Mathys Tel became both Bayern Munich's youngest ever starter in the Bundesliga and their youngest scorer in the competition in Saturday's meeting with Stuttgart.

The former Rennes forward turned in Alphonso Davies' left-sided cross with 36 minutes played at the Allianz Arena to make some more history for the German giants.

Aged 17 years and 136 days, Tel overtook Jamal Musiala as Bayern's youngest goalscorer in the league, with the latter 69 days older when scoring against Schalke two years ago.

Tel was already Bayern's youngest scorer in all competitions following his goal against Viktoria Koln in last month's DFB-Pokal cup victory.

Casper Ruud is looking to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Erling Haaland by putting Norway "on the map" ahead of his US Open final appearance.

Ruud is the first Norwegian male player to appear in the championship match at Flushing Meadows, where he will play Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, with the winner also set to become the new world number one.

Runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the French Open in June, the fifth seed would become only the fourth player from Scandinavia to top the ATP rankings should he prevail at Arthur Ashe Stadium - after Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg.

Ruud is not the only Norwegian sportsman to be enjoying an impressive spell of form. Indeed, compatriot Haaland has made a blistering start to life at Manchester City.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker has already scored 12 goals in his first eight appearances across all competitions - including successive hat-tricks - since swapping Bundesliga for the Premier League.

Ruud hailed Haaland's red-hot streak at City, and said he takes immense pride in representing the Norwegian flag every time he steps out onto the court.

The nine-time ATP title winner said: "Erling Haaland has had an unbelievable season so far. And we all hope he keeps going. It's a joy to watch him score goal after goal.

"So, he's obviously the biggest star we have in Norway at the moment, and he'll probably continue to be so for many more years. 

"I'm just focused on my career and hope I can, of course, win more tournaments in my career.

"Everywhere I go, I represent Norway - whenever I play on the ATP Tour or in a grand slam, because the Norwegian flag is always behind or in front of my name.

"So, I want to represent Norway in a good way, and put Norwegian tennis a little bit more on the map than what it's been in previous years.

"I hope I can represent Norway and the Norwegian people in a good way when I'm travelling around and playing, and hopefully winning more matches."

Massimiliano Allegri called for Juventus to become more "unpleasant" as he said the Bianconeri must remain in Scudetto contention by the time Serie A breaks for the World Cup in November.

Juventus have made a solid if unspectacular start to the new campaign, taking nine points from their first five Serie A matches while remaining unbeaten.

But Allegri's men have faced criticism for their tepid style, and were outplayed by Paris Saint-Germain when they suffered a 2-1 defeat in their Champions League opener on Tuesday. 

That result means the Bianconeri have started a Champions League campaign with a loss for just the second time in their 23 participations in the competition (W13 D8), also losing to Barcelona in September 2017 (3-0).

Allegri believes Juventus were too "nice" on their trip to France and called for them to toughen up ahead of Sunday's match against Salernitana.

"After 2-0 there was a good match, a good reaction. I don't like that Juve played well after the 2-0, and we have also become nice," Allegri said on Saturday.

"That's not good. I am very angry, you have to be unpleasant, so we are successful. Otherwise we get used to being nice and pretty and losers, and that's not good! 

"You have to take the positives from the game. The boys know it, we have a game to face with the right seriousness.

"We work day-by-day to create conditions to achieve goals. But it takes something else. You don't have to be nice or pretty."

Juventus have been beset by injuries – including those suffered by new arrivals Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria – in the season's early weeks, and are also waiting on the recovery of Federico Chiesa, who has not featured since undergoing surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in January.

With Serie A set to pause for almost two months from early November, Allegri believes remaining in contention until the World Cup starts will be crucial for their Scudetto hopes.

"At this moment, with the numerical difficulties, we need to arrive in November in the best possible ranking condition," Allegri said.

"I know that there is a great desire to work, to return to winning even if it is not easy. We were missing players from the beginning, important players.

"In January we will recover everyone but we cannot ruin everything this month.

"[What] if we take away the equivalent of Pogba, Di Maria and Chiesa from the other teams? 

"We must be happy with what we are doing, knowing that the prospects are rosy."

On Chiesa, Allegri added: "I hope to have him before the World Cup break. He will be at 100 per cent in January, now there is a month left, he is working on the field alone. 

"We hope to have him as soon as possible with the team in a partial role."

Juventus are looking to defend a strong record against Salernitana when they host Davide Nicola's men on Sunday; the Bianconeri have won four of the teams' previous six Serie A meetings (D1 L1), keeping five clean sheets.

Spain's female referees have carried out strike action on the opening weekend of the Primera Division season, causing the postponement of fixtures.

The Professional Women's Football League (LPFF), which oversees the Primera Division, has been in dispute with the Spanish Football Association (RFEF) over several issues, including the registration of non-EU players and the league calendar, in the build-up to the new season.

On Thursday, the RFEF issued a statement on behalf of female officials, announcing their "unanimous decision not to direct any match of the First Division National Championship", due to concerns over their "employment and economic situation".

Although the LPFF claimed to be locked in negotiations regarding officials' conditions on Friday, the strike action went ahead the following day.

Atletico Madrid, who won three consecutive titles between 2016-17 and 2018-19, announced their meeting with Real Sociedad had been postponed "due to the non-appearance of the refereeing team".

Champions League runners-up Barcelona dominated the division last term, winning all 30 of their games and scoring 159 goals. 

They are scheduled to go to Levante Las Planas for their first outing of the campaign on Sunday, though the officials' strike has thrown that fixture into doubt.

Karim Benzema will miss Real Madrid's next two games, but could return for the derby with Atletico Madrid, according to Carlo Ancelotti.

Benzema came off with a knee injury during Madrid's 3-0 win at Celtic in the opening group game of the Champions League on Tuesday, and it had been feared he would miss a significant period as a result.

However, Ancelotti appeared to allay those fears at a press conference on Saturday ahead of Los Blancos' game with Real Mallorca, saying the France international might even be back in just over a week.

After Mallorca, Madrid host RB Leipzig in the Champions League before making the short trip to face rivals Atletico next Sunday.

"We will not force Benzema," Madrid coach Ancelotti said. "He will certainly not play against Leipzig, but then we will see for the derby.

"If he can't play then [against Atletico], he won't go to France [for the international break]."

Benzema was replaced after 30 minutes at Parkhead by Eden Hazard, who went on to score the third goal in the victory, and it is likely the Belgian will be tasked with filling the centre-forward spot against Mallorca.

Ancelotti does not want him to play like Benzema, though, saying: "Hazard did well coming on against Celtic. I'm going to put him in again on Sunday. Hopefully he can repeat a great game.

"I don't expect [Hazard] to play like Benzema, but I want him to play well and to connect with the other forwards."

Ancelotti has made it clear that there is no replacement for Benzema, with alternative options providing different strengths in the final third, and singled out Vinicius Jr. - who has scored in each of his last four Madrid appearances - for praise.

He said: "We don't have Karim and because he is the best striker in the world, there is no substitute for him on the market.

"But he can be replaced with other players with different characteristics.

"Vinicius is getting more consistent in finishing, in scoring goals. It is difficult for him to fail in front of the goal, there he has improved a lot. 

"I want to emphasise that he continues to maintain a good attitude, with a lot of humility, work - he wants to improve every day."

Chelsea's first big transfer splash under new boss Graham Potter could reportedly be RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, after the club had a £77million bid rejected before the deadline.

Gvardiol is young at 20, but he does not lack experience, having already been awarded 10 senior international caps for Croatia, as well as racking up 47 club appearances in all competitions last season for Leipzig.

He was one of many high-profile defenders to be enquired about during Chelsea's search that ended up landing Leicester City's Wesley Fofana and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly.

But with Koulibaly already 31 and Thiago Silva now 37, the club may feel it is best to figure out the succession plan sooner rather than later.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA PLAN BIG MOVE FOR GVARDIOL IN JANUARY

With over £150m spent between Fofana, Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella, while being tied with Manchester United for the fewest goals scored in the Premier League by a team in the top-half (eight from six games), it is curious to see the Stamford Bridge side still so desperate for defensive help.

It remains to be seen what kind of budget Potter will be allowed to use in the January window, given all the recent signings had been under Thomas Tuchel's guidance, and it is also fair to assume a potential Gvardiol deal would not have this season's results in mind, given their previous offer included loaning him back to Leipzig.

Ownership's willingness to open up the cheque book in January would have likely been discussed during their recruitment of Potter, and Bild remain convinced Chelsea's interest with the young Croatian is far from over.

ROUND-UP

– According to The Mirror, Arsenal and Newcastle United will compete for the signature of 26-year-old Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo, who is said to be available for £8.6m due to being in the last year of his contract.

– The Metro is reporting United full-back Diogo Dalot turned down a move to Milan, instead wishing to fight for his spot at Old Trafford.

– According to inews, Newcastle are joining the race for Vasco da Gama teenager Andrey Santos, who reportedly has a £30m price tag and is a target of Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.

– Jordi Alba is unsettled at Barcelona amid interest from Inter, but remains committed to the club where he now has to contend with Alejandro Balde and Marcos Alonso for the starting role, according to Marca.

A pair of late goals ended up giving Montreal a deserved 2-2 draw at home against the Columbus Crew in Friday's MLS action.

In a clash between two of the Eastern Conference's top-six teams, no goals were scored in the first 65 minutes, before Jonathan Mensah broke the deadlock for the visiting team.

Columbus centre-back Mensah was up for an indirect free kick, and after working the ball around to the wing, right-back Steven Moreira's cross found him near the penalty spot where he connected on a perfect looping header back across to the far post.

Just two minutes later, in the 68th, Lucas Zelarayan unleashed a speculative effort from outside the box, which was blocked, but it bounced right back to him for a second crack which would beat the goalkeeper into the bottom-right corner.

That 2-0 lead would hold until the final minutes, but after a red card to Luis Diaz, the 10-men Crew finally got on the scoreboard when Victor Wanyama was able to intentionally deflect a long-range shot to wrong-foot the keeper in the 89th.

With six minutes of stoppage time to survive to get the three points, Columbus could not protect their lead, with Montreal substitute Zachary Brault-Guillard connecting on a low daisy-cutter from outside the box into the bottom-left corner to snatch a draw at the death.

The advanced stats say it was a deserved point for Montreal, who created 2.16 expected goals, while Columbus only had 0.66.

Bosnia and Herzegovina have scheduled a friendly against Russia one day before the start of the World Cup, sparking controversy and attracting criticism from within their own ranks.

The match is set to take place in Saint Petersburg on November 19, on the eve of Qatar 2022, with the date and Bosnia's opposition both being highly questionable.

Russia's national teams were banned from international competition following the invasion of Ukraine, weeks before the team were due to start a play-off campaign for a potential spot at the World Cup.

Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic, who were due to be potential opponents for Russia, pressured for the ban to take place, while federations representing England, France and the United States quickly made it clear they would not play them under any circumstances.

Bosnia, meanwhile, failed to qualify for the tournament and the decision to play Russia was condemned by midfielder Miralem Pjanic.

"The decision is not good. I am speechless," Pjanic was quoted as saying by Bosnian media. "In the national Football Association, they know what I think."

Benjamina Karic, the mayor of Bosnian capital Sarajevo, also hit out at the decision in a social media post.

"Sarajevo as the city which has been under the longest siege from aggressors and me as a mayor strongly condemn the decision by the national Football Association to play a friendly match with Russia," Karic said.

"Unless the decision is reversed, we will cease cooperation with the Football Association, which so far has been fruitful."

Russia have not played an international match since last November but are due to face Kyrgyzstan this month and Iran in November.

Sandro Tonali has become the latest player to sign a new deal with Serie A champions Milan.

The 22-year-old, who joined from Brescia in September 2020 on an initial loan basis, has agreed a new five-year contract at San Siro.

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli recently confirmed the club were in talks over extending the stay of Tonali, who is reported to have doubled his salary with his fresh terms.

Tonali has played 84 times for the Rossoneri since arriving, a tally bettered only by Franck Kessie (86), Rafael Leao (87), Theo Hernandez and Alexis Saelemaekers (both 89).

The 22-year-old has made exactly 100 appearances in Serie A. Among players with 100 or more appearances in the competition, Tonali is the youngest of them.

Milan announced the new contract on their official website on Friday, a day after fellow midfielder Rade Krunic extended his stay with the club until 2025.

Forward Leao is also in discussions over a new deal with Milan, who have started their Scudetto defence with three wins and two draws in their opening five games.

Xavi said Barcelona expect Antoine Griezmann to make his Atletico Madrid stay permanent amid reports the Catalan giants could take legal action if los Colchoneros fail to purchase the forward.

Griezmann is midway through a two-year loan spell at Atleti, but Diego Simeone recently suggested his minutes were being managed in order to avoid activating a purchase clause in their deal with Barcelona.

The France international – who scored a 101st-minute winner in Atleti's Champions League opener against Porto on Wednesday – has made four substitute appearances in LaLiga this season, totalling just 109 minutes on the pitch.

On Friday, reports suggested Barcelona could take legal action over Atleti's reluctance to purchase Griezmann, after he featured more regularly in his first season on loan in the Spanish capital.

Asked about Griezmann's situation ahead of Barcelona's trip to Cadiz, Xavi said: "This is a question for Cholo [Simeone], who has already made it clear that he is a club man.

"It is not an issue for me. Look, we have held meetings with the club, talking about players, but I have not spoken with Antoine's club. I can't do anything else."

Pressed on whether he would welcome Griezmann back to Camp Nou, the Blaugrana boss said: "It's a club issue, it's not up to me, the clubs must talk. 

"In fact, we think that he is already an Atletico Madrid player."

But Simeone was reluctant to comment on the forward's future ahead of Atleti's meeting with Celta Vigo, declaring: "I have been very clear on a day-to-day basis on this matter. 

"It's been four dates and I've always said the same. I have nothing more to add."

Referencing the club hierarchy's apparent desire to hold Griezmann back, he then added: "Where the captain commands, the sailor does not command."

Sebastien Haller has been surprised by the "compassion" of others since being diagnosed with testicular cancer, as FIFA president Gianni Infantino backed the Borussia Dortmund striker to bounce back.

The Ivory Coast international moved to Bundesliga heavyweights Dortmund of the new campaign, after a superb 2021-22 season with Ajax saw him finish as the Eredivisie's top scorer.

His plans for making an early impact on the field in Germany were scuppered when a tumour was found, with the 28-year-old former West Ham player needing to undergo chemotherapy.

Haller has been understandably reluctant to put a time frame on his return to action, but he feels positive about the progress he is making, saying: "I'm very well. The treatment is going well, and luckily I'm able to train every day."

Speaking about the support he has had, Haller told FIFA.com: "It was a shock, but it's been positive. I never expected to get such a response or have so much compassion shown to me, and not just from the football world. These are things that bring us all together, and it's given me a huge amount of strength in facing up to this challenge.

"It doesn't matter whether they're Ivorian, Dutch, French, German, English or whatever; everyone who's given me their support from near or far is a source of energy for my family, friends and I.

"All I can say to them is that I'll be doing everything I can to come back as quickly as possible and to play a decisive role for my club and my country."

Haller made a welcome appearance in the crowd to see Dortmund get their Champions League campaign off to a winning start on Tuesday, with a 3-0 home victory over FC Copenhagen.

Dortmund also sit second in the Bundesliga table after five games, level on points with Freiburg who hold top spot on goal difference.

The signs are promising that Haller will rejoin a strong squad, once he is ready to play again.

FIFA chief Infantino wrote to him: "On behalf of both myself and the international football community, I would like to extend my sincere wishes to you for a full and speedy recovery, and hope to see you back to full health very soon."

UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Nice and Koln after crowd trouble marred a Europa Conference League match between the teams.

Thursday's group game on the French Riviera saw a delayed kick-off due to fans clashing in the stands and missiles being thrown.

Reports also cited trouble around the city prior to the match, with vandalism and damage to the French team's official club shop.

A number of fans were injured, and European football's governing body confirmed the start of disciplinary proceedings.

In a statement, UEFA said: "Disciplinary proceedings have been instigated in accordance with article 55 of the UEFA disciplinary regulations following the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage match between OGC Nice and 1. FC Koln (1-1) played on 8 September 2022 in France."

Both clubs have been charged regarding the 'throwing of objects', 'lighting of fireworks' and 'crowd disturbances', with Nice also facing five further charges relating to their hosting of the game.

Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere said on Friday: "We've had enough of this. When you experience it live, it's terrible. When the next day you experience it a second time with hindsight, it's even worse because we have terrible images. It can't go on.

"I'm not in the habit of leaving a ship when things are rocking. But when you see that, you inevitably say to yourself: 'What am I doing here?'."

A number of Paris Saint-Germain supporters were identified as being among those involved in fighting.

French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera expressed a fear for the safety of the ordinary supporter, looking to avoid trouble at all costs but still coming face to face with hooliganism.

She said, quoted by RMC: "We are fed up, we are really fed up that our sport is soiled in this way, that we can no longer tell ourselves that we are going with our kids in a serene and safe way to a stadium.

"I have a knot in my stomach because it's starting again, Nice-Koln, with incredible violence, shocking images on social networks. We really have to find the solutions together to get through this, to ensure that this violence which is penetrating more and more into our society stops at least at the door of our stadiums."

Koln said they would work closely with police to identify perpetrators.

Managing director Christian Keller said: "We are all very upset about what happened. That has nothing to do with football and counteracts the values ​​of FC Koln.

"With both clubs, it was a small minority of less than 100 people each that caused the excess violence in the stadium. Over 7,900 of the 8,000 spectators in the Koln block have nothing to do with the incidents. A blanket condemnation of our fans and in particular the active fan scene is therefore wrong."

Brazil coach Tite has announced a 26-man squad for the friendlies against Ghana and Tunisia, the team's final games before the World Cup in Qatar.

Defensive duo Bremer and Roger Ibanez, who play in Italy with Juventus and Roma respectively, are the new faces in the squad who could earn international debuts.

Established names including Alisson, Thiago Silva, Casemiro and Neymar make the cut, with the squad predominantly consisting of those playing in Europe.

Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton and Flamengo duo Everton Ribeiro and Pedro are the three from the Brazilian league included, along with 11 representatives from the Premier League and six from LaLiga.

Among the notable absentees are Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, all of whom were in the last squad from June, and 124-cap full-back Dani Alves.

Brazil face Ghana in Le Havre on September 23 before tackling Tunisia four days later in Paris.

Brazil squad: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Manchester City), Weverton (Palmeiras); Thiago Silva (Chelsea), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Danilo, Alex Sandro, Bremer (all Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Alex Telles (Sevilla), Ibanez (Roma); Casemiro, Fred (both Manchester United), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham), Fabinho (Liverpool), Everton Ribeiro (Flamengo), Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United); Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo (both Real Madrid), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Richarlison (Tottenham), Antony (Manchester United), Raphinha (Barcelona), Matheus Cunha (Atletico Madrid), Pedro (Flamengo).

Barcelona will need to reduce their wage bill next term, says LaLiga president Javier Tebas, as the club do not have the income in order to match their pay packets.

The Blaugrana have famously been in financial turmoil over recent seasons, yet have been able to conduct high-priced transfer dealings through the activation of financial "levers" and risky strategies.

These have been born out of selling off crucial non-playing assets, helping to secure moves for Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha ahead of the new campaign amongst others.

