Luton have threatened to ban any supporters who are found to have taken part in ‘tragedy chanting’ during Sunday’s home match against Liverpool.
The Football Association has asked the club – and police – for their observations after taunts indirectly referencing the Hillsborough disaster were heard during the 1-1 draw, while the PA news agency understands Liverpool have also written asking what measures are to be taken.
Luton issued a statement saying they were “saddened” and “extremely disappointed that a small number of supporters soured the occasion with chants that may be interpreted as being in relation to tragedies that have affected Liverpool FC in the past”.
“The club condemns any kind of chanting that knowingly seeks to divide, and our safety and security team launched an internal investigation at the earliest opportunity,” their statement read.
Luton said they were reviewing CCTV evidence to identify individuals, who could face stadium bans and criminal prosecutions.
The club were coming under increasing pressure to make a public statement after intervention from the FA and Liverpool, who have have worked closely with Manchester City and Manchester United fans’ groups in recent seasons on education around the harm caused by tragedy chanting.
However, part of Luton’s statement suggesting fans may have sung the chants without knowing the full meaning of what they were singing is understood to have not been received particularly well on Merseyside.
“What has quickly become evident is that a number of people may have taken part without knowledge that the words used were in relation to the Hillsborough and Heysel tragedies, and we see the route to persuading supporters not to repeat these chants in future is through communication and education,” Luton’s statement added.
“On behalf of all at Luton Town, we would like to wholeheartedly apologise to anyone offended by the chants heard during yesterday’s match, and will continue to work with supporter groups to educate fans on chants that are classed as tragedy abuse by football authorities, the police and CPS.”
Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at an FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough in Sheffield on April 15, 1989.
After the Luton match, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp said he did not hear the chanting, which occurred while the game was still goalless shortly after half-time, but added: “Shame on everyone who said it.”
An FA statement read: “We strongly condemn chanting of this nature and will continue to work closely with our stakeholders across the game, including the clubs, leagues, fan groups and the relevant authorities to proactively address this issue.”
Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher, who was working at the match as a Sky Sports analyst, said: “As supporters you’ve got to have rivalry, there is no doubt. But we’re better than that.
“It’s happened two or three times in the game. All clubs have been guilty of that over the years at different times.
“But the world we live in right now, I think we’re better than that.”
The Premier League also issued its own statement on Monday evening, which read: “The Premier League condemns the tragedy-related chanting heard at yesterday’s match between Luton Town and Liverpool.
“We continue to treat this as an unacceptable issue and are committed to addressing it as a priority.
“Those found guilty of tragedy-related abuse face an automatic club ban and will be referred to the police.”
In June, a man who wore a shirt at last season’s FA Cup final which referenced the Hillsborough tragedy was issued with a four-year football banning order.
As part of the ‘Love Football, Protect The Game’ initiative agreed by the English game’s authorities on the eve of the current season, regulation changes and tough new measures have been introduced which will lead to those found to have been involved in tragedy-related offences facing stadium bans and potential criminal prosecution.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is making no apologies for his team’s no-nonsense approach to winning football matches.
The Magpies headed for Germany on Monday ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with European big guns Borussia Dortmund, having muscled their way past Premier League rivals Arsenal on Saturday evening to add another significant scalp to their season’s collection.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta was incandescent in the wake of the 1-0 defeat at St James’ Park, which was secured by Anthony Gordon’s lone strike, but only after it survived – much to the Spaniard’s disgust – three separate VAR checks, although his mood was not improved by the manner in which the Magpies blunted his attack.
However Howe, whose team was on the end of side-swipes from Arteta and Manchester United counterpart Erik ten Hag last season, said: “We’re not intentionally ruffling any feathers, we’re just trying to win.
“I want the players to stand up for each other, I want them to play competitive football. I want us to be strong in certain moments – which we have to be – and I think we did all of those things on Saturday.
“I’ve got no issue at all with how we played.”
Newcastle skipper Jamaal Lascelles was furious that Arsenal counterpart Jorginho, who had been involved in one of the game’s flashpoints when he was caught off the ball by Bruno Guimaraes’ flailing arm, refused to shake his hand after the final whistle.
Howe said: “We just play the game. Look, I think we play hard, we play the game in a really strong way because we want to win. But I think we play fair and we will do the same again.”
