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

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.

Watch Liverpool vs Man City from anywhere

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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.

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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.

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

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

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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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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 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.

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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.

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During his 17 year playing career, Michael Owen broke a litany of records, lifted a host of major trophies and was crowned as the Ballon d’Or winner in 2001.

But now, more than a decade after hanging up his boots, the former Liverpool and England striker gets his kicks out of another sporting pursuit.

Owen’s Manor House Stables is a sprawling 170-acre racing operation, south of Chester, where he houses almost 150 racehorses. Among the famous owners are former England team-mates and Premier League stars, but for Owen, the real fascination lies in the horses themselves.

Owen on his Manor House Stables

“I could name them all – every owner, every mother and father, every racing record,” he tells FourFourTwo during a guided tour of the site. “I’m a geek.”

The horse in the swimming pool, he informs us, is called Box To Box – so named because it’s owned by Owen’s former BT Sport colleagues Steve McManaman, Paul Scholes, Owen Hargreaves and Andy Townsend. Not only did they work as pundits on the box, but they were also largely box-to-box midfielders. “He’s seven years old and he’s won six races,” Owen says of the animal.

The former Real Madrid man also shows us horses owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, Anthony Gordon and James Milner. “He’s the luckiest owner,” Owen jokes of the latter. “Every horse he buys turns into a superstar, and sells for a lot of money. He’s had six horses here – I think the most he’s paid for one is about £80,000, and the least he’s sold one for is £360,000.”

In a nod to his highest individual honour, another of Owen’s horses is called Balon d’Or, with Owen reserving that name for a thoroughbred with particular potential, although self-deprecatingly admits that, yes, he’s since realised he spelt the name wrong.

Owen believes he has put around £13million into the facility since he purchased the land at the age of 23 when he was still terrorising defences in a Liverpool shirt. Even then, he knew his love for horse racing was so strong that he knew what he wanted to do once his playing days were over.

What was originally a farm was converted into stables, which have grown and grown ever since, and are now among the best in the country. Owen employs around 50 staff, many of whom work here every day and train the horses – we see some of them being taken for a gallop by riders on an all-weather track.

He doesn’t actually own most of the animals, though – the business model sees him purchase them at auctions (he estimates he’ll spend £2m to £3m to buy around 40 in the next few weeks), then sell to people who come in as owners and pay a monthly training fee. Darts duo Luke Littler and Stephen Bunting also have a horse here called Bunting Mental, but not every owner is from the sporting world.

The costs of operating the facility are not small – Owen has made huge progress over the past two decades, but needs additional outside investment to achieve his ambitions of kicking on even further and becoming one of the most successful stables in the country.

With that in mind, as well as welcoming FourFourTwo, he recently allowed the cameras in for a six-part Amazon Prime Video documentary called Meet The Owens, made by the Whisper production company that was co-founded by ex-Formula 1 racer David Coulthard.

For Owen, his post-football life is every bit as ambitious as his playing career.

All six episodes of Meet the Owens are available now to stream on Amazon Prime Video

Watch Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest for free as Oliver Glasner returns to face his former employers at Selhurst Park. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest will both be bidding to get their seasons properly underway as the two sides meet in the Premier League today.

Both the Eagles and the Tricky Trees have only one win apiece so far in 2026/27, which could make for an interesting contest at Selhurst Park.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest online and from anywhere, including for free, in a tasty clash in the Premier League.

Watch Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest for FREE

Live coverage in the States is on USA Network, and this is available for free on YouTube TV, thanks to the 21-day trial for new customers.

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Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest is live on Sky Sports in the UK.

The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and kick-off is at 2:00pm.

How to watch Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest in the US

As mentioned above, fans in the US can watch Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest on USA Network.

Kick-off is at 9:00am ET.

How to watch Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest in Australia

Stan Sport has live coverage of Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest in Australia.

Kick-off is at 11:00pm AEST.

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Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest: Preview

Crystal Palace's start to the 2026/27 season has been less than convincing, but given they again lost some of their standout stars in the summer, it really is no surprise.

Managing to keep hold of future England star Adam Wharton seemed like a big plus, to say the very least, but Maxence Lacroix moving to Chelsea and Daniel Munoz moving to Sunday's opponents, Nottingham Forest, means their new-look side is still looking to gel.

Only one win in five is the tune so far, with that success coming against Fulham at the start of September.

They did progress in the Carabao Cup, beating Middlesbrough 3-0, as the Eagles again have European football to contend with this term, this time in the Europa League.

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

Nottingham Forest are now headed up by ex-Palace boss Glasner, with the reception he will receive at his old stomping ground yet to be determined.

Forest have also struggled at the start of the new campaign, winning just once so far, but did perform well, albeit in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool before the international break took over all of our lives.

They come into this game off the back off of a dissapointing loss at Premier League new-boys Coventry City, but weirdly had held their own beforehand against Spurs.

There are no new injuries to report, with Nikola Milenkovic and Nicolo Savona both still sidelined at present.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Both teams have been slow at the start of the new campaign and we expect no different in a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park.

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.

This afternoon, two clubs with a fierce rivalry will do battle against the backdrop of one of English football’s most shocking cases of cheating in recent memory.

One set of fans will relish the opportunity to remind their opponents that they are morally corrupt - perhaps in slightly different words - while the other will stand in defiance behind their club, despite their shattered reputation.

But this isn’t about Liverpool’s clash with Manchester City, who play their first game since they were found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. This is about Southampton’s derby against Portsmouth and one man in particular: Saints manager Tonda Eckert.

Tonda Eckert's Spygate ruling comes at the perfect time for Southampton

Clearly, the Spygate scandal that saw Southampton expelled from last season’s Championship play-offs is nowhere near the same level of severity as the case involving City, who continue to deny any wrongdoing and have appealed the verdict.

But the strength of feeling between the two sets of fans at St Mary’s today will certainly match - and probably exceed - the hostility at Anfield.

The South Coast derby comes four days after Eckert escaped serious punishment for his role in Spygate, following an FA hearing last month.

An independent commission handed the Saints manager a six-week ban from all football and football-related activity, suspended until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, as well as a £28,000 fine and a reprimand, after he admitted that he ‘directed and/or authorised the observation of training sessions’ of three Championship opponents - Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough - last season.

The Boro incident occurred 48 hours before the sides met in the first leg of their play-off semi-final in May, when Southampton intern Will Salt was caught filming Kim Hellberg’s team and the story quickly became headline news.

Having beaten Middlesbrough over two legs, Saints were then expelled from the play-offs by the EFL and received a four-point deduction that came into effect this season. The club were denied a play-off final against Hull City and the potential £200m windfall that comes with promotion to the Premier League, but the strong punishment sent a clear message: spying on opponents is not worth the risk.

Everyone at Southampton, including players and fans, paid for the actions of a few members of staff. Eckert also suffered considerable reputational damage, but it seems inexplicable that the man who took ultimate responsibility for Spygate will not miss a single game considering that managers receive touchline bans for back-chatting to referees.

The 33-year-old was described as an “exceptionally impressive” witness by the independent commission and expressed “genuine contrition” for his actions. That may be true, but it doesn’t absolve him of blame.

The independent commission initially recommended a four-month ban from football, while the FA requested three months. But after applying various mitigations, including Eckert’s remorse, the impact on his career prospects and the knock-on effect for the club and the fans, it was reduced to this pathetic suspended sentence that he will ultimately never serve, as he will surely not make the same mistake again.

The verdict dilutes the message sent in May by the EFL, opening the door for managers to escape serious punishment in the event of another Spygate if they plead their case well. It also emboldens Southampton in their belief that they were harshly treated when they were kicked out of the play-offs.

That attitude was clear in the club’s statement responding to the verdict, in which owner Dragan Solak said: “The FA process has been a positive experience…the same cannot be said for the EFL process, and the way they have subsequently treated us is not something we will forget.”

Eight minutes after the statement was published, Saints posted a video on social media of Eckert celebrating with fans after a game, captioned “Just don’t think you understand” - lyrics from the terrace chant sung up and down the country. It felt unnecessarily triumphalist on the back of an embarrassing episode for the club.

In many ways, the verdict could not have come at a better time for Southampton. The South Coast derby is the biggest game of the two clubs’ respective seasons and Saints are aiming to end a winless league run against Portsmouth that stretches back to 2004.

The atmosphere will be highly-charged regardless, but it will go up another couple of notches when Eckert walks out of the tunnel and receives a hero’s welcome. Southampton fans would have feared the impact of the German being banned days before facing their arch-rivals, so his presence on the touchline will feel like a victory.

They now know they have one of the brightest young managers in the country leading them for the rest of this season, which not only brings obvious benefits on the pitch but also a psychological boost, as they would have feared months of uncertainty if Eckert was banned.

Similarly, do not be surprised if the siege mentality demonstrated in Solak’s statement lasts beyond this weekend. Southampton clearly believe they were unfairly denied their shot at promotion last season and many - but not all - supporters will feel the same way. It is not hard to imagine Saints framing this season’s bid to reach the Premier League as two fingers up to the EFL.

Southampton do not need any extra help in their promotion push. Eckert is a talented manager and has some of the best players in the league at his disposal, including Daniel Peretz, Leo Scienza and Cyle Larin.

They were strong favourites to win last season’s play-offs before the Spygate saga and would start this weekend fourth in the Championship without the points deduction. Even accounting for those lost points, Saints should finish comfortably inside the top eight and are likely to challenge for the top two.

Now, thanks to the failure to sufficiently punish Eckert, they have another edge in the promotion battle - and that feels wrong.

Watch Southampton vs Portsmouth for free as two south coast rivals resume hostilities in their first meeting of the 2026/27 Championship season. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Saints received a boost this week with the news that manager Tonda Eckert will be on the touchline against Pompey, after the German was handed a suspended six-week ban for his role in the Spygate saga last season.

John Mousinho's side head to St Mary's aiming to extend a five-match unbeaten league run against their arch-rivals, which stretches back to 2004.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Southampton vs Portsmouth in the Championship online, on TV, and from anywhere, including for FREE.

Can I watch Southampton vs Portsmouth for free?

Yes! Southampton vs Portsmouth is one of a select group of Championship matches that will be shared between Sky Sports and ITV this season, meaning UK viewers can watch it for free on ITV1 or stream it on ITVX.

Fans in the US can also stream the game at no cost via the CBS Sports Golazo Network.

Not in the UK or US? Use NordVPN to unlock your Southampton vs Portsmouth stream from anywhere in the world.

Watch Southampton vs Portsmouth from anywhere

What if you're away from home when Southampton vs Portsmouth is on, and find access to your usual streaming service geo-blocked? The solution is a VPN, a piece of software that sets your devices to appear to be in any country in the world.

FourFourTwo’s colleagues TechRadar are experts in this field, and they reckon NordVPN is the best VPN provider on the market.

How to watch Southampton vs Portsmouth in the UK

Southampton vs Portsmouth will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, as well as on ITV1 and the ITVX streaming service.

The Championship clash is being shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with kick-off at 12:00pm BST.

How to watch Southampton vs Portsmouth in the US

In addition to CBS Sports Golazo Network, Southampton vs Portsmouth is being shown on Paramount+ in the US. Kick-off is at 7:00am ET.

How to watch Southampton vs Portsmouth in Australia

Fans in Australia can watch Southampton vs Portsmouth on beIN SPORTS.

The game kicks-off at 9:00pm AEST and will be live on beIN SPORTS 3, as well as the beIN SPORTS CONNECT streaming platform.

Southampton vs Portsmouth: Preview

The South Coast derby hardly needs any extra spice, but this week's verdict into Tonda Eckert's role in the Spygate scandal may just take the atmosphere up a notch or two at St Mary's this lunchtime.

The Southampton manager escaped with a suspended six-week ban for the saga that saw his club kicked out of the play-offs last season, which means he will be on the touchline against Portsmouth. Expect the German to receive a hero's welcome from the home fans, and a fair bit of stick from the visiting contingent.

On the pitch, Saints are aiming to claim a first league win over their arch-rivals since 2004, although that run encompasses only five games with the two clubs often in different divisions during the past two decades.

Southampton have been further boosted by the news that Championship top goalscorer Cyle Larin and goalkeeper Daniel Peretz are available after picking up minor injuries on international duty, while midfielder Caspar Jander could make his first appearance of the season after recovering from a quad issue.

SEE ALSO Interactive football calendar 2026/27: Every game in every competition

Portsmouth start the day just two points behind their rivals, although the gap would be six if Saints hadn't been docked four points following Spygate.

John Mousinho's men have had a mixed start to the campaign, with two wins and three defeats in seven matches, and their hopes of a first league victory at St Mary's since 1988 have been hampered by an injury crisis.

Pompey could be without up to nine players against Southampton, with key centre-back Conor Shaughnessy and talismanic winger Josh Murphy the most high-profile absentees.

That being said, Mousinho has worked wonders in steering Portsmouth to safety on a limited budget in each of the past two seasons, so he is used to being up against it. Beating Southampton is arguably the only thing missing from his Pompey CV.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Southampton 2-1 Portsmouth

Derbies are all about which team handles the occasion better, but we expect Saints' quality to get them over the line.

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.

Dimitar Berbatov seemed to be running harmlessly towards the Old Trafford corner flag, when he unleashed the skill he’d been working on in his living room at home.

Sprinting to stop Anderson’s pass going out for a goal kick, Berbatov stopped the ball with his right foot, spun 180 degrees, then flicked it past James Collins, all in a split second. The West Ham defender didn’t know what had just happened, but Berbatov was suddenly sauntering into the penalty area unattended, expertly squaring for Cristiano Ronaldo to tap home.

The Bulgarian had been a Manchester United player for just a month – already he’d delivered a moment that fans would remember, performing his spin on near enough the same blade of grass where Fernando Redondo had backheeled his way past Henning Berg for a famous Real Madrid goal eight years earlier.

Berbatov’s piece of skill became the subject for a song, Berbatov Spin by Broke Boy Fly – one of at least three tracks that have been written about him, including another by Thessaloniki rapper Richi, after the striker spent time in the city playing for PAOK towards the end of his career.

His spin assist was typical of the style and swagger he displayed throughout a career that took him from Blagoevgrad, his home town at the foot of the Rila mountains, and onwards to CSKA Sofia, Bayer Leverkusen and Spurs, before his 2008 move to Manchester, where he also scored a hat-trick against Liverpool and five in one game against Blackburn. In total, he found the net 329 times during his career.

Previously, the two-time Premier League winner has spoken of how his languid style of play was based on kung fu. “You have someone who’s going crazy, and someone doing slow movements – the one with the correct movements destroys the other guy,” he once explained.

Like a true rock’n’roll footballer, Berbatov might have sometimes given off the vibe that he didn’t really care, but that was always an act – today, chatting to FFT, he reveals it was an act that was actually inspired by a character in a little-known Italian spaghetti western movie.

Now 45, having retired in 2019, he’s European brand ambassador for LiveScore and LiveScore Bet, and speaking to us after taking his two daughters on the slightly less rock’n’roll school run in his homeland. In this interview, in keeping with the theme of this issue of the magazine, Berbatov is ready to intelligently articulate what it was like to be a much-loved maverick, and what was really going on underneath that nonchalant facade.

Looking back at your career, how would you describe your style of play?

Well honestly, without any modesty right now, I’d say that long before there was a striker dropping deep, it was me and Robbie Keane at Spurs, dropping deep from the central attacking position to receive the ball and play people in behind – playing almost like a number nine and a number 10, all in one. I always enjoyed doing that because I was technically gifted and I had my touch, so it was easier for me to read the game. I felt great satisfaction dropping deep, trying to feed my team-mates so they could score – sometimes when I assisted, I felt more joy than when I scored. Now there are false nines, but let’s not forget that back in the day, even before my time, there were strikers who’d come and get the ball, then feed others. Football is like a cycle.

Your style inspired people – three songs have even been written about you, including one called Berbatov Spin.

[Laughs] I didn’t know about this! That’s actually what I was talking about, because the Berba Spin was an assist – it was so good and the moment was so right, everything happened so perfectly, that I can agree that a song is a good thing to have to describe it! Those types of movement and improvisations, they brought me so much joy. When I did the Berba Spin, I could hear the crowd go ‘Whoaaa!’ That made my day even more, and when I passed to Ronaldo to score, it was complete.

Do you still watch that clip a lot, and did that goal sum you up more than any other, even though you didn’t score it yourself?

I had good assists that aren’t mentioned regularly, that one pops up all the time, and I scored beautiful goals as well, but that was me, how I saw football and how I thought it should be played. Improvisation, of course with an end result, because if you have improvisation without the end result, you need to go to the circus. In my case, I wanted to have improvisation with great assists and great goals – sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but that’s how football is. You need to enjoy and entertain the fans, but with an end result. That was me, and for me it worked.

You’ve spoken previously about how you tried to look cool and unbothered after that assist for Ronaldo?

[Laughs] From time to time I do go back and watch it, because we miss the old days, we miss when we used to play football, and you just want to see what you did back in the day. If you watch it, after that goal, you’re right, I was walking and just pretending that ‘Nothing happened guys, I do this all the time, what is all the fuss?!’ But inside of me, I knew I’d done something special, because of the noise of the crowd. I knew straight away that they loved it.

