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The Europa League is nearly upon us for the new 2023/24 season, with the group stage draw taking place today in Monaco. Three English clubs and one Scottish team will be in the draw: Liverpool and Brighton finished fifth and sixth respectively in the Premier League to qualify for the Europa League, while West Ham won the Europa Conference League to book their spot. Rangers finished runners-up in the Scottish Premiership to reach the Champions League play-offs, but they lost to PSV Eindhoven. For the final time before the competition takes on the new Swiss-system format next season, 32 teams will be split into eight groups of four. Each group will contain one team from each of the four seeded pots, and clubs from the same national league will not be drawn together in the same group. The final will take place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on 22 May 2024. Get all the latest football betting sites offers here or sign up to bet365 using The Independent’s unique bonus code by clicking here. When is the Europa League draw? The draw for the group stage will take place in Monaco on Friday 1 September, at 12pm BST. How to watch on TV and online The Europa League draw will be televised live in the UK on TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) for subscribing customers, and will be available on the TNT Sports app. You can also live stream the draw for free on the Uefa website and YouTube channel. Which clubs have qualified? There are 32 clubs qualified for the Europa League group stage. England: Brighton, Liverpool, West Ham Spain: Real Betis, Villarreal France: Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse Italy: Atalanta, Roma Germany: Freiburg, Leverkusen Austria: Sturm Graz, LASK Azerbaijan: Qarabag Belgium: Union Saint Gilloise Czechia: Sparta Prague, Slavia Prague Cyprus: Aris Limassol Greece: AEK Athens, Panathinaikos, Olympiacos Israel: Maccabi Haifa Moldova: Sheriff Netherlands: Ajax Norway: Molde Poland: Rakow CzÄ™stochowa Portugal: Sporting CP Scotland: Rangers Serbia: TSC Sweden: Hacken Switzerland: Servette What are the Europa League group stage dates? Matchday 1: 21 September Matchday 2: 5 October Matchday 3: 26 October Matchday 4: 9 November Matchday 5: 30 November Matchday 6: 14 December Read More What time is the Europa League group stage draw today? Unai Emery keen for extended European run with Aston Villa On This Day in 2016: David Luiz returns to Chelsea Rangers fail to qualify for Champions League after thrashing by PSV Eindhoven Football rumours: Tottenham take pursuit of Brennan Johnson to deadline day Premier League leads the way as global transfer spending record smashed

Gareth Southgate made his reputation as England’s mild-mannered assassin. He ended the international careers of Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart. He showed a willingness to move on to the next generation. But then, having forged a team, he has been transformed into a loyalist. Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips – combined total of minutes this season: 0 – were included in the squad to face Ukraine and Scotland and few should be surprised. There were reasons for each; a lack of fit centre-backs with international experience, a shortage of specialist defensive midfielders. Yet there was a notable absentee, a player with more football and in better form than Maguire and Phillips, a face of Southgate’s England. But, once again, a squad did not contain Raheem Sterling’s name. In March, fitness accounted for his absence. In June, it was the forward’s preference, Sterling asking for a break to work on his conditioning. In September, it will be managerial preference. Southgate’s explanation focused on loyalty: to the players who beat Malta 4-0 and North Macedonia 7-0 in June, to ones who have begun the season as well as Sterling. It was, though: “A difficult call and Raheem was not particularly happy about it.” A quarter of a century earlier, when Southgate made Glenn Hoddle’s World Cup squad and Paul Gascoigne did not, the midfielder responded with a tantrum. Sterling’s response was more polite, but his disappointment evident. “Raheem is always really respectful with how he responds, and deals [with things], he will always say ‘I respect your decision’ but of course he wants to get back in the group,” Southgate said. “I wouldn’t expect that to be any other way.” But the expectation was that he would be back in a squad that instead contained Eberechi Eze. Sterling has looked rejuvenated for Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea; he was arguably man of the match even in defeat to West Ham, he scored twice against Luton. “It’s not a decision I have based on the three games he has played,” Southgate said. “What I am hearing him say, he’s very focused and I am under no doubt that he’s going to have a really good season with Chelsea, I think they are going to go well. He looks like he’s back in the groove to score a lot of goals.” Which he has done for Southgate’s England: only Harry Kane has scored more in the manager’s reign. For a long time, he and Kane seemed the two certainties in the forward line, with everyone else competing to accompany them. Southgate does not call every player omitted from his squads: that he rang Sterling was a reflection of the importance he used to have. “Firstly he’s a player who has been a really big player for us, an important part of our team, and I wanted to address the fact that he’s playing really well,” he said. He painted it as a continuity choice