Lascelles’ defensive colleague Fabian Schar was equally unrepentant when asked if he enjoyed the nastier side of the game.
The Switzerland international said: “I enjoy doing whatever it takes to win a game. Sometimes, it is what is needed.
“A game can go different ways. We know what we need to do.
“Sometimes you play nice football and sometimes, like Saturday, you have games that are really tight and intense, a lot of fouls. There were things off the pitch too.
“But I don’t really care, it’s the three points that matters.”
Victory over the Gunners came at a cost with left-back Dan Burn facing two months on the sidelines after landing on the base of his spine after an aerial challenge, while potential replacement Matt Targett could miss a month longer with a hamstring injury.
That leaves Howe’s resources in Germany severely depleted with wide-man Jacob Murphy, who needs surgery on a twice-dislocated shoulder, also having been added to a list of absentees which already included the suspended Sandro Tonali and the injured Sven Botman, Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes, Javier Manquillo and Elliot Anderson.
Newcastle already faced a stern of tests against a Dortmund side which won at St James’ Park a fortnight ago, but is still smarting from Saturday’s 4-0 home defeat by arch-rivals Bayern Munich, and while the degree of difficulty may have increased markedly, Schar is relishing the prospect of running out in front of a sell-out 81,000-plus crowd with his career seemingly reaching new highs by the week.
The 31-year-old said: “It’s definitely the best time in my career, to be honest. You’re playing in the best league, you’re playing, for myself, where I feel really comfortable.
“It feels my second home. I’ve been here now four or five years, so I feel really confident and obviously the city and the club. They gave me a lot and I just want to give something back.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes his team have earned respect in the Champions League – now they want something more tangible to show for their efforts ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Atletico Madrid.
The Hoops have collected one point from their opening three Group E games and face away matches in the Spanish and Italian capitals before closing their campaign at home to Feyenoord.
Celtic had two men sent off in their opening game in the Netherlands before losing leads against both Lazio and Atletico, but the quality of their three goals and the first-half performance in particular against Diego Simeone’s team showed they can cause major problems to their rivals.
Simeone has been effusive in his praise of the Scottish champions and the Argentinian also feels they deserve more points.
Rodgers reckons their confidence levels are growing in line with their standards of performance and can lead to a big result in Madrid.
“The cynics will probably tell us we only have one point but for a club and a team like ourselves it’s all about improving that level of confidence, and that will come through performance,” said Rodgers, who reported his squad was in “good health” other than long-term absentees Reo Hatate and Liel Abada.
“We maybe haven’t had quite the level of results and points on the board, especially in the last two games, that we deserve, but we are very happy with the performance levels.
“I think we played well in the three games. As each game has gone on, the level of performance has been better.
“We haven’t had the breaks we have probably wanted from the games but in terms of performance level, in particular the last game, we were very, very good.
“Hopefully in the next three games in the group we can get what we deserve from the games.
“Our level has increasingly got better, our confidence has got better, and hopefully we can turn that into points.
“But we are under no illusions, we understand we are coming to a fantastic stadium against a very good team but we are really excited by that challenge.”
With a three-point deficit on third-placed Lazio, Rodgers knows the need for points is great.
“There is no doubt, we are not daft, we know this is a game where we want to get a positive result to take into the final two games,” he said.
Rodgers feels the team’s ability to switch from their usual 4-3-3 system to a back three in the second half against Atletico in Glasgow showed impressive flexibility that they might need in Spain.
But he added: “It doesn’t take away from our style, we always want to be a team that is aggressive and looks to play the way we want to play no matter the system.
“That adaptability is important so I was really pleased with that in the first game, but also our style in terms of looking to impose ourselves on the game. We want to do similar (on Tuesday).
“Listen, we know we are playing away from home against a very good side with top-quality players but it’s important for us to not wait in the game.
“We want to go and impose our style on the game but we also know we are going to have to defend and defend well at times against a very good side.
“For us the notion is to look to play our game, to make a fast start in the game, and when the challenges come, which they will do, then we look to defend really strongly as a team to combat that.”
Young Boys coach Raphael Wicky expects to face a fearsome Manchester City side on Tuesday, whether it includes Erling Haaland or not.
Haaland, City’s prolific Norwegian striker, is doubtful for the holders’ Champions League Group G clash against the Swiss outfit at the Etihad Stadium with an ankle injury.
