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Barcelona will kick off their Champions League campaign against Newcastle at St James’ Park on Thursday with injuries clouding preparations. Lamine Yamal is ruled out, but coach Hansi Flick is placing his faith in Marcus Rashford to step up. With Frenkie de Jong and Gavi’s fitness also under scrutiny, the Blaugrana enter the competition looking to improve on last season’s heartbreak.

The Liverpool fan who went viral for winding up Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone, to the point that the Argentine ended up being shown a red card for clashing with the home support at Anfield, insists that nothing racist or overly antagonistic was said during a dramatic Champions League fixture on Merseyside that saw the hosts claim a 92nd-minute winner.

Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente expressed his frustration after his two goals were not enough in the 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League. He admitted that Atletico must tighten up defensively, stressing that their poor defending ultimately cost them the game after Virgil van Dijk netted a last-gasp winner for Arne Slot's team in at Anfield.

Harry Kane has been warned off a future career in NFL, with the England international told that “monsters” will be waiting to “hit” him in a different form of football. The Bayern Munich striker has been advised to focus on playing soccer until his 40, allowing him to score “a million goals” and retire in peace without having to put his body on the line again.

Former Bayern Munich and Juventus attacker Douglas Costa has an arrest warrant issued against him due to unresolved child support payments amounting to over €78,000. His contract with Sydney was terminated after mutual agreement after Costa has been forbidden from leaving his native country Brazil and went on to apologise to the club's fans in his statement.

The Special One is back on familiar ground! Jose Mourinho, who is set to take charge of Benfica on a two-year deal, will find himself on English soil twice within the next month as the Champions League league phase unfolds. With trips to both Stamford Bridge and St James’ Park on the horizon, Mourinho is set for an early reunion with his former hunting ground..

Luis Diaz admitted to having talks with Barcelona over a possible move from Liverpool in the summer transfer window before the 28-year-old winger joined Bayern Munich. The Colombian had been on Barca's list of targets as they pursued a new attacker but ultimately lost out as he pushed for Liverpool to accept the German club's bid instead.

Steven Gerrard could become a future star of ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, with Bryan Robson claiming that the opportunity to work with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney “would interest” the Liverpool legend. Gerrard has been out of management since severing ties with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq in January, but is leaving himself open to enticing offers.

Fenerbahce president Ali Koc revealed that Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu had agreed to join the club in the summer. The revelation comes despite Calhanoglu publicly declaring his lifelong support for Fenerbahce’s arch-rivals Galatasaray. In the end, neither side was able to finalise a transfer, and the Turkish international remained in Italy for the season.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League return could not have been scripted better, with Lucas Bergvall delivering a standout debut under the lights and earning plaudits from legends of the game. Ange Postecoglou’s groundwork from last season is now paying dividends, with the teenager stepping up on Europe’s biggest stage under new boss Thomas Frank.

Mzansi might be forced to win their last two Group C games to get their ticket after the World Football Governing Body opened a case against Hugo Broos' side.

Serge Gnabry’s revival at Bayern Munich is gathering pace under Vincent Kompany with the German shining in a new role after last season’s struggles. His standout display against Chelsea highlighted his regained sharpness and influence, earning praise from Joshua Kimmich. With his contract running out and chairman Jan-Christian Dreesen also hailing his strong start, attention is now turning to his future.

Chelsea’s return to the Champions League was undone by costly mistakes, as Cole Palmer admitted their own errors gifted Bayern Munich a 3-1 victory at the Allianz Arena. Harry Kane, once again tormenting his former Premier League rivals, scored twice as the Blues faltered in their league-stage opener. Palmer, who netted a superb strike himself, insisted the defeat was avoidable.

Jamie Vardy's career in the Serie A is off to a worrying start. The reason has to do with an alleged injury that the Cremonese striker suffered in the wake of his debut for the club, coming on as a substitute against Hellas Verona on Monday. However, he is now a major doubt for Sunday's trip to Parma, with Cremonese are taking extreme caution in this situation.

Before Sir Jim Ratcliffe invested in Manchester United, he tried to buy Chelsea. Although he grew up on a council estate in Failsworth in north Manchester and attended games at Old Trafford with his father as a child, Ratcliife took a liking to Chelsea as an adult while living and working in affluent west London.

