a showboater, but the numbers to back it up. Nusa has registered 19 goal contributions (nine goals and 10 assists) in 34 appearances for Norway, including a brilliant curling strike against Ivory Coast in the last 32 of the World Cup.

The wide man has four goals and three assists across seven games for Leipzig this season, while he has completed the joint-most successful dribbles (15) in the Bundesliga, level with Michael Olise and almost twice as many as Luis Diaz. As wingers go, he is the full package.

Nusa has thrived since stepping out of Yan Diomande’s shadow at Leipzig, after his fellow winger moved to Real Madrid in August for a deal rising to £120m. If he continues to improve, there is no reason why he can’t command a similar fee in the coming years.

But this begs the question: why did none of those Premier League clubs mentioned earlier sign him when he was relatively cheap?

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs were linked with Nusa in summer 2023, when he had already scored in the Champions League for Brugge. The winger reportedly even rejected a move to Chelsea as he wanted to stay somewhere where he was guaranteed regular minutes, accelerating his development.

That is fair enough, but the fact that Nusa was set to leave for £25m in January 2024 suggests those clubs missed out on a bargain deal for a future superstar. They could have paid even less that summer, but Leipzig took the plunge.

The German club’s decision has certainly paid off. Any fears over Nusa’s fitness have not been realised, with the winger playing in 61 of a possible 73 Bundesliga games since his arrival.

This summer, Leipzig’s asking price for Nusa was reportedly €60m (£51m) - almost three times what they paid two years ago - amid links with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Spurs. Even that could represent a bargain compared to what the winger may be worth in the future, but he stayed put.

Admittedly, Arsenal, Villa and Newcastle ended up signing young wingers for less money, bringing in Christos Tzolis, Ibrahim Mbaye and Bazoumana Toure respectively. But Spurs paid up to £85m for Savio, who scored two Premier League goals in two seasons at Manchester City. Nusa would have cost less and arguably has a higher ceiling than the Brazilian, potentially giving him a greater sell-on value.

The Scandinavian still has three years left on his Leipzig contract, which reportedly has no release clause - allowing the Bundesliga side to continue raising the asking price as his star rises.

Right now, that star is rising every week: Nusa built on his eye-catching domestic displays by impressing during the international break, sharing the spotlight with Norway’s two top dogs, Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard.

The duo are among a host of Premier League players in Stale Solbakken’s squad. Nusa’s familiarity with them, and the high-tempo style favoured by Norway, would help him adapt quickly to England’s top flight.

It is surely only a matter of time until Nusa follows the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Josko Gvardiol and Dani Olmo in leaving Leipzig for one of Europe’s elite clubs. Whoever signs him will have a potential world-beater on their books - and leave several Premier League teams rueing a missed opportunity.

Everton ended the summer transfer window with Thierno Barry as their only recognised senior striker. It raised eyebrows, to say the least.

Relying on a young, developing forward as the focal point of a Premier League attack seemed like a bit of a high-wire act for a club that had had their fair share of run-ins with the Premier League plughole in recent seasons.

Understandably then, it might be jarring for Toffees fans to see Barry leading the entire division in big chances missed - but that's actually a really good sign.

Thierno Barry is a dark horse in the 2026/27 Golden Boot race

On paper, it's a pretty damning headline metric, all but confirming Barry is a raw centre-forward, not quite at the level of an elite Premier League striker yet.

Beneath the surface of that negative stat, though, is a compelling case for Evertonians to feel optimistic about their frontline.

The gap between Barry and the rest of the league is stark, that much is true. His 10 missed big chances is double that of the trailing pack, with Erling Haaland, Dan Ndoye, Igor Thiago, Gonzalo Garcia, and Bryan Mbeumo all sitting tied on five.

The gulf between elite and developing becomes clear, too. Haaland's shot conversion rate currently stands at 27.3% - exactly double Barry's 13.6%. That disparity highlights the dividing line between a world-class finisher in a dominant side and a young striker still finding his feet in the Premier League.

Context is everything, though, and to understand why Barry’s metric is actually quite encouraging, one only needs to look back at the precedent set by Manchester City’s talisman. Last season, Haaland missed 30 big chances in the Premier League - a full 10 clear of the second-placed player in the division.

Haaland’s numbers illustrated the following things about modern centre-forward play. First, even the most lethal finishers miss good opportunities with regularity. Finishing is a volatile skill, subject to myriad factors such as execution, and opposition goalkeeping. Second, and most importantly: you cannot miss a big chance unless you have the movement, anticipation, and physical presence to get into those positions in the first place.

For Everton, that second point is everything. A true nightmare scenario for a team playing with a solitary senior striker isn't a forward missing chances, it’s a striker who is invisible. Barry is not guilty of that, and being incapable of registering high-quality opportunities is the far greater crime.

