List of All Articles with Tag 'cma'

A crucial deflection, and maybe a diversion in the fortune of many of those involved in this growing fixture. Arsenal claimed their first Premier League victory over Manchester City since December 2015, and the first points for Mikel Arteta against his old employers. The Gunners came into the match facing the prospect of 13 losses in a row against the champions, but it was instead Arsenal that enjoyed the luck as the numbers finally changed. City themselves have lost two successive league games for the first time since December 2018, after Gabriel Martinelli’s opportunistic effort cannoned off the head of Nathan Ake and past Ederson for a win that may yet prove significant in the burgeoning title race. That shouldn’t just be dismissed as fortune, though, since Arteta’s side forced it. He had quite a telling intervention himself. At a key moment, the Basque introduced Kai Havertz, who offered a moment that may well prove a turning point in his early Arsenal career. It was the midfielder’s presence of mind and spatial awareness that set up Martinelli. It was also precisely the area that Rodri usually patrols, which ensured that these two league defeats in a row also made it three defeats from three without the defensive midfielder commonly seen as the best in the world now. That in turn made City look less than the European and English champions they are. They can admittedly point to other absences, but Arsenal were themselves missing Bukayo Saka to go with lesser depth. This will give the north Londoners much more substance, certainly from a psychological perspective. They won’t feel inferior any more. That could be seen in Declan Rice’s raucous reaction after the match, having put in a superb individual performance. It was more than deserved. City had never really been at it. Erling Haaland again went without scoring. One of City’s most productive periods of attacking was actually in the opening few minutes, only to be shut down by Rice. That was to become a theme. This moment was much more box-office than all the steadier work he did, as the midfielder headed a bouncing Josko Gvardiol strike off the line. It was in this period that City were closest to the Arsenal goal – if not necessarily any closer to a goal than that – as Julian Alvarez had evidently been instructed to hound David Raya for every touch. One quickfire interception was so close that it seemed like it rippled the inside of the net rather than the side. It felt like something that could end up proving influential, as did Michael Oliver’s first big refereeing decision. Rice and Jorginho did an awful lot to steady the general element of chaos about the Arsenal defending and get their side much higher up the pitch, and that evidently frustrated Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian went in wildly with two challenges. If Kovacic was fortunate the first wasn’t given as a red, it was simply remarkable it wasn’t two bookings. That just summed up how something wasn’t quite right about City. They weren’t always the only team like that, too. For a long time, it felt like it could be destined for a 0-0, amid that sense it was a game between the top two that came that bit too early in the season. There was a lot of frantic action but not that much focus or purpose. It was as if there was initially a subconscious awareness there was so much more football to come, lessening the stakes as well as the intensity. Neither of the managers felt like that, mind. They were watching in increasing agitation, looking to affect something. Arteta did so first. Arsenal did admittedly recover from their erratic start to assert themselves but most of their attacks were Gabriel Jesus or Martin Odegaard trying to dribble through. It was really as if Arsenal were missing Saka’s intensity. With a quarter of the match remaining, Alvarez was taken off for Jeremy Doku but City persisted with getting on Raya any time he got on the ball. Arsenal responded by introducing Havertz. It was to prove inspired, in a subtle way, which was a bit like how to describe the onfield product of that change. On 86 minutes, with the game looking like it was going to peter out in a stalemate but with Arsenal still pushing, the German found a bit of space around the area to also find Martinelli. The Brazilian forward took his chance and the shot, to claim the reward. He got some luck, but he had made that luck. It now completely changes Arsenal’s outlook for the season, as well as the very profile of the title race. Just nine days ago, after all, City had a 100 per cent record and looked like they could just roll to a record four titles in a row. They are now back in third, two behind both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and one ahead of Liverpool. It is enticingly tight, even if it is still early. Arsenal’s late winner brought that feeling, as well as so much more emotion around the stadium. The significance of this was all too palpable, for the team, as well as so many individuals involved. This time, after that shot, it fell for them. Read More Brighton’s new midfield gem Carlos Baleba stays calm in the chaos of Liverpool draw Gary O’Neil plays down tension after Unai Emery walks away before handshake Substitute Mohammed Kudus earns West Ham a point with late equaliser against Newcastle How did the VAR system fare after a week under the spotlight? Gabriel Martinelli snatches last-gasp victory for Arsenal against Man City Arsenal deal blow to Manchester City, but the significance will only be felt in May

