Jamie Spencer

After an outstanding recent run of form for England and Barcelona, Marcus Rashford was brought crashing back down to earth by Hansi Flick at the weekend. The Barcelona coach imposes strict standards for the players in his squad to adhere to at all times and there are absolutely no exceptions to those rules.

Ferran Torres has managed 31 goals and assists for Barcelona since the start of last season and is considered a valuable member of Hansi Flick's squad. But the former Manchester City star's long-term future remains up in the air due to the lack of any progress or a proactive approach to extend his contract beyond its current expiry.

Barcelona have spent more than two seasons away from Camp Nou due to a renovation project that has been beset by delays, but a phased re-opening of the iconic venue is getting closer to becoming reality. The Blaugrana await permission from the city council, with Joan Laporta claiming that everything else is now in place for the team's return.

After being hooked by Liverpool again during the weekend's Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace, it has been suggested that Florian Wirtz might soon have to worry about his starting place under Arne Slot. The Germany international, who arrived for what was a British record transfer fee at the time, is still yet to score or assist in the Premier League or Champions League.

Jose Mourinho’s reunion with Chelsea, the club where he enjoyed so much success across two spells at Stamford Bridge, is one of the headline fixtures in this season’s Champions League as he takes new employer Benfica back to his former stomping ground. Blues winger Pedro Neto is relishing the chance to come up against his fellow Portuguese thanks to his incredible legacy.

Former Spain midfielder Gaizka Mendieta has suggested that Mikel Arteta's record of achievement since being appointed by Arsenal in 2019 will give him his pick of jobs whenever he decides the time is right to leave the Emirates Stadium. One of those could be at Barcelona in the future, where Arteta made key strides in his formative years as a footballer.

As Liverpool lost a third successive game across all competitions, Premier League legend Wayne Rooney accused Reds talisman Mohamed Salah of "watching" Conor Bradley get torn apart by Chelsea behind him and doing very little to help. Last season, Salah openly praised Liverpool boss Arne Slot for taking away the defensive responsibility that Jurgen Klopp had previously insisted on.

Rasmus Hojlund has lauded the impact Antonio Conte is having on him now that he is playing for Napoli. The Dane has a new lease of life back in Italy, having previously played in Serie A for Atalanta, and netted in his team's 2-1 win over Genoa at the weekend. Ex-Manchester United teammate Scott McTominay has been a similar beneficiary of the much-travelled coach.

Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund has directly addressed ongoing transfer speculation about star winger Michael Olise. It comes after fresh rumours that several of the Premier League's leading clubs are hoping to take him back to England and would potentially offer the Bundesliga champions as much as nine figures for the France international.

The Champions League has only just undergone a major shakeup with the introduction of the 'league phase' in 2024, but UEFA wants to keep evolving the competition and the next set of format changes coming into force the season after next are expected to make even more of the action accessible to fans. A big part of that is copying a season-opening tradition used in American sports.

Arsenal raised eyebrows across Europe with their 4-0 annihilation of Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. But it was more than just a statement one-off victory for Mikel Arteta's side against a team famously tough to beat, it also marked an achievement that no side competing in the Champions League has has ever before managed to pull off.

Cameras picked up Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis in attendance at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night as Arsenal hosted Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. The American entertainer is known to be a huge sports fan and his presence at the game, given his alter ego's place within modern football culture, was an amusing side-note for fans of the world famous show.

Newcastle made it successive Champions League wins on Tuesday with what was ultimately a routine 3-0 win over Jose Mourinho's Benfica at St James' Park. Anthony Gordon scored in Europe for the fourth time this season, before Harvey Barnes came off the bench to wrap up maximum points with a brace for Eddie Howe's side. There was even a remarkable assist for Toon goalkeeper Nick Pope.

Manchester United could surprise everyone by mounting a Premier League title challenge this season, according to Rene Meulensteen, who was part of Sir Alex Ferguson's staff during six dominant years between 2007 and 2013. Ruben Amorim's side have put together back-to-back league wins for the first time under the Portuguese and have enjoyed statement victories over Chelsea and Liverpool in recent weeks.

Speaking to GOAL, Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane has revealed the player he idolised growing up. In a game of 'Winner Stays On', the 32-year-old makes some difficult choices as he picks between some legendary current and former players, before eventually ending up with his champion, a forward he admits he "loved" watching as a boy.

Portugal failed to wrap up 2026 World Cup qualification after conceding a late Hungary equaliser to draw 2-2 in Lisbon. Roberto Martinez's side had initially come from behind to get in front, courtesy of two Cristiano Ronaldo goals that set a new all-time World Cup qualifying record, and were on the brink of booking their ticket to North America thanks to Armenia's defeat to Ireland providing the extra nudge required. But Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai intervened at the death and it means Ronaldo and co. must now wait until November for their next chance instead.

Yeremy Pino's glowing comments about Adam Wharton will do little to ease concerns among Crystal Palace fans that the midfielder won't be at Selhurst Park for the long-term. Since making the step up from Blackburn Rovers less than two years ago, Wharton has been heavily linked with a high profile move away in recent months, with Real Madrid a rumoured suitor.

Following recent reports that Savinho has agreed a new contract with Manchester City, manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that a deal with the Brazilian to remain at the Etihad Stadium is now almost complete. It comes after Tottenham Hotspur showed serious interest in the player during the recent summer transfer window.