Evertonians have backed him with their lungs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium; they're willing to be patient and hope he comes good. Only the aforementioned Haaland has accumulated more Expected Goals (xG) than Barry in the Premier League season, even if his finishing and goal tallies are doubly as good. Barry is making the runs, pulling defenders out of shape, and putting himself in positions to generate high-xG chances consistently. He's doing the hard part.

Eventually, regression to the mean will take over, which means Barry should begin finishing his big chances. Doing so at even an average conversion rate will greatly help Everton - who remain unbeaten after six games and have conceded the joint-fewest goals in the division.

The headline stat might look frustrating on the surface, but for Everton, Barry's high volume of misses is actually the clearest sign that goals are just around the corner.

Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has addressed plans to sign Erling Haaland as a replacement for Harry Kane.

Joint all-time England appearance-maker Kane is 34 years old next summer, and with the Bayern frontman having been linked with a move to the United States, there have been suggestions that perhaps his time in Bavaria could be coming to a close.

Now, in comments relayed by Sport Witness and Sport1, Die Roten have publicly addressed the chances of bringing Manchester City's talisman to the Allianz Arena as a direct replacement in the coming years.

Erling Haaland's Manchester City career is uncertain - with Bayern Munich a candidate to sign him

With City waiting to find out their punishment for over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations of a near-decade-long period, their stars' futures are up in the air.

Bayern have been long-term admirers of Haaland, meanwhile, with FourFourTwo understanding that the serial Bundesliga champions have been at the forefront of the interest the past two times that the Norwegian has changed clubs.

Over the weekend, BILD TV asked Bayern president Herbert Hainer about the possibility of adding Haaland to the riches of Vincent Kompany's attack, with Hainer diplomatically playing up the current frontline at the Belgian's disposal.

“With Michael Olise, Harry Kane, and Luis Diaz, we have an excellent attack,” he responded. “We scored over 100 goals last season and are very well positioned offensively.

“If we were talking about a timeframe in a few years, we would reassess the situation.”

The 72-year-old former Adidas CEO referenced the charges currently facing City, but noted that he didn't want to be drawn into speculation about how the Premier League would choose to punish its six-time winners.

“I don’t know the details and have no insider knowledge,” Hainer said. “That’s why I don’t want to speculate about it.

“The fact is: if that’s what happened, consequences must be drawn.”

Kane is currently out of contract next summer, as FourFourTwo understands that Bayern are working on talks to extend the England captain's deal.

Haaland is worth €220 million, according to Transfermarkt. City face Paris Saint-Germain as Champions League action returns this week.

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Sometimes in this job, it’s easy to forget about the people who read FourFourTwo. For every issue, we do our very best to create the most engaging magazine, with a good mixture of interviews and features, modern football and retro throwbacks – putting ourselves in the shoes of the reader and thinking about what would interest you.

But when you meet a reader ‘in the wild’, it can be a very surreal but nice experience. Last summer, I was on holiday in New York when I got chatting to a Scottish subscriber, Michael, who recognised me at a Cast gig and was telling me what he enjoyed about the magazine. I’ve been stopped while watching Fulham a number of times by readers who want to give feedback, and every time it’s very heartening.

For this issue, I interviewed Jamie Carragher. I introduced myself, but he said: “I know who you are, I’m a fan.” He’s been a subscriber since the start and has always been very helpful to FFT – his words briefly knocked me back with surprise, but it was very gratifying. In an age when there are many things to occupy everyone’s time and attention, we’re grateful and never take it for granted that people take the time to read FFT.

The sales this year have been extremely strong, especially this summer, and prove that magazines like ours still have their place.

Enjoy the issue.

James

The Overlap

Three years ago, Gary Neville recruited Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Jill Scott and Ian Wright to create football’s most successful podcast – even if the former Manchester United full-back isn’t convinced it’s a podcast at all. Either way, FFT met the quintet to find out why it’s been a hit…

Top of the pods

FFT run through the list of the finest shows out there, beyond Stick to Football – our staff have even lined up some personal recommendations…

King Kenny

Scottish great Kenny Dalglish has always known that life isn’t a rehearsal – he spends an hour talking FFT through the most significant moments of his journey to the top, via an ill-fated spell as a joiner, making his debut at 14-0 up, and his fear of walking out at Anfield for the first time

Kings of the ring

In October, 14 well-known footballers are going toe-to-toe in the ring at a charity boxing event – FFT meet Nile Ranger, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and the man who was once the Premier League’s youngest ever player, to find out why this is something of a redemption

Fergie Time

Sir Alex Ferguson had one of the most remarkable careers in football history – in a new book, Games of My Life, he’s given his own account of some of the key moments

The Barca boys

Four months after USA 94, Romario and Hristo Stoichkov destroyed Manchester United in a game Sir Alex Ferguson would rather forget – the Barcelona duo were the greatest strike partnership ever seen, but things unravelled acrimoniously

The Boy’s a Bit Special

Get the lowdown on Aston Villa's young striker who could be Harry Kane's successor for England, and the young box-to-box midfielder making waves at Coventry.

