Kirk Cousins earned his first win at the Atlanta Falcons with a comeback win in the final minute of the game, and he believes it will only build their resolve.

The Falcons beat the Philadelphia Eagles 22-21, with Cousins picking out Drake London with 34 seconds left to snatch the victory.

At 21-15 down with less than two minutes on the clock, the quarterback completed 5 of 6 passes on a six-play, 70-yard drive before London finished it off. Younghoe Kim then converted a lengthy extra point to ensure they would not need to go to overtime.

And while Cousins was pleased to get off the mark with his new team, he thinks the nature of the win will benefit the Falcons in the long run.

"It's really, really important for us to be able to come in here and get a win," Cousins said. "Just proud of the way we kept playing, kept fighting.

"Coming from behind. Finding a way on the road in a tough environment against a good football team [makes it special].

"That builds resolve, builds some grit, builds some character that we're gonna have to lean on as the year goes on. This is how NFL football is.

"We've got to kind of get used to this and get comfortable in this because that's how these games tend to go.

"The more we can be battle-tested and have these moments, I think it will set us up well for what's coming down the road."

The game could have gone much differently if Philadelphia had completed a play with five-and-a-half minutes on the clock, but Saquon Barkley failed to catch Jalen Hurts' short pass inside the Atlanta 10.

The Eagles then settled for Jake Elliott's 28-yard field goal to take a six-point lead, before the Falcons' late show denied them a second win of the season.

"I dropped the ball," Barkley told reporters. "Let my team down today. Shouldn't have put the defense in that position.

"If I make the catch, game's over. Relax, get back to my old habits, and just gotta go back and get to work.

"I thought it was a great play call. I just gotta make that catch."

Both teams now hold a 1-1 record for the season. Atlanta face Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs next time out, while the Eagles travel to the New Orleans Saints.

The Los Angeles Dodgers got a three-run homer from Freddie Freeman and a combined four-hit shutout from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and four relievers to hand the Atlanta Braves a potentially costly 9-0 loss on Monday.

Making his second start following a near three-month absence caused by a strained shoulder, Yamamoto scattered four hits and two walks in four innings. The Braves didn't record a hit against Evan Phillips (4-1), Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson and Brent Honeywell the rest of the way to fall one game back of the New York Mets for the National League's final wild card.

The Mets came through with a 2-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Starling Marte's run-scoring single in the 10th inning.

Shohei Ohtani knocked in two runs to help Los Angeles split this four-game series and move within a game of the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL's best record. The superstar slugger finished 0 for 4, however, and remained at 47 home runs and 48 stolen bases as he attempts to become MLB's first 50-50 player in a season.

The Dodgers didn't get a hit off Atlanta's Max Fried until the fifth inning but still managed to manufacture a run following a lead-off walk to Miguel Rojas in the third. Rojas advanced to second on a groundout, stole third and scored when Fried uncorked a wild pitch.

Tommy Edman collected Los Angeles' initial hit with a ground-rule double to begin the fifth and scored on Rojas' single. After a hit batter and a fly ball advanced Rojas to third, he came home on Ohtani's fielder's choice grounder for a 3-0 advantage. 

Fried (9-10) yielded just two hits and struck out seven in six innings despite being touched for three runs.

The Dodgers put the game away with a six-run seventh inning capped by the ex-Brave fan favourite Freeman's opposite-field homer.

After three walks by Atlanta reliever Daysbel Hernandez loaded the bases, Ohtani reached on a fielder's choice that plated Rojas for a 4-0 cushion. Mookie Betts brought in another run with a sacrifice fly and Teoscar Hernandez delivered an RBI single in front of Freeman's blast. 

Brewers trim magic number to two with win over Phillies

William Contreras and Joey Ortiz each drove in two runs to back a solid start from Aaron Civale as the Milwaukee Brewers moved closer to capturing the NL Central with a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Brewers' fourth victory in five games reduced their magic number to two to claim their third division title in four years. Milwaukee also closed within three games of the NL-leading Phillies in the standings.

Civale (5-2) scattered seven hits and struck out six while limiting Philadelphia to one run in five-plus innings. Colin Rea closed out the win with 2 2/3 scoreless innings to notch his first career MLB save.

Contreras gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead with a third-inning double off Ranger Suarez that brought in Jackson Chourio and Blake Perkins, who reached via a walk and single, respectively.

