Giovanni van Bronckhorst says the gap in quality between Rangers and Liverpool was "obvious", though he vowed the Scottish Premiership side will learn from a comfortable defeat to the Reds.

Rangers have shipped nine goals in three Champions League games after a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool on Tuesday, which saw Van Bronckhorst's side remain bottom of Group A at the halfway point.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah struck in either half at Anfield as Rangers failed to find the net in their first three Champions League games for the first time ever.

While Rangers offered little in the way of challenging Alisson, barring a late chance for substitute Rabbi Matondo, Van Bronckhorst hopes his side will use the defeat as a lesson.

"The gap is obvious, we are competing against one of the best sides in Europe – it doesn't mean you have to lose the game," the Rangers manager told reporters.

"We competed well at times, set-pieces we defended really well. My team will learn from this game, I will learn, my players will and we will take this experience into the next game and also into the league.

"It was an experience we had again in the Champions League, it is a league we want to compete in but it is really, really hard against the teams we are facing now.

"It is experience, we did better than the first game but it is a level where you have to think quicker, pass quicker and move quicker.

"There were many moments where we won the ball but then we lost it, that is what we are facing at the moment and we need to improve in the next three games.

"The margin for error is very small against these great teams. It is everything you know, tactically, technically – first touches, movements, identifying movements when to speed up the games.

"We are doing so much better and my team will only improve. If that is enough to go through in Europe then we will take it."

A two-goal loss arguably flattered Rangers, who were thankful to the efforts of goalkeeper Allan McGregor after the veteran made eight saves during a fine individual performance.

"McGregor performed really well, he can perform on this level – especially the first half he had some good saves," Van Bronckhorst added.

"It was very positive to see his performance, also Leon King – an 18-year-old defender from the academy – and Ben Davies with his first 70 minutes of the season coming back to Liverpool he did well. There are always positives to take."

Rangers will look to make amends against Liverpool in the return fixture next Wednesday, with Van Bronckhorst's side trailing third-place Ajax by four points in a battle for Europa League qualification.

Trent Alexander-Arnold acknowledged he has made a slow start to his season with Liverpool but remains optimistic for the remainder of the campaign after silencing his doubters with a great strike against Rangers.

The right-back has come under criticism for his defensive capabilities amid an underwhelming spell of form for Liverpool, with Alexander-Arnold also unused by Gareth Southgate and England in September.

Gary Neville hailed the potential of Alexander-Arnold, likening his ability to Cafu on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, but detailed the defensive failings that are causing repeated problems for the 23-year-old.

Alexander-Arnold responded by curling a seventh-minute opener against Rangers in the Champions League, though he admitted he has been out of form this term thus far.

"No matter what I always try and think positively, people will say things but for me, it's about going out there and performing for the team," he told BT Sport.

"Going out there, getting the wins and helping the team is the most important thing. It has been a slow start to the season for me, but I am looking forward to the rest of the season.

"The performance was great from the lads, we never really got going on Saturday [a 3-3 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League], our press was poor and we were slow out the blocks.

"It was the complete opposite today, we started well and continued throughout the game. They had their spells, especially in the second half, but we were outstanding."

Alexander-Arnold's opening goal was his sixth free-kick goal in all competitions since the start of the 2016-17 season, with no Liverpool player scoring more times from free-kick situations in that period.

"I don't normally score them from that side I usually go from the other side of the pitch," he continued.

"For me, it was about getting it on target, when I am practising, rebounds and all that makes it the most dangerous situation."

Victory kept Liverpool three points behind Group A leaders Napoli, who thrashed Ajax 6-1 in the other game on Tuesday, with a return trip to Rangers coming next week for the Reds.

Jurgen Klopp's side must first visit Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday, with Alexander-Arnold relishing a busy schedule heading into the World Cup in November.

"This year is going to be very intense. It's what we're used to, three games a week," he added. "There are no excuses. With the games coming thick and fast, it's exciting for us."

Trent Alexander-Arnold acknowledged he has made a slow start to his season with Liverpool but remains optimistic for the remainder of the campaign after silencing his doubters with a great strike against Rangers.

