Pep Guardiola is adamant Bernardo Silva will stay at Manchester City beyond the end of transfer window, as he revealed the club are yet to receive a formal offer for the versatile midfielder.

Silva had been strongly linked with a move to LaLiga giants Barcelona after stating that City "know what I want" earlier this month.

However, recent reports suggested Paris Saint-Germain had made a £59million (€69.7m) bid for the 28-year-old, who scored the equaliser in City's 3-3 draw at Newcastle United last Sunday.

Silva impressed as he scored 13 goals and added seven assists in 50 appearances for City last season, and Guardiola did little to play down talk of a move when he revealed the midfielder "likes Barcelona very much" this week.

But speaking ahead of Saturday's fixture against Crystal Palace, Guardiola offered his clearest declaration yet on Silva's future, insisting: "He will stay here, absolutely.

"We didn't have any phone calls from any club regarding Bernardo Silva. That's why he will stay."

Asked whether any late move for Silva would leave City in a difficult position as they attempted to source a replacement, Guardiola said: "Yeah, but I tell you, he will stay." 

City have added Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, Sergio Gomez and Stefan Ortega to their squad since winning their fourth Premier League title in five years in May, while Julian Alvarez has arrived from River Plate, and Guardiola is more than happy with their business.

"I am always satisfied," he declared. "Now I start my seventh year [at the club]. I am always satisfied with the squad I have. I have no complaints."

Meanwhile, marquee signing Haaland, who has found the net three times in his first three Premier League outings, is set to return to former club Borussia Dortmund after City were drawn to face the Bundesliga outfit in the Champions League group stages.

City will also face Sevilla and Copenhagen when their continental campaign kicks off, and Guardiola says he is yet to discuss the trip to Dortmund with Haaland, adding: "I didn't speak with him, but I guess he will be happy to go back where he was so important. 

"The draw is the draw, it is what it is. We don't have much time, but we have time to start to know them more deeply, and hopefully we can go through."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wants his players to maintain "a high standard" on the back of their morale-boosting victory over Liverpool.

Ten Hag earned his first three points as United boss on Monday with a brilliant 2-1 victory over rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford, following a poor start to the season that saw them lose their opening two matches.

The Dutchman's team will now make the trip to England's south coast as they look to follow up Monday's victory with another three points on the road at Southampton.

To achieve that, though, United will have to end a run of seven consecutive away league defeats stretching back to last season, against a team who were victorious away at Leicester City last weekend.

And Ten Hag has commanded that his players keep the same energy that saw them beat last season's Premier League runners-up.

"We need to have a high standard. It's a demand to the group," Ten Hag told reporters.

"Now they see what the reward is, so we have to match the runs in and out of possession. We need runs and movement if you want to dictate a game.

"The spirit was already good but now it is even better [following Monday's win]. But it's only one game so we have to build further, we have to develop and I think everyone is aware of that."

New signing Casemiro could make his debut for the Red Devils on Saturday after arriving from Real Madrid, but Ten Hag revealed that forward Anthony Martial is unavailable.

"You will see tomorrow [in terms of changes]. Casemiro is fit and he did all the training sessions," Ten Hag added.

"Anthony Martial is not fit. He came out with a problem with his Achilles. I cannot tell a prognosis, how long it takes. I hope he will be available for the next game."

United have been closely linked with Ajax forward Antony in recent days, and Ten Hag did not rule out more arrivals before the transfer window ends.

The former Ajax coach said: "We need players but we need the right players. The whole transfer window, we are happy with what we did until now, but the bar has to be high."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is looking forward to the "challenge" of the Premier League campaign after a poor start to the new season.

The Reds are winless with three matches played after losing at Old Trafford to arch-rivals Manchester United on Monday, putting them seven points adrift of early pacesetters Arsenal.

Liverpool's slow start to the campaign has been a surprise and has led to apparent tempers, with James Milner and Virgil van Dijk verbally clashing on the field during the defeat earlier this week.

However, that does not worry Klopp, who pointed to his own reputation as a player before going on to detail why he likes the opportunity the loss of form has presented.

"We spoke about pretty much everything. I didn't see the pictures but obviously everybody else did," he said ahead of Saturday's clash with Bournemouth.