from June, waiting for the season to unfold. “By next month we will have had another seven, 10 games and there will be a lot more evidence right across the board, of all the players and where they are at.” And yet the reality is that the wings are the area where England boast the most strength in depth. Southgate listed his rivals’ credentials: Marcus Rashford was involved in three goals against Nottingham Forest, Phil Foden was exceptional against Newcastle, Jack Grealish set up Erling Haaland’s opener at Sheffield United and Bukayo Saka has carried on where he left off last year. “We have got Foden, Grealish, Rashford, Saka, so there’s four for two positions,” Southgate reflected. “Maddison also played there. Whichever one I didn’t pick was going to be the story.” But Sterling is: a player with 55 caps in his reign, England’s outstanding attacker at Euro 2020, the talisman who realised his potential under sympathetic management, the prodigy who had looked on course to break Peter Shilton’s caps record. Then Sterling lost his place at the World Cup, albeit in a tournament when he returned to England after a burglary at his house, and amid a car-crash of a Chelsea season. He felt collateral damage in the chaos Todd Boehly brought to Stamford Bridge, a player who had arguably his worst campaign in senior football. “I understood why he wanted to focus on the fitness in June and we are seeing the benefits of that now,” Southgate said. “Of course, when you are not in, other people have the shirt.” All of which was rational and fair. But it showed a hard edge that he often conceals. Injuries could alter the equation and allow a route back in, yet Sterling will have to displace a high-class player. And for the meantime, it leaves him looking the odd man out, the player whose exclusion is not a one-off as much as a regular occurrence. If it long looked inconceivable that England could enter Euro 2024 without a fit and in-form Raheem Sterling, perhaps it is not now. Read More Jordan Henderson has given Gareth Southgate a Saudi Arabia problem Gareth Southgate says Raheem Sterling ‘not particularly happy’ at England snub Raheem Sterling misses out as Eddie Nketiah handed debut England squad call-up LGBT+ England fans may shun Jordan Henderson for ‘turning his back’ on them Gareth Southgate admits Raheem Sterling not happy after England snub Southgate explains ‘difficult’ decision to leave Sterling out of England squad

Gareth Southgate is not doing a Don Revie, but he stopped short of saying he would never do a Jordan Henderson. The England manager is aware that the popular move would be to say that he would never take the Saudi Arabian money but is conscious, too, that such a statement could make him look like a hypocrite later. Whereas perhaps the most reviled of his predecessors, Revie, walked out for a lucrative offer from the United Arab Emirates and the manager who overcame him in the Euro 2020 final, Roberto Mancini, quit Italy for Saudi Arabia, Southgate stated: “I’m not looking to leave the job I’m in. I’m very happy. I certainly wouldn’t leave managing my country during my contract.” And yet, were he out of work, would he still reject a supersized offer? “I can easily say no and look like the big guy. But can you answer that question until it is there in front of you?” he countered. It was the question Henderson faced. Many feel let down by the choice he made. Often eloquent, the former Liverpool captain is yet to explain himself, leaving Southgate, after calling his vice-captain up for England, in the uncomfortable position of trying to do so. “It’s for him to decide when he’s going to speak and how he speaks,” Southgate said. “I’d be pretty certain that his views on life haven’t changed at all. I think he realises that by making the decision he has made, that is going to bring a certain level of scrutiny and criticism. He’s not naïve. “I did have that discussion with him. But any career decision has got a lot of different factors within it. Obviously there is a lot of money within Saudi Arabia that is being paid, none of us are going to avoid that. But his prospects of playing at Liverpool were probably a big factor in that becoming more attractive than it might have been in the past. That’s a big factor in the decision to go. Liverpool as a club will have presumably got a good fee for an older player. All of those things are complex.” That hinted at the various issues: how do you balance the moral, the footballing and the financial? Henderson’s priorities can seem skewed. Southgate argued his situation bears similarities with those of many people in other walks of life. “Given the situation with Russia, we are reliant on Saudi Arabia for a lot of our oil,” he said. “I don’t really know what the morality argument is because so many of our industries are wrapped up with Saudi investment but I don’t hear any noises about that. It’s only the football that’s highlighted. The LGBT+ stance is a religious belief in that country.” Perhaps Southgate struck a duff note in that sentence but a former ally of the LGBTQ+ community has been left looking like a man who sacrificed his principles for money. What remains to be seen is whether Henderson sacrificed his England career, too: he had long been adamant he would not retire from international football. But if Southgate is adamant he will not exclude a player because of the league he plays in, he remains unsure if it will prepare Henderson for the rigours of international football. “There was the honest conversation we had: ‘We’re going to have to map you against players playing in a different league and in a different level of competition and we’re just going to have to see how that goes’,” he said. “What I have got to do is pick a team based on the technical, tactical, physical capabilities and the question about that league at the moment from our perspective is, ‘Is the intensity going to be enough to be physically in the right condition for the level of games we are going to have?’ We can only find out over a period of time.” Henderson’s game has been built on his running power; if he wilts in the Saudi heat, he becomes a lesser force. And then there could be footballing grounds to exclude a midfielder who played well in England’s June games. Southgate does not think there are yet, though Henderson was slipping down the pecking order at Anfield. His research may have to take him to the Middle East. It could become a regular trip. Southgate suspects the Saudi investment in football is not confined to one summer. There may yet be other England players joining Henderson there; Southgate noted that Saudi clubs are not just targeting the thirty-something footballers. At some stage, he plans to scout Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane in person. “We haven’t felt that was the best use of our time during the first weeks of the season,” he said. “Logistically it was important to get around the Premier League.” Yet the presence of the England manager in Saudi Arabia would be more controversial than in Spain and Germany. If Henderson has made Saudi Arabia a problem for Southgate, it is one that is unlikely to go away. Read More Jordan Henderson risks tarnishing Liverpool legacy after career built on triumph of character Gareth Southgate understands criticism of Jordan Henderson following Saudi move Jordan Henderson could be shunned by LGBT+ England fans after Saudi Arabia move LGBT+ England fans may shun Jordan Henderson for ‘turning his back’ on them Gareth Southgate admits Raheem Sterling not happy after England snub Liverpool agree £35million deal with Bayern Munich for Ryan Gravenberch

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Mohamed Salah linked with a big-money offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad Liverpool looking to complete £34million Ryan Gravenberch signing from Bayern Munich. Manchester United seeking to bolster injury-hit squad. Manchester City expected to finalise £53million signing of Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes. Barcelona duo Ansu Fati and Clement Lenglet could be heading to the Premier League. 0700 Welcome to the PA news agency’s live transfer deadline day blog . The 2023 summer transfer window closes this evening at 11pm for Premier League and EFL clubs while it is midnight for teams in Scotland. In the major European leagues there are various different deadlines today, from 1700 BST in Germany to 2300 BST in Spain, while the big-spending Saudi Pro League can continue buying players until September 7. The likes of Karim Benzema, Neymar, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane and Aymeric Laporte have already swapped Europe for the Middle East this summer and it remains to be seen if they will be joined by any other big names in the coming week. Clubs in the Women’s Super League, which does not kick-off until October, still have a few more weeks until their transfer window closes. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

September is Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month, which sees charities joining together to put the spotlight on the range of cancers that start in the female reproductive system. There are five main types of gynaecological cancer – cervical, ovarian, vaginal, vulvar and uterine (or womb) – plus fallopian tube cancer, although this is very rare. Around 22,000 women are diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer each year in the UK, of which 21 die every day, according to charity The Eve Appeal. However, some of these cases are preventable, and with the right treatment, many gynaecological cancers have high survival rates. Here, experts answer some key questions about the prevention and treatment of gynaecological cancers. What are the symptoms of gynaecological cancers? “The symptoms of gynaecological cancers can vary,” says gynaecologist Oudai Ali from New Victoria Hospital. “But some common signs to watch out for include abnormal vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain or discomfort, unusual vaginal discharge, new vulval lump or ulcer and changes in urinary or bowel habits.” If you’ve noticed any of these signs, follow the ‘if in doubt, check it out’ rule, Ali says: “It’s crucial for patients to consult their GP if they experience any of these symptoms, as early detection can significantly improve treatment outcomes.” Severe ongoing bloating and feeling full very quickly, unintentional weight loss and fatigue are also indications it’s a good idea to get things checked out. Are regular screenings important for gynaecological health? Routine screening programmes are not available for all types of gynaecological cancer. However, where they are available – such as cervical smear tests – attending screenings can be life-saving. “Regular screenings, such as smear tests and HPV (human papillomavirus) tests, are vital for the early detection of cervical cancer and can prevent it at its pre-cancer stage,” says Ali. “Additionally, it’s important for individuals to discuss family history and risk factors with their healthcare provider to determine which screenings are appropriate.” Research shows that