Sven Ulreich is enjoying one of those rare spells where everyone at Bayern Munich depends on his safe hands, and the loyal deputy to Manuel Neuer hopes this will not prove to be his final season at the club.

The 34-year-old goalkeeper – two years Neuer's junior – has played second fiddle to the Germany great throughout his time at Bayern.

This is Ulreich's seventh season with the Bundesliga champions, with his Bayern career broken up by one year away at Hamburg in 2020-21, where he spent a campaign as a first-team regular, albeit in Germany's second tier.

Ulreich was a Bayern mainstay in the 2017-18 season, but that was only because Neuer fractured a foot, keeping him out for almost the entire campaign.

The former Stuttgart number one has been a dutiful Bayern stand-in when called upon, as he has been in recent weeks with Neuer sidelined by a shoulder problem. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann last week said he has "a lot of trust" in his second choice.

On Tuesday in Milan, Ulreich was due to face Inter in the Champions League, making an eighth appearance of the season. Given Neuer is back in training and on the comeback trail, Ulreich may not get a ninth game for some time.

With Ulreich entering the final months of his Bayern contract, he is hoping there could be an extension in the offing. Recent first-team exposure should help his cause, with Bayern having won every game where he has featured so far this term, going into the Inter game.

"I've always said that I'm having fun and enjoying myself here," Ulreich told Sky Sport Germany. "I think we'll talk about it at some point. It's still too early, but I can very well imagine staying here.

"I'll be 35 next year. There won't be too much coming. But I'm not thinking about the end of my career just yet. I still plan to play for two years.

"As long as you're healthy and having fun, you should play on and you shouldn't say no. I'm currently healthy and fit."

Liverpool's search for midfield reinforcements has reportedly led them to RB Leipzig's Konrad Laimer – and a move could come as soon as January.

Laimer, 25, enjoyed a career-best season in his last Bundesliga campaign, netting four goals and contributing four assists despite starting in just 15 of the 26 league games in which he featured.

This season, the man with 24 senior international appearances for Austria has started every Bundesliga and Champions League game he has been available for, although a high-ankle sprain has kept him out for six weeks now, and he may not return until January.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL LOOK TO INJURED LEIPZIG MIDFIELDER FOR REINFORCEMENTS

According to Sky Sport Germany, Liverpool are considering going for Laimer in January, six months before the end of his contract with Leipzig.

Laimer is hoping to return from his injury in January, and there could also be interest from Bayern Munich, who sized him up in the last transfer window.

Regardless of what happens with Laimer and the January window, Sky Germany reports Liverpool are planning "significant investment" into their squad at the end of the season.

ROUND-UP

– Football Insider is claiming 32-year-old Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan will leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.

– Manchester United are looking at Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong, 21, and Norwich's Max Aarons, 22, to compete with Diogo Dalot for their starting right-back role, per The Sun.

– According to The Sun, Arsenal sent scouts to Brazil to watch 21-year-old Palmeiras midfielder Danilo, whom they are interested in making a move for in January.

– GiveMeSport is reporting Manchester United still have interest in PSV's Cody Gakpo, with recent reports claiming the Dutch club's financial position could prompt them to accept a bid in the range of £30million.

– Bayer Leverkusen have made Inter left-back Robin Gosens their primary target, with the 28-year-old also attracting interest from Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg, according to Sky Sport Germany's Florian Plettenberg.

Stefano Pioli has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Milan until the end of the 2024-25 season.

The Rossoneri coach has been in position at San Siro since 2019, having previously taken charge of rivals Inter.

Pioli did not last long with the Nerazzurri, yet he has been a huge success with Milan, last season winning the Scudetto – their first since 2011.

The 57-year-old's deal was due to expire at the end of this campaign, but the club confirmed a two-year extension on Monday.

"Having begun this virtuous path, which led to the 2021-22 Serie A title, AC Milan and Stefano shall continue to work on this ambitious project, which reflects the club's history and values," a short statement added.

