Thomas Muller's first-half brace ensured Vincent Kompany got off to a winning start at Bayern Munich as they beat Ulm 4-0 in the DFB-Pokal first round.

Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane came off the bench to add some gloss to the scoreline as Ulm rarely showed a threat against a dominant Bayern side.

The hosts did almost cause an early shock though, as Maurice Krattenmacher was left unmarked at the far post, but he could not adjust quickly enough and turned his first-time shot wide.

Joshua Kimmich then unlocked Ulm's defence with a throughball into Stanisic, who did brilliantly while off-balance to set up Muller for his first of the game.

And just two minutes later, the forward had his second – Christian Ortag was drawn to Serge Gnabry's run, leaving Muller to tap it into the empty net.

The hosts showed some fight in the second half, with Dennis Chessa forcing Manuel Neuer into a low save before Bayern finally got their third in the 79th minute, as Michael Olise's trickery set Coman up for a close-range finish. 

Kane had a goal ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper, but he was not to be denied as he headed in a fourth with the final touch of the game. 

Data Debrief: Muller at the double

Muller is off the mark for the season, and he wasted no time in doing it. He scored his earliest brace for Bayern (14 minutes) in his 708th competitive match for the club.

It was a clinical performance from the 34-year-old, who scored with both of his shots on target as he registered an expected goals of 1.42, and only Jamal Musiala (eight) had more touches in the opposition box than him (seven).

Bournemouth have confirmed the signing of Evanilson from Porto for a club-record fee.

The forward has joined in a deal worth up to £40.2million.

He joined Porto in 2020 and went on to make 154 appearances in all competitions, netting 60 goals and registering 21 assists.

His 13 league goals last season were the most of any Porto player, while he also had the second-most shots of anyone on the team in the Primeira Liga (76).

"We are delighted to bring someone with an immense pedigree to AFC Bournemouth," chief executive Neill Blake said.

"Evanilson is a hugely sought-after striker and for us to bring him to the club in a record-breaking deal shows our ambition and intent.

"Having scored 25 goals last season, including goals in the Champions League, we feel that his experience and ability, despite only being 24, will help us to match our ambitions moving forward."

Bournemouth had also shown interest in Arsenal's Eddie Nketiah, but have chosen the Brazilian to replace Dominic Solanke, who was sold for a club-record fee of £65million to Tottenham.

Evanilson is the seventh Bournemouth signing so far, with Andoni Iraola's side set to kick off their Premier League campaign against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Paulo Fonseca is happy with AC Milan's acquisitions in the transfer window but warns that players will be leaving the club as they begin their Serie A campaign at home to Torino on Saturday.

The new Portuguese coach confirmed the signing of French midfielder Youssouf Fofana from Monaco is nearly complete, with no other recruitment planned.

He would join striker Alvaro Morata, and defenders Emerson Royal and Strahinja Pavlovic, who signed for Milan earlier in the window.

"After his [Fofana's] arrival, our incomings will be completed, we will need to focus on outgoings," Fonseca told reporters on Friday.

"Some players must leave now. We have many, and it's not easy to work with a lot of players.

"We work and play to aim for the top, we cannot say that we are ahead of everyone to win the league, but we want to be fighting for the Scudetto.

"Inter are reigning champions, we know their level. Juventus, Napoli and Atalanta, apart from ourselves, also have the right things to compete."

Fonseca has only been Milan's coach for two months but has overseen an unbeaten pre-season in that time, and he is pleased with how his players have adapted to his methods.

"I came to Milan at the right moment in my career," he added. "The feeling is very positive, right from the first day, we have already improved more than I expected.

"We are expecting a different and more complex game than those we have played in pre-season. We want to show our identity from the very first game."

Kenan Yildiz has renewed his contract at Juventus, extending his stay with the 36-time Serie A champions until the end of the 2028-29 season. 

Yildiz, who starred for Turkiye at Euro 2024, will also don a new number for the upcoming campaign, taking the 10 shirt previously worn by Paul Pogba. 

The 19-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough year with I Bianconeri last year, making his debut against Udinese in August before going on to make 27 league appearances. 

He netted his first goal on his first start for the club, striking in a 2-1 win over Frosinone, notching his second two games later against the same opponents in the Coppa Italia.

Yildiz also helped his nation reach the quarter-finals of the European Championships for the first time since 2008, featuring in all of their games in Germany. 