The right-back has come under criticism for his defensive capabilities amid an underwhelming spell of form for Liverpool, with Alexander-Arnold also unused by Gareth Southgate and England in September.

Gary Neville hailed the potential of Alexander-Arnold, likening his ability to Cafu on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, but detailed the defensive failings that are causing repeated problems for the 23-year-old.

Alexander-Arnold responded by curling a seventh-minute opener against Rangers in the Champions League, though he admitted he has been out of form this term thus far.

"No matter what I always try and think positively, people will say things but for me, it's about going out there and performing for the team," he told BT Sport.

"Going out there, getting the wins and helping the team is the most important thing. It has been a slow start to the season for me, but I am looking forward to the rest of the season.

"The performance was great from the lads, we never really got going on Saturday [a 3-3 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League], our press was poor and we were slow out the blocks.

"It was the complete opposite today, we started well and continued throughout the game. They had their spells, especially in the second half, but we were outstanding."

Alexander-Arnold's opening goal was his sixth free-kick goal in all competitions since the start of the 2016-17 season, with no Liverpool player scoring more times from free-kick situations in that period.

"I don't normally score them from that side I usually go from the other side of the pitch," he continued.

"For me, it was about getting it on target, when I am practising, rebounds and all that makes it the most dangerous situation."

Victory kept Liverpool three points behind Group A leaders Napoli, who thrashed Ajax 6-1 in the other game on Tuesday, with a return trip to Rangers coming next week for the Reds.

Jurgen Klopp's side must first visit Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday, with Alexander-Arnold relishing a busy schedule heading into the World Cup in November.

"This year is going to be very intense. It's what we're used to, three games a week," he added. "There are no excuses. With the games coming thick and fast, it's exciting for us."

Gary Neville's in-depth analysis of Trent Alexander-Arnold on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football gained plenty of traction.

It might have been mistaken for criticism, had the former Manchester United defender not put so much onus on making it clear just how highly he rates Liverpool's right-back.

"No full-back that I've ever seen in this country can do what he can do," said Neville, after animatedly laying out where he believes Alexander-Arnold, who has been questioned amid Liverpool's underwhelming start to the season and was left out of Gareth Southgate's matchday squad for England's Nations League match against Germany last month, can improve.

"If he can get those consistency elements, we won't just have one of the best attacking right-backs this country has ever produced, we'll have probably the best right-back the world has ever produced, because this is a Cafu," Neville continued. "This is that level of full-back. This is something unbelievably special."

Special. It's a word used frequently when it comes to youngsters, especially those in England, often propelled to stardom not long after making their first-team debuts, only to be a target of overly harsh criticism if they fail to live up to spectacular heights every time they take to the field. In relation to Alexander-Arnold, however, "special" is a suitable adjective, and he showed why in Tuesday's all-British Champions League clash with Rangers.

Work to do...

Before the game, the 23-year-old – nurtured under Jurgen Klopp since making his debut in October 2016 – had created 467 chances, provided 60 assists and scored 14 goals in all competitions. The numbers, as Neville said, are "absolutely obscene".

Of course, it is not Alexander-Arnold's attacking that has ever been cast into doubt, but his work going the other way. Indeed, with Southgate a more conservative and, arguably, pragmatic, manager than Klopp, it is perhaps no real surprise why many see Alexander-Arnold's defending as the factor holding him back on the international stage.

Alexander-Arnold hardly helped his cause when the Premier League returned following the international break. He was arguably at least partly at fault for two of Leandro Trossard's three goals in Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

It is hard to argue a case, too, for his defending when stacked up against his competitors (primarily Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Reece James) for a place in England's side. 

He had been dribbled past on 218 occasions in his 236 Liverpool games before the Rangers fixture, a figure way clear of Trippier's 157, for example. 

Prior to Tuesday's game, Alexander-Arnold's duel success rate (47.3) failed to match the other three, who vary between 56.4 (James) and 58.8 (Trippier). He does boast a better tackle success percentage of 60.6, though it only ranks third out of the four (above Trippier).

But Alexander-Arnold, it must be remembered, has played a pivotal role in a side that has won every trophy available to them over the course of Klopp's tenure, as well as reaching two Champions League finals they lost.

