Darwin Nunez capped a memorable debut with a clinching header as Liverpool earned a 3-1 victory against Manchester City in the Community Shield.

The Uruguay international nodded home from close range deep into injury time to confirm the first silverware of the season heads to Merseyside after an energetic, enthralling encounter at Leicester's King Power Stadium.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's first-half strike had been cancelled out by Julian Alvarez with 20 minutes to go, before Mohamed Salah put the Reds back on top from the penalty spot.

It was then Nunez whose goal made sure Jurgen Klopp completed his career clean sweep of elite English domestic honours.

The new man was forced to wait for his debut, however, after being initially named on the bench, and Liverpool did not look to need him thanks to an energetic start out of the gates.

Alexander-Arnold unfurled a fabulous strike from the edge of the box in off the left post in the 21st minute, while miscued chances for City's star buy Erling Haaland left Pep Guardiola with a frustrating first half on his hands.

The introduction of Argentina star Alvarez from the bench proved an inspired move by Spaniard Guardiola, with the former River Plate man flicking home after Phil Foden's saved effort to level matters.

But when Ruben Dias was flagged for a handball from Nunez's header with full-time fast approaching, Salah was able to put the Reds back on top with his low spot-kick.

Nunez's big moment in stoppage time confirmed the result, while Haaland hit the crossbar in the dying moments to sum up his tough day at the office.

Martina Voss-Tecklenburg declared England "dream" opponents for Germany in Sunday's Women's Euro 2022 final – and she believes all the pressure is on the Lionesses.

An eye-catching Wembley showpiece will pit hosts England against eight-time European champions Germany.

These have been the two standout sides throughout the tournament, and there is plenty of history behind this fixture.

When England last reached the Women's Euros final in 2009, they were beaten by Germany – one of 21 defeats in the teams' 27 meetings.

But Germany coach Voss-Tecklenburg was looking beyond the confines of the women's game as she considered what this match means, with the men's rivalry reaching back to England's 1966 World Cup final success. That remains the sole major title for either the men's or women's England teams.

"It electrifies football fans," said Voss-Tecklenburg at her pre-match news conference on Saturday. "It has such a traditional history.

"For me, there is just one football; I don't differentiate between men and women.

"Both teams are deservedly in the final, and that's why everyone is looking forward to it. There will be millions of spectators in the whole of Europe.

"If we were allowed to dream, we would have chosen to play against England in this final and not against anybody else.

"I was born in 1967, so I can only remember what I saw on TV, but everyone knows the history between Germany and England and Wembley goals and penalties. But that's all the past."

Plenty of that history has been marked by penalty shoot-outs, with Germany's men beating England on spot-kicks at the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96 – at Wembley.

There would be no shortage of nerves among home supporters if Sunday's game went the same distance, although Voss-Tecklenburg suggests that is a scenario in which Germany would share the pressure.

"The pressure is on England tomorrow, I believe," she said. "It's more on them than it is on us, and in case we have penalties, then we have to find the courage.

"You need a bit of luck sometimes, but there is pressure on every player in that situation.

"It can happen that there is a special moment. We want to avoid that, but if it happens we will be ready."

Team glory is the primary concern, even if there is also a battle between Germany's Alexandra Popp and England's Beth Mead for the Golden Boot.

They each have six goals – already the most of any player at a single Women's Euros – while Mead has four assists.

Voss-Tecklenburg, who will again be without Klara Buhl due to COVID-19, said of Popp: "She's an absolute team player.

"Whoever saw the game against France saw someone who scored two goals, but my favourite scene was in the 85th minute where she ran back 60 metres to block a ball at the back.

"This shows how important she is, the same as every other player, and that is the strength of our team."

Erling Haaland was named in Manchester City's starting line-up for the Community Shield clash with rivals Liverpool, who had Darwin Nunez on the bench.

Haaland joined City from Borussia Dortmund last month in what has been a busy transfer window for the Premier League champions.