Carlos Baleba finished his first Premier League start in tatters. The 19-year-old had given everything to Brighton’s cause, and in the final minutes, he could be seen bent double, gasping for breath, telling his goalkeeper to keep hold of the ball for a few seconds longer, like a man begging for mercy. By this point, he looked a little disheveled, with his socks fallen down and shorts rolled up. His final act was to chop down Liverpool’s galloping Ryan Gravenberch, for which he was rightly booked. And when the whistle blew on this wild 2-2 draw, he dropped to the grass in relief and stretched out the cramp coursing through his legs. Baleba hobbled over to shake the hands of various Liverpool players, most of whom wouldn’t have known anything about this Cameroonian teenager before their team meeting on Friday. But after a performance full of energy, guile, skill, outrageous confidence and physical dominance in midfield – one that sapped his body dry – they do now. Ask people inside Brighton who will be the next diamond in the rough, the player who will be sold for five times their asking price after doing wondrous things on this Amex Stadium pitch, then you might be pointed to Kaoru Mitoma or Evan Ferguson, Mahmoud Dahoud or Joao Pedro. But those really in the know will point to Baleba. That includes the manager, Roberto De Zerbi, who said without hesitation on Baleba’s signing this summer: “He will be the future of the club.” If that sounded like hyperbole, there was enough evidence in this 100-minute sample to suggest the Italian is right, as he has tended to be about most things in his short Brighton career. After a Carabao Cup start and a couple of league appearances off the bench, De Zerbi showed enormous faith in Baleba with this full Premier League debut against Liverpool, and that faith was repaid in spades. This was Baleba’s kind of match, stretched and full of holes, with little fires popping up all over the pitch that needed putting out. As the defensive shield, he rushed to cover off counter-attacks and snuff out threatening direct balls. He stood in front of his back four checking over his shoulder for Mohamed Salah’s movement, and then cut out the through ball when it came. When Lewis Dunk pressed so high up the pitch that he left a void in Brighton’s defence, Baleba instinctively slotted back and filled the space. In possession, he was calm and composed and occasionally he injected little jolts of energy, like early in the first half, in his own half, where he threw in a stepover before charging away from Liverpool’s midfield and setting Brighton’s attacking players away as the crowd urged him on. Or a few minutes after Brighton had scored their first goal, when he dribbled through the centre of the pitch from the halfway line, jinked away from a defender on the edge of Liverpool’s box and hit his shot just wide. Baleba was a source of calm in what was a wild game. The first half could have been the subject of an art installation simply titled: ‘Get rid’. All three goals were the result of kamikaze passing at the back that went disastrously wrong, enough to boil the blood of proper football men everywhere. First, it was Virgil van Dijk plodding a pass to Alexis Mac Allister, which Brighton’s Simon Adingra (like Baleba, the 21-year-old winger was exceptional) stole and quickly swept past an out-of-position Alisson Becker for Brighton’s opener. Liverpool hit back with two goals of their own, first when Dunk misplaced a pass and Salah finished off a flowing counterattack, and then just before the break when Pascal Gross lost the ball in his own box and hauled down Dominik Szoboszlai, and Salah scored from the penalty spot. Brighton went into the break 2-1 up, so it was a compliment to the Baleba-Gross partnership when Jurgen Klopp brought on Ryan Gravenberch at half-time to stabilise Liverpool’s overrun midfield. It worked, and for a period Liverpool took control, but they failed to score a third and Brighton went hunting for an equaliser, which came late through Dunk’s close-range volley. Baleba never stopped, and his defensive nous regularly kept counter-attacks at bay. “I have to congratulate the club on finding two more amazing players, in Adingra and Baleba,” De Zerbi said after the game. “Baleba is very young and I think this club needs the characteristics of Baleba. He is a great replacement for Caicedo. But we can’t forget Ansu Fati, Mahmoud Dahoud, Joao Pedro.” In other words, there is plenty more where that came from. Why give Baleba his first start now? “I gave him the right steps. He played a part of the game with Bournemouth, played 70 minutes in Stamford Bridge [in the League Cup] in a big stadium. I gave him