Gio Reyna has been told what he must do in order to make the USMNT World Cup squad, with the highly-rated playmaker determined to grace a major tournament on home soil in the summer of 2026. Questions are still being asked of his involvement after suffering “injury after injury after injury”, but Brad Friedel is among those backing the 22-year-old to come good.

Paul Mullin has been told that a reunion with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at Wrexham should not be written off, with there still a chance that he will be offered a shot at redemption. A cult hero from the Red Dragons’ historic run of three successive promotions is currently out on loan at Wigan Athletic, but he remains under contract in North Wales.

Elon Musk’s favourite cryptocurrency has completed a takeover of Serie C side Triestina as House of Doge becomes the majority shareholder. Jubilation has been tempered, however, as a new 13-point sanction on top of an earlier seven-point deduction leaves the club facing a 20-point deficit. The "revolutionary" project promises global Dogecoin integration and local investment.

Liverpool’s record signing Alexander Isak finally pulled on the Reds shirt for the first time, featuring in Wednesday night’s thrilling 3-2 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid. The £125 million striker lasted just under an hour at Anfield, but his display left Arne Slot both encouraged and slightly taken aback by the Swede’s sharpness so soon after joining from Newcastle.

Sporting CP are not feeling the absence of Viktor Gyokeres after the Swedish international signed for Arsenal over the summer. The Portuguese giants have signed Luis Suarez to succeed Gyokeres, with the Colombian striker earning high praise from team-mate Pedro Goncalves. In six games for the club since his arrival, Suarez has been directly involved in as many goals.

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has been linked with a free transfer to Juventus at the end of the season. The Portuguese international could follow in the footsteps of his former team-mate Kevin De Bruyne, who joined Serie A side Napoli on a free transfer in the summer. However, Silva is keeping his options open, with the possibility of a return to Portugal also on the table, and has yet to make a decision on his future.

Atalanta coach Ivan Juric admitted that Paris Saint-Germain are operating at a far higher level than his side after their 4-0 defeat in the opening match of the Champions League. However, the Croatian defended his decision to adopt an aggressive approach, insisting that pushing higher up the pitch was the only way Atalanta stood a chance against the reigning champions.

Real Madrid’s Raul Asencio will stand trial in the Canary Islands child sex abuse scandal after a judge confirmed proceedings and set bail at €15,000. One alleged victim has withdrawn but another is maintaining the charges, ensuring the case, which also involves other former Madrid youth academy players, remains active.

Serhou Guirassy has apparently still not resolved the penalty dispute with Ramy Bensebaini. Although Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac recently emphasised that the penalty dispute between the duo in the 4-4 draw against Juventus in the Champions League had already been resolved, this does not seem to be the case after Dortmund squandered a two-goal advantage to share the points.

A Liverpool legend has revealed that he played for bitter rivals Everton in his youth before going on to become an Anfield icon. Reds hero Jamie Carragher famously grew up supporting the Toffees before moving to their Merseyside foes and Steven Gerrard was pictured wearing an Everton kit as a youngster. Now, another club great has revealed his connection to the blue half of the city.

Nicolas Jackson's Chelsea career is reportedly over as the Senegal striker is still hoping to make a permanent switch to Bayern Munich. The deal that took him away from West London was as complex as it was costly. Bayern shelled out €16.5m for the temporary arrangement, with the possibility of turning it into a €65m full transfer. That puts the overall package at €81.5m (£71m/$96m).

Ademola Lookman and Atalanta have finally put an end to their summer-long dispute after the Nigerian forward had talks with head coach Ivan Juric and agreed to give his all for the team. This comes after the Nigerian met with the club's officials to discuss his position at the club recently. The 27-year-old is now expected to start in Atalanta's league fixture against Torino on Sunday.

Barcelona are lining up a backup plan for their home fixture against Paris Saint-Germain in case Camp Nou is not ready on time to host their first Champions League home game. The Blaugrana have suffered several delays in their efforts to return to the renovated stadium, and are currently targeting the clash against Real Sociedad on September 28, just days before the French giants come to town.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher tore into Chelsea and claimed the Blues "can't pretend" that the Todd Boehly era has been a success after they spent £2bn to win only the Conference League and the Club World Cup. Since Boehly’s consortium took control at Stamford Bridge, the Blues have been trying to rebuild a squad that was once one of Europe's finest. However, after an eye-watering spend, Chelsea find themselves on the outside looking in at the Premier League’s top dogs.