"I was a pretty emotional player in my time and I had more often than not these sorts of conversations with my best friends on the pitch.

"There's nothing to clarify really – it's a situation when you are discussing things on the pitch. Especially nowadays with all the cameras, it looks much more serious than it is. So that's no problem at all.

"The situation is not the situation we wanted to have but actually I like it as well – it's a challenge. It's not the start we wanted, you have to fight back. 

"I'm really happy we have the opportunity to play at home now, twice, especially on Saturday. I can't wait to create a special atmosphere at Anfield together, the team and crowd, to make things happen."

Klopp also warned not to take things for granted following Liverpool's successes in recent years, adding that there are no easy games in the Premier League.

"I think this team delivered in the past four or five years at a consistently high level. There's a little drop two or three years ago but, apart from that, so often we are on the winning side," he added.

"Sometimes, people take things for granted. Liverpool against whoever, Liverpool will win. That's not the case, we have to work extremely hard for it."

Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier says the upcoming Champions League campaign will be a "new page" for the club but a "new book" for himself having learned the identity of their group stage opponents.

PSG were pitted against Juventus, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa in Group H in Thursday's draw as the club once again try to finally end their wait to lift European club football's most coveted prize.

Galtier does have previous experience of the Champions League, coaching Lille in the 2019-20 competition. However, being at the helm of a club expected to contend to win the tournament is a new experience for the former Saint-Etienne and Nice boss.

Asked how he is feeling ahead of his second Champions League campaign, Galtier said: "It's a new page for PSG, it's a new book for me. I am very motivated and determined, while staying focused. When you are the PSG coach, you want to be involved in these type of games.

"We know about the exposure and pressure in these games, I have not really felt it yet, but it will come. I'm looking forward to it, being involved in the competition and these big European evenings."

PSG are set to face an extremely congested fixture list as they juggle domestic and European commitments before the pause for the World Cup in November.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's Ligue 1 clash with Monaco, Galtier confirmed PSG are still looking to add quality players to a squad packed with world-class talent to ensure they are ready for the rigours of their schedule.

"There are players in our squad that are closer to leaving, we are also hoping to bring players in," he said. "We have singled out the positions where we are still looking to strengthen with quality players, but will that happen or not? I don't know.

"The later it gets, the harder it is to integrate them, but players who join PSG are top quality and have the ability to settle in quickly.

"The quicker they arrive the better, but there is still uncertainty there, and I am not the only one and we are not the only big club in this situation. We have to adapt and ensure we have the best possible squad to perform as well as we can in all competitions."

PSG midfielder Leandro Paredes has been linked with Juventus and goalkeeper Keylor Navas is the subject of speculation over a move to Napoli. There has also been talk of a late final PSG push to sign Inter defender Milan Skriniar, a player frequently connected with the club.

"In terms of Leandro Paredes, nothing is done at the moment, we will see how it goes by the end of the transfer window, there are lots of conversations going on," said Galtier.

"I know Leandro has been in talks with Juventus, which is normal. At the moment, Leandro Paredes is a PSG player and has been heavily involved in our games.

"As for Keylor Navas, he is a PSG player, he got injured last week before the game, he is playing normally and he will be in the squad.

"As for the Inter player you mentioned, I have no comment to make."

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri insists he is not concerned by Dusan Vlahovic's struggles as the Bianconeri prepare to host fellow Scudetto hopefuls Roma.

Allegri faced fierce criticism from Juventus supporters in the aftermath of Monday's 0-0 draw at Sampdoria, during which Vlahovic managed just nine touches overall, and a mere three before the break. 

No player to take the field for 90 minutes in a Serie A game has had fewer touches since David Trezeguet had eight for Juventus against Catania in May 2008.

Since the start of last season, meanwhile, Vlahovic has scored 26 Serie A goals in 38 appearances, but just nine of those have come since his January move to Juventus (in 17 appearances).

Vlahovic has also gone from averaging a goal every 109 minutes for Fiorentina to scoring every 139 minutes for the Bianconeri, although his big chance conversation rate has risen since his move to Turin (80 per cent, as opposed to 73.33 per cent for Fiorentina last term).

With Juve's lack of creativity becoming a key talking point at the start of the campaign, Allegri is adamant Vlahovic's lack of involvement is not a worry.