The Norway striker scored his first goal for the club in a pre-season friendly win over Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola has selected him to start in the traditional curtain-raiser for the English season, which is being played at Leicester City's King Power Stadium this year.

Haaland will play down the middle, flanked by Jack Grealish and former Leicester winger Riyad Mahrez.

Nathan Ake - linked with a move away from City in recent weeks - partners captain Ruben Dias at the back, with Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Rodri selected in midfield. Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez, City's other new signings, had to settle for a place on the bench.

Nunez has been the big-money arrival at Liverpool this transfer window, but the former Benfica star was named among Jurgen Klopp's substitutes.

With goalkeeper Alisson injured, Adrian was handed a rare start for the FA Cup winners, who have Roberto Firmino leading an attacking three that also includes Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz.

Saturday's encounter marks just the second Community Shield game between City and Liverpool, with Guardiola's side winning on penalties in 2019.

It is the first time the Community Shield has been held away from Wembley since 2012, when City beat Chelsea 3-2 at Villa Park.

Martin Odegaard has been confirmed as Arsenal's captain ahead of the new Premier League season.

The Gunners were without a first-team skipper after Alexandre Lacazette, who took the armband from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last term, joined Lyon.

Odegaard was expected to be appointed in his place, with manager Mikel Arteta saying earlier this month: "The captaincy is going to be decided pretty soon."

He added: "Martin has a lot of qualities that we want as a captain."

Odegaard, who captains Norway, was announced as Arteta's skipper on Saturday ahead of Arsenal's final pre-season friendly against Sevilla in the Emirates Cup.

"We wish Martin every success as our captain," a short statement read.

Odegaard joined Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid in January 2021, before the move was made permanent in August of last year.

Since his Gunners debut, the midfielder ranks second among Arsenal players for Premier League appearances (50) and third for both starts (41) and minutes played (3,657).

He has scored eight goals and provided six assists in the league for the London club.

Xavi has given a strong indication Barcelona will make a sensational move to sign Lionel Messi next year.

Barca boss Xavi stated earlier this week that it would be "impossible" for the Catalan giants to bring club legend Messi back to Camp Nou during this transfer window, given he is under contract with Paris Saint-Germain.

The Argentina captain joined PSG on a two-year deal last year after sensationally ending his 21-year stay with the Blaugrana, who could not afford to keep him.

Barca president Joan Laporta on Thursday declared that he thinks the LaLiga giants "will make this aspiration a reality" when asked about the prospect of signing Messi.

Xavi wants his former team-mate to return to Barcelona, but says it will not happen while he is contracted to the Ligue 1 champions.

He said: "Now he has a contract, it's a utopia, we're going to focus on this year. Obviously, I would like Leo's time at Barca not to end the way he did and for him to have one last chance to say goodbye as the best in history.

"Of course I would like to, yes, I would like it to happen, but he has a contract."

Xavi has been given great backing in the transfer market ahead of the 2022-23 season, with Barca splashing out on Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde

Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen have also arrived on free transfers and Xavi wants further additions.

He said: "Everything that is reinforced is good. I already said that there should be two players per position, more this year with the World Cup.

"We need footballers to compete and to be better. Yes, we want to reinforce ourselves more, the more the better."

It is a major tournament held in England where the hosts are looking to end a long wait without silverware, but Germany stand in their way.

This feels awfully familiar.

Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses have captured the hearts of a nation, with fans flocking to watch them reach their first major tournament final since 2009 where they lost to *checks notes* Germany.

Meanwhile, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg's side have advanced to the final comparatively under the radar, with Die Nationalelf picking up impressive scalps of their own along the way.

It promises to be a fascinating contest at Wembley Stadium in front of what is expected to be a record crowd for any European Championship game - men's or women's - on Sunday.

A huge 90 minutes, maybe more, awaits the two teams, but where will it be won and lost? Stats Perform takes a look at the finer details ahead of the Euro 2022 final.

Raise a glass to Mead and Popp and drink it in

While teams win tournaments, we always look to those individuals who we will remember in years to come for their performances.

