Ligue 1 (France)

The 35-year-old is the latest high-profile signing for the Khobar-based club, following the arrivals of Nacho and Koen Casteels from Real Madrid and Wolfsburg respectively.

Aubameyang joins after just one season with Marseille, for whom he scored 30 goals in 51 appearances while also becoming the record marksman in Europa League history.

A LaLiga title winner with Barcelona, the forward also won the DFB-Pokal during his time with Borussia Dortmund, and the FA Cup at Arsenal.

Aubameyang stepped onto the pitch for the first time with his new club during their pre-season friendly with Borussia Monchengladbach on Thursday.

Haaland scored his 49th goal of the season as Manchester City thrashed Arsenal 4-1 on Wednesday, while Mbappe is enjoying another stellar campaign at Paris Saint-Germain, as well as having won the Golden Boot at the Qatar World Cup.

Mbappe's 34 goals across all competitions this term is bettered only by Haaland's extraordinary tally when it comes to players from Europe's top five leagues.

With Mbappe's club-mate Lionel Messi reaching the twilight of his career and Cristiano Ronaldo having left Europe for Saudi Arabia, former City and Arsenal defender Toure has no doubt the France star, 24, and Haaland, 22, will be the players battling it out at the pinnacle of the game.

"Absolutely, absolutely. They are both incredibly great players," Toure told Stats Perform.

"Young, hungry players with big qualities, playing for top clubs. You can see that the rivalry is coming, you can feel that, because they're both goal scorers.

"They have different qualities obviously. There is one who really is a good scorer and there is one who – yeah he can score goals, but at the same time, he can provide, he can dribble.

"It's going to be really interesting to see both of them fighting, because they are the next generation, definitely."

Haaland, who supplied two assists for Kevin De Bruyne against Arsenal, lacked his usual clinical edge in the game, seeing several attempts saved by Aaron Ramsdale before he ultimately got his goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

That took Haaland onto 33 league goals for the season, a new record for a 38-game Premier League campaign and one away from the competition's best-ever tally of 34 (held by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole).

"He is a very dominant striker," Toure said of the Norway international.

"But, one thing I have to say is he chose the right thing for him, because he's a goal scorer and he needs to play for a team that provides him the ball.

"When you have De Bruyne, you have [Bernardo] Silva, you have [Ilkay] Gundogan, you have Jack Grealish, unbelievable players around him providing the ball, the quality they're showing to support him is incredibly great.

"That's so clever from the boy, he made the right choice.

"He got to the right team. We're going to do the work for him to just finish, because he's a finisher.

"His control, the way he handled the ball to bring the team up when Arsenal were pressing them, it was unbelievable. I saw a player who can get the ball from the feet, take the ball, dribble past two, three, three players and have a shot.

"That shows the quality he has and there's big room for him to just keep improving. He is in the right team, he has the right manager and he will keep improving definitely. But, what he has shown is unbelievable."

Hitzlsperger – who earned 52 caps for Germany between 2004 and 2010 and helped Stuttgart win the Bundesliga in 2006-07 – came out in 2014, less than a year after his retirement. 

Having become the highest-profile player to come out, Hitzlsperger recognises the "courage" required for anyone to take such a decision.

However, citing evolving attitudes towards homosexuality in football and the impact of diversity campaigns, Hitzlsperger believes the sport is now more welcoming.

Speaking to Stats Perform at the Football Business Awards, Hitzlsperger said: "What I'm seeing is a lot of improvement in what clubs are doing to promote diversity. We see a lot of symbolism, symbols, and support. 

"But it's down to the player or the players to make that decision. It takes courage, it takes a good network of family and friends to finally go that way.

"I can't predict how long it's going to take, but I'm glad to see that among fans and clubs in the media and in general, there's a positive attitude towards it. 

"If we always pick out the people who discriminate on this, then we can always argue, but in general, I think there has been an improvement. 

"I can only hope that we see a player or some players [come out] one day because that would make another big change."

Hitzlsperger enjoyed three spells in the Premier League during his playing career, representing Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham.

The Hammers are gearing up to face Fiorentina in next month's Europa Conference League final, and Hitzlsperger is optimistic regarding their chances of continental glory.

"It's massive," he said. "Again, as a football fan, you're going into a European competition. That in itself is a great achievement. 

"But then ending up in the final means so much to the fans, the journeys across Europe, so I can only hope that they do well, win the final and give the fans something to cheer about because I remember being there. 

"Sometimes when you get relegated, I know how depressing it is for everybody involved, but the club has recovered and hopefully in the future they will also do well in the Premier League."