That unbothered look was a trademark of yours during your career, even after you did exceptional things. Where did that come from?

Well, it’s going to sound funny now, what I’m going to tell you. It’s connected in a way to how I see football, as kung fu. That’s how I used to move, like floating. And to answer your question about why I was like that, it’s because growing up, there was one movie called They Call Me Trinity with Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, I don’t know if you know those types of actors? There were two movies actually, They Call Me Trinity and Trinity Is Still My Name – the guy in the movie, he was always a bit laidback, a bit like he didn’t care, but he was the fastest draw in the west and everybody knew that, so everybody respected him. Even if you underestimate him, then you’ll be surprised by all the things that he can do.

When I was a boy growing up watching that movie, I thought ‘I like that guy, he’s so laidback and cool – he knows he’s good, but he doesn’t need to show it because he’s confident he’s good, he doesn’t care what everybody thinks’. In a way, probably in my conscience without even realising it, I was putting that into my game and maybe even my life. I’m a big movie buff, I love watching a lot of movies, so that was probably inserted into my life and my way of playing football.

Do you think individuality is being lost a bit now, that players are coached to be more robotic, within a tactical system?

I’ve never been one to compare myself to someone else or compare different periods, but now football has changed – it’s more athletic, more tactical. I understand that, because at the end of the day, results are the most important. If you’re first place, you’re champions, you get more money, you play Champions League football, you get even more money, so let’s not forget that football is also business. But football is also art – football was the love of my life. During the time when I played, it was the right moment for me because it was more artistic, more poetry – taking the ball, thinking, outsmarting the opponents, entertaining. I’m not saying we don’t have players like that now – Lionel Messi is still playing, Ronaldo and Kevin De Bruyne, even though he’s left Manchester City. We still have artists on the pitch, but maybe it’s a bit more physical right now, with more athleticism.

You had quite a journey to reach the top, growing up in the final years of communism in Blagoevgrad. You sometimes had to play football with a pig’s bladder?

Yeah, we did. That’s why it’s good to look back sometimes and reminisce, to remember how it was and how it is now. I also try to teach my kids what I went through, my story. Everyone has their own story. In my family, we grew up with a bit of difficulty, we didn’t have much for football, so we needed to improvise, right? Back then, you didn’t understand that those were challenges, you took it as a game. There were no phones, no social media, so what do you do? You try to find something, you go on to the streets. You run into some problem with someone maybe, or you just try to excite yourself in some way.

With us, it was kicking the ball. We didn’t have a ball? OK. We had a custom back in the day to slaughter a pig on a special holiday – the women would cook it, and out of that you’d get the bladder of the pig. You blow it up, it’s a bit disgusting, but it looks like a ball, you wrap a towel around it and now you have a football. You try to kick it as much as you can, then when you grow up, things start to change and you get a football. Later in life, if you’re lucky, patient and work hard, you become a professional.

Was playing with a pig’s bladder part of why you were so brilliant at controlling a football, which was presumably easier?

I think it was just because I started very early – I knew at a very early age what I wanted to do. I found my purpose really early in my life and that prevented me from making a lot of mistakes that a lot of young people were making. Of course I made my share of mistakes, but they were small mistakes, not big ones that you couldn’t reverse. I knew I wanted to be a football player, I was really concentrated and dedicated in my mind to try to achieve something. That saved me, and paved my way to reach my personal top.

Interestingly, you’ve said that when fans sang about you during matches, even positively, you sometimes felt uncomfortable?

Yeah, because the first time I think I experienced that was with Spurs, when I came to England. When I used to play in Germany, there were a couple of things like that, but not so big as in England, where you have a song and they chant your name. The first time I heard it, I was like ‘What is happening?’ It put me in the spotlight and I wasn’t ready for that, I just wanted to play football, even though we’re in the spotlight on the pitch anyway. In that moment, I was like ‘Guys, what is going on? I want it to stop’. I felt embarrassed and to be honest, yes, it’s nice, it’s a great gesture of course and I appreciate it, but at times it made me uncomfortable.

That’s surprising for a star player – someone like Ronaldo probably would have loved it?

It depends who you are of course, how you see life and how you see gestures like that. Sometimes when I’d scored four or five goals, when I was feeling confident and in the mood and they sang my song, then I sang myself as well in my mind and I felt good! It’s different depending on the moment.

When you weren’t as confident, could your unbothered look be a mask for how you were feeling?

Of course. Everybody has their difficulties in their career and in my situation when I played as a striker, when you don’t score goals, that’s the moment where you’re in the spotlight in a negative way. The position of a striker automatically says that you need to score goals, and if you don’t, you’re not doing your job. There’s so much to the position of a striker – how he plays, how he moves, how he frees the space, holds the ball and brings everybody into the play. But of course number one is goals.

So when I didn’t score goals, it was tough for me – I’d be sitting in my apartment or house, or wherever I was, replaying the game in my mind. What did I do that wasn’t good enough, what do I need to do next time so that I can correct myself? Sometimes that can be a dangerous place to be, because if you don’t know how to get out of that vicious circle of negative thinking, you’re going to stay there for a long period of time. That’s why sometimes football is not so much about what you can do with your legs, but in your head. If you’re not good there, your legs are going to be suffering and the whole thing is not going to be good for you.

That’s something I speak about with young players, especially here in Bulgaria. Yes, everybody has problems if you’re a striker and you don’t score, I’ve been there. But the only thing to do is to be strong in your head. It’s difficult, and if you have the right people around you, the right environment – your wife, your kids, your girlfriend, your agent, your team-mates, your coach – they will help you. If you can help yourself, even better – it’s going to make you even stronger. But don’t stay too much in that zone of negative thinking.

What have you been doing since retirement? Have you ever been tempted to become a manager?

Every ex-player thinks he’s going to be great as a manager. If you ask anyone, he’ll say ‘Of course, I will be the best!’ Even if he doesn’t admit it, he’ll be thinking it, because that’s how we are – especially strikers, big egos, we know everything! Of course that’s far away from the truth. I have been tempted, I’ve been thinking about it, I have my A Licence, but I have my foundation back home here, we’re supporting talented kids in arts, sports and science, we try to encourage them as much as we can, and help them to go into their teens in a better position with the choices they make, how they see life, what they want to do. I try to inspire them with my own story. I also work with Manchester United as an ambassador, I have other business ventures as well. When someone here in Bulgaria asks me how I am, I don’t have the right to complain because I’ve done my part, I achieved my personal top. So compared to other people and how they live here, I don’t need to complain at all.

How proud are you of your career?

Very proud because I came from a small country in Bulgaria, so to reach England and reach Manchester United, it was a great honour for me. I know the way I needed to work to get there, and my personal top was Manchester United. Some of my colleagues that I played with reached higher than me, some reached lower, but I was happy that I was part of the history of that big club – and all of my clubs of course, that helped me to get there. I also had some missed opportunities to win trophies, but that’s how football is sometimes – it can be cruel, but you take it on the chin and continue.

How do you hope people remember Dimitar Berbatov the footballer?

I hope I entertained them – I know I entertained them, to be honest. I did my best to do that every time, even if I didn’t show it, and even if sometimes it didn’t work. But if it didn’t work, I was ready to try the next time, of course with an end result. When someone watches my clips, my goals and assists, I want them to see poetry in motion, how you improvise, how you dance with the ball, how you touch the ball, how you read the game. If I can inspire some young boys or girls to try to copy what I did, great.

Berbatov was speaking on behalf of LiveScore and LiveScore Bet. LiveScore’s mission is to fuel fans’ passion for sport – download the LiveScore app for real-time updates, and visit livescore.com for more info

Can you tell us the answer to this quiz question?

Miroslav Klose is the obvious answer – but Stern John, Angelos Charisteas, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Xherdan Shaqiri are all other examples. What is it?

We'll reveal the answer this time next week when we reach the next edition of The Pre-Match Poser – for now, here's the answer to last week's poser…

Q. Which country is missing from this list: England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain…?

A. It’s Switzerland. This is a list of every country with at least one city that has hosted both the European Cup/Champions League final and the World Cup final, and Bern’s Wankdorf Stadium hosted the 1954 World Cup final and the 1961 European Cup final.

The other cities to have done it are London, Paris, Munich, Berlin, Rome, Moscow and Madrid.

More football quizzes we know you'll love

While you're chewing on this week's pre-match poser, we have many more quizzes to keep the trivia juices flowing, courtesy of Kwizly?

Can you name every nation to have beaten England in any men's World Cup since 1950 and every Premier League player to have won the World Cup? How about every male footballer with 100+ international caps and at least one in the World Cup?

Elsewhere, can you pick the right player 10 times over in our Messi or Ronaldo quiz and tell us which international centurions have played in the Premier League? 108 answers for this next one: Can you name every team competing in the league phase of this season's Champions League, Europa League and Conference League?

We also have a quiz for football supporter culture true believers. Can you match these 20 football fanzines with the English clubs whose supporters they serve or served?

Love a football crossword too? So do we, so we'd encourage you to take a crack at FourFourTwo’s Weekend Crossword 73, where you'll find clues on lions, tigers, bears and much more.

Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter for your daily briefing of hand-picked trivia and tactical analysis and then join The Club, our free membership hub that serves as your digital dugout, where you can unlock secret hints for our hardest quizzes, climb global leaderboards, and debate the latest topics directly in the comments section.

During his 19 years owning beloved Leyton Orient, Barry Hearn experienced highs, lows, characters and his fair share of general chaos that comes when you try to run a football club.

But for Hearn, few characters were as memorable as John Sitton.

When Hearn bought the O's in 1995 for a nominal fee, he was taking a club drowning in debt at the bottom of the third tier, with Channel 4's cameras documenting the period in their 'Club For A Fiver documentary.

Hearn on working with Sitton

At the heart of his documentary was Sitton, whose combustible personality produced one of the most infamous dressing-room rants ever caught on camera. It's a moment that Hearn still laughs about today, even if Sitton's methods ultimately proved to be too much for him.

“I actually got it even cheaper than that,” Hearn tells FourFourTwo, when asked about the documentary, which was named after the price he had reportedly paid to former chairman Tony Wood, who had seen his coffee business decimated after the Rwandan Civil War.

“I only paid £2.43. But of course, there was £2m worth of debt which I had to take on as well. People said I was mad, but I used to go there when I was a kid. You cherish these things.”

Hearn had already amassed a fortune from snooker and immediately set about trying to transform a side floundering near the bottom of the third tier. “I went in and said ‘Right, a million pounds a year, that’s your losses, I’ll cover that million’,” he recalls. “I told the press I wanted Premier League football within five years. I knew absolutely nothing about the game, but I’m a promoter. I needed headlines. I needed people to be talking about us.”

They soon would be, mainly thanks to the antics of the club’s gaffer John Sitton. The Londoner’s passionate language and full-on management style would make for engaging viewing when Club For A Fiver was later released.

Shortly before Hearn’s arrival at the relegation battlers, an increasingly beleaguered Sitton delivered a half-time speech that would go down in football folklore. With his side 1-0 down at half-time against Blackpool, Sitton sacked defender Terry Howard on camera in the dressing room, before offering to fight two other players.

“You, you little c**t, when I tell you to do something, and you, you f**king big c**t, when I tell you to do something, do it,” he snarled. “And if you come back at me, we’ll have a f**king right sort-out in here. All right? And you can pair up if you like, and you can f**king pick someone else to help you, and you can bring your f**king dinner. ’Cos by the time I’ve finished with you, you’ll f**king need it.”

Even in the blood and guts days of the 1990s, viewers were shocked at the tirade. Hearn saw the funny side. “I loved that rant,” he says. “I quote it all the time – ‘And bring your f**king dinner’. Just fantastic. In all honesty, I think Sitton allowed the cameras into an area he shouldn’t have. They should never have been in the dressing room on a matchday.”

Hearn was aware of the infamous rant when he set up office, but decided to judge Sitton and his staff on their own merits. “I actually loved him and his assistant Chris Turner – good men, and John was very eloquent,” says Hearn. “He spoke a good game and I thought he was on to something.”

Yet there were further signs of Sitton’s ferocity that didn’t sit well with Hearn. “I watched him in training one day – he cleaned out a 16-year-old and I thought ‘Nah, that’s not my sort of man’,” he says. “Not a man with integrity.”

Sitton would eventually be let go, with his depiction in the documentary meaning other clubs were reluctant to take him on, meaning he would leave the game to become a black cab driver. “He failed in the end and I had to ask him to leave,” recalls Hearn. “You have to make tough decisions in sport.”

Watch Real Madrid vs Villarreal in La Liga as Los Blancos look to return from the international break with a crucial three points. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

José Mourinho needs a win here. Barcelona’s form is looking ominous, and with Kylian Mbappé available despite picking up an injury on international duty, anything less than victory is simply not an option.

Villarreal haven’t exactly been flawless themselves this season either, but back-to-back wins before the international break mean they arrive at the Bernabéu with some momentum.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Real Madrid vs Villarreal online and from anywhere, including for FREE.

Watch Real Madrid vs Villarreal for FREE

Real Madrid vs Villarreal is one of a host of games in La Liga available for free on CazéTV's YouTube channel.

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How to watch Real Madrid vs Villarreal in the UK

Real Madrid vs Villarreal is in the 8pm, Saturday night slot in the UK which means Disney+ will broadcast this fixture.

Disney+ will set you back £5.99/month and includes one La Liga game each Saturday.

If you're visiting the UK from Spain, you can use Proton VPN to access your usual coverage.

How to watch Real Madrid vs Villarreal in the US

Real Madrid vs Villarreal is being shown on ESPN in the US and you can access every La Liga game during the season on the platform.

ESPN's Select package starts at $13.99/month or $139.99 for the year.

Abroad today? Use Proton VPN to unblock your ESPN stream from anywhere in the world.

How to watch Real Madrid vs Villarreal in Australia

In Australia, Real Madrid vs Villarreal is available on beIN Sports 3.

This is accessible via beIN Sports Connect with prices starting at AU$16.99/month.

Travelling outside Australia? Proton VPN is your ticket to watch Real Madrid vs Villarreal from wherever you're in the world.

Real Madrid vs Villarreal: Preview

Real Madrid would have been hoping that Jose Mourinho could have offset Barcelona's dominance in La Liga once again, but seven games into the season, things are looking ominous for Los Blancos.

Defeats to Real Betis and Atletico Madrid have left them in fourth, already six points shy of Hansi Flick's side, who have dropped points in only 17 of their last 83 La Liga games.

That makes this game against Villarreal all the more imperative, and with Kylian Mbappe being declared fit by Mourinho, and Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior returning from international duty, they will have no excuse.

SEE ALSO Football fixture calendar for the 2026/27 season

For Villarreal, a trip to the Bernabéu is always something of a free hit, but their start to the season also requires some amendment.

No wins in their opening five La Liga games were offset by victories over Malaga and Levante before the international break, but a defeat here could leave them adrift of the European places.

With a home game against Napoli in the Champions League in midweek, their focus may be elsewhere, but Inigo Perez will be desperate to pick up his first statement victory since moving from Rayo Vallecano in the summer.

Keep an eye out for 23-year-old Alberto Moleiro, who impressed in their two wins before the international break, scoring twice and providing two assists.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Real Madrid 2-2 Villarreal

Something doesn't feel quite right at Madrid and they won't pick up three points this weekend.

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Lee Trundle has never been your usual by-the-numbers footballer.

For a time, the former Swansea City favourite was one of the most recognisable players in English football, despite never making it to the Premier League, thanks largely to his regular appearances on Soccer AM's 'Showboat' segment throughout the mid-2000s.

The forward could never resist delving into his bag of tricks every week, but behind the grin and playmaking ability was a player who took an unconventional route to the professional game.

Trundle on the height of his fame

Trundle admits that his dazzling array of tricks, feints and dummies during his peak years made him box-office viewing.

“It was a mad time because there were many Premier League players, let alone Football League players, that didn’t have the level of fame I did,” Trundle recalls to FourFourTwo. “I was only playing for Swansea in League One but I was recognised all the time.”

Trundle insists that this level of freedom he played with was due to his late introduction to the professional game, given he didn't sign any professional papers until he joined Rhyl at the age of 24.

“I hadn’t had any of the coaching that might have knocked that part of my game out of me,” he says. “I was still essentially a street footballer. My coaches saw that as a good thing, thankfully, and just told me to go out and express myself. That’s what earned me my move to Wrexham and then to Swansea.”

Trundle scored 91 goals across two spells with the Swans, cementing himself as a club legend and still serving as an ambassador. “I still live in Wales, which is why I am still playing here now,” he says. “A lot of people just assume I’m Welsh. They’re shocked when they hear the scouse accent.”

As Trundle mentions, he is still playing now, turning out for Cwmbran Town in the Welsh League on a Saturday and for a veterans team on a Sunday, having just celebrated his 50th birthday.

“It’s amazing, I still love it,” says Trundle. “What’s mad is, I’m now playing with a lot of the kids of old team-mates of mine, so it’s kind of gone full circle. A lot of them know me already from old YouTube videos and things, which is nice.”

