Unai Emery insists Aston Villa must continue striving to "break barriers" as the club look to take a big step towards qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages. 

Emery's side welcome Bologna to Villa Park on Tuesday, aiming to maintain their perfect record in the competition so far. 

They also come into the encounter unbeaten in nine games in all competitions after defeating Fulham 3-1 in the Premier League, a result that propelled them into the top four. 

Emery is looking to pick up his 25th Champions League win, and would become the fifth Spanish manager to reach that total after Pep Guardiola, Rafael Benítez, Vicente del Bosque and Luis Enrique.

But aside from personal accolades, Emery has his eyes set on helping the Villans become regular contenders for silverware during his time at the helm. 

"I don't want to waste my time here, that is my message," said Emery. "We want to achieve the objectives and one of them is to play in the Champions League.

"It is not about playing there only because of some circumstances - I want us to stay there for a long time.

"You have to be resilient. We want to be strong in the idea in our mind and create a strong mentality to always break barriers."

Should Villa beat the Serie A side, they will also equal their longest streak of victories in the European Cup or Champions League, last earning three consecutive wins between September and October 1981. 

Emery will celebrate his second anniversary as Villa manager on Thursday but is only looking at how he can help the club continue to grow after their meteoric rise under his stewardship in the last 24 months.

"The most important thing is for us how we are increasing our demands and with those getting the objectives we are facing each year," he outlined.

"Two years ago we avoided a risk of relegation and even had time to get a position in the Conference League, which was amazing in the first seven months we had here.

"Last year we continued our process, and we increased a lot our demands, getting the Champions League.

"The challenge is to get better every day, and now how can we keep the same level we have now for a long time? That’s the most difficult thing.

"When you achieve an objective at a high level, how can you be demanding and successful in keeping it? That’s the idea I have now. The club is in the same way.

"The players are with the same message I am giving you here. The words I use repeatedly since I arrived here to now is I don’t want to waste my time here.

"That’s the message for everyone. I don’t want you to waste your time here. We are professionals, and we can get our best objectives individually and collectively.

"We want to keep the level we have now, which is the Champions League, and add something more like being a contender for a trophy."

Tuesday's fixture against Bologna will be the first time the two sides faced each other in any competition, though Villa have struggled against sides from Italy. 

They have lost four of their six major European games against Italian sides, with the two wins both coming at home against Inter in 1990 and 1994, in the UEFA Cup.

Girona head coach Michel has insisted his side will not tiptoe around the challenges of the Champions League amid an injury crisis at the club. 

Michel's men welcome Slovan Bratislava to the Estadi Municipal de Montilivi on Tuesday, hoping to secure their first three points of the competition this season. 

However, they must do so without several of their first-team players.

It was confirmed by Michel that Girona would be without striker Abel Ruiz and young playmaker Gabriel Misehouy, only adding to the Blanquivermells' injury woes.

The pair join the likes of Viktor Tsygankov, Oriol Romeu, Jhon Solis, Portu, Bryan Gil, Pau Lopez and Yaser Asprilla as the players unavailable for the clash against the Slovakian outfit.

"We have no one back, and we are missing Abel Ruiz due to adductor problems. Misehouy is also missing because he can't play," Michel told reporters.

"Marc Aznar, (Juan) Arango, Selvi (Clua), and two goalkeepers will come from the reserve team and we have to evaluate them.

"Even so, we have 11 players to form a starting side."

Having lost to Paris Saint-Germain and Feyenoord, Girona's absentees have made earning that first win a little bit tougher for the Catalan club. 

Should Girona lose on Tuesday, they would become the first Spanish side to suffer defeats in each of their first three Champions League games. 

But Michel wants his players to appreciate where they find themselves this season after finishing third in LaLiga last season. 

"Playing in the Champions League with Girona cannot be just another game," Michel said.

"I don't want to tiptoe around this competition and that people don't give it the value it has," the coach said.

"It has a lot of merit for what we have done and also for the club, which has made efforts, and we have to enjoy it and value it.

"For me, tomorrow is a very special day, just like the two previous matches."

Kylian Mbappe should be scoring more goals for Real Madrid, so says Carlo Ancelotti ahead of their upcoming Champions League fixture with Borussia Dortmund. 

Since his arrival from Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe has eight goals in 12 appearances in all competitions, six of which have come in LaLiga this term. 

The 25-year-old was on target in Los Blancos' 2-1 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday, though he was replaced by Dani Ceballos for the final eight minutes of the game. 