The Brewers extended the margin in the fourth when ex-Phil Rhys Hoskins walked, advanced to third on Sal Frelick's double and scored on a sacrifice fly from Ortiz.

Suarez (12-7) lasted five innings and allowed three runs despite giving up just four hits and fanning five.

Brandon Marsh homered in the fifth for the Phillies' lone run off Civale, but Milwaukee scored twice in the sixth to increase their lead further.

Ortiz knocked in Frelick with a triple to put the Brewers up 4-1 before crossing the plate on Brice Turang's single.

Philadelphia got a run back in the top of the seventh when Bryson Stott singled and later scored on Kyle Schwarber's two-out single. The Brewers countered in their half of the inning, however, when Perkins singled and stole two bases before coming home on Gary Sanchez's sac fly.

Manzardo's homer lifts Guardians over Twins

Kyle Manzardo's go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning rallied the Cleveland Guardians to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a key four-game series between American League Central contenders.

Cleveland overcame an early 3-0 deficit to earn its MLB-leading 40th comeback victory of the season, which increased the Guardians' lead atop the AL Central to five games over Kansas City.

The Royals were handed a 7-6 loss by the charging Detroit Tigers, who closed within 1 1/2 games of struggling Minnesota for the AL's final wild card. The Twins have lost seven of 10 and are 9-18 since Aug. 18.

Minnesota was clinging to a 3-2 lead when Josh Naylor led off the bottom of the eighth with a double off Twins reliever Griffin Jax. Two batters later, Manzardo clubbed the first pitch he saw from Jax into the right field seats to put the Guardians ahead.

Emmanuel Clase then retired the side in order in the ninth to record his 46th save, tying a Cleveland franchise season record.

The Twins got all of their runs in the third inning after loading the bases with one out on a Carlos Correa double and two walks issued by Cleveland starter Matthew Boyd. Correa scored the game's first run on a passed ball by Guardians' catcher Bo Naylor, and Byron Buxton knocked in two more with a single for a 3-0 advantage.

Minnesota's Pablo Lopez held Cleveland scoreless until the fifth, when he hit Brayan Rocchio with a pitch and allowed a double to Angel Martinez. Andres Gimenez followed with a single to drive in the Guardians' first run.

Lopez issued two walks around a Will Brennan single to allow Cleveland to inch closer in the seventh on Martinez's bases-loaded single which brought in Manzardo.

Martinez finished 3 for 4, while Brennan and Jose Ramirez each had two hits for the Guardians.

Lopez pitched 6 1/3 innings and permitted two runs on eight hits.

Kirk Cousins threw two second-half touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score to Drake London with 34 seconds remaining, to earn his first win as an Atlanta Falcon with a 22-21 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

With his new team down 21-15 with under two minutes left, Cousins completed 5 of 6 passes on a six-play, 70-yard drive he capped with a 7-yard strike to London in the final minute. Younghoe Kim then converted a lengthy extra-point try from 48 yards out, with the distance increased due to a 15-yard penalty called on London after the touchdown, to break a 21-21 tie.

Jessie Bates sealed the win for Atlanta (1-1) by intercepting Jalen Hurts with 19 seconds left to send the partisan crowd at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field home stunned.

Cousins finished with 241 yards on 20-of-29 passing in his second start since signing a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons in March. Darnell Mooney, another of Atlanta's offseason additions, caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from Cousins in the third quarter and ended with 88 yards on three catches.

Hurts threw for 183 yards and a touchdown and added another TD on the ground while recording 85 rushing yards. His 1-yard touchdown run on the Eagles' patented "Tush Push" quarterback sneak play gave Philadelphia (1-1) an 18-15 lead with 6:47 remaining after Saquon Barkley successfully ran in the ensuing 2-point conversion.

The Eagles appeared headed for a third straight 2-0 start after stuffing Atlanta's Bijon Robinson on a 4th-and-1 run on the following possession to get the ball back at the Falcons' 39-yard line with 5:38 to go.

Philadelphia then moved to the Atlanta 10, but Barkley dropped a short pass from Hurts on third down and the Eagles settled for Jake Elliott's 28-yard field goal and a six-point lead with 1:39 left.

Cousins responded by quickly driving the Falcons inside the Eagles' 10 with four consecutive completions, including gains of 21 and 26 yards to Mooney.