They got off to the perfect start in the Milan derby, going ahead through Mkhitaryan before extending their advantage when Marcus Thuram hit a stunning strike into the top corner.

Rafael Leao gave Milan some hope with a quick finish after the break, but Inter cruised to victory when Mkhitaryan’s second was followed by Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty and Davide Frattesi’s last-minute strike.

The win ensures Inter remain top of the table and are two points clear of Juventus, who beat Lazio 3-1 earlier in the day through Dusan Vlahovic’s brace.

The Serbia striker and Federico Chiesa gave Juve the lead and though Luis Alberto pulled one back for the visitors, Vlahovic put the game to bed.

Reigning Scudetto champions Napoli were forced to come from behind to snatch a draw with Genoa.

Goals from Mattia Bani and Mateo Retegui looked set to seal a historic victory for the home side, but substitute Giacomo Raspadori and Matteo Politano struck in the last 15 minutes to earn a point.

Barcelona moved to the top of the La Liga table after hammering Real Betis 5-0.

Joao Felix opened his account for the club with his first goal since arriving on loan from Atletico Madrid at the start of the month and Robert Lewandowski doubled the lead going into the break.

Ferran Torres and substitute Raphinha also got on the scoresheet before Joao Cancelo rounded off a dominant evening for Barca.

Athletic Bilbao are third in the table after beating Cadiz 3-0 and Mallorca beat Celta Vigo 1-0, while Valencia stunned Atletico Madrid to hand them their first defeat in the league.

Hugo Duro scored twice and Javi Guerra rounded off a 3-0 win to take Valencia fifth and Diego Simeone’s side will be hoping to bounce back against Lazio in the Champions League on Tuesday before their derby against Real Madrid next weekend.

Mats Hummels was at the double for Borussia Dortmund as they struck late to earn a 4-2 win against Freiburg in the Bundesliga.

The veteran centre-half opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Lucas Holer and Nicolas Hofler both scored in quick succession to give Freiburg the lead at half-time.

Donyell Malen levelled the score on the hour mark, but Freiburg were reduced to 10 men with nine minutes to go when Hofler was sent off, allowing Hummels and Marco Reus to capitalise with two goals in two minutes at the death.

Goals from David Raum, Lois Openda and Xavi Simons helped Leipzig earn a third straight league victory, beating Augsburg 3-0.

Three points sees them move into third in the table where they are tied on nine points with Wolfsburg, who came from behind to beat Union Berlin 2-1 through Joakim Maehle’s winner.

Hoffenheim and Stuttgart also have nine points after 3-1 wins against Koln and Mainz respectively, while Eintracht Frankfurt were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against VFL Bochum.

Ibrahim Salah’s 89th-minute goal helped Rennes come from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw with Lille in Ligue 1.

Seventeen-year-old Leny Yoro and Bafode Diakite gave Lille the advantage before Lorenz Assignon pulled one back with 16 minutes of normal time to play and Salah snatched a point at the death.

Metz sit between both sides in sixth after beating struggling Lens 1-0 in Saturday’s other fixture.

Sergio Arribas had the hosts in front in the third minute of Saturday evening’s contest but England midfielder Bellingham – who netted in the opening day win at Athletic Bilbao – levelled the scores 16 minutes later.

After Tony Kroos had seen an effort ruled out for VAR at the end of the first half, former Birmingham midfielder Bellingham put Real ahead on the hour and Vinicius Junior made it 3-1 with 17 minutes remaining.

Athletic Bilbao were 2-0 winners at Osasuna, with goals inside the first 20 minutes from Inaki Williams and Gorkua Guruzeta doing the damage. The hosts had substitute Chimy Avila dismissed late on.

Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo drew 1-1, with Oscar Mingueza earning the visitors a point in the last minute after Ander Barrenetxea had opened the scoring for Sociedad midway through the first half.

In Italy, champions Napoli opened with a 3-1 win at Frosinone, with Viktor Osimhen on target twice.

Abdou Harroui’s seventh-minute penalty had newly-promoted Frosinone ahead but Matteo Politano and Osimhen turned things around by half-time, before the latter sealed the points with 11 minutes remaining.

Lautaro Martinez netted in each half as Inter Milan beat Monza 2-0 at San Siro, while substitute Federico Bonazzoli got the only goal 15 minutes from time as Verona – who survived last season with victory over Spezia in the relegation play-off – won at Empoli.

Fiorentina were 4-1 victors at newly-promoted Genoa, with Cristiano Biraghi, Giacomo Bonaventura, Nicolas Gonzalez and Rolando Mandragora making the points safe before Davide Biraschi replied for the hosts.