He has registered 44 shots this season, more than any other player in LaLiga, while only Robert Lewandowski (22) has had more shots on target than Mbappe (20). 

The Frenchman, however, has underperformed his expected goals (xG) tally of 7.18 in the Spanish top-flight, something Ancelotti wants him to improve on. 

"I want Mbappe to score goals, I prefer he scores rather than pressing," Ancelotti said.

"The centre-forward’s role hasn’t changed, I ask the same of him that I asked of (former Real striker player) Karim Benzema. 

"Mbappe needs to position himself well and be smart every time we recover the ball to make a quick transition."

Madrid are preparing to face Dortmund in a repeat of the Champions League final of last season, though Mbappe has struggled against them of late.

Dortmund are the opponent that Mbappe has faced the most times in the Champions League (eight). 

After scoring three goals in his first two games against them (in 2016-17 for Monaco), he’s only netted once in the last six and failed to find the net in the last three.

Ancelotti also praised Jude Bellingham for his start to the season, despite the England midfielder failing to find the back of the net so far this season. 

Bellingham netted 23 goals and added 13 assists in all competitions during his debut season with Los Blancos, winning two trophies along the way.

Since the start of last season, Bellingham has delivered the joint-most assists in the Champions League (five - level with Marcel Sabitzer), and Ancelotti is not concerned by the 21-year-old's lack of goals this term.

"We are satisfied with Bellingham's work. He works hard on the field, competes, fights and makes sacrifices," Ancelotti said.

"He hasn’t scored like last year, but that was unexpected. 

"We’ve always managed to score and will continue to because we have a lot of talent up front. Bellingham's role is more important than the goals he scored last year."

Kylian Mbappe should be scoring more goals for Real Madrid, so says Carlo Ancelotti ahead of their upcoming Champions League fixture with Borussia Dortmund. 

Since his arrival from Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe has eight goals in 12 appearances in all competitions, six of which have come in LaLiga this term. 

The 25-year-old was on target in Los Blancos' 2-1 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday, though he was replaced by Dani Ceballos for the final eight minutes of the game. 

He has registered 44 shots this season, more than any other player in LaLiga, while only Robert Lewandowski (22) has had more shots on target than Mbappe (20). 

The Frenchman, however, has underperformed his expected goals (xG) tally of 7.18 in the Spanish top-flight, something Ancelotti wants him to improve on. 

"I want Mbappe to score goals, I prefer he scores rather than pressing," Ancelotti said.

"The centre-forward’s role hasn’t changed, I ask the same of him that I asked of (former Real striker player) Karim Benzema. 

"Mbappe needs to position himself well and be smart every time we recover the ball to make a quick transition."

Madrid are preparing to face Dortmund in a repeat of the Champions League final from last season, though Mbappe has struggled against the German side of late.

Dortmund are the opponent that Mbappe has faced the most times in the Champions League (eight). 

But after scoring three goals in his first two games against them (in 2016-17 for Monaco), he’s only netted once in the last six and failed to find the net in the last three.

Ancelotti also praised Jude Bellingham for his start to the season, despite the England midfielder failing to find the back of the net so far this season. 

Bellingham netted 23 goals and added 13 assists in all competitions during his debut season with Los Blancos, winning two trophies along the way.

Since the start of last season, Bellingham has delivered the joint-most assists in the Champions League (five - level with Marcel Sabitzer), and Ancelotti is not concerned by the 21-year-old's lack of goals this term.

"We are satisfied with Bellingham's work. He works hard on the field, competes, fights and makes sacrifices," Ancelotti said.

"He hasn’t scored like last year, but that was unexpected. 

"We’ve always managed to score and will continue to because we have a lot of talent up front. Bellingham's role is more important than the goals he scored last year."

Thiago Motta believes his team must make strides with their consistency to compete in the Champions League and Serie A during his first season at the helm. 

Motta, who took charge of Juventus at the start of the campaign, is unbeaten in his first 10 games, winning six and drawing four in all competitions so far. 

Juventus needed a late own-goal from Mario Gila to edge past Lazio at the weekend, with the triumph ensuring they kept pace with the top two in Serie A. 

Motta's side, however, are among the lowest scorers in Italy's top flight with 11 - only nine teams in the division have scored fewer in the league than Juventus. 

However, Juventus have been prolific in this season's Champions League, scoring six goals in their two games, and are one of only seven sides with a perfect record so far.

And ahead of facing Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday, Motta has said his players must continue to improve if they are to achieve success. 

"There is no difference between the league and the Champions League," Motta told reporters on Monday.

