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The absence of key midfielders due to injury will have no impact on the Manchester&nbsp;United&nbsp;team&#39;s quality in their Champions League match against CSKA Moscow, manager <a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/mourinho-ready-to-make-move-for-bale-18682" target="_blank">Jose Mourinho</a> said.

United&nbsp;will be without Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick, leaving Mourinho with Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera as the only experienced central midfielders available for the game on Wednesday.

&quot;We don&#39;t have Fellaini, we don&#39;t have Pogba, we don&#39;t have Carrick. So all three midfield players we lose this match. The solutions are not many,&quot; Mourinho told a news conference on Tuesday.

&quot;We try not to focus on individual battles or specific areas on the pitch. We try to focus on the bigger picture. And we are going to have a team with quality, with balance.&quot;

Mourinho expects Fellaini to be back soon after sustaining an ankle injury in the 1-0 win at Southampton on Saturday.

&quot;It was only when I saw it on TV that I realised that Fellaini was very lucky,&quot; Mourinho added. &quot;I do not expect him to be out for long.&quot;

CSKA Moscow lies fourth in the Russian Premier League with six wins from 11 games but Mourinho believes they are &quot;the best CSKA I am going to play against&quot;.

&quot;I don&#39;t like to speak about opponents,&quot; he said.

&quot;If I speak good, I motivate them. If I speak bad, I motivate them.&quot;

United, unbeaten this season and level on points with&nbsp;Manchester&nbsp;City at the top of the Premier League, started their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win over Basel at Old Trafford.

CSKA beat Benfica 2-1 in Lisbon in their opening match.

Mourinho expects Fellaini to be back soon after sustaining an ankle injury in the 1-0 win at Southampton on Saturday

The absence of key midfielders due to injury will have no impact on the Manchester United team's quality in their Champions League match against CSKA Moscow, manager Jose Mourinho said. United will be without Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick, leaving Mourinho with Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera as the only experienced central midfielders available for the game on Wednesday. "We don't have Fellaini, we don't have Pogba, we don't have Carrick. So all three midfield players we lose this match. The solutions are not many," Mourinho told a news conference on Tuesday. "We try not to focus on individual battles or specific areas on the pitch. We try to focus on the bigger picture. And we are going to have a team with quality, with balance." Mourinho expects Fellaini to be back soon after sustaining an ankle injury in the 1-0 win at Southampton on Saturday. "It was only when I saw it on TV that I realised that Fellaini was very lucky," Mourinho added. "I do not expect him to be out for long." CSKA Moscow lies fourth in the Russian Premier League with six wins from 11 games but Mourinho believes they are "the best CSKA I am going to play against". "I don't like to speak about opponents," he said. "If I speak good, I motivate them. If I speak bad, I motivate them." United, unbeaten this season and level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, started their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win over Basel at Old Trafford. CSKA beat Benfica 2-1 in Lisbon in their opening match.

Manchester United midfield injuries won't affect quality: Mourinho

FIFA has backed down in its row with British football authorities over the wearing of poppies by players in international matches as a tribute to those killed in war.

Football associations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were fined by FIFA for ignoring warnings not to commemorate Armistice Day during their World Cup qualifiers last November.

FIFA`s stance -- based on a strict interpretation of its laws against the use of personal, political or religious slogans or symbols -- sparked widespread condemnation in Britain, with Prime Minister

Theresa May calling it &quot;utterly outrageous&quot; in Parliament.

But now football`s world governing body has sent its member associations new guidance, which says certain &quot;initiatives&quot; may appear on players` kits.

The document rules out &quot;personal&quot; or &quot;religious... slogans, statements or images&quot; but admits &quot;political&quot; is less clear, although it bans slogans and symbols related to political parties and governments.

It adds: &quot;When commemorating a significant national or international event, the sensibilities of the opposing team (including its supporters) and the general public should be carefully considered.&quot;

It means England, or any other team that wants to wear poppies on their shirts to mark Armistice Day (November 11), can do so, providing they get their opponents` permission and inform the organisers of the match.

If England seal qualification for next summer`s World Cup in their next two games in early October, they are set to play Germany in a friendly at Wembley in November and it is understood they have already been given permission by the German FA to wear poppies.

Football associations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were fined by FIFA for ignoring warnings not to commemorate Armistice Day during their World Cup qualifiers last November.

FIFA has backed down in its row with British football authorities over the wearing of poppies by players in international matches as a tribute to those killed in war. Football associations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were fined by FIFA for ignoring warnings not to commemorate Armistice Day during their World Cup qualifiers last November. FIFA`s stance -- based on a strict interpretation of its laws against the use of personal, political or religious slogans or symbols -- sparked widespread condemnation in Britain, with Prime Minister Theresa May calling it "utterly outrageous" in Parliament. But now football`s world governing body has sent its member associations new guidance, which says certain "initiatives" may appear on players` kits. The document rules out "personal" or "religious... slogans, statements or images" but admits "political" is less clear, although it bans slogans and symbols related to political parties and governments. It adds: "When commemorating a significant national or international event, the sensibilities of the opposing team (including its supporters) and the general public should be carefully considered." It means England, or any other team that wants to wear poppies on their shirts to mark Armistice Day (November 11), can do so, providing they get their opponents` permission and inform the organisers of the match. If England seal qualification for next summer`s World Cup in their next two games in early October, they are set to play Germany in a friendly at Wembley in November and it is understood they have already been given permission by the German FA to wear poppies.

FIFA scraps ban on poppies on football shirts

In the space of just five games, Real Madrid have gone from red-hot La Liga title favourites to trailing rivals Barcelona by seven points ahead of Saturday&#39;s trip to Alaves.

When Madrid swept a crisis-ridden Barca aside 5-1 in the Spanish Super Cup last month, Zinedine Zidane&#39;s men were expected to romp to the title.

Instead, disappointing home draws against Valencia and Levante were compounded as Real failed to score for the first time in 74 games when Real Betis became the first side other than Barca or Atletico Madrid to win at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga for six-and-a-half years on Wednesday.

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<h5>We have dropped seven points in a small number of games but there is a long way to go and we can&#39;t throw everything we have done until now in the bin because of two or three average games,&#39; Zidane insisted.</h5>
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&quot;We have dropped seven points in a small number of games but there is a long way to go and we can&#39;t throw everything we have done until now in the bin because of two or three average games,&quot; insisted Zidane.

&quot;I know that many people don&#39;t like this work when things go wrong, but we have to accept it and be calm.

&quot;The league is very long and we will stay calm within the group because we will lift ourselves and we know we will have better days.&quot;

Going on the road this weekend may come as a relief to Real as they have shone on their travels this season in wins at Deportivo la Coruna and Real Sociedad as well as beating Barca and Manchester United in the Spanish and UEFA Super Cups respectively.

&quot;It seems like if we don&#39;t score early at the Bernabeu we start to get anxious,&quot; admitted midfielder Isco.

&quot;It is something we have to improve and it is better that it happens now at the start of the season when there is more room for error.&quot;

And while Real have endured a rough start to their title defence, Alaves are suffering a nightmare start to the season themselves as they have lost all five matches so far and already sacked coach Luis Zubeldia.

&quot;We need to turn the page and think about the next game,&quot; said Real captain Sergio Ramos.

&quot;We have come back from many points behind to win the league before. We need to stay calm because they are many games and points still to play for.&quot;

There won&#39;t be a Zidane family reunion at Mendizorroza as Enzo Zidane, Zinedine&#39;s oldest son, can&#39;t feature for Alaves due to the terms of his loan move from Real.

- Political all-Catalan clash - 
Madrid can reduce the gap on Barca to four points before the leaders travel to Girona for a first ever Catalan derby between the two in the top flight.

Barca&#39;s impressive start to the season on the field has been overshadowed this week as the club condemned the escalating political tension in the region in the build-up to an October 1 referendum on independence organised by pro-separatist politicians.

A powerful symbol of Catalonia across the world, Barca called for respect for &quot;democracy, to freedom of speech, and to self-determination.&quot;

Fourteen regional government officials were detained on Wednesday as part of the crackdown by the Spanish government on plans for the referendum.

With Barca expected to rack up a seventh straight win in all competitions against newly-promoted Girona, attention will be focused as much on demonstrations that could take place by both sets of fans at Montilivi.

The most enticing clash of the weekend comes at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday lunchtime as third hosts second when Atletico Madrid welcome Sevilla.

Diego Costa is expected to be paraded on his homecoming after Atletico agreed a reported club record fee of 55 million euros ($66 million) to bring the man that fired them to the title in 2013/14 back to the club from Chelsea.

Costa won&#39;t be able to play until January, however.

&nbsp;

In the space of just five games, Real Madrid have gone from red-hot La Liga title favourites to trailing rivals Barcelona by seven points

In the space of just five games, Real Madrid have gone from red-hot La Liga title favourites to trailing rivals Barcelona by seven points ahead of Saturday's trip to Alaves. When Madrid swept a crisis-ridden Barca aside 5-1 in the Spanish Super Cup last month, Zinedine Zidane's men were expected to romp to the title. Instead, disappointing home draws against Valencia and Levante were compounded as Real failed to score for the first time in 74 games when Real Betis became the first side other than Barca or Atletico Madrid to win at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga for six-and-a-half years on Wednesday. We have dropped seven points in a small number of games but there is a long way to go and we can't throw everything we have done until now in the bin because of two or three average games,' Zidane insisted. × "We have dropped seven points in a small number of games but there is a long way to go and we can't throw everything we have done until now in the bin because of two or three average games," insisted Zidane. "I know that many people don't like this work when things go wrong, but we have to accept it and be calm. "The league is very long and we will stay calm within the group because we will lift ourselves and we know we will have better days." Going on the road this weekend may come as a relief to Real as they have shone on their travels this season in wins at Deportivo la Coruna and Real Sociedad as well as beating Barca and Manchester United in the Spanish and UEFA Super Cups respectively. "It seems like if we don't score early at the Bernabeu we start to get anxious," admitted midfielder Isco. "It is something we have to improve and it is better that it happens now at the start of the season when there is more room for error." And while Real have endured a rough start to their title defence, Alaves are suffering a nightmare start to the season themselves as they have lost all five matches so far and already sacked coach Luis Zubeldia. "We need to turn the page and think about the next game," said Real captain Sergio Ramos. "We have come back from many points behind to win the league before. We need to stay calm because they are many games and points still to play for." There won't be a Zidane family reunion at Mendizorroza as Enzo Zidane, Zinedine's oldest son, can't feature for Alaves due to the terms of his loan move from Real. - Political all-Catalan clash - Madrid can reduce the gap on Barca to four points before the leaders travel to Girona for a first ever Catalan derby between the two in the top flight. Barca's impressive start to the season on the field has been overshadowed this week as the club condemned the escalating political tension in the region in the build-up to an October 1 referendum on independence organised by pro-separatist politicians. A powerful symbol of Catalonia across the world, Barca called for respect for "democracy, to freedom of speech, and to self-determination." Fourteen regional government officials were detained on Wednesday as part of the crackdown by the Spanish government on plans for the referendum. With Barca expected to rack up a seventh straight win in all competitions against newly-promoted Girona, attention will be focused as much on demonstrations that could take place by both sets of fans at Montilivi. The most enticing clash of the weekend comes at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday lunchtime as third hosts second when Atletico Madrid welcome Sevilla. Diego Costa is expected to be paraded on his homecoming after Atletico agreed a reported club record fee of 55 million euros ($66 million) to bring the man that fired them to the title in 2013/14 back to the club from Chelsea. Costa won't be able to play until January, however.

Zidane pleads for calm amidst Real slump

Antonio Sanabria struck deep into stoppage time to hand Real Betis a shock 1-0 win away to Real Madrid on Wednesday as the European champions failed to score for the first time in 74 matches.

Defeat leaves Real already seven points adrift of leaders Barcelona just five games into their defence of La Liga, having failed to win in all three home games so far this season.

Even the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo on his return from a five-match domestic ban couldn&#39;t break Betis&#39; resistance as former Real goalkeeper Antonio Adan produced stunning saves from Isco, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale.

And Betis snatched all three points in the 93rd minute when Sanabria powered home a header from Antonio Barragan&#39;s cross.