Turkiye became the first country since Hungary at Euro 1964 to have two players under the age of 20 in the starting line-up in a major tournament knockout match, with Yildiz lining up alongside Real Madrid's Arda Guler in their 2-1 win over Austria. 

Juventus kickstart their league season next week against Como, with new head coach Thiago Motta hopeful of making a winning start at the Allianz Stadium. 

Kenan Yildiz has renewed his contract at Juventus, extending his stay with the 36-time Serie A champions until the end of the 2028-29 season. 

Yildiz, who starred for Turkiye at Euro 2024, will also don a new number for the upcoming campaign, taking the number 10 shirt previously worn by Paul Pogba. 

The 19-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough year with I Bianconeri last year, making his debut against Udinese in August before going on to make 27 league appearances. 

He netted his first goal on his first start for the club, striking in a 2-1 win over Frosinone, notching his second two games later against the same opponents in the Coppa Italia.

Yildiz also helped his nation reach the quarter-finals of the European Championships for the first time since 2008, featuring in all of their games in Germany. 

Turkiye became the first country since Hungary at Euro 1964 to have two players under the age of 20 in the starting line-up in a major tournament knockout match, with Yildiz lining up alongside Real Madrid's Arda Guler in their 2-1 win over Austria. 

Juventus kickstart their league season next week against Como, with new head coach Thiago Motta hopeful of making a winning start at the Allianz Stadium. 

Rodri has "no chance" of featuring for Manchester City in their opening Premier League fixture against Chelsea.

The midfielder was integral to City winning an unprecedented fourth Premier League title last season, playing a team-high 2,937 minutes in the top flight.

He scored eight goals and set up a further nine before then playing a key role in Spain's success at Euro 2024.

However, Rodri - who returned to training late following an extended break after his exploits with La Roja in Germany - will not be ready to play for City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

"No chance," replied Pep Guardiola when asked if Rodri would feature, with City's manager having also said: "He is in training. He feels good."

While Rodri's absence has not prevented City from loaning out Kalvin Phillips to Ipswich Town, the champions will be hoping the 28-year-old is back in the fold soon.

Rodri has not been involved in a Premier League defeat since a loss to Tottenham in February 2023.

Since then, City have played 55 matches in the competition, with Rodri featuring in 50 of those.

With Rodri in the team, City have claimed 41 wins (82%) and nine draws. Yet Guardiola's team have lost four of the five games Rodri has not featured in, winning just one (20%). Their points per game drops from 2.6 with Rodri in the side in that time, to 0.6 without.

City's contingent of England players to have featured in the Euro 2024 final – John Stones, Phil Foden and Kyle Walker – are available, though Guardiola does not think they will play the whole match.

He said: "I'm pretty sure they won’t be ready for 90 minutes, maybe yes, maybe 15 minutes."

"The important thing is everybody is back and except for Oscar [Bobb] the rest are OK."

Oliver Glasner said he is planning for Crystal Palace's opening game of the Premier League season against Brentford with Marc Guehi in his side amid links of a move away. 

Guehi, who starred for England at Euro 2024, has been the subject of interest from Newcastle, with a reported fourth bid for the defender rejected by the Eagles on Friday. 

Since his move to Selhurst Park in 2021, the 24-year-old has made 98 league appearances, but in the 16 games he has missed, Palace average more goals against them (1.6) compared to 1.3 with him in the side. 

Chairman Steve Parish said Newcastle would have to pay "superstar money" for Guehi earlier this week, with Glasner confirming he remains in contention to feature on Sunday. 

"Marc trained today and we talked together," Glasner said. "I've had no other information. I'll have to look at my bank account and see if anything came in!

"We plan with Marc. He's our player and our captain, I can't tell you anything else.

"As long as no one tells me they will leave or the club tells me someone will leave, then we will work with them every day and prepare the team."

Brentford, meanwhile, are looking to improve on their 16th place finish in the Premier League last season as Thomas Frank prepares for his sixth campaign in charge. 

The Bees finished 13 points above the relegation zone last year, but have strengthened in the forward areas with the arrival of Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool. 

Frank, however, suffered a blow in his first pre-season fixture as club-record signing Igor Thiago suffered a meniscus injury that will keep him out until the end of 2024. 

Despite losing the Brazilian striker, Frank is happy with the players he has for their opening fixture, saying: "I am very happy with what we've got, overall.  

"What I've found out is, it is difficult, say you want a left winger, then to get the right one, at the right level, at the right time is sometimes difficult.

"So of course if we only have one winger and we need four, then of course, we need to buy.