"We must always have the same attitude, each match is a story in itself - with evolving strategies and situations.

"It's not just us who have difficulties against teams that close down well, everyone struggles, football is like that and that's why we have to give our all and believe until the end.

"We must continue to improve in all aspects, both in terms of the game and mentally. We hope to perform well, playing good football. That is the way we will have a chance of winning."

Motta was also asked about Turkish teenager Kenan Yildiz, who impressed at Euro 2024 but has yet to start firing for Juventus this term. 

The 19-year-old has failed to score in his eight Serie A appearances, managing just two assists so far. 

However, Yildiz has shown his quality in the Champions League.

He produced a fine finish in Juventus' 3-1 win over PSV Eindhoven, becoming the club's youngest-ever goalscorer in the competition, surpassing Alessandro del Piero's previous record.

"I'm happy with the work Yildiz does on the pitch, he puts all his quality at the disposal of the team," Motta said. 

"He can certainly do better. He was only born in 2005 and he's already making an impact.

"I'm happy with what I see both as a wide player and when he comes in more centrally."

Motta will be hoping Yildiz can help play a starring role as the Italian boss aims to become the third Juventus manager after Fabio Capello (first five) in 2004-05 and Marcelo Lippi in 1995-96 (first four) to win his first three Champions League games. 

He has reason to be confident too. Juventus have won each of their last five major European games against German sides (all since 2019-20), which is already their best winning run against such opposition.

Deshaun Watson won't take another snap for the Cleveland Browns this season.

An MRI on Monday confirmed that Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture in Sunday's 21-14 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The results of the tests were expected after the embattled quarterback was injured on a non-contact play with 1:26 remaining in the first half.

Watson took a snap and dropped back to pass, but when he tried to plant his right foot, his leg buckled underneath him. He immediately dropped to the ground and was carted off the field after he was tended to by trainers.

With Sunday's loss, the Browns fell to 1-6 this season.

Watson is in the third year of a five-year, $230million fully guaranteed contract he signed with the Browns in March 2022 after being traded from the Houston Texans.

He has not lived up to the mega-contract, however, playing in just six games in each of his first two seasons in Cleveland before making it to seven this year.

In his first season in 2022, he served an 11-game suspension and in 2023, he was limited to just six starts because of a shoulder injury that required surgery.

In seven games this season, Watson had five touchdowns and three interceptions, ranking 27th in passer rating (79.0) and 31st in pass yards per attempt (5.31).

He was replaced Sunday by Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but he later left with a finger injury and was replaced by Jameis Winston.

The Browns have been a mess offensively and just traded away their top receiver Amari Cooper last week, though they did manage to top 300 yards of total offence Sunday for the first time this season (336).

They still failed to reach 20 points, and their 109 total points are the franchise's fewest through seven games since the 2017 team scored 103.

Aryna Sabalenka has ended Iga Swiatek 11-month reign at the summit of the world rankings ahead of the WTA finals.

Sabalenka previously held the top spot for eight weeks from September to November last year, and has returned once again after a sensational run of form. 

The Belarusian has compiled a record of 20-1 since mid-August, during which she claimed her third grand slam title at the US Open after beating home favourite Jessica Pegula. 

Sabalenka also recently claimed the Cincinnati Open and Wuhan Open titles, while she also started the year with a major triumph at the Australian Open. 

She is the player with the most wins in 2024 with 46, including the women's singles grand slam and WTA-1000 events, one more than Swiatek who is in second. 

The next chance for Swiatek to return to number one is the season-ending WTA Finals next month in Riyadh. 

Paulo Fonseca believes Milan have shown "signs of growth" in the Champions League, as he looks to get their first win against Club Brugge on Tuesday.

Milan faced Liverpool and reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen in their opening two games in the competition, losing the first 3-1 at home and the latter 1-0.

They were outplayed in their opener, managing just two shots on target from eight efforts, compared to Liverpool's 11 from 23, with the Reds also racking up 3.09 expected goals (xG) to Milan's 0.61.

Fonseca's side put on a better show at the BayArena against Leverkusen, and the Portuguese head coach hopes they can translate that into a victory in what is almost a must-win match.

"We started against two of the strongest teams in Europe right now. They were two different games," he told reporters.

"Difficulties against Liverpool, quality against Leverkusen, especially in the second half. We didn't win, but we showed signs of growth.

"We have to continue to grow in this competition, and we want to win if we want to have a chance to continue. It's not decisive, but it is important, we have to win."

Fonseca also confirmed Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez will return to the starting line-up after missing Saturday's Serie A match against Udinese.