A late penalty from Zakaria Aboukhlal earned Toulouse a 1-1 draw with Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain.

Kylian Mbappe, absent from the squad for the opening-weekend goalless draw with Lorient after a dispute over his future left him training separately from the first team, came off the bench to score a penalty just past the hour mark.

However, Aboukhlal’s spot-kick meant a second successive draw for the capital club.

Lyon are propping up the table after a 4-1 home loss to Montpellier. Mousa Al-Taamari (2), Arnaud Nordin and Akor Adams were on target for the visitors, with Alexandre Lacazette getting a red card for Laurent Blanc’s struggling hosts having netted their only goal of the game when they trailed 3-0.

In the opening round of Bundesliga action, Donyell Malen’s 88th-minute goal gave Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win over Cologne.

Augsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach shared eight goals in a 4-4 draw, while there were also wins for Bayer Leverkusen, Freiburg, Wolfsburg and Stuttgart.

The France forward got his side up and running with an early penalty before his trickery set up the second goal for Carlos Soler just after the half-hour mark.

Another Spaniard, Fabian Ruiz, added a third late on for Luis Enrique’s side, who made it back-to-back wins in the league for only the second time this season.

Mbappe went into the game on the back of three goals in two games for France in victories over the Netherlands and Scotland during the recent international break, but without a Ligue 1 goal since mid-September, a brace in a home defeat to Nice.

That mini drought was ended after only 10 minutes.

Gerzino Nyamsi made a mess of attempting to clear a low cross, allowing Goncalo Ramos a sniff, and in attempting to make amends the Strasbourg defender only succeeded in bringing down his opponent.

Mbappe made no mistake with the resulting penalty, firing right-footed into the bottom left corner.

Despite that run of three league games without a goal, it was his eighth in eight this season.

The visitors thought they were level just two minutes later when Lebo Mothiba headed home at the back post, but the effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

Instead PSG went into half-time with a two-goal lead.

Mbappe received the ball, fooled Lucas Perrin with a dummy and sent in a low cross which Soler turned into the roof of the net at the near post.

Mbappe went close again himself early in the second half, bringing a save out of goalkeeper Matz Sels with a shot from inside the area before sparking a some concern when he went down holding his left ankle following a foul by Nyamsi.

However, he was able to carry on after treatment.

Strasbourg nearly gave themselves a lifeline in the 75th minute when Nyamsi met Dilane Bakwa’s cross, but his header was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

And their faint hopes were extinguished for good as PSG added a third in the 77th minute.

Ruiz won possession in the Strasbourg half and sent the ball out to Ousmane Dembele, who found Soler. He passed to Ruiz, who beat an opponent before firing home to wrap up the points.

Mbappe, who is leaving the club at the end of the season, was outstanding as PSG killed off a Montpellier fightback with four second-half goals at the Stade de la Mosson.

Vitinha and Mbappe got PSG off to a fine start but the hosts hit back before the break with an Arnaud Nordin header and Teji Savanier penalty.

Mbappe responded with two more after the break, either side of a Lee Kang-in strike, and Nuno Mendes completed the scoring late on to leave PSG 12 points clear at the top.

Montpellier began confidently with Leo Leroy calling Gianluigi Donnarumma into action and Wahbi Khazri shooting over but PSG were soon ahead with a fine Vitinha strike.

The Portuguese received the ball from an Mbappe pass some 30 yards from goal and wrongfooted the defence with a jinking run before curling a shot into the bottom corner.

Montpellier tried to find a quick response but Lucas Mincarelli missed the target and PSG doubled their lead with the first of Mbappe’s treble in the 22nd minute.

The France captain burst clear from the halfway line and exchanged passes with Randal Kolo Muani before finishing from a tight angle.

Mbappe threatened again soon after but this time Dimitry Bertaud was equal to his effort and Montpellier replied.

Nordin served warning when he forced a save from Donnarumma in the 26th minute and he did better on the half-hour when he headed in an awkwardly bouncing ball after PSG failed to clear a cross.

The hosts then got themselves right back into the game with a controversial penalty on the stroke of half-time.

Danilo Pereira’s poor backpass was seized upon by Tanguy Coulibaly and he was adjudged to have been fouled after colliding with Donnarumma.

Donnarumma protested his innocence, claiming he had blocked a shot before the coming together, but the decision stood after a VAR check. Savanier rifled into the roof of the net from the spot.

PSG, and particularly Mbappe, stepped up a gear after the break.

The visitors reclaimed the lead on 50 minutes when Mbappe clipped a superb shot into the top corner from outside the area and another quickly followed.

This time Lee did the damage after playing a one-two with Kolo Muani and curling in from distance.

Mbappe completed his hat-trick just after the hour when he latched onto a long ball from Vitinha and lashed a shot past Bertaud.

Vitinha and Nuno Mendes had further chances as PSG threatened more before Montpellier were denied a penalty after Mousa Al-Tamari went down under a challenge from Mendes.

Mendes wrapped up the scoring after a rapid counter-attack in the 89th minute.

The reigning champions have taken 36 points from their first 15 games of the season, winning 11, drawing three and losing only once, and travel to Lille on Sunday having won their last eight games in the league.

Warren Zaire-Emery’s second-half strike also salvaged a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund in midweek to ensure PSG advanced to the last 16 of the Champions League as runners-up in Group F.

However, Enrique feels there is more to come as they prepare to face a Lille side who are unbeaten in their last 14 matches in all competitions and have kept five consecutive clean sheets.

“I have no doubt that we will be better in the second half of the season,” Enrique said in his pre-match press conference. “All my teams have been better afterwards.

“We will regain players who were injured, but we also have the possibility of buying other players if needed. I have no reason to be pessimistic.

“When I see what we have accomplished in the first part of the season, I can only be positive.

“Lille have been unbeaten for a long time and are a team that plays quite like us. They have a very good coach [Paulo Fonseca], I admire the style of football he plays.

“They can cause a lot of problems for the opposition. They play well both with and without the ball, they have a very good defence, they’re aggressive. They’re one of the best teams in the league.”

PSG’s place in the last 16 of the Champions League was up in the air in the final round of group fixtures, with AC Milan and Newcastle poised to take advantage of any slip up.

That looked a possibility when Karim Adeyemi fired Dortmund in front early in the second half and Newcastle held a 1-0 lead over Milan, but Zaire-Emery quickly equalised for PSG and Milan fought back to win 2-1 and secure a Europa League berth.

“We gave our all in every match and we faced top opponents,” Enrique said of his side’s Champions League campaign to date. “Our stats were good.

“We are positive and optimistic, we know that there will be other big matches. We always want to improve, it’s the club’s objective.

“This group in the Champions League has helped us to grow, there were some very good opponents, worthy of the round of 16 or quarter-finals.”

The Croatia international fired home from the edge of the box in the 81st minute to maintain Real’s five-point lead over Barcelona at the summit.

Sixth-placed Real Betis are now seven points behind fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao in the table after beating the 10-man Lions 3-1.

Ezequiel Avila’s strike and Yuri Berchiche’s own goal sent Betis ahead before Nico Williams was sent off in the 40th minute.

Gorka Guruzeta pulled one back for the Basque side, but Johnny Cardoso wrapped up victory for Betis in the 67th minute.

Strugglers Cadiz and Celta Vigo drew 2-2, while Las Palmas and Osasuna settled for a 1-1 draw.

Inter Milan continued their unbeaten start to 2024 with a 4-0 triumph over Lecce in Serie A.

Lautaro Martinez scored twice alongside goals from Davide Frattesi and Stefan De Vrij for Inter to extend their winning run to 10 games in all competitions.

They remain nine points ahead of Juventus, who were rescued by Daniele Rugani’s late stoppage-time goal to beat Frosinone 3-2 after initially taking the lead through Dusan Vlahovic’s double.

A late goal also denied Napoli victory as Zito Luvumbo cancelled out Victor Osimhen’s second-half goal for the reigning Serie A champions in a 1-1 draw with Cagliari.

Teun Koopmeiners’ penalty kept Atalanta in the race for Serie A’s top four as he cancelled out Rafael Leao’s opener in a 1-1 draw with AC Milan.

Paris St Germain needed a late penalty from Goncalo Ramos to rescue a point as they drew 1-1 with Rennes in Ligue 1.

A stunning effort from Amine Gouiri fired the visitors in front and the hosts looked destined for a second league defeat this season before Ramos scored from the spot deep into stoppage time, ensuring PSG sit 11 points clear at the top of the table.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice as Marseille beat struggling Montpellier 4-1 at the Orange Velodrome.

The visitors had gone in front five minutes in through Mousa Al-Tamari but Iliman Ndiaye equalised before former Arsenal striker Aubameyang netted either side of the break, with Falaye Sacko’s own goal piling more misery on Montpellier.

Nice’s goalless draw with bottom-of-the-table Clemont saw Monaco move into third, but they also needed a late goal to beat Lens 3-2.

They took the lead through Folarin Balogun and Brice Samba’s own goal, but Lens fought back with goals from Elye Wahi and Wesley Said before former Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino found the winner in added time.

Lille were handed a shock after being beaten 3-1 by Toulouse, while 10-man Reims earned their first win in five league games by beating Le Havre 2-1.

Maximilian Beier’s quick double helped Hoffenheim move up into seventh in the Bundesliga table after beating Borussia Dortmund 3-2.

Hoffenheim got off to the perfect start when Ihlas Bebou put them ahead just two minutes into the game, but Donyell Malen and Nico Schlotterbeck scored within four minutes of each other to hand Dortmund the lead going into half-time.

Beier then struck in the 61st and 64th minute to snatch victory for Hoffenheim, who are now four points behind Eintracht Frankfurt after they drew 2-2 with Wolfsburg.

Philipp Max cancelled out Maxence Lacroix’s opener before Kevin Behrens restored Wolfsburg’s lead, but Omar Marmoush levelled against his former club two minutes into stoppage time.

Augsburg ended their four-game winless run after second-half goals from Felix Uduokhai and Arne Engels handed them a 2-1 win against SC Freiburg.

Achraf Hakimi's 20th-minute dismissal for a second yellow card followed Enzo Le Fee's surprise opener for the visitors at Parc des Princes.

Although Kylian Mbappe brought Christophe Galtier's side back on equal terms with a controversial finish, goals from Darlin Yongwa and Bamba Dieng handed the hosts another defeat.

It is their third in sixth league matches, although PSG retain a healthy gap to second-placed Marseille, eight points back with a single game in hand.

The signs of a potential PSG implosion were there inside the opening exchanges when Hakimi clattered through Romain Faivre with his studs.

It went from bad to worse for the home side when Le Fee smashed in from six yards following a cut-back, before Hakimi got his marching orders after he lunged in on Yongwa's foot.

Mbappe restored parity with a moment of bizarre opportunity after goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo mistakenly thought he had a free-kick and dropped the ball in his box, allowing the striker to pounce on an open net.

But Lorient would not be kept level for long, and when a defensive block inside the PSG box went awry, Yongwa was there to pounce and claim back the lead.

Despite the man disadvantage, PSG pushed hard for another equaliser after the break, with Sergio Ramos inching a header over before the hour mark.

Lorient picked them off on the counter, however. After Dieng saw a tap-in chalked off for offside late on, he belatedly got his goal after seizing on a long ball for a breakaway goal.

Barcola opened the scoring in the fourth minute of the contest, with Marco Asensio doubling their advantage before the break. 

The 21-year-old continued the scoring eight minutes after the break, as Achraf Hakimi, Warren Zaire-Emery and Lee Kang-in completed a dominant display. 

It took four minutes for the first goal of the encounter as Barcola produced a fine finish, with Asensio adding their second after being picked out by Joao Neves. 

Despite momentarily halting the onslaught, Barcola increased PSG's advantage shortly after the break with a simple finish from Ousmane Demebele's pass. 

Hakimi netted the hosts' fourth with another fine finish, as Zaire-Emery got himself in on the act to strike beyond Benjamin Lecomte after a brilliant piece of skill.

Substitute Kang-in sealed the scoring eight minutes from time, sneaking a left-footed effort from the edge of the area in at Lecomte's near post. 

Data Debrief: Barcola starts for Parisians

PSG have now scored 10 goals in their last two league games, as life without Kylian Mbappe has got off to a flying start under Luis Enrique. 

Barcola showcased his undeniable talent during the contest, contributing 1.17 expected goals (xG) to PSG's 3.93 total - the highest of any player for the hosts. 

The winger has eight goal involvements (five goals, three assists) in his last seven top-flight appearances for PSG, two more than in his first 20 for the club. 

Barcola opened the scoring in the fourth minute of the contest, with Marco Asensio doubling their advantage before the break. 

The 21-year-old continued the scoring eight minutes after the break, as Achraf Hakimi, Warren Zaire-Emery and Lee Kang-in completed a dominant display. 

It took four minutes for the first goal of the encounter as Barcola produced a fine finish, with Asensio adding their second after being picked out by Joao Neves. 

Despite momentarily halting the onslaught, Barcola increased PSG's advantage shortly after the break with a simple finish from Ousmane Demebele's pass. 

Hakimi netted the hosts' fourth with another fine finish, as Zaire-Emery got himself in on the act to strike beyond Benjamin Lecomte after a brilliant piece of skill.

Substitute Kang-in sealed the scoring eight minutes from time, sneaking a left-footed effort from the edge of the area in at Lecomte's near post. 

Data Debrief: Barcola stars for Parisians

PSG have now scored 10 goals in their last two league games, as life without Kylian Mbappe has got off to a flying start under Luis Enrique. 