&quot;Last year we won games we didn&#39;t deserve to and now it is the reverse,&quot; said Real coach Zinedine Zidane.

&quot;The league is very long, in the end, we&#39;ll see how it goes but we need to be calm and we know we will have better days.&quot;

It is the first time Betis have won at the Bernabeu since 1998.

&quot;It is impossible to win here without suffering,&quot; said Betis boss Quique Setien.

&quot;To win against a team like this, your goalie has to have a spectacular game and you have to have luck.&quot;

Ronaldo was recalled among three changes to the Madrid side from Sunday&#39;s 3-1 win at Real Sociedad as Zinedine Zidane named his strongest available side.

However, it was the visitors who made the stronger start and should have gone in front when Sanabria&#39;s goalbound effort was cleared off the line by Dani Carvajal.

Keylor Navas also produced a stunning save to tip Fabian Ruiz&#39;s rising drive over the bar.

At the other end, Adan made a smart stop to deny Isco just before half-time and Betis had to resist an onslaught after the break.

Ronaldo blazed wildly over from Bale&#39;s inch-perfect cross before Kroos forced Adan into another finger-tip stop.

The former Madrid &#39;keeper&#39;s finest moment came in denying Bale in spectacular fashion 15 minutes from time, though, as the Welshman&#39;s backheeled volley was turned onto the post.

Betis were the side to finally have the ball in the net as the game entered five minutes of stoppage time, but Sanabria had strayed offside as he turned home Andres Guardado&#39;s shot.

However, they broke with purpose once more minutes later and this time Sarabia wasn&#39;t to be denied as he bulleted a header into the far corner from Antonio Barragan&#39;s cross.

Earlier, Atletico Madrid celebrated being awarded the honour of hosting the Champions League final in 2019 with an impressive 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao to move up to third.

The visitors needed to rely on a brilliant penalty save from Jan Oblak to deny Aritz Aduriz just before half-time.

Angel Correa opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second-half by finishing off a flowing move involving Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez.

And Yannick Carrasco secured the three points with an angled finish from another Griezmann through ball 17 minutes from time before Raul Garcia netted a late consolation for the hosts.

UEFA awarded their showpiece event for next season to Atletico&#39;s new Wanda Metropolitano earlier in the day.

And the feel-good factor around Atletico following their 1-0 victory over Malaga to open their new 68,000 capacity home at the weekend continued with a commanding display in their fifth away trip in six games so far this season.

&quot;It is another important step for the club. Hopefully, on the field, we can match the growth of the club,&quot; said Atletico coach Diego Simeone.

&quot;We are making an enormous effort. We have played five games away from home and the response has been positive.&quot;

Sevilla moved into second, two points behind Barca, as Jesus Navas scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Las Palmas.

Alaves remain without a point or even a goal after five games as Luisinho&#39;s winner handed Deportivo la Coruna a 1-0 win for their first victory of the season.

Leganes stay in the top half after a 0-0 draw at home to Girona.

Antonio Sanabria struck deep into stoppage time to hand Real Betis a shock 1-0 win away to Real

Antonio Sanabria struck deep into stoppage time to hand Real Betis a shock 1-0 win away to Real Madrid on Wednesday as the European champions failed to score for the first time in 74 matches. Defeat leaves Real already seven points adrift of leaders Barcelona just five games into their defence of La Liga, having failed to win in all three home games so far this season. Even the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo on his return from a five-match domestic ban couldn't break Betis' resistance as former Real goalkeeper Antonio Adan produced stunning saves from Isco, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale. And Betis snatched all three points in the 93rd minute when Sanabria powered home a header from Antonio Barragan's cross. "Last year we won games we didn't deserve to and now it is the reverse," said Real coach Zinedine Zidane. "The league is very long, in the end, we'll see how it goes but we need to be calm and we know we will have better days." It is the first time Betis have won at the Bernabeu since 1998. "It is impossible to win here without suffering," said Betis boss Quique Setien. "To win against a team like this, your goalie has to have a spectacular game and you have to have luck." Ronaldo was recalled among three changes to the Madrid side from Sunday's 3-1 win at Real Sociedad as Zinedine Zidane named his strongest available side. However, it was the visitors who made the stronger start and should have gone in front when Sanabria's goalbound effort was cleared off the line by Dani Carvajal. Keylor Navas also produced a stunning save to tip Fabian Ruiz's rising drive over the bar. At the other end, Adan made a smart stop to deny Isco just before half-time and Betis had to resist an onslaught after the break. Ronaldo blazed wildly over from Bale's inch-perfect cross before Kroos forced Adan into another finger-tip stop. The former Madrid 'keeper's finest moment came in denying Bale in spectacular fashion 15 minutes from time, though, as the Welshman's backheeled volley was turned onto the post. Betis were the side to finally have the ball in the net as the game entered five minutes of stoppage time, but Sanabria had strayed offside as he turned home Andres Guardado's shot. However, they broke with purpose once more minutes later and this time Sarabia wasn't to be denied as he bulleted a header into the far corner from Antonio Barragan's cross. Earlier, Atletico Madrid celebrated being awarded the honour of hosting the Champions League final in 2019 with an impressive 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao to move up to third. The visitors needed to rely on a brilliant penalty save from Jan Oblak to deny Aritz Aduriz just before half-time. Angel Correa opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second-half by finishing off a flowing move involving Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez. And Yannick Carrasco secured the three points with an angled finish from another Griezmann through ball 17 minutes from time before Raul Garcia netted a late consolation for the hosts. UEFA awarded their showpiece event for next season to Atletico's new Wanda Metropolitano earlier in the day. And the feel-good factor around Atletico following their 1-0 victory over Malaga to open their new 68,000 capacity home at the weekend continued with a commanding display in their fifth away trip in six games so far this season. "It is another important step for the club. Hopefully, on the field, we can match the growth of the club," said Atletico coach Diego Simeone. "We are making an enormous effort. We have played five games away from home and the response has been positive." Sevilla moved into second, two points behind Barca, as Jesus Navas scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Las Palmas. Alaves remain without a point or even a goal after five games as Luisinho's winner handed Deportivo la Coruna a 1-0 win for their first victory of the season. Leganes stay in the top half after a 0-0 draw at home to Girona.

Ronaldo returns, Real Madrid is beaten

Arsenal manager Arsene&nbsp;Wenger&nbsp;denied trying to send a&nbsp;message&nbsp;to Alexis&nbsp;Sanchez by playing him in the League&nbsp;Cup&nbsp;and Europa League and says midweek minutes have helped the Chilean close in on full fitness after an injury-disrupted pre-season.

The striker made his first appearance in the League&nbsp;Cup&nbsp;since September 2015 on Wednesday, playing a full 90 minutes for only the second time this season as Arsenal beat third-tier Doncaster Rovers 1-0 at home.

The 28-year-old failed to secure a move away from the Emirates in the transfer window and injury and illness have limited his involvement to just one other full match - in the Europa League against FC Cologne.

&quot;Look, there&#39;s no disguised attitude on my side,&quot;&nbsp;Wenger&nbsp;told reporters on Thursday when asked if he was trying to send a&nbsp;message&nbsp;to&nbsp;Sanchez&nbsp;by not&nbsp;starting him in Arsenal&#39;s last two Premier League matches against Chelsea and Bournemouth.

&quot;I just try to get him back to full fitness and for me, the Europa League and League&nbsp;Cup&nbsp;are important as well.

&quot;Alexis&nbsp;Sanchez&nbsp;has been out injured and I thought he was still a bit short physically. I played him last night to give him competition.... I left him on for 90 minutes because I wanted him to have a real go.&quot;

Arsenal, who are 12th in the league after an indifferent&nbsp;start&nbsp;to the season in which they have won twice and drawn once in their first five games, host 10th-placed West Bromwich Albion on Monday.

West Brom has not won a point at the Emirates since 2010, but&nbsp;Wenger&nbsp;is expecting a strong defensive performance from Tony Pulis&#39; side.

&quot;They have the culture of the Premier League, a manager who knows how the league works. They are very strong on set pieces, solid defensively - it&#39;s tough to score against them,&quot; he added.

Mesut Ozil is back in training after missing Arsenal&#39;s 0-0 draw at Chelsea in their last league outing with a knee injury, but striker Danny Welbeck (groin) and defender Calum Chambers (hip) are out until after next month&#39;s international break.

The striker made his first appearance in the League?Cup?since September 2015 on Wednesday, playing a full 90 minutes for only the second time this season as Arsenal beat third-tier Doncaster Rovers 1-0 at home.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger denied trying to send a message to Alexis Sanchez by playing him in the League Cup and Europa League and says midweek minutes have helped the Chilean close in on full fitness after an injury-disrupted pre-season. The striker made his first appearance in the League Cup since September 2015 on Wednesday, playing a full 90 minutes for only the second time this season as Arsenal beat third-tier Doncaster Rovers 1-0 at home. The 28-year-old failed to secure a move away from the Emirates in the transfer window and injury and illness have limited his involvement to just one other full match - in the Europa League against FC Cologne. "Look, there's no disguised attitude on my side," Wenger told reporters on Thursday when asked if he was trying to send a message to Sanchez by not starting him in Arsenal's last two Premier League matches against Chelsea and Bournemouth. "I just try to get him back to full fitness and for me, the Europa League and League Cup are important as well. "Alexis Sanchez has been out injured and I thought he was still a bit short physically. I played him last night to give him competition.... I left him on for 90 minutes because I wanted him to have a real go." Arsenal, who are 12th in the league after an indifferent start to the season in which they have won twice and drawn once in their first five games, host 10th-placed West Bromwich Albion on Monday. West Brom has not won a point at the Emirates since 2010, but Wenger is expecting a strong defensive performance from Tony Pulis' side. "They have the culture of the Premier League, a manager who knows how the league works. They are very strong on set pieces, solid defensively - it's tough to score against them," he added. Mesut Ozil is back in training after missing Arsenal's 0-0 draw at Chelsea in their last league outing with a knee injury, but striker Danny Welbeck (groin) and defender Calum Chambers (hip) are out until after next month's international break.

Wenger denies sending message to Sanchez with rare Cup start

Everton&nbsp;showed plenty of signs they were improving despite the heavy defeat to Manchester United and the side have the character to&nbsp;turn&nbsp;things&nbsp;around, midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson&nbsp;has said.

Sunday&#39;s 4-0 loss to United was&nbsp;Everton&#39;s third league defeat on the trot with the 3-0 humbling at the hands of Italy&#39;s Atalanta in the Europa League last week adding to their woes.

Sigurdsson,&nbsp;Everton&#39;s record signing who arrived in the close season along with a host of new recruits as the club spent 145 million pounds ($196.23 million), said there were signs the squad was gelling.

&quot;Yes &ndash; it is hard to say that after a 4-0 loss but we will stay together, stay positive and keep working,&quot; the Iceland international told the club&#39;s website (www.evertonfc.com).

&quot;Even though we conceded four goals I think we were more solid as a team and harder to break down. But we are going to have to improve for the next few games.&quot;

Everton, 18th in the league table with four points from five games, host Sunderland in the League Cup on Wednesday before Saturday&#39;s league match against Bournemouth at Goodison Park.

&quot;A lot of us have been in this kind of position before &ndash; where&nbsp;things&nbsp;are not going your way,&quot; Sigurdsson&nbsp;said.

&quot;It does not look too good at the moment but I know we are more than good enough to&nbsp;turn&nbsp;this around.&quot;

Sunday's 4-0 loss to United was?Everton's third league defeat on the trot with the 3-0 humbling at the hands of Italy's Atalanta in the Europa League last week adding to their woes.

Everton showed plenty of signs they were improving despite the heavy defeat to Manchester United and the side have the character to turn things around, midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has said. Sunday's 4-0 loss to United was Everton's third league defeat on the trot with the 3-0 humbling at the hands of Italy's Atalanta in the Europa League last week adding to their woes. Sigurdsson, Everton's record signing who arrived in the close season along with a host of new recruits as the club spent 145 million pounds ($196.23 million), said there were signs the squad was gelling. "Yes – it is hard to say that after a 4-0 loss but we will stay together, stay positive and keep working," the Iceland international told the club's website (www.evertonfc.com). "Even though we conceded four goals I think we were more solid as a team and harder to break down. But we are going to have to improve for the next few games." Everton, 18th in the league table with four points from five games, host Sunderland in the League Cup on Wednesday before Saturday's league match against Bournemouth at Goodison Park. "A lot of us have been in this kind of position before – where things are not going your way," Sigurdsson said. "It does not look too good at the moment but I know we are more than good enough to turn this around."