Pioli has won 87 of his 153 matches as Milan coach, with that 56.9 per cent win rate his best at any club.

Milan finished sixth in Serie A in Pioli's first season after he took over in the October, before jumping to second and then first in the subsequent campaigns.

Despite a shock defeat to Torino on Sunday, the Rossoneri are third this term.

Paul Pogba will miss France's World Cup campaign, the Juventus midfielder's agent has confirmed.

The 29-year-old, who was a member of Didier Deschamps' triumphant squad at Russia 2018, had been expected to figure once more for Les Bleus if fit.

But having returned to Turin from Manchester United during the close season, Pogba has struggled with a knee injury, with delayed surgery keeping him stuck on the sidelines.

Now, the player's agent Rafaela Pimenta says he will not return to either domestic duty with Juventus, nor make the plane to Qatar with France, in what is one of the biggest injury blows ahead of the tournament.

"Following yesterday and today's medical review in Torino and Pittsburgh, it is extremely painful to [say] Paul Pogba will still need recovery time from his surgery," Pimenta told Telefoot on Monday.

"For this reason, Paul will not be able to join [the] Juventus squad before the World Cup break, nor the French national team in Qatar. If wishful thinking would change things, Paul would be playing tomorrow.

"But what changes things are hard work, resilience and discipline, all of which are the only things in Paul's mind [during] these challenging times.

"Paul will continue working [and] giving his very best to be back on the pitch for the fans and his team as soon as possible."

Less than three weeks out from the World Cup, Juventus also provided an update on the fitness of injured United States midfielder Weston McKennie.

"Weston McKennie underwent radiological examinations at J|Medical which showed muscular overload in the rectus femoris of the right thigh," the statement read. "His condition will be evaluated daily."

France begin their World Cup defence against Australia on November 22, before facing Denmark and Tunisia in their other two Group D matches.

Glenmuir, Cornwall College, William Knibb, Clarendon College, Frome Technical and The Manning’s School all scored wins to kick-off the quarterfinal round of the ISSA/Digicel daCosta Cup on Saturday.

The points were shared in Group 1 as Central High and Manchester played out a 1-1 draw at Brooks Park while there was a goalless draw between Christiana and defending champions Garvey Maceo at Glenmuir.

A Group 2 double-header at Drax Hall saw Cornwall College and William Knibb get wins over Dinthill Technical and Paul Bogle, respectively. Cornwall secured a 2-1 win over the previously unbeaten Dinthill while William Knibb needed just one goal to get past Paul Bogle.

Clarendon College are still unbeaten and were the biggest winners on the day with a 5-0 win over Rusea’s at Foga Road in Group 3. At the Llandilo Sports Complex, Frome Technical got a 2-0 win over York Castle to also remain unbeaten so far this season.

There was a pair of 2-0 wins in Group 4 for Glenmuir and Manning’s over STETHS and Edwin Allen at STETHS and Llandilo Sports Complex, respectively.

Action continues on Tuesday with Manchester facing Christiana at Brooks Park and Central facing Garvey Maceo at Foga Road in Group 1 and William Knibb taking Cornwall College at Drax Hall and Paul Bogle playing Dinthill at York Oval in Group 2.

Bosnia and Herzegovina have postponed their upcoming friendly with Russia amid widespread criticism, including from their own players.

Bosnia announced in September they would face Russia in Saint Petersburg on November 19, a day before the World Cup gets under way in Qatar.

The game would have been Russia's first against a European side since being banned from all FIFA and UEFA competitions following the country's invasion of Ukraine in February.

However, following complaints from Miralem Pjanic and Edin Dzeko, Bosnia's Football Association (NFSBIH) has announced the match will no longer go ahead next month.

"The friendly between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russia, which was supposed to be played on November 19, will not be played at that time," Monday's statement read.

"At today's session of the executive board of the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the match planned for November 19 was postponed.