This begs the obvious question - will he still be playing when he turns 60?

“I’m not sure about that,” he laughs. “I kind of had 50 in my mind as a goal I wanted to reach, but who knows how much longer I can go on for? I look after myself very well. I have a cryo chamber at home. I eat well and keep myself in good shape.

"As long as I feel like I’m still able to make a difference and influence games, I’ll be up for staying on.”

Watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur for free as two underperforming Premier League giants meet at Old Trafford in this Saturday-evening clash. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

United went into the international break with just five points from their first five Premier League games, giving manager Michael Carrick work to do to recapture the positivity he fostered during the second half of last season.

Spurs are in even worse shape and sit bottom of the table, after a winless start to the campaign which saw them fail to score in their opening four matches.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur online and from anywhere, including for free, in this Saturday-evening Premier League clash.

Can I watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur for free?

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur isn't technically available to watch for free, but there is a way that viewers in the US can stream the game at no cost.

NBC has live coverage in the States and is available on YouTube TV, which currently comes with a 21-day free trial for new customers.

Outside the US? Use a VPN to access your free Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur stream from anywhere in the world.

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How to watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur in the UK

Viewers in the UK can watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur live on Sky Sports.

Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League will have live coverage of the Premier League clash, which kicks-off at 5:30pm BST.

How to watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur in the US

As mentioned above, NBC is showing Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur in the US. The game is also live on Peacock, NBC's streaming platform. Kick-off is at 12:30pm ET.

How to watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur in Australia

Fans in Australia can stream Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur on Stan Sport. Kick-off is at 2:30am AEST on Sunday.

Tickets

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur: Preview

Michael Carrick will want a significant improvement from Manchester United in this next batch of fixtures, after they failed to take advantage of a relatively kind start to the Premier League season before the international break.

The Red Devils took just five points from a run of games that included matches against newly-promoted Hull City and Ipswich Town, as well as struggling Fulham - where they needed a late Matheus Cunha equaliser to rescue a point.

Tottenham Hotspur began the weekend as the only team below the Cottagers in the table, so Carrick will see this Saturday-evening clash as a great chance to claim three points ahead of three successive away fixtures, against Atletico Madrid and Como in the Champions League and Leeds United in the Premier League.

Carlos Baleba could make his first appearance following his £70m summer move from Brighton & Hove Albion, while Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo are set to feature despite withdrawing from England duty. Benjamin Sesko and Patrick Dorgu are both injury doubts, though.

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

The one positive for Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi ahead of his side's return to action is that their season surely can't get any worse.

After staying up by the skin of their teeth last term, Tottenham took just two points from their opening five games and failed to score until the last of those fixtures, a 3-2 home defeat by Aston Villa before the international break.

De Zerbi's mood wouldn't have been helped by injuries to defenders Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke while representing the Netherlands during the international break, but the duo haven't yet been ruled out of the trip to Old Trafford.

The game looks like it could come too soon for full-back Pedro Porro, though, after the Spain international suffered a hamstring injury against Villa.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

This feels like a must-not-lose game for both teams and we're backing the hosts to claim that much-needed win.

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Watch Ipswich Town vs Fulham as Alvaro Arbeloa heads to Portman Road aiming to claim his first Premier League win as Cottagers manager, with FourFourTwo bringing you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

The Tractor Boys will see this as a great opportunity to claim their third victory of the campaign, after already beating Sunderland and Crystal Palace this term.

Fulham may well be thinking the same thing, though, having been minutes away from taking three points against Manchester United in their last game before the international break.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Ipswich Town vs Fulham online and from anywhere in the world as the 2026/27 Premier League season continues.

Is Ipswich Town vs Fulham on TV in the UK?

Ipswich Town vs Fulham is not being televised in the UK. The game kicks-off on Saturday at 3pm, a time when football matches cannot legally be broadcast in the UK. This is known as the '3pm blackout'.

You can access the game in multiple countries including the US and Australia, where you will find great deals for watching EPL football.

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How to watch Ipswich Town vs Fulham in the US

Ipswich Town vs Fulham is live on Peacock in the US, with kick-off at 10:00am ET.

Peacock is NBC's streaming platform, which not only hosts a live stream of the NBC games but also exclusively shows a number of other Premier League matches each week.

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Ipswich Town vs Fulham: Preview

After a promising start to life back in the Premier League, Ipswich Town manager Gary O'Neil will be aiming to kick on in the five fixtures before the next international break.

Other than next Saturday's trip to Manchester City, the Tractor Boys' upcoming block of games looks inviting, with home matches against Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, plus a trip to Hull City.

First up is the visit of the Cottagers, and Ipswich will feel they can increase their season tally of six points against a side who are yet to win in the Premier League this term.

Gary O'Neil appears to have no new injury worries after seeing 10 of his players represent their countries across six continents during the international break.

SEE ALSO Football fixture calendar for the 2026/27 season

Although the table makes grim reading for Fulham, there are reasons to believe that an elusive first league win of the season is around the corner.

After starting the campaign with three successive defeats, the Cottagers held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw at Anfield and were denied victory over Manchester United by Matheus Cunha's 89th-minute equaliser.

Throw in a pair of Carabao Cup wins over AFC Wimbledon and West Ham United, and some positive underlying numbers that had Fulham third in the league for chances created from open play and touches in the opposition box going into the international break, and it doesn't look so bad for Alvaro Arbeloa.

However, the next fortnight will tell us a lot about the club's direction under the Spaniard. This is the first of three successive games against the trio of sides who were promoted from the Championship last season - a strong points haul will ease the pressure on Arbeloa, but a poor return would see the scrutiny intensify.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Ipswich Town 1-1 Fulham

We expect this one to end level, which could leave both teams rueing a missed opportunity.

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Watch Aston Villa vs Brentford for free from anywhere as Keith Andrews' unbeaten Bees resume their Premier League campaign with a tricky trip to the West Midlands. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

It has been another slow start to the season for Villa but they finally claimed their first win of the Premier League campaign in their final game before the international break, beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 in North London.

In contrast, Brentford have been in excellent form from day one and arrive at Villa Park boasting an unbeaten league record, putting them among the early pace-setters.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Aston Villa vs Brentford online and from anywhere, including for FREE, as the 2026/27 Premier League season resumes after the international break.

Watch Aston Villa vs Brentford for FREE

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Is Aston Villa vs Brentford on TV in the UK?

Aston Villa vs Brentford is not being televised in the UK. The game kicks-off on Saturday at 3pm, a time when football matches cannot legally be broadcast in the UK. This is known as the '3pm blackout'.

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If you're visiting the UK, you can use NordVPN to access your usual coverage.

How to watch Aston Villa vs Brentford in the US

As mentioned above, USA Network has live coverage of Aston Villa vs Brentford in the US. Kick-off is at 10:00am ET.

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How to watch Aston Villa vs Brentford in Australia

Australian viewers can watch Aston Villa vs Brentford live on Stan Sport. Kick-off is at 12:00am AEST (midnight) on Sunday morning.

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Aston Villa vs Brentford: Preview

Unai Emery has built up plenty of credit in the bank as he approaches four years in charge of Aston Villa, so his side's slow start to the season will have created considerably less angst than it would at most clubs.

The Europa League holders had gained just one point from four games before winning 3-2 at Tottenham Hotspur on the eve of the international break, after a summer which saw several stars depart for pastures new.

However, there was little panic at Villa Park and three wins in the past four matches - albeit only one of those in the league - suggests that Emery knows how to get the best out of this group of players, not that it was ever in any doubt.

Villa had several injuries heading into the break, so it remains to be seen if the likes of Leon Goretzka, Pau Torres and Brian Madjo have recovered in time to feature against Brentford.

SEE ALSO Football fixture calendar for the 2026/27 season

There is quite a buzz in West London following the Bees' unbeaten start to the campaign, with their results to date bookended by impressive 3-0 wins against Tottenham and Chelsea.

Brentford start the weekend fourth in the Premier League, but arguably more impressive is the range of players contributing to their success - 15 members of Keith Andrews' squad have provided either a goal or an assist across all competitions this term.

It means the Bees should be able to cope without Mikkel Damsgaard, who picked up an ankle injury on international duty with Denmark, while Nathan Collins and Sepp van den Berg are among those who could return.

Andrews' side are yet to win on the road in the Premier League this season, but they will nonetheless go to Villa Park full of confidence that they can leave with all three points.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Aston Villa 1-2 Brentford

The Bees were in better shape than Villa before the international break so we're backing them to pick up where they left off.

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.

Watch Sunderland vs Brighton in the Premier League as Fabian Hurzeler's side make the 670-mile round trip north to face the Black Cats. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

This is Sunderland's fourth successive game against one of the Premier League top four heading into the weekend, having faced Brentford, Arsenal and Manchester City in their previous three fixtures.

Brighton will be aiming to pick up where they left off before the international break, after romping to a 3-0 win over the Gunners three weeks ago.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Sunderland vs Brighton online and from anywhere in the world in the 2026/27 Premier League season.

Is Sunderland vs Brighton on TV in the UK?

Sunderland vs Brighton is not being televised in the UK. The game kicks-off on Saturday at 3pm, a time when football matches cannot legally be broadcast in the UK. This is known as the '3pm blackout'.

You can access the game in multiple countries including the likes of the US and Australia where you will find great deals for watching EPL football.

If you're visiting the UK, you can use NordVPN to access your usual coverage.

Watch Sunderland vs Brighton from anywhere

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How to watch Sunderland vs Brighton in the US

Peacock will show Sunderland vs Brighton in the US with kick-off at 10:00am ET.

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How to watch Sunderland vs Brighton in Australia

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Sunderland vs Brighton: Preview

It doesn't get any easier for Sunderland as they return from the international break, with the visit of Brighton the latest in a string of devilishly difficult fixtures.

After a useful 1-1 draw away to a Brentford side who start this weekend fourth, the Black Cats faced the Premier League's two title favourites, losing 2-0 at home to Arsenal and then falling to a 5-3 defeat at Manchester City in which striker Brian Brobbey scored a hat-trick.

They return to action against Fabian Hurzeler's high-flying Seagulls, who dispatched the Gunners 3-0 before the break in arguably the most impressive performance of the season by any team so far.

Regis Le Bris' side will need to be on their game to improve their tally of four points from five matches, but they will be without Brobbey and defender Dan Ballard, who both suffered injuries on international duty.

SEE ALSO Football fixture calendar for the 2026/27 season

Brighton will hope to take advantage of those two key absences for their opponents as they look to continue an excellent start to the campaign.

The Seagulls have claimed 10 points from five matches while dealing with injuries to several key forwards, including Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma and Jack Hinshelwood.

Hurzeler has continued to get a tune out of his side in their absence, with the likes of Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas stepping up. Both were on the scoresheet in the 3-0 win over Arsenal.

Brighton could be further boosted by the return from injury of several players for the near 700-mile round trip to Sunderland, with club captain Lewis Dunk and summer signing Femi Azeez - who is yet to make his debut - expected to be available.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Sunderland 1-2 Brighton

The Stadium of Light has been a tough place to go since Sunderland returned to the Premier League, but Brighton are in excellent form.

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.

Watch Chelsea vs Bournemouth for free from anywhere as the Blues eye a return to winning ways against a Cherries side who are yet to taste victory in the Premier League this season. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Xabi Alonso's men took just one point from three games going into the international break, culminating in a limp 3-0 defeat at West London counterparts Brentford.

The Cherries' form isn't much better and manager Marco Rose is still hunting his first league win, having seen his side concede late against Manchester City, Everton and Newcastle United.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Chelsea vs Bournemouth online and from anywhere, including for FREE, as the 2026/27 Premier League season resumes after the international break.

Watch Chelsea vs Bournemouth for FREE

Chelsea vs Bournemouth is this week's selected game on CazéTV's YouTube channel, which is showing several Premier League matches live and for free across the 2026/27 season.

Not in Brazil? Use Proton VPN to unblock your free CazeTV stream from anywhere in the world.

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Is Chelsea vs Bournemouth on TV in the UK?

Chelsea vs Bournemouth is not being televised in the UK. The game kicks-off on Saturday at 3pm, a time when football matches cannot legally be broadcast in the UK. This is known as the '3pm blackout'.

You can access the game in multiple countries including Brazil, the US and Australia, where you will find great deals for watching EPL football.

If you're visiting the UK, you can use Proton VPN to access your usual coverage.

How to watch Chelsea vs Bournemouth in the US

NBCSN is showing Chelsea vs Bournemouth in the US.

The game is also live on Peacock, NBC's streaming platform, with kick-off at 10:00am ET.

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How to watch Chelsea vs Bournemouth in Australia

In Australia, Chelsea vs Bournemouth is live on Stan Sport. Kick-off is at 12:00am AEST (midnight) on Sunday morning.

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Chelsea vs Bournemouth: Preview

The Xabi Alonso era at Chelsea began with a bang, but the Blues entered the international break with a whimper.

After starting the season with high-scoring wins against Fulham and Brighton, the West London club have tailed off dramatically, with defeats at Arsenal and Brentford sandwiching a 2-2 home draw with Hull City.

Chelsea fans are at least seeing plenty of goals, with 33 going in across their first seven games in the Premier League and Carabao Cup. The problem is that 15 of those have gone into the Blues' net.

Alonso has had three weeks to find a way to arrest the decline and he will hope to have Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo available against Bournemouth after the duo missed their respective countries' international camps due to injury. Striker Joao Pedro is also doubtful heading into the clash with the Cherries.

SEE ALSO Football fixture calendar for the 2026/27 season

Bournemouth received a major fitness blow of their own during the international break, as midfielder Alex Scott was ruled out for around a month after suffering an injury on England duty.

It is more bad luck for manager Marco Rose during a start to his tenure that has been better than the Cherries' tally of three points suggests, with his side surrendering leads late on in each of their first three league matches.

The German will hope Bournemouth can bring their cup form into the top flight, with last month's 4-0 Carabao Cup win over Lincoln City followed by an eye-catching 2-1 Europa League victory at Real Sociedad in the club's first-ever game on the continent.

It appears to be a matter of time until it clicks for the Cherries in the Premier League, although the loss of Scott will surely hamper them.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth

Chelsea games almost guarantee goals at both ends, so a high-scoring draw could be on the cards.

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.

For most footballers, the prospect of playing at the age of 50 is a dim one, with their boots hung up and collecting dust long before their sixth decade comes along.

But for former Swansea City forward Lee Trundle, turning 50 has done nothing to diminish his desire to get out on the grass.

Still turning out every weekend, Trundle is combining Welsh League football with veterans' matches, despite his professional career ending more than a decade ago.

Trundle on playing after 50

For Trundle, football has simply changed rather than stopped.

“I play for Cwmbran Town in the Welsh League on a Saturday, and then I also play vets football on a Sunday,” he tells FourFourTwo as he gets set to celebrate his 50th birthday.

“I’m still feeling fit as a fiddle.”

During his remarkable professional career, Trundle made more than 300 appearances for the likes of Wrexham, Swansea, Bristol City and Leeds United, among others.

But Trundle is keen to correct the assumption that he retired from football altogether after leaving non-league Marine in 2013.

“I did leave the professional game behind me but I wasn’t done with football,” he says. “I’d promised an old friend I’d play for his side back in my hometown of Liverpool when that day came.

"So I did that for a few seasons and then kept it going in the Welsh lower leagues. I’m still going strong today.”

Even with five decades under his belt, he assures he is still his same old self.

“I still do all my tricks and showboating, don’t worry about that,” he laughs. “I never had any pace to lose anyway.

"Even in my prime, I had to rely on technique rather than speed, so I’m the same type of player.”

Watch Arsenal vs Leeds United for free as the Premier League returns after the international break with this Saturday-lunchtime clash at the Emirates Stadium. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

The three-week pause arguably came at a good time for the Gunners, who suffered a shock 3-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in their most recent outing.

It means only one team arrive at the Emirates with an unbeaten record - and it's not the Premier League champions. Leeds have yet to taste defeat in the top flight this term, but this is their toughest test to date.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Arsenal vs Leeds United online and from anywhere, including for free, in the first Premier League game after the international break.

Watch Arsenal vs Leeds United for FREE

You can stream Arsenal vs Leeds United for free in the US thanks to YouTube TV's 21-day free trial, which carries USA Network — the US broadcaster of this game.

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Watch Arsenal vs Leeds United from anywhere

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How to watch Arsenal vs Leeds United in the UK

Arsenal vs Leeds United is live on TNT Sports in the UK.

TNT Sports 1 and its streaming platform HBO Max will have coverage of the Premier League clash, with kick-off at 12:30pm BST.

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How to watch Arsenal vs Leeds United in the US

As mentioned above, USA Network has live coverage of Arsenal vs Leeds United in the US. Kick-off is at 7:30am ET.

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How to watch Arsenal vs Leeds United in Australia

Fans in Australia can stream Arsenal vs Leeds United on Stan Sport, with kick-off at 9:30pm AEST.