Mooney had given the Falcons a 15-10 edge late in the third quarter when he got behind Philadelphia's defence and hauled in a deep pass from Cousins for a 41-yard score. Atlanta failed to convert the resulting 2-point attempt.

The Eagles also came up empty in the red zone early in the contest, passing up a short field goal try from the Atlanta 9-yard line and throwing an incomplete pass on 4th-and-4 that kept the game scoreless after one quarter.

Atlanta opened the scoring on Koo's 39-yard field goal with 11:22 left in the second, but the Eagles answered with an 11-play, 70-yard drive culminating in Hurts' 7-yard touchdown pass to Devonta Smith.

The Falcons pulled within 7-6 at half-time after Koo's 22-yard field goal ended a 15-play series. Another Koo field goal, a 34-yard kick, put Atlanta in front early in the third quarter before Philadelphia took a 10-9 lead on Elliott's 29-yard field goal with 4:28 left in the period.

Barkley rushed for 95 yards on 22 attempts in his first home game since leaving the NFC East-rival New York Giants for the Eagles in the offseason. Robinson had 97 rushing yards for Atlanta on 14 carries.

Unai Emery is focusing on a new mentality for his Aston Villa side as they embark on their Champions League journey against Young Boys.

Villa are making their first appearance in Europe's top competition since 1982 on Tuesday, having previously won the competition 42 years ago. 

Emery's side will become the 11th different English club to compete in the Champions League, and the first English newcomer since Leicester in 2016-17. 

But the Spaniard has made a name for himself on the European stage, having won the Europa League on four occasions with Sevilla and Villarreal. 

However, Emery's last game in the competition came back in 2022, with his Villarreal side eliminated by Liverpool in the semi-finals of the competition. 

That particular run was the Villa head coach's best run in the tournament, and he is dreaming of going one step further with the Villains. 

"I had dreams when I arrived here to play in the Champions League and be competitive in this competition," Emery told TNT Sports, in an exclusive interview.

"But we are going to set our new mentality, our new objective. Because we are now not comfortable playing in the Premier League and being in the middle.

"We want to be competitive, get in Europe, and be consistent.

"But of course, being consistent and getting into Europe is very difficult in England because it is the hardest league in the world."

While reaching the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League last season, Tuesday's match against the Swiss champions will be many of the Villa squad's first taste of Champions League football. 

However, Emery has strengthened his squad with European experience in recent years. 

Pau Torres was part of Emery's side that reached the semi-finals in 2022, while Ian Maatsen played the duration of Borussia Dortmund's defeat to Real Madrid in last year's final. 

And the Spaniard is looking to those two players in particular to help his side navigate the encounter. 

"We have players with experience; Ian Maatsen played last year and he is with us now," Emery continued. 

"Other players played, Pau Torres played in a semi-final three years ago. And I am playing [coaching] in Europe for 16 years in a row.

"My experiences are very important, but the better experience we are trying to use and get is with Aston Villa, with Aston Villa players, with Aston Villa supporters.

"We are always remembering how amazing it was when they won the Champions League [European Cup] in 1982, and for us, it is very important."

One of the talking points ahead of the clash is the artificial surface at the Wankdorf Stadium.

But Emery is resolute that his players will not be using that as an excuse and will adapt to what they encounter.

"We have to accept and we have to adapt to the pitches we are playing," Emery concluded.  

"Of course, usually we are playing on normal pitches, here it is synthetic. But we are going to try to adapt quickly and know what the difference is with the pitch."

Arne Slot hit back at critics following his first defeat as Liverpool head coach but is relishing his first Champions League game in charge of the Reds against Milan. 

After starting his Liverpool tenure with three wins from three, Slot's side were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest last weekend upon their return from the international break. 

It marked the Dutchman's first loss since replacing Jurgen Klopp, with Forest securing their first triumph at Anfield since 1969. 

Slot named an unchanged team for the fourth consecutive game since taking over at Liverpool against Forest, with many questioning his decision to do so. 

But speaking ahead of their encounter at the San Siro on Tuesday, Slot doubled down on his selection policy during his early tenure on Merseyside. 

"If rotation would be the reason why you didn't win a game, then last Saturday probably wouldn't be the first game I lost in 2024," Slot said. 

"It's too simple to put this loss on rotation, I think it was because too many players didn't reach their normal level. The playing style of the opponent made it really difficult.