Hernandez was suspended for that game after his red card in the 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina, while the winger was dropped to the bench after that loss, which left Fonseca furious.

Samuel Chukwueze, who scored the winner against Udinese, is set to be among the substitutes against Brugge as Fonseca took the unusual step of naming his line-up.

"They will play tomorrow from the first minute," he added.

"I expect from them what I expect from everyone, that they give their best to help Milan win. It's a normal situation, even for them. And tomorrow they play."

"I will tell you straight away [Tuesday's] team. Mike Maignan, Emerson Royal, Matteo Gabbia, Fikayo Tomori, Hernandez, Youssouf Fofana, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tijani Reijnders, Leao, Christian Pulisic, Alvaro Morata."

Milan have a shortage of strikers. Tammy Abraham went off injured minutes after coming onto the pitch on Saturday, while Luka Jovic was not included in the Champions League squad.

Francesco Camarda has been called up from the youth squad and if he were to come on and score at 16 years and 226 days, he would become the youngest-ever scorer in the competition.

"This is not a normal situation to have Abraham and Jovic out," Fonseca said. "Normally we always have solutions, plus we have Camarda in whom we believe a lot. I don't think we need other players in this position."

Virgil van Dijk confirmed official talks have been opened between his representatives and the club over a new contract.

The defender, who joined the Reds from Southampton in January 2018, is one of three key players in the final year of his contract, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah.

He has made 280 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Van Dijk has quickly settled into life under new manager Arne Slot, helping the team to keep five Premier League clean sheets, the most of any team.

He has played every minute in the top-flight this season, and he has made 18 interceptions, with only Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez (19) making more among defenders in the competition.

Following Liverpool's 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday, their 10th win of the season, Van Dijk explained negotiations over his Liverpool future had begun.

"I can say obviously discussions are ongoing, but I don't know, we will see what happens in the future," Van Dijk said.

"My very full focus is on Liverpool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else.

"What the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions have been started up, and we will see. I feel very good, physically, mentally, and I am having fun.

"When it's time to make a decision or whatever, I think you guys [the media] will know it as well. But now, full commitment and focus is on Liverpool and to be successful this season. So we will see."

Luis Enrique is not overlooking the test PSV Eindhoven will bring to the Parc des Princes when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday. 

PSV come into the game with the French champions having yet to win in the Champions League, losing to Juventus before drawing 1-1 with Juventus last time out.

However, Peter Bosz's side come into the contest on the back of a 2-1 league win over AZ Alkmaar, taking them five points clear at the summit of the Eredivisie.

PSV have also scored 29 goals in their first nine league games, conceding just six times as they remain perfect so far, something Luis Enrique was wary of. 

"I think that with the expanded Champions League format there are lots of teams with very high levels," Luis Enrique told reporters. 

"Last season, they were the best team in their country, and they have had an incredible start to the season when you look at the statistics."

Luis Enrique led PSG to a 4-2 win over Strasbourg on Saturday, with Senny Mayulu, Marco Asensio, Bradley Barcola and Lee Kang-In on target for the Parisiens. 

But after falling to a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in their last Champions League encounter, the PSG boss is expecting a similar challenge to the one his players have just faced.

"They are a top level team without doubt. I think it will be similar to the game against Strasbourg," he said.

"It will be tough for us because of how they play. They play far away from their goal.

"They press well and score goals and the two goals they scored were from high pressing.

"The Dutch teams play very good football and PSV know what to do with the ball."

This will be PSG's first ever European meeting with PSV, with the Parisiens only meeting with a Dutch side coming against Ajax in the 2014-15 group stage, winning one of those games and drawing the other.

After PSV, the Ligue 1 champions will face Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich, though he said the team's priority focus was on Eindhoven. 

"The next game is always the most important one because that is the one you can control," the Spaniard said.

"With the new format of the Champions League, every home game is even more important. That also goes for PSV."

But Tuesday's hosts will be confident of a victory, with PSV having picked up just two wins in 18 away major European visits to French clubs (drawn nine, lost seven). 

Premier League football returned after the international break with a bang, with 28 goals scored, five players sent off and two injury-time winners over the weekend.

The action kicked off with a London derby as Tottenham swept aside West Ham, with Leicester City producing a remarkable comeback to beat Southampton before Aston Villa kept pace with the top four with a 3-1 win over Fulham.

Manchester United came from a goal down to beat Brentford, as Everton extended their unbeaten run at the expense of Ipswich Town, while Arsenal were dealt their first defeat of the season away to Bournemouth after William Saliba's dismissal. 