Barcola showcased his undeniable talent during the contest, contributing 1.17 expected goals (xG) to PSG's 3.93 total - the highest of any player for the hosts. 

The winger has eight goal involvements (five goals, three assists) in his last seven top-flight appearances for PSG, two more than in his first 20 for the club. 

Doue, who won silver at the Paris Olympics with France, has signed a five-year contract with the 12-time Ligue 1 champions. 

The 19-year-old made 43 appearances in all competitions for Julien Stephan's side last season, scoring four goals and adding six assists. 

Doue will provide the Parisians with another attacking threat from midfield, with the 31 chances he created last year a total only bettered by Benjamin Bourigeaud (69) in the Rennes squad. 

He also completed the most dribbles (64) for the French side, while also outperforming his expected goals (xG) total by 1.62 in Ligue 1. 

The teenager becomes PSG's fourth arrival at the Parc des Princes in the transfer window after the signings of Joao Neves, William Pacho and Matvey Safonov. 

“I'm delighted to be joining Paris Saint-Germain. I'm really excited, and also happy and proud," Doue told the PSG website.

"It's a dream come true. I can't wait to discover the Parc des Princes in a PSG jersey and to play in front of these fans. 

Messi is approaching the end of his two-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain, having joined the Ligue 1 giants when a financial crisis forced him to leave Barca in 2021.

The World Cup winner's future is uncertain, with Barca regularly linked with a move for their all-time leading goalscorer, while David Beckham-owned Inter Miami are also keen to lure him to MLS.

While PSG head coach Christophe Galtier revealed the club were planning discussions with the 35-year-old, Blaugrana vice-president Rafael Yuste admitted he would "love" to see the forward return to Camp Nou.

Pique, who announced his retirement from football earlier this season, won eight LaLiga titles alongside Messi at Barca, as well as three Champions Leagues and three Club World Cups.

But the former defender insists a potential reunion between his old club and team-mate must happen naturally.

"He knows Yuste and is a wonderful person who will always tell you what you want to hear," Pique said during an interview with Gerardo Moreno.

"Forcing the situation, however, can be counterproductive. Things have to move naturally. If it has to be done, it will be done. When there is a desire on both sides, an operation in football can always succeed."

Everything is still to be decided – technically speaking. Title races, European qualification, relegation – all will come to a head over the next two months.

Of course, there are a few outcomes that already look like foregone conclusions, but there's still much to play for in each of the top five leagues.

With club football returning over the next few days, Stats Perform's Artificial Intelligence team have crunched the numbers using their supercomputer to predict the outcome of each league.

How's the outlook for your team?

Premier League

England is the scene of potentially most compelling title race among the top five leagues this season.

Arsenal may have an eight-point lead at the summit, but Manchester City still have a game in hand. As such, the Gunners' chances of winning a first league title since 2004 are 56.2 per cent, perhaps smaller than many might have expected.

That comes down in part to the statistical value attached to City's historic results, particularly over the past few years during their Premier League domination, whereas Arsenal haven't come close to that level of success over the same period.

Therefore, the title race still looks tight.

A little further back, Manchester United (74.5 per cent) are near-certainties to finish third, while the race for fourth promises to be engrossing – Tottenham (19.3 per cent), Newcastle United (29.1 per cent) and Liverpool (24.5 per cent) look set to tussle it out, with Brighton and Hove Albion (10.7 per cent) considered rank outsiders.

At the bottom, Southampton's 41.6 per cent likelihood of finishing 20th suggests they've a huge battle on their hands, but the supercomputer reckons West Ham and Leicester City have enough to pull themselves clear of the drop zone.

The signs are that two of Bournemouth, Everton and Nottingham Forest will join Saints in the Championship.

Bundesliga

Germany's top flight may come to rival the Premier League's title race. Ahead of the weekend's Klassiker between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, BVB are a point clear.

Yet, Dortmund's probability of finishing top is just 22.4 per cent compared to Bayern's 76.4. Again, it largely comes down to their historic results and Die Roten's dominance suggesting they'll eventually get the job done.

But it's fair to say Bayern's decision makers aren't so confident given their brutal choice to sack Julian Nagelsmann on Friday, replacing him with former Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel.

Union Berlin aren't out of it given they are only five points behind Dortmund, though this is obviously uncharted territory for them, hence the 0.9 per cent chance of winning their first top-flight title since 1923.

Third looks the best bet for them (40.3 per cent), while RB Leipzig are the most likely to fill out the top four (37.2 per cent).