"When you don't win, you try and look at as many possible reasons why, but I preferred to look back at what we did well and what we didn't do well.

"We could have done a lot better in things that were not related to rotation, but again it's not possible to say what would have happened if I did rotate.

"Now I can do something about rotation in the upcoming games but before the weekend they were with the national team.

"For me this loss didn't have anything to do with rotation, it was the opponent and too many players not bringing what they can bring."

Slot takes charges of his first game in the Champions League as Liverpool boss, but has struggled in the competition away from home. 

The Dutchman has lost all three of his away games in the tournament, with each of those coming in the group stage with Feyenoord last season.  

However, Slot's former side did have the second-best shot differential away from home in last season’s group stage (+19 – 48 for and 29 against), while only Man City (24) faced fewer shots on the road.

The fixture will also come on Slot's 46th birthday, with the Liverpool head coach hopeful of getting the perfect present from his players.

"I think it is the first time that my birthday is not so important tomorrow!', Slot said.

"It's a big game also for me, but it's a big game for us too because it's the first game [of the Champions League] and it's the next game and the next game is always the most important one, as you know.

"But because of the history that these two teams have and the venue where it's played in - it's one to look forward to."

Slot was also able to provide an update on Federico Chiesa, who is yet to feature since his switch from Juventus in the transfer window. 

Chiesa offers Slot an experienced option against the Serie A side, having notched seven goal involvements (three goals and four assists) in the 13 games he has played against Milan. 

But the Dutchman confirmed that any involvement for the Italy international will likely be from the bench. 

"He is, for the first time, in our team selection," Slot said. 

"And since I said it's the first time he's in our team selection it would be a big surprise for him and for everyone if he would start tomorrow.

"I don’t think you should expect that he starts but he can make a few minutes for the first time tomorrow if we need him. That is something we will see tomorrow.

"For the first time with us and don’t expect him to be there in the starting line-up because he has been with Juve training on his own for a long time.

"It is too early for him to play 90, but hopefully he can make his first minutes in the upcoming fixtures."

The Carolina Panthers are making a quarterback change following their 0-2 start, benching 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young in favour of veteran Andy Dalton for Sunday’s road matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Young has struggled mightily in his NFL career after Carolina acquired the top overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft from the Chicago Bears and used it to pick the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner out of the University of Alabama.

The 23-year-old Young has gone 2-16 in 18 starts while completing 59.3 percent of his pass attempts and throwing for 3,122 yards with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for a passer rating of 70.9.

Since the beginning of the 2023 season, Young’s completion percentage is the worst among qualifying quarterbacks and his passer rating ranks second-to-last.

The decision by first-year Panthers coach Dave Canales to switch quarterbacks comes after Young posted a 44.1 rating and passed for 245 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions in a pair of losses to open 2024.

Carolina has been outscored 73-13 and scored just one touchdown on a three-yard run by Young in Week 1.

Dalton started in Week 3 last season with Young out due to an ankle injury and threw for 361 yards with two touchdowns in a 37-27 loss at the Seattle Seahawks.

Six weeks shy of his 37th birthday, Dalton ranks 26th in NFL history with 38,511 passing yards and 28th with 246 touchdowns through the air.

Vincent Kompany is dreaming of leading Bayern Munich to the Champions League final at the Allianz Arena ahead of their meeting with Dinamo Zagreb. 

Kompany, who replaced Thomas Tuchel as Bayern's head coach in May, has made an impressive start to life with the 33-time Bundesliga champions. 

Harry Kane's hat-trick helped Bayern stay perfect after they thrashed newly promoted outfit Holstein Kiel 6-1 on Saturday to move two points clear at the top.

But their attentions now turn to the Champions League, a competition they reached the semi-finals in last year, losing to eventual winners Real Madrid. 

It was their best run in the tournament since they lifted their sixth title in the 2019-20 season, going on to complete a historic sextuple later that year. 

With the added incentive of the showpiece fixture taking place on home soil next May, Kompany wants his side to start their campaign on the right foot.

"The dream is there for the final next year in Munich. Our fans can dream," Kompany said. "The main thing is for me that we show it on the pitch tomorrow.

"We have a tough game tomorrow, and it is important to play well and win tomorrow. 

"We hope fans can dream for a long time. We need total focus from the first to the last minute."