Liverpool remained at the Premier League summit after beating Chelsea in an entertaining affair at Anfield, but Manchester City are hot on their heels, albeit they needed a late John Stones header to edge past Wolves. 

So, after all that, who were the unlucky, and lucky, teams based on the underlying metrics?

Unlucky losers: Newcastle United

Newcastle's poor run of form continued in the Premier League as Danny Welbeck's strike helped Brighton to a 1-0 triumph at St. James' Park. 

However, the Magpies will feel they should have taken at least a point for their efforts, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.02, a number only bettered by Southampton (2.15) and Leicester City (3.21) across the weekend's fixtures. 

Fifteen of Newcastle's attempts also came from inside the box compared to Brighton's eight, while Eddie Howe's side managed 45 touches in the opposition box, with only Man City (85) registering more on matchday eight.

Newcastle managed 21 shots, though only six were on target, with Brighton ultimately being more clinical. The Seagulls accumulated an xG total of 1.12 from their 10 attempts, but also had Bart Verbruggen to thank, with the Dutchman making six saves on the day. 

Lucky winners: Liverpool

Arne Slot continued his excellent start to life as Liverpool head coach with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea, though this was arguably his toughest assignment to date. 

While the Reds ended the contest with an xG total of 1.94 compared to Chelsea's 0.99, it was Enzo Maresca's side that posed the bigger questions at Anfield, registering 12 shots, though only two were on Caoimhin Kelleher's goal. 

Jadon Sancho also felt he should have been awarded a penalty for a tangle of legs with Trent Alexander-Arnold in the first half, with Nicolas Jackson also striking the woodwork before the interval. 

The Blues also managed more shots in the box (nine) compared to Liverpool's seven, as well as registering more touches in the opposition box (26 to Liverpool's 17) and 56 final third entries to the Reds' 54. 

Indeed, Liverpool's non-penalty xG was 1.15, so a 1-1 draw would probably have been a fair result.

Unlucky losers: Fulham 

After pushing Man City all the way before the international break, Fulham returned with another good performance, but fell short once again, this time against Aston Villa.

Morgan Rogers quickly cancelled out Raul Jiminez's opener, though Andreas Pereira fluffed his lines from the penalty spot after a brilliant save from Emiliano Martinez. 

Fulham accumulated an xG total of 1.78 compared to Villa's 1.68, but Ollie Watkins and Issa Diop's unfortunate own-goal sealed the triumph for Unai Emery's side, who are back in Champions League action in midweek. 

Marco Silva's team were left to rue another encounter with squandered opportunities, failing to take any of the four big chances they created, while only four of their 10 attempts at Craven Cottage were on target compared to Villa's five from 14 shots.  

Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal will channel the hurt from their first defeat of the Premier League season into their Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk. 

The Gunners were beaten 2-0 by Bournemouth on Saturday, with goals from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert capitalising on William Saliba's first-half sending off. 

Arsenal have now been shown 18 red cards in the Premier League, at least five more than any other side since Arteta's first game in charge back on Boxing Day in 2019.

Saliba's red card was the third the Gunners have been shown in their last eight matches, something Arteta acknowledged ahead of kick-off on Tuesday.

"I think we are already aligned that we cannot continue to play with 10 men," Arteta said.

"That’s fine, it’s easier to say it than get it done because they are very specific moments that adjust that situation, but it’s reacting.

"Defeat is part of the game, part of the sport. It happened in very specific conditions as well.

"Let’s move on, take that pain that we still have in the tummy and use it for tomorrow night."

That defeat against the Cherries saw Arsenal beaten for the first time away from home this calendar year, but they return to the Emirates on Tuesday to face the Ukrainian champions. 

Arsenal haven't lost a home game in the group, or the new league stage in the Champions League, since a 3-2 defeat to Olympiacos in September 2015. 

The Gunners have won eight of the nine matches they have played since (D1), keeping a clean sheet in all of those triumphs. 

And Arteta believes that tomorrow is the perfect platform to recover from their defeat to Bournemouth and kickstart another winning run. 

"Yeah, we have to start tomorrow obviously," Arteta said.

"The desire is there, we want to desperately play these kinds of matches, and we know the atmosphere is going to be terrific tomorrow night, so let’s produce that and earn the right to win the game."

Arteta was also able to provide an update on Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, with both missing the trip to the Vitality Stadium over the weekend. 

"They are closer and both progressing really well. Martin is still not fit. With Bukayo, let’s see how he feels today and in the training session that we have later on," he said.