"You’ve got to get the best possible player that can make the squad stronger. We are trying to do everything we can to improve."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brentford – Ivan Toney

Despite rumours of a potential exit, Ivan Toney remains a Brentford player for their first encounter of the 2024-25 season, and he will be keen to hit the ground running.

After scoring in four of his first five games following his return from suspension, Toney has now gone 12 Premier League games without a goal. 

Only once has he had a longer drought in English league football, going 15 games between December 2015 and August 2016 during spells with Barnsley, Newcastle and Shrewsbury Town.

Crystal Palace – Ismaila Sarr

Having lost Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, Palace have aimed to fill the gap left by the Frenchman with the arrival of Ismaila Sarr from Marseille. 

During Sarr's previous spell in English league football between 2019 and 2023, he led all Watford players in goals (33), assists (17), chances created (124), total shots (251) and touches in the opposition box (539).

Only Joao Pedro (242) completed more dribbles than the Senegal international (208) for the Hornets, and Glasner will be hopeful of an instant impact against the Bees. 

MATCH PREDICTION: BRENTFORD WIN

For the third time in four Premier League seasons, Brentford are beginning the campaign with a London derby. They beat Arsenal 2-0 in 2021-22, before a 2-2 draw with Spurs last season.

But after a 14-game unbeaten run in top flight derbies in the capital between October 2022 and November 2023, Brentford have now lost five of their last seven against fellow London opponents (D2).

And Palace have proved to be one of those difficult opponents, with Brentford failing to triumph in all six of their Premier League meetings with the Eagles (D5 L1). 

It’s both the joint-most the Bees have faced a side in the competition without ever winning (also six v Newcastle) and the joint-most the Eagles have faced a side without ever losing (also six v QPR).

Glasner will be hoping to continue Palace's form from the end of last season having won six of their final seven games (D1), winning the last three in a row by an aggregate score of 12-1. 

The Eagles won 1-0 on the opening day of the 2023-24 season against Sheffield United, but haven’t won their first league match in consecutive campaigns since 2006-07/2007-08.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brentford – 41.2%

Draw – 26.7%

Crystal Palace – 32.1%

Simone Inzaghi said that Inter will begin their Serie A title defence without key players Stefan de Vrij and Piotr Zielinski against Genoa on Saturday.

The Nerazzurri ended last season 19 points ahead of second-placed AC Milan, and have kept most of their squad for the new campaign, with Zielinski being perhaps the most high-profile addition.

Last season's Serie A top scorer, Lautaro Martinez, will play despite only having a short break after helping Argentina win the Copa America last month.

"Everyone is available except Zielinski, who will rest for a few more days, and De Vrij," Inzaghi told reporters on Friday, but added that the Pole will be ready for their first home game against Lecce.

"It's up to me whether he [Martinez] starts the game or comes on, but he is motivated, as always, and wants to get going."

Inter have added six new players to their squad ahead of the new campaign, but the 48-year-old admitted he would like to get at least one more addition before deadline day to bolster his defence as Tajon Buchanan is out for the foreseeable future. 

"We know that the market will evolve until the end of the month and right now we feel covered," Inzaghi said.

"We have a convincing attack and are trying to identify a valuable left-wing back."

Inzaghi, who signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until 2026 last month, comfortably won his first league title with the club last season, but he has refused to make predictions about the upcoming campaign.

"I see a more level league," he said. "All the top sides have brought in reinforcements and even middle-of-the-table sides have been very organised with good additions and coaches."

Julian Alvarez believes moving to Atletico Madrid will allow him to become "the best version" of himself, having left Manchester City in a €95million (£81.5m) deal.

Alvarez called time on his two-year stay at the Etihad Stadium earlier this week, having won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup after joining from River Plate in 2022.

The Argentina international scored 36 goals in 103 appearances for Pep Guardiola's side, 19 of which came in 54 outings last season.

No other City player made as many appearances as Alvarez across all competitions and Guardiola was keen to keep him at the club, but the 24-year-old had his heart set on a new challenge.  

"I felt like I needed a change in my career, a new challenge," Alvarez told reporters at his Atletico unveiling on Friday.

"I feel like this is a club where I can get the tools and the space to become the best version of myself as a football player.

"From the very first moment, even before it was official, people have been very supportive. Many fans were at the airport waiting for the flight to land.

"That support and affection from the beginning makes me really happy. It makes me confident too. I'm very grateful."

Alvarez is the most expensive of three signings made by Atleti ahead of the new campaign, which they begin by travelling to Villarreal on Monday.