"President of NSFSBIH, Mr. Vico Zeljkovic, stated that the playing of this friendly match will be extended for some future date."

Bosnia failed to reach the World Cup after finishing fourth in their qualification group, while Russia were blocked from taking part in March's play-offs as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Russia's only match since last November was a 2-1 friendly win against Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek in September.

Manuel Neuer and Lucas Hernandez were back in Bayern Munich training on Monday, with their respective hopes of being fit for the World Cup seemingly receiving a boost.

Bayern captain Neuer had been struggling with a shoulder injury that forced him to miss six games, but he returned to goalkeeper training ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Inter.

As recently as last week Nagelsmann did not want to commit to Neuer being ready to feature for Germany at the World Cup, saying he is not a "mystic".

But he appears hopeful of being able to call upon the 36-year-old away to Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

"We hope he'll be available again for the weekend. He came through training well and didn't show any reaction. But we'll have to wait and see," Nagelsmann told reporters.

Tuesday's game will also come too soon for Hernandez, not that the match has much riding on it – Bayern and Inter are already confirmed as Group C winners and runners-up respectively.

However, the France international is close to a return to action after suffering an adductor tear in September, with Monday seeing him take part in full team training.

Thomas Muller remains sidelined for the time being as well.

The Germany attacker has struggled lately with a hip issue, and Nagelsmann accepts he may not even be available to face Hertha.

"We'll reduce Thomas's workload this week and see how things are for the weekend," Nagelsmann said.

"But I'm leaning more towards him not being back at the weekend."

Matthijs de Ligt is a new name to be added to the injury list for Tuesday with a minor knee injury, leaving Nagelsmann's squad down to its bare bones as they look to end the group stage with maximum points.

"We will have to rotate a bit because we have some injured players who shouldn't play more than 45 minutes," he added.

"Nevertheless, we want to win the game. Anyone can show themselves. It's still a Champions League game and 18 points would be nice."

However, Nagelsmann suggested he will not give chances to youngsters who do not deserve an opportunity as he bemoaned the Under-19s' Youth League elimination after winning none of their first five group games.

"We'll take everyone but we'll see [on Tuesday] whether [youngsters] get chances," he continued.

"In general, I'm a friend of the fact that you have to earn success. You have to develop your genes, which is particularly important for young players at FC Bayern Munich.

"Success is part of a good education. You're doomed to win here at the club, so it's a shame we were eliminated so early in the Youth League.

"At FC Bayern, you always have to be the best in the youth teams so that the step-up to the pros isn't so big."

Milan forward Ante Rebic has been left out of Croatia's preliminary 34-man squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

Rebic was a key part of the Croatia team who reached the World Cup final in Russia in 2018, opening the scoring in an impressive 3-0 group-stage win over Argentina in that tournament.

However, the Rossoneri man has only made three Serie A starts this season, and although he has hit the net three times in his seven total league appearances, it has not been enough to enter him into Zlatko Dalic's thoughts.

Rebic last played for his country at last year's Euro 2020.

Luka Modric briefly sparked concerns over his fitness when he missed Real Madrid's Champions League defeat to RB Leipzig this month, but the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner is included on the list, as are Chelsea's Mateo Kovacic and Tottenham's Ivan Perisic.

Croatia will begin their Group F campaign against Morocco on November 23, before facing Canada and Belgium, and they will name their final 26-man squad on November 9.

Croatia preliminary squad in full: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivica Ivusic (Osijek), Ivo Grbic (Atletico Madrid), Dominik Kotarski (PAOK), Nediljko Labrovic (Rijeka); Domagoj Vida (AEK), Dejan Lovren (Zenit), Borna Barisic (Rangers), Duje Caleta-Car (Southampton), Josip Juranovic (Celtic), Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig), Borna Sosa (Stuttgart), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Marin Pongracic (Lecce), Martin Erlic (Sassuolo), Josip Sutalo (Dinamo Zagreb); Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Luka Ivanusec (Dinamo Zagreb), Lovro Majer (Rennes), Kristijan Jakic (Eintracht Frankfurt), Luka Sucic (Salzburg), Josip Misic (Dinamo Zagreb); Ivan Perisic (Tottenham), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Josip Brekalo (Wolfsburg), Bruno Petkovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Mislav Orsic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marko Livaja (Hajduk Split), Antonio Colak (Rangers).