It's even tighter in the relegation scrap. Only seven points separate 18th from 13th, so even rock-bottom Stuttgart are given a reasonable chance of finishing 14th (10.6 per cent) or 15th (15.2 per cent).

LaLiga

Following Barcelona's dramatic 2-1 win in El Clasico before the international break, LaLiga looks done and dusted at the top with the Blaugrana 12 points clear.

The supercomputer also reckons Atletico Madrid are nearly guaranteed third (80.3 per cent), leaving what is effectively a two-horse race for fourth.

Real Sociedad have fourth at the moment and are 43.7 per cent likely to finish there, though Real Betis (36.7 per cent) aim to push them all the way.

At the other end, Elche are given no more than a 0.1 per cent chance of getting out of the bottom three after taking just 13 points from 26 games.

Otherwise, relegation is difficult to call. Almeria in 19th are only six points behind Real Mallorca in 11th, meaning there are a host of clubs who could yet get dragged into a fight for their lives.

There are two particularly big names among those potentially in trouble. Valencia are in the bottom three and have a 21.9 per cent chance of being relegated, while Sevilla – who are on their third coach of the season after sacking Jorge Sampaoli – are only two points clear of safety.

The computer says Man Utd's next Europa League opponents only have a 5.8 per cent probability of going down, however.

Ligue 1

Paris Saint-Germain seemingly have little to worry about in Ligue 1, with the supercomputer calculating their title chances at 98 per cent.

The tiny hint of doubt gives Marseille (1.8 per cent) and Lens (0.2 per cent) a bit of hope – but even then, it's presumably nothing more than a pipe dream.

There is a similar degree of certainty at the bottom, where four teams will be relegated ahead of the league's size being reduced to 18 clubs next term.

Angers, with 10 points from 28 games, cannot get out of the bottom four according to the calculations, and the other three positions are currently taken up by Ajaccio, Troyes and Auxerre.

Brest and Strasbourg aren't out of the woods yet either, though the supercomputer believes those in the relegation zone are the ones most likely to drop into Ligue 2.

Serie A

If there's one league in Europe that's got a foregone conclusion at the top, it's Serie A.

Napoli have more than a 99.9 per cent chance of winning a first Scudetto since 1990, with the unrelenting Partenopei a whopping 19 points clear of second already.

The race for Champions League qualification promises to be a little more tense.

Eleven points is the gap between Lazio in second and Juventus in seventh. While the Bianconeri are very much outsiders, the other five teams have at least a 15 per cent chance of finishing in the top four.

Lazio, Inter and Milan appear to be the most likely to take those spots, though Roma and Atalanta will fancy their chances of putting a cat among the pigeons.

In the relegation fight, there's a rather clearer picture.

Cremonese and Sampdoria look doomed, while Hellas Verona in 18th are five points adrift of safety, giving them just an 18.8 per cent probability of avoiding relegation.

Luis Enrique’s side would have gone top with victory at Stade Gabriel Montpied, but could not find a way past an inspired Diaw, who began his career in PSG’s youth set-up.

The defending champions have made an indifferent start to the season, but appeared to be finding their form after last week’s thumping win against big rivals Marseille and Champions League success over Borussia Dortmund.

Clermont finished eighth in Ligue 1 last season and beat PSG 3-2 at Parc des Princes on the final day after fighting back from 2-0 down.

But they kicked off in bottom place on Saturday having taken just one point from their first six matches and were indebted to Diaw after halting a run of three straight home defeats.

He kept out Ousmane Dembele’s goalbound effort and after Clermont midfielder Max Caufriez’s shot had been deflected wide, produced more fine saves to deny Kylian Mbappe, Randal Kolo Muani and Dembele.

Clermont went close to snatching the lead early in the second half when PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Shamar Nicholson’s half-volley and clawed away Yohann Magnin’s follow-up effort before Danilo hacked clear.

Diaw was at full stretch again to parry Achraf Hakimi’s shot from outside the box as the action flowed.

Cheick Konate’s angled effort was saved by Donnarumma and Mbappe was wayward from Dembele’s cutback.

Clermont had PSG scrambling in defence again in the 68th minute when Magnin’s shot was deflected for a corner.

Sensing victory was there for the taking, head coach Pascal Gastien sent on striker Elbasan Rashani for defensive midfield captain Maxime Gonalons with 20 minutes remaining.

But it was PSG who increased the tempo. Substitute Goncalo Ramos saw his close-range effort cleared off the line by Jim Allevinah after the ball had deflected off Diaw.

Mbappe’s frustrations were clear as his touchline clash with Konate sparked a mass melee in the 88th minute before PSG midfielder Danilo’s header was saved by Diaw.

