Florian Wirtz has a chance to shine, there’s a Red Bull reunion on Tyneside and Chelsea face litmus test at ArsenalFlorian Wirtz is easing himself into his second season at Liverpool after a forgettable first. There were signs of promise against Nottingham Forest, where he set up the second equaliser and would have had a goal of his own if not for an offside in the buildup. It is clear the German needs to become more influential as a No 10 given the quality of players he has around him, especially after the expensive arrival of Bradley Barcola this week. Bruno Fernandes showed there is plenty of fun for an attacking midfielder to have against Ipswich and Wirtz can follow suit as a protagonist. Liverpool have drawn both their opening fixtures 2-2 and need something to kickstart their campaign, with a Friday night visit to promoted opposition a fine place to start. Wirtz should cause problems but, if he does not, the internal competition will be after his spot. Will UnwinIpswich v Liverpool (Friday 8pm, all times BST)Newcastle v Bournemouth (Saturday 12.30pm)Brentford v Sunderland (Saturday 3pm) Continue reading...
Luis Enrique reiterated his belief that a PSG player should win the 2026 Ballon d'Or after the club's back-to-back Champions League titles. PSG coach Luis Enrique reignited his push for a Ballon d’Or winner from within his own squad during his press conference on Thursday, ahead of the club’s Ligue 1 clash with Monaco. The comments echo the stance he took last season, when he openly campaigned for Ousmane Dembele to win the award after PSG claimed their first-ever Champions League title, and come off the back of the club retaining that trophy this year. “I don’t care who wins the Ballon d’Or. But, in my opinion, it has to be a PSG player,” Luis Enrique said. He pointed to several players within his squad as deserving candidates, citing their achievements over the past year. “We have players who have won the Champions League. We have Fabian Ruiz, who won the World Cup… Ousmane Dembele, who won the Ballon d’Or last season,” he continued, before adding: “That’s my opinion. But I’m not interested in individual awards, the most important thing is the collective”. The 2026 Ballon d’Or will be awarded on October 26 at The London Palladium, with this year’s ceremony evaluating performances between July 2025 and July 19, 2026, a window that includes the World Cup final. L.Enrique: “A real pleasure to reconnect with our supporters” 💬❤️💙The press conference before #PSGASM.📺 https://t.co/pL69iJE18Q pic.twitter.com/0h4bzp07B2— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 3, 2026 Who are the favorites to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or Unlike previous years, there’s no clear frontrunner, with at least eight players in serious contention: Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Michael Olise, Dembele himself, and Lionel Messi. Rodri enters as a strong candidate after winning the World Cup with Spain and being named the tournament’s best player, while Kane dominated domestically with Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga and finishing as its top scorer with 36 goals in 31 games, despite falling short in the Champions League and World Cup semifinals. Messi, meanwhile, also remains in the conversation after a standout World Cup at 39 years old, scoring eight goals in what statistically became his best tournament, and could become the first player to reach nine Ballon d’Or trophies if he wins it again.
‘It’s better to look a little further than the next game’Head coach ‘happy with the four wingers we have’Andoni Iraola has defended Liverpool’s summer transfer strategy and said the club were right not to pay “crazy money” for short-term fixes while Hugo Ekitiké, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are recovering from serious injuries.Liverpool had the highest net spend in the Premier League, with Bradley Barcola, signed for a potential £123m, added on Monday to a front line that includes the £125m Alexander Isak and £116m Florian Wirtz. Barcola could make his debut at Ipswich on Friday, despite not featuring for Paris Saint-Germain this season. Continue reading...
Camilo Durán inspires Celtic’s 3-0 win against AberdeenFalkirk 1-2 Rangers; Kilmarnock 0-1 St MirrenWouter Vrancken enjoyed a memorable first Edinburgh derby in charge of Hearts as his rampant side cruised to a deserved 3-1 victory over 10-man Hibernian at Easter Road.James Wilson and Laurent Mendy had the visitors two goals up at half-time before Hibs ralled early in the second half and pulled one back through substitute Adam Mayor. Continue reading...
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