"If he touched a ball and scored a goal, I'd be happy," Allegri said. "We had a bad first half with Sampdoria. 

"The games last 95 minutes, I got angry because in the second half the game had to be grasped. They were in trouble, we had opportunities that we didn't take advantage of. 

"It is normal that the performance of the first half should be improved, but there were also the merits of Sampdoria who closed the spaces and made the defenders play a lot.

"Last year we laid the foundations to go back to winning. We will try to do it, we will also see the market as it ends. The fun for me is winning and to do it you have to go through difficult moments. 

"It takes a little patience. That's why the other day, after the first half you had to stay calm because you could only improve."

Vlahovic will now be joined in the Juventus attack by Arkadiusz Milik, who has arrived from Marseille, while Paris Saint-Germain's Leandro Paredes has also been linked with a move to Turin.

Though Allegri refused to be drawn on the future of the Argentina midfielder, he believes Milik could form an effective partnership with Vlahovic and is prepared to throw him in immediately.

"Paredes hasn't arrived yet and I don't know if he will arrive. We need to concentrate on tomorrow's match," he added.

"[I'm] very happy with Milik, he has impressive numbers. As regards his characteristics, he can also play with Vlahovic. 

"We are waiting for the clearance that I hope will arrive in the afternoon, so tomorrow will be available. Since I haven't decided on the line-up yet, maybe I'll let him play from the beginning. But I don't know until tomorrow, this idea flashed on me."

Meanwhile, Juventus have been handed a difficult draw for the Champions League's group stages, where they will meet PSG, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa.

And Allegri expects Juve to face a direct battle for second place with the Portuguese outfit, adding: "In the Champions League these are all difficult matches, on paper PSG is stronger. 

"On paper, we play for the next round with Benfica. It is unlikely that there are easy games in Europe."

Manchester United will face LaLiga opposition in the Europa League group stage after being drawn to face a Real Sociedad team who have David Silva in their ranks.

Silva is a Manchester City favourite who won four Premier League titles in a 10-year spell at the Etihad Stadium before returning to his native Spain two years ago.

Sociedad finished sixth in LaLiga last season, with United also sixth in the Premier League.

The teams are no strangers to each other, having met in the Europa League last-32 stage in February 2021, when a 4-0 win in Spain paved the way for United to win by that score on aggregate. Silva did not play in the goalless second leg at Old Trafford, with the tie effectively already lost.

United, who won the Europa League in 2017 and went on to be runners-up in 2021, must also tackle Moldovan outfit Sheriff Tiraspol and Cypriot team Omonoia in Group E.

The Sheriff clash will be United's first competitive game against a side from Moldova.

Former United boss Jose Mourinho, who engineered the Red Devils' 2017 trophy success, returns to the Europa League with Roma, last season's Europa Conference League champions. The Italian side will face Ludogorets, Real Betis and HJK Helsinki in the group stage.

Arsenal and PSV, led from the touchline by Mikel Arteta and Ruud van Nistelrooy respectively, are the star attractions in Group A, which also features Bodo/Glimt and FC Zurich.

Dynamo Kyiv, from war-torn Ukraine, will play Rennes, Fenerbahce and Larnaca in Group B.

The group stage begins on September 8 and wraps up on November 3, before the World Cup gets under way, with the final to be played on May 31 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.


Draw in full:

Group A: Arsenal, PSV, Bodo/Glimt, Zurich

Group B: Dynamo Kyiv, Rennes, Fenerbahce, Larnaca

Group C: Roma, Ludogorets, Real Betis, HJK Helsinki

Group D: Braga, Malmo, Union Berlin, Union Saint-Gilloise

Group E: Manchester United, Real Sociedad, Sheriff Tiraspol, Omonoia

Group F: Lazio, Feyenoord, Midtjylland, Sturm Graz

Group G: Olympiacos, Qarabag, Freiburg, Nantes

Group H: Red Star Belgrade, Monaco, Ferencvaros, Trabzonspor

Manchester United will face LaLiga opposition and a pair of relative minnows in the Europa League, after being drawn in Group E alongside Real Sociedad, Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonoia.