Despite loss to Manchester United, Everton can turn things around, says Sigurdsson

Ander&nbsp;Herrera&nbsp;has&nbsp;made just one Premier League start this season but the Manchester United midfielder&nbsp;has&nbsp;no doubts he remains an important part of&nbsp;manager Jose Mourinho&#39;s plans.

The Spaniard earned praise last season for his influence on the side as they won the League Cup and Europa League but&nbsp;has&nbsp;lost his spot to Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic this campaign.

Overlooked on Sunday despite Paul Pogba&#39;s absence through injury,&nbsp;Herrera&nbsp;came on as a 77th-minute substitute against Everton and stabilised&nbsp;United&#39;s&nbsp;midfield. United then scored three times in the final 10 minutes for a 4-0 win.

&quot;I feel as important as I did last season,&quot; the 28-year-old told British media.

&quot;I am a team&nbsp;player and I always say that and if the&nbsp;manager decides to keep me on the bench I will be ready. I said that last season and it is the same now.&quot;

United&#39;s&nbsp;player of the year last season,&nbsp;Herrera&nbsp;said he had no problem watching teammates Matic and Marouane Fellaini from the sidelines.

&quot;I can learn from Nemanja and from &#39;Felly&#39;, he&nbsp;has&nbsp;some abilities that we don&#39;t have in midfield. Paul Pogba is our most free midfielder and I can learn from him as well.

&quot;I will try to enjoy every minute I have on the pitch. I want to win titles and feel part of the team and feel important and I really do feel important because the&nbsp;manager makes me feel important.&quot;

The Spaniard earned praise last season for his influence on the side as they won the League Cup and Europa League but?has?lost his spot to Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic this campaign.

Ander Herrera has made just one Premier League start this season but the Manchester United midfielder has no doubts he remains an important part of manager Jose Mourinho's plans. The Spaniard earned praise last season for his influence on the side as they won the League Cup and Europa League but has lost his spot to Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic this campaign. Overlooked on Sunday despite Paul Pogba's absence through injury, Herrera came on as a 77th-minute substitute against Everton and stabilised United's midfield. United then scored three times in the final 10 minutes for a 4-0 win. "I feel as important as I did last season," the 28-year-old told British media. "I am a team player and I always say that and if the manager decides to keep me on the bench I will be ready. I said that last season and it is the same now." United's player of the year last season, Herrera said he had no problem watching teammates Matic and Marouane Fellaini from the sidelines. "I can learn from Nemanja and from 'Felly', he has some abilities that we don't have in midfield. Paul Pogba is our most free midfielder and I can learn from him as well. "I will try to enjoy every minute I have on the pitch. I want to win titles and feel part of the team and feel important and I really do feel important because the manager makes me feel important."

I want to win titles for Manchester United:?Herrera

Liverpool&nbsp;manager Juergen&nbsp;Klopp&nbsp;believes his side have the&nbsp;depth&nbsp;in the&nbsp;squad&nbsp;to compete in&nbsp;different&nbsp;competitions&nbsp;but did not rule out signing reinforcements in January.

Having missed out on Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk,&nbsp;Klopp&nbsp;brought in Mohammad Salah, Dominic Solanke, Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the close season.

Ahead of the team&#39;s trip to Leicester City for their League Cup third round clash, the German said he was happy with the personnel at his disposal &quot;at the moment&quot;.

&quot;From today&#39;s perspective, yes - we will see how it is in January,&quot; he told the club&#39;s website (www.liverpoolfc.com).

&quot;I think the&nbsp;squad&nbsp;is wide enough to play in&nbsp;different&nbsp;competitions&nbsp;and to come as far as possible and that&#39;s the plan at the moment.&quot;

Questions have been raised about&nbsp;Liverpool&#39;s back line which&nbsp;has&nbsp;leaked nine goals in five league games. They lost 5-0 to Manchester City before the weekend&#39;s 1-1 draw with Burnley.

The club&#39;s defensive frailties were also exposed in the 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the Champions League last week but&nbsp;Klopp&nbsp;said there was no need to panic.

&quot;We will see how it is in January but, in this moment, I feel comfortable when I think aboutdifferent&nbsp;opportunities to use the players and to bring the players in&nbsp;different&nbsp;games,&quot; he said.

Klopp&nbsp;said Oxlade-Chamberlain&#39;s switch to Merseyside from Arsenal made &quot;complete sense&quot; and that the England international had been roped in as a long-term prospect.

&quot;A new start is... kind of a relief. You are in a situation in your old club... and you accept it at some point and then it&#39;s difficult to make the next step,&quot;&nbsp;Klopp&nbsp;said.

&quot;I thought it made complete sense for Alex to change club, especially to come here. So far, I can see that he&nbsp;has&nbsp;settled in perfectly.&quot;

Having missed out on Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk,?Klopp?brought in Mohammad Salah, Dominic Solanke, Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the close season.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp believes his side have the depth in the squad to compete in different competitions but did not rule out signing reinforcements in January. Having missed out on Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, Klopp brought in Mohammad Salah, Dominic Solanke, Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the close season. Ahead of the team's trip to Leicester City for their League Cup third round clash, the German said he was happy with the personnel at his disposal "at the moment". "From today's perspective, yes - we will see how it is in January," he told the club's website (www.liverpoolfc.com). "I think the squad is wide enough to play in different competitions and to come as far as possible and that's the plan at the moment." Questions have been raised about Liverpool's back line which has leaked nine goals in five league games. They lost 5-0 to Manchester City before the weekend's 1-1 draw with Burnley. The club's defensive frailties were also exposed in the 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the Champions League last week but Klopp said there was no need to panic. "We will see how it is in January but, in this moment, I feel comfortable when I think aboutdifferent opportunities to use the players and to bring the players in different games," he said. Klopp said Oxlade-Chamberlain's switch to Merseyside from Arsenal made "complete sense" and that the England international had been roped in as a long-term prospect. "A new start is... kind of a relief. You are in a situation in your old club... and you accept it at some point and then it's difficult to make the next step," Klopp said. "I thought it made complete sense for Alex to change club, especially to come here. So far, I can see that he has settled in perfectly."

Liverpool squad has depth for different competitions, says Klopp

Manchester&nbsp;United&nbsp;may struggle to maintain their explosive start to the Premier League season if injured midfielder Paul&nbsp;Pogba&nbsp;is out for long, the club&#39;s playmaker Henrik Mkhitaryan&nbsp;has said.

Pogba&nbsp;hurt his hamstring during&nbsp;United&#39;s Champions League win over Basel last week and will undergo further scans to determine his recovery period.

The France international, who captained&nbsp;United&nbsp;against the Swiss champions, limped off in the 3-0 win and some reports have suggested he could be out for 12 weeks with a muscle tear.

But manager Jose Mourinho has said the nature of the injury would not be known until after the results of the scans.

United&nbsp;thumped Everton 4-0 over the weekend with Marouane Fellaini stepping in for&nbsp;Pogba&nbsp;butMkhitaryan&nbsp;said the club would&nbsp;miss&nbsp;Pogba&#39;s creativity that has help them script big victories this season.

&quot;It&#39;s hard, because he&#39;s a top player for us,&quot; he told France&#39;s SFR Sport. &quot;It&#39;s going to be very difficult, but the coach knows how to make up for that and we&#39;re going to help him come back stronger.&quot;

Mourinho&#39;s side share top spot in the Premier League table with Manchester City and have 13 points from five games. Both Manchester clubs have scored 16 goals and conceded only two.

United&nbsp;host Championship side (second tier) Burton Albion in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday before travelling to Southampton in the league on Saturday.

Pogba?hurt his hamstring during?United's Champions League win over Basel last week and will undergo further scans to determine his recovery period.

Manchester United may struggle to maintain their explosive start to the Premier League season if injured midfielder Paul Pogba is out for long, the club's playmaker Henrik Mkhitaryan has said. Pogba hurt his hamstring during United's Champions League win over Basel last week and will undergo further scans to determine his recovery period. The France international, who captained United against the Swiss champions, limped off in the 3-0 win and some reports have suggested he could be out for 12 weeks with a muscle tear. But manager Jose Mourinho has said the nature of the injury would not be known until after the results of the scans. United thumped Everton 4-0 over the weekend with Marouane Fellaini stepping in for Pogba butMkhitaryan said the club would miss Pogba's creativity that has help them script big victories this season. "It's hard, because he's a top player for us," he told France's SFR Sport. "It's going to be very difficult, but the coach knows how to make up for that and we're going to help him come back stronger." Mourinho's side share top spot in the Premier League table with Manchester City and have 13 points from five games. Both Manchester clubs have scored 16 goals and conceded only two. United host Championship side (second tier) Burton Albion in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday before travelling to Southampton in the league on Saturday.

United will miss Pogba, says Mkhitaryan

Borussia&nbsp;Dortmund&nbsp;thumped&nbsp;Cologne&nbsp;5-0 on Sunday, their haul including a goal and penalty awarded with help from the video assistant referee (VAR), to leave their opponents bottom of the Bundesliga and pointless after four games.

Cologne&nbsp;were furious about the first&nbsp;VAR&nbsp;incident where the referee initially disallowed a Dortmund&nbsp;goal by Sokratis and awarded them a free kick, before reversing the decision.

The club&#39;s sporting director Joerg Schmadtke said the referee had not followed protocol and that they would demand a replay.

Maximilian Philipp and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang each scored a brace, the latter in the space of two minutes, as&nbsp;Cologne&nbsp;returned to the harsh realities of the Bundesliga after their midweek European adventure in London. Borussia, meanwhile, went top with 10 points, ahead of Hanover 96 on goal difference.

An estimated 20,000&nbsp;Cologne&nbsp;fans marched through London on Thursday to celebrate their team&#39;s first European match in 25 years as they visited Arsenal.

Despite the festive atmosphere, many of them did not have tickets and the match, won 3-1 by Arsenal, was delayed for an hour by crowd problems.

The Billy Goats barely had time to settle on Sunday before Philipp headed in Andriy Yarmolenko&#39;s cross after two minutes.

Cologne&nbsp;pulled themselves together and held their own until the stroke of halftime when their goalkeeper Timo Horn dropped the ball at a corner and&nbsp;Dortmund&nbsp;defender Sokratis tapped it in.

Referee Patrick Ittrich at first awarded&nbsp;Cologne&nbsp;a free kick but, after consulting with the&nbsp;VAR, changed his mind and gave the goal. However,&nbsp;Cologne&nbsp;said that the referee had blown his whistle before the ball entered the goal, meaning that he could not subsequently award it no matter what the video showed.

&quot;We will naturally lodge a protest,&quot; said Schmadtke. &quot;If a decision is made against the framework of rules, then a replay is necessary and that is what we will seek.&quot;

&quot;We need a protocol where it is clearly established when the (VAR) assistant can intervene and when he can&#39;t,&quot; he added.

The German league did not immediately comment, nor did referee Ittrich.

The&nbsp;VAR&nbsp;was again&nbsp;decisive&nbsp;in the 59th minute when&nbsp;Cologne&#39;s Lukas Kluenter raised his arm to a Yarmolenko cross and the referee, after another consultation, awarded the penalty which Aubameyang converted.

The Gabon forward struck again the following minute when he turned in another Yarmolenko cross and Philipp dinked the ball over Horn for the fifth goal in the 69th minute.

Kevin Volland scored twice as Bayer Leverkusen beat Freiburg 4-0 to claim their first win of the season and leave the Black Forest side winless.

Hoffenheim, 2-0 winners over Bayern Munich the previous weekend, were held 1-1 at home by Hertha Berlin, leaving them with eight points.

Cologne?were furious about the first?VAR?incident where the referee initially disallowed a Dortmund?goal by Sokratis and awarded them a free kick, before reversing the decision.