Undoubtedly two of the standout players in England during the last three weeks have been Beth Mead and Alexandra Popp, current joint-top scorers with six goals each.

The Lionesses have not found it difficult to score goals, finding the net 20 times in five games in the tournament so far. In fact, only Germany in 2009 have ever scored more at a Women's Euros (21).

Mead's goal in the opening 1-0 win against Austria at Old Trafford was vital for getting their campaign rolling, before she grabbed a hat-trick in the 8-0 thrashing of Norway, another in the 5-0 win against Northern Ireland, and the opener in the 4-0 semi-final humbling of Sweden.

While Germany have not been quite as proficient – still scoring a respectable 13 goals – Popp's contributions had initially come when adding to leads, with the captain's goals against Denmark, Spain, Finland and Austria all arriving when her team were already ahead.

However, she came into her own in the last-four clash with France, scoring both goals in the 2-1 win, including a dominant header to win it with 14 minutes remaining.

Having scored in all five of Germany's games so far, a goal at Wembley would see Popp become just the second player to score in every match from the group stages to the final at a single edition of a European Championship (men's and women's), after Michel Platini for France in 1984.

Whichever one raises their game for the final could ultimately provide the deciding factor. In the case of Popp, it could well be that she has to score herself to make a difference, as she has not yet recorded an assist in the tournament, whereas Mead has four assists to her name, more than anyone else.

The strongest spine could be the key

They say a good attack wins games while a good defence wins trophies. So far, both of these teams have been effective at each end of the pitch.

England's only goal conceded in five games came when they went 1-0 down to Spain in the quarter-finals, before coming back to win 2-1 in extra time, while Germany's one against was an own goal in their semi-final against France.

An opposition player is yet to find a way past Germany, and it is not hard to see why. Kathrin-Julia Hendrich and Marina Hegering have been a steely combination at the back for Voss-Tecklenburg's team, with Hegering making 41 ball recoveries in her five games, the joint seventh most among outfield players in the tournament.

Germany youngster Lena Oberdorf has had an outstanding tournament in midfield and has 44 ball recoveries to her name.

That is the same number as England captain Leah Williamson, a player who leads by example at centre-back alongside Millie Bright, who has managed a team-high 21 clearances.

Both centre-back pairings have had plenty of help in front of them, with 20-year-old Oberdorf attempting more tackles (19) than any other player from the two finalists, while England's Keira Walsh has recovered the ball 36 times and has the best passing accuracy of any player to have attempted at least 250 passes (89.56 per cent).

Midfield could be a key area for England, who as a team have attempted 2,597 passes overall with an accuracy of 83.4 per cent, both ranked second across the tournament, while Germany have attempted 2,222 passes (ranked fourth) with an accuracy of 77 per cent (ranked seventh).

England's Germany hoodoo

It is not exclusive to the women's game, but England have an unflattering record against Germany, especially in major tournaments.

The Lionesses have won just two of their 27 meetings with Germany in all competitions, and have lost more often against them than any other opponent (D4 L21), though they did win their last meeting 3-1 in February.

Germany have won all four of their matches against England at Women's Euros by an aggregate score of 15-4. This will be the first meeting between the sides at the tournament since the 2009 final, which Germany won 6-2.

That was the last time England reached a Women's Euros final, having also lost to Sweden in 1984, while this will be Germany's ninth appearance in a final, meaning they have appeared in 69 per cent of Women's Euros title matches. They have triumphed on all eight of their previous appearances in finals so far.

You could therefore be forgiven for thinking that too much history is on the Germans' side for England to stand a chance, but the tournament hosts have a not-so-secret weapon.

Wiegman will be the first manager to have led two different nations in Women's Euros finals, having won the 2017 tournament with the Netherlands, and her overall record in the competition shows 11 wins from 11 games, with her teams having scored 33 goals and conceded just four.

Whatever happens on Sunday, it is sure to be quite a spectacle. Will football finally come "home", or will Germany repeat history and add to their own outstanding legacy?

This weekend's Community Shield sees the new English domestic season begin as the last one ended, with Manchester City and Liverpool doing battle.