Liverpool did not get where they are by leaking goals, and Alexander-Arnold has helped the Reds to 80 clean sheets (following Tuesday's match), a figure bettered only by Walker (91) since the youngster made his senior debut.

Unique selling point...

Perhaps, though, there is simply too much scrutiny on the defensive side of his game after all? Perhaps, despite Neville's warning of a "juncture" in Alexander-Arnold's career, it is time to simply enjoy the player he is, not what he should be or could be, especially when he is so far from what would be considered peak age.

It was Alexander-Arnold who, after an early barrage from the hosts at Anfield following a raucous welcome for two of Britain's biggest clubs, delivered a moment of quality few other players – never mind defenders, albeit Trippier is no stranger to a fine free-kick – are capable of on such a reliable basis.

When he stepped up to take a free-kick, just under 25 yards out from Rangers' goal, in the seventh minute, there was an air of expectation. Seconds later, the ball was nestling right in the left-hand corner, giving Allan McGregor – who went on to keep the scoreline respectable for the visitors – no chance. 

Curling in a sublime strike, his sixth direct free-kick goal for Liverpool, more than any other player in the Reds squad since the start of the 2016-17 season, might not answer questions about his defending, but was a timely reminder of the talent at Alexander-Arnold's disposal. It was his second Champions League goal, his first at Anfield in almost five years.

He was a menace throughout a first half Liverpool dominated with ease, teeing up a chance for Virgil van Dijk to head in a second with a sumptuous inswinging corner in the 28th minute and keeping fellow Liverpool academy graduate Ryan Kent quiet.

One loose pass into midfield did see him exposed just after the half-hour, though Rangers never looked likely to punish the mistake.

Seven minutes into the second half, Alexander-Arnold was on hand to recover a loose ball and feed Jordan Henderson, whose raking pass found Luis Diaz. The Colombian was bundled over in the box and Mohamed Salah made no mistake from the penalty spot. Game over, with Alexander-Arnold having played his part in both goals.

Liverpool could have made it more comfortable, Darwin Nunez particularly unfortunate, but bar a late run from Junior Fashion Sakala, Alexander-Arnold was not tested.

Alexander-Arnold finished with the most touches (96), a game-high 40 passes in the opposition half and joint-most tackles (four). A stoppage-time booking before he made way to a standing ovation from the Liverpool faithful was the only blemish on an otherwise spotless copybook.

He might not be perfect, and will face harder opponents than Rangers, especially when Liverpool visit the Etihad Stadium later this month, but is exceptional at what he excels at.

That, surely, is enough for now.

Goals from Kamal Soweh and Ferran Jutgla enabled Club Brugge to maintain their perfect Champions League record with a 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

The Belgian champions made it three Group B victories out of three at Jan Breydel Stadium to move another step closer to securing a surprise spot in the last 16.

Soweh was on target in the first half and Jutgla doubled the lead for Carl Hoefkens' side, who are six points clear at the summit.

Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty as Atleti suffered a defeat that leaves them bottom of the group, but level on three points with Porto and Bayer Leverkusen with three matches to play.

The early signs were promising for the LaLiga side, with Griezmann forcing a save from Simon Mignolet with the best chance of the first quarter.

But Brugge shrewdly grew into the match, and when Sowah nudged home Jutgla's cross from close range, they had a deserved lead 36 minutes in.

Atletico made a bright start to the second half, but Jutgla stunned them by rifling home after the visitors failed to clear.

A spot-kick for a foul on Matheus Cunha presented a route back into the match, but Griezmann's effort struck the woodwork, summing up a poor night for Diego Simeone's men.

A brilliant strike from Hakan Calhanoglu gave Inter a 1-0 Champions League win over Barcelona that moved them into second place in Group C.

The Nerazzurri had already seen a goal disallowed before Calhanoglu fired past Marc-Andre ter Stegen in first-half added time at San Siro on Tuesday.

The LaLiga leaders improved in the second period and saw a goal of their own ruled out when Pedri's tap-in was ruled out for an Ansu Fati handball.

But despite some late pressure and a penalty shout for Barca, under-fire Simone Inzaghi's men held on to earn three points which put them above the Catalan giants.