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Arsenal vs Leeds United: Preview

Arsenal looked in ominous form when they began their Premier League title defence with four wins and three clean sheets, but then came the sobering trip to Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Gunners have had three weeks to stew on that 3-0 defeat, so it will be fascinating to see how they respond against a Leeds United side who have started the season impressively.

Manager Mikel Arteta will be desperate to bounce back in the week that he signed a new contract that runs until 2030, potentially taking his stay at the Emirates Stadium beyond a decade. It was a positive end to a difficult international break for the Arsenal boss, who saw several of his star players pick up injuries.

Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz look set to miss today's game, with Ezri Konsa doubtful and Declan Rice expected to be available despite withdrawing from England's Nations League camp. Defender Cristhian Mosquera is also fit again after missing the past five weeks with a hamstring injury.

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

Leeds boss Daniel Farke may have been sad to see the international break after his side looked in excellent rhythm in the opening month of the season, taking nine points from their first five Premier League games.

That included a 1-1 draw at Brighton in which they were perhaps unlucky not to take all three points, which should give the Whites confidence for their trip to Arsenal after seeing the champions wilt against the Seagulls.

This game signals the start of a tricky month for Leeds, who also travel to Sunderland and Bournemouth after hosting rivals Manchester United next Sunday, so Farke would surely be delighted to return to Elland Road this evening with their unbeaten record intact.

Jean-Matteo Bahoya is the Whites' only new injury concern after he suffered an ankle problem playing for France Under 21s during the break, while Harry Wilson remains doubtful having picked up a quad issue last month.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Arsenal 2-0 Leeds United

We expect the Gunners to return to winning ways, despite Leeds' impressive start to the season.

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.

When the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened in April 1986, I was nine years old. I’d just had a trial with Dynamo Kyiv, and it had gone well, but everything changed. In the first few days following the disaster, we carried on with our normal lives because they thought the situation was under control. Eventually, though, we were evacuated, because of the risk of being so close to ground zero. My father was in the military and had access to some of the information – they decided to take us to the coast, to the Sea of Azov. There, we stayed in camps for three months until we were able to return. During that time, I lost contact with the people at Dynamo. I honestly felt I’d never play for them again.

In the years before that, I have fond memories of playing in the Kyiv streets with my friends. All the images I keep in my memory are connected to football – I’d wake up and go to bed thinking about it, dreaming of making it as a player. The thought I could achieve it motivated me – I had curiosity and a desire to improve from a very young age.

I regularly competed in inter-school tournaments – they’d call me up to play, and we’d travel by bus to different neighbourhoods. That’s when I started to stand out among the kids of my age group. I didn’t always win, but that wasn’t the most important thing. Even back then, people could sense the leadership I had on the pitch – I already had a strong mentality.

A guy called Oleksandr Shpakov worked for Dynamo Kyiv and used to attend those kinds of matches because he was a scout for the club, looking for young talents who could make it to the top. I remember he came up to me, introduced himself and told me to get ready for a trial.

After that trial came Chernobyl and my evacuation. In late September or early October, though, after returning to Kyiv, one of Dynamo’s coaches came to visit me. He was surprised I hadn’t rejoined the club’s setup – fortunately, I resumed training.

Later, I travelled abroad with Dynamo. We played in two different tournaments: one in Aberdeen and another in Wales, at the Ian Rush Cup. I was 13, we won and I was named the best player. It was special because Rush himself gave me a pair of Nike boots. Even though the boots were too small for me, I treasured them for years because everyone knew him and he was a Liverpool legend – I tried playing with them once, until my big toes poked through the toe area! Soon, Valeriy Lobanovskyi came into my life. He was the most influential coach in Ukraine’s history – we all knew about him because he built winning teams at Dynamo Kyiv across several generations: in 1974, in 1986, and when he returned again in 1997. By the latter, I was already in the first team. If he came back, it was because he believed he could win again with that team. He believed in us.

The first time I spoke to Lobanovskyi face to face was in the office he had at the stadium. He motivated me even more than I already was, as I realised that someone with a competitive spirit had come to the club, someone who was going to push us all forward. He told me, “You’re very young, you have quality and talent, but you need to be disciplined, completely change your character and be more professional.” He drew the path for me to start my true professional career. He transformed us all from talented footballers into warriors with the desire to create a great team.

Some of the training sessions were a nightmare, though! Occasionally we even had three sessions in a day, when we were used to doing a maximum of two. The physical intensity was huge. I remember some team-mates ended certain drills by throwing up, due to extreme fatigue. Many of the veterans promised to be ready for the matches, but in exchange they asked for a truce. To train less hard. They just couldn’t take it any more.

But Lobanovskyi never gave in, and his way of expressing himself was funny. “Look, this is a clock, everything has to be perfect for it to give the correct time,” he’d say. “Imagine I take out a piece? It won’t work. This is the same. Either you respect the rules I set, or you leave.” Those were his principles.

In the space of four or five months we already felt different, capable of doing anything. Everything improved: the collective, the individual performances, the strategy, the management of the dressing room, the physical preparation. He always took care of me. He kept repeating to me that talent without the right mindset wouldn’t be enough. “If you want to go far, then you have to be professional,” he constantly warned me. I had to dedicate myself 100 per cent and sacrifice certain things in my life. That education was essential. He was like a father in every sense of the word. He also instilled in us the importance of understanding his ideas during matches, and knowing why we did each thing. I love his story, it’s exceptional. After winning everything, including two European Cup Winners’ Cups, he had come back to Dynamo Kyiv to do it all again.

That first season in 1997-98 was very special for the whole team, but also for me personally, because I had a magical night at the Camp Nou where I scored a hat-trick against Barcelona. We won 4-0 and that was when we began to believe in ourselves, and the possibilities of doing something big in the Champions League. It was unforgettable. Without a doubt, one of my best moments at Dynamo. How many teams score four goals against Barça in their own ground? Not many. We played a great match. It was during those years I formed a really good attacking partnership with Serhiy Rebrov. I’d known him since I was 15 – we’d already shared a dressing room in the youth teams of Ukraine. We had a good relationship. I liked how he thought, played and read the game. He became a good friend, and it was easy to play alongside him. We attacked, but we also had to defend a lot.

Lobanovskyi brought us all together. One season later, we came really close to winning the Champions League. We eliminated Real Madrid, the great giant of Europe, but we couldn’t get past Bayern Munich in the semi-finals. We drew 3-3 at home, but ended up losing 1-0 in Munich. We lacked experience. If we’d had that, we would have made it to the final. We also lacked a bit of luck.

We had the same spirit in the national team. Ukraine means everything to me.

It was both an enormous motivation and a great honour to wear my nation’s shirt. I started playing for the youth teams when I was 15 – my first match came shortly after Ukraine gained independence, in Lviv, against a Dutch junior team that had Clarence Seedorf in its line-up.

The stadium was packed with 30,000 people, who were proud and emotional to finally have their own national team. We drew 2-2. It was one of the happiest moments of my career.

I made my debut for the senior team in 1995 and played in many important matches, including against Russia in the last game of our qualifying group for Euro 2000. It was a controversial fixture because relations between Ukraine and Russia were tense – in fact, instead of sleeping at a hotel in Moscow, we had to stay at the embassy for security reasons.

A major security operation had been put in place due to the special circumstances surrounding the match.

On our way to the stadium, fans threw stones at our bus, but luckily it didn’t go any further. We were totally focused on getting a good result, because if we lost our Euros hopes were over. I scored an 88th-minute equaliser – it was a long-range effort, with no real threat at first glance, but it just had to be on target as then anything could happen. Someone could deflect it, or the goalkeeper could make a mistake, which is exactly what happened. It was a moment of immense national pride.

Earlier that year, 1999, I had joined Milan. The first contact came through Rezo Chokhonelidze, a Georgian scout that the club used in Eastern Europe. He came to watch me play some games, started following me with more interest alongside another of his colleagues, and spoke with Lobanovskyi, with whom he had a good relationship.

Milan’s CEO Ariedo Braida travelled to Kyiv to see me too, and we spoke after a match. He was a polite, well-dressed man, and Rezo acted as a translator. Ariedo gave me a Milan shirt with my name on it and said, “The only way to win the Ballon d’Or is by playing for us.”

He didn’t need to say much more to convince me – it was an honour for me, and I told him I dreamed of achieving both things.

I talked with Lobanovskyi – I told him I felt ready, and he said it was the right time for me to continue growing. He warned me that I’d have to keep working to earn my place at a club like Milan. Not long after that, he combined his role as coach of Dynamo with that of Ukraine’s national team boss, so we never lost contact. Every time I came back to play for the national team, I’d go straight to his office and we’d talk for three or four hours – he’d ask about the training methodology in Italy, about the players and the tactics there.

I arrived at the best club in the world at that time, also with the best people. From the beginning, I felt the warmth and affection of everyone at Milan.

I didn’t speak Italian, but I took lessons, and in the dressing room they always gave me a hand. They invited me out to eat, made jokes and made me feel like one of them.

Alessandro Costacurta was 10 years older than me – he was like a brother. I shared a room with Demetrio Albertini and Massimo Ambrosini on trips, and they helped me too. Alberto Zaccheroni was my first coach, he was wonderful. The whole club, and also the supporters, wanted me to succeed.

I scored on my Serie A debut at Lecce, after a beautiful combination between George Weah, Oliver Bierhoff and myself, as we drew 2-2. Milan were champions when I arrived, so I joined a club that had recently been really successful, but it was also a time of transition. Weah, Bierhoff, Zvonimir Boban and Leonardo had given everything but were reaching the end of their time at the club. Over the next two or three seasons, the team changed, with Seedorf, Filippo Inzaghi, Alessandro Nesta, Rivaldo and Andrea Pirlo coming in, while Gennaro Gattuso stepped up from relegated Salernitana. It was a necessary metamorphosis for Milan to become the main reference point in Italian football again, because there were six big Serie A teams going into the 1999-2000 campaign.

Inter had Javier Zanetti, Christian Vieri, Ivan Zamorano and Ronaldo. Lazio had Pavel Nedved, Alen Boksic, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Marcelo Salas and Roberto Mancini. Juventus had Alessandro Del Piero and Zinedine Zidane. Parma had Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro and Hernan Crespo. Fiorentina had Rui Costa and Gabriel Batistuta. Looking at all of those squads, any could win the title. It was the golden age of calcio. It was beautiful.

Then Carlo Ancelotti arrived in 2001 – he was an exemplary coach. We’re still friends – we often call each other, and not long ago I visited him in Madrid. As we grew, that Milan team wasn’t just a fantastic side – above all else, it was a fantastic group of people guided by a master like him.

In 2003, Milan won the Champions League. The toughest tie was the semifinal against Inter. The whole city fell into silence that week, as the nerves and anticipation increased day by day –

Ancelotti said he’d never seen so much tension in the air. We drew 0-0 in the first leg and 1-1 in the return leg, when I scored to send us through to the final thanks to the away goals rule.

Despite it finishing 0-0, there were so many chances in the final against Juve at Old Trafford. It was anything but dull.

Both goalkeepers, Dida and Buffon (by then of Juve), were decisive. When we reached the penalty shootout, Ancelotti asked me to take the first one. I told him no, as I wanted the responsibility of taking the last one. I was confident I’d score. As I ran up to the ball, images from my childhood flashed through my mind – all those moments dreaming of winning that competition. That night, we rewrote history. I scored the winning penalty, and it was perfect.

Afterwards, I spoke to the Milan vice president, Adriano Galliani, and he gave me permission to take the Champions League trophy to Kyiv, to pay tribute to Lobanovskyi who’d died a year earlier. It was the very first thing I did – I flew on a private jet and took the trophy to visit Lobanovskyi’s monument.

He meant a lot in my career, he helped me to take my first steps, and we’d come really close to winning the trophy at Dynamo. He deserved it. He would have loved to win it himself – that I did it with Milan was partly thanks to him.

A year later, I also won the Ballon d’Or. I’d been scoring many goals for several seasons, and I knew that playing for a big club like Milan put me in contention for it. Beating Turkey during qualification for the World Cup was also key. We won 3-0 away, I scored two, and I had the feeling that I moved closer to the Ballon d’Or that day. I was competing with top players such as Deco and Ronaldinho, but it was reward for three or four years performing at the highest level. A month after that victory in Turkey, my wife went with me to the Ballon d’Or gala in Paris, along with Galliani and Leonardo as Milan’s representatives. It was so special, because I’d dreamed of that moment since I was a kid. My idols, Oleh Blokhin and Ihor Belanov, had also won it, and I became the third Ukrainian footballer to receive the Ballon d’Or. The satisfaction was gigantic.

Soon after, I was also awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. It meant everything to me for my country to recognise my achievements. Playing for Milan, I knew there were millions of Ukrainians who took great pride in having a compatriot representing them.

In 2005, though, we reached another Champions League final, where we faced Liverpool in Istanbul. We were 3-0 up at half-time, then followed six minutes of nightmare. In that period, we gave up our three-goal advantage, but we must also give credit to Liverpool for the blind faith they had in their comeback. Their supporters never stopped cheering them on from the stands.

People may think that we relaxed at 3-0, but that’s not true at all. We were concentrated and didn’t underestimate Liverpool – at half-time, we’d talked about maintaining focus, because there was still a second half to play. The final was strange. If we could overlook those six minutes, we played a great match. We dominated, created chances and I had a double chance in extra time that Jerzy Dudek inexplicably saved. Football is beautiful for that reason. Never take anything for granted.

In the penalty shootout, I tried to do something similar to Old Trafford two years earlier. Yes, I was nervous, and I noticed Dudek making some strange movements in goal. My shot ended up being too close to the centre of the goal, and he saved it with his left hand. Understanding that you don’t always win is another valuable lesson in life. Every great athlete has missed at some point. Michael Jordan used to explain that before reaching the top, he missed thousands of free throws. You have to accept defeat as part of the journey.

The following season, we lost in the Champions League semi-finals against Barcelona. We lost the first leg 1-0 at San Siro, but really competed in the return at the Camp Nou. The referee unjustly ruled out a goal I scored that would have forced extra time – back then there was no VAR, but I never fouled Carles Puyol. That Barça team under Frank Rijkaard were amazing, so I’m not complaining. In life, you win and you lose.

That summer, Chelsea were interested in signing me, and I made the difficult decision to leave San Siro and try new things. My greatest football years were in Italy – I arrived at 22 and left at 29. But I also wanted a different experience, to live in a different country.

The transfer went through just before the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Helping Ukraine to qualify for the first time was an emotional achievement, but I went into it far from my very best, dealing with injuries. I only started training two days before our opening game against Spain, after being out for more than a month.

I took physiotherapists along with me to speed up my recovery, to try to be ready in time, and our coach Oleh Blokhin said he wanted to play me right away, so that I could gain match rhythm.

We lost 4-0 to Spain, but beat Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. I scored in both wins and we made it to the last 16, then beat Switzerland on penalties, before being knocked out by champions Italy in the quarter-finals. It was a great journey. I still remember how many Ukrainians came to support us in Germany, and how grateful they were for everything we achieved that summer.

Before I knew it – having accumulated fatigue, without time to recover – I was starting my new life at Chelsea. I didn’t have any time to adapt, and there were high expectations around me. We went to do pre-season in the USA, everything happened very quickly, and the first few weeks were tough.

We lost the Community Shield against Liverpool, but personally I had a good debut – after a pass from Frank Lampard, I’d equalised with a chest control and a nice finish with the inside of my foot. There was a strong hunger to win at Chelsea – guys like Lampard, Petr Cech, John Terry and Arjen Robben were at

the peak of their careers, combined with experienced players like Claude Makelele, Michael Ballack and myself. We were a strong team. We started the campaign a bit inconsistently, but I liked that the dressing room was very competitive, the atmosphere was good and we motivated each other to succeed.

Working for Jose Mourinho was a great experience – I have a lot of respect for him because he always made the best decisions for the team. He was a master at motivating each player in a different way and knew how to strike the right chord with every single one of us – he used his intelligence to convince us individually and as a group. We were his soldiers. I was fortunate throughout my career that every coach I had shared the same trait: their winning mentality. My most special moment at Chelsea was winning the 2007 FA Cup Final at the new Wembley, because of how much it means to the English. We came close to winning the Premier League title in both of my seasons, but Manchester United came out on top by a narrow margin. I was performing at a high level some of the time, especially during my first campaign from January to April, before I got injured. The problem was I had too many physical problems that gradually wore me down. I had hernia surgery, the recovery was slow, and I went through several ups and downs that stopped me from playing consistently for half a year. In my second season, I started off well, scoring goals, had a great match against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, then I got injured again. It was tough to end with the defeat by Manchester United in the Champions League final in Moscow.

I went back to Milan on loan, and it was fantastic to share a dressing room with Ronaldinho and David Beckham. We spent a lot of time together, and it was fun. Even though they were high-profile figures, they were great team-mates on a daily basis – amenable, professional. They were winners, it was in their DNA. Ronaldinho was one of the most gifted players in football history. He was magic personified, full of charisma.

It was a difficult time for me, though, because injuries again wore me down. I was more than aware that I was no longer the player I’d been a few years earlier. I couldn’t compete at the same level, because my body wouldn’t let me reach my usual standard.