Diego Simeone's men have also spent €34.5m on centre-back Robin Le Normand from Real Sociedad, as well as completing a €32m swoop for Villarreal striker Alexander Sorloth.

They saw a potential move for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher stall this week, however, due to the collapse of an agreement over Samu Omorodion going the other way.

Pep Guardiola says Joao Cancelo could still have a future at Manchester City despite falling out of favour in recent seasons.

The right-back spent the second half of the 2022-23 campaign with Bayern Munich after a falling out with Guardiola over a lack of playing time before being loaned to Barcelona last season.

He originally joined the Citizens in August 2019 in a deal worth £60million, making him the most expensive right-back in history, and his current contract with the club runs until 2027. 

At Barcelona, Cancelo led the defenders in chances created (35), crosses (82) and shots (32) in 2023-24, but the Catalan club chose not to bring him back to Camp Nou for a second season.

In 2021-22, the 30-year-old's last full campaign at City, he played the most minutes of any outfielder for the team, while he also was involved in more attacking sequences than anyone else in the league (244).

Now, however, Guardiola faces the dilemma of whether to integrate Cancelo back into the squad, with no other clubs making an approach for him in the transfer window.

"He's training with us," said the Spaniard.

"We will see. Maybe he will stay, maybe he will go on loan. I don't know yet.

"About what's going to happen, it depends on his agents and the club. In the end, if he has to stay, we will treat him like all the other players, with respect, and try to take the best from the huge qualities he has."

Jobe Bellingham has put pen to paper on fresh terms with Sunderland, signing a new contract with the club until 2028. 

Bellingham, who made 45 Championship appearances last season, only arrived at the Stadium of Light a year ago but made an instant impact in his debut campaign. 

The 18-year-old was the subject of Premier League interest during the transfer window, with both Crystal Palace and Brentford reportedly targeting a move for the midfielder, but has chosen to remain with the Black Cats. 

Bellingham registered eight league goal contributions (seven goals and one assist) last season, a total only bettered by Jack Clarke's 19 (15 goals and four assists) in the Sunderland squad. 

He grabbed his first assist of the 2024-25 campaign in Sunderland's 2-0 win against Cardiff on the opening day, picking out Clarke in the 89th minute to secure the victory.

That performance saw Bellingham win more duels (nine) than any player on the pitch, while also recording a 100% success rate from his six passes into the final third. 

“I’m buzzing to sign this contract and extend my stay at Sunderland," Bellingham told Sunderland's official website. 

"I feel like I have a lot of unfinished business and I believe we can achieve some great things this season.

"This is such an amazing city and I’m so proud to represent the people within it.

"Everyone has made me feel right at home and I couldn’t imagine playing for a club where it didn’t mean as much as it does to our fans.

"I enjoy playing for Sunderland and I can’t wait to get back to the Stadium of Light this weekend.”

Sunderland face Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, with the opportunity to win their opening two games of a second tier campaign for the first time since 1974-75, under Bob Stokoe.

Southampton have completed the £15million signing of striker Cameron Archer from Aston Villa.

Archer initially left Villa for Sheffield United last year, making 29 Premier League appearances in his first campaign as a top-flight regular and scoring four goals despite the Blades finishing bottom.

Villa retained a buy-back clause on the 22-year-old, however, which they activated in June before handing him minutes throughout pre-season.

However, with Ollie Watkins, Jhon Duran, Leon Bailey and Morgan Rogers providing competition in attack, Archer was unlikely to get regular gametime and has now sealed a move to newly promoted Southampton.

Archer has signed a four-year deal with Russell Martin's Saints, who open their Premier League campaign with a trip to Newcastle United on Saturday. 

The forward cited Martin's style of play as one of the main attractions of the move when speaking to the club's website, saying: "That was one of the main reasons why I'm here, his playing style, his coaching and him trying to improve me as a player.

"I just want to keep scoring goals and improve myself as a player, and I don't think there's a better place to do that than Southampton."

Hansi Flick fully trusts Barcelona and has no complaints over his squad ahead of their opening LaLiga clash at Valencia.

Barca, who finished second behind fierce rivals Real Madrid in LaLiga last season, have so far signed attacking midfielder Dani Olmo and fellow Spaniard Pau Victor in the transfer window.

Flick replaced Xavi at the Catalan side after they sacked the former midfielder in May, just four weeks after he confirmed he would honour the last year of his contract.