Arsenal have reached at least the semi-finals in three of their last four Europa League campaigns and will go up against Dutch outfit PSV in Group A as they look to go further and lift the trophy.

Last season's Europa Conference League champions Roma, led by head coach Jose Mourinho, will face off against Ludogorets, Real Betis and HJK Helsinki in Group C.

It was Feyenoord that Mourinho's team beat in the final to win the inaugural Conference League, and Friday's Europa League draw saw the Dutch side included in Group F alongside Roma's fierce rivals Lazio.

Last season's quarter-finalists Braga will look to go deep in this competition once again but will have to battle Malmo, Union Berlin and Union Saint-Gilloise first to reach the knockout stages.

Dynamo Kyiv, meanwhile, were drawn against Fenerbahce, Rennes and Cypriot side AEK Larnaca.

Robert Lewandowski deserves to receive a positive reception when he returns to Bayern Munich as a Barcelona player, according to Julian Nagelsmann.

Lewandowski is set for a swift visit to his former club after Barca were drawn to face the Bundesliga champions in Group C of the Champions League, alongside Inter and Viktoria Plzen.

The Poland international, who scored his first competitive goals for Barca in a 4-1 thrashing of Real Sociedad last week, left Bayern in somewhat acrimonious fashion after declaring that something had "died" within him in Germany.

But Nagelsmann believes Bayern's fans will give Lewandowski a warm welcome on his Allianz Arena return, declaring: "I think there will be applause.

"I never like it when someone gets whistled. I don't know all of the processes [leading to his exit], the fan in the stadium are even further away.

"There is always a second truth, that things are exaggerated, mistranslated."

On Bayern's tough-looking European draw, Nagelsmann added: "It's a challenging group, but we can and want to come through it."

 

Before Bayern turn their attentions to the Champions League, they will look to maintain a scintillating start to the Bundesliga campaign when they host Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.

With nine points and a goal difference of +14 (15 goals scored, one conceded) after three games of the new season, Bayern have made the best start in the competition's history at this stage.

And they have been handed a further boost after midfielder Leon Goretzka returned to full training for the first time since undergoing knee surgery in July, although he will not play any part in Bayern's next outing.

"[Eric Maxim] Choupo-Moting was training again but had a few problems today," the Bayern boss added at a pre-match press conference on Friday. 

"Leon was also back today and completed parts of team training. Neither of them are options to play tomorrow."

Bayern's tally of 15 goals in their first three games of the Bundesliga season is also unmatched in the competition's history, and Jamal Musiala has played a key role, matching new arrival Sadio Mane with three league goals this campaign.

Bayern and Germany great Lothar Matthaus recently declared the 19-year-old could become the best player in the world within the next few years, but Nagelsmann is keen to keep the youngster grounded.

"He doesn't have a starting eleven guarantee," Nagelsmann said of Musiala. 

"Lothar's comparison is an honour. Lionel [Messi] has played at a high level for many years and he has yet to prove that. I trust him. But he's not quite at 100 per cent yet. 

"I'll be spoiled for choice tomorrow. He has no guarantee that he will play, like everybody else."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hinted at further additions before the transfer window closes, despite concerns of Financial Fair play breaches.

The Gunners have reportedly come under attention from UEFA over heavily spending in the past year after the sport's governing body created a watchlist of clubs they will keep a closer eye on.

Like many in the coronavirus period, Arsenal have sustained significant losses in the past three years but that has not halted a major overhaul in the squad – ousting high earners like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang while splashing the cash to land additions such as Gabriel Jesus.

At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that Arsenal will be hit by UEFA sanctions and Arteta is confident that will remain the case.

"We are compliant, and we have heard nothing so I don't know what that is," he said at a press conference on Friday ahead of the Premier League clash against Fulham.

Pressed on whether it would affect Arsenal's activity in the market, the Spaniard added: "I think the club has been very disciplined and with a very clear vision of how we want to do things. In that sense nothing changes."

Arsenal's activity in the transfer window has continued this week with outgoings, the most notable of which being the loan of club-record signing Nicolas Pepe to Nice.

Three years after splashing £72million to land the Ivory Coast international from Lille, the Gunners are moving on from the signing made prior to the arrival of Arteta and sporting director Edu – with a replacement being targeted.

