Ilkay Gundogan has completed a return to Manchester City from Barcelona, the Premier League champions confirmed on Friday. 

Gundogan, who made 304 appearances across seven seasons at the Etihad Stadium from 2016 to 2023, has signed a one-year deal with Pep Guardiola's side. 

The 33-year-old won 14 honours during his initial stint at City, including their maiden success in the Champions League last year, when he became the first German to captain a non-German side in a major European final. 

His most prolific season in England came in the 2020-21 campaign, netting 17 goals and adding four assists in 46 appearances in all competitions. 

Gundogan becomes City's second signing of the transfer window following the arrival of Savinho from Troyes, and will serve as an experienced addition to Guardiola's side as they chase a record-extending fifth straight Premier League title.

Last season, Gundogan contributed 19 goal involvements (five goals and 14 assists) in all competitions for Barcelona, creating the most chances (97) in LaLiga.

He also completed 2,116 of his 2,337 passes in the Spanish top flight, figures only bettered by Joules Kounde (2,286 from 2,517) in the Barca squad.

Gundogan told City's website: "My seven years at Manchester City were a time of pure contentment for me, both on and off the pitch.

"I grew as a person and a player, developed a special relationship with the City fans and enjoyed amazing success.

"It was an exceptional period in my life. To have the opportunity to return here means so much.

"Everyone knows the respect I have for Pep – he is the best manager in the world and working with him every day makes you a better player.

"You feel constantly challenged, which for any professional is exactly what you want. I cannot wait to work with him again." 

Son Heung-min believes he must win a trophy at Tottenham to assume legendary status at the club.

The South Korean has been an inspirational figure at Spurs since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015, scoring 162 goals in 409 games.

However, a trophy has proved elusive for both him and the club, with runners-up finishes in the 2018-19 Champions League and 2020-21 EFL Cup, but Son still hopes he can lift silverware before his time at Spurs is over to leave a lasting impression.

He told BBC Sport: “I don’t think I’m a legend of this club. As I’ve said, I want to win something with Spurs, then I will be happy to be called [a] legend.

“This is one thing I want to do. I joined Spurs to win a trophy so I hope we can make it special for this season.”

The South Korean predominantly led the line for his side in Ange Postecoglou’s first season but is happy to return to a wide left role in 2024-25, in order to accommodate new striker Dominic Solanke.

He said: “It’s the gaffer’s choice. I will do anything for him. I think I already said if you put me as the keeper, I would be a keeper.

“You’re facing different teams in the Premier League; some are sitting back, and it can be really tough for me to even get a shot off.

“I like to prepare on the left side to create something and in one-on-one situations, something which I think I’m really strong at, but in an open game I don’t mind staying in the middle.”

Son has now been captain at the club for over a year since Hugo Lloris’ departure and has relished the added responsibility throughout that time.

“It’s been good," he said. "We were learning a lot of things last year.

"Being a captain of a Premier League team takes a lot of responsibility, it’s hard dealing with young players, it’s like school! But it’s a joy and I’m still learning – it’s not easy but it’s a good thing to do.”

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca wants Noni Madueke to stay beyond the summer transfer window, but conceded "anything can happen".

The Blues are looking to offload the likes of Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Romelu Lukaku and Trevor Chalobah before the window closes on August 30.

But Madueke, who scored in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Servette in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off, is someone Maresca wants to develop and improve.

Though the Italian wants to see a more consistent level from the former PSV winger, who scored five Premier League goals in 23 appearances last term and outperformed his expected goals (xG) by 2.5.

He said: "I really like Noni. The only problem is that he has to understand that he has to be consistent during the week in training.

"He's a good player and he’s doing well with us."

Maresca believes the 22-year-old will be an important member of the squad for the season, especially with the club involved in four competitions.

Though the former Leicester City boss knows much can change in the final days of a transfer window.

He said: "Yeah absolutely. But the reality is until the window closes, anything can happen.

"But for sure Noni is the kind of player that I like. We have so many games. If it's to today it will be the next one. He's doing well since he started with us.

"The only thing he has to improve is consistency, every day, every day work hard. Then he will get minutes for sure."

Eddie Howe said it is "business as usual" for Kieran Trippier despite reports suggesting the defender wishes to leave Newcastle United.

Trippier was left out of Howe's team for Newcastle's win over Southampton last week, with Tino Livramento preferred at right-back.

On Thursday, reports emerged that Trippier was looking to move away from St James' Park, with Everton having supposedly discussed a loan move for the 33-year-old.

Galatasaray and Atalanta were among the other clubs mooted to hold an interest in Trippier, who joined Newcastle from Atletico Madrid in 2022, but Howe reiterated his desire to keep the England international.

Ahead of facing his former club Bournemouth, Howe said: "The situation is business as usual. Tripps has trained really well this week.

"I'm surprised by a lot of the stories that have come out. A valuable member of the squad. His professionalism has been first class.

"He's trained really well since he came back from the Euros, I think he's only had two weeks of training hence the reason why he didn't start last week.

"He continues to be really valued by all of us. He's just trained as normal and he's been very good. I'm not really sure where this has come from. He's preparing as we all are for the game on Sunday."

Trippier also saw the team captain's armband taken by Bruno Guimaraes, though Howe insists he is still very much part of Newcastle's leadership group.

"Jamaal [Lascelles] has been promoted to club captain, so he's going to oversee the other captains," Howe added. 

"He's an incredible leader behind the scenes, and Kieran and Dan [Burn] in the leadership group continue their roles. Bruno has stepped up to be team captain, but we need eleven leaders on the pitch, regardless of who wears the armband."

No defender created as many chances in the Premier League last season as Trippier (65), who registered 10 assists in 28 top-flight appearances.

The former Tottenham full-back crafted 26 goalscoring opportunities from set-pieces, while his 212 crosses also topped the charts among Premier League defenders, with 69 of those being successful. 

Trippier played for Everton boss Sean Dyche during his time at Burnley, before leaving for Spurs in 2015, though the Toffees manager has suggested right-back is not a priority position for his team heading into the final week of the window.

Sean Dyche has conceded Everton are in a tough situation when it comes to Dominic Calvert-Lewin's future.

The striker, who joined Everton from Sheffield United in 2016, has less than a year remaining on his contract.

While a new deal is on the table, Calvert-Lewin – who played in Everton's 3-0 defeat to Brighton last week – is yet to put pen to paper.

And with just a week remaining in the transfer window and the club's finances tight, Dyche acknowledged Everton may have to cash in should an offer present itself.

"Any offer of a certain level would have to be looked at by the club," said Dyche, who hinted the budget for any more incoming players was tight.

"We are in a better position because of player trading and how much we have lowered the wages but it is not solved.

"Therefore there would still be a moment where the big people at the club get a phone call and then it is down to them."

Calvert-Lewin is still expected to lead Everton's line when they face Tottenham on Saturday.

The 27-year-old scored seven league goals last season, though he was the top flight's biggest expected goals (xG) underperformer, with his tally coming from 12.93 xG.

Indeed, Everton were the biggest xG underperformers as a team last season, scoring 15 goals fewer than would have been anticipated based on the quality of chances they created.

Dyche has other immediate concerns, however, with James Tarkowski, who has sustained an injury, and Ashely Young, who is suspended, joining a long list of absentees for the Spurs match.

"We are stretched unfortunately," said Dyche. "We are down to around 14 recognised first-team players at the minute – that is not perfect."

Everton were linked with a loan move for Kieran Trippier on Thursday, though Dyche played down those reports.

However, the club's ownership situation may soon become clearer, with American businessman John Textor, who holds a 45% stake in Crystal Palace, confirming he has put those shares up for sale in order to facilitate investing in Everton.

Textor confirmed he had lodged a bid to buy the remaining 55% of Palace, but suggested his fellow owners at Selhurst Park do not wish to sell up.

The American wrote on his website that he was attempting to sell his shares in the Eagles "so that we can pursue a relationship with the Everton club and community".

Arsenal made a solid start to their latest Premier League title challenge last week, beating Wolves 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium with goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.

Matchday two, however, promises to present a far tougher challenge for Mikel Arteta's team as they face the team that could be considered responsible for their failure to finish as champions in 2023-24.

Aston Villa – under former Arsenal boss Unai Emery – beat the Gunners home and away last term, with April's 2-0 win at the Emirates allowing Manchester City to inch ahead at the top of the table and claim a fourth straight title.

Villa also started with a win last week, with Jhon Duran stepping off the bench to fire them to a 2-1 victory at West Ham.

Ahead of Saturday's headline clash at Villa Park, we run through all the best Opta facts and stats around the game.

What's expected?

The Opta supercomputer makes Arsenal favourites for victory on matchday two, though not overwhelmingly.

Across 10,000 pre-match simulations conducted by the supercomputer, Arsenal were victorious in 51.1% of cases. Villa repeated last season's heroics against the Gunners in 24.7% of scenarios, while 24.2% saw the points shared.

Villa's double over the Gunners last term accounted for 40% of the Premier League defeats suffered by Arteta's team (2/5). They have recorded three straight Premier League wins against them on two previous occasions, in November 1993 and February 2021.

In fact, Villa have won five of their last nine Premier League meetings with Arsenal (four defeats), keeping a clean sheet in every victory. 

That is as many wins as they had managed in their previous 46 league matches against the Gunners (14 draws, 27 defeats).

Arsenal, though, have won 14 away Premier League games against the Villans, their joint-most wins at a single away venue in the competition, having also triumphed 14 times at Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park.

The Gunners have also scored 98 Premier League goals against Villa in total, only netting more against Everton (124), West Ham (109) and Tottenham (105). Liverpool and Manchester United (five opponents each) are the only teams to have netted 100 or more Premier League goals against more different clubs.

Watkins to cause more Arsenal woe?

Villa may have made a winning start to their campaign, spoiling Julen Lopetegui's West Ham debut with an entertaining win at the London Stadium, but Emery will be looking for a more convincing performance this time out.

Only Liverpool (2.65 versus Ipswich Town) created a higher expected goals (xG) figure than West Ham's 2.46 on matchday one of the Premier League season, albeit 0.78 of that figure came from a Lucas Paqueta penalty – perhaps harshly awarded against Matty Cash.

Of the 11 teams to give up the most expected goals against (xGA) in the division last weekend, Villa were the only one to taste victory – Brentford were the next-most porous victors, allowing Crystal Palace 1.17 xG in a 2-1 win on Sunday.

Villa will need a far better defensive display if they are to stifle Arsenal on Saturday, while they will also be desperate to get more service to Ollie Watkins, who did not attempt a single shot before his 62nd-minute withdrawal versus the Hammers.

Watkins only registered two touches in the West Ham area, one fewer than his replacement Duran, also recording the fewest touches (15), passes attempted (five) and completed (four) of all 22 starters.

Facing an Arsenal side likely to press high and leave space in behind could suit Watkins, though, as he plays his way back into peak condition after helping England reach the Euro 2024 final.

Watkins capped April's 2-0 win at the Emirates with a delightfully dinked finish that put Arsenal on the back foot in the title race, his fifth goal in eight Premier League meetings with the Gunners.

He has been on the winning side in four of those eight games (four losses), and only against Brighton and Hove Albion (six) has he scored more top-flight goals than he has versus Arsenal. The visiting defence must be wary.

Solid spine key for the Gunners?

Villa are the only team to beat Arsenal in the Premier League in 2024, with Arteta's team winning 17 of their 19 games this calendar year (one draw, one loss). In English Football League history, the most wins ever recorded by a team through their first 20 matches in a year is 18, by Liverpool in 1982 and Man City in 2019 and 2021.

The Gunners have been particularly impressive on the road, winning on eight of nine Premier League road trips (one draw) in 2024, scoring 28 goals, conceding three and keeping seven clean sheets in that time.

Arsenal only allowed opponents to create a total of 5.89 xG in those matches, an average of 0.65 per game. The league's next-best ever-present defensive team this year, Man City, have given up 12.39 xGA in 10 road trips.

In the last two seasons, the Gunners have kept 21 away clean sheets (10 in 2022-23, 11 in 2023-24), more than they managed in their previous four campaigns combined (20).

If they can maintain similar levels of solidity in 2024-25 – particularly on their travels – then another title tilt appears a realistic goal.

Arsenal did endure some shaky spells against Wolves last time out, with Jorgen Strand Larsen and Matheus Cunha guilty of passing up huge chances to level when Gary O'Neil's team built up a head of steam, but the Gunners gave up just 0.47 xGA – the fifth-lowest figure of any team on matchday one.

Jurrien Timber came on to steady the ship for the Gunners late on after missing the majority of 2023-24 through injury, while new signing Riccardo Calafiori was an unused substitute.

It remains to be seen whether Arteta will introduce either player to his lineup at Villa Park, where Arsenal must be wary of the direct running of Watkins, Leon Bailey and company.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aston Villa – Jhon Duran

Duran came on to score the winner against West Ham last week, having been linked with the Irons throughout the transfer window.

Among all players to score at least five Premier League goals, Duran has the second-best minutes-per-goal ratio (six goals, one every 103 minutes), behind only Erling Haaland (one every 85 minutes). 

Five of his six strikes, meanwhile, have come as a substitute (83%). That is the second-highest ratio by any player to ever score at least five Premier League goals, behind Matt Derbyshire, who scored nine of his 10 goals from the bench.

Arsenal – Bukayo Saka

Saka registered a goal and an assist in Arsenal's victory over Wolves last week, also creating the joint-most chances (three) of any player on the pitch. He has now been on the winning side in 99 of his 171 Premier League matches with Arsenal. 

Another victory would make him the fourth player to reach 100 wins in the competition before turning 23, after Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas and Phil Foden.

The England winger was involved in 11 attacking sequences against Wolves on matchday one, more than any other player on the pitch, ahead of Havertz and Thomas Partey (eight apiece).

Caleb Porter has likened the final games of the season to cup finals, as New England Revolution prepare to return to action against CF Montreal.

The Revs have had a three-week break ahead after suffering a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat to New York City FC in the Leagues Cup round of 32.

After a slow start to the season, New England sit bottom of the Eastern Conference, though are only five points behind Atlanta United in ninth.

And Porter believes his refreshed team have what it takes to challenge for the playoffs if they can string together a winning run.

"Every game is a cup final, these last 11," Porter said. "We're going to go for it.

"Obviously, our goal is to take it one at a time and win every game. We don't need to win every game to probably get in, but that's going to be our mindset.

"If we can win our home games, and then win half the road games, then I think we'll be in good shape."

Meanwhile, Montreal were also knocked out of the Leagues Cup in the round of 32, suffering a 2-0 defeat to the Philadelphia Union.

They resume their MLS campaign in a strong position, sitting fifth in the table, but have had problems in the build-up to this game after a public falling-out between head coach Laurent Courtois and striker Josef Martinez.

Courtois said he felt "betrayed" by the Venezuelan after he refused to take part in training, but Montreal president Gabriel Gervais says the problem has now been dealt with.

"This case is closed," he said. "For me, it's non-negotiable. Someone who is not disciplined cannot be here."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

CF Montreal – Josef Martinez

Josef Martínez has scored eight regular-season goals against New England, tied for his most against any MLS opponent (also eight vs. D.C. United and Orlando City).

New England Revolution – Carles Gil

Carles Gil has been involved in a goal in each of his last four regular-season MLS matches (one goal, four assists).

The Spaniard's longest streak of consecutive regular-season matches with a goal contribution is five straight, done three times, most recently in 2022.

MATCH PREDICTION: CF MONTREAL WIN

Montreal have won three of their last four home matches against New England, keeping clean sheets in all three wins. Montreal had won three of their previous 16 matches against the Revs (drawing one, losing 12), managing just two clean sheets in those games.

In fact, Montreal have lost only one of their last nine home matches in all competitions (four wins, four draws) with the lone defeat coming against Toronto FC on July 20. No American team has won at Stade Saputo since Columbus on May 15.

Meanwhile, New England are unbeaten in four straight matches in all competitions (won one, drawn three, including a penalty shoot-out loss in the Leagues Cup Round of 32), equaling their longest run of the season. The Revs' last longer unbeaten run was a six-match stretch that spanned last year's Leagues Cup.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

CF Montreal – 43.4%

Draw – 26.7%

New England Revolution – 29.9%

Enzo Maresca was pleased with Chelsea's win in their Europa Conference League play-off first leg but says they "played with fire" in the closing stages.

Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke both netted in the second half of their 2-0 victory, earning Maresca his first win in charge of the Blues.

However, it was almost a different story as Chelsea came under late pressure, with Jeremy Guillermenot squandering two chances in stoppage time to half the deficit for the Swiss side.

Despite seeing improvements from their Premier League defeat against Manchester City, Maresca says there is still a lot of work to do if they want to find some consistency.

"I was a bit worried because in the last 10 minutes, we played a little bit with fire because we could manage the game completely differently," he said after the game. "It was good that we didn't concede, but we can learn.

"We are learning how to manage the game. Keeping the ball is the correct intention at 2-0 up but where is not good, in our half.

"We need to do the same on the opposite side. It was important to win the game with nine changes. There were many good things."

With as big a squad as Chelsea's, this game was the perfect chance for Maresca to give more players minutes.

Mykhailo Mudryk's performance caused some frustration with the Italian as he struggled to make an impact, especially in a hesitant first half, but Maresca is keen to help him find his consistency.

"This is the mission, this is Mudryk, not only tonight but since he joined the club," he added.

"I think he had good moments but when he has the ball you don't know if you'll get one thing or another. It is consistency.

"We are going to try and help him to change. When he is in the final third, it is making the right decision. Most of his mistakes are about the choice."

There was also some cause for concern among Chelsea fans as Cole Palmer was seen holding his hamstring as he left the pitch, but Maresca brushed off any worries, claiming it is only a minor problem.

"Cole felt something but he looks fine. Hopefully, it is no problem, and he can be available for Sunday's game [at Wolves]," he said.

Thibaut Courtois says he will not play for Belgium again, while Domenico Tedesco is still in charge of the national team.

Courtois made his international debut in October 2011, becoming the youngest goalkeeper to represent Belgium in a 0-0 friendly draw with France.

He has since made 102 appearances for his country and was an ever-present at five major tournaments between 2014 and 2022, earning his 100th cap in a 0-0 draw with Croatia as Belgium were knocked out at the group stage in Qatar.

However, the goalkeeper had a public falling-out with Tedesco in 2023 after leaving the Belgium camp ahead of a Euro 2024 qualifier amid a dispute over not being selected to succeed Eden Hazard as captain.

While Tedesco claimed the 32-year-old's exit was due to not feeling respected within the team, Courtois denied those claims, citing a knee injury.

And Courtois, who missed most of last season due to two knee injuries, was left out of Belgium's Euro 2024 squad despite returning to fitness for Real Madrid before Tedesco named his tournament party.

"Unfortunately, following the events with the coach and after much reflection, I have decided not to return to the Belgian national team under his management," he said in a statement on social media.

"In this matter, I accept my share of responsibility. However, looking forward, my lack of confidence in him would not contribute to maintaining the necessary atmosphere of cordiality.

"The Federation, with whom I have had several discussions, accepts my position and the reasons that led me to this painful but coherent decision.

"I regret possibly disappointing some fans, but I am convinced that this is the best course of action for Belgium, as it closes a debate and allows the team to focus on pursuing its goals."

Belgium's first game since their round of 16 exit to France at Euro 2024 will be against Israel in the Nations League. 

Phil Neville believes Portland Timbers can use their recent defeats as motivation in the second half of the season, starting with St. Louis City.

The Timbers' Leagues Cup run came to an end against Saturday's opponents, losing 3-1 in the round of 32 nearly three weeks ago.

They were in good form in MLS before that, and sit eighth in the Western Conference, but lost their last league game 3-2 against LA Galaxy before the break.

Now, Neville is targeting a strong finish to the regular season.

"In life sometimes you get a jolt or a little reminder of the work that needs to be done, and we got that," Neville said. 

"We've had a lot of plaudits and people saying good things about us, but our last result was a wake-up call to the work we still need to do to be successful in this league.

"We've got nine games left in the season, and we need the mentality to win these games."

After knocking out the Timbers, St. Louis were left disappointed in the quarter-final of the Leagues Cup following a 4-2 defeat to Club America.

They return to MLS action sitting 13th in the table, 10 points off the playoff places, and interim head coach John Hackworth is hopeful they can take the positives from their Cup run into the second half of the season.

"There are little details that slip, and we let guys have too much time on the ball, don't get matched up in the box, don't recover in the right way," Hackworth said.

"Those are things that teams can learn to do for sure. We can create really great chances and have lots of positives to take away from games."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Portland Timbers – Evander

Evander has recorded a goal contribution in each of his last six regular-season appearances. The only longer streak in Timbers' history was a nine-match run with a goal contribution by Diego Valeri in 2017.

St. Louis City – Roman Burki

St. Louis have managed just three wins in their last 30 MLS road games in all competitions and are winless in each of their last 15, dating back to last October (six draws, nine losses).

They have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last seven such matches, and if Roman Burki is able to get a clean sheet, he may be able to help them end that streak.

MATCH PREDICTION: PORTLAND TIMBERS WIN

St. Louis defeated the Timbers 3-1 in the Leagues Cup Round of 32 at home on August 9. It was the first home win by either team against the other in four all-time meetings.

Portland have scored at least twice in an MLS-high 19 of their 25 matches this regular season, including the last seven in a row. The Timbers have scored two or more goals 20 or more times in an MLS season just once before, doing so in 2014 (21 times).

Meanwhile, St. Louis have managed just one win in their last 14 regular-season matches (four draws, nine losses), a 2-0 victory over league-worst San Jose Earthquakes in July.

In fact, since that run began in mid-May, San Jose (four) are the only team that have collected fewer points than St. Louis City (seven).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Portland Timbers – 51.5%

Draw – 24.7%

St. Louis City – 23.8%

Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke's second-half goals gave Chelsea a 2-0 advantage over Servette in their Europa Conference League play-off tie.

The Blues put the disappointment of their Premier League defeat to Manchester City behind them, taking control of qualifying in the first leg at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea made a slow start to the game, with Gael Ondoua causing an early scare for Filip Jorgensen from a tight angle, though the goalkeeper was equal to it.

The Blues then stepped up the pace after the break – Nkunku darted in behind Servette's defence before being taken out by Jeremy Frick, and he made no mistake with the resulting penalty, emphatically firing it into the back of the net.

Marc Guiu should have doubled their lead moments later, picking Frick's pocket outside the box, but the goalkeeper recovered brilliantly to race back and smother both attempts by the Spaniard, who should have done better.

Madueke then made sure of the win with 14 minutes left on the clock, latching onto Enzo Fernandez's throughball before rifling his shot over Frick and into the roof of the net. 

Jeremy Guillermenot should have halved the deficit in stoppage time but lifted his volley over the bar from point-blank range before Jorgensen denied him again with the last touch of the game.

Data Debrief: Blues up and running

Chelsea look like they are starting to gel in the final third, after struggling to do so in their opening league game.

They had seven shots on target out of 14, both more than they managed last Sunday, generating 1.87 expected goals, and had 56 final third entries.

There is still work to do at the back though, as they gave up 22 shots from the Swiss side, but Enzo Maresca will still take confidence from their clean sheet. 

John Herdman hopes a short break from action allowed Toronto FC an "emotional reset" and the chance to build chemistry ahead of Saturday's return to MLS play at the Houston Dynamo.

Toronto reached the first knockout stage of the Leagues Cup but were beaten 4-3 by Inter Miami in a thrilling tie on August 9, giving them over two weeks to prepare for their next game. 

With Toronto currently occupying a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, Herdman hopes they can use that match as a learning experience ahead of the run-in.

"We've had a good crack at it. Miami will always be some way around the finals," Herdman said, reflecting on the Reds' Leagues Cup run.

"It's a good lesson for us because if you want to make the playoffs, these are the teams you have to learn to beat.

"Now it's about work. We've had a chance to really bring this team together. It's a chance to build chemistry, to have an emotional reset ahead of the MLS playoff push, with some big games coming up."

Houston went out at the same stage, losing on penalties following a 2-2 draw with Toluca.

They also harbour postseason dreams, sitting sixth in the Western Conference but just one point clear of the play-in spots, and coach Ben Olsen is keen for them to kick on.

"We'll try to get better and continue to push the group," Olsen said. 

"Now we just have one tournament left, and hopefully it's all about doing what we can to put ourselves in a good spot towards the latter stages of the league."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Houston Dynamo – Ibrahim Aliyu

Aliyu has six goals and four assists for Houston in MLS this season, with his overall tally of 10 goal contributions two more than any of his team-mates have managed (Amine Bassi and Sebastian Ferreira have eight apiece).

Toronto FC – Federico Bernardeschi

Excluding own goals, 22 of the last 23 regular-season goals Toronto have scored dating back to late April have featured a goal contribution by at least one of the Italian trio of Federico Bernardeschi, Lorenzo Insigne or Raoul Petretta.

Bernardeschi has recorded more goal involvements (12, eight goals and four assists) and created more chances (54) than any other Toronto player this term. 

MATCH PREDICTION – HOUSTON DYNAMO WIN

This will be the first meeting between Toronto and the Dynamo in Houston since April 2018, with Saturday's hosts unbeaten in their last seven home matches against the Reds (two wins, five draws) dating back to 2011.

Houston have only lost four regular-season home matches since the start of the 2023 MLS season, the second-fewest in the league in that time (behind the Columbus Crew, two).

They are also unbeaten in their last six regular-season matches at Shell Energy Stadium (two wins, four draws), making them favourites to beat a Toronto team who have not won consecutive regular-season road games since July 2021.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Houston Dynamo – 64.8%

Toronto FC – 16.3%

Draw – 18.9%

Steve Cooper insisted that keeping veteran striker Jamie Vardy fit throughout the season would be vital in confirming their Premier League status for another year. 

Vardy netted the Foxes' equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night, scoring his ninth goal against Spurs and his 137th in the competition. 

While their talisman is coming to the end of his Leicester career and is the oldest player in the squad by five years, Cooper said his influence on the side is crucial. 

"Jamie doesn’t need any special words from me on his capabilities and impact he can have and the talent he has around the box," Cooper said. 

"Keeping him fresh for games is going to be important. He is an older player now at his age. As they get older, they understand their bodies well and know what is needed to prepare for games.

"It is important we work with him collaboratively to get him ready for games. He really enjoys the games and what it takes to get ready for games, and we have to respect that."

Fulham started the new season by falling to a late defeat at the hands of Manchester United, with new signing Joshua Zirkzee striking late for the hosts. 

It marked the Cottagers' first defeat starting a season away from home since the 2008-09 campaign, but there were positives to take for head coach Marco Silva.

Fulham registered 10 shots, with only two on target, as Silva recognised that his players must take a more precautionary approach to their first home game. 

"When I see our players with some free kicks, trying to rush all the decisions, even with the players on the grass trying to do it quickly, we should have much more balance in decisions, to have longer moments in possession," Silva said.  

"Because the pressure from Man United at that moment was not there any more. We should have longer possession to create the moments, but we started to lose the ball too quickly. 

"And then at the last minute, they scored in one moment that the game was completely broken."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Fulham – Andreas Pereira

Despite losing their opening game against Manchester United, Andreas Pereira put on a strong showing against his former employers.

Pereira created more chances than any other Premier League player in the opening round of fixtures (six), while also playing the most passes into the final third (16) than any other Fulham player last Friday.

It’s the 19th time on record a Fulham player has created six or more chances in a top-flight match, with the Brazilian responsible for seven of those.

Leicester – Abdul Fatawu

Leicester enjoyed a much better result upon their return to the Premier League, with one of the standout figures from their Championship success, Abdul Fatawu, starring for the Foxes.

No Premier League player won more duels on matchday one than Fatawu (13), while he also led all Foxes players in successful dribbles (three), possession won (eight) and tackles (six).

MATCH PREDICTION: FULHAM WIN

Fulham will be hoping to return to winning ways on home soil. They have only started a season with consecutive defeats in just two of their 17 previous Premier League campaigns (2018-19 and 2020-21).

The Cottagers won both Premier League meetings with Leicester the last time the sides met in 2022-23, last winning three consecutive league games against the Foxes between 1966 and 1967.