Bayern previously reached a Champions League final at their own stadium back in the 2011-12 season but lost on penalties to Roberto Di Matteo's Chelsea.

Ahead of kick-off, Bayern revealed that defender Sacha Boey would be sidelined for several weeks after being injured in training on Sunday. 

The French right-back underwent meniscus surgery on his left knee, serving a huge blow for Kompany after the 24-year-old started the campaign strongly.

Boey notched an assist during Bayern's opening day win over Wolfsburg, but Kompany said he has solutions ready to replace the injured defender.

"We have our thoughts of how to replace Sacha tomorrow, and we have solutions," Kompany said.

"It is a shame for Sacha because he was in good form and I hope he is back as soon as possible.

"We have time tonight and tomorrow to discuss the situation, but we have answers."

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank confirmed striker Yoane Wissa will be sidelined for "a couple of months" after picking up an ankle injury against Manchester City. 

Wissa, who netted the fastest ever goal that Brentford have scored in the Premier League against the champions on Saturday, hobbled off in first half injury time. 

The DR Congo international was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge by City midfielder Mateo Kovacic and is expected to return to action in November. 

It serves as a significant blow for Frank, with Wissa having been directly involved in 10 goals across his last nine appearances in the top-flight for the Bees. 

"Wissa is, unfortunately, not good news - it looks like an injury that will be a couple of months," Frank said.

"It's very frustrating. We talked about our many injuries last year - I hope I don't have to talk too much about it this year. I maybe already have.

"We were unlucky with Igor [Thiago], unlucky with [Aaron] Hickey. We've then had two contact injuries with Mathias Jensen and Yoane Wissa, so that's very frustrating.

"But that's part of football - we move on and we will find solutions."

Following the departure of Ivan Toney to Al-Ahli during the transfer window, Wissa has stepped up with three goals in the Brentford's four Premier League games. 

The 28-year-old has outperformed his expected goals (xG) tally by 0.57 so far this term, while his four chances created is a total only bettered by Mathias Jensen (six) and Bryan Mbeumo (10) in the Brentford squad. 

But with striker and record signing Igor Thiago also out injured and not expected to return until the end of the year, Frank acknowledged the enormity of the gap he needed to fill in Wissa's absence.

"Everybody was saying we bought Igor Thiago to replace Ivan [Toney] - but we still had Wissa," Frank concluded.

"We bought Igor Thiago to build the squad and provide competition in the squad.

"Wissa had a very good season last year and I thought he has started the season very well this year, with three goals in four games - that's a very good number.

"He's just been very important for us and that's going to leave a hole. But, again, I will find a solution."

Daniel Ricciardo revealed his desire to experience the world of motorsport as his 13-year Formula One career hangs in the balance ahead of the 2025 season. 

Ricciardo, who has raced for five different teams in F1, is yet to find out whether he will race for RB next year. 

The Australian and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda were considered the favourites to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull until the Mexican signed a new two-year deal.

Red Bull is a team Ricciardo knows well, of course.

Ricciardo has won eight F1 races during his career, seven of which came with the Austrian-based team before his move to Renault in 2019.

Across his 257 race entries, the 35-year-old has also claimed 1,329 points and 32 podiums, but Ricciardo has been unable to get close to the top three in recent times. 

The Australian has not stood on the podium since his last victory at the Italian Grand Prix in 2021, picking up just 55 points over the last three seasons for an RB team who have struggled to emerge from the midfield places in a competitive grid.

Ricciardo finds himself 14th in the drivers' championship this term, with his best finish coming at the Canadian Grand Prix in June, where he finished eighth. 

With time potentially running out on his F1 career heading into the final seven races of the 2024 season, Ricciardo kept his options open as to what may come next. 

“I mean there's things I would like to try and experience," Ricciardo said in an interview with Tourism Western Australia ahead of the release of his new film 'Drive the Dream 2.0'.

"I don't know, let's say on a competitive level, I grew up a fan of NASCAR. I'd like to drive a NASCAR. I'd love to drive around Daytona, for example.

"But would I like to compete? Yes and no, but I also know that, it's not what I grew up doing, and I'll probably get smoked so like, I don't know if I need that!

"I would love to experience it. I love motorbikes. I love MotoGP. I would love to try a MotoGP bike, but I would be very, very slow and probably horrendous. Just like, all in my own time.

