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• 'Natural leader' Lukaku recalled to Belgium's Nations League squad

  Romelu Lukaku has been recalled to Belgium's 23-man squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Italy and Israel. 

  Lukaku, who is the Red Devils' all-time top scorer with 85 goals in 119 appearances, was left out of Belgium's opening four matches in the competition. 

  But since a 3-1 win over Israel in their opening game of Group A2, Domenico Tedesco's side are without a victory in three games and sit third in the standings. 

  Belgium know two triumphs are a must if they are to reach the quarter-finals of the Nations League, and see Napoli's Lukaku as the answer. 

  “He had no hesitation to return. He is one of the best strikers in world football. He doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody any more," Tedesco said. 

  "His qualities are key for us, and he’s also important off the pitch. He’s a natural leader and is very good at helping the young players.”

  Lukaku has been in fine form for Serie A leaders Napoli, contributing eight goal involvements (four goals, four assists) in nine league appearances this term. 

  Youri Tielemans, Sebastiaan Bornauw and Koni De Winter have all missed out on the squad through injuries.

  Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne is also an absentee after he had previously requested to be left out of the squad. 

  There are, however, returns for Ameen Al-Dakhil and Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia, while Club Brugge's 19-year-old left-back Joaquin Seys has earned a first senior call-up. 

  Belgium squad in full: 

  Koen Casteels (Al Qadsiah), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Maarten Vandevoordt (RB Leipzig); Ameen Al-Dakhil (VfB Stuttgart), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Zeno Debast (Sporting Lisbon), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Matte Smets (Racing Genk), Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt); Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Arne Engels (Celtic), Romeo Lavia (Chelsea), Orel Mangala (Everton), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa); Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Malick Fofana (Olympique Lyonnais), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Romelu Lukaku (Napoli), Lois Openda (RB Leipzig), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal).

• Slot: Hard work got Liverpool to where they are this season

  Arne Slot believes hard work and intensity have been key to Liverpool's form ahead of their Premier League meeting with Aston Villa on Saturday.

  Slot has won 14 of his 16 matches in all competitions since taking charge at Anfield and, despite his magnificent start, he pointed out that it has not been easy.

  "You only look at results. Brighton was a difficult one on Saturday where we were 1-0 behind and had to fight really hard and that is what you saw," he told the Independent.

  "We have to work really hard with incredibly high intensity to win our games and that has a lot to do with teams who think Anfield is the best place to play, so every team we play against is at the top of their game. If you want to win you always have to be consistent in your intensity."

  Having taken over from Jurgen Klopp, it was understandable that expectations had lowered when Slot took over, but after a stellar start to the season, Slot said he was unconcerned by the pressure.

  "I think if you work at any club around the world there is always pressure. For some managers it is not to go down, for some they have to win a lot,” he added.

  "In our position, there is always pressure and that is the pressure we give ourselves."

  Villa, meanwhile, go into this game having lost back-to-back games against Tottenham in the Premier League and Club Brugge in the Champions League.

  A bizarre penalty conceded by Tyrone Mings provided the winner for the Belgian side on Wednesday, but Unai Emery was still pleased with the intensity his side showed.

  "The first half we played like we were planning... It was a mistake," Emery said after that game.

  "It is difficult and here it is not strange. You watched the match and [Villa] playing, they finished exhausted. It was not intensity, it was that the match changed completely after our mistake."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Liverpool – Mohamed Salah

  No player has been involved in more Premier League goals than Mohamed Salah (12) so far this season, with seven goals and five assists. He has also had the most touches in the opposition box this term (96), while of players to have had 20+ shots, no-one has hit a higher percentage of them on target (67% - 20/30).

  The Egyptian has scored in four of his last five appearances at Anfield in all competitions, while he was also credited with two assists in the 4-0 victory over Leverkusen last time out.

  Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins

  Only Erling Haaland (16) has had more big chances than Ollie Watkins (14) in the Premier League this season.

  While Watkins has only scored five league goals, with four of those coming from the big chances, he is still Villa's top goalscorer.

  MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

  Liverpool have won five of their last six home games against Villa (D1), while the visitors have lost 16 of their last 18 Premier League away games against sides starting top of the table (D2).

  A large part of Liverpool's early-season success has come from their defence, with only Manchester City (32) facing fewer shots on target than them (34) in the league. Liverpool, meanwhile, have conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League (six).

  Slot is also only the fifth manager to win eight of his first 10 Premier League matches in charge, with the club also unbeaten in their last seven (W5 D2) against Villa.

  Slot's side have won four and lost one of their five home games in the league this season, accruing the joint third-most points (12).

  However, Liverpool have conceded the first goal in their last two Premier League games but avoided defeat in both (2-2 v Arsenal, 2-1 v Brighton). Indeed, their win against Brighton was the 100th time they have come from behind to win a Premier League match, the third team to reach this milestone in the competition.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Liverpool – 61.8%

  Draw – 19.7%

  Aston Villa – 18.4%

• Kompany unbothered by modest scoreline as Bayern beat Benfica

  Vincent Kompany was pleased with the way Bayern Munich attacked at home to Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday, despite only winning 1-0.

  The victory ended a run of back-to-back defeats for the German team in the competition, leaving them 17th in the league with six points from four matches. 

  "It's important for us to win a game this way. In the past, we always scored three, four or five goals, but today we stayed calm," Kompany told the official club website.

  "We had 24 shots on goal and the opposition had one. Not every finish was dangerous, but we controlled the game. There are games in which the last pass just isn't as precise as necessary.

  "We know we can decide matches within the first five minutes if we're on good form. That didn't happen today. But in the end, it's the Champions League. It was a good game and a good win."

  Midfielder Jamal Musiala scored the only goal of the game in the 67th minute, turning home Harry Kane's knockdown after Leroy Sane had played the ball across the box.

  Sane is yet to start a game in any competition for Bayern this season, coming on in the 56th minute on Wednesday, but his contribution was not lost on Kompany.

  "Obviously, I'm really happy to have the quality of Leroy Sane and Michael Olise in the same position - not to forget Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry. You can say Leroy turned this game around today," he said.

  The goalscorer Musiala, meanwhile, was pleased after scoring his fifth goal in all competitions for the club this season.

  “We had good moments, but the opposition played and defended well. Of course, there are still things we can improve, but it's important to have won the three points," he said.

  "I don't know what's going on with me scoring headers at the moment. The ball dropped nicely for me a few times and I just keep trying to get into good positions I can score easy goals from.

  "We all knew we had to win tonight and we did a good job. We had a tough time settling into the game, but we can't win by four or five goals every time. Sometimes a 1-0 win has to be enough.”