The boy wonder

Compared to Pele and wanted by Manchester United, few youngsters have ever been more hyped than Freddy Adu. He tells FFT why things went awry, via bad experiences in Greece, Brazil and beyond

Around the Grounds

Ella Toone is the Lionesses’ ultimate big-game player on becoming part of the furniture at Man United and 2027 World Cup ambitions

Elsewhere, we get the lowdown on Abdul Abdulmalik's move from National League Boreham Wood to the Swedish top flight, while in our new feature ‘Beyond the Turnstiles’ we take a trip to Bristol Rovers and tell you why it should be on your bucket list of grounds to visit.

In the Players Lounge this month…

Willian on why he should never have joined Arsenal, Kieran Gibbs on being confused for The Ox and Thomas Sorensen on playing for Tony Pulis.

The Mixer

Our latest merch round-up features Kylian Mbappe's big move to a new name in the football world, the latest colab from Umbro and new Como jacket from adidas.

We spy a 1998 Croatia shirt in Kit's a bit Special and let you know what to watch, listen to and follow this month.

Mark Schwarzer Q&A

Former Bradford, Middlesbrough and Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer answers your questions

Upfront

Think you’re a football expert? Prove it by getting 100 per cent in our Ultimate Quiz. Columnist Jules Breach explains why she believes Harry Kane should win the Ballon d'Or.

Maniche selects the games that changed his life and BBC Sport's England reporter Kelly Somers discuss all things Watford as well as that interview with Kane at the World Cup.

Joe Cole hails a politician, astronaut, comedian and musician in People I Admire.

Perfect XI

Javier Zanetti picks his ultimate XI from former teammates made up of Inter Milan and Argentina legends.

“Guys, the noise will always be there,” was Enzo Maresca’s rallying cry when the Manchester City players reconvened for the first time since the club’s guilty verdict. “It’s our duty to make our noise.”

Faced with the righteous fury of Anfield and beyond, knowing that resentment and hostility will be hurled in Manchester City’s direction for the remainder of the 2026/27 campaign, Maresca has adopted the classic siege mentality. City will bring the noise; will fight fire with fire.

It’s the obvious play - but it bumps up against City’s usual tactical setup. It isn’t said often enough (certainly not by tactical analysts) that the psychological and the tactical are symbiotically linked. Mentality triggers tactical battles; tactical preparation sets the emotional tone. For that reason, you wouldn’t expect Maresca - the chess-loving purveyor of calm possession football – to be the right manager to convert indignation into a playing style to match.

Manchester City went direct against Liverpool, with Erling Haaland's role tweaked

That’s what makes the tactical pattern of City’s 3-0 victory at Liverpool so interesting, because putting aside the red herring of Rayan Cherki’s goal – a flowing team move that emphasised City’s man advantage and Liverpool’s broken spirit – here was a new Maresca: direct, forward-thinking, ugly; almost Mourinho-esque in converting a siege mentality into tactical principles.

Long passes were pumped forward, mostly for Erling Haaland to challenge aerially, but some to move the ball quickly into the wingers. City, before the red card especially, decided to bypass Andoni Iraola’s high press and create a wilder contest, essentially leaning into chaos and disorder. It was a radical departure from Maresca norms that stepped up to the unique challenge of playing in limbo and against the backdrop of seething anger.

These are unprecedented times, after all. Maresca was smart and bold to cast aside the more placid football we are used to seeing from his teams. He met the moment, in other words, with direct football that laid the groundwork for Jeremy Doku – the ultimate vertical player, a knife to the heart of defences – to come off the bench and turn the game, first causing the red card and then creating two City goals.

However, it’s important to note that prior to the red card Liverpool were the better side precisely because Man City had been so unusually direct, therefore stretching their own shape lengthways and making the pitch extremely big. Ryan Gravenberch repeatedly galloped straight through the middle, turning Elliot Anderson (often left all alone in midfield) and getting Liverpool into the final third at pace. Had Alexander Isak been fit to make runs ahead of him, the hosts probably would have won the game.

That only makes Maresca’s battle plan more curious; more obviously linked to a mentality shift. Historically, Maresca would double down on calm and order for games like these, attempting to suck the life out of more frenetic opposition. That he didn’t, risking collapse, is instructive.

Instead City embraced the noise, telling us Maresca knows his plans went out the window as soon as the verdict came through. The new message, blaring loudly from aggressive tactics, is unrepentance – and freedom.

Watching Haaland recast as a battering ram old-school number nine, and watching Man City fans Poznan with inflatable bananas in hand, it seems both manager and supporters have come to the same conclusion: if this whole thing is about to come crashing down, if fans are going to boo and hiss your every move, well, you may as well let go and have some fun with it. You may as well bring the noise.

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has asked to be removed from Manchester City games, until their future is resolved.

Last month, an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of breaching financial rules in the Premier League over a nine-year period, with the club now at threat of a points deduction or worse.

With the Citizens returning after the international break to thump 10-man Liverpool 3-0, Neville had his say on the charges clouding City's future.

Gary Neville: I don't want to cover Manchester City

Manchester United legend and lifelong Red Devils fan Neville covered the game yesterday for Sky Sports alongside Peter Drury and Jamie Carragher in the commentary booth, as City extended their winning run at the start of the season to six games.

This is despite talk of the club facing heavy sanctions from the Premier League – with the question of whether this Big Six clash will even matter come the end of the season.

“This is the first Manchester City game that I have done today since the charges or guilty verdicts were handed out a few weeks ago,” Neville said after the game..

"We were just doing the podcast then and said if you could take me off Manchester City games moving forward for the next few months until the verdicts have been heard, I would be absolutely delighted.”

The former right-back – a one-club man at local rivals United – was keen to give praise to the players on the pitch, but noted that “just recognised” how bad a look City's emphatic result at Anfield was for the Premier League.

“To come and win at Anfield is really difficult, we should be eulogising over them without a but or any hesitation,” Neville continued, “But there is that thing in the back of your mind.”

“They have done a brilliant job here today. They have dominated the game in the last 20 minutes, from the red card onwards.

"At the end of the game, it is quite hard because you are imagining basically if these guilty verdicts are confirmed in January or February, then Manchester City are not going to be in the position they are in and there is going to be a huge cloud hanging over the whole league.

"Which is not good for the Premier League right now, and that is what I have just recognised today. Really bad for the Premier League, and it is going to continue for a few months."

City face Paris Saint-Germain as Champions League action returns this week.

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman has praised the impact of Ted Lasso in raising the profile of women's football beyond the traditional audience.

The Apple TV comedy's fourth season features the real-life Kansas City Current and their home ground, CPKC Stadium, as the show moved its focus to AFC Richmond's women's team.

Berman believes the storyline has helped bring the women's leagues into the wider cultural conversation, highlighting the significance of seeing women's football represented on screen.

'A proud moment' for the NWSL

Berman became commissioner of the NWSL in 2022, with the league since growing in terms of visibility, partnerships and media rights.

Speaking about the influence of entertainment on the women's game, Berman recalled watching the opening episode of the latest season, in which Keeley Jones has an epiphany about women's football after visiting CPKC Stadium.

"One of the many proud moments that I had in the last four and a half years was seeing that first episode of Ted Lasso and watching Keeley at CPKC Stadium have her epiphany about women's soccer being a catalyst for growth," she said.

“And then taking that back to England - it was just such a great story. Such a feel-good moment. Of course, I am a Ted Lasso fan anyway.”

The scene sees Keeley, played by Juno Temple, visit the Kansas City Current's home alongside Rebecca Welton and Leslie Higgins, before recognising the potential of a dedicated stadium for AFC Richmond's women's team.

The series then continues around the growth of AFC Richmond Women.

Ted Lasso's wider cultural impact

The NWSL commissioner believes the show's influence has reached beyond those who already follow women's football.

"What we've seen as a result is not just my excitement, but a lot of uplift in cultural relevance and references outside of the typical women's soccer and NWSL world to the sport and to the NWSL," Berman added.

By featuring KC Current, the show brought a real NWSL club into its fictional world.

Berman also praised the league's collaboration with Apple, describing the experience of working on the project as "incredibly fun".

The fourth season sees Ted return to AFC Richmond to coach the club's women's side, the Lady Greyhounds, placing women's football at the centre of one of Apple TV's best-known comedy series.

Berman was speaking at sports industry conference Leaders Week London at Stamford Bridge.

Jonjo Shelvey was still a schoolboy when he made his Charlton Athletic debut in April 2008.

The midfielder was just 16 years and 59 days old when he came on against Barnsley in the Championship after it had been mathematically confirmed that the Addicks could no longer make it into the play-offs.

That gave Shelvey some bragging rights on the playground a couple of days later...but as he found out, his burgeoning career also came at a cost.

Shelvey told FourFourTwo: "I played in the game on the Saturday, we lost 3-0 away to Barnsley, then on the Monday I was walking around school very proud, giving it big licks!

"Charlton had [nothing left to play for], so they were giving youth a chance, and it was a great experience.

"I wasn’t overawed – I felt comfortable as I’d been training with the first-team squad since I was 14.

"Funnily enough, after the game I had to ask the manager Alan Pardew if I could still take a girl to that summer’s school prom, as I needed to let her know.

"He just laughed and said: 'Tell this girl you can’t make it sadly, as you’ll be on Charlton’s pre-season tour!'."

Shelvey also went on to become Charlton's youngest-ever goalscorer the following January, still aged just 16.

By the end of the 2009/10 season he was playing regularly enough in League One, and performing well enough, to land himself on Liverpool's radar.