Teenage sensation Zaire-Emery suffered an injury on his France debut on Saturday night and medical tests over the weekend have confirmed a “medium-serious sprain” to his right ankle.

There were initial fears that Zaire-Emery, 17, had suffered a fracture, but they have at least been allayed by the Ligue 1 club.

“Warren Zaire-Emery suffered a medium-serious sprain in his right ankle and will remain in treatment until the winter break,” a PSG statement read.

Zaire-Emery burst onto the scene last season when he made his first-team debut aged only 16 and has quickly established himself as a regular under new PSG boss Luis Enrique.

The good form of the PSG academy graduate earned him a maiden national team call-up for this month’s fixtures and, while he scored on his debut against Gibraltar, he suffered an ankle injury in the process after a tackle by Ethan Santos, who was subsequently sent off.

With Zaire-Emery now set for a spell on the sidelines until 2024, he will miss PSG’s two crucial upcoming Champions League fixtures against Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund in the battle to qualify from Group F.

The France international has been heavily linked with a move away from Turin, with his contract with the Bianconeri due to expire in June.

Former club PSG are reportedly interested in re-signing the midfielder, who won five Ligue 1 titles and racked up over 200 appearances during his first spell with the French giants between 2010 and 2019.

But the 27-year-old's immediate attention is on ensuring a strong end to the 2022-23 campaign with Juve who, despite a 15-point deduction, are just four points outside the top four.

When asked about the reported PSG interest, he told Telefoot: "Honestly, there is nothing special. I hear a lot of noise. I know that many people are interested in it.

"But I repeat: I am very focused on this end of the season with Juventus."

Rabiot is Juventus' second-top scorer in Serie A this season with seven goals, a tally bettered only by Dusan Vlahovic (eight).

The central midfielder has also registered three assists in the Italian top flight, with only Filip Kostic (eight) and Angel Di Maria (four) recording more for the Bianconeri.

The Paris-Saint Germany forward underwent season-ending surgery last month after suffering ligament damage during a 4-3 Ligue 1 win over Lille.

PSG revealed Neymar is expected to be sidelined for three to four months.

The Ligue 1 leaders on Thursday provided a positive update on the 31-year-old's recovering.

A statement released by the club said: "Neymar Jr has returned to the Training Centre, with the members of Paris Saint-Germain's medical staff and the surgeons who operated on him proceeding with the removal of his protective boot today.

"After receiving reassuring results from his tests, the player will now be able to continue his rehabilitation protocol in Paris."

Neymar had been enjoying his most productive season for PSG since the 2018-19 campaign, equalling a tally of 34 direct goal involvements (18 goals, 16 assists) in all competitions – joint-second highest in his PSG career, behind the 44 in his debut season.

The Blues are destined to miss out on the Premier League's top four this season, thus will not qualify for the Champions League via the league.

As a result, there appears a lack of urgency as they look to get back on the right direction after sacking both Potter and Thomas Tuchel this term under new owner Todd Boehly.

TOP STORY – BLUES MULL OVER ENRIQUE, NAGELSMANN AND CONTE

Fabrizio Romano reports Frank Lampard will take over as Chelsea's interim manager, but that ex-Spain boss Luis Enrique is 100 per cent interested in the permanent position.

Enrique has flown into London for talks on the role, while the Blues will also continue talks with ex-Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann who is the leading candidate.

The Independent claims the Blues are also considering a shock return for Antonio Conte after initial contact between intermediaries.

ROUND-UP

– Football Insider reports Manchester United are keen on Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse. United may take advantage of the Saints' possible relegation to bolster their midfield with the 28-year-old free-kick specialist. Aston Villa and Newcastle United are also interested in him.

– Liverpool are willing to cough up €40 million (£35m) for Atletico Madrid's Argentinian World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul to bolster their midfield next term, reports Fichajes. Inter Live claims Tottenham are also interested in De Paul.

– Arsenal are pondering an off-season move for Lazio midfielder Sergei Milinkovic-Savic who will be a free agent in 2024, claims Gazzetta dello Sport. The reported fee would be around €40m.

– Luka Modric is disgruntled with his contract situation at Real Madrid, with his future not yet resolved with only a few months left on his deal, claims Goal.

– Fichajes claims West Ham, Leeds United and Nice are all circling for Real Madrid's Mariano who will be available on a free transfer at the end of this season.

– Leicester City have shortlisted Ralph Hasenhuttl, Jesse Marsch and Oscar Garcia for their vacant managerial role according to Fabrizio Romano. The Independent's Miguel Delaney claims the Foxes are also interested in experienced pair Martin O'Neill and Rafa Benitez.