Borussia Dortmund thumped Cologne 5-0 on Sunday, their haul including a goal and penalty awarded with help from the video assistant referee (VAR), to leave their opponents bottom of the Bundesliga and pointless after four games. Cologne were furious about the first VAR incident where the referee initially disallowed a Dortmund goal by Sokratis and awarded them a free kick, before reversing the decision. The club's sporting director Joerg Schmadtke said the referee had not followed protocol and that they would demand a replay. Maximilian Philipp and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang each scored a brace, the latter in the space of two minutes, as Cologne returned to the harsh realities of the Bundesliga after their midweek European adventure in London. Borussia, meanwhile, went top with 10 points, ahead of Hanover 96 on goal difference. An estimated 20,000 Cologne fans marched through London on Thursday to celebrate their team's first European match in 25 years as they visited Arsenal. Despite the festive atmosphere, many of them did not have tickets and the match, won 3-1 by Arsenal, was delayed for an hour by crowd problems. The Billy Goats barely had time to settle on Sunday before Philipp headed in Andriy Yarmolenko's cross after two minutes. Cologne pulled themselves together and held their own until the stroke of halftime when their goalkeeper Timo Horn dropped the ball at a corner and Dortmund defender Sokratis tapped it in. Referee Patrick Ittrich at first awarded Cologne a free kick but, after consulting with the VAR, changed his mind and gave the goal. However, Cologne said that the referee had blown his whistle before the ball entered the goal, meaning that he could not subsequently award it no matter what the video showed. "We will naturally lodge a protest," said Schmadtke. "If a decision is made against the framework of rules, then a replay is necessary and that is what we will seek." "We need a protocol where it is clearly established when the (VAR) assistant can intervene and when he can't," he added. The German league did not immediately comment, nor did referee Ittrich. The VAR was again decisive in the 59th minute when Cologne's Lukas Kluenter raised his arm to a Yarmolenko cross and the referee, after another consultation, awarded the penalty which Aubameyang converted. The Gabon forward struck again the following minute when he turned in another Yarmolenko cross and Philipp dinked the ball over Horn for the fifth goal in the 69th minute. Kevin Volland scored twice as Bayer Leverkusen beat Freiburg 4-0 to claim their first win of the season and leave the Black Forest side winless. Hoffenheim, 2-0 winners over Bayern Munich the previous weekend, were held 1-1 at home by Hertha Berlin, leaving them with eight points.

German Bundesliga: Borussia?Dortmund blast Cologne

When Carlos Tevez emerged in airport arrivals in Shanghai he had a bunch of flowers thrust into his hands and his signing was heralded as a coup for Chinese football.

A blue Shanghai Shenhua scarf was thrown around his neck and hundreds of fans mobbed the Argentine forward, who had just sealed a transfer deal making him at that moment the best-paid footballer on the planet.

But just eight months later the 33-year-old has become a symbol of Chinese clubs&#39; largesse that the Beijing government hopes will never be repeated.

Chinese fans and media have an unflattering nickname for Tevez, &quot;Very Homesick Boy&quot;, a play on how his name is pronounced in Chinese and a nod to problems he has had throughout his career settling anywhere.

Tevez, who reportedly pockets about $850,000 a week, has never stuck around for long at any club during a career that started at Boca Juniors in Argentina and took him to Brazil, England, Italy and back to Boca, before his surprise move to China in January.&nbsp;

Nobody expected him to stay long term in Shanghai.

But even his knockers are surprised at how quickly his Chinese adventure has unraveled and how poorly he has done on the pitch during a season dogged by injury and indifferent form.&nbsp;

New Shenhua coach Wu Jingui last week accused Tevez of being too overweight to play, then two days later said he had shown a better attitude and was doing extra training of his own will.

&quot;With his current attitude we will see a different Tevez,&quot; Wu said.

When Tevez was brought on by Wu for the second half of Saturday&#39;s derby at Shanghai SIPG the Argentine was met with a muted reception from the travelling Shenhua fans, though a few booed.

Shenhua were soon 3-0 down and although Tevez scored his third Chinese Super League (CSL) goal, they were hammered 6-1.

Exit looming

Given his travails, fans had been fully expecting Tevez to leave when the season ends in November.

Now it would surprise nobody if Shenhua -- struggling in the bottom quarter of the league -- decided to cut their losses and let him go home before that.

Tevez, a former Argentina international whose past clubs include Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus, has made few public comments.

Shenhua, where former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gus Poyet quit as manager last week, gave Tevez permission in August to return to Argentina, purportedly for treatment on a leg-muscle injury.

Many did not expect him to come back to China, and few cared if he did.

But while in Argentina he was quoted as saying that a return to Boca would be &quot;very difficult&quot;.

&quot;The Chinese are not stupid,&quot; Tevez reportedly said.

Short honeymoon

The honeymoon period in Shanghai lasted only three months.

In April, Shenhua fans hit out at Tevez when he was spotted at Shanghai Disneyland while his team were playing.

The player countered that he was injured and was entitled to spend time with his family.

A month later Poyet gave an insight into Tevez&#39;s struggles to settle in Shanghai, China&#39;s most cosmopolitan city.

&quot;The language is complicated, but with the food there are people who suffer a little more and that happened to Tevez,&quot; Poyet told Argentina&#39;s La Nacion newspaper.

&quot;At the beginning, he ate almost nothing.

&quot;We had a barbecue with (Shenhua players Fredy) Guarin and (Giovanni) Moreno and we had to remove the Chinese food.&quot;

Shenhua coach Wu is hopeful Tevez will belatedly come good to rescue a team that has lost five CSL matches on the trot and is in crisis.

&quot;His experience and level is not in doubt, it&#39;s not like he needs to prove himself in the CSL,&quot; Wu said.

&quot;In some ways, he had some adaptation problems since he came here, but you can see that his arrival has brought more attention to Shenhua.&quot;

When Carlos Tevez emerged in airport arrivals in Shanghai he had a bunch of flowers thrust into his hands and his signing was heralded as a coup for Chinese football. A blue Shanghai Shenhua scarf was thrown around his neck and hundreds of fans mobbed the Argentine forward, who had just sealed a transfer deal making him at that moment the best-paid footballer on the planet. But just eight months later the 33-year-old has become a symbol of Chinese clubs' largesse that the Beijing government hopes will never be repeated. Chinese fans and media have an unflattering nickname for Tevez, "Very Homesick Boy", a play on how his name is pronounced in Chinese and a nod to problems he has had throughout his career settling anywhere. Tevez, who reportedly pockets about $850,000 a week, has never stuck around for long at any club during a career that started at Boca Juniors in Argentina and took him to Brazil, England, Italy and back to Boca, before his surprise move to China in January. Nobody expected him to stay long term in Shanghai. But even his knockers are surprised at how quickly his Chinese adventure has unraveled and how poorly he has done on the pitch during a season dogged by injury and indifferent form. New Shenhua coach Wu Jingui last week accused Tevez of being too overweight to play, then two days later said he had shown a better attitude and was doing extra training of his own will. "With his current attitude we will see a different Tevez," Wu said. When Tevez was brought on by Wu for the second half of Saturday's derby at Shanghai SIPG the Argentine was met with a muted reception from the travelling Shenhua fans, though a few booed. Shenhua were soon 3-0 down and although Tevez scored his third Chinese Super League (CSL) goal, they were hammered 6-1. Exit looming Given his travails, fans had been fully expecting Tevez to leave when the season ends in November. Now it would surprise nobody if Shenhua -- struggling in the bottom quarter of the league -- decided to cut their losses and let him go home before that. Tevez, a former Argentina international whose past clubs include Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus, has made few public comments. Shenhua, where former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gus Poyet quit as manager last week, gave Tevez permission in August to return to Argentina, purportedly for treatment on a leg-muscle injury. Many did not expect him to come back to China, and few cared if he did. But while in Argentina he was quoted as saying that a return to Boca would be "very difficult". "The Chinese are not stupid," Tevez reportedly said. Short honeymoon The honeymoon period in Shanghai lasted only three months. In April, Shenhua fans hit out at Tevez when he was spotted at Shanghai Disneyland while his team were playing. The player countered that he was injured and was entitled to spend time with his family. A month later Poyet gave an insight into Tevez's struggles to settle in Shanghai, China's most cosmopolitan city. "The language is complicated, but with the food there are people who suffer a little more and that happened to Tevez," Poyet told Argentina's La Nacion newspaper. "At the beginning, he ate almost nothing. "We had a barbecue with (Shenhua players Fredy) Guarin and (Giovanni) Moreno and we had to remove the Chinese food." Shenhua coach Wu is hopeful Tevez will belatedly come good to rescue a team that has lost five CSL matches on the trot and is in crisis. "His experience and level is not in doubt, it's not like he needs to prove himself in the CSL," Wu said. "In some ways, he had some adaptation problems since he came here, but you can see that his arrival has brought more attention to Shenhua."

Is Carlos Tevez too fat to play?

Stoke City forward Mame&nbsp;Diouf&nbsp;has signed a new three-year contract and is looking forward to helping the Premier League club push for a top-10 finish and a trophy.

Senegal&#39;s&nbsp;Diouf, who joined Stoke from Germany&#39;s Hannover three years ago, has made 90 league appearances for the Staffordshire-based club scoring 17 league goals.

Diouf&nbsp;helped Stoke finish ninth in the league standings in his first two seasons at the club until that run was broken the last term when they finished 13th.

&quot;Another top 10 finish this season is the immediate ambition but we should be targeting the next step, an even higher finish, and success in one of the cup competitions,&quot;&nbsp;Diouf&nbsp;told the club&#39;s website on Thursday.

&quot;There&#39;s no reason why we can&#39;t win a cup; it&#39;s a long time since Stoke City won a trophy and I&#39;d love to be part of the team that did so again.&quot;

Stoke have five points from four matches in the Premier League this season and visit 10th-placed Newcastle United, who have six points, on Saturday.

Stoke City forward Mame Diouf has signed a new three-year contract and is looking forward to helping the Premier League club push for a top-10 finish and a trophy

Stoke City forward Mame Diouf has signed a new three-year contract and is looking forward to helping the Premier League club push for a top-10 finish and a trophy. Senegal's Diouf, who joined Stoke from Germany's Hannover three years ago, has made 90 league appearances for the Staffordshire-based club scoring 17 league goals. Diouf helped Stoke finish ninth in the league standings in his first two seasons at the club until that run was broken the last term when they finished 13th. "Another top 10 finish this season is the immediate ambition but we should be targeting the next step, an even higher finish, and success in one of the cup competitions," Diouf told the club's website on Thursday. "There's no reason why we can't win a cup; it's a long time since Stoke City won a trophy and I'd love to be part of the team that did so again." Stoke have five points from four matches in the Premier League this season and visit 10th-placed Newcastle United, who have six points, on Saturday.

Stoke City's Diouf signs new three-year deal

The Indian football team has dropped 10 places to 107th spot in the latest FIFA rankings.&nbsp;

India, ranked 13th in Asia, have 316 points, compared to their previous 341.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/germany-return-to-top-of-fifa-rankings-20208" target="_blank">Also read: World Champions Germany on top of FIFA rankings, Brazil slips</a>

India were ranked 97th out of 211 countries in August.&nbsp;

And had been in the top 100 since May.&nbsp;

On May 4, India, with a total of 331 points, were ranked 100th alongside Nicaragua, Lithuania, and Estonia.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The Indian football team has dropped 10 places to 107th spot in the latest FIFA rankings. India, ranked 13th in Asia, have 316 points, compared to their previous 341. Also read: World Champions Germany on top of FIFA rankings, Brazil slips India were ranked 97th out of 211 countries in August. And had been in the top 100 since May. On May 4, India, with a total of 331 points, were ranked 100th alongside Nicaragua, Lithuania, and Estonia.

FIFA rankings: India fall out of top 100

Arsenal recovered from a goal down to beat FC Cologne 3-1 after crowd disturbances in London, while AC Milan&#39;s new signing Andre Silva scored a hat-trick in a rousing 5-1 win at Austria Vienna as the Europa League group stage got underway on Thursday.

Fellow Serie A sides Atalanta and Lazio also won while Portugal&#39;s Vitoria Guimaraes began their match against Salzburg with not a single European player in the team.