"And actually Bathurst, if it's, obviously okay, it's the V8 that does the race there, but you know there's the 12 hour and stuff, so maybe that's one I could compete in.

"If a V8 team said 'hey, do you want to do a few laps around Bathurst, no pressure, just to experience it', then I'll definitely take that up."

Paulo Fonseca believes Milan's Champions League opener against Liverpool is the perfect opportunity to show the team's progress under his stewardship. 

Fonseca, who arrived at the San Siro from Lille in July, picked up his first Serie A victory for the Rossoneri on Saturday with a 4-0 rout of Venezia. 

All four goals came in the first 30 minutes of that encounter, the first time Milan had done so in a league match since October 1958 against Alessandria. 

Milan welcome a familiar foe in the competition in Liverpool on Tuesday, with the pair having squared off in the 2005 and 2007 finals, both winning one apiece.

The Italian side also faced the Reds in the Champions League group stage in the 2021-22 season but lost on both occasions as Liverpool reached the showpiece match, only to lose 1-0 to Real Madrid.

But Liverpool come into the contest off the back of a shock 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend, the first defeat of the Arne Slot era. 

However, Fonseca insisted that despite their opponents' latest result, his side must eradicate their own mistakes and be defensively perfect to kickstart their campaign with a victory. 

"I think Liverpool is one of the strongest teams in Europe. They have a good game and strong individuals," Fonseca said.

"We have to be perfect defensively, you cannot make mistakes.

"I see it as an opportunity to show our progress. It will lead us to do different things... but also to prove our worth.

"I am sure it will. The support of our fans is always important for us. Tomorrow it will be like that, we want to feel their love."

Milan's new signing and Euro 2024 winning captain, Alvaro Morata, is also expecting a difficult test against Liverpool on Tuesday. 

Morata returned to action as a second half substitute against Venezia after missing two games with a back injury after marking his debut with a goal against Torino. 

The Spaniard also has an impressive record against Liverpool, failing to lose in his five appearances against them (won three and drawn two) while also scoring once. 

"It will be a great challenge, we have so many different players, and we have to fix so many mechanisms, only time will tell," Morata said.

"Ever since you arrive at a club like this you dream of playing with Liverpool in the Champions League, it could even be a semi-final, it's strange that we play right away.

"There is so much desire. These are the games that make sporting history." 

Thiago Motta is confident that new signing Teun Koopmeiners will excel is included in their Champions League opener against PSV.

The 26-year-old has featured in two games for Juventus since joining from Europa League winners Atalanta for €54million in August.

Koopmeiners, who missed out on a place at Euro 2024 with the Netherlands due to a muscle injury, has played just 135 minutes so far, but has created the third-most chances out of the Juve players (four).

And Motta said the Dutchman has already gelled well with his team-mates in training and expects him to make an impact if he is involved.

"It doesn't look like he hasn't trained for a month. He's integrating very well," Motta told reporters. 

"He's trying to put all his qualities at the disposal of the team. Everyone who is called up tomorrow is doing very well.

"We expect everything we expect from the rest of the team. If he plays tomorrow, he will perform great. Together with his teammates, he can do great things."

Motta joined as head coach in June and will become the 10th different manager to take charge of Juventus in the Champions League.

The Italian is looking forward to leading the team in the competition after they were banned last year for breaching licencing and Financial Fair Play rules.

"Great pride to start this competition. Then we play at home against a good team," Motta added. 

"I can't wait to start the match. We want to put in a great performance to bring the result on our side."

Juve had a busy transfer window with Koopmeiners the most high-profile of several arrivals, including fellow midfielders Douglas Luiz and Khephren Thuram plus left-back Juan Cabal.

However, the 42-year-old Motta remained tight-lipped on whether he would give chances to several debutants after a goalless draw with Empoli in Serie A on Saturday.

"Everything counts in football - experience, enthusiasm and desire. At Empoli, we played well without getting the result we wanted. Now it's a closed chapter," he added.

Juve midfielder Manuel Locatelli also said the draw at Empoli made them "angry, but it's a closed chapter", and they are looking forward to their game in Europe's top competition.

"Last year we missed it a lot. We are excited, and we can't wait to get on the pitch. Hearing the music is special, and the fans will give us a hand," the Italy international said.

"We have signed strong midfielders with a lot of quality and experience who raise the level of the team. It is a pleasure to play with them".