The Ukrainian Football Association will appeal to FIFA in a bid to get Iran thrown out of the Qatar World Cup.

A statement from Ukraine’s FA on Monday confirmed its executive committee want Iran to be excluded from the tournament for "possible involvement of Iran in the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine".

Ukraine was invaded by Russia in February. The country's football team reached the final stage of UEFA's qualification play-offs but were beaten by Wales in June.

FIFA and UEFA subsequently banned Russia from playing international football.

The chief executive of Ukrainian Premier League side Shakhtar Donetsk, Sergei Palkin, last week urged FIFA to prevent Iran from competing in Qatar, suggesting Ukraine replace them.

A statement on the Ukrainian FA's website referenced the fact the executive committee had decided to appeal to the world governing body, but did not mention the possibility of replacing them at the tournament.

The statement outlined that the executive had made the decision: "Taking into account media information about systematic human rights violations in Iran, which may violate the principles and norms of the FIFA Statutes, taking into account the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 regarding the imposition of sanctions on Iran and the possible involvement of Iran in the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine, to make a request to the FIFA to consider excluding the Iranian national team from the 2022 FIFA World Cup."

Iran's opening game of the World Cup is scheduled to take place on November 21 against England.

Meanwhile, the Bosnia and Herzegovina FA has confirmed the proposed friendly with Russia on November 19 has been postponed, though the intention remains for it to be played "at a future date".

A statement read: "The friendly match between the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russia, which was supposed to be played on November 19 in Saint Petersburg, will not be played at that time.

"At today's session of the Executive Board of the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the match planned for November 19 was postponed. President of NS/FS BiH, Mr. Vico Zeljkovic stated that the playing of this friendly match will be extended for some future date."

Inter's on-loan striker Romelu Lukaku has suffered another injury setback just three weeks before the World Cup gets under way in Qatar.

The Belgium international only returned last week after spending two months on the sidelines with a thigh injury, scoring on his comeback in a 4-0 Champions League rout of Viktoria Plzen.

Lukaku came off the bench in a 3-0 Serie A win over Sampdoria on Saturday, but it remains to be seen when he will be in action again.

Inter on Monday revealed he has done damage to his hamstring and face a wait to discover the extent of the damage.

"Romelu Lukaku underwent clinical-instrumental tests this morning at the Humanitas Institute in Rozzano," a statement released by the Nerazzurri said.

"The investigations revealed a resentment of the myotendinous scar of the hamstring of the left thigh. The player's condition will be re-evaluated in a few days."

Lukaku rejoined Inter from Chelsea on a season-long loan deal in June but has endured a frustrating start to his second spell at San Siro.

Belgium face Canada in their first game of the World Cup at Al Rayyan Stadium on November 23.

Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes has only played 27 games for the club since arriving from Lyon, and he has been so impressive that he is now a target of Barcelona.

Guimaraes, 24, spent three seasons with Lyon before Newcastle secured his services in a £40million move in January.

He scored five goals in just 11 starts this past Premier League campaign, and has added two goals and two assists this season, with Newcastle unbeaten in the 10 games he has started.

The Brazil international with eight senior caps to his name is a key part of why Newcastle currently occupy fourth place in the Premier League table, but they will now reportedly have to fend off interest from Barca.

TOP STORY – BARCELONA INVESTIGATE A MOVE FOR GUIMARAES

According to The Sun, Barcelona have officially moved on from their chase of Manchester City's Bernardo Silva and are instead focusing their attention on Newcastle's Guimaraes.