time to understand the new style of play, the timing of when to receive the ball, the right line of passing: our idea. It is not so easy [to learn] because our style, in the defensive phase we can change depending on the opponent, our build-up play can change. “He’s very young, a very good player with incredible potential, and he can be one of the most important midfielders in Europe in the future.” De Zerbi believes. And after this performance, we’re all Balebas now. Read More Brighton v Liverpool LIVE: Premier League result and reaction Liverpool’s new double-act are surprising even Jurgen Klopp Rumours: Brazilian is Liverpool’s January target and City want Haaland renewal No need for a replay as Liverpool return to normality in Europa League Liverpool vs Union Saint-Gilloise LIVE: Latest Europa League updates PGMOL rejects Ben Foster’s claim that refs pressured Sky into VAR cover-up

The fall-out from Uefa’s plans to reinstate Russian underage teams to European competition is causing a huge split within the governing body, putting president Aleksander Ceferin under immense pressure to “revisit” the issue at this week’s Executive Committee meeting. The controversy has already caused the confederation vice-president Karl-Erik Nilsson to resign as boss of the Swedish Sports Confederation and led Denmark to become the latest association to say they will not play Russian sides to go with England, Ireland and Ukraine. The Independent has been told that there is tension within some national associations that didn’t immediately reject the idea out of hand. There is similarly huge dissatisfaction among other federations for the manner in which the issue was raised by Uefa at the last meeting, with Ceferin simply bringing it up under “any other business” – according to one source – with “no prior notice”. There was huge surprise at this, and it has been viewed with the context of Fifa’s decision to do the same. That has caused Uefa to bring it onto the agenda for Tuesday’s ExCo meeting, where it will also be confirmed that Euro 2028 is going to the United Kingdom and Ireland. Various sources have insisted the Russia decision could be amended, such is the strength of feeling around it. Senior national and club teams nevertheless remain banned regardless, as has been the case since February 2022. A statement on 26 September said: “Uefa was the first sports body to react to the war in Ukraine and took decisive action in February 2022 - suspending all Russian teams from its competitions, removing events scheduled in Russia like the Uefa Champions League final in Saint Petersburg and the Uefa Super Cup in Kazan, and cancelling its sponsorship contract with Gazprom. “However, Uefa is also aware that children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults and is firmly convinced that football should never give up sending messages of peace and hope. “It is particularly aggrieving that, due to the enduring conflict, a generation of minors is deprived of its right to compete in international football. For these reasons, the Uefa Executive Committee has decided that Russian teams of minor players will be readmitted to its competitions in the course of this season. In this respect, the Executive Committee has asked the Uefa administration to propose a technical solution that would enable the reinstatement of the Russian U17 teams (both girls and boys) even when draws have already been held. “All matches of the Russian teams shall be played without the country flag, anthem, national playing kit and not on the Russian territory. “At the same time, the Executive Committee reiterated its condemnation of Russia’s illegal war and confirmed that the suspension of all other teams of Russia (clubs and national teams) will remain in force until the end of the conflict in Ukraine.” Read More FIFA set to approve letting Russian youth soccer national teams return to competition UK and Ireland set to host Euro 2028 after Turkey withdraw bid European soccer body UEFA's handling of Russia and Rubiales invites scrutiny on values and process

Arsenal host Manchester City in an early meeting of last season’s Premier League title rivals. Mikel Arteta’s side led the title race for the majority of the season but were reeled in by the defending champions, with a crushing 4-1 victory by Pep Guardiola’s team in April leading to a third Premier League in a row for the eventual treble winners. Follow Arsenal vs Man City LIVE The Gunners, though, are tipped to be City’s closest challengers again this season, with just a point separating the sides after seven games played. But to do so, Arteta’s team will have to overturn a woeful recent record against City: Arsenal have lost 12 games in a row against City in the Premier League and have not beaten them in the top-flight since 2015. The Gunners did beat City on penalties to win the Community Shield at the start of the season, however. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this afternoon’s huge Premier League clash. What time is Arsenal vs Manchester City? The match will kick off at 4:30pm BST on Sunday 8 October at the Emirates Stadium. How can I watch it? It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage following the earlier match between Brighton and Liverpool. Subscribers can also stream the action via SkyGo. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? Bukayo Saka is an injury doubt after limping off Arsenal’s midweek defeat to Lens in the Champions League with a hamstring injury, but Mikel Arteta said the winger is “in contention” to be available. Arsenal are missing Gabriel Martinelli, while Thomas Partey also remains out. Manchester City will be without Rodri, who continues to serve a three-match suspension, while Kevin De Bruyne remains out. Julian Alvaraz has been City’s main threat in recent weeks - alongside Erling Haaland. John Stones returned to the bench in Wednesday’s 3-1 win at RB Leipzig but Pep Guardiola said he is not available on Sunday. Predicted line-ups Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Havertz, Odegaard; Jesus, Nketiah, Trossard Man City: Ederson; Walker, Diaz, Gvardiol, Akanji; Kovacic, Bernardo, Foden; Doku, Alvarez; Haaland Prediction Arsenal 1-3 Man City Read More The tactical conundrum behind Arsenal’s quest to end absurd Man City streak How do you replace the best holding midfielder in the world? Pep Guardiola does not think Arsenal clash will have major bearing on title race Mauricio Pochettino believes victory at Burnley will boost Chelsea’s confidence Pep Guardiola says he learned ‘a lot’ from Mikel Arteta ahead of Sunday reunion Pep Guardiola does not think Arsenal clash will have major bearing on title race

Brighton are hoping to bounce back from a 6-1 mauling by Aston Villa in their last Premier League outing when they host Liverpool at the Amex Stadium this afternoon. Roberto de Zerbi’s men managed to end a run of consecutive defeats when they picked up their first Europa League points of the season in a 2-2 draw against Marseille on Thursday night and will be hoping to impose themselves on Jurgen Klopp’s side. Follow Brighton vs Liverpool LIVE Klopp meanwhile is juggling injuries and suspensions as he attempts to close the gap on league leaders Manchester City. A 2-0 midweek win over Union Saint-Gilloise will bring his team confidence but Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota are missing the game having picked up red cards against Tottenham, though Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit to return. Here’s everything you need to know about today’s Premier League clash: When is Brighton vs Liverpool? Brighton vs Liverpool kicks off at 2pm BST on Sunday 8 October at the Amex Stadium. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on the channel from 1pm BST. Subscribers can also stream the action via SkyGo. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? Brighton lost Pervis Estupinan to injury last Saturday and the defender is expected to be absent for a while according to boss Roberto De Zerbi. Pascal Gross is fit to feature after starting against Marseille but James Milner and Adam Lallana are doubts. Following their red cards against Tottenham, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota are suspended for this match. Cody Gakpo came off at half time against Tottenham with what appeared to be a leg injury it is doubtful that he will feature with Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara remain absent. Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit again and should start after being named in Gareth Southgate’s upcoming England squad. Predicted line-ups Brighton XI: Steele; Veltman, Webster, Dunk, Lamptey; Gross, Gilmour; March, Fati, Mitoma; Ferguson Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Diaz Odds Brighton to win - 7/4 Draw - 21/10 Liverpool to win - Evs Prediction Roberto de Zerbi’s men will make things difficult for Jurgen Klopp’s men but there should be enough quality within Liverpool’s team to ensure they ease past a Brighton side struggling for form. Brighton 1-2 Liverpool. Read More Liverpool’s new double-act are surprising even Jurgen Klopp No need for a replay as Liverpool return to normality in Europa League Roberto De Zerbi hails ‘incredible’ Brighton reaction to salvage Marseille draw

Chelsea secured back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time since March after coming from behind to thrash Burnley 4-1 on Saturday. Looking to end a run of four successive home defeats on their return to the top flight this season, promoted Burnley raced into a 15th-minute lead, Wilson Odobert scoring his first goal in English football to stun the visitors. Chelsea offered little in response until Ameen Al Dakhil put through his own net in the most unfortunate circumstances three minutes before the break to get Mauricio Pochettino’s team back level. The visitors completed the turnaround early in the second half, Cole Palmer converting from the spot after Raheem Sterling had been fouled in the penalty area. A fine Sterling goal and a fourth from substitute Nicolas Jackson put the game beyond the hosts, lifting Chelsea to ninth in the standings, with Burnley remaining in the relegation zone with only one win this season.