Shelvey said: "The Charlton manager Phil Parkinson and the chief executive Richard Murray pulled me in for a chat, and they asked who my favourite player was. I told them it was Steven Gerrard. 'Well, you’ll be playing with him next season', they replied!

"Charlton had accepted a bid from Liverpool and it was all done. I signed in the May, when Charlton were in the play-offs, but I couldn’t play for them in case I got injured.

"I had to patiently wait for the start of the new season to play again, but me and my family were incredibly proud."

The Premier League has had its fair share of hard men and devious star players. The technicalities of the laws make it easier to pick up a red card than ever before. Despite that, there are only a handful of players who've been sent off three times in the same season. In this FourFourTwo quiz, you'll try to name them all.

There are serious penalties for players who rack up multiple reds in quick succession, so these men spent a good portion of the seasons in question on the sidelines. We're giving you not only the seasons, but the teams they played for.

In all, there have been 7 players with three red cards in a single campaign in the Premier League. One or two might be a little surprising, so the time limit on this one is a very reasonable 4 minutes.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has a huge vault of football quizzes, all courtesy of Kwizly. For starters, we want you to complete these 15 career paths using just a list of the previous clubs and a picture of the player (past or present) in question.

Then, we want you to answer these questions about the streets football won't forget and these ones about the famous and historic football grounds of England. Still keen? Try out our twisted badge quiz.

If women's football is your area of expertise, you'll have no trouble at all with this last quiz. Can you name every team in the top two tiers of women's football in England?

FourFourTwo's Weekend Crossword 72 features clues on Buccaneers, pirates and Vikings. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for your daily afternoon briefing of football trivia and analysis, and don't forget to join The Club: our free membership portal where you can secret hints and get on the leaderboard.

10 tricky football trivia questions to answer in just 90 seconds. Another FourFourTwo Quickfire Quiz? It must be... and it is!

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has an almost bottomless supply of football quizzes, all courtesy of Kwizly. For starters, let's see whether you can name every one of the 108 teams competing in the league phase of this season's Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.

Football is a game rooted in community and social history. It's a part of the experience that's impossible to get from watching on TV but unavoidable when you attend matches in person. Our Big Quiz of English Football Grounds is very tough either way.

Do you fancy your chances against our biggest ever quiz? Nobody is completing this one but getting way up into the high hundreds is definitely achievable if you have 30 minutes to dedicate to it. Can you name every team ever to have played in the league phase, group stage or first round of the Champions League?

We have quizzes for transfer enthusiasts too. If you really know your stuff, show us you're serious by naming the 50 most expensive signings ever made by bitter rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.

Here's one more for now. Sorry to scratch at a fresh scab, but can you name every nation ever to have beaten England at the men's World Cup?

We have puzzles too. Our Weekend Crossword is a regular football teaser for your Sunday, and remember to sign up to the newsletter for more quizzes in your inbox. Don't forget to join The Club for free additional membership benefits!

There are people within football who think Tonda Eckert was dealt with too leniently by the FA independent regulatory commission that ruled on his involvement in Southampton’s ‘Spygate’ scandal.

Eckert received a £28,000 fine and a six-week suspended ban. With Southampton owner Dragan Solak already voicing his unwavering support for his manager, the decision not to hand down an immediate ban effectively ensured that Eckert’s job was safe.

Southampton, says Solak, have been punished enough. It’s in the interest of the EFL, the Championship and football at large to draw a line under it too. Eckert’s position is secure and Southampton spied themselves out of the play-offs. The time has come to move forward.

Flynn Downes leads the way at the heart of Southampton’s renewed normal

The commission was peopled by masters of timing. As the top two divisions emerged from an extended international break, Eckert and Southampton were able to breathe a sigh of relief in the middle of their preparations for Sunday’s Hampshire derby against hated rivals Portsmouth.

Saints and Pompey are on the opposite sides of one of English football’s truly great derbies and certainly one of its most underappreciated. Away from the south coast, it’s easy to overlook the sheer enmity and deep social history between two neighbouring cities.

Pick the ultimate 4-4-2 line-up from players in FourFourTwo's definitive Top 100 List

Eckert’s Saints only needed one goal to send Portsmouth packing. Finn Azaz made it and James Bree finished it.

He became the first Southampton scorer in a home derby in the league since 2012 on the day Billy Sharp, who scored both of their goals in a 2-2 draw that afternoon, announced his retirement from football.

Bree’s goal gave Eckert’s team something to defend after the first-half dismissal of Hampshire-born youngster Cam Bragg. The 21-year-old midfielder left the pitch distraught after an instinctive shirt pull earned him a second yellow card. The performance of Flynn Downes after the break spared his heartbreak.

Downes, now 27, was magnificent in the first match of the new-ish era. He won and protected the ball in midfield, pressed with striker Cyle Larin, and put his body on the line in his own penalty area.

