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After that brilliant first-leg performance, Celtic take a three-goal advantage into the return knowing if they see it through we're back in the Champions League proper. Champions League qualification brings a completely different level of revenue and while Celtic are hardly scraping around financially, that extra income is still vital. Suddenly, Celtic know exactly what level they're preparing for.
Celtic cannot try to defend their aggregate lead in the second leg of their Champions League play-off against LASK, according to the club's former striker Cillian Sheridan. Martin O'Neill's side won last week's first leg 3-0 at Parkhead thanks to some sparkling attacking play, although the Austrian champions did also have several chances. Sheridan says Celtic must adopt a similar gameplan in Austria on Tuesday if they are to reach the competition proper and has backed a summer signing to make his mark in the game.
There's a valid argument to further that The Sky Blues don't need any sort of cup run to distract them from the primary business of staying in the Premier League, after enduring a 25-year wait to get there. Equally, nearly 1,800 fans are making the eight-hour-plus round trip on a Tuesday night to Home Park to support them, and they're owed a "proper" performance, whatever personnel Frank Lampard chooses to field. Lampard's standards are such that he won't allow a half-hearted, sub-standard display to suffice against their League One opponents, and to that end, the expected wholesale changes to his line-up will only benefit those players if they go at it full tilt; to either force their way into his thinking for a Premier League place, or to make themselves attractive to potential suitors elsewhere, in what remains of the summer transfer window.
Cristiano Ronaldo's schedule with Al Nassr has suffered numerous changes, involving competitions like the Saudi Pro League and Saudi Super Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo has officially made his first appearance of the 2026-27 season, a campaign he has indicated could potentially mark his final year as a professional soccer player. While the team’s initial roadmap was set, his upcoming schedule with Al Nassr will undergo a significant reshuffle following updates to both the Saudi Pro League and Saudi Super Cup calendars. First, the Saudi Pro League announced date adjustments for four distinct matchdays, impacting Matchdays 8, 9, 10, and 11. Matchday 8 was originally scheduled to take place prior to the upcoming international break, where Ronaldo is expected to join Portugal for UEFA Nations League duty, but those fixtures will now be played after the international window. The schedule shift was made in coordination with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to allow extended preparation time ahead of the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup. With the tournament taking place between September 23 and October 6, the domestic league will continue play despite Saudi Arabia’s national team commitments, though the changes aim to optimize player recovery, according to an official statement published on the league’s website Sunday. Under the revised framework, the official date changes across the Saudi Pro League are as follows: Matchday 8: Shifted from September 17-19 to October 9-11Matchday 9: Shifted from October 9-11 to October 15-17Matchday 10: Shifted from October 15-17 to October 18-20Matchday 11: Pushed back to October 23 instead of October 22 to comply with mandatory rest periods Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr celebrates with the Saudi Pro League Trophy. (Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images) For Al Nassr, these calendar revisions directly alter their upcoming fixtures against Al Diriyah for Matchday 8 on September 17, Matchday 9 against Al Ahli, and Matchday 10 against SC Neom. The updated kickoff times for those individual matches remain to be announced, with King’s Cup and AFC Champions League Elite fixtures also slotted between domestic league dates. Saudi Super Cup schedule also moved The Saudi Super Cup presents another silverware opportunity for Ronaldo during his current run with Al Nassr. Typically held prior to the start of the domestic campaign, the tournament was pushed back on the calendar to accommodate player rest following the 2026 World Cup. After capturing the Saudi Pro League title last season, Al Nassr qualified for the tournament alongside Al Ahli, Al Qadsiah, and Al Kholood. Originally slated to run from November 30 to December 4, 2026, the four-team tournament has been adjusted to align with the broader league changes. موعدنا يتجدّد مع كأس السوبر السعودي 🗓️🏆تعرّفوا على المواعيد المحدّثة لمنافسات البطولة 🔽 pic.twitter.com/TONucYvstN— كأس السوبر السعودي (@SaudiSuperCup) August 23, 2026 The revised 2026-27 Saudi Super Cup semifinals are now scheduled for December 19 and 20, with the final set for December 23, 2026. Those matches will serve as Ronaldo’s final competitive appearances of the calendar year before Al Nassr return to action on February 8, 2027, against Al Shamal SC in the AFC Champions League Elite.
Barcelona target left exposed after draw with Villarreal as supporters vented their fury at his ‘dream’ to leaveJulián Álvarez entered a long, dark tunnel on his own. “We’re stronger together,” Giuliano Simeone said but that wasn’t the way it went. At the end of their first home game of the season, a 2-2 draw with Villarreal, all of Atlético Madrid’s players gathered by the centre circle, shook hands with their opponents and each other, then headed towards the south end of the Metropolitano. Almost all of them did, anyway: one was left behind. Somebody in a suit had a quiet word then the press officer came, pointing in the other direction. So, while his teammates turned to the supporters who had turned on him, the man wearing No 19 went west, to the exit.Álvarez walked alone. Head down in silence, as he had been all afternoon and beyond, he set off slowly across the pitch accompanied only by his thoughts and the whistles that followed him. Not offered a hand to shake or a nod of acknowledgment, he stepped past the Atlético badge on the touchline where the mouth of the tunnel opens. Either side, supporters hung over the void, whistling and shouting. Way off to his left, Atlético’s other players paused, seemingly waiting for him to slip out of sight before approaching the stand, but none turned back. A scarf was thrown, landing at Álvarez’s feet and left lying there. And then he disappeared into the dark, a portrait of the place he is in. Continue reading...
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