The 23-year-old, who scored 52 goals in City’s treble-winning campaign last season, has already netted 13 times this season including two against Wicky’s team in Bern last month.
A failure to prove his fitness would enhance Young Boys’ chances of pulling off a shock win but Wicky is well aware there are plenty more dangermen in the City ranks.
“First of all, I never wish a player to have an injury,” said Wicky at his pre-match press conference. “I am a former player, so I hope he really is not too much injured.
“On the other hand, I cannot control who the opponents’ coach puts on the field.
“If Erling Haaland is not playing, there will be a very, very good player on the field. I’m not losing too much energy on that.
“It’s more focusing on us, having the right mindset and going with the right mindset into this game.
“We’re playing against what I think is the best team in the world at the moment and City will be playing extremely well.”
City won 3-1 in their meeting at the Wankdorf Stadium a fortnight ago to move within another victory of securing their place in the last 16.
It would be a surprise if the hosts did not book their passage into the knockout stages but Wicky, who oversaw Basel’s unexpected triumph at the Etihad in 2018 – albeit after they had comprehensively lost the first leg of that tie, is ruling nothing out.
He said: “I think the most important thing is to believe that in football everything is possible, that you can, in one game, beat the best teams.
“Lots of teams have shown that and I was able to live it five years ago. I think we have to transmit that to the team.”
Marcus Rashford has told a Manchester United fan channel to “stop spreading malicious rumours” over his future.
Popular fan channel The United Stand published a video on Monday titled: ‘Rashford’s future in doubt?’, with one contributor questioning his commitment to the club.
Rashford was not involved in United’s 1-0 Premier League win at Fulham on Saturday as manager Erik ten Hag said the England forward had picked up an injury and failed a fitness test on the morning of the game.
“Please STOP spreading malicious rumours,” Rashford wrote on social media in response to The United Stand video.
Rashford scored 30 goals last season but his form has dipped this season amid United’s own struggles.
The 26-year-old has scored only once in 14 appearances across all competitions and was criticised by Ten Hag after going to a nightclub party following the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford on October 29.
Ten Hag said the post-derby night out was “unacceptable” but Rashford was involved in the Carabao Cup tie with Newcastle three days later, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute in another 3-0 home defeat.
United are next in action on Wednesday, away to Danish club Copenhagen in the Champions League.
The rebel group holding Luis Diaz’s father claim military action in the local area is not only delaying the release of their hostage but putting him at risk.
Diaz’s parents were kidnapped over a week ago – his mother was subsequently freed quickly – and despite pledges from the National Liberation Army of Colombia to expedite the return of Diaz Sr, it is taking longer than expected.
“On November 2, we informed the country of the decision to release Mr Luis Manuel Diaz, father of the player Luis Diaz,” said a statement, signed by unit leader Commander Jose Manuel Martinez Quiroz, released to Colombian media.
“From that date, we began the process to accomplish this as soon as possible. We are making efforts to avoid incidents with government forces.
“The area is still militarised, they are carrying out flyovers, disembarking troops, broadcasting and offering rewards as part of an intense search operation.
“This situation is not allowing for the execution of the release plan quickly and safely, where Mr Luis Manuel Diaz is not at risk.
“If operations continue in the area, they will delay the release and increase the risks.
“We understand the anguish of the Diaz-Marulanda family, to whom we say that we will keep our word to release him unilaterally, as soon as we have security guarantees for the development of the liberation operation.”
Diaz made an emotional plea for his father’s return after coming off the bench to score a late equaliser for Liverpool at Luton before lifting his shirt to display the message ‘Libertad para Papa’ (‘Freedom for dad’).
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The winger, who was making his first appearance since the kidnappings, then posted a message on Instagram in which he said: “I ask the ELN for the prompt release of my father, and I ask international organisations to work together for his freedom.
“Every second, every minute, our anguish grows. My mother, my brothers and I are desperate, distressed and without words to describe what we are feeling. This suffering will only end when we have him back home.
“I beg you to release him immediately, respecting his integrity and ending this painful wait as soon as possible.
“In the name of love and compassion, we ask that you reconsider your actions and allow us to recover him.
“I thank Colombians and the international community for the support received, thank you for so many demonstrations of affection and solidarity in this difficult time that many families in my country find themselves living.”
Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool’s players have created a “safe place” for Luis Diaz in the days since his father was kidnapped in Colombia.
The 26-year-old came off the bench in the 83rd minute of the team’s 1-1 draw with Luton on Sunday and scored a dramatic equaliser deep into added time.
It was his first appearance since his father, Luis Manuel Diaz, was abducted in the town of Barrancas on October 28.
The striker was absent for Liverpool’s wins over Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth but marked a sensational return to action by heading in Harvey Elliott’s cross five minutes into stoppage time at Kenilworth Road.
The group responsible for the abduction, the National Liberation Army, has asked for “security guarantees” in exchange for his father’s release.
Following the game against Luton, Van Dijk said: “He’s been training with us, knowing that it’s so fresh, what’s going on. He feels like being with us is a safe place, so it helps him.
“We’re here for him. We mentioned it last week, it’s an absolutely horrible situation. Hopefully there will be a solution. We’ll be here for him and everybody should support him. Hopefully it will be sorted as soon as possible.”
Liverpool had looked set to fall to a shock defeat before Diaz’s late intervention, falling behind 10 minutes from time to a goal by Luton substitute Tahith Chong.
“He’s still disappointed because he also wanted to win,” said Van Dijk. “There’s a lot of emotions in his head. It must have been (meant to be) that he should have scored. I’m happy for him, but hopefully we can get his father back as soon as possible.
“You can’t imagine it, that’s the scary part. The only thing we can do is hope they will find him safe and sound and they get him back to his family.
“When it happened it was a shock to everyone. We spoke about it and it should give us extra motivation. He doesn’t want us to suffer from what he’s going through, he wants us to take fuel from it.”
In front of a raucous home support, the visitors struggled to break down Luton for long periods as they sought the win that would have put them second in the Premier League.
Darwin Nunez in particular was guilty of wasteful finishing when chances came, hitting the bar in the first half before conspiring to balloon an effort over from three yards out after the break.
“I don’t think it was down to the atmosphere,” said Van Dijk. “We had the first chance after half-an-hour. Score that one and it’s a completely different game.
“We didn’t and then they need one opportunity. Their results here this season have been very small margins. That’s down to how they play, they defend compact and solid.
“I respect that, but we could have made it a lot easier.”
Erling Haaland has eased fears over his fitness by training ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash with Young Boys.
The prolific Norway striker has been a doubt for the Group G clash at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday after twisting his ankle against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Haaland, who has scored 13 goals this season, showed no obvious sign of discomfort as he participated in a training session open to media on Monday afternoon.
Earlier in the day manager Pep Guardiola had said the 23-year-old would be given every opportunity to prove his fitness and that Sunday’s trip to Chelsea would not influence his thinking.
“Yesterday he told me he felt much better than the day of the game but I don’t know,” said Guardiola at a press conference.
“I will listen to the doctors and himself. If he says he is ready and does not have pain I will consider to let him to play because from Tuesday to Sunday there’s a lot of days to recover.”
After winning their opening three games in the competition, Champions League holders City can secure their place in the last-16 with a second victory over the Swiss champions following their 3-1 success in Bern last month.
“Tomorrow we have to try to do it, to finish it,” Guardiola said. “There will be more opportunities, but we have the chance to finish and qualify for February, for the next stage, and it means a lot for the club.
“Being there is a success and every time we qualify is really good.”
Reaching the next stage at the earliest opportunity would potentially allow Guardiola to rotate his squad and prioritise the Premier League fixtures against Liverpool and Tottenham that sandwich their next European outing against RB Leipzig on November 28.
Guardiola, however, maintains there will be no easing up before top spot in the group has been finalised.
He said: “We are not (definitely) first. To try to be first, to have the chance to play the second game (of the last-16 tie) at home, that definitely is better.”
Guardiola, who was speaking to media to preview the Young Boys game, was also quizzed on the Premier League’s latest VAR controversy.
Arsenal branded the standard of officiating in the competition as “unacceptable” over the weekend after they lost to a contentious goal at Newcastle.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta had said the decision to allow Newcastle’s winner, after a triple VAR check, was an “absolute disgrace”.
Guardiola said: “The emotion after the game, it is difficult for the managers right after we finish, being here and talking about the feelings. It’s difficult to handle it.