The report claims Barcelona were "priced out" of a move for Silva after City slapped a price tag of £80m on him and Guimaraes would certainly not come cheap.

With his contract tying him to Newcastle until 2026, it would need a huge offer to land the 24-year-old. 

While their spending spree will eventually need to be balanced out with some sales, the Magpies are said to be offering Guimaraes a new contract that will pay him £200,000 per week to put any questions about his future to bed.

ROUND-UP

– Calciomercato is reporting both Roma and Juventus are expected to pursue 23-year-old Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi, who is valued in the region of €30m.

– According to The Mirror, Sporting will attempt to bring in Cristiano Ronaldo in January, and are preparing a second contract offer despite previously stating they can not afford the Portugal legend.

– Relevo claims N'Golo Kante is seen by Barcelona as a potential successor to Sergio Busquets, with the Chelsea midfielder's contract set to expire at the end of the season.

– It could be a busy January for Barcelona as Sport are reporting they hope to sell Memphis Depay, while Fichajes believe Franck Kessie will push for a move back to the Serie A.

– According to IG Esporte, Brighton and Everton are interested in 25-year-old Monaco left-back Caio Henrique.

The best in the East and the West will face off in the MLS Cup after Philadelphia Union launched a stunning 11-minute second-half rally to defeat reigning champions New York City 3-1 on Sunday.

Union will take on Supporters' Shield winners LAFC in the season decider on November 5 at Bank of California Stadium, with Steve Cherundolo's side easily accounting for Austin 3-0 earlier on Sunday.

Philadelphia had lost to NYC in last year's Conference Finals but a burst of goals from Julian Carranza, Daniel Gazdag and substitute Cory Burke sent them into their first-ever MLS Cup.

NYC had silenced the Subaru Park crowd when they went ahead in the 57th minute from Maxi Moralez's low strike after a cushioned pass from Santiago Rodriguez.

MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Andre Blake prevented a second NYC goal when he made a one-handed save to deny Alexander Callens' header.

Union capitalized on Blake's brilliance almost immediately, with Carranza slotting in a 65th-minute equalizer from Jakob Glesnes' quickly-taken free-kick.

Two minutes later Jack McGlynn's brilliant cross-field ball was headed down expertly by Carranza, splitting two defenders and setting up Gazdag to fire home for 2-1.

Burke, who had been brought on in the 62nd minute, burst forward with speed and strength to lash in a left-foot strike for 3-1 in the 76th minute.

LAFC's win over Austin was less complicated, with Cristian Arango nodding them ahead in the 29th minute, before a second-half Maximiliano Urruti own goal and Kwadwo Opoku strike settled their Conference Final.

Philadelphia and LAFC had both been top seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences respectively, having finished the regular season equal on points.

LAFC won the Supporters' Shield due to recording more wins across the regular season. Both clubs will be aiming for their first-ever MLS Cup titles.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes French football is "collapsing" without him, declaring the presence of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi as "not enough".

Ibrahimovic enjoyed a trophy-laden spell with Paris Saint-Germain between 2012 and 2016, winning 12 domestic honours including four consecutive Ligue 1 titles.

The Sweden striker's tally of 156 goals for PSG, meanwhile, is only bettered by Edinson Cavani (200) and Mbappe (188) in the club's history, although his return of 0.87 goals per game is better than both of those players.

Ibrahimovic, who is expected to return for Milan in 2023 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the end of last season, claims Ligue 1 has suffered for his absence.

Speaking to Canal+, Ibrahimovic said: "Since I left France, everything is collapsing. 

"There is no longer any interesting subject. France needs me, but I don't need France. 

"Even if you have Mbappe, Neymar and Messi, it's not enough, because you don't have God."

Mbappe (11), Neymar (10) and Messi (seven) have scored a combined 28 league goals for PSG this season after all three men netted in Saturday's dramatic 4-3 victory over Troyes.