I played through the pain barrier, and that’s when I decided it was best for me to return to Dynamo Kyiv – primarily so I could experience Euro 2012 at home, with Ukraine and Poland co-hosting the finals. I wanted to prepare properly, as I hadn’t played at the Euros before, and I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest ahead of retirement. I got myself back in shape, played for Dynamo and featured in the Champions League again.

When the tournament arrived, I was in the final weeks of my career, but I still felt I had something to offer. I wanted to sign off in the best possible way, and the Euros gave me the perfect stage: to say goodbye to football at home. I was carrying some pain in my back, but in our opening match against Sweden I played one of my finest matches in five years, scoring twice, as we came from behind after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal. It was madness. My whole family and so many friends were in the stands. It was special. Later, I became assistant coach of the national team for Euro 2016. We lost to Germany, Poland and Northern Ireland without scoring a goal and the dressing room was completely down, bereft of confidence, but I agreed to take over as manager because I saw huge potential. I surrounded myself with some highly capable staff – Mauro Tassotti, Andrea Maldera and Raul Riancho – and over two years we evaluated more than 100 players, investing countless time and effort to rebuild the squad, as we knew there was talent in Ukraine.

We didn’t have much time to work with the players and we didn’t qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but we were shaping the idea we believed in. We convinced everyone of the importance of playing a certain way – controlling matches and dictating play – and we worked hard on the group’s mentality. Maybe we couldn’t dominate matches against the top-tier nations, but we knew we could control games against 75 per cent of opponents. At Euro 2020, we reached the quarter-finals, losing to England.

Since the start of last year, I’ve had a different role, but one that’s equally important, as president of the Ukrainian Football Association. Everything starts with building a strong team around you. We’ve been living through the toughest moment in Ukraine’s history, and during these three years of full-scale war, we have shown the world that football still exists in our country.

I’ve felt a strong responsibility to help people and support my country in every way I can – that’s what I’ve been totally committed to, and what I’ve done on a daily basis. I’ve regularly attended charity events, as the most well-known Ukrainian footballer. Other sportspeople have helped, too, and we’re in constant contact – Oleksandr Usyk, Elina Svitolina, Wladimir Klitschko, Sergiy Stakhovsky. We’re all connected. Whenever there’s anything linked to sport or humanitarian causes, our president, Volodymyr Zelensky, knows he can always count on my advice.

We all want peace, but also justice for Ukraine. We must defend our integrity as a country. We’ve fought for our lives. Although I travel for conferences and often to London, where my entire family has been for 19 years, I spend most of my time in Kyiv, where I grew up.

Every day we’ve heard the sirens, the threat of missiles and drones. No one has been safe – only when we’ve been in the shelter.

Football, though, has still given people hope. That’s the most powerful message we want to share with the world. We’ve continued to take part and succeed in competitions, at youth level, in women’s football and in futsal, too. We’ve been present and we’ve competed. Everything has been more difficult for us and we’ve faced unexpected challenges every day. As Ukrainians, though, we’ve carried on moving forward.

The international break is as dreary for football fans as it is for clubs. Supporters missed the regularity and unpredictability that comes with watching their team in action. International football, major tournaments aside, doesn’t have the same pizazz as the domestic or continental game.

The major risk to club teams, however, is the possibility of seeing a player sustain a knock while representing their national team. A number of Premier League sides have all seen key men struck down during the domestic hiatus.

While the likes of Nico O’Reilly, Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Micky van de Ven are expected to make swift returns ahead of the upcoming round of league games, Arsenal have been relatively harder hit than others. Indeed, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis sustained knocks with Norway, Germany and Greece, respectively.

Odegaard at least returned to the Norway side having made a swift recovery. The same can’t be said of Havertz. The Gunners man was forced off in the first half of Germany’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands last month, and immediately returned to London for a scan on a suspected hamstring injury.

Reports at the time suggested that Havertz would sit out the next six weeks of competitive action for the north London side, which is a blow for Mikel Arteta. Havertz has been Arteta’s first-choice frontman this season, and has duly delivered, scoring two goals in the opening five matches.

That said, there is more to Havertz’s game than just goalscoring. His all-round style of play is vital for Arsenal, with the German forward willing to work tirelessly out of possession in order to knit the play together and drag markers out of position. Arteta’s use of wingers in his favoured setup means a striker of Havertz’s skill set is vital.

And it’s for that reason the Arsenal boss should turn to Mikel Merino rather than Viktor Gyokeres to lead the line for the coming weeks. Even if it’s only for a month or so, it’s a long time for the latter to operate as the focal point for this Arsenal side.

Gyokeres didn’t exactly endure a tough debut campaign in the capital. The 28-year-old scored 14 league goals, and added an additional five in the Champions League, as Arsenal pipped Manchester City to a first Premier League title in 22 years. However, Arteta has never been truly sold on the idea of Gyokeres leading the charge.

For the run-in last season, Havertz was again the go-to striker. He started the Champions League final, scoring in the eventual defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The 27-year-old’s selflessness and notable link-up play worked far better with those in the supporting trio. Gyokeres may work tirelessly off the ball, but he’s more effective as an out-and-out striker rather than a forward willing to bring others into play.

By contrast, Merino is willing to drop deeper in order to link the play in the final third. The Spaniard shares the same positional understanding as Havertz, meaning Arteta wouldn’t need to tinker too much with his game plan by bringing Merino into the side during the former Chelsea man’s spell on the sidelines.

Merino is more comfortable on the ball than Gyokeres, meaning he’d be able to drag defenders out of position, thus opening up space for the wide men to exploit. He doesn’t rely so much on making runs off the shoulder of the last man.

What is vital, though, is that Merino still has this knack for cropping up at the right place at the right time in order to get among the goals. Since the start of last season, his return of 0.89 goal contributions per 90 when starting as the lead striker is the best of all Arsenal players.

By comparison, Havertz ranks second at 0.78, while Gyokeres is averaging 0.49 direct goal involvements per 90 in all competitions over the same period. Not only does Merino offer the same off-the-ball movement that makes for a more mobile Arsenal frontline, he is able to time his box-crashing runs well in order to get among the goals.

While Arteta may be tempted to opt for Gyokeres given his previous demands for an out-and-out number nine, combined with the 28-year-old’s good form for Sweden during the international break - Gyokeres scored four goals across four Nations League outings - Merino suits Arsenal’s attack better than the former Sporting man.

Granted, Gyokeres is a handy option for Arteta to call upon, especially if Arsenal look to go more direct.

With Havertz absent, however, the Gunners boss must instead look to Merino to shoulder the striker burden. Against a resolute Leeds backline this weekend, Merino’s desire to link up with his teammates will help break down the Yorkshire side’s low block better than Gyokeres’ directness, particularly with space in the final third expected to be at a premium.

What better way to enjoy the weekend than with some football trivia in the form of a crossword. Our new Weekend Crossword, to be precise. Enjoy!

There are 24 clues in this week's FourFourTwo Weekend Crossword. It looks like a crossword and quacks like a crossword, so every clue you answer correctly will unlock some others.

Don't forget to let us know how you got on in the comments.

Love football crosswords? Here are some handpicked football quizzes we know you'll enjoy

With the crossword completed for another week, why not try your hand at some quizzing too? We've got tons of football quizzes to tackle and all of them are powered by Kwizly.

If you know your World Cup facts, you'll ace this little selection. Can you name every nation to have beaten England at the World Cup and every Premier League player to have won the World Cup? And can you identify the top international appearances who have appeared at the World Cup?

Away from the World Cup, can you name every player with 100 international caps or more and at least one Premier League appearance? If you were plugged into supporter culture in decades gone by, let's see if you can tell us which English football clubs were the subjects of these 20 fanzines.

Our latest career paths quiz will give you a picture of a player and their career path. You'll need to recognise the player without a name and give us the missing club from their career. Easy!

Last but by no means least, why don't you try to tell us which countries are home to these beautifully named football clubs and which countries produced these 20 Premier League footballers?

For all the matchday knowledge you need, subscribe to our newsletters for regular briefings and hand-picked trivia. And, to complete your transfer to terrace legend status, lock in your spot in The Club, our free membership hub where you can unlock secret hints for our toughest quizzes, climb global leaderboards, and debate the latest topics directly in the comments.

Alexander Isak of Liverpool is a doubt for Andoni Iraola this weekend, as the Reds take on Manchester City.

This is the first time that the Citizens will play again in the Premier League, after an independent commission found them guilty of all charges related to breaches of the competition's financial rules over a nine-year period.

And with Liverpool the obvious victims in a number of those title races, fans are now sweating over the availability of star striker Isak to lead the line.

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola rules Alexander Isak out of the Manchester City clash

Isak pulled out of international duty through injury – with Iraola delivering bad news not just on the Swede's injury, but his potential replacement at centre-forward.

“Alex Isak and Cody Gakpo will not play the game,” the Basque revealed in his pre-match press conference. “They are not ready.”

“Unfortunately for us, both got injuries during the international break. As a club manager, you are always waiting until the games end, that the doctor doesn't call you and then gives you bad news. But in this case we've been unlucky with Alex and Cody – both of them are injured and they are not going to be involved on Sunday.”

The former Bournemouth gaffer added that Gakpo had suffered an ankle injury, while Isak had picked up a knock to his thigh.

“They both don't look like long term – we will be analysing day to day,” Iraola said. “But they are not going to arrive on Sunday.”

With Isak having picked up over a dozen injuries since moving to English football and Hugo Ekitike also out with a long-term injury, Iraola may have to resort to using Bradley Barcola as a striker, or throw in Jason Koumas up top.

There is good news for Reds fans, however, in the shape of Jeremy Jacquet, who has been exceptional since arriving at Anfield in the summer and celebrated making his first senior appearances for France over the international break.

“Yeah, he's fit, he's ready to go," Iraola said of the defender. “I think he didn't play with the national team [in the] last game because of protection.”

Federico Chiesa, meanwhile, is back in training.

Liverpool's clash against Manchester City this weekend is on this Sunday, as Premier League action resumes after the international break.

Tottenham Hotspur beat off stiff competition from Manchester United to sign Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes this summer, the north London side parting with £85m to sign the 22-year-old from rivals West Ham United.

And yet, the youngster has started just three of five league games for Spurs so far this season. He was hauled off after just 45 minutes in one of those.

“I have big confidence in Mateus but I didn’t like his performance today,” Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi said of Fernandes after the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa. “It’s not an attack on him because I love him. I just want more from him, even in that position.”

Spurs are wasting £85m Mateus Fernandes as things stand

It was an unnecessary criticism of Fernandes, who admittedly hardly covered himself in glory in the recent home loss to Villa, albeit out of position. Then again, few in a Spurs shirt really did.

Even so, De Zerbi was critical of the young midfielder having, again, started him in the number 10 role. If anything, this reflects badly on the Italian manager.

In truth, De Zerbi’s hands are somewhat tied. He’s loyal to a 4-2-3-1 setup, but is without a fully fit and firing No. 10. James Maddison has only recently returned to first-team action following a year on the sidelines with an ACL injury. Xavi Simons is currently absent with the same issue. Dejan Kulusevski is close to a return to action having not played since May 2025. Even then, he’s made a league start more recently than Maddison.

And yet, rather than tinker with his system or delve into the academy to pick a diamond in the rough - cough Luca Williams-Barnett cough - he’s persisting with a No. 8 out of position. Conor Gallagher is the other player to have started in the 10. Neither suit the role.

Indeed, Fernandes made a name for himself with both Southampton and West Ham in a deeper midfield position. Here, he was able to drive the team forward. Spurs desperately lacked a central midfielder who could advance the play from deep. Fernandes, then, was seen as the perfect signing.

Only Jarrod Bowen (45) created more chances than Fernandes (37) of all West Ham players in the Premier League last season. 28 successful dribbles was the third most for the Hammers. The two ahead of Fernandes - Bowen and Crysencio Summerville - are wingers by trade. They will rank higher for this metric. 103 tackles ranked sixth overall in the Premier League.

Fernandes is a player who thrives in the hustle and bustle that comes with operating as both a ball-winner and distributor. So far, he’s not been handed the chance to showcase either under De Zerbi. Rather, the former Brighton and Marseille boss has favoured a double pivot of Sandro Tonali and Rodrigo Bentancur. The former is the £100m summer signing. The latter is the experienced head that offers defensive diligence in a key area.

The issue, though, is that there is then a disconnect between the two banks of midfield. Spurs - in theory anyway - have the pair of defensive shields that allows the full-backs to provide the width when the wingers cut inside. Conversely, there is a lack of thrust through the middle. This was a major problem for Spurs last season. They had an abundance of runners and ball-winners but none who could really link the play.

It means that Spurs have the means to dictate the tempo and control proceedings in the middle of the park. A 60.7% possession haul is the third most in the division. However, an average of 9.6 chances created per game ranks 13th. It’s all sizzle and no steak.

What’s clear is that Spurs need to make a change to the setup as early as this weekend. De Zerbi needs to drop one of Tonali or Bentancur in the double pivot - potentially the former given his teething issues following his summer arrival - and move Fernandes into his best position.

Once De Zerbi realises that Fernandes isn’t a No. 10 in his system, then supporters will see one of their marquee summer signings at their best, increasing the likelihood of Spurs pulling off the foot of the Premier League table.

Erling Haaland is a doubt for Manchester City this weekend, with the Citizens making the short trip to Liverpool.

This is the first time that Man City will play again in the Premier League following an independent commission finding the six-time champions of the competition guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Prem's financial rules over a nine-year period.

With Haaland having picked up a knock while in action for Norway, there's a chance that the Scandi striker may have to sit the game out…

Manchester City fitness update given on Erling Haaland

Haaland was withdrawn by Norwegian boss Stale Solbakken against Norway during a clash with Portugal, with Solbakken later explaining that “extreme strain” had forced his talisman out of the contest.

The 26-year-old started all four matches for his country over the break – but speaking in his pre-match press conference, Enzo Maresca revealed that he would be “ready for Anfield” and the ferocious atmosphere that awaits his team.

“He’s good,” the Italian stated. “He went to Marbella, had two or three days off, played golf, [and recovered].

“[Haaland is] ready for Anfield. He’s good, thank you. It was good [to see him again]. The players were thinking again about their national team, some days off and then go again. It was good.”

Haaland is in red-hot form for City this season, having scored five in five games in the Premier League – which the Sky Blues have won all of – and notching a brace in the opening Champions League fixture against Porto.

While Maresca doesn't have a natural replacement for Haaland as a target man, the availability of his centre-forward does mean that he's avoided a potential crisis in attack.

Likely deputy Antoine Semenyo faces a late fitness test to compete at Liverpool this weekend, while Phil Foden is suspended, following his red card in the Manchester Derby last month.

Maresca's only other injury concern sees Nico O'Reilly face a late fitness test, too, with the full-back pulling out of England duty in the last couple of weeks.

With Paris Saint-Germain at home next week in the competition's second matchday, City have an unenviable first couple of games back following the news of their charges.

City's trip to Anfield this weekend is on this Sunday, as Premier League action resumes after the international break.

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has addressed his future following the recent bombshell surrounding the club.

Last month, an independent Commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules over a nine-year period, with Chief Executive of the Premier League, Richard Masters, claiming that, “The club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade,” in an explosive statement.

It has since been suggested that City could be punished with points deductions, transfer bans or even expulsion from the league, leaving several of the club's highest-profile figures uncertain around their futures.

Enzo Maresca claims, “We are predicting the future” when asked about Manchester City charges

Maresca only took over at the Etihad Stadium over the summer, returning to the club that he coached at under Pep Guardiola to replace his former mentor in the dugout – but when asked about his future in Manchester, he was bullish and insisted that his employers would win their appeal.

“I would like to speak about this when we win the appeal,” the Italian answered. “For now, it makes no sense to speak about it because I don't know anything.

"I understand why you are here because you would like to hear something, but no. I completely trust the club in this moment, in the future, always.”

City confirmed last week in a statement that they have launched their appeal, describing the charges as an “opinion” and reiterating, “The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case.”

The 46-year-old was therefore understandably reluctant to discuss the situation, saying that instead, he was “worried” about his side's upcoming trip to Anfield.

"What would happen if the appeal is won? We are predicting the future. I'm worried about tomorrow and the Liverpool game. I can't say what happens in the future.

“I think it's important for all of us to respect the process. An appeal is ongoing."

Maresca joined City as a coach in 2020 after serving as an assistant at West Ham United – meaning that he wasn't present at Eastlands during the period in which City have been accused of breaking Premier League rules.

He stepped up to an assistant role under Guardiola for the 2022/23 Treble-winning season before leaving the club that summer to take Leicester City back to the Premier League.

City travel to Liverpool this weekend when Premier League action resumes after the international break.

News that TFG plan to place Everton back on the market and walk away is another reality check for the Toffees' faithful.

To the footballing romantic, Everton are an undeniable giant of the English game - historic nine-time league champions boasting an intensely loyal fanbase and a new stadium on the banks of the Mersey.

But to the modern sports investor, particularly the wave of American private equity groups currently sweeping through English football, Everton isn't the most attractive financial acquisition.