“But I’m talking for myself. I’m not talking for Mikel or for any other manager.
“It’s so sensitive an issue right now. It’s difficult for the referees too, for everyone. Honestly I don’t have a clear opinion.”
Guardiola was joined for pre-match media duties by Rico Lewis.
The 18-year-old defender or midfielder was recently described by Guardiola as “one of the best” young players he has trained.
Lewis said: “It’s quite difficult to comprehend that someone like that would say something like that about myself. Obviously it’s an amazing comment, but I’ve got to carry on doing what I can do.”
Emile Heskey cannot choose between Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski, as he claimed there are "parallels" between the duo.
Kane scored a hat-trick – his third for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga – in a 4-0 rout of Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker on Saturday.
The England captain has now scored 15 league goals for Bayern, setting a new record for goals from a player in the first 10 games of their maiden Bundesliga season. He is only the fourth player to score at least three goals in three different games in his debut season in the Bundesliga.
Bayern had been in search of a focal point to lead their line since Robert Lewandowski's departure to Barcelona in 2022, with Sadio Mane having failed to fill the Poland forward's boots following his switch from Liverpool.
Asked if Kane has been the ideal replacement for Lewandowski, who holds the record for the number of Bundesliga goals from a foreign player (312), former England striker Heskey told Stats Perform: "They're similar sort of players. When you're when you're talking about goals, I think it's a parallel.
"You can't really say there's an upgrade or downgrade or whatever it is. They're parallel, they're giving you goals.
"They might give you a different style of play, though, because I think Lewandowski is more runs in behind, he's really, really special with his movement off the ball when trying to get in and trying to get a one on one.
"Whereas Harry is more of a player who will come in, link, turn, have his shot, score goals from halfway line."
Kane has also scored twice in three Champions League games. He is just two goals from surpassing Paul Scholes as the third-highest English goalscorer in the competition.
Heskey is unsure if Kane will prove the "missing piece" for Bayern's Champions League hopes, though the 30-year-old will do their chances no harm.
He said: "He'll perform but yeah, definitely, when it comes to goals, he'll definitely perform in that sense. Whether he's the missing piece and will take you to the final and eventually win it, only God will know.
"But he will definitely get you goals in any form of competition that he plays in. I remember Owen Hargreaves talking about when he first went to [Manchester] City, and they were talking about them winning the Champions League, and he said they were miles off it.
"He was saying, well, defensively, you can't be so open.
"Now I think if Bayern can be like what they're usually like, when it's quite close, quite compact, it's hard to beat with a Kane up front. You're going to get goals, you're going to get results."
Barcelona can qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions League when they face Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night but Xavi Hernandez had a warning for his players before their trip to Germany.
After two seasons in which they failed to progress beyond the group stages of Europe’s top competition, something once unthinkable for the Catalan giants, Barcelona can wrap up qualification with two games to spare when they face Shakhtar in Hamburg.
But while they have cruised through Group H campaign so far, scoring eight goals and conceding only once in three wins, Xavi was left angered by his side’s performance in a sluggish 1-0 win over Real Sociedad at the weekend.
The coach felt his side were still carrying something of a hangover from their 2-1 home defeat to Real Madrid, but said the lack of intensity was unacceptable – and something they could not afford to repeat.
“We cannot play this football,” he said. “We entered the match with zero intensity. If we play like this in the Champions League, we will not compete. The first half is completely unacceptable for us.
“Last week we deserved to win and we lost. This week we didn’t deserve to win but we did. That is football.”
Barca’s injury problems eased at the weekend, with Robert Lewandowski making his first start since September – lasting 57 minutes – and Pedri coming off the bench following a hamstring injury which has troubled him from the second week of the season.
Both players are still a way off full fitness, but their return was a significant boost for Xavi, with captain Sergi Roberto and midfielder Frenkie De Jong now the only players missing.
“Lewandowski is coming back from an injury and it’s hard for him to stay 100 per cent fit,” the coach said. “We have to manage injuries and substitutions well…
“The face of the team is going to change. (Pedri) came back well and this is great news for him and for the entire team.”
Barca had to work hard to secure a 2-1 win when these sides met last month, the first game in charge for new Shakhtar boss Marino Pusic, who was encouraged by how quickly his players had taken on the roles asked of them.