Inter thought they had a penalty when Joaquin Correa's flick came off Eric Garcia's arm, but after referee Slavko Vincic took a look at the pitchside monitor, Lautaro Martinez was deemed to be marginally offside in the build-up.

Correa then had a goal disallowed, showing great composure to take it around Ter Stegen and finish, only to watch the linesman's flag go up before he could celebrate.

Calhanoglu broke the deadlock for Inter with a superb strike in first-half injury time, taking a touch to control Federico Dimarco's pass before rifling into the bottom-left corner from 25 yards out.

Ousmane Dembele nearly levelled when his drive from a tight angle came back off the left post as Barcelona pressed after the interval.

Xavi's men then had a goal chalked off, as Dembele's cross caused havoc in the Inter box before Pedri applied the finish, but only after Andre Onana had tipped the ball onto Fati's hand.

There were strong claims for a Barcelona penalty in stoppage time when the ball appeared to come off Denzel Dumfries' arm, but no spot-kick was awarded following a VAR check and Inter clung on for three precious points.

Liverpool made it back-to-back Champions League wins after a commanding 2-0 victory over Rangers, with Trent Alexander-Arnold scoring the pick of the goals.

Jurgen Klopp's side have been somewhat off the pace this season but soon took the lead at Anfield after an excellent Alexander-Arnold free-kick past Allan McGregor.

Mohamed Salah doubled the lead with a penalty after the interval, with the insipid Rangers thankful to McGregor for preventing Liverpool from inflicting further damage.

Victory kept the Reds a point behind Group A leaders Napoli, who thrashed Ajax in Tuesday's other game, while Rangers remain bottom after yet another disappointing showing in Europe - the Scottish side conceding nine goals in three group stage matches thus far.

McGregor denied a fizzing Darwin Nunez effort after just two minutes, but the Rangers goalkeeper had no chance five minutes later when Alexander-Arnold expertly curled a free-kick into the top-left corner.

Salah saw his whipped attempt tipped away by McGregor, who then produced two smart saves in quick succession against Nunez as Liverpool dominated the first half.

Salah coolly converted a 53rd-minute penalty down the middle after Leon King felled Luis Diaz, while McGregor continued his fine individual performance by parrying over Diogo Jota's ferocious shot minutes later.

Joel Matip headed narrowly wide from a glorious opportunity before Konstantinos Tsimikas cleared off the line after Rabbi Matondo slotted past Alisson in the closing stages, as Liverpool returned to winning ways after a 3-3 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion at the weekend.

What does it mean? Reds stay on the tails of Napoli

Despite a 4-1 humbling at the in-form Napoli on matchday one, Liverpool remain within touching distance of Luciano Spalletti's side at the halfway point in the Champions League group stage.

Ajax are just two points behind Jurgen Klopp's side, but the Reds will feel confident of another victory to bolster their knockout credentials when they return to Rangers next week.

By contrast, Rangers are without a win or a goal in their first three games in Europe this season – a stark difference from their victorious run to the Europa League final last season.

Awesome Alexander-Arnold

Much has been made of Alexander-Arnold's defensive capabilities, but the right-back quietened his critics with his inch-perfect opener; his sixth free-kick goal since the start of the 2016-17 season in all competitions.

No Liverpool player can match his tally in that period, while the strike made Alexander-Arnold the first Reds man to score from direct free-kick in the Champions League since Steven Gerrard against Basel in 2014.

Goal-shy Rangers' problems continue

Rangers have won just of eight European away games in England across all competitions, with that sole victory coming in a 2-1 triumph over Leeds United in 1992.

The Scottish giants may have been beaten Europa League finalists last term, but they failed to score once again here, marking the first time Rangers have not found the net in their opening three Champions League group games.

What's next?

Liverpool return to domestic action away at Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday, while Rangers host St. Mirren in the Scottish Premiership a day prior.

Julian Nagelsmann feels Bayern Munich's resounding 5-0 win over Viktoria Plzen was "another step in the right direction" for his side ahead of facing Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern followed up Friday's 4-0 Bundesliga thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen with an even more emphatic victory in Tuesday's Champions League tie with Czech champions Plzen.