Arsenal&#39;s Group H match was delayed by an hour as about 20,000 Cologne supporters fans, many without tickets, descended on The Emirates before kick off as their team returned to European competition for the first time in 25 years.

There were also scuffles between fans and when the action finally started, Arsenal fell behind to a stunning long-range strike from Jhon Cordoba before second-half goals from Sead Kolasinac, Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin rescued the win.

Milan&#39;s Portugal forward, signed from Porto in the close season, enjoyed a prolific night as he became the first player to score a European hat-trick for the seven-times European champions since Brazilian Kaka against Anderlecht in 2006.

Hakan Calhanoglu set Milan on their way with a fierce drive in the seventh minute and then set up Silva&#39;s first two goals in the 10th and 20th of the Group D game.

Although Alexandar Borkovic pulled one back two minutes after the break, Silva completed his treble in the 56th minute after being sent clear by Franck Kessie&#39;s through ball. Suso added the fifth just after the hour before Milan eased up.

Atalanta were also impressive, scoring three first-half goals to beat English opponents Everton in Group E.

Andrea Masiello tapped the ball in from a corner after 27 minutes before Alejandro Gomez rifled home a shot from the edge of the area in the 41st and Bryan Cristante added the third three minutes later after Everton were caught in possession.

&quot;I have been waiting for this moment for a lifetime,&quot; said Argentine Gomez. &quot;I&#39;m not a young kid anymore so to play my first Europa League match at 29 and beat Everton is very emotional.&quot;

Lyon held

Olympique Lyonnais were held 1-1 at Apollon Limassol in the group&#39;s other game after Adrian Sardinero Corpa got a last-gasp equaliser for the Cypriots to cancel out Memphis Depay&#39;s 53rd minute penalty.

Braga pulled off a shock in Group C by coming from behind to win 2-1 at Hoffenheim, who had beaten German champions Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Sandro Wagner gave Hoffenheim the lead in the 24th minute but Joao Carlos Teixeira headed the equaliser on the stroke of halftime from a cross by Ricardo Esgaio who also set up the winner for Dyego Sousa five minutes after the break.

Lazio came from behind to win 3-2 at Vitesse Arnhem in Group K to complete a perfect night for three Serie A teams. Ciro Immobile scored their second goal, taking his tally for the season to seven in five games in all competitions.

In the group&#39;s other game, Nice thumped Zulte-Waregem 5-1 in Belgium with Alassane Plea scoring the first two goals, followed by a third from Dante and one from Allan Saint-Maximin before maverick striker Mario Balotelli wrapped up the win.

Guimaraes fielded four Brazilians, three Colombians, one Uruguayan, one Peruvian, one Ghanaian and one Ivorian against Salzburg who are in the Europa League again after a 10th successive failure to reach the Champions League.

Brazilian Pedrao put Guimaraes ahead in the Group I game before Valon Berisha levelled for the Austrian champions.

Zenit St Petersburg enjoyed the biggest win of the night, 5-0 at Macedonian champions Vardar Skopje in Group L with Aleksandr Kokorin scoring the first two.

There were scuffles between fans and when the action finally started, Arsenal fell behind to a stunning long-range strike from Jhon Cordoba

Arsenal recovered from a goal down to beat FC Cologne 3-1 after crowd disturbances in London, while AC Milan's new signing Andre Silva scored a hat-trick in a rousing 5-1 win at Austria Vienna as the Europa League group stage got underway on Thursday. Fellow Serie A sides Atalanta and Lazio also won while Portugal's Vitoria Guimaraes began their match against Salzburg with not a single European player in the team. Arsenal's Group H match was delayed by an hour as about 20,000 Cologne supporters fans, many without tickets, descended on The Emirates before kick off as their team returned to European competition for the first time in 25 years. There were also scuffles between fans and when the action finally started, Arsenal fell behind to a stunning long-range strike from Jhon Cordoba before second-half goals from Sead Kolasinac, Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin rescued the win. Milan's Portugal forward, signed from Porto in the close season, enjoyed a prolific night as he became the first player to score a European hat-trick for the seven-times European champions since Brazilian Kaka against Anderlecht in 2006. Hakan Calhanoglu set Milan on their way with a fierce drive in the seventh minute and then set up Silva's first two goals in the 10th and 20th of the Group D game. Although Alexandar Borkovic pulled one back two minutes after the break, Silva completed his treble in the 56th minute after being sent clear by Franck Kessie's through ball. Suso added the fifth just after the hour before Milan eased up. Atalanta were also impressive, scoring three first-half goals to beat English opponents Everton in Group E. Andrea Masiello tapped the ball in from a corner after 27 minutes before Alejandro Gomez rifled home a shot from the edge of the area in the 41st and Bryan Cristante added the third three minutes later after Everton were caught in possession. "I have been waiting for this moment for a lifetime," said Argentine Gomez. "I'm not a young kid anymore so to play my first Europa League match at 29 and beat Everton is very emotional." Lyon held Olympique Lyonnais were held 1-1 at Apollon Limassol in the group's other game after Adrian Sardinero Corpa got a last-gasp equaliser for the Cypriots to cancel out Memphis Depay's 53rd minute penalty. Braga pulled off a shock in Group C by coming from behind to win 2-1 at Hoffenheim, who had beaten German champions Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Sandro Wagner gave Hoffenheim the lead in the 24th minute but Joao Carlos Teixeira headed the equaliser on the stroke of halftime from a cross by Ricardo Esgaio who also set up the winner for Dyego Sousa five minutes after the break. Lazio came from behind to win 3-2 at Vitesse Arnhem in Group K to complete a perfect night for three Serie A teams. Ciro Immobile scored their second goal, taking his tally for the season to seven in five games in all competitions. In the group's other game, Nice thumped Zulte-Waregem 5-1 in Belgium with Alassane Plea scoring the first two goals, followed by a third from Dante and one from Allan Saint-Maximin before maverick striker Mario Balotelli wrapped up the win. Guimaraes fielded four Brazilians, three Colombians, one Uruguayan, one Peruvian, one Ghanaian and one Ivorian against Salzburg who are in the Europa League again after a 10th successive failure to reach the Champions League. Brazilian Pedrao put Guimaraes ahead in the Group I game before Valon Berisha levelled for the Austrian champions. Zenit St Petersburg enjoyed the biggest win of the night, 5-0 at Macedonian champions Vardar Skopje in Group L with Aleksandr Kokorin scoring the first two.

Europa League roundup: Arsenal win after crowd trouble, Silva fires Milan to victory

World champions&nbsp;Germany&nbsp;pushed Brazil back into second place to&nbsp;return&nbsp;to the&nbsp;top&nbsp;of the&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;rankings, which was published on Thursday.

Germany&#39;s 2-1 win away to the Czech Republic and their 6-0 drubbing of Norway in the World Cup qualifiers lifted them over the already-qualified Brazil, who dropped points in a draw away to Colombia.

European champions Portugal climbed three places to third -- even though they are second in their World Cup qualifying group behind Switzerland.

In another surprise, Argentina are fourth in the&nbsp;rankings&nbsp;despite struggling to qualify for the World Cup after drawing their last two games - away to Uruguay and at home to Venezuela.

War-torn Syria, who have reached the Asian playoff stage in the World Cup qualifiers despite playing their &#39;home&#39; World Cup qualifiers in Malaysia because of the security situation in the country, rose to their highest-ever ranking of 75.

Three other teams reached their best-ever place - Peru (12th), Northern Ireland (20th) and Luxemburg (101st) after they held France to a 0-0 draw away.

The&nbsp;rankings&nbsp;made disappointing reading for Asia with only three sides in the&nbsp;top&nbsp;50 - Iran, Japan and Australia.

The next&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;rankings&nbsp;will be announced on Oct. 16 and used to determine the seedings in the draw for the four European playoff ties for next year&#39;s World Cup finals in Russia.

Top&nbsp;10&nbsp;rankings: (previous positions in brackets) 1.&nbsp;Germany&nbsp;(2) 2. Brazil (1) 3. Portugal (6) 4. Argentina (3) 5. Belgium (9) 6. Poland (5) 7. Switzerland (4) 8. France (10) 9. Chile (7) 10. Colombia (8)

Germany's 2-1 win away to the Czech Republic and their 6-0 drubbing of Norway in the World Cup qualifiers lifted them over the already-qualified Brazil, who dropped points in a draw away to Colombia.

World champions Germany pushed Brazil back into second place to return to the top of the FIFA rankings, which was published on Thursday. Germany's 2-1 win away to the Czech Republic and their 6-0 drubbing of Norway in the World Cup qualifiers lifted them over the already-qualified Brazil, who dropped points in a draw away to Colombia. European champions Portugal climbed three places to third -- even though they are second in their World Cup qualifying group behind Switzerland. In another surprise, Argentina are fourth in the rankings despite struggling to qualify for the World Cup after drawing their last two games - away to Uruguay and at home to Venezuela. War-torn Syria, who have reached the Asian playoff stage in the World Cup qualifiers despite playing their 'home' World Cup qualifiers in Malaysia because of the security situation in the country, rose to their highest-ever ranking of 75. Three other teams reached their best-ever place - Peru (12th), Northern Ireland (20th) and Luxemburg (101st) after they held France to a 0-0 draw away. The rankings made disappointing reading for Asia with only three sides in the top 50 - Iran, Japan and Australia. The next FIFA rankings will be announced on Oct. 16 and used to determine the seedings in the draw for the four European playoff ties for next year's World Cup finals in Russia. Top 10 rankings: (previous positions in brackets) 1. Germany (2) 2. Brazil (1) 3. Portugal (6) 4. Argentina (3) 5. Belgium (9) 6. Poland (5) 7. Switzerland (4) 8. France (10) 9. Chile (7) 10. Colombia (8)

FIFA rankings: World Champions Germany on top, Brazil slips

Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed a brace on his return from suspension for Real Madrid, as Tottenham Hotspur ended their Wembley jinx and Liverpool were held on their Champions League comeback on Wednesday.

Real have sorely missed their Portuguese superstar as he serves a five-match domestic ban for pushing a referee.

But he wasted no time in making his towering presence felt against APOEL Nicosia, scoring after just 12 minutes from Gareth Bale&#39;s low cross, and then doubling his tally from the penalty spot before Sergio Ramos&#39;s overhead kick rounded off the cosy 3-0 win.

Ronaldo has now struck 12 times in his last six Champions League games.

&quot;He is the best in the world. We know he will always score goals,&quot; said Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.

&quot;With a bit more luck today he could have scored four. Cristiano has so many goals in him and we feel it.&quot;

&quot;Hopefully he stays in form. You can&#39;t question the levels he reaches every year,&quot; added Ramos.

The titleholders top Group H with Tottenham, who ended their woeful Wembley run with an impressive Harry Kane-inspired 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund.

Already scarred by damaging Wembley defeats in the Champions League and FA Cup semi-finals last term, Tottenham had lost to Chelsea and drawn with Burnley this season, sparking alarmist talk that they were jinxed at the hallowed north London venue.

But, after losing eight of their previous 12 matches at Wembley, Kane&#39;s predatory finishing ensured Tottenham finally enjoyed a night to remember in their temporary lodgings.

Son Heung-Min&#39;s first goal of the season put Tottenham ahead early on with Andriy Yarmolenko conjuring a sublime equaliser.

Kane, who scored twice in Saturday&#39;s win at Everton, restored Tottenham&#39;s advantage before the interval and wrapped up the victory with his second goal after half-time.

The only blemish for Spurs was a late sending off for a second bookable offence for Jan Vertonghen, who swung his forearm into Mario Gotze&#39;s face.

&quot;It was so important to win, we are so happy. We increased our level in the second half and were very clinical,&quot; Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said.

&quot;It is more than three points. The team is more mature now. Harry Kane was fantastic.&quot;

Costly Firmino miss 
At Anfield, Roberto Firmino&#39;s first-half penalty miss proved costly for Liverpool as Joaquin Correa scored a dramatic equaliser to grab Sevilla a 2-2 draw.

Anfield was in jubilant mood as the English club welcomed back Champions League football after a two-year absence, but it took Sevilla just four minutes to dampen the enthusiasm.