"If we can implement the plan that we have we will try to do it. In that plan, [Pepe leaving] was something that could happen, and now it's a reality. 

"We’ve been preparing for the last two months and now we will see."

Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles remain among those who may be surplus to requirements in north London and further exits could be witnessed in the final week of the window.

"There are still a few players where we're discussing their futures and we want to find the best solution for all parties," Arteta explained.

Manchester United new boy Casemiro hopes Cristiano Ronaldo stays at Old Trafford as the Portuguese forward continues to be linked with a move away.

Casemiro was reunited with former Real Madrid team-mate Ronaldo when he completed a £60million (€70m) move to Old Trafford on Monday.

The Brazilian could make his United debut on Saturday when the Red Devils travel to Southampton in the Premier League.

Enforcer Casemiro is the fourth major arrival at United during the transfer window, but manager Erik ten Hag's first few months at the helm have been characterised by constant speculation regarding Ronaldo's future.

Ronaldo reportedly declared his intention to leave United after they missed out on Champions League qualification last season, but many potential suitors – including Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid – have since ruled out signing the striker, who found the net 24 times in all competitions last term.

Ronaldo's future remains unclear with less than a week remaining in the transfer window, and he was dropped to the bench for United's 2-1 win over Liverpool on Monday – their first victory of the campaign.

Casemiro, however, is convinced of Ronaldo's continued importance, telling ESPN in Brazil: "The illusion of being able to play with him again ... he knows the respect I have for him.

"I hope he stays, because he is a player who gives you leadership, gives you many goals, is a winner and is very important to us.

"As we speak Portuguese too, we got closer. He was a guy who from the first day I arrived here, helped me a lot, gave me advice, is helping me a lot.

"He is a great player, one of the best of all time."

Having posted their lowest points tally (58) and worst defensive record (57 goals conceded) in their Premier League history last term, United will be featuring in the Europa League this season.

Casemiro, a five-time Champions League winner, is desperate to help United back into Europe's premier club competition, but he revealed the opportunity to play for one of the Premier League's biggest clubs was just as important in his considerations as he weighed up a move to United.

"I want to learn, United have always been very affectionate, from the first day, they made me feel comfortable," Casemiro said. "The coach was very attentive, charismatic from day one. They always showed interest. This is very important.

"The Champions League, of course, I want to win, if we don't play [in it], I'll be sad. I want to be there, even for the greatness of the club. But that happens with work and dedication.

"But the club has always shown a lot of affection, as well as Real. The feeling of being in a big club and being able to play in a big league like the Premier League, is very good and very important."

Lewis Hamilton has reiterated he is not thinking about retiring from Formula One as he intends to "cause havoc" with Mercedes in the second half of the season.

Mercedes' 2022 campaign thus far has been one of disappointment, with the team struggling with porpoising and finding themselves off the pace of rivals Red Bull and Ferrari.

A turbulent season follows on from a disruptive end to the 2021 campaign, after Max Verstappen's controversial title win resulted in persistent speculation that Hamilton could walk away from F1.

Hamilton soon put that to rest by returning for the campaign to drive alongside new team-mate George Russel, but disappointing results again led to further debates about the future of the 37-year-old.

The British driver sees things differently, however, as he is still "in love" with the sport and has not considered an exit.

"There's still plenty to achieve here, personally. Maybe not that many records, but still a lot of ground to cover with the team," he said at a press conference ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.

"I am still deeply in love with the sport. And I particularly like the direction and the things that we're doing within it. But of course there's lots more outside that's continuing to grow as well.

"So it's an exciting time. We have been improving. We have had this consistency in recent races and great progress the team is making."

Hamilton also detailed Mercedes' intentions for the second half of the season with an appearance at a race event, where he told a crowd they are looking to cause "havoc" in the second half of the campaign.

"We've had this really strong run and we hope to continue it forward. We plan to, we're going to manifest it, we're here to cause havoc in the second half of the season," he said.

Mitchell Starc has ODI milestones and a slice of cricket history in his sights as Australia prepare to tackle Zimbabwe.

Left-arm paceman Starc is five victims away from becoming the sixth player to take 200 wickets for Australia in men's ODIs.