cervical cancer risks are higher for people who don’t attend screenings. “Cervical cancer risk is estimated to be 1.7% among women in the UK who don’t attend screenings,” says Mr Andrew Pooley, consultant gynaecologist at New Victoria Hospital. “Other risk factors are related to a higher exposure to HPV, the use of the contraceptive pill for over 10 years, or a weak immune system.” Ali adds: “The age to start screening can vary depending on the type of cancer and a patient’s individual risk factors. Pap smears typically start around age 25.” For cancers where there isn’t a national screening programme, your GP can refer you for blood tests and scans if you are concerned about symptoms. Can gynaecological cancers be prevented? While not all gynaecological cancers can be prevented, there are steps you can take that in some cases may help reduce your risk. “Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, regular exercise, and avoiding tobacco, can help,” Ali says. “The HPV vaccine is a powerful tool in preventing certain gynaecological cancers. It protects against several strains of HPV that can lead to cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers. It’s recommended for both boys and girls, ideally before they become sexually active, to provide the greatest protection.” Some gynaecological cancers can have a hereditary component, too. “A family history of bowel, breast or ovarian cancer may increase the risk,” Ali explains, which is why it’s important to discuss family medical history at screenings. “They can assess the risk accurately and recommend appropriate screenings or genetic testing if necessary.” This said, anyone can potentially get cancer, so getting any symptoms checked as soon as possible is always key. What are the available treatment options for gynaecological cancers? Treatment options vary depending on the type and stage (from one to four) of cancer. “They may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatments,” says Ali. “The choice of treatment is personalised to each patient’s specific diagnosis and medical history.” Survival rates for the main five gynaecological cancers when diagnosed at stage one range from 75%-95% according to Cancer Research, which further highlights the importance of early detection. New Victoria Hospital has launched its Community Champion Campaign, which will offer free scans and treatment to people across the UK for the sum of £125,000. To apply visit: newvictoria.co.uk/communitychampioninitiative. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Alzheimer’s: How and when to talk to someone about their memory loss As Simon Cowell shares positive therapy experience, how can it help even if you aren’t in crisis? Project launched to bust myth that cancer is a ‘white person’s disease’

Very few new users were attracted by the anticipated launch of Twitter rival Threads’ web application, new data suggests. Instagram’s Threads, launched in early July, swiftly became the fastest-growing app in the world and initially posed as a legitimate rival to Elon Musk’s platform Twitter, now rebranded as X. Though launched without key features of its rival, its early strategic roll out at a key time when Twitter was facing widespread backlash for policy changes under Mr Musk helped Threads quickly accumulate users. But weeks since its launch, Threads lacked one of the most basic features of social networks – to be able to use it outside of an app. Last week, the Threads web app was finally rolled out, with the platform’s chief and Instagram boss Adam Mosseri announcing that the web experience was available for everyone at threads.net. “Let us know what you think,” he said. While in the US, Threads’ website use jumped up by a fifth over the past week compared to the week prior, how this traffic may have contributed to the onboarding of new users remains unclear. Globally, the traffic increase to the platform via the website during this period was also only 3 per cent, according to digital intelligence firm Similarweb. In terms of other parameters as well, Threads’ traffic appears worrying. Mobile intelligence firm Sensor Tower reported earlier this month that daily active users on Threads dropped over 80 per cent since the platform’s launch, with only 8 million users using the app daily. There isn’t much data to also suggest there’s a rapid influx of new users signing up to join Threads since its web app launch. Similarweb speculates that much of the new Threads website visitors in the US were likely just older users moving from the app to the web. The Meta-owned app is continuing to test and roll out new features to woo in more users. The company is also starting to test keyword search in Australia and New Zealand. Mr Mosseri said the tests began on Thursday, and would expand to countries including the US “soon”. “Get excited – search is coming to Threads,” Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg posted on Threads along with a GIF of Vin Diesel from the Fast and Furious franchise saying, “I bet you gonna enjoy this.” Read More Threads launches on the web for everyone – apart from Europeans Musk admits X may be doomed to fail as new glitch wipes out pictures from former Twitter platform Twitter/X indicates it will start collecting ‘biometric information’ and ‘employment history’ Threads launches on the web for everyone – apart from Europeans Meta could finally launch Threads feature everyone is waiting for Elon Musk became ‘anti-woke’ because of his daughter’s gender transition, book claims

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