Pusic secured his first league win at the weekend with an encouraging 1-0 victory away to Dynamo Kiev, further reinforcing the progress he is making.
“At this moment we work very hard together to play the game like we want to play, to be dominant and have good ball possession,” he said. “I can only say that the players are responding very well to it and are working very hard.
“I am very satisfied with their efforts and the way they worked.
“It is very good. It is always a parallel process: You work with the players, you work with the team, but at the same time you also think about how to improve the team, make them bigger and stronger.”
The Football Association is seeking observations from Luton over chants heard at their match against Liverpool on Sunday which indirectly referenced the Hillsborough disaster.
The taunts were sung by some home fans during the second half of the 1-1 Premier League draw at Kenilworth Road, and the FA says it is now looking for information from Luton as well as further detail from the police.
“We strongly condemn chanting of this nature and will continue to work closely with our stakeholders across the game, including the clubs, leagues, fan groups and the relevant authorities to proactively address this issue,” an FA statement said.
Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at an FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough in Sheffield on April 15, 1989.
Only three schools from last year’s ISSA/Wata DaCosta Cup quarterfinals are back at the same stage of this year’s competition after the Round of 16 came to an end on Saturday.
Defending champions Clarendon College, former winners Dinthill Tech and Manchester High are the only survivors, and they will be joined by Glenmuir High, Christiana High, BB Coke High, Cornwall College and Garvey Maceo High in the last eight.
Clarendon College’s perfect win record ended at 12 games after they were forced to come from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Cornwall College at Glenmuir High.
Lincoln Cox, who failed to finish his team’s last two games, gave Cornwall College a first half lead but Kaheim Dixon’s late second half equalizer saw both teams share the points.
The point was enough for Clarendon College to win the group with seven points while Cornwall College got second place on goal-difference over STETHS who were held 0-0 by Mile Gully High in their game.
Both Cornwall College and STETHS finished on four points but Cornwall College had a plus one goal-difference to STETHS’ zero.
Glenmuir High edged Garvey Maceo High on goal-difference after both schools won on Saturday to finish with seven points each in Group 4.
Glenmuir High beat Frome Technical High 2-1 at Llandilo Sports Complex with goals from Kyle Gordon and Oneil Headley as Glenmuir High ended with a plus six goal-difference, two more than Garvey Maceo.
2021 champions Garvey Maceo comfortably defeated Port Antonio High 4-1 at Carder Park. Cleo Clarke scored a double in the 10th and 31st minutes with the other goals coming from Rakeesh Jones in the 46th minute and Everald Swaby in the 52nd minute.
Keroe George scored Port Antonio’s consolation goal in the 85th minute.
BB Coke High, who was the only school to win all three Round of 16 games, overwhelmed Tacky High 4-0 at Drax Hall as Jahmaul Wright scored a double with Semar Williams and Sanjay Allen also scoring.
Manchester High rebounded from their first loss of the season to beat Happy Grove High 2-0 in Mandeville and get second place in Group 2.
Davonie Daley and Nickoy Henry scored for Christiana High in their 2-0 win over McGrath High to finish second in Group 3 to Dinthill Technical who were 2-1 winners over William Knibb Memorial in their weather affected game at Dinthill Technical.
Group A of the quarterfinal round will feature Christiana, Clarendon College, Glenmuir and Manchester while Group B will feature B.B. Coke, Cornwall College, Dinthill Technical and Garvey Maceo.
Play begins on Wednesday with Clarendon College playing Christiana at Manchester, Glenmuir hosting Manchester, B.B. Coke facing Garvey Maceo at STETHS and Dinthill Technical facing Cornwall College at the Ewarton Sports Complex.
Under-fire AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli has accepted responsibility for his team’s faltering form as the Rossoneri seek to revive their Champions League campaign against Paris St Germain.
Milan go in to the San Siro clash winless in four games and desperate to recover from the shock 1-0 Serie A home defeat to lowly Udinese.
Boos from disgruntled fans greeted the final whistle on Saturday with the setback coming after losing to Juventus and drawing with Napoli in the league, as well as being beaten 3-0 by PSG at the Parc des Princes two weeks ago.
“In times and situations such as these talk is cheap. It’s all about walking the walk,” Pioli said at his pre-match press conference for Tuesday’s PSG return.