After Wissam Ben Yedder had given the Spanish side an early lead, goals from Firmino and Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead, only for Firmino to miss a penalty.

On the hour, Sevilla manager Eduardo Berizzo was dismissed for throwing the ball away from Liverpool&#39;s Joe Gomez as he tried to take a throw-in, but his disappointment was eased, thanks to Correa, on 72 minutes.

&quot;Of course I&#39;m not happy with the result but I&#39;m happy with a big part of the game,&quot; said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

&quot;A lot of times when good teams play each other, the games are kind of boring, but this game was the opposite. And that was due to the desire, the passion, the greed of my team.&quot;

Liverpool and Sevilla were joined on one point in Group E by Spartak Moscow and Maribor, who drew 1-1 in Slovenia.

Manchester City ran out the biggest winners of the night with a 4-0 rout of Feyenoord in Rotterdam courtesy of goals from Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and John Stones&#39; double.

City coach Pep Guardiola commented: &quot;We did not play back... We were aggressive... We had the legs to run on the side, especially on the right and created the chances. Enough to win the game comfortably.&quot;

Shakhtar Donetsk beat Napoli 2-1 to share the summit in Group F.

French champions Monaco were held 1-1 at competition newcomers RB Leipzig in Germany as Besiktas topped Group G with a 3-1 win at Porto. 
&nbsp;

Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed a brace on his return from suspension for Real Madrid, as Tottenham Hotspur ended their Wembley jinx and Liverpool were held on their Champions League comeback on Wednesday. Real have sorely missed their Portuguese superstar as he serves a five-match domestic ban for pushing a referee. But he wasted no time in making his towering presence felt against APOEL Nicosia, scoring after just 12 minutes from Gareth Bale's low cross, and then doubling his tally from the penalty spot before Sergio Ramos's overhead kick rounded off the cosy 3-0 win. Ronaldo has now struck 12 times in his last six Champions League games. "He is the best in the world. We know he will always score goals," said Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane. "With a bit more luck today he could have scored four. Cristiano has so many goals in him and we feel it." "Hopefully he stays in form. You can't question the levels he reaches every year," added Ramos. The titleholders top Group H with Tottenham, who ended their woeful Wembley run with an impressive Harry Kane-inspired 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund. Already scarred by damaging Wembley defeats in the Champions League and FA Cup semi-finals last term, Tottenham had lost to Chelsea and drawn with Burnley this season, sparking alarmist talk that they were jinxed at the hallowed north London venue. But, after losing eight of their previous 12 matches at Wembley, Kane's predatory finishing ensured Tottenham finally enjoyed a night to remember in their temporary lodgings. Son Heung-Min's first goal of the season put Tottenham ahead early on with Andriy Yarmolenko conjuring a sublime equaliser. Kane, who scored twice in Saturday's win at Everton, restored Tottenham's advantage before the interval and wrapped up the victory with his second goal after half-time. The only blemish for Spurs was a late sending off for a second bookable offence for Jan Vertonghen, who swung his forearm into Mario Gotze's face. "It was so important to win, we are so happy. We increased our level in the second half and were very clinical," Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said. "It is more than three points. The team is more mature now. Harry Kane was fantastic." Costly Firmino miss At Anfield, Roberto Firmino's first-half penalty miss proved costly for Liverpool as Joaquin Correa scored a dramatic equaliser to grab Sevilla a 2-2 draw. Anfield was in jubilant mood as the English club welcomed back Champions League football after a two-year absence, but it took Sevilla just four minutes to dampen the enthusiasm. After Wissam Ben Yedder had given the Spanish side an early lead, goals from Firmino and Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead, only for Firmino to miss a penalty. On the hour, Sevilla manager Eduardo Berizzo was dismissed for throwing the ball away from Liverpool's Joe Gomez as he tried to take a throw-in, but his disappointment was eased, thanks to Correa, on 72 minutes. "Of course I'm not happy with the result but I'm happy with a big part of the game," said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. "A lot of times when good teams play each other, the games are kind of boring, but this game was the opposite. And that was due to the desire, the passion, the greed of my team." Liverpool and Sevilla were joined on one point in Group E by Spartak Moscow and Maribor, who drew 1-1 in Slovenia. Manchester City ran out the biggest winners of the night with a 4-0 rout of Feyenoord in Rotterdam courtesy of goals from Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and John Stones' double. City coach Pep Guardiola commented: "We did not play back... We were aggressive... We had the legs to run on the side, especially on the right and created the chances. Enough to win the game comfortably." Shakhtar Donetsk beat Napoli 2-1 to share the summit in Group F. French champions Monaco were held 1-1 at competition newcomers RB Leipzig in Germany as Besiktas topped Group G with a 3-1 win at Porto.

Champions League: Ronaldo back in style for Real, Spurs end Wembley jinx

Lionel Messi netted twice in Barcelona&#39;s convincing 3-0 victory over Juventus that kicked off their Champions League campaign in style, while Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Chelsea also won big on Tuesday.

After a troubled summer, a home meeting with last season&#39;s runners-up may not have been what Barcelona wanted, but Messi was at his brilliant best to give the Catalans the three points.

New signing Ousmane Dembele was handed a first Barcelona start at the Camp Nou but it was Messi who got the opening goal on the stroke of half-time after a brilliant exchange of passes with Luis Suarez.

It was fine play from the Argentine that led to Ivan Rakitic doubling Barca&#39;s lead on 56 minutes and Messi saved the best for last with a sublime goal to complete the victory midway through the second half.

&quot;I have suffered many times playing against Messi and now I have the luck to have him on my side,&quot; said Barca coach Ernesto Valverde.

The result gave Barcelona revenge for their defeat to Juventus in last season&#39;s quarter-finals and leaves them on top of Group D alongside Sporting Lisbon, who won 3-2 away to Olympiakos in Greece.

Sporting, who had been three goals up at half-time, host Barcelona next.

While Barcelona adapt to life without Neymar, the Brazilian is enjoying life with PSG and scored the opener in their superb 5-0 victory over Celtic in Glasgow.

Neymar silenced the Parkhead crowd in the 19th minute for his fifth goal in five appearances for PSG, and he then set up Kylian Mbappe to make it 2-0.

Edinson Cavani -- the third member of PSG&#39;s &#39;MCN&#39; front three -- won and converted a penalty to put the visitors out of sight before the interval.

A Mikael Lustig own goal on 83 minutes and another for Cavani put the seal on PSG&#39;s victory and left Celtic to contemplate their heaviest ever home defeat in Europe.

&quot;It was a great match and very important to win. It is always a pleasure to play alongside great players,&quot; Neymar told beIN Sports.

PSG&#39;s next opponents in Group B will be five-time European champions Bayern Munich, who began their campaign by brushing aside Anderlecht 3-0 at the Allianz Arena.

The game was conditioned by the early sending-off of Anderlecht&#39;s Sven Kums for giving away a penalty that Robert Lewandowski converted.

Alexandru Chipciu did hit the post for the 10 men when it was still 1-0 but Bayern added two more goals in the second half, with Joshua Kimmich setting up Thiago Alcantara to score before wrapping up the win himself.

Fellaini United&#39;s fixer 
Substitute Marouane Fellaini was an unlikely source of inspiration as Manchester United comfortably defeated Basel 3-0 in Group A on their return to the Champions League.

Fellaini came on for the injured Paul Pogba and gave United a 35th-minute lead at a drizzly Old Trafford. He later teed up Marcus Rashford for the hosts&#39; third goal after Romelu Lukaku had struck early in the second period.

It was United&#39;s first Champions League game since December 2015, with Jose Mourinho&#39;s side having engineered a return to the competition by winning the Europa League last season.

In the same group, CSKA Moscow came from behind to beat Portuguese champions Benfica 2-1 in Lisbon with Timur Zhamaletdinov getting their winner. CSKA entertain United later this month.

Mourinho&#39;s old club Chelsea were the biggest winners on the night, thrashing group stage newcomers Qarabag 6-0 at Stamford Bridge in Group C.

A superb Pedro Rodriguez strike set Chelsea on their way before recent signing Davide Zappacosta&#39;s intended cross flew in to make it 2-0 before the interval.

Cesar Azpilicueta and Tiemoue Bakayoko scored after the break and Michy Batshuayi added the fifth before forcing Maksim Medvedev into the own goal that completed the rout.

Chelsea next go to Atletico Madrid, who drew 0-0 at Roma on Tuesday.

Messi scored twice for Barcelona, Neymar scored the opener in PSG's superb 5-0 victory over Celtic in Glasgow

Lionel Messi netted twice in Barcelona's convincing 3-0 victory over Juventus that kicked off their Champions League campaign in style, while Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Chelsea also won big on Tuesday. After a troubled summer, a home meeting with last season's runners-up may not have been what Barcelona wanted, but Messi was at his brilliant best to give the Catalans the three points. New signing Ousmane Dembele was handed a first Barcelona start at the Camp Nou but it was Messi who got the opening goal on the stroke of half-time after a brilliant exchange of passes with Luis Suarez. It was fine play from the Argentine that led to Ivan Rakitic doubling Barca's lead on 56 minutes and Messi saved the best for last with a sublime goal to complete the victory midway through the second half. "I have suffered many times playing against Messi and now I have the luck to have him on my side," said Barca coach Ernesto Valverde. The result gave Barcelona revenge for their defeat to Juventus in last season's quarter-finals and leaves them on top of Group D alongside Sporting Lisbon, who won 3-2 away to Olympiakos in Greece. Sporting, who had been three goals up at half-time, host Barcelona next. While Barcelona adapt to life without Neymar, the Brazilian is enjoying life with PSG and scored the opener in their superb 5-0 victory over Celtic in Glasgow. Neymar silenced the Parkhead crowd in the 19th minute for his fifth goal in five appearances for PSG, and he then set up Kylian Mbappe to make it 2-0. Edinson Cavani -- the third member of PSG's 'MCN' front three -- won and converted a penalty to put the visitors out of sight before the interval. A Mikael Lustig own goal on 83 minutes and another for Cavani put the seal on PSG's victory and left Celtic to contemplate their heaviest ever home defeat in Europe. "It was a great match and very important to win. It is always a pleasure to play alongside great players," Neymar told beIN Sports. PSG's next opponents in Group B will be five-time European champions Bayern Munich, who began their campaign by brushing aside Anderlecht 3-0 at the Allianz Arena. The game was conditioned by the early sending-off of Anderlecht's Sven Kums for giving away a penalty that Robert Lewandowski converted. Alexandru Chipciu did hit the post for the 10 men when it was still 1-0 but Bayern added two more goals in the second half, with Joshua Kimmich setting up Thiago Alcantara to score before wrapping up the win himself. Fellaini United's fixer Substitute Marouane Fellaini was an unlikely source of inspiration as Manchester United comfortably defeated Basel 3-0 in Group A on their return to the Champions League. Fellaini came on for the injured Paul Pogba and gave United a 35th-minute lead at a drizzly Old Trafford. He later teed up Marcus Rashford for the hosts' third goal after Romelu Lukaku had struck early in the second period. It was United's first Champions League game since December 2015, with Jose Mourinho's side having engineered a return to the competition by winning the Europa League last season. In the same group, CSKA Moscow came from behind to beat Portuguese champions Benfica 2-1 in Lisbon with Timur Zhamaletdinov getting their winner. CSKA entertain United later this month. Mourinho's old club Chelsea were the biggest winners on the night, thrashing group stage newcomers Qarabag 6-0 at Stamford Bridge in Group C. A superb Pedro Rodriguez strike set Chelsea on their way before recent signing Davide Zappacosta's intended cross flew in to make it 2-0 before the interval. Cesar Azpilicueta and Tiemoue Bakayoko scored after the break and Michy Batshuayi added the fifth before forcing Maksim Medvedev into the own goal that completed the rout. Chelsea next go to Atletico Madrid, who drew 0-0 at Roma on Tuesday.

Champions League: Barcelona beat Juventus; PSG, ManU & Chelsea win big

FIFA is struggling to implement reforms and change its operating culture because its leaders are more worried about their own political futures, a former top official said on Wednesday.

The global soccer body has been trying to overhaul its operations in the wake of the worst crisis in its history, sparked in 2015 by the indictment in the United States of several dozen soccer officials on corruption-related charges.