City pipped Liverpool to the Premier League title, but the Reds got the better of Pep Guardiola's men in their FA Cup semi-final, going on to beat Chelsea in the decider and book their place in Saturday's curtain-raiser.

These two are expected to lead the way once again in 2022-23, yet plenty has changed in their ranks since they were last in action – particularly in attack.

At the Etihad Stadium, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling have departed to be replaced by Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez.

With Haaland's arrival perhaps the most notable in the Premier League during this close-season, Liverpool responded with their own big-money big man up front; Darwin Nunez was signed from Benfica to be flanked by the returning Mohamed Salah, but Sadio Mane is gone.

After several years of success at the forefront of English football, Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp appear set to reshape their teams around their latest buys.

Both managers lined up last season primarily without a traditional number nine.

Jesus may return to that role after joining Arsenal, but City's sole centre-forward often played from the right in 2021-22, taking only 16.0 per cent of his Premier League touches in the penalty area.

Haaland, by contrast, took 20.7 per cent of his Bundesliga touches in the box for Borussia Dortmund last term, which explains how a staggering 96.3 per cent of his shots were taken from inside the area – by far a higher share than that of any forward who played for City or Liverpool.

That mark comfortably tops Nunez's (74.1 per cent of shots in the box), too, but the 23-year-old also brings something new to a Reds outfit who have often deployed a false nine through the middle.

Roberto Firmino was that man for a long time and took only 9.5 per cent of his touches in the area last season. Nunez took a mammoth 24.5 per cent of his Primeira Liga touches within 18 yards of goal.

Staying in such positions so regularly helped to boost the shot conversion rates of Haaland (27.5 per cent) and Nunez (30.6 per cent), although both still impressively outperformed their expected goals (xG) totals; Haaland scored 22 from an xG of 18.5, while Nunez netted 26 from an xG of 18.4.

In fact, the numbers suggest Divock Origi was the only player across the best two squads in the Premier League who performed in a manner akin to that which might now be expected of the superstar duo.

Origi, who has left Liverpool for Milan, took 21.7 per cent of his touches in the box, and his shoot-on-sight policy saw an attempt at goal for every 6.9 touches (9.3 for Haaland, 9.8 for Nunez).

Yet this perhaps spoke as much to Origi's role as Liverpool's specialist rescue act as anything else; he made only seven appearances, all from the bench for a combined 126 minutes, yet scored three goals, converting 30.0 per cent of his shots.

Over the course of his time under Klopp, when he was occasionally asked to play wide, Origi's statistics were more in line with those of his former team-mates. Only 13.3 per cent of his touches came in the box, just 68.9 per cent of his shots were from within the same range, and those attempts arrived every 16.4 touches on average.

Maybe Klopp will also ask Nunez to push wide and stretch the play, maintaining the fluid forward line that saw winger Mane increasingly used through the centre in big games.

That should not necessarily hamper Nunez's hopes of scoring regularly; Salah could afford to marginally underperform his xG (23.8) and still strike 23 times in the league last season, playing from the right but taking 19.6 per cent of his touches in the box and needing only 12.4 on average to attempt a shot.

Prior to last season, Guardiola had at least been able to incorporate at City the sort of penalty-box striker he has signed in Haaland.

Sergio Aguero averaged a shot every 10.0 touches under Pep, with 17.8 per cent of his touches across five seasons coming inside the area.

And Haaland brings more to his game, too, if only due to his sheer size. The 1.94-metre ex-Dortmund man won 57.6 per cent of his aerial duels in 2021-22 – no City or Liverpool forward won more than half, with Nunez also lagging on 40.6 per cent.

But perhaps the former Guardiola player whose profile most resembles Haaland's is Zlatan Ibrahimovic – and his Barcelona career was not Pep's biggest success story.