It marks the first time the Bavarians have won back-to-back matches in all competitions since August, having gone four league games without a win prior to the international break.

Nagelsmann is pleased with what he saw from his side against Plzen, with Bayern returning to form at just the right time ahead of Saturday's Klassiker showdown with fierce rivals Dortmund.

"The boys did well today," Nagelsmann told DAZN. "That's how you have to approach a game. We decided it quickly then controlled it. 

"With a view to Saturday, that was important, serious and well deserved. It was another game that shows we are taking steps in the right direction."

The hosts were three goals up inside 21 minutes, with Serge Gnabry and Sadio Mane netting after Leroy Sane had opened the scoring at the Allianz Arena.

Sane doubled his tally early in the second half before substitute Eric Choupo-Moting rounded off the scoring for the leaders in a one-sided Group C contest.

It is the 26th time Bayern have scored five or more goals in a Champions League match, which is five more than next-best Barcelona.

Mane wasted some promising chances to add to the scoring, netting from just one of his six attempts, but the forward was happy with his side's performance.

"The team played a great game, with a lot of chances created," he said. "We deserved to win. 

"The past few weeks have been tough. It was important we reacted. We reacted well after the international break. Hopefully we can continue like this until the end of the season.

"We have nine points from three Champions League games and a good goal difference. We are in a good place. 

"We were disciplined today. We were well prepared for the opponent and that's where most of the goals came from."

Bayern have now gone 31 games without defeat in the group stage of the Champions League, overtaking the record of 30 set by Real Madrid in 2017.

"We rightly received criticism during the international break," said Leon Goretzka, who set up two of the goals against Plzen.

"We used the time well and focused on our game again. Our aim is to perform on a regular basis. We're still extremely upset about the games before that."

N'Golo Kante's fitness is a more pressing issue than whether the Chelsea midfielder needs a contract extension, says Graham Potter.

The France international, whose current deal runs through the end of this season, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since August.

Kante has struggled with a succession of fitness issues since helping to guide his country to success at the World Cup in 2018, though his experience has been invaluable when fit.

Questions therefore have been asked about his future, but ahead of Chelsea's Champions League clash with Milan on Wednesday, Potter says his main concern is helping the 31-year-old back to full fitness.

"My focus at the moment is to help him rehabilitate in a good way so that he is available for us and on the pitch," Potter told reporters.

"When he is on the pitch, he is a huge asset for us. The other thing is between the club and him. My focus is to help him get fit and enjoying his football.

"There are not many players in world football like N'Golo, so the quicker he is back the better."

Kante could talk to foreign clubs about a pre-contract agreement from January 1, though it is not yet known whether Chelsea would seek to table a new deal for the former Leicester City man.

Kalidou Koulibaly knows his "time will come" under Graham Potter at Chelsea, while the centre-back admitted he misses his former club Napoli despite choosing to leave.

The Senegal international ended an eight-year stay in Naples as he moved to Stamford Bridge in July for a reported £33.8million (€40m), signing a four-year contract with the Premier League side.

Thomas Tuchel, backed heavily in the transfer market by new owner Todd Boehly, was the man to sign Koulibaly before the Chelsea chairman dismissed the German and brought in Potter.

Koulibaly has been overlooked for the first two games of Potter's tenure, but the 31-year-old remains confident he will soon get his chance.

"It's true I haven't played yet with the new manager, but I'm easy, I know my time will come," Koulibaly told reporters.

"We have a lot of games and I will give everything in training. I am a big worker and when I don't play, I like to put all my energy into my work.

"At the moment, I am working good and trying to give my best in training to show him he can use me on the pitch and play my first game for him."

While the former Napoli defender remains patient for his chance to impress, Koulibaly acknowledged he misses life in Italy.

"I expected this. It is hard to move eight years of my life to come to London. I know that I have reached a big club, one of the best clubs in the world, so everything is hard," he continued.

"I do miss Napoli and Naples but it was my choice. I wanted to come here to London, I wanted to come and join this club, one of the best in the world.