Everton face a lengthy drawn-out sale as The Friedkin Group pull back

At the heart of Everton’s unattractiveness to potential suitors is the club's financial model.

According to Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance, Everton recorded a wage-to-turnover ratio of 79% for the 2024/25 season - the season for which figures are most recently available.

In top level football, spending nearly four-fifths of every pound earned purely on player and staff wages is considered unsustainable. It leaves a thin 21% margin to cover matchday operations, debt servicing, travel, youth development, and administrative costs. For prospective buyers, an inflated wage bill relative to income signals an inefficiently managed asset that requires immediate cost-cutting before any real return on investment can be made.

Furthermore, Everton’s revenue fails to justify the magnitude of the club's profile. In 2024/25, Everton generated £197m. To put that in perspective, that is the same number generated by Crystal Palace, and £3m more than Fulham (£194m).

For US-based investors, who currently hold full or controlling stakes in over half of the Premier League's 20 clubs including Chelsea, Bournemouth and Leeds United, London-based sides like Palace or Fulham are a far more alluring proposition.

A capital city base provides built-in international prestige, corporate hospitality appeal, and global brand visibility. For a club with Everton's heritage to generate the same revenue as mid-table London outfits suggests their commercial reach isn't going the distance it needs to, casting doubt over their long-term growth ceiling to potential investors.

Optimists will point toward Everton's move to the state-of-the-art Hill Dickinson Stadium as something of a financial game-changer. While matchday income and commercial revenues will inevitably rise from the 2025/26 season onwards, the new venue comes with heavy financial baggage.

No club pays for a new stadium upfront, they utilise loans and complex debt structures. Any buyer stepping into the breach will not just be buying a football club but inheriting hundreds of millions of pounds in outstanding stadium financing debts that must be serviced regardless of performance on the pitch. That will be baked into any purchase price, according to The Times, and with a reported net debt figure of £380m, that makes TFG's asking price somewhere in the £800m range.

Complicating matters further is the state of the playing squad itself. Everton currently have the smallest squad in the Premier League. Worse still, the club spent the recent summer window effectively liquidating its most valuable playing asset, selling star man Iliman Ndiaye to Manchester City.

The club has diminished any incoming owner’s ability to generate internal capital through player trading. A buyer would be forced to spend heavily in the transfer market just to keep the team competitive, without the cushion of selling high-value squad members to offset the outlay.

Finally, there is the unavoidable reality of local geography. Everton remain the secondary commercial entity in a two-club city, living in the shadow of Liverpool’s global commercial footprint.

For American sports conglomerates looking to maximise international sponsorships and media dominance, investing in a second-tier brand within its own city is not what premium ownership groups look for. Investors seeking football clubs, particularly in the north of England, are far more likely to target single-club cities, where a lone team captures the region’s commercial ecosystem, civic backing, and fanbase without any of that being diluted.

The Premier League has never seen more American capital, with private equity funds and sports groups viewing English football as the world's premier sporting product.

However, as recent takeovers demonstrate, modern investors demand either global status, low-debt growth potential, or in some cases capital city positioning. Everton offer none of the three, are burdened by almost £400m in debt, run a bloated wage-to-turnover ratio, have a depleted playing squad, and tough regional competition.

The long and short of it is, the Toffees could face a long wait to find anyone willing to take on the challenge and with TFG intent on selling, influxes of cash to buy players and fund operations don't usually follow statements such as the one that's been released.

Chelsea Women owner Alexis Ohanian has hinted that the club are working towards another significant development, suggesting it could set a new standard for women's football.

Ohanian, who invested a reported £20 million in Chelsea Women in May 2025, was speaking about the club's ambitions after seeing the team begin playing their home matches at Stamford Bridge this season.

He wants Chelsea to continue to be a global leader in women's football, with exciting plans on the horizon.

Ohanian teases major Chelsea development

Asked what the next major area for improvement would be after fulfilling the players' desire to play at the Bridge, Ohanian revealed there is already something in the pipeline.

"There's one that I'm not allowed to talk about yet," he said, speaking at sports industry conference Leaders Week London at Stamford Bridge

The American businessman, who also co-founded Reddit and invested in NWSL side Angel City FC, suggested the plans would be driven by the needs of the players.

"The part that makes me so inspired to work with folks here is they are so embedded in making sure and so committed to making sure that this club is phenomenal," he added. "And the way you do that is by listening to the players. We've got a board meeting coming up, so hopefully there'll be some news coming out of it."

Asked whether he could offer a further hint, Ohanian suggested the development could have significance beyond Chelsea.

"Chelsea has always wanted to set a standard. That's what I love about coming into a club like this," he said.

"And this will be yet another one that I think, not just for English women's football, but for women's football, will be an important one that needs to happen. That I know the players will be happy about."

Stamford Bridge the ‘number one thing’ players wanted

Ohanian's comments come after Chelsea Women began playing their home league matches at Stamford Bridge this season, a move he said had been a major request from the players.

"When I spoke to the players early into coming over, the number one thing they were asking for was to play at the Bridge," he said.

"So the team got that done here this season, which has been awesome to see, and we’ve just got to keep building."

Growing matchday audiences

Ohanian, married to 23-time tennis Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, highlighted the importance of growing the matchday audience, pointing to his experience with Angel City in the United States.

The NWSL club played in a 22,000-capacity stadium during their first season, averaging around 21,000 spectators, according to Ohanian.

"People expected women's sports fans to be the same people as men's sports fans, and they're just not," he said.

"It's a totally different audience. The overlap we had with the MLS team that we shared the stadium with was insignificant. It was five to 10 per cent. It's a totally different canvas.

"It’s not just saying, 'Hey, existing fans of the men's team, come watch these women play', which is great if you want to do that too, but also who are the new fans that are now ready to be engaged?"

Chelsea have already introduced fan activations, including bottomless brunches, as they look to grow their audience at Stamford Bridge.

Ohanian also believes the wider Women's Super League can continue to develop as more clubs prioritise their women's teams.

"The more and more we see more teams investing in the women's side, the more they'll start to change the sort of motion around it," he said.

For Ohanian, Chelsea's location in London, their history of success and their global brand were all major attractions when he became involved with the club. He hopes Chelsea can also become a leading WSL team for supporters back home in the United States.

"I envisioned a women's football fan in America to have their NWSL club, hopefully Angel City, but have their WSL club and have it be Chelsea.”

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has opened up about his supposed falling out with Kylian Mbappe.

Ballon d'Or hopeful Mbappe may have recently picked up an injury, but has spent the recent international break courting media attention, first by allegedly visiting a Parisian nightclub and then by posting a photo of himself riding a bicycle, against his manager's wishes.

With rumours suggesting the Galactico could be on Liverpool's radar ahead of a potential move, however, Mourinho has addressed an apparent 'bust-up' with the Real Madrid player, in comments relayed by TEAMtalk.

Jose Mourinho on Kylian Mbappe: 'it was made to look as though he was riding in the Tour de Suisse'

“[Mbappe] came here after the injury and was diagnosed,” Mourinho confirmed in a press conference, before noting that the Frenchman had “an outpatient consultation” over a knee issue.

“There’s a hunt for problems,” the Special One continued. “As if the real problems football has faced in recent weeks weren’t enough.”

“First, the nightclub that wasn’t a nightclub – it was a venue for a private Paris Fashion Week event. Then, the bicycle incident in Switzerland, at a hotel made up of small cabins.

“The bicycles were simply there to get around the communal areas of a quiet hotel, yet it was made to look as though he was riding in the Tour de Suisse.”

The 63-year-old then turned to Madridistas to “read between the lines” and “be fair and intelligent” when reading stories of their star striker.

“I promise the Bernabeu that when a player doesn’t behave like a Real Madrid player 24 hours a day and doesn’t fulfil his obligations, you won’t see that player on the pitch or on the bench – he’ll be on the bench,” Mourinho continued.

“Mbappe will play tomorrow, and that’s because I’m sure he hasn’t let Real Madrid down.”

Real currently lie fourth in La Liga after seven games, having lost twice already this season to Real Betis and city rivals Atletico Madrid – who are both ahead of them in the table.

Barcelona top the table with seven wins from seven and 24 goals scored already, having netted a further five in their first Champions League outing of the campaign against PSV at Camp Nou.

Mbappe is valued at €200 million by Transfermarkt.

Watch Greece vs England as the back-to-back European champions' World Cup qualifying campaign ramps up, 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 play-offs.

They face Greece over two legs, and will progress to a final round against either Slovakia or Ukraine if they win.

After reaching the final of the 2023 World Cup, it is crunch time for the Lionesses in these must-win fixtures.

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

Watch Greece vs England for FREE in the UK

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

Coverage is live on ITV1, with a Greece vs England free live stream on the ITVX streaming service.

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Watch Greece vs England from anywhere

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

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

If you’re visiting one of these countries from the UK, you can use NordVPN to unblock ITVX and stream the game for free, just as you would at home.

Greece vs England: preview

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

First up, they face Greece, who sit 55 places below them in the FIFA world rankings. The two sides meet in Crete on Friday, before the return leg in Leicester on Tuesday night.

After Chloe Kelly and Ella Toone were initially left out of the squad, an injury to Lucy Bronze opened up a spot for Toone. Sarina Wiegman said she had been impressed by how the Manchester United midfielder responded to the disappointment of her original omission.

Meanwhile, Chelsea youngster Lexi Potter has earned her first senior England call-up after impressing for the Blues this season.

With a place at the World Cup on the line, England know there is little margin for error.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Greece 1-3 England

The European champions will come out on top

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It's not so very long ago that Britt Assombalonga was the kind of forward Championship clubs would count on to score 15 goals a season for them.

After coming through the ranks at Watford and working his way up the leagues with Southend and Peterborough, Assombalonga bagged 30 goals in 65 games for Nottingham Forest and 45 in 152 for Middlesbrough.

But after playing for three different clubs in Turkey, as well as spells back at Watford and Barnet, the 33 year is is now back in non-league with Harborough Town.

Assombalonga told FourFourTwo: "I just want to experience something different.

"The last time I played non-league football, I was still a teenager [at Wealdstone and Braintree Town], so it feels like coming full circle and the right time for me to come back to this level.

"I've also been coaching at Peterborough, learning my craft there, and this was an opportunity that aligned with that and allowed me to do both.

"It’s still hard, don't get me wrong – it’s no walk in the park!

TThere're good players in this league and some great teams. I’ve been really enjoying myself so far.

"It’s the club’s first season at this level, after promotion last season, but the aim is to push for promotion again.

"That’s the thing about this level, the margins are fine and a good run can take any side into contention"

Harborough Town enjoyed a positive start to the season, with Assombalonga claiming two goals and two assists in the space of just three games in August.

A run of just one win from their past six has seen them drop down to 17th, however, with Southport set to visit on Saturday afternoon.

That's right, folks. It's another Friday Football Quiz from FourFourTwo.

As the extended international break comes to an end, we're shifting gear back to the bread and butter, the meat and drink, of the club game. To usher in the weekend, here's our latest Friday Football Quiz.

You know how it works. We've got 20 questions straight-up and your challenge is to answer them all. The Friday Football Quiz isn't complicated by a time limit, so get stuck in and go for accuracy over speed.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

Our collection of football quizzes is getting bigger and bigger every day, and it's all courtesy of Kwizly. We've dug out some of our favourites for you to have a go at after taking on the Friday Football Quiz, and they'll test your knowledge of football up and down England, all over Europe, and around the world.

Still pining for the World Cup? As club football returns, we've got some quizzes to take you back to the summer and summers past. Here are a couple with English connections. First, can you name every team to have beaten England at the World Cup? Next, can you name every Premier League player ever to have won the World Cup?

Lionel Messi has now left the international stage and Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have gone with him. Could they both have gone with more dignity? Not for us to say. We're waving them off with our Messi or Ronaldo quiz - it's a simple multiple choice affair that presents some facts and asks you to pick the correct player.

Football is nothing if not a vast network of the little things. The true joys of the experience can be found in the details, so we've picked out some quizzes you might enjoy if football curios are your thing. Our football club names quiz might float your boat if you're an enjoyer of unusual handles from around the world. Alternatively, naming the nationalities of these Premier League players is a nice combination of obscure details and proximity to home.

We've got plenty of crosswords to be getting on with too. The latest is FourFourTwo’s Weekend Crossword 73, which has clues on lions, tigers and bears. Subscribe to our newsletter for your daily afternoon briefing of hand-picked trivia. To complete your transfer to terrace legend status, lock in your spot in The Club – our free membership hub where you can unlock secret hints for our hardest quizzes, climb global leaderboards, and debate the latest topics directly in the comments section.

It's a new FourFourTwo Quickfire Quiz. You're already familiar with how it works: You simply need to type in the answers to 10 questions in 90 seconds. Knowing the answers in the first place is the difficult bit.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has many more football quizzes and they're all courtesy of Kwizly. First up, let's see if you can answer 15 questions about the 2016-17 season in the Premier League and name every player to have scored a hat-trick in the Premier League.

If you know your Gunners transfer history, you'll be a full-on whizz when it comes to naming Arsenal's 50 most expensive signings ever. They've spent some decent money over the years but can you remember who they spent it on?

Here's a fun one. We want you to have a go at identifying these pointlessly edited football club badges and then to answer some questions about the streets football won't forget.

Those are mere snappy quizzes. Let's find out how many of the 1,000+ answers you get on this one: Can you name every team to have ever played in the group stage, league phase or first round of the Champions League?

Finally, let's bring Europe up to date. Can you name every club competing in the league phase of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League this season?

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!

The managers of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are the first two who were appointed in 2026. They’re already right in the middle of the list of Premier League bosses from longest serving to shortest, and they’re already under pressure.

Michael Carrick and Roberto De Zerbi collide on Saturday, six matches into the new Premier League season. According to some markets, they’re the two favourites to be the next manager in the division to be sacked.

It’s difficult to argue against those odds. Man United and Spurs are clubs with pedigree and a certain weight of expectation, but also with differing degrees of underperformance having dogged them in recent seasons.

Man United’s form will improve unless they invite further chaos

Big clubs and bad results make for a treacherous path for managers, to put it mildly, and Man United won one of their first five league matches this season. Spurs, bottom of what may or may not pass as the Premier League table, only have two draws to show for their efforts.

On that basis alone, Carrick and De Zerbi must be among the favourites for the chop. The only other winless managers are Alvaro Arbeloa of Fulham and AFC Bournemouth’s Marco Rose, both drafted in when their predecessors were poached and in their very early days in charge.

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

Results matter most when there’s a lack of hard evidence that a manager will turn them around.

Aston Villa and Coventry City are both in the bottom five thanks to four-match winless runs out of the gate. Unai Emery has been in his post longer than every other Premier League manager but Mikel Arteta. Frank Lampard, meanwhile, is striding towards two years at Coventry.

Both have earned time and patience. It’s a different tale for Carrick and De Zerbi even before the chasm between expectation and reality at their clubs is taken into account. It makes sense that they’d be the favourites for the sack. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be premature if it happened.

Man United and Spurs meet in their sixth Premier League games of 2026/27. It’s nearly the middle of October.

It’s both early in the season and not, and it’s surely obvious to everybody that the transfer window being open until September and an extended international break arriving before the end of the same month makes for a disrupted opening.

Losing to Spurs would leave Man United winless in four and Carrick would be nudged closer to the exit if his current team somehow contrived to lose at home against his old one, but the inevitable noise about him getting the boot should be left at that.

Their squad is better than one win in five. That’s a criticism of Carrick’s start in 2026/27 but it’s a reason to be optimistic, too. There are players in his team, leaders, who are good enough to get things moving.

There was a bounce factor in Man United's climb to third last season, the suggestion being that a simplified brief, a breath of fresh air and round pegs in round holes were all that was needed to unshackle the faltering talent.

It’s too soon to write that off as the limit of Carrick’s abilities. He was there for half a season and sharp enough to turn that theory into practice, for starters, even if the first taste of adversity in his second spell in the dugout is cause for concern.

A club of Man United’s heft is likely to be its own biggest threat almost by definition. When the Red Devils are right on and off the pitch, they take some stopping.

They need stability. They need to keep their cool. Carrick won’t and shouldn’t be backed indefinitely, but five and indeed six matches into a new season is no time to risk a gunshot to the toes.

Doubts over De Zerbi are warranted but must be considered in context

Carrick welcomes Spurs to Old Trafford on Saturday and will face their manager for the second time in his young head coach career. De Zerbi’s Brighton & Hove Albion won 5-1 at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup nearly four years ago but his struggles in the early part of 2026/27 are there for all to see.

He’s hardly the only Spurs manager that can be said about. Consecutive seasons of finishing just outside the relegation zone can’t just be left behind as if they were no big deal and even a big-spending summer is no guarantee of a reset to some forgotten norm.

Spurs have become a tough gig, but while FourFourTwo can’t be sure De Zerbi is the man to turn them around, it’s going to take a lot longer than five or six Premier League matches to be convinced that he’s not.

De Zerbi had a different target to aim at over a shorter period than Carrick when he was parachuted in last season, but he too did what was required of him. Both of them did the job that was asked from a challenging starting point and both of them have had to plan around significant disruption along with 18 other Premier League managers.