Just as City will have to adapt to Haaland – perhaps by allowing him to compete aerially from a few of their trademark cutback crosses – so will he to them. The forward completed just 71.3 per cent of his passes in the league last season; that lax level of link-up is unlikely to wash in a Guardiola side, as Jesus (84.8 per cent), Sterling (85.4 per cent) and Riyad Mahrez (90.0 per cent) will attest.

Nunez completed 67.1 per cent of his league passes, which would similarly rank him last among Liverpool forwards, but he should at least be familiar with the high-pressing approach enforced by Klopp.

Liverpool led the Premier League in high turnovers (443 or 11.7 per game), average starting position (45.5m upfield) and opposition passes per defensive action (9.9 PPDA), while Benfica (9.0 high turnovers per game, 44.4m starting position and 8.7 PPDA) unsurprisingly ranked in the Primeira Liga's top three in each category.

So, there is plenty to be excited about both in Manchester and in Liverpool and yet great scope for potential teething problems.

The forthcoming title tussle could well be decided by how successfully Haaland and Nunez fit into these ruthless, relentless winning machines, and Saturday provides an early opportunity to assess that process.

Erling Haaland is fit enough to play a part in Manchester City's Community Shield clash with Liverpool on Saturday, manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed.

The 22-year-old has played just 40 minutes of pre-season action since joining City from Borussia Dortmund earlier this transfer window.

Guardiola has been carefully managing Haaland's fitness due to the prolific striker carrying some minor niggles, but he is ready to use him against Liverpool this weekend.

"He's ready to play on Saturday, and the first impression as a guy is really good, a funny guy. He's settled really well with the team. That is important," Guardiola said.

"Apparently people think it's not one of the most important things, but it is... the good vibes in the locker room is more important than any advice or any other thing you can say.

"We try to settle good with the family, try to get to know each other in training, we can see what we want to do, what we did in previous seasons. The quality will do the rest."

Haaland scored 86 goals in 89 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund – only Robert Lewandowski (122) and Kylian Mbappe (89) scored more times among players from Europe's top five leagues across that period.

The Norway international required just 12 minutes to get off the mark in his City debut with the winner against Bayern Munich last week, and Guardiola is happy with the former Salzburg striker's condition.

"He feels good. When I spoke with him over the last days, he feels a little bit [of niggles], but he can train and move. At the end of August, he will be better than now," Guardiola said.

"Now we have one game a week, with more training. After that, we start the crazy schedule – three days, four days.

"I think for Liverpool and ourselves I think we arrive at this competition a little early, but the opportunity to play the Community Shield is always too early. We have to adapt."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Manchester City will have to get used to having Erling Haaland in the side, just as his team must adapt to Darwin Nunez.

The two best teams in England bolstered their fearsome attacks in the off-season, with City signing Haaland from Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool spending big on Nunez from Benfica.

Since making his debut for Dortmund in January 2020, only Robert Lewandowski (122) and Kylian Mbappe (89) have scored more goals among players from Europe's top five leagues than Haaland, who netted 86 goals in 89 appearances in all competitions for BVB.

Meanwhile, Nunez enjoyed a brilliant season in 2021-22, scoring 34 goals in all competitions, including six in the Champions League.

Both players impressively outperformed their expected goals (xG) totals in their respective league competitions, too; Haaland scored 22 from an xG of 18.5, while Nunez netted 26 from an xG of 18.4.

Haaland netted in City's pre-season win over Bayern Munich, as Nunez scored four in a 5-0 rout of RB Leipzig last week.

The duo are set to make their competitive debuts in Saturday's Community Shield clash between City and Liverpool, and ahead of that game, Klopp believes both teams – who have often played without a natural centre-forward – must adapt to their new strikers.

"I watched the Bayern [v City] game – they're not used to Erling's natural runs yet, like we're not used to Darwin's," Klopp told a news conference.

"They'll need some time for Erling, but that doesn't mean he can’t score. Most things look like last year, how they set up the press. No real changes."

Both City and Liverpool also have to adapt to losing some key performers. 

While not always regulars at City, Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus have proved crucial to Pep Guardiola's success, and Liverpool now have to find a way to play without Sadio Mane, who has left for Bayern Munich. Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino are also gone.