However, Fulham haven’t won their first home match in any of their last five Premier League campaigns (D1 L4), since a 5-0 win against Norwich City in 2012-13.

For Leicester, they will be looking to carry their away form from the Championship into the Premier League.

No side in the top four tiers of English football won more away league games than Leicester last season (14). The Foxes won each of their first seven away games in the Championship last term, winning the same amount in their final 16 on the road (D3 L6).

Foxes boss Cooper, however, has lost six of his seven meetings with Fulham in all competitions, though his one and only success did come at Craven Cottage (1-0 in April 2022). He’s lost all three Premier League games against the Cottagers by an aggregate score of 10-2.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Fulham – 51.5%

Draw – 24.3%

Leicester – 24.1%

Brentford have confirmed the arrival of centre-back Sepp van den Berg from Liverpool, in a deal worth an initial £20million.

Van den Berg joined Liverpool from PEC Zwolle as a 17-year-old but never made a Premier League appearance for the Reds, his four outings for the club coming in cup competitions.

He has enjoyed loan spells at Preston North End, Schalke and Mainz in the last four seasons, but was always deemed likely to pursue a permanent move this year, with Virgil van Djik, Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah ahead of him in the pecking order.

Brentford – who also signed attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool earlier this month – have now won the race for his signature, reportedly seeing off competition from Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

The Bees will pay an initial £20m for the Dutchman, with that fee potentially rising to £25m and Liverpool holding a 17.5% sell-on clause.

Boss Thomas Frank told the club's website of the deal: "I think this is a great signing for the club and the team.

"Sepp is a centre-back with a good level and he has the potential to develop even further.

"He fits our culture and the way we want to play: he is quick, he reads the game well and is composed on the ball in the build-up and in the decisive defending actions.

"Sepp is a great character, and I am convinced that he will fit in well with the group and help us to push forward."

Van den Berg's Brentford debut could come against his former club on Sunday, as Brentford visit Anfield for their second game of the Premier League season.

President of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), Keith Wellington, says the move to tighten rules that govern the transfer of students-athletes from overseas to Jamaican schools was done in the interest of encouraging schools to invest more in fostering local talent.

While aware that the onus is on the schools to decide how they expend limited resources, Wellington believes the amendments to the rules will serve as a push for those resources to be channeled toward developing Jamaica’s student-athletes.

ISSA, in a release on Tuesday, announced that foreign students with no family ties to Jamaica or whose families are not in the island as part of the diplomatic corps or United Nations convention will have to sit out a year, regardless of their ages. This means that students coming from secondary schools abroad are now subjected to the waiting period and will also now be regarded as members of the school's quota for each sport.

“If they started high school outside of Jamaica and come to Jamaica now, they are going to all be counted as quota players. Previously, it would have been that they had to be 16 or over to be regarded as quota players, but now they are,” Wellington told SportsMax.Tv during the ISSA Schoolboy football season’s launch at Stadium East on Wednesday.

That said, Wellington explained that overseas students who meet ISSA's eligibility criteria for Sixth Form Studies and are enrolled in Sixth Form at a member school will not be required to wait out a year but will still be deemed a member of the school's quota.

While the amendment, which is set to take effect on September 1, 2024, will impact those schools that rely on overseas students to bolster their respective sport programmes, particularly football and track and field, as students enrolled for the new academic year beginning in September will be affected.

Wellington stressed that the decision arrived at by various principals was necessary for the development of Jamaica’s student-athletes and the country, as there has been an explosion of overseas athletes coming to the island, some from as far as Africa.

“Part of our responsibility as principals is to develop our nation's children. We have to focus on ensuring that they benefit from what the schools have to offer, and so we feel that there comes a time when we have to ensure that the resources—the limited resources that many of our schools have—must be properly channeled toward what our objectives are,” Wellington shared.

“And so what we have done is to not prevent persons from coming to Jamaica to study or to participate in our activities, but to put a cap and a restriction on how many can go to one particular school. That way, we don't have one school spending an inordinate proportion of their resources on non-Jamaicans who have no obligation to contribute to Jamaica's development, whether directly in sports or through whatever aspect of life. So, as principals, that is why we arrived at that decision,” he added.