And the 59-year-old, who led Bayern Munich to two Bundesliga titles and one Champions League victory, a Club World Cup and Super Cup crown, among other honours, said he was happy with his team.

"I am satisfied with the squad I have, the rest is a question mark," Flick told reporters on Friday.

"When I signed my contract, I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I trust the club blindly. And I am happy with the team, with what it offers. We have injured players who will gradually come back. We are still a strong team."

Flick confirmed that Olmo, who helped Spain win Euro 2024, will not be available to face Valencia. 

"Olmo is not in good physical condition, he started late, and we will look after him. He won't be here. We want everyone to be well and play injury-free," he said.

The head coach did, however, confirm Lamine Yamal, whose father Mounir Nasraoui is in a 'serious but stable' condition after being stabbed on Wednesday in a car park in the northeastern Spanish town of Mataro, according to Spanish national TV broadcaster TVE, would play.

Valencia finished ninth in LaLiga last season, and the German is not expecting an easy outing for his first competitive game in charge of Barcelona.

"I am very much looking forward to this first game. Valencia is a special place," he said.

"It will be a tough game. Our opponents have shown that they play good, attacking football. You have to watch your lines... It will be difficult." 

Tottenham have completed the signing of winger Wilson Odobert from Burnley for an undisclosed fee, reportedly in the region of €31.5million.

Odobert joined Burnley from Troyes upon their promotion to the Premier League last year and was a bright spark in a disappointing campaign for the Clarets, who were relegated back to the Championship.

The France Under-21 international scored three goals in 29 Premier League appearances for Burnley, also contributing two assists.

Only Johann Gudmundsson (35) and Josh Brownhill (34) bettered his 31 chances created for Burnley in 2023-24, while he attempted (110) and completed (53) more dribbles than any of his team-mates.

Odobert also led all of his team-mates for shot-ending carries (20) and ranked joint-first for chances created following a carry, alongside Sander Berge (11).

Tottenham had been linked with several wingers ahead of the new season, including Pedro Neto, who left Wolves for Chelsea in a €60m (£51.4m) deal last week.

On Friday, Spurs announced Odobert as their fifth new signing ahead of Ange Postecoglou's second season at the helm, after Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Min-hyeok Yang.

The club confirmed Odobert has penned a five-year contract and will wear the number 28 shirt, with his debut potentially coming in their Premier League opener at Leicester City on Monday.

Odobert started Burnley's opening Championship fixture against Luton Town on Monday, scoring their second goal in a 4-1 victory. 

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal must break records to have any chance of dethroning Premier League champions Manchester City in 2024-25.

Arsenal have finished second to City in each of the last two seasons, leading the table for long periods in both instances, only to fall narrowly short.

The Gunners were just two points away from ending their 20-year title drought in 2023-24, with City clinching an unprecedented fourth straight crown on the final day.

Arsenal have improved their points tally in each of their four full campaigns under Arteta to date, picking up 61 in 2020-21, 69 in 2021-22, 84 in 2022-23 and 89 last term.

The Gunners scored more goals (91) last season than in any other Premier League campaign, while their 29 goals conceded were their fewest since the Invincibles were crowned champions in 2003-04. 

Asked what Arsenal must do to get over the line in 2024-25, Arteta said: "To break more of those records again and win more points, that's for sure. 

"It won't be enough [last season's levels]. With the level we are competing with and every season getting harder, we are going to have to improve again for sure."

Arteta believes his players are highly motivated to go again, adding: "On the last day. I think we had a gathering together with all the club and the players said, 'we're going to do it, we want more'.

"Everyone was saying the same thing, that we're not going to stop here and we want much more. We know how we want to evolve and how the players can evolve."

As well as making David Raya's loan move permanent, Arsenal sanctioned a €45million (£38.4m) swoop for Italy centre-back Riccardo Calafiori this off-season, but he is the only new face to arrive at the Emirates Stadium ahead of 2024-25.

Arteta has refused to rule out further activity, saying: "After the season we had two objectives – the main and most important one was to make sure we are still in love with our players. 

"Then, okay, if there are still opportunities in the market we will look at them. The market is open and things can happen."

Arsenal begin their 2024-25 campaign against Wolves on Saturday, having won 16 of their 18 Premier League games so far in 2024 (one draw, one loss), with their 89% win rate comfortably their best in the competition in any calendar year.

While Arsenal have started their last two Premier League campaigns with a victory, beating Crystal Palace in 2022-23 and Nottingham Forest last year, Wolves have lost their opening match in each of the last three seasons.