Yet Klopp is confident Nunez, along with fellow additions Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsey, can help Liverpool develop.

"[We've] lost three first team players, Sadio, Divock and Taki, brought in three, and there's space for young players to step in as well," Klopp said.

"We're together for a while and know each other and what we expect from each other. We want to use the togetherness we have and the experiences we've had for the better."

Iga Swiatek's lengthy unbeaten run on clay was brought to a surprise end by Caroline Garcia at the Poland Open on Friday. 

The world number one succumbed to a 6-1 1-6 6-4 defeat to the fifth seed, who ended the French Open champion's 18-match winning streak on the dirt. 

It was Garcia's first win over a top-ranked player and sent her into a semi-final against Jasmine Paolini after the Italian came from behind to beat Viktorija Golubic 1-6 6-2 6-2. 

Swiatek said: "Maybe I wasn't as disciplined as in previous tournaments, but I'm happy. I felt like my brain didn't intuitively predict where the ball would go, but I'm still learning, right? 

"The first two sets depended on her – whether or not she would be in control. At the end of the second she lost control and took advantage. 

"In the third set, she got back to her game. But if I had a better first serve percentage, maybe it would have been different. 

"I don't know what decision I will make next year. Maybe longer preparation [on clay] will be necessarily, or maybe I'll give up this tournament. We'll see." 

Kateryna Baindl became the first lucky loser to reach a WTA Tour semi-final this year by overcoming Petra Martic 1-6 6-3 6-4. Next up for Baindl is Ana Bogdan, who beat Laura Pigossi 6-1 6-1.  

World number two Anett Kontaveit was also on the receiving end of an upset, going down 6-1 6-1 to Anastasia Potapova in 49 minutes at the Prague Open. 

Potapova will take on qualifier Wang Qiang for a place in the final, with Czech pair Marie Bouzkova and Linda Noskova – only the second female player born after 2004 to reach the last four of a WTA Tour tournament – in action on the other side of the draw. 

Cristiano Ronaldo has appeared to confirm he will make his return to the Manchester United side for Sunday's friendly with Rayo Vallecano.

The Portugal international has yet to feature in pre-season amid widespread reports he is seeking a move away from Old Trafford, less than a year on from returning to the club.

Further doubts were raised over Ronaldo's future when he was not included as part of United's 21-man travelling party ahead of Saturday's meeting with Atletico Madrid in Oslo.

However, responding to a tweet from a fan page announcing he would not play in either of United's friendlies this weekend, Ronaldo replied: "Sunday, the king plays".

Should he feature against Rayo, it will be the first time Ronaldo has put on the United shirt since the 4-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on May 7.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner sat out the final game of last season through injury and was not present for the Red Devils' four friendlies on their tour of Thailand and Australia.

Ronaldo was back at United's Carrington training base this week for talks, but widespread reports suggest he is still seeking a move to a team competing in the Champions League.

He scored 18 Premier League goals last season – only Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min (both 23) netted more – but United still finished in sixth with their lowest ever points tally.

The 24 goals Ronaldo scored in all competitions in 2021-22 were 14 more than next-best Bruno Fernandes, with no other United player reaching double-figures in a dire season.

Ronaldo was particularly active on social media on Friday, having earlier responded to a post suggesting his agent Jorge Mendes had held talks with United's hierarchy.

"Impossible not to talk about me [for] one day," he wrote. "Otherwise the press makes no money.

"You know that if you don't lie, you can't get people's attention. Keep going that one day you [get] some news right."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers reportedly expect Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen to be out for the upcoming season, with head coach Todd Bowles confirming he will miss "significant time".

Jensen, Tampa Bay's starting center since 2018, was carted off after suffering a left knee injury during Thursday's training camp practice.

Bowles told reporters on Friday the team were still awaiting test results on Jensen's knee, but a lengthy absence is anticipated for Tom Brady's protector.

"We don't know the severity of it per se, but I do know he'll miss some significant time, up to a couple of months," Bowles said.