Miguel Maduro, a former head of FIFA&#39;s independent governance and review committee, also told a British parliamentary hearing that FIFA&#39;s leadership tried to persuade him not to block Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko from being re-elected to its top committee.

&quot;There is a culture in the institution ... that is extremely resistant to accountability, to independent scrutiny, to transparency, to the prevention of conflicts of interest,&quot; Maduro told the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.

He said FIFA president Gianni Infantino &quot;realised that if he wanted to survive politically, he had to choose to protect the independence of bodies, and therefore to keep us in place, or answer to his constituency.&quot;

Neither FIFA nor Infantino could immediately be reached for comment.

Maduro, a Portuguese lawyer, and politician was removed from his post in May, two months after ruling that Mutko could not stand for re-election for his place on the FIFA Council.

His responsibilities had included conducting eligibility checks on candidates for places on FIFA committees.

At the same time, FIFA also decided not to renew the mandates of Cornel Borbely and Hans-Joachim Eckert, the two heads of the independent ethics committee responsible for banning a number of soccer officials over the previous three years.

&quot;If they wanted in FIFA to really have independent scrutiny, they ought to have protected us,&quot; said Maduro. &quot;I think that ultimately, he (Infantino) chose to politically survive.&quot;

&quot;I was clearly told that declaring Mr. Mutko ineligible would probably cost the presidency because the World Cup would be a disaster and as a consequence, the presidency would be put under question,&quot; Maduro added.

Mutko was barred by the governance committee because his position in Russia contradicted its statutes concerning political neutrality.

Infantino was elected in February 2016 to rebuild FIFA after it became embroiled in the corruption scandal.

FIFA is struggling to implement reforms and change its operating culture because its leaders are more worried about their own political futures

FIFA is struggling to implement reforms and change its operating culture because its leaders are more worried about their own political futures, a former top official said on Wednesday. The global soccer body has been trying to overhaul its operations in the wake of the worst crisis in its history, sparked in 2015 by the indictment in the United States of several dozen soccer officials on corruption-related charges. Miguel Maduro, a former head of FIFA's independent governance and review committee, also told a British parliamentary hearing that FIFA's leadership tried to persuade him not to block Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko from being re-elected to its top committee. "There is a culture in the institution ... that is extremely resistant to accountability, to independent scrutiny, to transparency, to the prevention of conflicts of interest," Maduro told the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. He said FIFA president Gianni Infantino "realised that if he wanted to survive politically, he had to choose to protect the independence of bodies, and therefore to keep us in place, or answer to his constituency." Neither FIFA nor Infantino could immediately be reached for comment. Maduro, a Portuguese lawyer, and politician was removed from his post in May, two months after ruling that Mutko could not stand for re-election for his place on the FIFA Council. His responsibilities had included conducting eligibility checks on candidates for places on FIFA committees. At the same time, FIFA also decided not to renew the mandates of Cornel Borbely and Hans-Joachim Eckert, the two heads of the independent ethics committee responsible for banning a number of soccer officials over the previous three years. "If they wanted in FIFA to really have independent scrutiny, they ought to have protected us," said Maduro. "I think that ultimately, he (Infantino) chose to politically survive." "I was clearly told that declaring Mr. Mutko ineligible would probably cost the presidency because the World Cup would be a disaster and as a consequence, the presidency would be put under question," Maduro added. Mutko was barred by the governance committee because his position in Russia contradicted its statutes concerning political neutrality. Infantino was elected in February 2016 to rebuild FIFA after it became embroiled in the corruption scandal.

FIFA still resistant to change, says former official

Real Madrid, Barcelona, and other Spanish clubs, may soon be playing competitive La Liga games outside of Spain.&nbsp;

The move would be to help increase revenue.&nbsp;

The idea was revealed on Friday by Spanish President Javier Tebas.&nbsp;

AFP reported Tebas as suggesting the staging of La Liga games abroad from next season would help Spanish soccer compete for foreign revenue with its English and German rivals.

&quot;It would only be one or two games a season, like the NFL or NBA do,&quot; AFP quoted Tebas as saying.

&quot;If we want to compete with the Premier League or the Bundesliga we have to look for added value,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

AFP added Tebas as saying they would look &quot;deeply&quot; into the idea before taking it to the clubs.&nbsp;

And added him as saying, &quot;But it&#39;s not a bad idea.&quot;&nbsp;

The preferred destinations for the games played abroad would be China or the United States.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The move would be to help increase La Liga's revenue

Real Madrid, Barcelona, and other Spanish clubs, may soon be playing competitive La Liga games outside of Spain. The move would be to help increase revenue. The idea was revealed on Friday by Spanish President Javier Tebas. AFP reported Tebas as suggesting the staging of La Liga games abroad from next season would help Spanish soccer compete for foreign revenue with its English and German rivals. "It would only be one or two games a season, like the NFL or NBA do," AFP quoted Tebas as saying. "If we want to compete with the Premier League or the Bundesliga we have to look for added value," he added. AFP added Tebas as saying they would look "deeply" into the idea before taking it to the clubs. And added him as saying, "But it's not a bad idea." The preferred destinations for the games played abroad would be China or the United States.

Barca, Real may play competitive La Liga games abroad starting next season

Germany&nbsp;fired six past Norway while England fought back after an early scare to beat Slovakia in European&nbsp;World&nbsp;Cup&nbsp;qualifying on Monday.

Timo Werner scored a double in&nbsp;Germany&#39;s 6-0 rout of the Norwegians in Stuttgart to leave Joachim Loew&#39;s&nbsp;world&nbsp;champions with a perfect eight out of eight record atop Group C.

But with second-placed Northern Ireland beating the Czech Republic 2-0 in Belfast&nbsp;Germany&nbsp;will have to wait until their next match, away to the Irish on October 5, to seal automatic qualification to Russia.

Werner, booed by his own fans in&nbsp;Germany&#39;s 2-1 win in Prague against the Czechs last Friday, came off to a standing ovation this time after netting in the 21st and 40th minutes.

After struggling to beat the Czechs, this was a far more polished performance, with Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil&#39;s 10th-minute opener sparking the rout.

Paris Saint-Germain star Julian Draxler netted the second with Werner&#39;s brace putting them four goals up at the break.

Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka grabbed&nbsp;Germany&#39;s fifth with Werner&#39;s replacement, the 32-year-old veteran Mario Gomez, rounding off a productive night.

It was the perfect antidote after Friday&#39;s laboured trip to Prague marred by a group of 200 right-wing German fans chanting Nazi-era slogans.

&quot;That showed the beautiful side of football,&quot; said head coach Loew, who had said Friday&#39;s scenes in Prague &quot;shamed&nbsp;Germany&quot;, following Werner&#39;s ovation after his two goals.

&quot;It was a huge amount of fun to play here and we played our part in that with some great combinations and goals.&quot;

The Northern Irish guaranteed themselves at least a place in the play-offs thanks to Jonny Evans&#39; second international goal eight years after his first and his West Bromwich Albion teammate Chris Brunt&#39;s 41st minute freekick.

&quot;I thought I might have been offside,&quot; Evans admitted. &quot;I thought I&#39;d head it anyway and see what happens. I saw it go into the net and I don&#39;t remember much after that!&quot;

Manager Michael O&#39;Neill praised his men after yet another solid defensive display.

&quot;We&#39;re in a great position now. We&#39;re guaranteed second place and seven clean sheets out of eight is a phenomenal record.&quot;

At Wembley, England were stunned when Stanislav Lobotka gave Slovakia a third-minute lead after a costly error by Marcus Rashford.

But the 19-year-old atoned in style when setting up the equaliser for Eric Dier and then netting a sumptuous 20-yard winner in the second half.

Victory sent England five points clear of Slovakia in Group F -- Gareth Southgate&#39;s side need only two points from their last two games against Slovenia and Lithuania to seal qualification.

&quot;To come from behind against a side with very good footballers, particularly in midfield, we had to show character,&quot; said Southgate.

&quot;Marcus Rashford showed, like the rest of the team, great character. He made the mistake for their goal, but he kept persevering.&quot;

Scotland kept alive their hopes of a play-off place with a 2-0 home win over Malta, the goals coming from Christophe Berra and Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths.

Gordan Strachan&#39;s team are alive and kicking on the road to Russia in fourth place, on 14 points.

Elsewhere, Poland held on to the Group E summit, beating Kazakhstan 3-0, with Denmark going second on the strength of a 4-1 win in Armenia.

Germany?fired six past Norway while England fought back after an early scare to beat Slovakia in European?World?Cup?qualifying

Germany fired six past Norway while England fought back after an early scare to beat Slovakia in European World Cup qualifying on Monday. Timo Werner scored a double in Germany's 6-0 rout of the Norwegians in Stuttgart to leave Joachim Loew's world champions with a perfect eight out of eight record atop Group C. But with second-placed Northern Ireland beating the Czech Republic 2-0 in Belfast Germany will have to wait until their next match, away to the Irish on October 5, to seal automatic qualification to Russia. Werner, booed by his own fans in Germany's 2-1 win in Prague against the Czechs last Friday, came off to a standing ovation this time after netting in the 21st and 40th minutes. After struggling to beat the Czechs, this was a far more polished performance, with Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil's 10th-minute opener sparking the rout. Paris Saint-Germain star Julian Draxler netted the second with Werner's brace putting them four goals up at the break. Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka grabbed Germany's fifth with Werner's replacement, the 32-year-old veteran Mario Gomez, rounding off a productive night. It was the perfect antidote after Friday's laboured trip to Prague marred by a group of 200 right-wing German fans chanting Nazi-era slogans. "That showed the beautiful side of football," said head coach Loew, who had said Friday's scenes in Prague "shamed Germany", following Werner's ovation after his two goals. "It was a huge amount of fun to play here and we played our part in that with some great combinations and goals." The Northern Irish guaranteed themselves at least a place in the play-offs thanks to Jonny Evans' second international goal eight years after his first and his West Bromwich Albion teammate Chris Brunt's 41st minute freekick. "I thought I might have been offside," Evans admitted. "I thought I'd head it anyway and see what happens. I saw it go into the net and I don't remember much after that!" Manager Michael O'Neill praised his men after yet another solid defensive display. "We're in a great position now. We're guaranteed second place and seven clean sheets out of eight is a phenomenal record." At Wembley, England were stunned when Stanislav Lobotka gave Slovakia a third-minute lead after a costly error by Marcus Rashford. But the 19-year-old atoned in style when setting up the equaliser for Eric Dier and then netting a sumptuous 20-yard winner in the second half. Victory sent England five points clear of Slovakia in Group F -- Gareth Southgate's side need only two points from their last two games against Slovenia and Lithuania to seal qualification. "To come from behind against a side with very good footballers, particularly in midfield, we had to show character," said Southgate. "Marcus Rashford showed, like the rest of the team, great character. He made the mistake for their goal, but he kept persevering." Scotland kept alive their hopes of a play-off place with a 2-0 home win over Malta, the goals coming from Christophe Berra and Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths. Gordan Strachan's team are alive and kicking on the road to Russia in fourth place, on 14 points. Elsewhere, Poland held on to the Group E summit, beating Kazakhstan 3-0, with Denmark going second on the strength of a 4-1 win in Armenia.

World Cup qualifiers: Germany rout Norway, England survive Slovakia scare

Brazil's soccer sensation Neymar moves into sprawling mansion near PSG training ground

PSG superstar Neymar's new 5-storey mansion near club ground

West Bromwich Albion has signed Scotland international Oliver Burke from Germany&#39;s RB Leipzig, the Premier League club said on Friday.

The 20-year-old winger joins Tony Pulis&#39;s squad on a five-year deal after featuring 25 times in the league last season for Leipzig, who finished runners-up to Bayern Munich.

Burke became the most expensive Scottish player in signing for the German side from Nottingham Forest for a reported 13 million pounds ($16.66 million) in August last year.

Local media said on Friday West Brom had shelled out around 15 million pounds to bring him back to England.

&quot;I feel like it is a time for me to move on and play more games,&quot; Burke said in a statement. &quot;I&#39;m here, I want to impress and I want my name to be first on the team sheet.&quot;

West Brom had shelled out around 15 million pounds to bring him back to England.