Milan failed to move back within three points of Serie A leaders Napoli as goals from Koffi Djidji and Aleksey Miranchuk condemned the Rossoneri to a surprise 2-1 loss to Torino.

Miranchuk followed up Djidji's glancing header with a cultured left-footed finish as Torino scored twice in two frantic first-half minutes to stun Milan at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

Stefano Pioli's men travelled to Turin looking to stay within touching distance of the Serie A summit, but were uncharacteristically lethargic for long periods on Sunday.

Junior Messias was gifted a goal following a bizarre mix-up at the back, but Milan failed to build on that strike late on as Torino clung on for a huge win.

Rafael Leao missed two golden chances in the first six minutes, sending a wild volley over after breaking in behind before mishitting his shot after being teed up by Brahim Diaz.

Torino punished Milan for their wastefulness 10 minutes before the break, as Djidji nodded Valentino Lazaro's deep free-kick in off the right-hand post.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for the champions as Miranchuk latched onto Nikola Vlasic's knock-down before shifting the ball onto his left foot and finishing coolly across Tatarusanu. 

Sergino Dest fired over from range as Milan attempted to lift the tempo after the break, before Messias ensured a tense finish when he curled home following a clash between Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and Perr Schuurs.

Torino boss Ivan Juric was dismissed for berating referee Rosario Abisso following that goal, but his team showed greater composure to see out the closing stages in relative comfort.

What does it mean? Rossoneri fall short

Although the likes of Napoli and Atalanta have made headlines in Serie A by emerging as surprise pacesetters, Milan had begun their title defence in solid fashion, stretching their unbeaten away run to 17 league games ahead of Sunday's contest (W12 D5).

Milan had also kept five consecutive clean sheets in league meetings with Torino prior to this game, but they saw both of those records fall by the wayside after a quickfire double from their hosts, who richly deserved the win following a disciplined performance.

Djidji ends barren run

To say Torino have struggled against Milan in recent meetings would be an understatement: Djidji's opener ended a 499-minute run in which Torino had failed to find the net against Milan in Serie A meetings.

Their previous goal against the Rossoneri in the competition was scored by Andrea Belotti in September 2019, and prior to Sunday's game, no player in Torino's current squad had scored a league goal against Milan.

Leao kept quiet

Leao has emerged as the most obvious goal threat in an exciting Milan team, having recorded nine league goal contributions (five goals, four assists) ahead of the trip to Turin.

However, the Portugal attacker was hauled off at the break after a disappointing first half in which he squandered chances amounting to 0.51 expected goals (xG) and failed to hit the target with any of his four attempts.

What's next?

Milan host Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday, needing to avoid defeat to reach the last 16. Torino, meanwhile, go to Bologna in Serie A next Sunday.

Toni Kroos has enjoyed one of the most garlanded careers in world football, but on Sunday he finally collected something rather less treasured than his many medals: a red card.

In his 634th competitive top-flight game at club level, Kroos was dismissed for the first time as Real Madrid were held 1-1 by Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Germany international had already been booked when he cynically fouled Aleix Garcia as Girona looked to break at speed in stoppage time.

That meant the 32-year-old had to go, with referee Mario Melero Lopez ordering him off.

Kroos played at the highest level in Germany for Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, where he had an 18-month loan spell early in his career.

After making his Bundesliga debut in 2007 and gradually developing into a Bayern star performer, Kroos was signed up by Madrid in July 2014, days after helping his national team win the World Cup.

He has won the Champions League five times, landed three Bundesliga titles and three LaLiga crowns, and added five Club World Cup wins.

That is just scratching the surface, with Kroos scoring 59 goals and adding 130 assists while prompting skilfully from midfield.

The 634-game total consists of all competitions, including Kroos playing 253 times in LaLiga, 173 games in the Bundesliga, and 132 matches in the Champions League.

Kroos was not entirely a stranger to referees over that time, but they had always held off showing him red. He had totted up 84 bookings before Lopez decided the moment had arrived for an early bath.