“The club is really doing everything in its power to make sure I can work in the best possible conditions to provide a competitive team.
“If we have produced under-par displays recently then that’s on me, but I will focus on working hard and do everything to best prepare for the match.
“We disappointed our fans and ourselves on Saturday, that’s fairly clear. If they booed us it means we were pretty poor and we’re aware of that.
“But we have the opportunity to put things right and start playing like Milan again.”
Milan have not scored in three Champions League games this term and are bottom of Group F with two points at the halfway stage.
PSG top the section with six points, with Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle – who meet in Germany on Tuesday – both on four.
Pioli said: “We can no longer hope for other results to be positive for us. We need to start getting points ourselves.
“We need to stay very focused and switched on in both phases of the game, as PSG can hit you at any moment because of the pace and quality of their forwards.
“They are also a team that can allow you some space and we need to be more clinical when some of those situations arise, as they did in the first game.”
Former Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma returns to the San Siro for the first time since leaving for PSG in the summer of 2021.
Milan’s current number one Mike Maignan, the former PSG academy goalkeeper and France international, said: “We know he didn’t leave the club on good terms and our supporters are very passionate.
“I think it’s going to be a pretty tricky reception for Donnarumma, but he’s a world-class goalkeeper and he’s had a good start to the season.”
PSG have won five successive games since losing 4-1 in the Champions League to Newcastle on October 4, scoring three times on each occasion.
France forward Ousmane Dembele said: “It’s a great feeling. We’re getting to know each other better and better after playing three to four months together now.
“We’ve received a lot of instructions and tactical work from the coach (Luis Enrique), and we try to apply it in matches.
“We’ve prepared well for the big match in the Champions League.”
Christian Pulisic, Samuel Chukwueze and Theo Hernandez are all available after injury for Milan, while Marco Asensio again misses out for PSG.
Edin Terzic has warned Borussia Dortmund they will have to be even better than they were at St James’ Park if they are to complete a Champions League double over Newcastle.
Felix Nmecha’s goal secured a priceless 1-0 victory on Tyneside a fortnight ago to belatedly kickstart the Bundesliga side’s campaign, although they needed the help of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and the woodwork to return to Germany with three points.
They will head into the return at the Signal Iduna Stadium still smarting from Saturday’s 4-0 drubbing by arch-rivals Bayern Munich, and with head coach Terzic expecting a Magpies backlash.
He said: “We need to improve because we know that they (Newcastle) are not happy with the way that they performed at St James’ Park and they will want to do much better tomorrow, so if they are going to do it better, we have to do it better.
“That’s something we have focused on, this is something we’re going to talk about with the team this afternoon, again to be ready for tomorrow, and then we’ve got to do everything to also use the chance to get a home win tomorrow and make a big step in the group.”
Victory against the Magpies eased Dortmund into second place in Group F, above Eddie Howe’s men – who also have four points from their first three fixtures – by virtue of their head-to-head record.
But Terzic, who has doubts over skipper Emre Can and defender Ramy Bensebaini, is acutely aware of the task facing his team, with Newcastle having edged past Arsenal 1-0 in a Premier League arm-wrestle on Saturday evening.
Asked if that served as a warning, he said: “To be honest, we don’t need a warning because of course we know the quality of Newcastle. We found out how good they are two weeks ago.
“Then they’ve had three games since, a draw against Wolves and in the cup they beat Manchester United and then they beat Arsenal at home, so we know their quality.
“We know they are not happy with the way they performed two weeks ago. They are not happy; we are not happy with how we performed last Saturday.
“We know that we have to be ready from the start and as you saw from the game two weeks ago, they had two great chances at the end of the game, so it means we need a good start, we need a good performance during the game, we need to stay focused until the end.”
Terzic was keen to draw a line under Saturday’s horror show against Bayern, who went 2-0 up within nine disastrous minutes as Dayot Upamecano and Harry Kane – who went on to score a hat-trick – struck at the Signal Iduna.
He said: “We were really honest in our analysis and then tried to take the lessons from that to look forward and to focus on the next task, which is tomorrow.
“Why we are confident is that we were already way better three days before the Bayern match (against Hoffenheim in the DFB Cup) and also two weeks ago in Newcastle. Now our focus is on the next task.”