Regardless of Saturday’s result, it’s too soon for the losing manager to be dismissed. Both clubs need to hold their nerve, at least for now, because their bosses have both delivered more already than their predecessors.

Too soon doesn’t mean wrong, however. It just means too soon.

The captaincy this week is genuinely the kind of decision that will separate the top managers from the rest, and getting it right could be worth a serious chunk of rank.

Honestly, this is one of those weeks where there is no easy answer. I have gone back and forth on this more times than I would like to admit, which tells you everything about how open this week really is.

Manchester City are at Anfield, which takes away the obvious go-to option that most of us lean on when we are not sure, and what we are left with is a genuinely open captaincy picture with a few interesting cases to make. Let me walk you through each one.

Who is the best FPL captain in GW6?

Erling Haaland (£15.6m) first, because there is always a case for Haaland.

He is top for expected goal involvement in the entire league this season and he is always the safe bet. But I will be honest, this is a week where I am tempted to go against him. The situation at City right now is a mess, and Anfield in that kind of context is going to be absolutely electric. That is not the environment you want your captain walking into if there are decent alternatives on the table, and this week I think there are.

Bukayo Saka (£9.6m) is the one that excites me most. He leads all midfielders for expected goal involvement this season, has a share of the set pieces and is sitting below 15% ownership, which means if he hauls, the rank gains are significant.

Leeds United at the Emirates is a game Arsenal should be winning, and Saka was rested in England's friendly against the Czech Republic during the international break so his legs should be fresh.

The one thing to keep an eye on is whether Havertz is fit, because if he misses out, Viktor Gyokeres could start and take penalties ahead of Saka. That's worth checking before the deadline locks.

Bruno Fernandes (£11.9m) is probably the pick of the week for those who own him, if I am being completely honest. He is second only to Saka for expected goal involvement among midfielders this season, looked sharp for Portugal in the break and Man United have a home game against a Tottenham Hotspur side sitting bottom of the league.

The underlying numbers at Man United are fascinating too; they have scored roughly two goals fewer than their Expected Goals (xG) figure of close to 10 this season, which means they are well overdue a strong performance.

Cole Palmer (£9.7m) pulled out of the England squad for load management reasons, which means he should be fit and raring to go against Bournemouth at home. He has been in good form this season and Chelsea at home to the Cherries is a very manageable fixture. A straightforward and sensible option for his owners if he is fit and back in training.

Joao Pedro (£7.7m) has been brilliant this season, second only to Haaland among forwards for FPL points, and the fixture looks good on paper. But he has not trained in three weeks and there is no real update on his fitness heading into the weekend as yet. Until we hear something concrete, the armband has to go elsewhere regardless of how tempting the matchup looks.

So where does that leave us? If you own Fernandes, he is probably your man this week. If you want the differential angle, Saka is the pick. Palmer, if fit, is also an appealing option. And Haaland, as always, is the comfort blanket if none of the above feel right. A proper captaincy puzzle this week, which is exactly what makes it interesting.

Spanish football's governing body LaLiga has stepped in to block Dani Carvajal’s proposed move to Getafe over concerns regarding his declared salary, according to a report from Spanish radio show El Larguero.

The experienced full-back, who departed Real Madrid at the end of his contract over the summer, had reached an agreement in principle to join Getafe, who are situated in the southern Madrid suburbs.

However, the league's financial control committee has refused to validate the signing on the grounds that the agreed wage is artificially low.

Dani Carvajal's Getafe move on hold due to finance concerns

According to El Larguero, Getafe submitted documentation proposing an annual salary of approximately €400,000 for the 34-year-old defender.

LaLiga’s economic regulators have reportedly rejected the valuation, deeming it wildly unrealistic given that Carvajal was supposedly earning €10 million per year during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Under LaLiga's Squad Cost Limit rules, the league assigns its own baseline valuation to high-profile players to prevent clubs from under-reporting playing costs, determining that a decorated international of Carvajal's standing cannot logically see his official remuneration fall by 96 per cent without bringing regulatory scrutiny.

The reasoning behind LaLiga’s veto is to prevent "under-the-table" payments across Spanish football. LaLiga's financial framework requires every contract to reflect realistic market values to preserve competitive balance.

Clubs could theoretically get around salary cap restrictions by supplementing a player's income through off-the-books commercial deals, undisclosed image-rights agreements, or third-party sponsorship arrangements that do not appear in club accounts.

The timing of this decision draws parallels with the financial charges currently surrounding Manchester City. Among the 114 alleged breaches of financial rules brought by the Premier League, a major element involves secret secondary payments.

Specifically, the Manchester club is accused of supplementing former manager Roberto Mancini’s official Etihad Stadium salary with a secondary contract for consultancy work with Abu Dhabi-based side Al Jazira, effectively offloading a substantial portion of his true earnings off the club’s official accounts.

LaLiga aims to ensure that Spanish clubs cannot utilise similar side-agreements to bypass domestic squad spending limits.

While Getafe manager Jose Bordalas had been eager to add a six-time Champions League winner to his squad, the transfer remains on hold unless Getafe can restructure the deal to satisfy LaLiga’s economic rules.

For now, Carvajal’s future remains in limbo as an example of Spanish football's uncompromising stance on toeing the financial line.

Liverpool are prepared to raid Bournemouth once again for their biggest deal yet.

The Reds have poached from the south coast on a number of occasions in recent times, most notably hiring Andoni Iraola over the summer, following his fantastic tenure at the Vitality Stadium.

While Richard Hughes has now left Liverpool after also serving the Cherries, another Bournemouth player now appears to be on the radar, as Iraola's revolution continues on Merseyside.

Liverpool looking to another Bournemouth player, following Milos Kerkez move

Liverpool currently only have one former Bournemouth player in their ranks in Milos Kerez, who shone after his move to Dorset in the Premier League and was snapped up in 2025.

The Hungarian has been criticised during his time at the Reds, however, and has struggled to replace Andrew Robertson at left-back, with the veteran Scot preferred to Kerkez at times last season.

Fichajes in Spain now report that Liverpool are prepared to repeat the Kerkez experiment and sign his Bournemouth replacement, Adrien Truffert.

The Frenchman has been exceptional in succeeding Kerkez at left-back, first for Iraola last season and now for new boss Marco Rose, earning a call-up to Zinedine Zidane's France squad for the recent international break.

The report states, however, that “The shortage of specialists on the left flank in the European market has increased the firmness of the [Bournemouth] board to retain the defender”, with a £60 million fee slapped on the 24-year-old's head.

Bournemouth's record sale is around this figure, with Dominic Solanke and Antoine Semenyo both leaving for around this figure to Big Six rivals and Ilya Zabarnyi for just under the £60m mark to Paris Saint-Germain.

Kerkez's exit fee, meanwhile, was reported by the BBC to be around £40m – meaning that Liverpool would be spending 150 per cent on his replacement.

FourFourTwo understands that Bournemouth have no financial pressure to sell major assets right now – but that they could be about to contend with a few departures.

Junior Kroupi is a target for big clubs, while Alex Scott has turned down a number of contract extension proposals in the last few months.

Transfermarkt values Truffert at €35m. Liverpool host Manchester City when Premier League action returns this weekend.

Nick Pope has emerged as a target for Bayern Munich, in their quest to replace veteran Manuel Neuer.

Neuer retired from international duty after Germany's ignominious World Cup exit at the hands of Paraguay over the summer, and at the age of 40, he may not have much longer left in the tank for Bayern either.

According to a new report, Die Roten have identified six potential replacements for the Gelsenkirchener – with Newcastle United's third-choice keeper on the list.

Nick Pope could go from Newcastle United's bench to Bayern Munich

After competing with Aaron Ramsdale for the No.1 spot last season on Tyneside, Pope hasn't played a single minute this season for new manager Matthias Jassle, following the signing of Lukas Hornicek – who even started the League Cup victory against Millwall last month.

A report from Fichajes in Spain says that Celtic, Leeds United and Hull City are all monitoring the England international, with Bayern perhaps the most surprising link.

Die Roten's own shortlist between the sticks consists of five other players.

Rui Silva of Sporting, Lukas Hradecky of Monaco, Frederik Ronnow of Union Berlin, Kevin Trapp of Paris FC and Juan Musso of Atletico Madrid are all on the radar, as the Bavarians look to ensure a smooth transition for their next first-choice after Neuer.

“Bayern's board [are prioritising] signing a specialist with international experience to avoid tactical imbalances while Jonas Urbig establishes himself,” the report states, with the 23-year-old having played 23 times in the league for Bayern since joining from Koln last year.

Several high-profile stoppers have competed with Neuer over the years for a No.1 jersey, with Bayern looking to a new goalkeeper six years ago, only for the succession plan to fail.

In 2020, the club signed highly-touted Alexander Nubel from Schalke, with Neuer describing the young keeper's transfer as “irrelevant” to him.

Nubel, in turn, didn't work out at Allianz Arena, while Neuer captained his team to six trophies that same year.

Yann Sommer and Daniel Peretz have both been understudies to the legendary German  – with the former used as an emergency option following Neuer breaking his leg in a freak skiing accident – but neither could oust the veteran from his position for long.

Transfermarkt values Pope at €3 million. Newcastle travel to newly-promoted Coventry City when Premier League action returns this weekend.

David Beckham really got the ball rolling in Major League Soccer and Lionel Messi now dribbles the ball onwards, driving MLS upwards into a competition worthy of comparison with many leagues around the world, according to the outgoing commissioner Don Garber.

The man who has developed MLS beyond all recognition since becoming commissioner in 1999 – new and full stadia, clubs worth $1bn, stars like Messi - now hopes to see Harry Kane in the US one day, playing MLS and fulfilling his dream to be an NFL kicker. “I'd love for him to do that,” Garber says.

Kane is 33 and expected to extend his Bayern Munich contract soon but has talked of playing for many more years, emulating his friend the quarterback Tom Brady, who played until he was 44. Seven owners of NFL teams also own MLS teams. And MLS is on the up with Messi leading the way. “We wanted to create something that would have the Harry Kanes of the world say, ‘I'd like to play MLS’,” adds Garber.

Garber: 'There's more respect for 'soccer' in America'

On a flying visit to London this week, the New Yorker reflected on the huge impact of the World Cup on American “soccer”, and especially the perception of the US as a genuine “soccer nation”.

He says, “Post-World Cup, it’s a different dynamic, there's much more respect for what's going on in America. I could remember coming here over the years, and people would look at me like I had three heads. ‘Who's this Yank trying to build this league in America?’ Particularly in the UK, there wasn’t a lot of confidence that we would pull it off. Then we went through an era where David Beckham was rumoured to come.” And he did, to LA Galaxy, and really got the party started.

“David put this league on the path to credibility and respect. At the prime of his career, he came here to LA. We were talking 2006 (arrived 2007). A couple years before, we were having bankruptcy discussions.” The league almost folded in 2001.

So Beckham’s arrival was massive. “He and his family lit up the city. I remember the opening party that we introduced him, and every top actor and celebrity in LA was welcoming him. And he played well. He showed the world that this league can be competitive, respected and fun. It could have great players. It attracted [Thierry] Henry [to New York Red Bulls in 2010], and many, many other players right after that.

“Without David, there's probably no Major League Soccer. That said, Major League Soccer would not be the global phenomenon and not be on the hearts and minds of just about anybody in the world without Leo Messi. It just shocks me how competitive he is, how he just plays 90 minutes, regardless of the score, how focused he is on his club and his country, how great a team-mate he is.

“I love seeing him on the field with his kids. I was speaking to somebody the other day who was looking to invest in MLS, who lives in the same area.” Messi lives with his wife and three sons in Fort Lauderdale, near Inter Miami’s training complex. “The oldest son plays in an [Inter Miami] academy team and plays with this guy's son. And the dad is going to training and Leo's there and Jordi Alba was there last year, and [Luis] Suarez is there. They’re dads who just want to be part of what's going on in MLS, what's going on in America.”

Garber mentions Antoine Griezmann, 35, another enjoying Florida, over at Orlando City. “He loves being in Orlando. He's going to basketball games, and he's playing well. There was this idea that players, at a certain age, couldn't still play, and that they played well in MLS because MLS wasn't good enough. Then Messi plays in MLS, goes in the World Cup, and could have been the Golden Ball winner.”

Messi returns to Miami for Sunday’s game against DC United following his poignant final match for Argentina in Buenos Aires. Garber was moved by Tuesday’s scenes at El Monumental. “I was emotional watching what that city did for an athlete. He’s an athlete not the Pope! An unbelievable athlete. The country loves him like he's their son, because he's just been a good guy, a great competitor. He's quiet, he's humble, he's serious.”

Er, didn't Messi once wag his finger at the commissioner over a refereeing issue? Garber laughs. “Players wag their fingers at me all the time! I don't know that anybody would pay attention to it if it wasn't Messi. It's a gift that in our league, kids can say, ‘I saw Messi score’. You're living in a world where legends are alive."

Messi is there, in Uncle Sam’s backyard. “He will be a part of MLS history forever. He will be more important than any stadium, more important than any owner, more important than any commissioner. He came, and he delivered. And that doesn't always happen in life. We’re the league of choice for Leo.”

Garber wants to continue growing the league, a mission his successor Larry Berg, a Harvard MBA and formerly co-founder of LAFC, aims to continue. “We have to have a league that is more competitive, that has an ability to get into the Club World Cup and win games. Miami won one [against Porto in 2025]. Not just be there, but have people think that an MLS team can compete against other clubs in the world now. Can it compete with Chelsea? Can it complete with PSG? It's a long way from that. We have the resources. We’ve just got to get better.”

Home-grown talent does emerge. USMNT played four friendlies during the international break, beating Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada. Teenagers like Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall, Justin Ellis and Mathis Albert all played their part. “I'm encouraged by the performance of our young players,” Garber says. Sullivan, the 17-year-old Philadelphia Union attacker, is due at Manchester City when he turns 18.

“I'd rather have him forever. I would imagine the next Cavan Sullivan might stay later than 18. The fact that he's playing the way he is at 17 [makes European interest inevitable]. He's not the only one. Julian Hall (18, New York Red Bulls) is lighting it up, three goals in this window. It used to be you have one player pop out and the world would go, ‘Wow, maybe something's happening’. But there's dozens and dozens of players, and that's the American system.

“I'd love to see more of our players go play at a higher level. Champions League level, starting at top teams. Cavan Sullivan is one of our highest-paid players. We never used to do that. We didn't want to lose them at 15. You're going to see this with Chelsea signing Benji Flowers, Dallas 15-year-old. He's special.” The FC Dallas attacker is due at Cobham when he turns 18.

It’s a global recruitment market. I ask Garber whether he ever sees a world league. He’s not a fan. “Any time teams are coming out of their leagues or losing dates, it has a detrimental impact to what the game is locally, which is what makes England so amazing. One of guys who works with us is a Burnley fan, and he could really not care where Burnley is [division-wise]. He's going be a Burnley fan, no matter where they are.

“If you do something where clubs don't have the ability to continue that community-based generational support, because they're no longer part of the community because it might generate more revenue, I’m not sure that's a good thing. It’s what these teams mean in the community, what they mean in the minds of parents and kids who go to games together.

“I was not a fan of the [European] Super League. I would not be a fan of it now. Could there be a more global competition? Well, FIFA would say they have that in the Club World Cup.” The US hosted it last year, and could again. “We had the most successful World Cup of all time. We have big stadiums already built.”

He understands English resistance to closed leagues like MLS which lack promotion and relegation. But Garner counters, “Look how MLS has grown - and it doesn't have promotion and relegation, because you can't relegate a team that's building. New teams are coming in, investing a billion and a half dollars into facilities, a team and a roster, and there isn't the structure yet for them to be relegated to.”

Garber finally reflects on how far MLS has come in his 27 years. “I’d go to the Champions League final, and be invited to the dinner prior. In the early days, I was sitting with guys that were representing countries that I didn't even know were in UEFA. But now I'm sitting at the head of the table.”

From schoolyard swaps to the frantic search for limited edition shiny cards, the iconic trading card game has helped shape how young supporters connect with the beautiful game.

To celebrate its landmark 20th anniversary, Topps is hosting a massive, FREE family festival at Olympia London this October half-term, giving fans the chance to write themselves into the record books.

The event will be an official Guinness World Records attempt for the most trading card packs opened simultaneously. Families attending the event will be directly involved in the record-breaking effort, coming together under one roof for a massive, coordinated card opening.

Topps Match Attax world record event

Alongside the world record attempt, the venue will host a wide range of interactive football and collecting activities designed for supporters of all ages.

Here's everything you need to know...

Dedicated Card Swapping Zones: Collectors can bring along their binder collections and trade their swaps to help complete their sets.

Football Challenges and Competitions: Fans can test their footballing skills and compete in interactive games throughout the day.

Creator Appearances: Popular football content creators and well-known collecting personalities will be in attendance to meet fans, host activities, and share their passion for the hobby.