West Bromwich Albion has signed Scotland international Oliver Burke from Germany's RB Leipzig, the Premier League club said on Friday. The 20-year-old winger joins Tony Pulis's squad on a five-year deal after featuring 25 times in the league last season for Leipzig, who finished runners-up to Bayern Munich. Burke became the most expensive Scottish player in signing for the German side from Nottingham Forest for a reported 13 million pounds ($16.66 million) in August last year. Local media said on Friday West Brom had shelled out around 15 million pounds to bring him back to England. "I feel like it is a time for me to move on and play more games," Burke said in a statement. "I'm here, I want to impress and I want my name to be first on the team sheet."

West Brom signs Burke, now the most expensive Scottish player

&nbsp;Marcello&nbsp;Lippi&nbsp;will remain as China coach until at least the 2019 Asian Cup finals, the Chinese Football Association said on Thursday.

The Italian, who replaced Gao Hongbo last October, has kept China&#39;s slim hopes of qualifying for the next year&#39;s World Cup finals alive since taking over.

China take&nbsp;on Uzbekistan and Qatar in their final two qualifiers over the coming weeks, withLippi&#39;s team needing to win both and hope other results go their way to have any hope of progressing into the playoffs for a place in Russia.

&quot;We will strictly carry out our contract with&nbsp;Lippi, which expires after the 2019 Asian Cup,&quot; the CFA said in an article posted on their website on Thursday.

&quot;We won&#39;t interfere with his preparation and the line-up. In the meantime, we will support his group as always. We hope to support and trust each other.&quot;

By progressing to the final round of Asia&#39;s World Cup qualifiers, the Chinese have already secured their place at the quadrennial Asian Cup, which has been expanded to feature 24 teams for the first time in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.

China&#39;s best performance in the Asian Cup came on home soil in 2004, when they lost to Japan in the final. They reached the quarter-finals in the most recent edition, in Australia in 2015.

The team has shown some progress under&nbsp;Lippi, securing only their second win over South Korea in March, but their hopes of qualifying for a second World Cup finals were always remote after a poor start under Gao.

&quot;Since October 22 last year,&nbsp;Lippi&nbsp;and his coaching staff have helped China to get one win, two draws and one defeat in the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup,&quot; said the CFA.

&quot;The team has changed a lot tactically and mentally. We hereby take this opportunity to thank them all.&quot;

"We will strictly carry out our contract with?Lippi, which expires after the 2019 Asian Cup," the CFA said in an article posted on their website on Thursday.

Marcello Lippi will remain as China coach until at least the 2019 Asian Cup finals, the Chinese Football Association said on Thursday. The Italian, who replaced Gao Hongbo last October, has kept China's slim hopes of qualifying for the next year's World Cup finals alive since taking over. China take on Uzbekistan and Qatar in their final two qualifiers over the coming weeks, withLippi's team needing to win both and hope other results go their way to have any hope of progressing into the playoffs for a place in Russia. "We will strictly carry out our contract with Lippi, which expires after the 2019 Asian Cup," the CFA said in an article posted on their website on Thursday. "We won't interfere with his preparation and the line-up. In the meantime, we will support his group as always. We hope to support and trust each other." By progressing to the final round of Asia's World Cup qualifiers, the Chinese have already secured their place at the quadrennial Asian Cup, which has been expanded to feature 24 teams for the first time in the United Arab Emirates in 2019. China's best performance in the Asian Cup came on home soil in 2004, when they lost to Japan in the final. They reached the quarter-finals in the most recent edition, in Australia in 2015. The team has shown some progress under Lippi, securing only their second win over South Korea in March, but their hopes of qualifying for a second World Cup finals were always remote after a poor start under Gao. "Since October 22 last year, Lippi and his coaching staff have helped China to get one win, two draws and one defeat in the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup," said the CFA. "The team has changed a lot tactically and mentally. We hereby take this opportunity to thank them all."

Marcello Lippi to remain China's coach until 2019 Asian Cup Finals

Emre Can scored twice as Liverpool defeated Hoffenheim 4-2 in the second leg of Wednesday&#39;s play-off to complete a 6-3 aggregate victory and qualify for the Champions League group stage.

Leading 2-1 from the first leg, a first-half brace from Germany international Emre Can either side of a Mohamed Salah goal put five-time European champions Liverpool 3-0 up at Anfield.

Mark Uth gave Hoffenheim a glimmer of hope but Roberto Firmino converted Liverpool&#39;s fourth just beyond the hour with Sandro Wagner&#39;s late header scant consolation for the visitors.

Leading 2-1 from the first leg, a first-half brace from Germany international Can either side of a Mohamed Salah goal put five-time European champions Liverpool 3-0 up at Anfield.

Emre Can scored twice as Liverpool defeated Hoffenheim 4-2 in the second leg of Wednesday's play-off to complete a 6-3 aggregate victory and qualify for the Champions League group stage. Leading 2-1 from the first leg, a first-half brace from Germany international Emre Can either side of a Mohamed Salah goal put five-time European champions Liverpool 3-0 up at Anfield. Mark Uth gave Hoffenheim a glimmer of hope but Roberto Firmino converted Liverpool's fourth just beyond the hour with Sandro Wagner's late header scant consolation for the visitors.

Football: Liverpool qualify for Champions League group stage

Makoto Hasebe has been recalled for Japan&#39;s crucial World Cup qualifying matches against Australia and Saudi Arabia after the Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder was included in head coach Vahid Halilhodzic&#39;s squad on Thursday.

Having missed games against the United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Iraq due to surgery on a knee injury, Japan&#39;s captain has made a full recovery to be selected in Halilhodzic&#39;s initial 27-man squad.

&quot;There are a number of players I am concerned about and I have done this because I don&#39;t want to take risks. I want to look first-hand at the players I have got and see what the possibilities are,&quot; Halilhodzic was reported as saying by Kyodo News.

The former Algeria coach has also recalled Getafe midfielder Gaku Shibasaki as well as striker Yoshinori Muto, while there are fitness concerns over Yuya Osako, Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa.

Japan lead Group B of Asia&#39;s qualifying competition for the tournament in Russia next year by a solitary point and victory over Australia on Aug. 31 would secure a place in the World Cup finals for a sixth successive time.

However, with the Australians and Saudi Arabia only a point behind, Halilhodzic&#39;s side cannot afford to slip up or risk being forced to continue their qualification quest via a series of playoffs.

&quot;We started the final round of qualifiers on the wrong foot (with a 2-1 home defeat to UAE last September) but we are top of the group,&quot; Halilhodzic said.

&quot;I hear the recent criticism directed my way and it puts pressure on me but this is the kind of situation I like. The more I come under attack and the more criticism I face, the more determined I am to respond.&quot;

&nbsp;

Japan Squad

Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Metz, France), Masaaki Higashiguchi (Gamba Osaka), Kosuke Nakamura (Kashiwa Reysol).

Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan, Italy), Tomoaki Makino (Urawa Reds), Maya Yoshida (Southampton, England), Hiroki Sakai (Marseille, France), Gotoku Sakai (Hamburg, Germany), Gen Shoji (Kashima Antlers), Naomichi Ueda (Kashima Antlers), Genta Miura (Gamba Osaka).

Midfielders: Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Yojiro Takahagi (FC Tokyo), Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Yuki Kobayashi (Heerenveen, Holland), Gaku Shibasaki (Getafe, Spain), Yosuke Ideguchi (Gamba Osaka).

Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Leicester City, England), Keisuke Honda (Pachuca, Mexico), Takashi Inui (Eibar, Spain), Yuya Osako (Cologne, Germany), Genki Haraguchi (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Yoshinori Muto (Mainz, Germany), Kenyu Sugimoto (Cerezo Osaka), Yuya Kubo (Gent, Belgium), Takuma Asano (Stuttgart, Germany).

Japan's captain has made a full recovery to be selected in Halilhodzic's initial 27-man squad.

Makoto Hasebe has been recalled for Japan's crucial World Cup qualifying matches against Australia and Saudi Arabia after the Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder was included in head coach Vahid Halilhodzic's squad on Thursday. Having missed games against the United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Iraq due to surgery on a knee injury, Japan's captain has made a full recovery to be selected in Halilhodzic's initial 27-man squad. "There are a number of players I am concerned about and I have done this because I don't want to take risks. I want to look first-hand at the players I have got and see what the possibilities are," Halilhodzic was reported as saying by Kyodo News. The former Algeria coach has also recalled Getafe midfielder Gaku Shibasaki as well as striker Yoshinori Muto, while there are fitness concerns over Yuya Osako, Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa. Japan lead Group B of Asia's qualifying competition for the tournament in Russia next year by a solitary point and victory over Australia on Aug. 31 would secure a place in the World Cup finals for a sixth successive time. However, with the Australians and Saudi Arabia only a point behind, Halilhodzic's side cannot afford to slip up or risk being forced to continue their qualification quest via a series of playoffs. "We started the final round of qualifiers on the wrong foot (with a 2-1 home defeat to UAE last September) but we are top of the group," Halilhodzic said. "I hear the recent criticism directed my way and it puts pressure on me but this is the kind of situation I like. The more I come under attack and the more criticism I face, the more determined I am to respond." Japan Squad Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Metz, France), Masaaki Higashiguchi (Gamba Osaka), Kosuke Nakamura (Kashiwa Reysol). Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan, Italy), Tomoaki Makino (Urawa Reds), Maya Yoshida (Southampton, England), Hiroki Sakai (Marseille, France), Gotoku Sakai (Hamburg, Germany), Gen Shoji (Kashima Antlers), Naomichi Ueda (Kashima Antlers), Genta Miura (Gamba Osaka). Midfielders: Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Yojiro Takahagi (FC Tokyo), Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Yuki Kobayashi (Heerenveen, Holland), Gaku Shibasaki (Getafe, Spain), Yosuke Ideguchi (Gamba Osaka). Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Leicester City, England), Keisuke Honda (Pachuca, Mexico), Takashi Inui (Eibar, Spain), Yuya Osako (Cologne, Germany), Genki Haraguchi (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Yoshinori Muto (Mainz, Germany), Kenyu Sugimoto (Cerezo Osaka), Yuya Kubo (Gent, Belgium), Takuma Asano (Stuttgart, Germany).

Japan World Cup qualifier: Makoto Hasebe recalled for matches against Australia, Saudi Arabia

West Ham United manager Slaven&nbsp;Bilic&nbsp;is keen to bring in one more player before the transfer window closes on Aug. 31 but admits he may have to rush through another deal if he loses someone from his tight squad.

West Ham have strengthened with five new players including striker Javier Hernandez, defender Pablo Zabaleta and winger Marko Arnautovic but there has been speculation Argentine Manuel Lanzini was being lined up by Liverpool.

&quot;We will see what happens in the last week of the transfer window, if somebody is going to leave or come in,&quot;&nbsp;Bilic&nbsp;told reporters ahead of Wednesday&#39;s League Cup match against Cheltenham Town.

&quot;I&#39;m happy with the squad now. I would like to have one more and after that, if somebody leaves we have to fill that gap because we don&#39;t have a big squad ... We are happy but if somebody leaves we have to be ready to act.&quot;

West Ham, who have lost their opening two league games of the new season, travel to Newcastle United when Premier League action resumes on Saturday.

"We will see what happens in the last week of the transfer window, if somebody is going to leave or come in," Bilic told reporters

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic is keen to bring in one more player before the transfer window closes on Aug. 31 but admits he may have to rush through another deal if he loses someone from his tight squad. West Ham have strengthened with five new players including striker Javier Hernandez, defender Pablo Zabaleta and winger Marko Arnautovic but there has been speculation Argentine Manuel Lanzini was being lined up by Liverpool. "We will see what happens in the last week of the transfer window, if somebody is going to leave or come in," Bilic told reporters ahead of Wednesday's League Cup match against Cheltenham Town. "I'm happy with the squad now. I would like to have one more and after that, if somebody leaves we have to fill that gap because we don't have a big squad ... We are happy but if somebody leaves we have to be ready to act." West Ham, who have lost their opening two league games of the new season, travel to Newcastle United when Premier League action resumes on Saturday.

EPL transfer window: West Ham manager Bilic planning to bring new player

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