Azaz’s passing and a good stand-in shift on the right helped to win the game. Bree scored the goal after a terrific run in behind. Jack Stephens, Keven Schlotterbeck and Ryan Manning gave everything they had at the back. But Downes led the resistance by example.

Eckert needs to take Southampton back to the Premier League

Eckert’s post-reprieve Southampton will be played with 11 men but needed a player to stand up and be counted in an unexpected moment of adversity at its outset. Bree was the player who finished the game in a head bandage but it was Downes who fulfilled every other aspect of the heroic stereotype when leadership was called for.

Southampton, free of the shadow of Spygate, can parlay this fiery derby victory into their renewed normal. Eckert and Solak have both acknowledged, through gritted teeth or otherwise, that Saints were in the wrong. They’ve been punished, and they have a genuine chance for redemption.

The clubs directly impacted by the scandal might not agree that he should still be in his job, but Eckert is now locked in at St Mary’s and fully backed in the stands and the boardroom. Spygate cast a shadow over Eckert’s improvement of Southampton’s fortunes on the pitch but something that was abundantly clear in both halves in Hampshire on Sunday is that he has a much better team than the one that drew 0-0 in the same fixture last season.

Stephens, Downes, Azaz and Manning were the only players who started both matches. They were arguably Southampton’s four best players this time around but they’re now the core of an Eckert team who must now repay the backing of their supporters.

Eckert in particular must deliver promotion, ideally this season. It’s a ludicrously high bar but it’s one that Southampton set themselves by exploding their own chances when it was within reach in 2025/26.

Beating Portsmouth took Southampton to five wins from their first nine matches. Now unencumbered by uncertainty and on the back of a positive return to action, surefootedness can take over.

Manchester City took all three points here at Anfield but could it all be pointless? Does this victory actually mean anything?

“Going down” chorused the Kop towards the City players as they celebrated with their fans. They’re going top - for now. This is the Premier League season that will be decided by lawyers. The season fast turns into a farce.

As Liverpool fans bayed “cheats, cheats, cheats”, Enzo Maresca grinned. He had plenty to smile about at Anfield. City head coach’s introduction of Jeremy Doku in the second half changed the game. Ryan Gravenberch couldn’t live with Doku, fouled him, stopping a breakaway, departing for a second yellow. The life went out of Liverpool. Already missing Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool had no cutting edge. City had plenty of it and showed their attacking skills with goals from Erling Haaland, Doku himself and a gem from Rayan Cherki.

At the final whistle, Anfield’s DJ put on “Little Lies” by Fleetwood Mac, a small gesture of defiance. But the real defiance came from City. This is Anfield. But it wasn’t the old Ali Sami Yen in Istanbul. It wasn’t La Bombonera in Buenos Aires. It was loud, raucous, an assault on the ears, but hardly physically intimidating. Enzo Fernandez will have witnessed worse at River Plate against Boca Juniors. Little fazes Elliot Anderson either. The Englishman, tough physically and mentally, tore into challenges on Lewis Koumas, Florian Wirtz and Alexis Mac Allister and stared them down whenever anyone reacted.

The away section of the Anfield Road end seethed with defiance. City fans waved their inflatable bananas, an echo of the craze in the late 80s. It was a stroll down memory lane, back to the Maine Road era, a reminder of an era before the Abu Dhabi riches. The bananas were a surreal gesture of defiance, almost a statement that they would back their team in whatever division.

City were represented in the smart seats. Ferran Soriano, the club’s chief executive, and director of football Hugo Viana sat there like statues at times, giving nothing away. Like their defence. Their owners’ accounting can be questioned but not the character of their players.

They certainly got an earful. If anyone had a grievance against City for missing out on trophies it was Liverpool heading the list. City maintain their innocence, but they were left in no doubt at the anger towards them following the publication of the independent commission’s guilty verdicts on their breaches of Premier League financial rules.

Throughout the game, Liverpool fans targeted every City touch with jeers and chants of “cheats”, “going down” and “you cheating b*stards, you know what you are”. Showing an impressive grasp of history, especially of the League Cup, Liverpool fans chanted, “1976, 1976, you haven’t won a trophy, since 1976”.

It was all words, though. It’s all down to the lawyers not lyricists. Liverpool fans had been busy with the banners. Signs adorned the Kop: “114FC”, “a generation of supporters cheated” and a 20-yard “cheats” with the vowels replaced by £ signs. When Cherki walked towards the corner between Kop and Sir Kenny Dalglish stand, a Liverpool fan in a dark jacket took a step towards the hoardings, gesturing over them towards the City No.10. Two stewards hurried across.

City dealt with the brief storm from Liverpool at the start of the second half. Gianluigi Donnarumma saved from Koumas and Gravenberch, whose red card just after the hour changed the game. The Dutch midfielder, Liverpool’s best player, had already been booked, slightly harshly, for a challenge on Anderson. So he was playing a risky game when impeding the breaking Doku, who had just come on for Iliman Ndiaye. Chris Kavanagh reached for yellow then red.