"We knew it would be difficult, everybody says so. Even some of the best coaches in the world said so because everyone knows that to go from Italy to England is difficult.

"But I was ready to take on this challenge. At the moment, we are going through a process that is normal and I am working very hard. I like it here and I'm very happy to be there. 

"But we all have to work. I think my time will come. I am easy, I know that it's a normal process. So I have to keep on working, stay passionate and my time will come."

Koulibaly will hope to get a chance in Potter's starting XI when Chelsea host Milan on Wednesday, the Blues aiming for their first win at their third attempt in Champions League Group E.

"I think today the most important thing is that Chelsea have to win the game tomorrow because I know we didn't start well in the Champions League with a defeat and draw," he added.

"I am not worried about anything, I just want Chelsea to win the games as we did at the weekend.

"We showed a lot of good things this weekend and I am really happy for the team and everybody because we have a good team spirit and it's difficult when you change a manager.

"But you see this team is going up and up and I hope that tomorrow we will show a lot of good things to win the game."

Leroy Sane scored twice in an emphatic 5-0 win against Viktoria Plzen as Bayern Munich made it a record 31 Champions League group games without defeat.

Reigning Czech champions Viktoria are without a point at the midway stage in Group C and found themselves three goals down after 21 minutes at the Allianz Arena.

Serge Gnabry and Sadio Mane netted after Sane had opened the scoring in Tuesday's contest as Bayern cruised towards a third win out of three in this season's competition.

Sane's second was swiftly followed by a strike from substitute Eric Choupo-Moting, with Bayern settling for five goals ahead of their big Bundesliga clash with Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern were without Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich, who tested positive for COVID-19, but were ahead inside seven minutes thanks to Sane's powerful shot from 18 yards.

Gnabry, fielded through the centre of Bayern's attack, slotted home a second six minutes later with a clinical finish after being played in by Leon Goretzka at the end of a counter.

Some poor Plzen defending allowed Mane to waltz through and score a third for Bayern, who had a Jamal Musiala goal ruled out before half-time due to an offside infringement.

Sane doubled his tally after controlling Mane's pass with a sublime first touch and firing past Marian Tvrdon, with that proving to be his final meaningful act before being replaced.

It was left to Choupo-Moting to round off the scoring prior to the hour mark with a shot that went in off the post following another precise pass from Goretzka. 

Julen Lopetegui pledged to stay professional until the last at Sevilla amid suggestions he will lose his job before the weekend.

The former Porto, Spain and Real Madrid head coach is reportedly set to be replaced by Jorge Sampaoli after Wednesday's Champions League home game against Borussia Dortmund.

Sampaoli led Sevilla in the 2016-17 season before leaving to take charge of the Argentina national team.

He spent last season in France with Marseille, and Spanish sports newspaper Marca reported he will sign a two-year contract with Sevilla.

Lopetegui is apparently poised to pay the price for his team's slow start to the season, which has seen them collect just five points from seven games, putting them already 10 points adrift of fourth place, which is currently held down by Real Betis.

A 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid on Saturday looks to have been the final straw, with the transfer window departures of star defenders Diego Carlos and Jules Kounde having severely weakened the Andalusians.

Finishing fourth last season gave Sevilla a place in the Champions League, and Lopetegui is determined to make a dignified exit, if the Dortmund game does prove to be his last at the helm.

He said on Tuesday: "Look, in order to respect my own responsibility, I will not express any opinion about what has happened in the last few months.

"I prefer to keep it for myself as a part of the responsibility I have as a coach of a big club like Sevilla. So tomorrow I will approach the game with my highest energy. This is what I did for my previous 169 games [at Sevilla] and I will do it for the 170th.

"You cannot reach 170 games just by chance at such a demanding team as Sevilla. Obviously you must win a lot in order to stay for 170 games, and we did it. So I will not change either my speech or my attitude as a part of my responsibility."

Lopetegui added: "I will keep loyal to what I have done here previously, because I think I must rise to the challenge at such a demanding club and of course, to not disappoint our fans, as they only deserve the best from every single person working at this club.

"From my end, I will give my best given the responsibility I have, as I have been doing throughout my 169 games here and tomorrow I will do it again without any doubt."