It might be asking too much of 32-year-old Starc to expect him to take all five on what will be, should he play, his 100th ODI appearance.

Indeed, team-mate Marnus Labuschagne has already voiced his view that spin could be the chief wicket-taking threat.

However, as long as Starc takes five at some point over his next four appearances, he will be the fastest player in the history of ODIs to reach 200, surpassing Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq, who got to the mark in 104 matches.

Australia and Zimbabwe will clash in three ODIs at the Riverway Stadium in Townsville, Queensland, over the coming days, with the venue staging its first such matches featuring ICC full-member nations.

These will be first ODI encounters between the teams since August 31, 2014, when Zimbabwe beat Australia by three wickets in Harare.

That result ended the hosts' 31-year wait for a second ODI victory in the rivalry between the teams, after Zimbabwe won at Trent Bridge in the 1983 World Cup but then lost their next 27 completed matches against Australia in the format.


Tasty appetiser for Black Caps series

Tussles with Zimbabwe on Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday come ahead of Australia's three-game series against New Zealand in Cairns, which starts on September 6.

Australia have a 93 per cent win rate against Zimbabwe in men's ODIs, and only against Bangladesh (95 per cent) do they have a higher such success rate in the format (minimum 10 games).


Warner bids to go past Waugh, Raza sharp for Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, coached by Dave Houghton and captained by Regis Chakabva, will be out to cause an upset and must aim to nullify David Warner's threat.

Warner has 18 ODI centuries in 133 matches, putting him one away from recording the outright second most tons for Australia in the short format. He is currently level with Mark Waugh, with Ricky Ponting's 29 hundreds leading the way.

It will be Warner's first ODI against Zimbabwe, and the visitors have their own batting threat in the shape of Sikandar Raza, who has hit three centuries in his past six innings in the 50-over international game, including a ton last time out against India.

Raza averages 62 with the bat since the beginning of 2022, the highest for any Zimbabwe batter in ODIs in a single calendar year (minimum 10 games).

Everton manager Frank Lampard has denied Chelsea have made a £60million bid for Anthony Gordon and reiterated he intends to retain the winger.

The 21-year-old has been widely reported to be a player of interest for Chelsea, who continue to push for new acquisitions before the close of the transfer window next week.

Eye-watering amounts of money are claimed to have been put on offer for Gordon but Everton are standing firm with their intention not to lose his services.

Lampard refuted claims of a £60m bid for Gordon, while comparing him to other young players he has worked with at Derby County and Chelsea.

"It hasn't come in. He's our player and remains so. He's in the squad for tomorrow," Lampard said at a press conference on Friday ahead of the Premier League clash against Brentford.

"He's a huge player for us. I said it last week, not only is he a big value for the club, if you want to talk financially, but more importantly for me he is a big value to the squad and the team.

"They haven't bid £60m, so let's not talk about a number that's not there.

"I've been fortunate enough to work with fantastic young players in my time with Derby, in my time with Chelsea, seeing them develop, now becoming internationals with England, Champions League winners, worth triple-digit figures in their personal values.

"Anthony is in that bracket. He's been a pleasure to work with and he's ours, an Everton boy, he plays for us, the crowd relate to him.

"It's all understandable that people will be interested in him because of the level of player that he is but the facts remain the same."

A joint training session between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals was ended early on Thursday after multiple fights broke out.

Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald reportedly swung Bengals helmets amid one of the skirmishes, with pictures circulating on social media putting the spotlight upon the 31-year-old, leading to calls for a suspension.

In training sessions, clubs, and not the league, are responsible for overseeing the players' conduct in practice and a suspension would therefore be unlikely, though there could be disciplinary action.

The teams elected to end their joint practice session early and Rams coach Sean McVay played down the significance of the fracas later in the day.

"I just see guys swinging and some guys have helmets on, some don't. There's a scrum. You just never know what can occur," he said.

"And my biggest concern is just unnecessary injuries for people that we're counting on, whether it's for our team or the other team."

Bengals coach Zac Taylor made it clear the premature end to the session was not a major loss, with just a few snaps remaining.

"We just called it. We were in the last [practice] period. We got two really good days of work. So was it worth getting the extra couple of plays? No. So we called it," he explained.

The two teams will meet in their final pre-season match on Saturday.

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