New Collection Showcase: Attendees will get an up-close look at the brand-new 2026/27 UEFA Club Competitions Match Attax range, featuring the latest squad stats, player ratings, and rare inserts.

Taking place during the half-term break, the event provides a free, engaging day out for families looking for football-themed activities in the capital.

Event Details & Ticket Information

Date: Wednesday, 28 October 2026

Time: 11:00am - 3:00pm

Venue: Olympia London, Hammersmith

Admission: Free

Although entry is completely free, capacity inside Olympia London is strictly limited. Parents and guardians planning to bring young supporters are advised to reserve their tickets early via Eventbrite to guarantee entry.

As the Premier League prepares to return after a three-week international window, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers face the daunting prospect of late fitness tests, squad re-thinks, and enforced transfers.

The truncated September-October international break is usually disruptive, but the current return cycle has seen an unusually high number of key FPL assets returning to their clubs carrying knocks, strains, and general fatigue.

The sheer number of casualties returning from international duty shines a spotlight on the broader issue of fixture congestion. Squeezing domestic league matches, European cup competitions, and international fixtures into an unforgiving calendar leaves players with minimal recovery windows.

Premier League injuries latest

Global players' union FIFPro has repeatedly sounded the alarm regarding the extensive workload elite players are subjected to. Monitoring reports have consistently warned that players are being pushed past their physical limits without sufficient rest intervals.

FIFPro has previously highlighted that back-to-back high-intensity fixtures with fewer than five days of recovery drastically increases the risk of soft-tissue and muscular injuries. As domestic and international governing bodies continue to expand tournament formats, the returning influx of injured Premier League stars serves as a reflection of the physical overload FIFPro has long warned against.

Long-term absences

Alex Scott (Bournemouth): The versatile midfielder is set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines, expected to miss several weeks and potentially up to two months.

Kai Havertz (Arsenal): A big blow for Arsenal's attack, with the German forward ruled out for approximately four weeks.

Christos Tzolis (Arsenal): The winger faces a two-to-three-week layoff following a setback on international duty.

Brian Brobbey (Sunderland): The forward is sidelined for several weeks, forcing fantasy managers to look elsewhere for mid-priced forward solutions.

Dan Ballard (Sunderland): The central defender is facing the lengthiest rehabilitation process of the group, with an absence potentially extending across months.

Cody Gakpo (Liverpool): The Dutch international is expected to miss likely a few weeks, limiting Liverpool's rotation options across their frontline.

Injury doubts

Alexander Isak (Liverpool): Liverpool's frontman suffered a minor issue, though there remains genuine hope he could recover in time for the high-profile clash against Manchester City.

Patrick Dorgu (Manchester United): The wide player's condition is being monitored by club staff, with his weekend availability status listed as to be confirmed.

Jamie Gittens (Chelsea) : The winger is undergoing evaluation, with an official update on his fitness still to be confirmed.

Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City): The young midfielder's status remains unconfirmed ahead of team news updates after withdrawing from the England camp.

Ezri Konsa (Arsenal): The Gunners' summer signing is managing a minor complaint, though his inclusion in the squad remains to be confirmed.

Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford): The Danish playmaker's availability is pending final medical checks.

Vitalii Mykolenko (Everton): The full-back is not guaranteed to feature after aggravating a knock with Ukraine.

Likely to play

Jan Paul van Hecke (Tottenham Hotspur): Providing welcome news for Spurs' backline, the defender is expected back immediately after the break, despite fitness concerns.

Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur): The rapid centre-back picked up only a very minor issue and should be fit for Spurs.

Lewis Miley (Newcastle United): The promising midfielder is scheduled to return to full squad training this week.

Martin Odegaard (Arsenal): In a huge boost for the Gunners, the captain has been given several days off to rest and recover.

Noah Sadiki (Sunderland): The midfielder's fitness concern appears to be minor, leaving him well-positioned for inclusion.

And what about Erling Haaland?

Alarm bells rang throughout the FPL community when Haaland was substituted early during Norway’s fixture against Portugal.

However, Norway’s national team coach Stale Solbakken subsequently confirmed that the withdrawal was pre-planned to manage the striker's workload, rather than the result of a physical injury. FPL managers can expect Man City's main goalscorer to be available as normal.

Had his team beaten a desperately out-of-form Fulham at Anfield, rather than one of the worst 0-0 draws you’re ever likely to see, Liverpool would be second in the Premier League table after the opening five games, behind only 100-per cent-pacesetters Manchester City.

It’s City who arrive at Anfield as domestic football returns this weekend, and it’s set to be an interesting atmosphere following the Premier League’s finding of the visitors being guilty of 114 financial breaches. That Liverpool were arguably the team most cheated by City’s breaches adds to the timing of the fixture on Sunday. Anfield will provide some 'welcome'.

But while much of the pre-match talk will focus on the ongoing fallout from the guilty charge, and the views of Liverpool supporters, this three-week pause on domestic football has given us time to review what's changed at Liverpool since Iraola's appointment - and there's plenty.

#1: Alexis Mac Allister is Iraola’s first-choice midfielder

Few players’ form represented Liverpool’s struggles last season more than Alexis Mac Allister’s. The narrative became that the Argentine’s leg’s had seemingly gone, struggling for speed in the middle and easily turned and ran in behind. It was a narrative that certainly passed the eye test, and most supporters wouldn’t have been too fussed had the 27-year-old departed in the summer.

But an impressive showing with Argentina at the World Cup showed that Mac Allister still has plenty to offer, something Iraola quickly identified, too. Mac Allister is now undoubtedly Liverpool’s first-choice midfielder, ousting Ryan Gravenberch in the position alongside Dominik Szoboszlai.

#2: Dutch duo are very much out of favour

Gravenberch started in Liverpool’s first game of the season, partly because of Mac Allister’s later return to pre-season, in a game where the midfield was completely exposed for both of Newcastle’s goals.

Since then he’s started just one of the six games - that being the dour 0-0 with Fulham when he was hooked after an hour.

It’s a similar story for Jeremie Frimpong, who didn’t play a minute for the Netherlands during their four games in the international break.

Frimpong started the two opening games of the season, before Ronald Araujo had arrived and settled in. Since then his only start has been in the Carabao Cup.

#3: Iraola is ruthless in addressing issues

The dropping of Gravenberch and Frimpong shows how quick Iraola is at not only identifying the issues, which had been apparent long before he arrived at the club, but also in addressing them and finding a solution.

Frimpong isn’t a right-back. Arguably he isn’t a winger either. He’s a wing-back. Liverpool don’t play with wing-backs. He’s a player who isn’t needed and who Liverpool should be looking to replace with somebody who suits the squad’s needs.

Meanwhile, Araujo provides a far more solid and reliable option. In fact, Liverpool haven’t conceded a goal in the 285 minutes he’s played in the Premier League!

Having Araujo as a less attack-focused full-back allows Milos Kerkez greater license to get forward on the opposite flank - which is the opposite to how Arne Slot used him for large parts of last season.

#4: Wingers are vital to Iraola’s identity

While a specific right-winger to replace Mohamed Salah eventually wasn’t acquired in the summer, the additions of Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola provided Iraola with a strong group of wingers.

With Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha, the squad includes four wingers, who Iraola has said will all have to get used to playing on the left or right, depending on the opposition and specific approaches in-game.

The further pursuits of Ismaila Sarr and Yankuba Minteh would have given Iraola more balance, with Barcola and Minteh or Sarr then being the first-choice options, Gakpo departing, and Munoz and Ngumoha providing the depth.

What’s apparent is that Iraola likes to have strong options from the bench to change the game, that primarily is his wingers, especially given the current lack of options to replace Alexander Isak.

Once Hugo Ekitike returns sometime in winter, it will provide an interesting new option for the Basque boss.

#5: More rotation will be required

Iraola was unlikely to select a much-changed lineup for his first-ever game as a manager in the Champions League, against a strong Atletico Madrid side, at Anfield.

But the result of making just two changes in that hard-fought 2-1 win against Atletico (both those being the wingers), was the desperately energy-devoid showing against Fulham three days later.

Clearly, for Iraola’s high-energy, pressing style to work more often, more rotation is required until players are capable of doing so midweek and weekend.

This is, after all, Iraola’s first time managing in Europe’s elite competition and having four competitions to play in.

Yet another tough Carabao Cup draw, at home to Chelsea, hardly helps things.

#6: Youth will get chances

Despite the need to get wins on the board early on, Iraola has shown that youngsters will get their chances. Trey Nyoni is a player many supporters would like to see get more opportunities in the league, having been marginalised last season under Slot and seeking a loan move away until Iraola’s arrival.

Iraola made 10 changes to the Carabao Cup lineup against Tottenham, with Nyoni and James McConnell in midfield and Lewis Koumas up front. Koumas’ energetic cameos in the league have also endeared him to supporters early on. His versatility makes him a useful squad player.

With nine games in 29 days after the international break and before the next one in November, Iraola will need to utilise his squad and that includes youngsters such as that trio. A Champions League tie away to LASK next week should provide the first opportunity to make some rotations, especially after what is likely to be an energetic match against Man City at Anfield on Sunday.

In the new format of the Champions League, finishing high up the league stage appears to offer little reward - provided you finish high enough to avoid the play-off. So there is no need to be playing a ‘best XI’ in all league games.

For example, Iraola needs to learn that an away match against Brentford is higher priority than LASK in the league phase. After all, Liverpool’s bread and butter is the league campaign. And European exploits can always be salvaged with a strong bench or winning later league stage games.

#7: Iraola has embraced everything Liverpool

The Spaniard’s first message upon his arrival on Merseyside was to tell fans how he wanted “to become one of you.”

He spoke of wanting to sightsee in Liverpool and immerse himself in the club and the city. Such words were welcome after reports of his predecessor not quite adopting that approach of ‘all in’, especially with regard to the Academy.

Praise for Iraola has been effusive from Under-21s coach Rob Page. “He has been excellent, and the staff,” said Page, referring to Iraola and his assistants of Pablo de la Torre, Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper.

This extended international break has seen Iraola working with the small group of first-team players not away with their country, plus some of the Under-21s. “The boss has had them in training,” explains Page. “They’ve worked hard. Our lads (U21s) last week went over for four consecutive days with him.”

After supporters become more accustomed to images of Slot on holiday during international breaks, that Iraola has been busy at the training ground hasn’t gone unnoticed.

He’s also been spotted in the city, posing for photos with kids at a GOALS soccer centre, having moved his family to just north of Liverpool, close to where Jurgen Klopp resided.

Again, after Slot opted to live near to Manchester airport and was often spotted in Selfridges in the Trafford Centre, it makes for a refreshing change.

Iraola appears to understand what it means to be the figurehead of a club like Liverpool, where every word and every moment, on and off the pitch, is perceived and interpreted by passionate and emotive fans.

Thibaut Courtois, Toby Alderweireld, Thomas Vermaelen, Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard.

It's easy to see why the Belgium side of the late 2010s was one of the most-fancied sides in world football, despite the country never having laid claim to a major trophy. They still haven't...but in 2018, they went the closest yet, and Alderweireld feels they deserve more credit for what they achieved.

Belgium finished top of group G ahead of England, Tunisia and Panama without dropping a single point. Their nine goals scored was the best any side managed in the group stage, with Hazard and Lukaku particularly finding form.

After going two goals behind early in the second half of their round of 16 clash with Japan, Belgium roared back to a 3-2 win capped by Nacer Chadli's 94th-minute winner.

And the best was to come in the quarter-finals as Roberto Martinez's side saw off Brazil 2-1 in Kazan to make it to only their second-ever World Cup quarter-final, the previous of which had come in 1986.

Alderweireld told FourFourTwo: “They always said our golden generation never won a big game, then that Brazil game was incredible.

"We had a difficult game against Japan in the last 16 – we were 2-0 down, but still won.

"In the quarter-final against Brazil, I was against Neymar, who was at the top of his game.

"He was on the left and I was playing right centre-back in a three.

"But he didn’t score, he wasn’t dangerous – that was one of my best games during my career and it was an unbelievable feeling to win against Brazil and go through."

Belgium went on to lose 1-0 to eventual winners France in the semi-finals, before claiming bronze by beating England again in the third-place play-off.

Alderweireld went on: "It was historic for Belgium. If you think about which teams played the best football at that World Cup, we were up there.

"I’m always going to have a feeling like ‘We deserved a little bit more’.”

The language left little room for ambiguity. Shocking. Unacceptable. An absolute disgrace. Manchester United had just drawn with Fulham and the sky was falling. In the TV studio, Gary Neville, Louis Saha and Ashley Young took turns to express their hurt. "I don't usually get this angry," Neville said, but he was not alone.

While the three ex-pros were giving their verdicts on Sky, the wider machinery was whirring. X users were invited to describe Marcus Rashford's performance in one word, and compliments were in short supply. A caller to talkSPORT demanded Michael Carrick's head in conversation with Alan Pardew. Over on YouTube, thumbnails were being polished, emojis deployed, titles tightened: 'PATHETIC Man Utd'. 'Carrick deserves ZERO!' 'Man Utd on LIFE SUPPORT [EXPLOSIVE RANT].' Within an hour of full-time at Craven Cottage, the Manchester United misery economy was humming once more.

It is a familiar routine by now. The final whistle is not final at all; in a sense, the game is just the opening act. This phenomenon is not unique to Man United. But as the biggest club in England, and one which has been in steady decline since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement 13 years ago, they are a particularly rich source of material.

"There is an insatiable demand for takes, the hotter the better"

Neville is the lead protagonist, giving his views not only on Sky but also on his Stick to Football podcast. Roy Keane is a co-star on both platforms, always willing to lament a dearth of characters in the dressing room. Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes have their own shows, the latter in tandem with Nicky Butt. Patrice Evra has never met a microphone he did not like.

It is not only former players. Mark Goldbridge is better known than many professional footballers. Stephen Howson, Adam McKola, Joe Smith, Andy Tate and Flex UTD are prominent Man United influencers, some more insightful than others. You will find dozens more online, with the less established often tempted to court controversy in pursuit of an audience in a crowded market.

The thing is, this stuff does numbers. The most watched video on the Sky Sports Premier League YouTube channel is a goals montage. Second is Neville arguing with Jamie Redknapp about the Glazers (“the club is rotting”). Third is Neville discussing a defeat by Atletico Madrid in 2022 (“I’ve felt down about Manchester United for some time”). A compilation of a Goldbridge watchalong is more likely to go viral if it contains expletive-laden outbursts than joyous celebrations.

There is an insatiable demand for takes, the hotter the better. Social media algorithms reward sensationalism and punish nuance. ‘Man Utd a work in progress [MEASURED ASSESSMENT]’ does not quite have the same ring to it.

Positivity rarely sets pulses racing either. Ferdinand’s suggestion in 2019 that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could choose his own salary because United were “BACK” is only so memorable because - and who could have seen this coming - United were not in fact back.

Neville senses which way the wind is blowing. In April, The Overlap (a media company he co-founded) bought Goldbridge's channel, The United Stand, and has since launched a new weekly production which features Goldbridge alongside Rooney.

Neville has criticised “those bloody YouTubers” in the past. He once called ArsenalFanTV “embarrassing” for its treatment of Arsene Wenger. But as well as being an influential pundit, Neville is an astute businessman, and astute businessmen stand ready to give the people what they want - in this case, “direct, personality-led content.”

A brief scroll of social media reveals much of this content to be hysterical and hyperbolic, yet it is also rooted in the simple truth that Man United have underwhelmed for a long time now.

For the generation of JJ Gabriel, the 16-year-old academy player who wants out of Old Trafford, the team's current struggles are not a blip but the norm. Gabriel was two when Man United last won the title. He has grown up watching not Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs, but Donny van de Beek, Facundo Pellistri and Wout Weghorst.

Since Ferguson stepped down Man United have staggered from crisis to crisis, going back to square one so often they could trace the route blindfolded.

Neville himself is no shock jock, even if his claim that the draw with Fulham contained the “worst 15 minutes” he had ever seen from his team felt a little over the top. He is usually more considered, and prides himself on never having called for a manager to be sacked. As a hugely successful player (and an increasingly underrated one due to his frequent self-deprecation), Neville provides a level of insight that is not easily replicable. The likes of Keane, Rooney, Ferdinand and Scholes have plenty of expertise to impart too.

Equally, the game has changed since their day. No one plays the sort of 4-4-2 with flying wingers on which Man United have built their modern self-image. Nor was it all attack, attack, attack under Ferguson - or “the Boss”, as some of his former charges continue to call him. Just ask Park Ji-sung, regularly deployed as a spoiler in big games, or Nani, Antonio Valencia and the aforementioned Ashley Young, natural wide men who were sacrificed when the team utilised a midfield diamond in 2012. Ferguson was more tactically sophisticated than he is often portrayed today.

It is hard not to wonder whether all the noise around Man United is contributing to the very malaise these interested parties - from Neville to Goldbridge, Rooney to Flex, Scholes to that bloke who refuses to cut his hair until they win five games in a row - are keen to see the club escape.

Yet therein lies the paradox. To flourish, the Manchester United misery economy requires, well, misery. Bad results are by no means bad for business. In fact, they keep the wheels turning. The show must go on.