The Champions League returns this week with England’s four clubs all hoping to make a big step towards the knock-out stages, while Celtic are in need of a spark to ignite their campaign.
Holders Manchester City can seal their place in the next round with a win, while Arsenal also top their group, but Newcastle and Manchester United have work to do.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the teams the British contenders face in the latest round of fixtures.
Manchester City v Young Boys (Tuesday)
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The Swiss Super League leaders will come to Manchester on Tuesday hoping for a night similar to the one they enjoyed on the other side of town back in December 2021. Having already beaten Manchester United 2-1 in Bern, Young Boys earned a point from a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford as Fabian Rieder cancelled out Mason Greenwood’s early goal.
The challenge at the Etihad is likely to be very different, however. City top Group G after opening up with three straight wins, the last of them a 3-1 victory over Young Boys in Bern, and can secure qualification with a win.
Young Boys, the reigning Swiss champions, are playing in the Champions League for the 10th time, and the first since the 2021-22 campaign, when they finished bottom in their group despite taking four points off United.
Since their last meeting with City, Young Boys have played three straight games away from home, and come into the match on the back of a 4-1 league win over Winterthur.
Borussia Dortmund v Newcastle (Tuesday)
Newcastle will travel to the famed Westfalenstadion level on points with Dortmund in the so-called ‘group of death’, Group F, and looking for revenge after losing the reverse fixture 1-0 at St James’ Park.
But Bayern Munich demonstrated it is far from an impenetrable fortress as recently as Saturday, and Dortmund, who have made it to the knock-out stages in eight of their 10 most recent Champions League campaigns, come into the game bruised from a 4-0 home hiding by their rivals.
But Dortmund, the 1997 European champions, are no pushovers in this competition, and have lost only two of their last 10 Champions League group-stage matches, winning four and drawing four.
However, they have struggled for goals in the competition this season, with Felix Nmecha’s goal in Newcastle the only one they have scored in their opening three games, having lost 2-0 to Paris St Germain and drawn 0-0 with AC Milan.
Atletico Madrid v Celtic (Tuesday)
In need of a win to have any chance of getting off the bottom of Group E, Celtic face a daunting trip to take on two-time Champions League runners-up Atletico Madrid.
Brendan Rodgers’ side managed to frustrate Atletico at Celtic Park in a 2-2 draw last month. That was the seventh time the two sides have met and the third draw, with Atletico having won the other four matches.
That result saw Diego Simeone’s men surrender top spot in the group to Feyenoord, having taken five points from their opening three fixtures but at least avoiding defeat up to this point.
They were not so lucky in LaLiga at the weekend as a 2-1 defeat at Las Palmas ended a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
Copenhagen v Manchester United (Wednesday)
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United needed a stoppage-time penalty save from Andre Onana to preserve a 1-0 win when these two sides met at Old Trafford last month, a defeat which left Copenhagen bottom of the group with only one point from their opening three games.
Jacob Nestrup’s side have taken their frustrations out on the Danish Superliga, scoring nine goals in their three domestic games since to take nine points, the most recent win a 4-2 victory away to Randers, results that have kept them top of the table.
The Danish champions began their Champions League campaign in the second qualifying round, routing Iceland’s Breidablik 8-3 on aggregate, but had a harder time seeing off Sparta Prague and Polish champions Rakow Czestochowa on their way to the group stages.
United striker Ramus Hojlund, 20, could come up against 18-year-old twin brothers Oscar and Emil, both part of former club Copenhagen’s squad for the competition, with Oscar having appeared as a late substitute in Manchester.
Arsenal v Sevilla (Wednesday)
Arsenal’s 2-1 win at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium last month kept Sevilla winless in Group B and in urgent need of points if they are to find a way through to the knock-out phases.
Sevilla drew their opening two fixtures. They led French side Lens 1-0 at home in their opener courtesy of Lucas Ocampos’ early strike, but had to settle for a point after Angelo Fulgini levelled.
They were pegged back once again in a dramatic conclusion to their trip to PSV Eindhoven, where they were 1-0 up and 2-1 ahead before Jordan Teze snatched a 2-2 draw deep into stoppage time.
Wins have been hard to come by and they have not enjoyed one in LaLiga in their last five, drawing four straight after losing at Barcelona, and that has seen them slip to 15th in the table.
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