Key events
Government officials seeking to lift ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans
The latest on Maccabi Tel Aviv’s visit to Aston Villa:
Senior government officials will meet on Friday as they look to reverse a decision by West Midlands police to ban fans of the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv from a European match at Aston Villa next month.
Eddie Howe says Yoane Wissa is back on the grass, and the Newcastle manager is asked about the appointment of Ross Wilson as sporting director. “I wasn’t overly involved [in process of recruiting him] … I back Ross’ appointment and hope we can work together really well.”
On the rivalry with United, Slot says: “I look forward to every single Premier League but maybe even more towards the Man United one because I know how special it is … United, in my opinion, have had a better start to the season than maybe the league table is showing.”
On Alexander Isak: “I think now he’s had his five, six weeks of pre-season which is normal for every player, especially if you’ve been out for three or four months. Fitness-wise he’s close to the level he should be and I think we can judge him in a fair way from now on.”
Slot lays out his side’s troubles this season:
“We’ve conceded too many goals. We’ve conceded nine where four of them are from set pieces. That is still a strength of ours, which sounds weird if you concede four … The other five were two fast breaks and three from open play. In open play we are conceding too many crosses so that is one of the things we have to address and do better.” He also cites how teams are going long against them. “We have to find answers to that.”
Slot: Alisson to miss Manchester United clash
Arne Slot has the injury updates: Ryan Gravenberch is “completely fit”, Ibrahima Konaté is training … but Alisson will not play this weekend and has yet to return to practise.
After losing their campaign opener against Lyonnes, Arsenal are on the board in the Women’s Champions League after beating Benfica. But there’s still plenty of work to do:
Arsenal’s midfielder Mariona Caldentey said ‘almost everything’ needs to be better after a laboured defeat of Benfica secured the holders’ first win of the Champions League campaign.
Here’s the latest on the news that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will not be allowed to attend their side’s Europa League meeting with Aston Villa next month.
New Manchester United stadium ‘an amazing opportunity’ for region
Jamie Jackson
Collette Roche, Manchester United’s chief operating officer, believes the club’s construction of a new stadium to replace Old Trafford is “an amazing opportunity” which can drive the regeneration of the region.
While plans for the facility are yet to be finalised, Roche is confident there will be wider benefits. “It’s very early in the journey, but it’s an amazing opportunity that we’ve got, not just for Manchester United, but for the region,” she told We Built This City podcast. “Whilst we’ll build a stadium that’s great for our team and for the club and our fans, it’s so much more than that.
“It’s become a regional project and probably will be one of the biggest in Europe. As such, it’s bigger than us at Manchester United. So, we needed to get support and work with a lot of stakeholders across Manchester and central government. It’s not just a Manchester United vision. It’s a vision for the region. It’s a vision for Trafford and it’s a vision for Manchester, and that’s why Andy Burnham [the mayor of Greater Manchester] and Trafford council are really keen to work with us.”
Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome back to the Premier League. The big one this weekend? It’s Manchester United’s visit to Liverpool on Sunday, with the defending champions on a three-match losing streak. Maybe the international break ends the funk; Arne Slot will be speaking to the press shortly.
Here’s a bit on that as well as the rest of the weekend’s lineup. Let’s get stuck in:
