Steve Cherundolo stated his pride in Los Angeles FC's defence and hopes they can put in another big performance against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.

LAFC have won their last three games in all competitions, starting with their US Open Cup win over Sporting KC before getting back on track in MLS.

They are second in the Western Conference with three games left, with their 1-0 win over St. Louis City, in which they did not concede a single shot on target, closing the gap to LA Galaxy.

Cherundolo lauded his defenders for that performance and is pleased to see their training sessions paying off.

"It's great to see we're growing and learning in certain situations and putting all the pieces together," Cherundolo said.

"The defensive side of the game is something we train a lot and take pride in. When our defenders have enough minutes together and continuity, we're quite good.

"They've done extremely well and adapted amazingly by applying their lessons from training into the matches."

Meanwhile, Kansas City will not be playing in the postseason as they sit 13th after just one win in their last five, losing 3-1 to St. Louis last time out. 

However, head coach Peter Vermes has challenged his side to finish the regular season on a high.

"I'd like to win both games. This isn't like handing out free passes to go and play," Vermes said.

"Being in this spot isn't normal for our club, but I'm not changing the way I pick the team. We've still got two games to play, and we'll give it everything we have to make it tough."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sporting Kansas City – Stephen Afrifa

Despite dominating against St. Louis last time out, Kansas City failed to get a win, though Stephen Afrifa ensured they did not fire a blank.

He scored their only goal after having six shots, four of which were on target, while also having nine touches in the opposition box, more than anyone else on the pitch.

LAFC – Denis Bouanga

There is no doubt who has been one of the star performers for LAFC this season, with Denis Bouanga scoring 19 goals in MLS so far.

He does not just score goals though, as he can also dictate play – his five chances created against St. Louis last time out were the most of any player in the game.

MATCH PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES FC WIN

Kansas City have failed to win any of the six meetings with LAFC since September 2021 in MLS regular season and have only won four of their 12 matches overall against the club.

This will be the third meeting between the sides this season, with their previous MLS meeting ending in a 0-0 draw, before LAFC beat them 3-1 in extra time to clinch the US Open Cup final last month.

That win over Sporting in the final started a three-match winning streak for LAFC, who were winless in their five games prior to that run.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Sporting Kansas City – 28.8%

Draw – 24.5%

LAFC – 46.8%

Erik ten Hag does not believe Manchester United should be judged too harshly despite their tough start to the season, after snatching a last-gasp draw with Porto.

Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund gave the Red Devils a quickfire lead in Portugal, before Pepe and a double from Samu Omorodion looked to have sealed a turnaround.

Bruno Fernandes was then sent off for the second game in a row, but Harry Maguire came off the bench to ensure United left with a point in the Europa League after a 3-3 draw.

It was their second consecutive draw in the competition, having given up a lead in both, leaving them 21st in the league table.

In fact, United are winless in their last five matches in European competitions (D3 L2) despite leading by 2+ goals in three of them. 

Ten Hag continues to come under pressure, with his team now winless in four in all competitions, but he believes the squad have what it takes to turn things around.

"We will get there," he told TNT Sports. "Don't judge us in this moment, judge us at the end of the season.

"We are in the process, we will improve. We have had two seasons where we have reached finals, we will continue and fight.

"You see the spirit and the connection between the staff and the team. The players are together, they have a strong spirit, and they want to achieve. We have a good mentality but in some defending parts we have to step up."

Maguire came on as a 78th-minute substitute and scored his first goal of the season, nodding in from Christian Eriksen's corner in the 91st minute.

The former United captain backed the manager to cope with the added noise surrounding his job once again.

"I've played for this club for six years; I know how it works. When you go on a bad spell players come under pressure and also the manager does," Maguire said.

"He's experienced enough and been at this club long enough, so I'm sure he knows how to deal with it. It's part of the privilege you have playing for this club."

Greg Vanney has his eyes on finishing top of the Western Conference with LA Galaxy this season, with Austin FC one of the teams in their way of the title.

The Galaxy are currently six points clear in the table with two games left and have won their last two matches against Vancouver Whitecaps and Colorado Rapids.

They are in fine form at home too, winning six in a row, with their last such 'home' defeat coming at the Rose Bowl against Los Angeles FC.

Vanney is enjoying life at the Galaxy this season and hopes they can extend their impressive recent run on Saturday.

"It's a great group of players and this whole season has been helping to read our guys and mould them into the group that can be the best they can be," Vanney said.

"We want them to be a contender for championships, and hopefully we can close this thing out in the West.

"When you're winning everything is better than when you're not, but things with this group are good. They're hungry and want to be successful, it's fun to coach them."

Meanwhile, Austin are mathematically still in with a chance of the playoffs, sitting six points behind Portland Timbers in ninth, though their chances are slim.

They snapped a five-match winless streak with a 1-0 victory over Portland last time out, and Josh Wolff is hopeful they can show the same mentality against the Galaxy.

"I talk to these guys about it all the time," Wolff said. "If there's a collective willingness, we've shown we can beat anybody.

"It has to be extremely committed by the group, and you've got to take care of your opportunities at the other end too."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Gabriel Pec

Gabriel Pec (28) and Riqui Puig (27) each have recorded at least 27 goal contributions this season.

They are only the second pair of teammates to reach that mark in a single season in the last 20 years after Robbie Keane (33) and Landon Donovan (29), also for the Galaxy, in 2014.

Austin FC – Daniel Pereira

On Wednesday against Portland, Daniel Pereira scored his first goal for Austin since June 2022, giving him three goals for his MLS career.

All three of Pereira's MLS goals have come in one-goal victories.

MATCH PREDICTION: LA GALAXY WIN

Austin ended a four-match winless run against LA Galaxy on April 27 with a 2-0 home win. The Galaxy have won all three meetings between the sides in Carson, however, outscoring Austin 8-1 in those games.

Austin have kept a clean sheet on the road in six regular-season matches in 2024, including Wednesday's 1-0 win at Portland. Entering this season, the team had six road shutouts total in their three MLS seasons (two in 2021, four in 2022, none in 2023).

Meanwhile, the Galaxy have won 10 consecutive regular-season matches at Dignity Health Sports Park dating back to late May, scoring multiple goals in all of those matches. The Galaxy have lost only one of their last 25 regular-season matches in Carson, dating back to June 2023.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy – 55.2%

Draw – 23.1%

Austin FC – 21.7%

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall hailed Enzo Maresca as a "breath of fresh air" after breaking his Chelsea duck in their 4-2 victory over Gent in the Europa Conference League.

Midfielder Dewsbury-Hall followed Maresca from Leicester City to Stamford Bridge during the close season but has had to be patient in a Blues squad stacked with talent.

But he scored Chelsea's fourth on Thursday after Renato Veiga, Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku were all on target in the Blues' opening league-phase encounter.

He was one of the Blues' bright sparks, having four shots in the game, three of which were in the box, and scored his one big chance.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Dewsbury-Hall spoke glowingly about his manager and loves the high standards at Chelsea.

"I'm over the moon. I've been waiting for that moment since joining the club, to show everyone what my qualities are," he said.

"Scoring the goal is an amazing feeling. I won't forget this night.

"I pride myself on working as hard as I can every day. I'd like to play more, but it's my duty to make sure the manager has a decision to make. I feel fresh.

"I've loved it. You come through the door and expectations are through the roof. The standards are so high. It's so nice to play with players on your wavelength - top, top players.

"It's about learning and evolving. That's literally what I'm here for.

"He [Enzo Maresca] is a breath of fresh air. I was taken aback by him last year. Everything he did was passionate and motivated. You can see the lads are buying into it."

Maresca appeared particularly enthused about Dewsbury-Hall's goal, celebrating with a jump when he netted.

The Italian said: "I know Kiernan very well. I know when you are the main player and then move to a big club it's not easy because you're not the main player. 

"Sometimes you struggle a bit at the beginning, so I was very happy for him."

Malick Fofana and Alexandre Lacazette each scored twice as Lyon outclassed Rangers 4-1 in the Europa League at Ibrox on Thursday.

Former Arsenal striker Lacazette scored twice before the break after Tom Lawrence had earlier cancelled out Fofana's opener in Glasgow, with the latter also netting again in the second half.

Vaclav Cerny was punished for woefully blazing over the bar when Fofana bent home on the rebound from the hugely impressive Rayan Cherki's shot after 10 minutes.

Lawrence quickly prodded home the equaliser when Cyriel Dessers was denied, but an awful error from Connor Barron led to Fofana laying on a simple finish for Lacazette.

The Frenchman then made it 3-1 with a whipped 25-yard stunner before the break and Fofana poked home Cherki's low cross at the back post to add more gloss shortly after the restart.

Duje Caleta-Car saw a header thunder off the crossbar and Corentin Tolisso had a shot cleared off the line, while substitute Said Benrahma was also denied as Lyon pushed to really emphasise their dominance of proceedings.

Data Debrief: Lyon forwards tormentors in chief

Rangers, who won impressively at Malmo on MD1, just had no answer for the dynamism of a Lyon side who are now two from two and second in the table.

Lacazette was playing his 50th game in the Europa League and scored his 23rd and 24th goals in the competition. Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (34) and Aritz Aduriz (26) have scored more since his first appearance in September 2012.

Cherki set up both of Fofana's goals in an excellent display and has six goal involvements in only five Europa League starts (three goals, three assists), while Fofana scored and assisted in the same game for the first time for Lyon.

Rangers have a night to forget and this represented only the first time in the Europa League/UEFA Cup they have conceded four goals at home, and only the third time overall.

Despite achieving much of what she set out to already, Reggae Girl and Manchester City striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw intends to keep pushing the barriers and she hopes to inspire others to chase their dreams.

Shaw, who has overcome her fair share of obstacles and tragedies to get to where she is at, has been a role model for young athletes in Jamaica and the Caribbean, particularly aspiring women’s football players, as she continues to impress on the international stage and in the Women's Super League (WSL) since her move to City in 2021.

The 27-year-old ended last season as the WSL’s top scorer, assisting the Gareth Taylor-coached side to the runners-up position behind champions Chelsea, merely on goal difference.

Her performances throughout that campaign, which was cut short by a broken leg, also saw her cop the PFA Women's Players' Player of the year and the FWA Women's Footballer of the Year awards.

"When I look back at my childhood, I didn’t really have a lot of people I could look to, apart from Usain Bolt, of course. I didn’t have a lot of people who I could look to and say, ‘I want to be like that.’ One of the main reasons was that I wasn’t really allowed to play," Shaw said in an interview with BBC Sport.

“Now, looking at where the game is and where it is going, I think there is more room for that. For me, it’s just being alive and being in the moment. It’s staying true to who I am. Hopefully, by doing that each and every day, it works out in the end,” she added.

Black History Month in England, celebrated throughout the month of October, continues to shine a spotlight on athletes who have broken barriers to achieve success.

With her accolades and accomplishments speaking for themselves, Shaw is aiming to continue setting the standard for others to follow.

"I just try to be the best I can be and hope that by doing that, there are others looking on [who can] see that if I can do it, then it’s possible. Hopefully I can inspire a lot of the young girls back home in Jamaica that it is definitely possible,” the two-time Ballon d'Or award nominee shared.

"It’s been a long journey for me. I had to travel around the world to get here. Now I am here, I’m just embracing the moment and loving every part of it. The ups and downs are parts of life and that’s how you grow as a person. But I just try to be the best that I can and hopefully inspire more girls,” Shaw noted.

Renato Veiga and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall each scored their first Chelsea goals in a cracking 4-2 victory over Gent in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Enzo Maresca decided to make wholesale changes in the Blues' opening match of the league phase of Europe's third-tier competition, but they were still a class above their Belgian opponents.

Full-back Veiga headed Chelsea into a 12th-minute lead after Mykhailo Mudryk stood up a brilliant cross from the right and Dewsbury-Hall fired into the side-netting when he ought to have scored soon after.

Despite their domination of the ball, it took the Blues until the 46th minute to double their lead when Pedro Neto took hold of Axel Disasi's long punt and fired into the roof of the goal.

Some slack Chelsea defending was punished when Tsuyoshi Watanabe headed in from the cross of Andri Gudjohnsen, son of Blues great Eidur.

Christopher Nkunku rifled home from just inside the area after Gent failed to clear their lines just after the hour and Dewsbury-Hall shot straight through the goalkeeper after Nkunku was tackled attempting to take a shot – with Omri Gandelman celebrating a late consolation for the visitors.

Data Debrief: Dewsbury-Hall stakes his Chelsea claim

This was a great chance for a few Chelsea players to stake their claim for more regular Premier League minutes and Dewsbury-Hall put in an industrious performance to do his chances no harm.

Signed from Leicester City in the last transfer window, the centre midfielder had four shots in total, three of which were in the box, and scored from his one big chance. He also had an impressive 91.2% pass accuracy.

Neto too had a very lively outing, creating five chances in total and finishing with a pass accuracy rate of 97%.

Harry Maguire's late goal spared Manchester United's blushes as they drew 3-3 with Porto despite Bruno Fernandes' red card in the Europa League.

Samu Omorodion's double looked like it had secured Porto the win, but Maguire came off the bench to score in the 91st minute. 

Galeno tested Andre Onana with a powerful first-time shot two minutes in, but Marcus Rashford would open the scoring five minutes later at the other end, cutting inside from the left to drill his low shot under Diogo Costa's leg.

He then set up Rasmus Hojlund for their second in the 20th minute, and Costa again should have done better as the shot went through his hand.

Porto showed their fight soon after, though. Onana sprung brilliantly to keep out Noussair Mazraoui's inadvertent header, but Pepe was alert, stooping to nod home from close range.

Samu got his first in the 34th minute, taking advantage of some slack defending as he leapt high to thump his header over the goalkeeper, and got his second after the break, rifling a powerful shot into the top corner.

It looked like United's hopes of a result were over in the 81st minute as Fernandes received a red card for the second consecutive match. He got his first booking in the first half, receiving his marching orders in the 81st for a high boot in the box.

However, the Red Devils kept pushing for an equaliser, and it came from a corner, with Maguire guiding Christian Eriksen's cross into the top-left corner.

Data Debrief: Ten Hag gets lucky

It was a game that summed up United's season in some ways. They started the game on the front foot, getting two quickfire goals to put themselves in control only to drop their concentration.

Since Erik ten Hag joined the club in 2022, no Premier League club has conceded three or more goals in a match more times in all competitions than United (24).

In fact, they are winless in their last five matches in European competition (D3 L2) despite leading by 2+ goals in three of them. 

Fernandes' red card against Tottenham may have been overturned, but this one will stand. Having not received a single red card in any of his first 241 appearances for United in all competitions, he has now received two in his last two.

Ange Postecoglou waxed lyrical over the performances of Brennan Johnson and Mikey Moore as Tottenham defeated Ferencvaros 2-1 in the Europa League on Thursday.

Spurs made it two from two in Europe's secondary competition as goals from Pape Sarr and Johnson were enough for victory in Hungary despite Barnabas Varga's late consolation.

Versatile forward Johnson has now scored in each of his past five Tottenham appearances and has as many goals now as he did in the whole of last season (five).

Speaking at a press conference after the game, Postecoglou said of the Wales winger: "He's in a great vein of form right now. He's really confident. 

"They thrive on that sort of stuff, but his numbers have always been good. I was always curious as to why he was singled out because his numbers were always good when stacked up against the other wingers. 

"Now he's probably ahead of them with his numbers."

It was a night to remember for teenager Moore, who played the entire 90 minutes on his first professional start.

Postecoglou was extremely impressed with the way the 17-year-old forward applied himself on the European stage.

"His ability to just deal with pressure and keep the ball in really tight areas and make really good clean decisions for such a young boy," he added.

"It's not easy out there when defenders fly in, and he took one within the first 30 seconds, but he drives on. He's got so much growth, and he wants to learn. I couldn't be happier with him, and I'm very pleased that he's part of our football club.

"I thought he was outstanding. It's brilliant for a 17-year-old to play 90-plus minutes in a European away tie.

"He just handled it superbly, I kind of knew he would, and I think it'll help his growth as a footballer once you get through a sort of experience like that. 

"I think he'll grow and evolve, and I didn't feel like I needed to take him off. He still looked strong at the end and was still contributing."

Lee Carsley insists Harry Maguire's omission from his latest England squad is not due to form and he still has an important role to play for his country.

Manchester United centre-back Maguire missed Euro 2024 for beaten finalists England due to injury but was involved for interim boss Carlsey's first squad since Gareth Southgate departed for the Nations League victories over the Republic of Ireland and Finland last month.

However, there was no place for the 31-year-old ahead of this month's Nations League double-header against Greece and the return clash with the Finnish.

Maguire was the fifth-most utilised player for England under Southgate, with only Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, Jordan Pickford and John Stones appearing more, and Carsley explained that the decision was just to take a look at other options.

"It was a chance of having a look at other players. It's nothing to do with form. It's looking at the next two camps to look at other players," Carsley said.

"The players left out all have a case but we saw the benefit in the last camp of the squad being fresh, feeling fresh and a lot of energy in it.

"It's not just a copy and a paste, I want them to feel like they all have earned their place in the squad. People want to know where they stand long-term, I've told all the players this is a short-term situation.

"Harry is a player I've worked with in the past. He was very positive in the conversation we have.

"It was a case of talking to him about what my decision was, we have some really good centre-backs who we are keen to see play. Harry still has a really important part to play, not just in this squad but also in the campaign."

As we gear up for matchday three in the Women's Super League, the chasing pack have an opportunity to make ground on Chelsea and Manchester United, who are both unbeaten so far.

The Opta Supercomputer is here to give the inside track on whom the winners and losers may be as we look ahead to each match-up.

Chelsea and United will not be in action due to fixture congestion as a result of the Blues' Women's Champions League fixture on Tuesday next week. This will therefore be an early chance for Manchester City, Tottenham, and Arsenal to make inroads.

WSL history could be made this weekend too – if Jordan Nobbs laces up her boots and is selected for Aston Villa in their match away at Brighton, she will break the record for all-time appearances.

If Nobbs is selected by new Villa boss Robert de Pauw, she will reach a staggering 193 appearances in the competition, 13 years and 175 days since she debuted in the WSL for Arsenal against Chelsea in April 2011.

Stephanie Houghton (127) is the only player to have featured in more wins than Nobbs (124) and the Villa midfielder will be confident she can surpass the now-retired City defender this season.

At the bottom of the table, newcomers Crystal Palace will want to banish the memory of their 7-0 drubbing by champions Chelsea and try and get their first points on the board.

Everton, meanwhile, have been struck by misfortune, losing midfielder Aurora Galli and forward Inma Gabarro both to anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

Let's check out the Opta supercomputer's match predictions.

BRIGHTON V ASTON VILLA

Kicking off the weekend's action, Brighton will welcome Aston Villa to the Broadfield Stadium in the only match on Saturday. Dario Vidosic's side have made an impressive start under the new manager, beating Everton 4-0 in their opening fixture and narrowly losing 1-0 to Man City last time out.

Only City (31) have recorded more open play sequences of 10+ passes in the WSL this season than Brighton (28), who in their opening home match recorded their best-ever pass accuracy in a league match (87.8%) and their second-most passes ever in a game in the competition (550).

However, despite Brighton's early good form, the Opta supercomputer has them at only 36.1% to get the home win and 26.2% for the draw. Villa have won just one of their last eight WSL matches (D3 L4), though the exception was a 1-0 away win at Brighton on the penultimate matchday of last season. The Opta Supercomputer is edging them ahead of the hosts to get the win, at 37.8%.

De Pauw (D1 L1) will be looking to avoid becoming the second Villa manager to go winless across their first three games in the WSL after Gemma Davies (L3), who did so back in October 2020. Two of the Villans' previous three managers in the competition picked up their first away win at Brighton, though.

MANCHESTER CITY V WEST HAM

West Ham have had a difficult start to their campaign, only picking up one point so far, though that did come in dramatic fashion when they fought back to draw with Liverpool. They travel to the Joie Stadium to face a City team aiming to make it two wins from two home games.

City are looking to go unbeaten across their opening three games of a WSL campaign for the eighth time (including the 2017 Spring Series) – prior to this season, only Chelsea (nine) and Arsenal (eight) had done so more times in the competition than the Citizens (seven).

Opta's model predicts City to get the job done, giving them a huge 87.3% chance of victory. City have won 10 of their 11 WSL meetings with West Ham and half of those victories have come with them scoring at least four goals.

The Opta model is damming of the Hammers' chances of getting the win, at 4.5%, and gives more chance of a draw, at 8.2%. West Ham are winless in their last six away games in the WSL (D1 L5) and could equal their longest-ever run without victory on the road in the competition.

Both Khadija Shaw and Vivianne Miedema have opened up their accounts for the season and West Ham should be wary of the duo.

Shaw has scored 13 goals in her 11 WSL appearances so far in 2024, currently the best goals per game rate (1.18) by a player in a single calendar year in the competition's history (minimum three appearances).

ARSENAL V EVERTON

Arsenal will be aiming to avoid defeat in their opening three games of a WSL campaign for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, though they did fail to do so last season (W1 D1 L1).

Everton will travel south with little hope of victory, and they are only given a 7% chance compared to Arsenal's 81.5%; at 11.4%, a draw also seems unlikely.

The Toffees could break an unwanted record this weekend. Having lost both of their league games this season, should they suffer another defeat, then they will become the first team in WSL history to lose 100 games.

The Gunners started the season as expected in a tight exchange with Man City on the opening day and then a slender away win at Leicester City.

Jonas Eidevall has won 49 of his 68 matches in the WSL (D9 L10) and victory against Everton this weekend would make him the second-quickest manager to reach 50 wins (69 games), behind only his predecessor Joe Montemurro (66 games).

One to watch in this match will be Frida Maanum, who has scored the opening goal in both of Arsenal's WSL games this season. She could become the first player to put the Gunners 1-0 up in three consecutive matches in the competition.

TOTTENHAM V LIVERPOOL

Tottenham have enjoyed a strong start to the season and sit third heading into the weekend. They welcome Liverpool to Brisbane Road - Matt Beard's side have yet to register a win so far.

The Supercomputer calculates Spurs will continue their good form and snatch the win (40.3%) as opposed to a 33% chance of victory for the Reds, though a draw is also a likely outcome.

Building on their form from last season, Spurs have scored a wealth of goals in the opening weeks. Only Chelsea (seven) have had more different goalscorers this season than Tottenham, with each of Spurs' six league goals coming via a different player.

This will not be a walk in the park, though. Liverpool are unbeaten in their last six WSL games, last going longer without defeat in the league in September 2016 (eight). Only Man City (nine) are currently on a longer unbeaten run away from home than the Reds (six – W4 D2).

LEICESTER CITY V CRYSTAL PALACE

Amandine Miquel has had a mixed start to her tenure as Leicester boss. She is the Foxes' fifth manager in the WSL, but she could be the fourth to fail to win their first three games in charge, with Lydia Bedford in 2021-22 the only one to avoid that fate.

Opta's model is backing Miquel to change the record, though, with a home win the result in 47.6% of the supercomputer's simulations, while the likelihood of a draw is 26.1% and Palace are given a 26.3% chance.

Newly promoted Palace could be the fifth team to lose each of their first three games in the WSL but only the second to lose their first three matches in the competition without scoring a single goal, after Brighton in 2018-19. 

Leicester, meanwhile, have won all four of their previous WSL games against newly promoted opposition, with Man Utd (10/10) the only other team to have a 100% record against such teams.

Leicester forward Jutta Rantala was directly involved in five goals in two appearances against newly promoted opposition last season, scoring twice and assisting once away to Bristol City in October and scoring and assisting at home to the Robins in February. She will fancy her chances against a Palace side that conceded seven goals last time out.

Brennan Johnson's red-hot form in front of goal continued as he helped Tottenham to a 2-1 win over Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday.

Pape Sarr had given the visitors the lead in the first half before Johnson got the second with four minutes remaining prior to Barnabus Varga giving the hosts a late consolation.

A young Spurs side started slowly and were given a wake-up call 12 minutes in as Varga's header across goal nestled into the far bottom corner, but his goal was ruled out due to a tight offside.

Sarr put Spurs ahead just 11 minutes later, getting a little bit of fortune as the ball ricocheted through the box before he slotted past Denes Dibusz.

Pedro Porro then cut inside to drive a low shot against the foot of the right post before the break, while Matheus Saldanha forced Guglielmo Vicario into a fingertip save shortly after half-time.

Johnson came off the bench and hit the bar before keeping his composure to double Spurs' lead, sending his strike in off the inside of the post.

Varga did get his name on the scoresheet in stoppage time, stretching out a leg to lift Cristian Ramirez's whipped cross over Vicario.

Data Debrief: Johnson proves the difference

He may not have started the game, but it is Johnson's involvement that sealed all three points for Spurs, and a second consecutive Europa League win.

The forward has scored in each of his last five appearances for the club in all competitions, matching his goal tally for the entirety of last season (five goals).

Ange Postecoglou was not afraid to ring in the changes, and Tottenham became the first English side to start four-plus teenagers in a single match in a major European competition since Manchester United versus Astana in the Europa League in November 2019 (six).

Julen Lopetegui says he expects to be under pressure after West Ham's recent struggles at home but hopes to put that right against Ipswich Town.

West Ham have won just one of their six Premier League matches so far, away to Crystal Palace, but have lost all three of their home fixtures, conceding eight goals and scoring twice.

Having failed to win any of their last four in the league, along with a heavy 5-1 defeat to Liverpool in the EFL Cup before last week's draw at Brentford, Lopetegui is coming under a little pressure already.

However, the Spaniard is not fazed by that, explaining his team are working hard to change their fortunes at the London Stadium.

"Always it's very important to win, and that's why we work hard every day. We want to win for sure," Lopetegui said.

"Ipswich are a good team, and all our thoughts are on Saturday.

"Our job is to live under pressure, and it is normal because we haven't won at home yet. That's why we are working, to try and win on Saturday against Ipswich."

Meanwhile, the Tractor Boys are still searching for their first win since being promoted back to the top-flight.

There is reason to be optimistic though, as Ipswich have drawn each of their last four outings, including 2-2 against Aston Villa last weekend.

Kieran McKenna is expecting another tough test but knows his players will show their competitiveness once again.

"I know it is another big game, another big challenge and one to look forward to," McKenna said.

"Let's hope we can make it really competitive. I don't think there [will be] many weeks this year where we are going to blow teams out of the water, so we need to work really, really hard to be competitive.

"We hope we can be really clinical in our execution when we have our moments and defend their moments well to give ourselves a chance to get a result."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

West Ham – Tomas Soucek

Tomas Soucek netted his 29th Premier League goal for West Ham United in their 1-1 draw with Brentford, overtaking Milan Baros (28) into second place for the top Czechia scorers in Premier League history.

He is now only behind Patrik Berger (38 goals), a record he will be keen to start chasing down.

Ipswich Town – Sam Morsy

No player has more Premier League yellow cards this season than Ipswich midfielder Sam Morsy (four) and was perhaps lucky not to receive a second against Aston Villa last weekend.

Since his Ipswich league debut in September 2021, only one player has more yellow cards in the league in England's top four tiers than Morsy's total of 40, but given his importance to McKenna's side, the manager will be hoping he can avoid another.

MATCH PREDICTION: WEST HAM WIN

West Ham have lost just one of their eight Premier League meetings with Ipswich (W3 D4), a 1-0 home loss in March 2001. Their last such meeting was a 3-1 victory for the Hammers in March 2002.

However, Ipswich won their last two league meetings with West Ham, beating them 1-0 away and 5-1 at home in the 2011-12 Championship campaign.

West Ham have lost their three home Premier League games this season, the first time they have started a season with three home defeats. The Hammers have not suffered four defeats in a row in the top-flight at the London Stadium since the final four home matches of Manuel Pellegrini's reign in November-December 2019.

Indeed, West Ham have won just five points in their opening six Premier League matches this season (W1 D2 L3), the fifth time in the last nine seasons they have had five or fewer points at this stage of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Ipswich are winless in all six Premier League games this season (D2 L4), only once starting a top-flight season with a longer winless start, in 1969-70 (seven games).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

West Ham – 51.3%

Draw – 23.8%

Ipswich Town – 24.9%

Juventus centre-back Bremer will undergo surgery after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury against RB Leipzig.

The Brazil international was forced off six minutes into Juve's 3-2 win over Leipzig on Wednesday, with the club confirming the extent of his injury on Thursday.

Bremer has been key to Thiago Motta's side so far this season, playing every minute in Serie A with the team yet to concede a single goal in six matches.

Among his team-mates, he has played the most minutes (540), making the most interceptions (six) and blocks (11).

Juventus were also dealt another blow, with midfielder Nico Gonzalez suffering a thigh muscle injury.

"Bremer and Nico Gonzalez underwent diagnostic tests which revealed an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the left knee for the former and a low-grade injury to the rectus femoris of the right thigh for the latter," the club said in a statement.

"Bremer will undergo surgery in the coming days."

Vancouver Whitecaps defender Ranko Veselinovic believes their togetherness will get them through their tough spot as they prepare to welcome Minnesota United in MLS.

The Whitecaps have already clinched a playoff spot, but have struggled in recent weeks, drawing one and losing three, with their last league win coming against San Jose Earthquakes on September 15.

They sit seventh in the Western Conference, with Minnesota just one place and one point below them, and Veselinovic hopes they can find a solution to their recent blip to put a bigger gap between them.

"We feel like we can do better," he said. "Seattle was a really poor performance, so we need to find a way to be better on Saturday.

"Now it's all about the mental side. We need to find a way, we don't know how yet, but we need to push through.

"The most important thing is to stay together in the locker room and get sharper in the duels and wanting to put in a better performance."

Meanwhile, Minnesota drew 0-0 with Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, failing to make it three wins on the bounce.

However, the draw was enough to clinch their playoff spot with two games remaining, though head coach Eric Ramsay is not going to ease up on the team.

"We really want to make sure that we focus on us, the upcoming games, and I've said from day one of this trip that we came here with a real sense of a mission and purpose," Ramsay said.

"We want to make sure that when we play that final home game that we are really playing for something with something secured."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Vancouver Whitecaps – Pedro Vite

Vancouver failed to score in an MLS game for the first time since early September and struggled to assert themselves in front of goal.

Pedro Vite showed their biggest threat, registering the most shots on target (two), had one of their three big chances, and had the most final third entries on the team (11).

Minnesota United – Bongokuhle Hlongwane

Minnesota also drew a blank in their most recent outing, but despite an underwhelming performance, Bongokuhle Hlongwane caused some problems.

He was responsible for 0.42 of their 0.77 expected goals (xG) and had the joint-most shots, but their top scorer could not find a breakthrough.

MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN

Vancouver are unbeaten in their last three matches against Minnesota (W2 D1), scoring three times in both of those wins, while they also got the better of the Loons in a pre-season friendly in February.

After a three-match unbeaten streak in MLS straight after the Leagues Cup break, the Whitecaps are now winless in four (D1 L3). They also drew the Canadian Championship final before prevailing on penalties last month.

Meanwhile, Minnesota have lost just one of their last six matches (W4 D1), but are unbeaten in their last three, keeping a clean sheet in each of those after a run of five without a shutout in the league.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Vancouver Whitecaps – 46.8%

Draw – 26.4%

Minnesota United – 26.8%