But Tebas and league corporate general manager Javier Gomez say Xavi's team will need to cut their cloth, while defending the league's actions that have seen them seemingly over-accommodate the club's needs.

"Barca have to reduce the wage bill," the former stated. "Next year, there will be no levers and they will have to reduce the salary that may correspond to them.

"They could make more levers, but I don't think [they can or will]. We'll see what arises from the sale of players, but it is very difficult, impossible even, for them to maintain next season.

"There has been no special arrangements. To even be able to register [Jules] Kounde, the president and his treasurer have had to put in a personal guarantee. There has been nothing extraordinary.

Gomez added: "Barca have given up income for the next year and that income diminishes that capacity to retain players. They will not have that next year and they will have to adapt to the situation."

Football is, indeed, a funny old game.

Given the regular twists of fate the football calendar can throw up, it should perhaps be little surprise to see the start Marco Rose has been handed after being appointed RB Leipzig head coach this week.

The first two Bundesliga games for Rose will be against his former clubs, Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach, either side of a trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to play Real Madrid in the Champions League.

"We all play in the same league so we'll face every team at some point," he said after he was announced by Leipzig. "It's definitely special and exciting, but I have a lot of work to do here so the scheduling isn't very important. We'll take it as it comes."

And he's right. Domenico Tedesco's replacement must get off to a good start to get Leipzig's season back on track, and who better to do it against than a Dortmund side that has already opened up a seven-point gap on them?

Opposing starts

After winning just five points from their first five games, Leipzig are experiencing their second-worst start to a Bundesliga season, though they have beaten last season's effort by a point.

Following their 4-0 humbling at Eintracht Frankfurt last time out, they have conceded nine Bundesliga goals already for the first time ever, and have never scored fewer goals at this stage (also six last season).

Dortmund, on the other hand, have collected 12 points from their first five games for the third successive season, sitting second in the table, ahead of Bayern Munich in third.

Edin Terzic's men also won their first two away games for the first time since 2015-16, meaning they could win their first three on the road in a top-flight season for only the third time (also in 2000-01 and 2010-11).

Kiss from a Rose

Marco Rose was in charge of 46 competitive matches as coach of Dortmund last season, but now that he is set to take on his former club in his first match as coach of Leipzig, it must be noted that he has lost five of his last six competitive games against BVB (W1).

New boss Terzic has won all three of his competitive games as head coach against Leipzig, including a 4-1 victory in the 2021 DFB-Pokal final.

In fact, Terzic has recorded more wins and scored more goals (10) against Leipzig than versus any other team, so will be confident of piling more misery on them on Saturday.

Importance of Reus and Nkunku

Marco Reus made it 1-0 to Dortmund for the 45th time in the Bundesliga when he scored against Hoffenheim last week. In doing so, he drew level with Manfred Burgsmuller's club record.

Reus has had a hand in 17 goals in the top flight in 2022 (seven goals, 10 assists) – of current Bundesliga players, only Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku has been directly involved in more (25 – 17 goals, eight assists).

Nkunku will make his 100th Bundesliga appearance on Saturday, should he play, and is the only player since his debut in August 2019 to score at least 30 goals (35) and set up 30 (32).

He was directly involved in five goals against Dortmund last season (two goals, three assists) – a record he did not better against anyone else (four goals, one assist against Hertha Berlin).

Keeping those sheets clean

Leipzig have only ever kept one clean sheet against Dortmund, which came in their first ever competitive meeting, a 1-0 home win in September 2016. They have since conceded at least once in all 12 meetings. Leipzig have never endured such a long wait for a clean sheet against any other side.

Despite losing Erling Haaland to Manchester City, BVB have continued to score goals, and have found the net in each of their last 33 Bundesliga games, the second-longest run in club history (37 games from 2020 to 2021).

No side has kept more clean sheets in the Bundesliga this season than Dortmund (three, level with leaders Freiburg), and only Union Berlin (three) have allowed opponents fewer clear-cut chances than BVB (five, and none over the last two matchdays).