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. Fulham have struggled to score but have only lost one of their last three in league play, sitting 13th in the table. They host newly promoted Sheffield United, who have really struggled since their return to the top flight. Indeed, the Blades have just one point from seven matches, a draw at Everton which has since been followed by three defeats including an 8-0 thrashing by Newcastle. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.

Sir Alex Ferguson's wife Lady Cathy has passed away aged 84, the family have announced. The Glaswegian mother-of-three – who was described by her husband as his ‘bedrock’ – died yesterday morning in Cheshire surrounded by family. Lady Cathy was credited with having helped nurse him back to health after his stroke following his retirement from the club in 2013. A statement on behalf of the Ferguson family said: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing yesterday of Lady Cathy Ferguson, survived by her husband, three sons, two sisters, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. The family asks for privacy at this time.” The pair were married for nearly 60 years before her death, with the couple having met while they were both working at a typewriter factory in Glasgow. When Ferguson announced his retirement as manager of Manchester United in 2013 following a remarkable and enduring period of success, he said: “My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.” A Manchester United club statement said: “Everyone at Manchester United sends our heartfelt condolences to Sir Alex Ferguson and his family. “Lady Cathy was a beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, and a tower of strength for Sir Alex throughout his career.” When the Jason Ferguson-directed documentary titled ‘Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In’ was released in 2021, Lady Cathy revealed Sir Alex had taken her to the cinema on their first date. “He bought me a box of liquorice allsorts at the movies, of which he ate all of them, and a local paper when we came out. That was my romantic day,” she said. “We got married in Glasgow registry office in 1966 and that was the start. I went to my work and he went to his football.” More follows Read More Listen: VAR audio reveals how incorrect offside decision against Luis Diaz was made Dog chased around pitch during Mexican football game after stealing ball The answers to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter quiz Auckland shooting takes place just 5km from venue of World Cup match Danish journalist ‘detained in Qatar for filming attack on Iranians by mob’ Rafael Nadal and wife welcome first child

You may have seen the video of Jordan Henderson promoting Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup. It is a moving watch. There’s his giant face plastered across the screen, while wearing the famous green and black colours of Al Ettifaq FC. “Very excited about the announcement,” Henderson says in his excited voice. “Go Saudi Arabia 2034.” It is important to note that his World Cup promotional work is voluntary. We know this because he said so in an interview with The Athletic. So when we see raw emotion like this on social media, we know we are getting real Henderson, authentic Henderson, out there backing the bid. Not a paid ambassador, just a boy who fell in love with a gulf state. Henderson is having one of his all-time great seasons: four assists in eight games as captain of Steven Gerrard’s Ettifaq outfit; still in the England squad despite no discernible superior attributes to James Ward-Prowse; all while getting the chance to grow the Saudi Pro League, one of his big motivations for moving there. He is not the only one excited. Gerrard described the prospect of a Saudi World Cup as “potentially one of the best shows the world’s seen”. Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema was stunned, tweeting: “Wow! Amazing news.” Al-Ahli winger Riyadh Mahrez was relieved the world will finally get to see the country’s “passion and love of the game”. If it sounds like they think the bid is already won, that’s because it might be. To catch up on a whirlwind week at Fifa HQ, it was announced on Wednesday that six countries across three continents would host the 2030 World Cup. That satisfied the confederations of Europe, Africa and South America. And barely an hour later, Saudi Arabia publicly launched its bid for 2034. Things have fallen into place quite nicely. Fifa’s rules on rotating the World Cup around the globe mean there are only two possible federations left to stage the 2034 World Cup: Oceania and Asia. That doesn’t leave a lot of competition. What’s more, Fifa gave any rivals to the Saudi bid a 25-day deadline for submission. Australia has hinted at joining the race, but a cynic might conclude it would be the tortoise chasing a wealthy and well-prepared hare that’s already crossed the finish line. The World Cup is a logical endpoint to something much bigger. Sport is a mirror to the world order, and Saudi’s emergence in football is both a consequence and a signal of a gravitational shift. As Rory McIlroy put it recently, upon accepting the increasing influence of Saudi Arabia on the game of golf: “You see everything else happening in the world, you see big private equity companies in America taking their money, the biggest companies in the world … if this is what’s happening, then the way I’ve framed it is that the world has decided for me.” There is an inevitability to all this. Even so, given the rapid emergence of an oppressive dictatorship in the world of football, it might have been nice for even just one press conference with Fifa’s dear leader, Gianni Infantino, to scrutinise this flurry of announcements that appear to pave the way for Saudi 2034. This, remember, is an organisation whose “corruption” section on Wikipedia is longer than this article. Infantino has himself taken on the distinct air of a dictator in recent years. He was sworn in for another term as Fifa president in March after winning an election unopposed, annointed to obedient applause at a ceremony in Rwanda. Fifa presidents are supposed to serve a maximum of three terms, but Infantino recently “clarified” that his first three years in the job didn’t count as he was only filling in for the deposed Sepp Blatter. It seems likely he will serve until the bitter end in 2031, capping a 15-year stint as the most powerful man in football. Infantino and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have a friendship of sorts and have been pictured at various matches together, most notably in Qatar last year. The 2034 World Cup might be the first tournament after his reign ends, a parting gift to Bin Salman, like a prime minister handing out one last peerage to an old ally. The road to 2034 will no doubt be smoothed by Saudi’s many levers of soft power. It will host the Fifa Club World Cup in December, and will continue to invest heavily in the Saudi Pro League. Lionel Messi remains an ambassador and Cristiano Ronaldo is its marquee player. The league is set to go after more big, bright stars closer to their prime, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah a high priority. All that will lay the groundwork for the ultimate goal, hosting the World Cup, a platform like no other to project Saudi Arabia’s global standing. So as Henderson put his enthusiastic support behind the message, emitting slight hostage energy, perhaps one day he might reflect that he was just a tool. Read More Jurgen Klopp: We haven’t looked for Alexis Mac Allister’s best position yet Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen make England return but Raheem Sterling left out Harvey Elliott hails team spirit after Liverpool’s new look midfield impresses Paul Pogba faces lengthy ban after anti-doping failure confirmed Liverpool’s new double-act are surprising even Jurgen Klopp Erik Ten Hag has endless problems, but Man Utd have a way out of toxic mess

Liverpool face Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League tonight as the Reds return to action after a controversial week of VAR fallout. The Reds saw their winning run come to an end in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, but Jurgen Klopp’s side were furious after the VAR failed to overturn Luis Diaz’s wrongly disallowed opener and finished the match with nine men after Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota were sent off. And after a contentious week that has seen Klopp call for the Tottenham match to be replayed following the VAR error, Liverpool will look to make it two wins from two in Europa League Group E following their opening victory at Austrian side LASK. Liverpool have never played Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in a competitive match. The Belgian side, who reached the Europa League quarter-finals last season, drew 1-1 in their opening match against Toulouse. Follow live updates from Liverpool vs Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League and get the latest match odds here. Read More Jurgen Klopp should know better — calling for replays sets a dangerous precedent Is Liverpool vs Union Saint-Gilloise on TV? Channel, start time and how to watch Europa League Jurgen Klopp calls for Liverpool’s match at Tottenham to be replayed over VAR blunder

Freiburg welcome West Ham to Germany for a Europa League Group A fixture. The two sides will hope to continue strong starts to their continental campaigns - Freiburg were impressive in a 3-2 win at Olympiakos, while West Ham overcame Backa Topola. David Moyes’s men ended a rough run in the Premier League with a solid performance against Sheffield United at the weekend, and would take a significant step towards progressing with a win away from home. But Freiburg, though short of goals, have made an encouraging start in the Bundesliga and will hope to take control of the group. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the fixture; see all the latest Europa League odds and tips for tonight here. When is Freiburg vs West Ham? Freiburg vs West Ham is due to kick off at 5.45pm BST on Thursday 5 October at Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage on the channel from 5pm BST. Subscribers can also stream the action via discovery+. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Team news Yannik Keitel went off after just 20 minutes of Freiburg’s weekend win against Augsburg, and would appear unlikely for involvement. Manager Christian Streich has used both a back-four and a back-three this season. West Ham have Edson Alvarez back available after the former Ajax midfielder served a competition suspension in his new club’s Group A opener. Veteran goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski should feature having lost his place as first choice to Alphonse Areola, but Aaron Cresswell is out with a hamstring injury. Predicted line-ups Freiburg XI: Atubolu; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Schmidt; Hofler, Eggestein; Doan, Sallai, Grifo; Holer. West Ham XI: Fabianski; Kehrer, Zouma, Mavropanos, Emerson; Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Paqueta; Kudus, Ings, Benrahma.. Odds Freiburg win 31/20 Draw 13/5 West Ham win 8/5 Get the latest football odds here. Prediction A draw. Freiburg 1-1 West Ham. Read More Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball VAR officials who missed Liverpool’s ‘onside’ goal to be replaced Why Europa League offers unmissable opportunity to Premier League sides Liverpool-Tottenham replay possible under Uefa rules loophole Jonas Eidevall: Alessia Russo won’t put herself under pressure on Man Utd return Gareth Southgate says: ‘I think we should just accept referees’ decisions’

A replay of Liverpool’s match at Tottenham could be possible on a legal interpretation of Uefa’s rules, according to those within football legal circles. Premier League sources are adamant that a replay of the controversial clash will not happen, especially since their rules only allow for a replay in the event of a club being guilty of an offence, but there is a belief that the fact the competition's own rules make no other mention may allow a new precedent to be set. Jurgen Klopp became the first figure to publicly raise the prospect of a replay in his Wednesday Europa League press conference. The Liverpool manager said he would prefer that as an outcome of this controversy, but admitted it's unlikely. Liverpool have not made such a request up to now, as the fall-out from the decision to wrongly disallow Luiz Diaz's goal continues. It was the nature of how that goal was ruled out that could create a problem for the game if the club do decide to pursue that route. A replay could be possible over incorrect application of laws, rather than an outright mistake: since the VAR actually identified that Diaz was onside, the correct application of the laws of the game would have been to award a goal, but that evidently didn't happen. That takes it beyond the threshold of a simple mistake, and could fall under the provisions for a protest to Uefa. The European governing body do allow clubs to submit protests - albeit within 12 hours of the game finishing. The current principles of the International Football Association Board [IFAB] regarding “admissability of protests” state that “protests may not be lodged against factual decisions taken by the referee”” and that “in principle, a match is not invalidated because of: malfunction(s) of the VAR technology (as for goal line technology (GLT)); wrong decision(s) involving the VAR (as the VAR is a match official); decision(s) not to review an incident; review(s) of a non-reviewable situation/decision”. Since it has been acknowledged by the PGMOL that this did constitute a “factual error”, there is a belief that this could be legally pursued. Liverpool themselves were involved in a potential precedent, when Roma complained about the incorrect decision of a corner - rather than a penalty - from a Stephane Henchoz handball in their 2000-01 Uefa Cup semi-final. Referee Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda initially pointed to the spot only to change his mind and indicate a corner. While a drop-ball should actually have been given in this situation, it was felt by Uefa that no further action should be taken as a corner actually ended up benefitting Roma more than the drop-ball. Had that not been the case, though, the governing body's use of language in the situation had some sources involved fearing the prospect of a replay might at least have been raised. Liverpool were surprised at the time that Roma's complaint got that far. Protests do usually have to be submitted within 12 hours of the end of the game in such cases, but the fact that the Premier League make no mention of replays means that the Uefa example could be pointed to in any legal case. Where Liverpool could find a greater likelihood of success is in suing for compensation, but there is an internal acknowledgement of how deep the repercussions could be depending on what happens next. The club are currently assessing what steps to take, as the PGMOL are set to improve their protocols following the biggest VAR error the Premier League has seen. Read More Jurgen Klopp calls for Liverpool’s match at Tottenham to be replayed over VAR blunder Gary Neville responds after Jurgen Klopp calls for Liverpool replay: ‘That’s madness’ MP condemns TalkSport presenter Simon Jordan over Liverpool ‘victim culture’ comment PGMOL rejects Ben Foster’s claim that refs pressured Sky into VAR cover-up Jurgen Klopp should know better — calling for replays sets a dangerous precedent Gary Neville responds after Jurgen Klopp calls for Liverpool replay: ‘That’s madness’