Sevilla have failed to score in their last three Champions League games, with their last goal in the competition coming in November 2021 against Wolfsburg.

This season they have lost 4-0 to Manchester City and drawn 0-0 with FC Copenhagen. Sevilla have never previously failed to score in four consecutive games in European competition.

RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose brushed off fresh speculation about Christopher Nkunku's future after the France international was strongly linked with Chelsea.

Reports have suggested Nkunku's Leipzig contract contains a £52.4million (€60m) release clause, and Chelsea are said to be keen suitors of the prolific attacker.

Nkunku scored 35 goals and added 20 assists in all competitions during a remarkable individual campaign last term, and has already scored six times in the Bundesliga this season.

With Nkunku likely to play a pivotal role when Leipzig attempt to get off the mark in the Champions League against Celtic on Wednesday, Rose is ignoring transfer rumours.

"It's speculation, we don't comment on it. It doesn't bother us, it doesn't interest us," the former Borussia Dortmund coach said.

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter took a similar stance ahead of the Blues' Champions League clash with Milan, saying: "As I've said before, my answer is I don't speak about players that aren't Chelsea players.

"If you want to ask me about any Chelsea players, I'm quite happy to speak about them. It was the same at Brighton. You get linked with a lot of players; there's a lot of names out there.

"As you can imagine, it gets escalated at a club like Chelsea. I'll speak about Chelsea players and not comment about anybody else."

Nkunku has been involved in eight Champions League goals since the start of last season (seven goals, one assist) – twice as many as any of his Leipzig team-mates (four – Emil Forsberg and Andre Silva).

However, the versatile 24-year-old is yet to score or assist in the competition this campaign, with Leipzig suffering back-to-back losses against Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid.

Should Leipzig be beaten on Wednesday, it will represent the second consecutive Champions League campaign in which the Bundesliga outfit have started with three losses, and Rose is wary of the threat posed by Celtic.

"They have a team which is very active on the pitch, with a lot of pace. They are very attacking with a clear idea," Rose said.

"They are hard-working. They have two or three lads from Japan. It's fun watching them. It's just a great team and not a team that thinks defensively or about parking the bus.

"It will be our task to put them in difficulties. We will find spaces and we will try to take advantage."

Massimiliano Allegri says Juventus' Champions League clash with Maccabi Haifa is a "must win" following their difficult start to the 2022-23 season.

A 3-0 victory over Bologna in Serie A over the weekend saw the Bianconeri finally snap a winless streak that started in August, having lost their first two European games to Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica.

But that result has not fully masked the struggles of a side that have looked ill at ease with themselves this term, off the pace all too frequently at home and abroad, with them yet to claim a Champions League win this term.

The visit of the Israeli Premier League champions – the lowest ranked side in the competition by UEFA Club Coefficient – therefore represents a match in which they must prevail to further stem their troubles.

"We must win, but we don’t need anxiety," Allegri cautioned. "One game does not solve all the problems. Hopefully, we'll win.

"It's not an easy game. Maccabi played well in Lisbon [a 2-0 loss to Benfica] and played an even match with PSG [a 3-1 loss]. They press high, and it's going to be tough. We have to respect them.

"It's useless to think about the other teams if we don't win both games against Maccabi. Tomorrow is our most important Champions League game."

Allegri added that he expects to rotate players amid a heavy fixture schedule through October, as teams race towards the start of the Qatar 2022 World Cup next month.

"Surely, we will change something," he noted. "We have a packed fixture list. I can rotate a bit during the game."

Victims of Saturday's stampede at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Indonesia will be remembered in a moment's silence before this week's European games, UEFA has announced.

At least 125 people died in a crush at an Indonesian Premier League (Liga 1) match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya.

Tear gas was fired in an attempt to disperse rioting fans.

Local police said supporters died after being crushed and suffocated as they ran towards the stadium's exits, stating 3,000 of the estimated 40,000 spectators in attendance had invaded the pitch.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino offered his condolences after what he called "a dark day for all involved in football", labelling the incident "a tragedy beyond all comprehension".

All of this week's Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League and Women's World Cup play-off matches will feature a moment's silence, UEFA said.