"Whether he'll be back later in the season, November or December, that depends on what they find. He won't be available anytime soon."

Jensen's extended absence adds another question mark to an interior offensive line that was already an area of concern for Tampa Bay entering camp due to the departures of 2021 starting guards Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa.

Marpet retired in February, and Cappa signed with the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason, although the Bucs did trade for Shaq Mason from the New England Patriots to take over at right guard.

Jensen has not missed a game since signing with Tampa Bay in 2018 following a four-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens, and he was named to his first career Pro Bowl last season.

The 31-year-old re-signed with the Bucs in March on a three-year, $39million contract that includes $23m in guarantees.

The Buccaneers currently do not have any other players with starting experience at center. Robert Hainsey, a 2021 third-round pick who saw just 31 offensive snaps as a rookie, took over the position following Jensen's injury. 

Here we go again. Some 69 days on from taking their latest Premier League title battle down to the final minutes of the final day of the last campaign, Manchester City and Liverpool prepare to face off in the 2022-23 curtain-raiser.

Liverpool not only missed out to City on the title but also tasted defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final the following week, although the 2021-22 season was not all bad as they lifted both the EFL Cup and FA Cup.

It has been a busy window for both clubs in terms of incoming and outgoing activity, but England's two dominant forces appear certain to battle it out for a share of the major honours once again this time around.

The first of the trophies up for grabs is the Community Shield this weekend, contested between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup. 

While some question just how competitive the fixture exactly is – especially this campaign, with the match being held away from Wembley – it provides both sides with an opportunity to lay down an early marker for what is to come over the next 10 months. 

Community Shield with a difference

If Jose Mourinho was so eager to count it as a major honour, then who are we to argue against the Portuguese, who lifted the shield with both Chelsea and Manchester United.

This year's game is a little different in more ways than one, though, as for the first time since 1958 – when Bolton Wanderers beat Wolves 4-1 in the month of October – the showpiece will be held outside of August, a knock-on effect of the World Cup being staged midway through the campaign.

It is also the earliest in the calendar year the match has taken place since 1922 when Liverpool were beaten by Huddersfield Town in May.

Not only is the traditional date of the fixture different, so too is the venue. With Wembley being used for the Women's Euro 2022 final on Sunday, the contest will be held away from England's national stadium for the first time in a decade, since City beat Chelsea at Villa Park.

The game is instead being hosted by the King Power Stadium, and that could be bad news for Jurgen Klopp, who has lost more games at this venue (five) than he has at any other ground as Liverpool boss, excluding Anfield.

Reds' losing streak

There are plenty of familiarities this weekend, however, not least the fact that it will be City and Liverpool facing off for a trophy – albeit with this only their second encounter in the Community Shield, following City's penalty shoot-out success three years ago.

Liverpool are aiming to lift the trophy for a 16th time, which would move them level with Arsenal and behind only Manchester United (21), including occasions when the shield was shared. City are sixth on the list of all-time winners, seeking their seventh triumph this time around.

City may not have had as much success in the curtain-raising fixture down the years as Liverpool, but they have triumphed in three of their past five appearances – in 2012, 2018 and 2019.

The Reds' record is far less impressive in recent times, having lost four of their past six Community Shield matches, including each of the past two against City in 2019 and Arsenal in 2020.

Goals galore in Leicester?

If recent encounters between these sides have taught us anything, it is that we can expect to be entertained at the King Power Stadium on Saturday. 

Both teams have scored in eight of the past nine meetings between City and Liverpool in all competitions, including each of the past five in a row. Across those most recent nine matches, 33 goals have been netted in total – an average of 3.7 per game.

Last season alone saw both sides score at least twice in their three meetings in all competitions, which finished in a couple of four-goal draws in the league and a 3-2 win for Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-finals.

All eyes on Salah

Both sides will look slightly different following a busy period of transfers, and seeing how the likes of Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho perform – if indeed used – will be one of the most exciting aspects.