City reached for the exposed Liverpool jugular. Doku was unstoppable on the left. Within two minutes of going down to 10 men, Liverpool went a goal down. Doku crossed from the left, the ball deflected off Mac Allister and was met with brutal force by Haaland.

Three minutes on, Doku cut in from the left, and curled a beauty past Alisson. Ten minutes further on, and City conjured up the goal of the game, a goal that celebrated all that is good about Cherki. He linked with Anderson, then Josko Gvardiol, sat Jeremie Frimpong down and stroked City’s third past Alisson. City returned three points clear at the top. But what does it mean?

If this game showed the sort of noise that will follow City around, it also highlighted they have the character to deal with it. The farce continues.

European nights under the floodlights have a habit of hitting harder than your usual run-of-the-mill domestic encounter.

For former Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld, the 2019 Champions League semi-final against his old side Ajax certainly falls under that category.

Spurs arrived in Amsterdam on the back of a 1-0 defeat in the first leg and soon found themselves with a mountain to climb after shipping in another two goals before half-time.

Alderweireld on Spurs’ Ajax comeback

Goals from Donny van Beek and Matthijs de Ligt meant that Spurs were staring down the barrel going into the final quarter of the tie, and even Alderweireld doubted that this would be Tottenham’s night.

“We lost the first leg of the semi-final 1-0 at home, then were 2-0 down at half-time in Amsterdam,” he recalls to FourFourTwo.

“We needed to score three, and we weren’t playing well – I thought ‘I want to go home, this is not going to happen’.”

Tottenham came out of the half-time period needing an immediate response, with boss Mauricio Pochettino turning to striker Fernando Llorente as Spurs changed their approach, swapping intricate football for a more bruising style of play.

“Then Fernando Llorente came on and we played some power football with long balls, because we were a physically strong team,” says Alderweireld. This tactical shift put Spurs on the front foot and gave them a puncher’s chance of forcing a remarkable comeback.

“Lucas Moura scored the first, and the second,” Alderweireld adds. That left Spurs with 30 minutes to find a third, which would give them the advantage on away goals.

Time was almost up when Moura completed his hat-trick to vault Spurs into their first-ever Champions League final and complete one of the greatest comebacks in the competition’s history.

“When he got the third in the last minute, it was unbelievable,” the Belgian adds before admitting that the victory was somewhat bittersweet, given the nature of the opponents.

“To kill the dream of my former club was a strange feeling,” he admits. “They gave me my education and made me a pro, so I’ll always be grateful.

“But football is like that, and I was happy – I was going to a Champions League final.”

Alderweireld was speaking in association with BOYLE Sports 2 Goals Ahead

During his quarter-of-a-century career as a footballer, Tony Adams won a string of trophies, capained his country and has even seen himself immortalised with a statue outside of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

After hanging up his boots in 2002, the former centre-back saw his future as a manager, but he quickly discovered that success on the pitch does not necessarily translate to success off it.

One man who was quick to point this out to Adams was Jose Mourinho, whose managerial success came after he spent years studying the profession, with the Portuguese handing the former Gunners skipper a blunt assessment that has remained with him to this day.

Adams on Mourinho’s managerial lessons

Mourinho’s message to Adams was a simple one: being a world-class footballer does not automatically make you a world-class coach.

“He always called me Simon,” Adams somewhat bizarrely recalls to FourFourTwo. “He said ‘Simon, you’ve been a footballer for 25 years, I’ve been studying for 25 years, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do’.

“I thought ‘Yeah, he’s right’. I had to learn coaching, I had to learn management.”

Adams would soon take this advice on board when it came to his managerial career. While most would look at a manager’s CV and remember the clubs, Adams would rather remember the lessons.

“Holland, Spain, China, Azerbaijan – they all taught me something,” he continues before recalling what went down during his spell in charge of Azerbaijan Premier League side Gabala.

“In Azerbaijan, the owner said to me, ‘I want the best academy in Azerbaijan, I want the best facilities in the former Soviet Union, if we qualify for Europe that’ll be unbelievable’. I said ‘Well, you need an international airport’.”

While the owner laughed at this suggestion, Adams’ wider vision would soon be realised.

“He laughed too, but he built one. We laid seven top-grade grass pitches, the very best facilities.

“We brought Dutch coaches over because, for me, they were the best youth developers in Europe. We wanted to build something that would still be there years later – 85 per cent of the Azerbaijan national team now come through that academy.”

For Adams, that early lesson from Mourinho hit home, as he would quickly realise that being a great footballer was only the beginning of the journey to becoming a coach.

Adams’ book 1996: Reflections On The Year That Changed My Life is available now

Watch Liverpool vs Man City in the Premier League for FREE, in the showpiece Super Sunday fixture of Gameweek 6.

FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Anfield will no doubt be a cauldron of noise as Liverpool host Manchester City in the Premier League today.

It's the first time City will take to the pitch, following the news of their guilty verdict from the Premier League for 114 out of 115 financial breaches.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Liverpool vs Manchester City online and from anywhere, in the biggest game of the weekend in the 2026/27 Premier League.

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How to watch Liverpool vs Man City in the UK

Fans in the UK can watch Liverpool vs Man City live on Sky Sports.

Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League will have live coverage of the Premier League clash, with kick-off at 4:30pm BST.

How to watch Liverpool vs Man City in the US

In the US, live coverage of Liverpool vs Man City is available on Peacock, NBC's streaming platform. Kick-off is at 11:30am ET / 8:30am ET.

How to watch Liverpool vs Man City in Australia

Viewers in Australia can stream Liverpool vs Man City on Stan Sport.

Kick-off is at 1:30am AEST on Monday.

Tickets

Liverpool vs Man City: Preview

This could prove to be the game of the season so far as Liverpool host Manchester City, with hostility expected to be at 10.

The Reds now know how City have allegedly used 'sham' contracts to hide their finances from 2009-2018, helping to bring in superstar after superstar, at the cost of Liverpool's hopes of glory.

Of course, every team will feel aggrieved, but none more so than Liverpool, who have narrowly missed out on a few Premier League titles along the way.

Andoni Iraola has had a slow start at Anfield, but could this be the game to really ignite the blue touch paper of his tenure? We can't wait to see...

SEE ALSO How to watch Premier League 2026/27: TV Guide, Streams & Fixtures

Manchester City have been shamed and shamed over the past few weeks, and without any football to distract them amid an appeal of the Premier League's 114 of 115 financial charges, all eyes will be on them this weekend.

How will it affect the players, the manager, the fans, and, more importantly, the team as a whole, with the outcome and punishment yet to be fully determined?

City, along with Brentford, Leeds, Liverpool and Everton, are the only unbeaten teams in the Premier League left after five games, with Maresca's men the only side to have won all five.

Could the likes of Erling Haaland, Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez and their other huge names soon be shunned off as part of the consequences? Time will tell, but this game promises fireworks from the off.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Liverpool 2-0 Man City

Anfield will be electric and City have often struggled with the noise. We think this one is set for a Liverpool succes.

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Watch Hull City vs Everton in the Premier League as the Tigers play host to the Toffees at the MKM Stadium.

FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Hull City lost their unbeaten start to the Premier League season at Newcastle United just before the international break hit us and the Tigers will be looking for a response on home soil today.

Everton are unbeaten are five games played, boasting a record of two wins and three draws, with Jack Grealish back amongst their ranks and ready to go again - so who will come out on top in this one?

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Hull City vs Everton online and from anywhere, including for free, in this Sunday afternoon Premier League 2026/27 fixture.

Watch Hull City vs Everton from anywhere

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How to watch Hull City vs Everton in the UK

Fans in the UK can watch Hull City vs Everton live on Sky Sports.

The Premier League clash is being shown on Sky Sports Premier League, with kick-off at 2:00pm BST.

How to watch Hull City vs Everton in the US

NBCSN is showing Hull City vs Everton in the US, but the easiest way to watch the action is via Peacock.

How to watch Hull City vs Everton in Australia

Viewers tuning in from Australia can stream Hull City vs Everton on Stan Sport.

Kick-off is at 11:00pm AEST.

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Hull City vs Everton: Preview

Hull City will look to continue their impressive start to life back in the Premier League when they welcome Everton to the MKM Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers have already shown they are capable of competing at the top level after an encouraging opening to the campaign. Wins over Manchester United and Coventry City, coupled with draws against Aston Villa and Chelsea, have given the newly promoted side plenty of confidence.

Their unbeaten league run eventually came to an end against Newcastle United last time out, although a narrow 2-1 defeat at St James’ Park did little to diminish the optimism surrounding their strong start back in the big time.

SEE ALSO How to watch Premier League 2026/27: TV Guide for Matchweek 6

Everton, meanwhile, arrive in Yorkshire still unbeaten in the Premier League. The Toffees have collected draws against Bournemouth, Manchester United and Tottenham before recording their second league victory against Ipswich Town in their most recent outing. David Moyes’ side will therefore be hoping to maintain that consistency and return from Hull with another positive result.

Team news could play an important role. Hull are expected to be without Hidemasa Morita, while Matt Targett is also a doubt. Jack Butland remains sidelined, although the Tigers have plenty of attacking options available, including Oliver McBurnie, Mohamed Belloumi and Sorba Thomas.

Everton could also have selection issues, with Merlin Röhl ruled out and Christian Nørgaard and Vitalii Mykolenko doubts.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Hull City 1-2 Everton

This could be a bridge too far; now Hull's stiff rearguard has been breached. Everton look good in attack and Barry is coming into form again. We think Moyes' men edge it.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.