There will be plenty of familiar faces on show, too, including Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who has been involved in 11 goals in 14 games against City for the Reds, making them his second-favourite opponent behind West Ham (12 goal involvements).

Pep Guardiola will also hope to get some minutes out of Phil Foden, who has yet to feature in pre-season due to visa issues that prevented him travelling to the United States.

The England international enjoys playing against Liverpool, scoring and assisting a combined five goals against them in five starts, although he has failed to do so in his past two outings in this fixture.

The Arizona Cardinals have removed a controversial "independent study" clause from Kyler Murray's new contract after the quarterback gave an impassioned response to questions about his preparation and work ethic.

NFL.com reported the addendum to the five-year, $230.5million extension earlier this week.

The clause stipulated that the two-time Pro Bowler must watch a minimum of four hours of game film on his own every week during the season over the life of the deal, and the Cardinals could void the contract if Murray did not meet the terms of the agreement.

"After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract," the Cardinals have now said in a statement. "It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended.

"Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it's ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract."

The public revelation of the clause prompted the usually reserved Murray to call an unscheduled press conference on Thursday in which the 2019 number one overall pick lashed out against suggestions he was not properly preparing for his duties.

"I refuse to let my work ethic, my preparation be in question," Murray stated. "I've put in incomprehensible amount of time and blood, sweat and tears and work into what I do.

"To those of you out there who believe that I'd be standing here today in front of you all without having a work ethic and without preparing – I'm honoured that you think that, but it doesn't exist. It's not possible.

"To think that I can accomplish everything that I've accomplished in my career and not be a student of the game and not have that passion, not take this seriously is almost... it's disrespectful and it's almost a joke."

Murray agreed to the extension, which will make him the NFL's second-highest-paid player in terms of average annual salary behind only two-time reigning league MVP Aaron Rodgers, last week. The contract contains $160m in guarantees and will run from 2024 through 2028. 

The 2018 Heisman Trophy winner is coming off his best season in which he finished second in the NFL in completion percentage (69.2) and posted a career-high 100.6 passer rating while helping the Cardinals reach the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

Murray's play dropped off during the second half of the year, however, and he also struggled with a no-touchdown, two-interception performance in the Cardinals' 34-11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the opening round of the playoffs. 

Arizona began last season 7-0 but lost five of the 24-year-old's next seven starts, with Murray producing an 86.5 passer rating during that stretch after recording a 116.8 rating over the first seven games.

Juventus great Gianluigi Buffon believes Paulo Dybala will benefit from joining Roma over Serie A rivals Inter.

Dybala had been strongly linked with a switch to San Siro after his contract with Juve, where he had spent the past seven seasons, expired.

However, Inter instead re-signed Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea, and the Argentina international then had a choice between Napoli and Roma, eventually opting for the latter on a three-year deal.

Buffon, who spent five seasons playing in the same side as Dybala in Turin, feels his former colleague made the right decision.

"Paulo had the right to choose after his exit from Juventus on a free transfer," Parma goalkeeper Buffon told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"In the past few weeks, Dybala could have gone to Inter, Roma or Napoli and I hoped he would have chosen either of the latter two. I hoped it for his career.

"Paulo needed an emotional shock and I was certain that only Roma and Napoli could have given that to him. I wrote it to him in a message and I am happy to see him at Roma."

Dybala has scored 103 goals in 299 outings in his decade in Serie A with Palermo and Juve, with the 22 goals he managed in the 2017-18 campaign his best single-season return.

The 28-year-old joins a Roma side that finished sixth last season but lifted the Europa Conference League trophy in Jose Mourinho's first year at the helm.

That made Roma the first Italian side to win a major European competition since Inter triumphed in the Champions League in 2010, also under Mourinho.

Dybala adds further depth to a squad that already contains the likes of Lorenzo Pellegrini and Tammy Abraham, who is delighted with the transfer coup.

"I think it's a privilege to have added a player that good to our team. It means a lot to the fans, who have received him very well," Abraham said.

"The message appears clear to me: the club is creating a great project and the results are clear."